Chapter 234: Redemption (Big Chapter)

Lu Ye felt quite at a loss.

"Dean, I'm still young..."

"But your intelligence pleases me greatly. The orphanage is finding it increasingly difficult to survive, and I no longer have enough time to teach you all. So, I need someone to take my place in teaching them."

"You're not only a good child but also the most outstanding among them. Can you help me with this?"

Lu Ye's cheeks turned slightly red from the praise.

Shen Xitong, however, became anxious. The situation seemed to be taking an unexpected turn.

"Dean, Lu Ye is still young. How about I become the leader of the children?" Shen Xitong declared confidently.

Li Kaoshan's expression instantly turned cold.

"What are you, anyway?"

Shen Xitong flew into a rage and was about to rush forward to confront Li Kaoshan.

But Lu Ye grabbed Shen Xitong's hand.

The warmth in his palm immediately calmed Shen Xitong down.

"Dean, I can give it a try..."

"Ha ha ha, good! From today on, you don't need to go scavenging anymore. Come to my office every morning, and I'll give you private lessons!"

Lu Ye nodded gently.

Watching Lu Ye's departing figure.

"Dean, are you really going to let this boy help with your classes? What if something goes wrong? Let me take over for you?" Nurse Chen said with some concern.

Li Kaoshan gave her a cold look.

To him, even adults who were in the same boat were unreliable.

Only those he personally trained could be trusted.

"Take care of Yin Qingcheng."

"Alright..."

Yin Qingcheng died again!

The crack on the Three Lives Stone grew a bit more, and her eyes were filled with madness.

Damn Nurse Chen!

Damn it all!

She had been killed twice by a mere ant!

She activated the power of the Three Lives Stone once more.

That night!

Yin Qingcheng's small figure lurked in the darkness.

Evading each surveillance camera, she stealthily entered the sleeping caretaker Chen's room.

The sharpened wooden stick was viciously thrust into Caretaker Chen’s throat.

“Thud!”

Caretaker Chen’s eyes widened, emitting a hoarse sound, struggling fiercely, and Yin Qingcheng was thrown away.

With the wooden stick still in her throat, she instinctively pulled it out.

But that very action.

Blood gushed out.

“Murder!”

The commotion caught the attention of other caretakers, who let out a scream of alarm.

Yin Qingcheng died once again.

But she felt a sense of relief, finally having killed this most despicable caretaker.

Ugly woman, the woman deserved to die!

She activated the power of the Three Lives Stone for the fourth time.

Workers arrived at the orphanage, beginning to seal all the windows with security bars.

The orphanage announced to the outside world that Caretaker Chen had died from cardiac arrest due to overwork.

Of course, the welfare home also paid a hefty sum in compensation.

Lu Ye was being tutored by Li Kaoshan every day. Li Kaoshan had already been increasingly busy, and now with this incident, he became even more occupied.

"Lu Ye, do you believe what the director said?"

Shen Xitong asked again.

"I do!"

Lu Ye's gaze remained resolute.

Finally, Lu Ye stepped onto the podium for the second time.

The first time, he was the chicken slaughtered to warn the others; now, he had taken Li Kaoshan's place and become the one giving the lesson.

"Today, we will discuss what loyalty and righteousness mean!"

Li Kaoshan watched as Lu Ye spoke confidently from the podium, his expression somewhat solemn.

He wasn't sure if the choice he made was right or wrong.

This Lu Ye seemed more terrifying than he had imagined.

His phone began buzzing again.

Li Kaoshan ignored it, listening intently to Lu Ye's lecture. Gradually, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

The treasure he had crafted with his own hands was doing well!

From now on, Lu Ye will be giving the lectures.

Li Kaoshan attended a few times but never showed up again, yet he would check the surveillance at any time.

He was very busy.

From listening to every word,

to listening at double speed,

and then to listening randomly.

Lu Ye's authority grew, and the caregivers' attitude towards him became increasingly favorable.

He even moved out of 401 and got his own private room.

His request was for Shen Xitong to move in with him.

The caregivers exchanged knowing smiles; though Little Dean Lu was young, he was gradually understanding certain things.

