Stephanie brought Charlie to the dormitory area of the orphanage. Charlie could see the dormitory that he used to live in at a single glance.After looking out the window, Charlie saw a dozen or more children who were about one to two years old playing under the leadership of one of the aunts in the orphanage.He could not help but ask, “Stephanie, why are there so many young children at the orphanage now?”Stephanie replied, “There are many irresponsible parents who sent their children directly to the entrance of the orphanage after giving birth to them. Some of these children were abandoned because of congenital disabilities or diseases. Some of them have the same fate as me, and they are abandoned because they are girls.”Stephanie could not help but sigh when she spoke of this.After that, she said angrily, “There are also many children who have been abducted by human traffickers but were subsequently rescued by the police. Some of the children are too young, and it is impossi
When the three of them stepped out of the orphanage and were about to head toward the restaurant, a pleasantly surprised voice sounded in their ears, “Charlie, Stephanie!”The both of them turned around and saw several figures walking toward them.These people were all the friends who had grown up with him in the orphanage.However, there were many people from this group that Charlie had basically not seen again ever since he had left the orphanage. The only person he had kept in touch with after leaving the orphanage was his close friend, Harvey.During Charlie’s early years in the orphanage, he had a very reticent attitude and personality because of his parents’ accidental death. He was very introverted and withdrawn, and he would not even speak a single word to anyone else for the whole day.He was often isolated by the other children because of his personality.Charlie could still remember that Harvey, who was a little older than him, would always stand up for him and play
After he was done speaking, he said, “By the way, I haven’t asked you. Aren’t you supposed to be in Lancaster? How did you come to Aurous Hill so quickly?”Harvey smiled before he said, “It is really very coincidental that my company has arranged for me to come over to Aurous Hill for a business trip. I only arrived here earlier in the afternoon today. As soon as I got off the bus, I saw all of you chatting in the group chat. That’s why I decided to come here as soon as possible!”Charlie asked curiously, “Didn’t you start your own business? Why are you working for others again?”Harvey smiled bitterly before he said, “Business is bad. How could anyone’s business be doing well now? The economic situation in the past two years has not been easy, and it is not easy to run a business at all.”After he was done speaking, Harvey looked at Claire before he smiled and said, “Charlie, is this my younger sister-in-law?”Charlie nodded before he said, “Yes. This is my wife, Claire.”After
The window of the Mercedes-Benz was wound down. Charlie peered at the man behind the window and instantly recognized him.He was Max Wyatt, the guy who had taken the liberty to organize today’s gathering in their messenger group.However, Charlie and he were just normal acquaintances.Max was dressed in a suit that seemed tight over his chubby figure and leather shoes. He stopped the car when he saw the crowd, poked his head out of the car window, and said, “Oh, hey, sorry guys for keeping you waiting.”A tinge of arrogance and hubris hovered in his eyes. He cleared his throat and explained in a smug tone, “Oh, there was a traffic jam on my way here, that’s why I’m late.”Someone gaped in surprise, “Wow, Max, is this your car? When did you buy it?”Max laughed pompously. “I just got it two days ago.”Charlie squinted in realization. No wonder this guy was so eager in organizing the get-together, he just wanted to show off his brand new car to his childhood friends!Someone aske
“Is she our friend from the orphanage too?” Max mumbled to himself.He started to dig through his memories, trying to think of any fragments related to this beautiful girl.Still donning the pretentiously polite yet smug smile on his face, he looked at Charlie and said, “Hey, you’re Charlie, right? Long time no see!”Charlie grinned and said, “Butt Trumpet?”Butt Trumpet was Max’s nickname back when they were in the orphanage. He used to be a chubby glutton who farted a lot, and more importantly, he farted wherever he went and whenever he felt like it. He would fart in classes, during game times, during meals, and when sleeping.At that time, everyone was troubled and in misery due to his farts, hence the nickname—Butt Trumpet.Max’s face turned green when he heard Charlie mention his nickname, but before he could say anything, a young man behind him chided indignantly, “Hey, Charlie, watch your tongue! How dare you embarrass our Manager Wyatt right in front of everyone? Max is n
Max was getting more agitated when he saw Charlie’s beautiful wife, so he put on a sarcastic smirk and said, “Hey, Charlie, I haven’t seen you for years, you have changed a lot, man. You look so polished and shiny, a typical toyboy and moocher face!”Then, he scanned Charlie from head to toe, shook his head, and said in a mocking tone, “If only I knew how easy it was to be a live-in husband, I wouldn’t have had to spend years working my *ss off. Just look at me, after working so hard for years, ruining my health in the process, I’ve finally been promoted to a director position. It’s so shameful to compare myself to the king of moocher like you!”Max deliberately teased Charlie in such a cynic way because he wanted to boost his social status as well as discriminate against Charlie.He couldn’t help looking at the young and attractive Stephanie.Since he couldn’t get his hands on Claire, the younger Stephanie with her tender skin and flawless face was the second-best choice!When th
