Urban Martial Saint

Seeing Ye Qing from afar, Su Nuoyan immediately stood up and waved at him, shouting, ”Ye, over here.”

When Su Nuoyan stood up, almost everyone in the café looked over. The allure of a beautiful woman is just like that; a girl like Su Nuoyan definitely belonged to the type who would be the center of attention wherever she went. Although her looks were not as striking as Shen Qingyi or Huangfu Ziyu, she possessed a unique charm, the kind that made her stand out anywhere. This might have to do with her occupation. Ye Qing remembered that she was a reporter for the provincial TV station.

Ye Qing walked over and, seeing the recorder on the table, smiled and said, ”Reporter Su, is this an occupational hazard? Carrying these things with you even when you go out?”

Su Nuoyan giggled, picked up the recorder on the table, and said, ”This isn’t really an occupational hazard. Mainly because today, I wanted to interview you, Ye, so I brought my ’dining utensils’ with me. What do you say? Do you have time for an interview?”

”Reporter Su from the provincial TV station, choosing not to interview officials and tycoons, but coming to interview me? I’m truly flattered!” Ye Qing replied with a light smile. After spending so much time in Shenchuan City, his personality had changed a great deal. Although his hatred for evil had not changed, he was no longer as reticent as before.

”Ye, you’re being too modest,” Su Nuoyan smiled and continued, ”I came here originally to cover a story. But there was a last-minute change, and the original plan couldn’t proceed, so I turned to you, Ye, for some material to take back for my report.”

”Material?” Ye Qing looked at Su Nuoyan, seeing that she wasn’t joking, and asked in surprise, ”What kind of material would I have here?”

Su Nuoyan laughed and said, ”Ye is the biggest philanthropist in Shenchuan City, single-handedly starting the largest orphanage here. This matter has already made waves in the province, isn’t that material enough?”

Ye Qing was stunned. He had only met Su Nuoyan twice, and yet she knew so much about him, which was really strange.

”Journalists like you, are you all former spies or something?” Ye Qing said jokingly, ”You’ve managed to dig out all my secrets.”

”If journalists aren’t well-informed, what’s the point of doing the news?” Su Nuoyan laughed and said, ”Ye, what do you think? Are you willing to give me this exclusive story or not?”

”What kind of exclusive story is this!” Ye Qing sighed and said, ”I would like to start an orphanage, but it’s hard to say whether the orphanage will be able to continue. Reporter Su, I don’t think I can help you with this one. If it gets reported and then the orphanage is shut down, wouldn’t that become a joke?”

”Oh?” Su Nuoyan looked somewhat surprised and asked, ”Why can’t the orphanage continue? Is it a funding issue, or something else?”

”There’s no problem with funding. The construction is almost complete. It’s just bureaucratic issues,” Ye Qing explained.

”What’s the issue with the paperwork?” Su Nuoyan hurriedly asked.

Ye Qing let out a sigh and slowly recounted the orphanage’s situation to Su Nuoyan from beginning to end. He had been keeping the orphanage matters to himself and worrying about them these past days. Now that he had found someone to share everything with, Ye Qing felt much better.

Su Nuoyan sat opposite, quietly listening to everything Ye Qing had said, took out a notebook, and it was unclear what she was recording. After carefully calculating for a while in her notebook, Su Nuoyan looked up and asked, ”Ye, how much would you estimate the total investment for this orphanage to be?”

Ye Qing didn’t know why Su Nuoyan was asking this question, but he truthfully replied, ”I want to build a comprehensive orphanage that includes living, education, medical care, and culture. If you count all the complete facilities, I’ve had someone calculate, and it would probably require an investment of two billion. The key issue is that the land for the orphanage I’m building now is a bit small, and there’s no space for the later services. If we need to expand the site, purchasing more land would cost a significant amount of money.”

”Two billion.” Su Nuoyan looked at Ye Qing, her eyes filled with amazement, and said, ”Ye, all this money, is it all coming out of your own pocket?”

”That’s not exactly the case,” Ye Qing chuckled and said, ”It’s mainly thanks to some friends here in Shenchuan City. We all contributed collectively. Take Boss Lin Zhen Nan, for instance. To date, he has donated twenty million and will continue to donate ten million to the orphanage every year. And then there’s my friend, Boss Li Lianshan, who has also contributed quite a lot of money.”

”Even with others co-funding, you must have contributed a significant amount too, Ye,” Su Nuoyan said. ”For a two hundred million project, you must have put in at least one hundred million, right?”

Ye Qing thought for a moment and slowly nodded his head, wondering, how would one hundred million be enough?

