Chapter 15: What Name?

That night, Yuan Yi had a strange dream. The sun in the sky suddenly fell down, turning into a giant orange and smashing it all over his head and face.

"Second Brother," at the dinner table, Yuan Bo put down his knife and fork, "Didn't sleep well last night? Your face looks like someone owes you millions."

"It's nothing," Yuan Yi held his cup of milk, his gaze fixed on the fried egg on his plate. Remembering the dream, his face dropped. Suddenly, he developed a psychological aversion to fried eggs.

That woman, Yan Xi, had some kind of toxic influence.

Yuan Bo wiped his mouth and said, "I heard that the only heir of the Song family just returned from overseas. It seems like he's trying to re-enter the circle?"

"I'm not familiar with him, so asking me is useless," Yuan Yi put down his chopsticks and replied expressionlessly, "When did you start worrying about other people's business?"

"He was in the same class as you in high school. If I don't ask you, who should I ask?" Yuan Bo saw that he was still in his usual indifferent mood, stood up from the dining chair, and said, "If you keep acting like this, what woman would want to marry you?"

"Who cares," Yuan Yi drank all the milk in his cup, "Let whoever wants to get married."

"Alright, I won't argue with you about this," Yuan Bo's tone turned serious. "The Song family's kid has returned, and they want to cultivate him. He has some methods, so you should pay attention."

Yuan Yi raised an eyebrow and smiled carelessly, "After being abroad for so many years, can he really handle the domestic game?"

It's not like the old days when returning from abroad made you automatically successful. Now, everything depends on your ability. No matter how long you stay abroad, if you don't understand the domestic market, you're just stumbling around.

Seeing that Yuan Yi understood, Yuan Bo grabbed his coat and said, "You eat slowly, I'm leaving."

The dining room quieted down, and Yuan Yi stared at the fried egg on his plate, which was now a mess. He muttered under his breath. After finishing breakfast and walking out the door, he looked up at the morning sun. This didn't look like a fried egg at all, it was clearly a soft-boiled egg.

"I really must be out of my mind!"

"Xiao Yan, what's wrong with your foot?" Chen Pei asked when she saw Yan Xi walking awkwardly, having replaced her usual high heels with flats. "Did you twist it? Did you hurt yourself when you helped the police track the guardian yesterday?"

"It's just a small injury," Yan Xi sat down in the studio, the desk covering her lower half. Even though she wasn't wearing shoes, the audience couldn't see. "Sister Chen, let's start recording."

Chen Pei nodded.

After watching the footage Zhao Peng had shot the day before, Chen Pei immediately decided to air this episode first, pushing the pre-prepared program to a later date. Although starting recording so late was tight, they could work overtime tonight to meet tomorrow night's broadcast deadline.

The crew worked overtime until after 11 PM. Yan Xi, holding an iced coffee, struggled to stay awake as she watched the edited final cut. Normally, the host wouldn't need to do such tasks, but with so few people in the crew and her worry about the post-production quality, she decided to watch it first.

"This effect looks pretty good," she said, looking at the camera's capture of a shy child, feeling a little uncomfortable. She forced a smile and joked, "Zhao Ge, you did a great job with the camera."

Zhao Peng was a skilled cameraman, far beyond what you'd expect from a small TV station's photographer.

"Everyone worked hard tonight," Chen Pei noticed the fatigue on everyone's face. "Next time, I'll treat everyone to a meal."

"Sister Chen, you're too polite," the new intern Xiaoyang replied enthusiastically, "If this episode can improve this child's living conditions, I don't mind staying up two or three more nights."

Chen Pei smiled wryly. The exposure from the TV station would only temporarily improve the child's situation. No one could guarantee what would happen next.

"It's getting late. Everyone, go home and rest." She waved her hand. "Be safe on the way."

Yan Xi noticed the exhaustion in Chen Pei's eyes, not from staying up too late, but from the fatigue of being unable to change certain realities. She walked over and patted Chen Pei's shoulder. "Sister Chen, we can help for a while, even if we can't help forever."

Sometimes, even if we can't help someone for life, helping them for a moment is still worth it.

Today, Yan Xi didn't drive. Song's father had arranged a driver to pick her up. When she walked out of the TV station, the driver had already been waiting for almost half an hour.

"Sorry, I stayed late for overtime," Yan Xi smiled apologetically at the driver. "I kept you from resting."

"You're too polite." The driver was surprised by how polite the usually pampered young lady was, making him feel a bit awkward.

The car stopped at an intersection, and Yan Xi noticed the red light had over 100 seconds left. She opened the window to get some fresh air. However, in Beijing, the air quality was so poor that it didn't make much difference from inside the car. She just wanted to cool off a bit.