Lu Ye was extremely dedicated and responsible.

In the evenings, he would visit different rooms, understand the children's needs, and converse with them as if he were one of their peers.

Under the management of this young dean, the orphanage became more united and more obedient.

Everyone's sense of belonging grew stronger.

Li Kaoshan was already swamped with work.

Various kinds of jobs sprang up within the orphanage.

One day, a group of people came to give the children at the orphanage a health check-up.

...

...

...

Yin Qingcheng could not understand what Lu Ye was doing now.

She still couldn't adapt to this environment; she was too weak.

So powerless!

Another day passed.

Truck after truck of cotton was delivered.

Lu Ye looked at the piles of cotton on the ground when Li Kaoshan's call came through.

"Director."

"Lu Ye, I'm giving you two days to strip all the cotton."

"Alright, but I need to request some funds."

"For what?"

"Buy them some snacks."

Li Kaoshan fell silent, his voice suddenly becoming somewhat irritable, "A bunch of damned fellows, every day they're like vampires, constantly sucking my blood. And they want snacks? You don't even deserve to eat shit!"

The call was hung up!

Lu Ye couldn't help but fall silent.

He left.

"Yin Qingcheng, come here for a moment," Lu Ye said.

Yin Qingcheng was taken aback, immediately getting excited. It was the first time Lu Ye had ever called her on his own initiative.

He finally knows to call me!

"What's wrong?"

Yin Qingcheng asked happily.

"Follow me!"

Lu Ye led Yin Qingcheng all the way to the Dean's office.

"I know you can pick locks, open it!"

Yin Qingcheng looked at Lu Ye in disbelief, as Lu Ye's image of always following the rules had been deeply ingrained in everyone's mind over such a long time.

Now, he was actually asking her to break into the Dean's office.

Lu Ye suddenly spread his arms.

He gave Yin Qingcheng a hug.

Yin Qingcheng...

Hug...

How long, how long had it been since she last felt Lu Ye's embrace?

Without another word, Yin Qingcheng opened the door.

Lu Ye began searching inside and quickly found some cash.

He took the cash and found Liu the caregiver.

"The Dean asked you to go out and buy some snacks, all snacks, bring them back!"

Lu Ye said.

Liu the caregiver looked at the several thousand yuan in cash and was overjoyed.

"Alright, I'll definitely complete the task!"

"Wang the caregiver, please move the TV out and place it above the cotton pile on the second floor, so that all the children can watch TV while peeling cotton."

"Alright..."

Soon, the TV was turned on.

The TV was playing *Ultraman Tiga*.

Liu the caregiver had rushed back. She had initially thought that these snacks were meant as a benefit for the caregivers, but Lu Ye instructed them to distribute the snacks to the children instead.

All the caregivers looked at the beer and soda...

"In the future, there will be compensation for you, and the children also need to relax appropriately," Lu Ye said with a smile.

Liu the caregiver was extremely displeased and was about to scold Lu Ye.

"Alright, alright, let's just distribute it. The director said that when he's not around, we should listen to the young director."

Snacks like these weren't a big deal.

That day, many snacks were distributed to the orphans in the welfare home.

For a moment, the orphanage felt like it was celebrating the New Year.

Every child showed a smile.

At that moment, their smiles were very pure and innocent.

Shen Xitong held a bottle of beer, sipping it contentedly, and occasionally munching on a spicy stick.

Lu Ye was also enjoying the snacks, looking at everyone's smiling faces.

Because there was too much cotton.

It was clear that they would be staying up all night.

The children had food to eat, drinks to drink, and TV to watch, so they were naturally fine. However, the caregivers couldn't hold out, one yawn after another.

"Aunties, go back and get some sleep. I'll keep an eye on things here."

"Since the director isn't around, no one will know."

Lu Ye said with a mischievous smile, looking exceptionally adorable.

The caregivers were extremely tired, but still left one of them to keep watch.

It was three o'clock in the morning.

This caregiver couldn't hold out either. What was the point of Ultraman Tiga? It was utterly boring.

In this world, where was there any light?

So, he left as well.

Ultraman Tiga reached its final episode.

Please lend your light to Tiga!