”To give such a large sum of money so willingly for charity, Ye, I’ve met quite a few philanthropists, but few have the courage like you do,” Su Nuoyan looked at Ye Qing with even greater admiration, saying, ”Moreover, as far as I know, your own family isn’t that rich. You’ve earned your position and wealth through your own efforts. Plus, you’re still renting in Shenchuan City. Since you have so much money, and can donate so much to the orphanage, why haven’t you thought about improving your own living conditions first?”

This question left Ye Qing silent for a long while. No one had ever asked him this before, nor had he pondered it himself. Indeed, as Su Nuoyan said, his income was now quite high, and he could certainly afford a much better lifestyle. However, Ye Qing had never considered such matters. The house he lived in was rented, the car he drove belonged to Li Lianshan, and all of his money, aside from the working capital necessary to keep the venue running, was entirely shared with his brothers below or invested into the orphanage. As for himself, Ye Qing had never frivolously spent a penny. In fact, even the suit he was wearing was purchased for him by Lin Huayu.

”If I really have to answer that question...” Ye Qing smiled and said, ”I would say it’s just a habit. I’m used to living like this. I’m originally a poor man, not accustomed to a wealthy lifestyle. Besides, I’m quite content as I am now.”

”Ye, you really have low demands for life!” Su Nuoyan gave a slight smile and said, ”The two hundred million you mentioned is just for the construction investment for the orphanage. But to keep the orphanage running, ongoing investment is essential. Have you ever considered, Ye, how much money it takes to cover the monthly expenses of so many children in the orphanage? How much money is needed every month for the support services you are providing?”

Ye Qing said, ”I’ve done some calculations. If all the support services keep up, the medical, educational, cultural, and living expenses, in total, would be around five million a month.”

”Five million. So that comes to sixty million a year!” Su Nuoyan looked at Ye Qing and noted, ”Sixty million, such a huge sum of money spent just like that. Ye, doesn’t it hurt to let go of that much money?”

Ye Qing looked at Su Nuoyan and said, ”To tell the truth, I’m a very stingy person. When I was in school, my family was very poor, and I used to pick up leftover food in the cafeteria. So, I’m really frugal with money. But, I feel more pained by the sight of children begging on the streets. I’ve been hungry and cold in my childhood; I know how it feels, not pleasant at all. When it gets cold, if the many children in my orphanage were to wander the streets, how many would survive the winter? Reporter Su, you might not have witnessed the feeling of a child dying in your arms due to illness. I have. That child was not even five years old, and I watched him die in my arms. In that moment, I swore to myself, even if it costs me my life, by stealing or by robbing, I will take good care of these children!”

Listening to Ye Qing’s words, Su Nuoyan was touched as well. She looked at Ye Qing, who was slightly excited as he spoke, and said softly, ”Ye, you really are kind-hearted!”

Ye Qing smiled bitterly and shook his head; he knew that he couldn’t really count himself as a good person. For the well-being of these children, his hands were stained with no small amount of blood. So, in his heart, Ye Qing never saw himself as a good person. If he had to be labeled, he’d rather be the kind of bandit from ancient times who robbed the rich to help the poor.

Seeing Reporter Su continuously jotting down notes on her notebook, Ye Qing suddenly realized something and asked, ”Reporter Su, you’re not interviewing me, are you?”

”Hehe...” Su Nuoyan giggled slyly and said, ”Ye, you just realized?”

”Reporter Su, let’s not report on this, okay?” Ye Qing shook his head and said, ”If the orphanage can’t open, then broadcasting this will turn it into a joke. If you really need material, how about I contact you for a report once the orphanage opens, what do you think?”

”Ye, you don’t understand!” Su Nuoyan shook her head and smiled, saying, ”The matter has been kept hush-hush here in Shenchuan City, and the provincial authorities are completely unaware of the situation. The reason those leaders want to close your orphanage is because they don’t want to take responsibility. But if I report on this and let the whole province see it, given what you have done, public opinion will definitely support you more. When those leaders are discussing these issues, they will, to some extent, consider public sentiment and can’t go too far against it. So, reporting on this will certainly benefit you in the end!”

”Really?” Ye Qing’s face showed doubt, saying, ”Could it really… really be beneficial for the orphanage’s approval?”

Su Nuoyan said, ”Of course, Ye, haven’t you helped me out before? Would I deceive you?”

”That’s great!” Ye Qing was overjoyed. Now he wanted to try anything that might benefit the orphanage. The provincial meeting was imminent, and he wanted to use all his efforts to try for this cause.