Chapter 38: Visitors at the Orphanage (1)
Lin Xin seemed almost half-dead as she lay in her room. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, the Dean revealed to the other children that she had acquired a severely infectious disease. Since then, the other orphans were no longer concerned for her as they used to be; when she would venture outside into the sunlight, everyone else would hide away, for fear that her infection would spread to them.
After half a month had pa.s.sed, the roses and flowers that grew on the walls and edges of the courtyard bloomed beautifully. At this time of the year, many families had come to visit the orphanage.
In one week, the orphanage welcomed three or four families. Lin Xin secretly observed these families and found that most of them were couples who couldn"t have any children of their own, so they came to adopt a child. These weren"t the most suitable candidates for Lin Xin.
Reality would not tolerate a single mistake from her; if she made a careless choice, she would lose all hope for survival.
Two days later, a wealthy family came to visit the orphanage. When a rich madame stepped out of her private car, Lin Xin knew that her chance had come.
It was a very beautiful lady in her early thirties, wearing a hat and a matching elegant dress. When she stepped out of her car and gazed at the children, her eyes were filled with compa.s.sion. She walked gracefully into the orphanage and distributed the food she brought for them while asking whether they liked it or not.
Based on her gestures, it was plain to see that she had a good education and significant social standing. An attractive 14-year-old boy had accompanied her as well. He was wearing a black suit and a white s.h.i.+rt underneath.
He also wore a patterned bow tie and his hair was meticulously combed. Not one speck of dust contaminated his black leather shoes.
The teenager gazed down upon the children in the orphanage with pursed lips and a haughty expression, as if he were staring at a group of strange animals. The cold look in his eyes were unusual for someone his age.
A middle-aged man who accompanied them helped the lady in distributing the food to the children, but he didn"t forget to remind his employers, "Madame, please slow down. Young Master, there"s a stone in front of you."
The youth stepped over the rock and followed the mistress forward.
At this time, the Dean came out to greet them before leading them into the hall where the children were gathered together. Even Lin Xin, who was pretending to be ill, ended up joining this crowd.
The mistress and the handsome teenager sat in the middle of the hall. A man in his fifties, who seemed to be their butler, handed over a cup of tea to his lady. The woman took a sip before asking her son, "Xiao Tian, is there anyone that catches your eye?"
The teenager stood up and scrutinized the neatly lined children as if he were looking at a stack of goods. However, not one of them could satisfy him. Xiao Tian frowned in displeasure and replied, "Mom, you choose one that you think is suitable."
The mistress glared at him and said, "It"s not for me to choose, you"re the one who needs to select a study companion. If you don"t want to choose one, let them each come up and introduce themselves."
Finding a study companion was the last thing he wanted to do. However, his parents didn"t want him to feel lonely from the lack of siblings, so they brought him to this place to adopt a child.
Based on his mother"s temperament, if he doesn"t pick someone right now, she"ll definitely ensure that this sizeable group will introduce themselves to him one by one. It would be such a headache if he had to listen to each of them.
So then, I"ll just pick one and get this task over with…
Xiao Tian glanced at the children in the room until his gaze fell on a pale girl whose head was lowered. Since she was sickly, choosing her would be ideal. This girl will be lucky enough to receive treatment, and if she dies in bed his mother would no longer nag him to find a study partner.
While Lin Xin was still wondering how she could attract their attention, she never expected this teenager to point straight at her.