One by one, the children extended their hands, and similarly, the orphans also stretched out their hands.

Seeing this scene, Lu Ye couldn't help but shed tears.

Clearly, all the children believed they had light within them.

But this prison would confine them in darkness for the rest of their lives.

"Now, listen to my command!"

Lu Ye spoke.

"Make the least noise possible, carry the cotton, and cover the entire hallway! Surround all the houses!"

The children were puzzled.

But Lu Ye had long instilled in them the idea of obeying orders.

The children began to act.

"Who’s doing what?"

A caretaker was startled awake.

"What’s that noise?"

"Auntie, they’re too sleepy, so I let them move around a bit. Did we disturb you?" Lu Ye said.

"Oh, I see. Keep it down, I’m so tired."

"Sure thing!"

"Sleep well, Auntie."

"Try to be even quieter."

Yin Qingcheng and Shen Xitong remained still at this moment.

At this moment, the two of them stood side by side, watching as Lu Ye directed all the children in this activity.

Pairs of bright eyes.

Filled with fear, excitement, and struggle.

Their movements did not cease.

Dekar Ultra also possessed the power of light.

Until everything came to an end.

So much cotton covered the entire orphanage.

In Lu Ye's hand, he held a lighter.

All the children began to tremble, their expressions contorted, struggling.

This is our home!

This is our home!

"This is a den of evil!"

Lu Ye spoke.

The contorted faces froze for a moment.

"This is a den of evil that binds us, strangles us, and treats us as tools!"

Everyone's faces became calm.

The flame gently touched the cotton.

Everyone knew that cotton burned extremely quickly.

In an instant, the fire spread rapidly, shooting up to the sky, devouring everything in its path.

A shrill alarm sounded.

Li Kaoshan was practically mad; he drove while watching the surveillance on his phone.

He had just finished drinking and glanced at the monitor, initially finding no issues—all the children were stripping the cotton.

But after a moment, Li Kaoshan paused.

Snacks?

Where did these people get snacks from?

Didn't he forbid buying snacks?

He hurriedly checked the surveillance of his office, his face turning terrifying.

Lu Ye had slipped out of his control.

I'll deal with him tomorrow!

He had drunk far too much and truly lacked the energy today.

He squinted for a moment.

Suddenly he jolted awake.

No!

He began to check the surveillance again, but what he saw made his eyes widen in rage.

He immediately stood up, and the car roared to life.

By now, the flames were already burning.

Raging fiercely!

The night sky was illuminated by the red glow!

The entire orphanage was engulfed in flames!

A group of children, for the first time without the supervision of the caretakers, walked out of the orphanage.

Staring at the grand inferno.

"Beep... beep..."

The frantic honking cut through the sound of the flames.

At this moment, Li Kaoshan's face contorted like that of a demon.

"Damn brats, damn brats!"

All the children felt genuine fear well up in their hearts at that moment.

Lu Ye also turned to look at Li Kaoshan.

"I trusted you so much, and you treat me like this? Everyone, immediately, right now, beat him to death for me!"

Li Kaoshan roared in anger.

His commands were never disobeyed by anyone.

But at this moment, no child moved.

They were only filled with genuine fear.

Lu Ye smiled, looking around at the children whose faces were etched with fear.

"Remember, this is your final lesson!"

Lu Ye shouted loudly.

All the children looked at Lu Ye.

Waiting for Lu Ye to speak.

Children are not fools; they can tell who is good and who is bad.

"Love yourself first, then love others!"

With those words, he finished.

Little Lu Ye, with the fervor of a moth drawn to a flame, charged towards Li Kaoshan.

The children were stunned.

They stood there, dumbfounded, watching Lu Ye's charge.

Watching as Lu Ye was knocked to the ground.

Watching as Li Kaoshan stomped on Lu Ye's head with all his might.

"Ah!"

One child let out a wail of anguish and rushed at Li Kaoshan like a madman.

A second!

A third!

A fourth!

...

Lu Ye's face was buried in the dirt, yet he smiled.

Tears streamed down incessantly.

In saving others, was he not also saving himself?

Love oneself first, then love others.

The path to redemption lies within!