Next to her was a black Bentley, and Yan Xi yawned. There were so many rich people in Beijing; luxury cars were everywhere, just like they were free.

Looking at the dull surroundings, she closed the window and began playing with her phone.

The rear window of the Bentley slowly rolled down, revealing a handsome man wearing a white shirt and gold-rimmed glasses, casually looking out the window.

"Mr. Song, do you really not need to buy some hangover medicine?" The driver asked, worried about the man in the backseat.

"No need," Song Chao tugged at his tie, the alcohol still lingering on his face, "Just take me home."

The domestic market was proving more difficult to navigate than he had expected. The old foxes in the industry were shrewd, and within less than half a month since he returned to the country, he had already encountered many challenges.

When he left the country seven years ago, the domestic market was nowhere near as prosperous, and the internet wasn't as developed. Now, just a few years later, the economy was boiling like water on fire, almost causing chaos.

He had always been an outstanding figure, so there was no reason he couldn't succeed in the domestic market. At 27, he had never failed in anything he set out to do.

When he thought about the comparisons between him and Yuan Yi after his return, he felt a sense of discomfort. Aside from Yuan Yi's more prestigious family background, what else did he have to compare with him?

The traffic light turned, and the car started moving. Song Chao closed his eyes slowly as he looked at the unchanging streetlights on either side of the road.

After the broadcast of the child abuse segment on Beijing TV, it quickly attracted some audience attention. Many concerned viewers called the station to inquire about the child's situation.

What was originally a small ripple in the local audience quickly became a nationwide topic when the episode's video was uploaded online.

The female host heard the child's cries, knocked on the door repeatedly, and finally had the police break it down. The child was covered in bruises, the urgency in his need for food and water, his dirty face, and the medical examination report all confirmed the horrible living conditions. His father, addicted to gambling and drinking, and his mother, who was rarely seen, treated the child as a disposable outlet for their frustrations.

For the internet's all-seeing eyes, there were no secrets.

It was revealed that his father was not only a gambling addict but also a petty thief, now arrested by the police, while his mother had long disappeared and was rumored to be involved in shady work.

Netizen A: "This child is so pitiful. Thankfully, the female host insisted on calling the police. Otherwise, this child might have starved to death at home. Which station aired this? The host looks pretty good. She kinda resembles the female lead from High Mountain Lilies Blooming."

Netizen B: "What do you mean, 'resembles'? That female lead cried from the first to the last episode of that melodrama! This host is totally different. She's the one helping the police catch bad guys. Don't joke around! This host has a good heart, and she's as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside."

Due to the overwhelming online public opinion, the local authorities handled the case of the abused child with even more care and caution. In the end, the child's father was sentenced to three years in prison for burglary, illegal gambling, and child abuse, while the child's mother was sentenced to one year in prison for child abuse and involvement in illegal sexual activities.

The child was sent to a well-equipped orphanage, and many kind-hearted netizens donated money, clothes, and toys to the institution, benefiting many of the orphans there.

The TV station, Di Capital's Channel 8, was once again praised by higher-ups due to their coverage of this case. When Yan Xi visited the orphanage for a follow-up interview, she saw that the child had gained weight and the wounds on his body had mostly healed, which relieved her.

"Sister," as the filming was about to wrap up, the child ran over and clung to Yan Xi's leg, looking up at her with a somewhat familiar expression.

Yan Xi squatted down to look at the child and smiled at him.

The child struggled a bit with his words, speaking haltingly as he told her that he had eaten a bowl of rice for lunch and had washed his hands by himself.

"Great job," Yan Xi said with a look of amazement, "Seng Seng is so independent, able to do so many things on his own."

Seeing the proud and happy expression on the child's face, Yan Xi's heart softened, and she hugged him.

She hoped that this child would grow up safely, with love and care, never again to go hungry or endure abuse.

After the teacher took Seng Seng back to the room for a nap, Yan Xi said her goodbyes to the director of the orphanage. The director escorted her to the gate of the orphanage, "Ms. Yan, please rest assured. We will treat every child here as our own, and take good care of them."

"Thank you for your hard work," Yan Xi said sincerely.

"It is our duty," the director, whose hair had turned grey, smiled warmly like the kindest grandmother. "Everyone at the orphanage welcomes media workers like you to visit and see every child here anytime."

Yan Xi smiled and turned to leave. At that moment, a convoy of vans drove up to the entrance of the orphanage. Seeing this, she stepped aside.

"This is a donation of supplies from a kind-hearted person named Yuan Yi, including food, clothes, and other essentials, as well as a check for one million," the director said with gratitude. "Ms. Yan, if you happen to know Mr. Yuan Yi, please be sure to thank him on our behalf."

Yuan Yi...

Yan Xi suddenly remembered something. What was the name of the second son of the Yuan family again?