Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts-Chapter 550 - 385. I want to be Brother Fan’s confidant.

When they left the dessert shop, the sun had already begun to slowly set, and the sky was gradually painted with a layer of pale orange-red.

The concrete floor was radiating residual heat, and the scent of the sun lingered at their nostrils.

At long last, Xu Qingfan could enjoy the pleasure of having company on both sides. He draped his arms over Wu Lingyu and Zhang Yiyi's shoulders, looking towards the setting sun, and said, "Let's head home too, so we won't get scolded for being out after dark."

"Hahaha, only you would get scolded!" Xiao Ruawen giggled, pointing at his nose.

Xu Qingfan chose to ignore her and left arm in arm, still with Lin Wanning pushing him from behind.

"Haha... Let's go, Xiaoxiao, let's go too!" Seeing that Xia Xiaoxiao was the only one waiting with a stern face, Xiao Ruawen cheerfully linked arms with her and hurried to catch up.

The six of them quickly boarded the car that had come to pick them up. The time displayed on their phones was 6:30 in the evening.

Considering the time, Xie Rui should be home by now too.

Remembering her deskmate's situation, Wu Lingyu suddenly said, "Brother Fan, I want to talk to you about Xie Rui."

The previously lively car suddenly fell silent, and all five pairs of eyes turned to look at Wu Lingyu.

"Hmm, tell me, Yu," Xu Qingfan said with a smile, nodding, while the other four girls looked on silently, ready to listen.

"Xie Rui seems to be really short on money. When I eat with her, she only orders rice and one vegetable dish. Sometimes she tells me she's going back to the dormitory to shower first, and I guess it's because she doesn't have enough money to eat, so she's deliberately avoiding me."

Even though she was talking about Xie Rui, Wu Lingyu felt as if she were talking about herself, her little hands tightly wringing.

"What about Siri's dad then, what's going on there, Yu, did you ask?" Xiao Ruawen didn't overflow with sympathy but instead inquired about the middle-aged man they had seen the previous week.

She believed that in these peaceful and prosperous times, where they lived in a developed city, it was unlikely for someone with able hands and feet to live in such terrible conditions.

Wu Lingyu shook her head, "I haven't asked yet; I'm afraid it might hurt Xie Rui's self-esteem."

Xu Qingfan also felt that the problem most likely lay with her father, but after all, that was someone else's family business, "So, Yu, you want to help Xie Rui without hurting her self-esteem, right?"

Wu Lingyu nodded repeatedly, "Yes!"

Then she added dejectedly, "I'm just too dumb; I don't know how to help her."

Xu Qingfan, on the other hand, had an idea in an instant, because he remembered a piece of news he had once seen on a short video.

"What do you think of this? Good Taste Takeout is planning to make a donation to the school, right? Instead of scholarships, why don't we give out student aid in the form of monthly top-ups of three hundred yuan to the food cards of students in need?"

He recounted a practice he had seen from Jinling University of Technology in his previous life.

"That's a great idea!"

"Brother Fan, you're really awesome!"

"Brother Qing Fan, you're so clever!"

The five girls brightened up instantly, realizing that this way, they could not only help Xie Rui but also other students in need, all without harming their pride.

"The school cafeteria should have the data, for example, we could consider students with weekly expenditures less than 40 yuan as impoverished and then cross-check with the school's records to ensure there are no errors or omissions in giving out the aid."

Xu Qingfan continued to elaborate, and the eyes of the five girls shone even brighter.

"Would 40 yuan be too much?"

Xiao Ruawen calculated with her fingers, "Assuming three meals a day, breakfast for 1 yuan, lunch and dinner for 3.5 yuan each. Many girls with smaller appetites spend about that much, so even a week's total wouldn't reach 40 yuan, and there are days when they might not feel like eating a meal and instead buy instant noodles or snacks from the convenience store."

For high school students, a 1 yuan breakfast could include an egg, a meat bun, and porridge with pickles, which indeed makes it possible for impoverished students to spend only 1 yuan.

"I was just giving an example; the specifics will be decided by the school leaders when the time comes," Xu Qingfan shrugged and then patted Yu's head.

"No way!" Xiao Ruawen adamantly opposed, "The school leaders don't eat at the cafeteria,, they don't understand a thing,, they'll definitely want us to come up with the plan!"

"Exactly!" Xia Xiaoxiao also sang the same tune.

"Ruan Wen is right!"

"Let's figure it out ourselves!"

Wan Ningyi and Zhang Yiyi, the duo, also joined the support team.

"Alright, alright, we'll figure it out,, and let's hold a meeting tonight in the Good Taste Takeout group chat," Xu Qingfan surrendered with a helpless raise of his hands.

"That's what we should do!"

"You're the Good Taste Takeout!"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone was laughing except Wu Lingyu, who was staring at Xu Qingfan without blinking.

Sending the financial aid directly to the meal card seemed like a simple move, but nobody thought of it,, only Brother Fan did.

Wu Lingyu's pupils shone with brilliance, solely because Xu Qingfan's profile was reflected in them.

[Brother Fan is the most awesome!]

She remembered Lin Wanning always saying "Brother Qing Fan is the most awesome," and couldn't help but smile emotionally.

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Wu Lingyu just wanted to improve Xie Rui's high school life,, she had not contemplated changing Xie Rui's family life as Xu Qingfan had done for hers.

Because she knew it was impossible,, excessive kindness would only drag oneself into the mire.

As a child, she didn't understand, thinking that people should help and treat each other sincerely,, but she was also grateful to Brother Fan.

As she grew up, Wu Lingyu truly understood what Xu Qingfan's help for her family really meant,, it was something she could never repay for the rest of her life.

[If there's an afterlife,, I'd still wish to be Brother Fan's... close companion.]

...

After he escorted the girls home, it was already seven in the evening when he, Xia Xiaoxiao, and Wu Lingyu finally returned to Donghui City.

"Where did you take Xiaoxiao and Yu? School ended after four,, and it's only now you're back. I was almost about to call the police!" Sure enough, as soon as they got home, Yao Jiping's complaining voice came from the kitchen.

"Hello, Uncle!" Wu Lingyu and Xia Xiaoxiao smirked and greeted Xu Aiguo, who was sitting in the living room, before they went into the kitchen to help.

"Isn't that Old Xu? You're home so early today,, playing truant again?" Xu Qingfan cheekily sat down on the sofa.

Xu Aiguo's mouth opened slightly several times as he struggled to speak, then finally he simply started unbuckling his belt.

"Hey,, hey, what are you doing, Old Xu,, that's not cool!" Xu Qingfan stood up and bolted.

"You little brat!" Xu Aiguo glared at his own rascal and ended up laughing at the situation himself.

"I didn't realize he's grown up so much, I'm old,, I'm really old."

He was so well-behaved as a child. Remembering the last time the brat gave him deer blood wine and the little blue pills for Father's Day, Xu Aiguo couldn't help but get infuriated.

But to tell the truth,, you really shouldn't say it,, they actually worked!

Old Xu leaned back and crossed his legs again,, already looking forward to the next Father's Day.

...