radicalducati Chapter 66 The Past Cannot Be Changed
Chapter 66 The Past Cannot Be Changed
Once everyone else had walked away, Sullivan glared at Jung Eun and said angrily, "Do you think this is a simple matter?"
His face was extremely ugly. Zheng En agreed easily, but when it came to actually doing the work, he was the one who did it all.
"Even without me, this job would still fall to you."
Zheng En could see clearly that Sullivan was the lowest in rank among them. His former boss had just been fired, and he had no one to protect him. The fact that he was able to argue with others in the meeting today was all because of Sullivan's name.
Zheng En's words hit the nail on the head, and faced with his matter-of-fact expression, Sullivan slumped his shoulders helplessly.
He was well aware of this; there was no one present whom he could afford to offend, not even Zheng En, whom he looked down upon, as Zheng En was suspected of having Bruce Wayne behind him.
Although he felt that Bruce was just someone he had promoted on a whim, Sullivan didn't dare to gamble.
The absurd young Wayne has done this kind of thing many times: the ostracized black supervisor Lucius, the beautiful blonde secretary, the reckless and impulsive newcomer to the supervisory board... one more admired Asian youth is nothing.
Sullivan was full of complaints, but no matter how unwilling he was, the foundation offered him the best treatment among all the companies. He was just an ordinary employee, and he still had to do his job.
Helping homeless children with socialization training is a huge undertaking. Zheng En took on this task, and it was impossible for him to really let his subordinates figure it out on their own.
He was the one among these people who had the most close contact with homeless children.
"Eh? Going to school?"
The children exclaimed in unison, and Jung Eun repeated her words carefully, "Yes, go to school."
"The foundation is planning to help homeless children reintegrate into society. If things go smoothly, you won't have to worry about making a living anymore."
After work, Zheng En drove to Crime Alley. He remembered the scene when he met Jason, and he also remembered the situation when he met Casey. Ultimately, they all just wanted to survive.
When the children heard his words, their expressions showed more surprise and resistance than joy or surprise.
They all looked around in unison, trying to see the expressions of the other children, and then looked uncertainly at Zheng En.
Casey nudged Jason in the waist with her elbow. The boy, who was closest to him, pursed his lips, as if making a decision.
"Uh... does Wayne Enterprises need child labor?"
Jung Eun: "?"
Casey added uncertainly, "Or is it that someone 'likes' children?"
The clever boy, whose hair was long enough to cover his eyes and who always had a gloomy expression, whispered a guess: "It could also be something else that needs children but is something that can't be seen by others, like a cult offering."
"Ugh! How terrifying!"
One of the children was frightened by what the clever kid said and huddled together with the people next to him.
Jung Eun was shocked by what they said. "How could you think that?"
"Otherwise, what value do we have?"
Jason could only think of these things, and the other kids clearly felt the same way. Casey bluntly stated her opinion, "What's the point of going to school?"
She looked at Zheng En with a blank expression. The other children were all pretty much the same. Smart Egg disagreed, but she wasn't optimistic either.
"Studying costs too much money. If you go to university, you'll have to pay off student loans. We don't have that kind of money."
"Besides, if we go to school, we won't have time to earn money." Jason unconsciously picked at his fingers. "If we waste time studying, we'll starve to death before we earn any money."
Jung Eun listened attentively to their conversation. "Hmm, anything else?"
His calm demeanor put the children at ease, and their time together these past few days has allowed them to express their thoughts more freely.
"I get a headache just looking at words." The girl giggled, her mouth, missing a front tooth, stretched wide. "How can I go to school if I can't even read?"
"Yeah, among us, only Jason, Mouse, and Smart Egg can read some words."
The girl, nicknamed "Hairy," had a messy, bird's-nest-like hairstyle. The burly man next to her stammered, "Lunch... is expensive... I need... a loan."
"Yes, my dad wanted me to go to school when he was still alive, but the school lunches were too expensive, and people would look down on me if I brought my own food."
Marcus, with his dark skin, nodded in deep agreement. "The teachers and classmates are all snobs. Nobody wanted to play with me. Once, I was pushed down the stairs by someone, and I haven't gone to school since."
Zheng En remembered this child. He had once had a decent family, but his father died in a car accident, leaving behind a posthumous child. Because abortion was illegal and the pregnancy was too advanced to be terminated with a clothes hanger, the mother had to work three jobs while pregnant to support the family. Later, she died suddenly in the factory due to overwork, taking the life of both mother and child.
The other children also have their own stories. Jason's father went to prison and his mother abused painkillers, which eventually led to her drug addiction and death. Casey was born in the red-light district and escaped when she was young.
Zamao was a homeless child who ran away from his foster home. His parents, who were both gangsters and had missing front teeth, died in the same fire...
Their past is an unchangeable fact; all Jung Eun can do for them is to change the present and the future.
To help them reintegrate into society and get back on track, both human and material resources are indispensable.
The foundation not only has to provide schools that can accept them, but also take responsibility for their lives so that they don't have to worry about food and accommodation.
This will require a large sum of money.
Although Bruce increased funding for the foundation, the amount needed might have to be doubled if things were done according to Jung Eun's plan.
The foundation isn't unable to afford the extra funds; it's just that the money is often allocated to the most pressing projects. Orphanages need money, critically ill patients need money, and even the victims of the recent Arkham bombing were among those receiving assistance.
Although Jung Eun helped save many people and no one died in the incident, injuries were inevitable.
Those suffering from respiratory damage, burns and wound infections, fractures, and traumatic brain injuries cannot afford medical expenses. Most of them do not have insurance, and even if they do, the covered treatments are the cheapest rather than the most suitable.
Zheng En was no longer able to negotiate the limited funds with the personnel in charge of this part of the aid project.
Fortunately, Bruce was aware of this as well.
He proposed helping homeless children reintegrate into society, and while chasing scarecrows and cracking down on gangs, he also devoted his attention to the progress of the project.
After hearing Zheng En's idea, he quickly made a decision.
"I will organize a charity gala to raise funds."
Bruce had already made up his mind when Jung Eun brought it up.
He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the CEO's office. The transparent glass offered an unobstructed view of the entire Gotham City skyline, with buildings of varying heights sprawling at the foot of the tower.
Jung Eun walked over to him. "That would be best."
"At that time, all sorts of social celebrities will be present."
Bruce chuckled. "Remember that high-profile trial we had recently? Harvey Dent, the assistant prosecutor who was nearly shot. I'm going to vote him in as the new prosecutor."