CHAPTER 380: CHAPTER 380: EXTRAVAGANT HOPES

"Did you make any progress on keeping an eye on Bao Shaojin?" Meng Heming straightened himself, looking sternly at the driver in front.

Uncle Ma held the steering wheel with both hands and respectfully spoke, "Second Master Bao has rarely left the temple these years, and those visiting him are almost all people from the Bao Family."

Uncle Ma sat upright, revealing all the information he had gathered.

Meng Heming sneered, "He certainly has patience."

After hearing this, Uncle Ma held his breath and suddenly remembered something, continuing, "Not long ago, the head of the Bao Family took a young girl to the temple."

A young girl?

Meng Heming thought of the recent rumors he had heard in the business world, "It seems the arranged marriage between the Bao Family and the Lin Family is soon to be finalized."

The Bao Family matriarch values a young girl from the Lin Family so much that she invited her to their home on New Year’s Eve, clearly indicating her identity.

Meng Heming never doubted that Bao Shaojin would take another young girl to the temple, knowing that the Bao Family matriarch is astute and ruthless, choosing a granddaughter-in-law with the family’s business interests in mind, emphasizing compatibility in status.

"Sir, I’ve also heard some rumors lately, unsure if I should mention them." Uncle Ma hesitated.

Meng Heming furrowed his dark eyebrows, eyes slightly narrowed, "What?" In the past, Meng Heming would dismiss such gossip, but perhaps thinking of his beloved made him want to dispel his melancholy, so he considered listening to some trivial matters to pass the time.

"The family head of the Bao Family..." Uncle Ma started but paused awkwardly, "I heard he’s interested in his cousin’s girlfriend, something the young masters are secretly jesting about."

After listening, Meng Heming’s facial expression remained unchanged, "Judging by his sharp tactics in the business world, he doesn’t seem like a reckless person."

Uncle Ma merely relayed what he had heard, indifferent to its truth.

Soon, the car merged into the traffic.

***

There are always many things to take care of when school starts.

Cleaning the dormitory, purchasing some daily necessities... The first two days, she was so exhausted that she fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed.

Among the four in the dormitory, she was the only one who arrived early.

It wasn’t surprising that Yan Lan didn’t show up.

Even Shi Qing was nowhere to be seen.

As for Jiang Keke, her good friend, An Yin had sent some New Year’s greetings during the holidays, but the replies came days apart. With only one day left before school started, An Yin sent a WeChat message to Jiang Keke, only to get no response, like a stone sinking into the sea.

An Yin found it quite odd.

Before she became Bao Cheng’s girlfriend and moved out of the dormitory, the two were always inseparable at the start of the term. But since then, their contact had gradually decreased.

An Yin leaned her chin on her hands, sitting at her desk with a face full of melancholy, looking around the cold and bleak surroundings, feeling a sense of loneliness in her heart.

"Buzz buzz..."

The phone next to her made a piercing sound.

An Yin lowered her gaze, looking at the displayed number, her lively eyes twitched, she nervously picked up the phone and connected the call.

"Hello..."

Her voice was a bit shaky.

"Come out for a bit, I’ll be waiting at the usual place." The man’s tone was cold, with a hint of command, perhaps due to his high position in the Bao Corporation, giving him an innate regal aura.

"I..."

"Beep beep beep..."

Before An Yin could finish, the call was abruptly hung up by the man.

Holding the phone, An Yin slowly released her grip, still in a dazed state.

What on earth is this man thinking?

An Yin’s gaze fell on the phone screen; it was half-past one in the afternoon.

She didn’t rush to get up, but after being stunned for a few minutes, she finally realized: the man actually called!

In the end, she wrapped herself up tightly and headed out with her phone.

The "usual place" Bao Shaojin referred to was about two hundred meters from the school gate, around a corner.

These days, as the weather gradually warmed up, the sun, occasionally hidden by clouds, would sometimes peek out at noon. While standing on the road, one might feel a slight heat.

However, for An Yin, she still felt chilled to the bone, even sitting in one place for too long left her hands and feet icy.

After leaving the school gate, she saw various cars parked by the roadside, parents carrying their children’s luggage, while mothers stood aside giving detailed instructions...

When An Yin reached the corner of the wall, every year she would witness this familiar scene, and her eyes couldn’t help but become moist.

To an ordinary family, parents sending their children to school is the norm, but for An Yin, who has never experienced fatherly love, this warm scene pierced a long-hidden secret in her heart.

Deep down, she has always yearned for paternal love.

This is a knot in her heart.

At the school gate, parents waved reluctantly, and after receiving their luggage from them, students coolly pulled their suitcases, their faces showing a hint of excitement and rushing into the campus, contrasting sharply with their parents’ worried expressions.

An Yin watched and couldn’t help but shed tears. She lowered her head, her back trembling, evidently crying.

She lifted her foot and slowly walked towards where the man was.

With only a year and a half left before she graduates from college, she couldn’t help but hope, maybe before she graduates, even just once, her parents could personally send her to the school gate.

Since kindergarten, she had been looking forward to this scene.

The school gate was bustling with people coming and going; An Yin dressed plainly and kept her head down, so no one recognized her as she passed.

Reaching the corner, the number of vehicles by the roadside had decreased significantly, and as everyone hurriedly rushed to the school, no one paid much attention to the roadside situation.

An Yin started looking for the man’s vehicle, but after searching around, she couldn’t find it.

Until a car window rolled down, and she saw a hand reach out, "Miss An!" Assistant Lin’s voice wasn’t loud, but An Yin could hear it clearly.

An Yin looked towards the sound, her eyes lingered on the car’s body for a while.

The car in front of her was quite ordinary parked by the roadside; she remembered seeing a similar one at the school gate just now.

An Yin wasn’t familiar with cars but knew some high-end brands. Like the car the man used to pick her up before, it had a Rolls-Royce emblem.

When she reached the car, the back door was pushed open from the inside.

An Yin looked inside and saw the man’s tall figure sitting in the rather cramped interior. From her angle, it seemed like an adult squeezed into a kid’s car. As this thought crossed her mind, the frown between An Yin’s brows gradually faded, replaced by a faint smile.

An Yin bent down and sat beside the man.