Chapter 309
Stephanie said, “Don’t worry, the police won’t arrest you.” She pondered. That damned man really scared this poor little girl so much. She and her brother must have spent the whole night terrified by that pile of money!
She added, “Just give the money to your parents.”
The little girl responded, “I don’t have any parents.”
Maybe it was the way the girl spoke so naturally, or perhaps it was her innocent and tender voice that made the words so heartbreaking. Stephanie was stunned for a moment, unsure how to respond. She really wasn’t good at comforting people.
The little girl seemed used to not having parents and wasn’t upset. Instead, she cheerfully told Stephanie, “My brother and 1 live in an orphanage with many other children.”
Stephanie looked at the little girl’s outfit, which was just like the one she wore last night, an old red cotton jacket, oversized tasseled boots, and a young face smeared with a bit of dirt. But now, she was smiling brightly. Last night, Stephanie had noticed the little girl’s outfit and assumed she was from a poor family, but she hadn’t realized that the little girl and her brother were orphans.
The little girl continued. “My brother gave the money to Sister Alice at the orphanage last night. Sister Alice is an adult, so we must listen to her.”
“Was it the nuns who told you to sell flowers?” Stephanie asked. Thinking of the darker sides of society, she added, “Have the nuns ever hurt you?”
The little girl quickly shook her head. “Sister Alice is kind. We have food to eat now and can go to school. My brother says we’re big kids now and need to help take care of the younger children at the orphanage. He takes me here to sell roses so we can earn some money for books and food.”
Stephanie stared blankly at the girl, who was about seven years old, talking earnestly about orphanage life and selling flowers to make money. Stephanie thought the girl’s smile seemed truly content at that moment.
Almost instinctively, she reached out and wiped the dirt off the little girl’s cheek, thinking such a precious little life deserved
better.
Stephanie bought a basket of roses from the little girl, who insisted on only accepting 40 dollars before happily running off
to find her brother.
Meanwhile, Stephanie, carrying the basket of roses, took a cab back to her room, 402. The sight of the beautiful roses lifted her spirits a bit, easing her previously melancholic mood.
She casually turned on the TV, and the sound from it made the cold house feel a little less empty.
Stephanie didn’t pay much attention to what was on the TV at first. She was busy arranging the roses. But when she heard at news segment mentioning the Innovate Group, she looked up at the screen.
The voice on the TV continued, “The Innovate Group’s spokesperson has promised that this year, the company’s charity fund will significantly support orphanages, especially in education and healthcare
Stephanie watched the news, frowned, and wondered why the Innovate Group suddenly had a strong interest in child welfare funding.
She then instinctively looked up at the ceiling, toward 502, the apartment above hers. Stephanie rarely paid attention to the Innovate Group’s affairs. Perhaps the company had been funding such initiatives for a long time, and she was overthinking
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Stephanie placed the basket of roses in the center of the coffee table. The roses, with their vibrant red petals, were blooming
beautifully, contrasting with a single wilted rose nearby, tied with a pale pink bow identical to those in the basket
She stared at the roses and began to get lost in thoughts. It wasn’t until Stephanie’s stomach rumbled that she realized the hadn’t eaten all day.
Stephanie picked up her phone to order takeout, but when she saw a wide variety of Christmas meals on the app, she didn’t
know what to choose.
She felt that no matter how fancy the takeout was, she’d lose interest after eating too much. After some thought, she tossed the phone onto the sofa and headed to the kitchen to cook something herself.
Stephanie prepared the ingredients and used the electric pressure cooker to make plain soup. It was so easy that even someone as hopeless in the kitchen as her could manage it. While others were enjoying grand Christmas feasts, she was sipping plain soup, which felt a bit pitiful
However, the soup was warm, and even though it was plain and tasteless, she could finish it. People called Stephanie picky. but she didn’t think she was that hard to please. They just weren’t doing it right.
Stephanie then remembered the last time Oscar came over and made clam chowder for her. As if by some kind of telepathy. her phone on the couch beeped just as she ladled the soup. Oscar had sent her a WhatsApp message. It was simple a text that read: [Merry Christmas, Babe]
Stephanie was taken aback by the message, staring at it for a while before starting to think deeply.
After about three minutes, she put down the ladle with a suppressed and complex expression and video called Oscar on WhatsApp. Stephanie waited anxiously for him to accept, but he declined the call.
Stephanie pressed her lips together, feeling a mix of frustration and anger, Just as she was about to keep pressing the video) call button until Oscar answered, he seemed to understand her well and called her directly.
“Babe,” Oscar greeted her as usual, but today his clear voice sounded a bit hoarse
Stephanie’s feelings were a tangled mess, and she didn’t notice the change in his voice. She gritted her teeth, held back her erupting emotions, and suddenly asked. “Are you not going to give me a Christmas present?”
Oscar was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, seemingly surprised by her sudden request for a gift. The fact that she could ask for a present so naturally was just part of his Babe’s personality.
“What do you want?” he asked with a casual, gentle tone, unlike the intense promises others might make. But Stephanie knew that no matter what gift she asked for, Oscar would go out of his way to get it for her. Oscar was that kind of serene yet extreme person, an extraordinary and incredibly intelligent man.
Holding her phone tightly. Stephanie’s voice trembled with urgency and impatience. “Little Pillar, you know what I want.” She then waited for Oscar to answer.
Oscar, on the other end of the phone, broke the moment, apparently unable to hold it in, and sneezed. Then, he said in a raspy voice, “Sorry.”
Stephanie didn’t understand what he was apologizing for and was about to press him further when he, on the other end, sneezed several more times.
Oscar wasn’t faking it because he never faked anything. He was really sick.
Stephanie asked. “Do you have a fever?”
“A slight fever, Oscar replied.
Stephanie continued. “Co take a digital thermometer and check what’s your temperature now.”
After a while, she heard sounds of Oscar rummaging around, and then he honestly told her, “101 degrees Fahrenheit”
Stephanie’s tone became urgent at his words. “How did you get sick? Have you forgotten when you had a fever over 104 degrees Fahrenheit as a kid? Go eat something now, take some fever medicine, and rest in your bedroom.”
“Okay,” Oscar responded somewhat sluggishly, but his voice sounded particularly compliant.