Max smiled coyly and said, “Oh, Stephanie, don’t get me wrong. I’m just joking with Charlie. You know us, we used to tease each other a lot back in the days, actually, we’re buddies!”Stephanie snorted and turned her head, ignoring him.At this moment, a woman with grey hair and a kind face walked out of the orphanage’s entrance. She asked as she saw the crowd, “Eh, why are you all still standing here? I thought you went to the restaurant already.”The crowd hurriedly looked back and was surprised to see that it was Mrs. Lewis who was talking to them.Mrs. Lewis donned a gentle smile on her face. She was pleased to see them. When her eyes settled on Charlie, they were immediately filled with gratitude.Everyone was looking at Mrs. Lewis with earnest and excited eyes.With the ability he had obtained from the , Charlie could see at a glance that Mrs. Lewis had completely recovered and she was doing perfectly fine!He felt extremely relieved and sighed at the sam
Claire quickly said, “Don’t worry, Mrs. Lewis. Charlie and I are doing great.”Then, she blushed and said apologetically, “Mrs. Lewis, I’m sorry for not being able to visit you in Eastcliff. I wouldn’t even have known that you had recovered and were back to Aurous Hill if Charlie hadn’t told me. I’m terribly sorry…”“Oh no, please don’t, honey. You guys have helped so much. You took care of me in the hospital when I was seriously ill. I may have already died from the illness if it weren’t for you two helping me with the bills…”Mrs. Lewis’ eyes reddened with tears and she choked up, “I’m ever so thankful to you, Claire. You had to take care of the Wilson family affairs as well as me, it must have been very hard on you. I feel very thankful and guilty at the same time. I’m a burden to both of you. It should be me who says sorry!”Claire grabbed her hands tight and said, “Mrs. Lewis, don’t forget that I am Charlie’s wife! You are his fairy godmother, which means you are my fairy godm
"Fuck!" When Jacob heard what Charlie said, he was horrified. He nervously asked, "Matilda isn't going to come to our house to deliver the invitation, is she? If Elaine finds out that I've been hiding Matilda's return from her all this time, I'll be so dead!" Charlie, having long seen through Jacob, knew he would never escape the shadow and claws of Elaine. He shook his head and said, "Whether they'll invite you, I have no way of knowing. If you're worried, you can tell Matilda that you don't want to be invited to her wedding and that you don't want to go." Jacob sighed. "That's just a temporary solution. Even if she doesn't know now, she'll probably find out sooner or later. A lot of our mutual friends already know about Matilda's return. You went to the gathering too. But those friends are not really in contact with Elaine, so she hasn't found out yet." Charlie smiled and said, "Matilda's return to the country was at a pretty sensitive time. If I'm not mistaken, she came b
Jacob then realized that Charlie was also driving a Rolls-Royce, and it was a more expensive Phantom. Surprised, he asked, "Charlie, where did you get this car?" Marilyn had prepared the car for Charlie when he left Scarlet Pinnacle Manor. He had driven it to Thompson First, so he had decided to use it today. Charlie replied, "A client lent it to me. You sounded urgent, so I drove it over." Then, he added, "You're something else. You're crying like a baby yet you're still in the mood to ask about the car. What's going on? Your friend said you'd cried twice already?" "That bloody Simon!" Hearing this, Jacob became furious and cursed, "He still doesn't have the slightest clue! He's such a damned fool! The more I try to avoid him, the more he keeps blabbering on and on. Argh, he's so stupid!" Charlie asked, "What exactly is bothering you?" Jacob's face instantly turned dejected, and with a long sigh, he choked up and said, "Charlie— Matilda— She's getting married—" "Gettin
Things were a little different and unique in the United States, though. Westerners tended to approach marriage with greater caution. Many couples stayed together for years, had several children, and yet remained as boyfriend and girlfriend. Being together, having children, and raising them jointly didn't necessarily mean they would get married. In fact, it was not uncommon for some to walk down the aisle only after having multiple kids. Because of this environment, elderly couples in the West often limited their relationships to dating, and at most, cohabitation. Very few progressed to the stage of marriage. However, Yolden, like a young man in the throes of passionate love, had invited her on a trip, secretly prepared a proposal ceremony by the seaside, and gotten down on one knee with a ring to propose. These actions deeply moved Matilda and, at the same time, gave her an unprecedented sense of security. Now, Yolden had moved their wedding up a big step and set the date just on
Hearing Jacob's tone, Charlie could tell that Jacob must have already learned about Matilda's plans to marry Yolden. So, Charlie said, "I'm just around the corner. I'll head over now, and we can meet at the gate." Choking up, Jacob replied, "Alright, I won't drive then. I'll wait for you at the gate. Hurry!" "Okay," Charlie agreed, but after hanging up, he deliberately waited for a few minutes. It was because Yolden had just left moments ago to pick up Matilda at Senior University. If Charlie had gone there right now, all four of them could have run into each other at the gate, which would make things even more awkward. Charlie wasn't worried about feeling awkward himself—he was more concerned about Jacob being further hurt. After intentionally waiting a bit, Charlie finally drove to the university. Just as Charlie drove toward Senior University, Matilda was waiting for Yolden by the roadside at the entrance of Senior University. At this moment, Jacob stumbled out of th
Charlie asked, "There are too many new domestic energy brands now. Do you think they still have a shot in vehicle manufacturing?" "Of course," Yolden affirmed. "There are indeed many new energy brands now, and many of them are struggling on the edge of survival. A lot of them have already disappeared, but the automotive market is so vast, and new energy vehicles only account for a small portion of it, which proves that the future of new energy still has great potential. Now, if the focus is only on competing with other new energy brands, the scale is indeed a bit small. The scope should be broadened to compete with traditional gasoline vehicle manufacturers. If you can cut Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai's global sales in half, that would truly be a giant." Yolden paused for a moment, almost as if remembering something, and then said, "Actually, you could consider researching this field. You don't lack money or resources, and with Ito-Schulz Ocean Shipping Group as your logistics channe
When Jacob came to his senses, he was already in tears. The student presumed he was unwell and asked, "Mr. Wilson, do you want me to call your wife to pick you up?" Elaine's sarcastic face immediately popped up in his mind, and he trembled with fear. He quickly wiped away his tears and stammered, "D-don't bother... I... I just got something in my eyes..." The student obviously didn't believe him and asked worriedly, "Why don't you call your wife? Or I'll call a cab for you." "No, no." Jacob waved his hand and said, "I'll call my son-in-law to pick me up. He has just returned to Aurous Hill, so it shouldn't be a problem." After that, he quickly took out his phone and called Charlie. Just a few minutes ago, Charlie had left the cafe and was about to walk Yolden to his car. When he saw Yolden walking straight toward a domestic new energy vehicle, he asked curiously, "I don't think you were driving this model before, were you?" "I just bought it," Yolden replied with a smil
If Matilda still had feelings for Jacob, his nostalgic strategy would definitely have a strong impact. However, Matilda had already decided to move on, so Jacob's suggestion did not stir any emotions in her at all. With an apologetic smile, she said, "Sorry, Jacob, Yolden is downstairs waiting for me. We have something to discuss. How about another day? We can have dinner together, and I'll treat you." Jacob didn't expect the nostalgia strategy to fall flat. His original plan was to use nostalgia to get Matilda to go with him to eat near the school, then take the opportunity to revisit old places and subtly reignite their past memories. After all, revisiting old places was the best way to rekindle old feelings, no exceptions. It was like drinking the pasta water after cooking the pasta. However, he never imagined that Matilda's expression wouldn't change in the slightest. There was no shyness, no hesitation, no nervousness, and certainly no fluttering heart. She simply and
Matilda had been listening attentively before, but now, she was lowering her head, fiddling with her phone, and her expression even carried a hint of shyness and happiness, like that of a young girl. Jacob felt a pang of jealousy. While doing the presentation, he couldn't help but resentfully think to himself, "What has Matilda been chatting about with that Yolden guy? She's so happy..." At that moment, Matilda had just received a message from Yolden. In the message, Yolden informed her of the outcome of his conversation with Charlie and expressed his desire to have the wedding as soon as possible. Seeing how eager her beloved was to marry her, Matilda naturally felt very touched. At that moment, she had completely fallen into Yolden's love. For this man, who had a similar background, education, values, and even lifestyle to her own, she could find no fault with him. She felt that he was perfectly tailor-made for her by heaven itself, almost as if everything about him perfectly m
Charlie's worries were not unfounded. He had long known that Jacob had not completely given up on Matilda despite her relationship with Yolden. After returning from the cultural exchange in Korea, Jacob had been more dejected than ever before—something he hadn't even displayed when his family had gone bankrupt. If there was still a chance to salvage the relationship when one's beloved was merely dating someone else, their marriage was tantamount to a death sentence. Furthermore, considering the high intellectual backgrounds of Matilda and Yolden as well as their age and life experience, their decision to marry at this stage of life undoubtedly signaled their intention to build a long-term future together. This left Jacob with absolutely no chance at all. At this moment, Jacob was blissfully unaware of the devastating news and was busy conducting a calligraphy and painting workshop at Senior University. The so-called workshop was essentially a few slides showcasing classic