105: Chapter 106 On-site Visit

Early the next morning, Yu Bo packed his simple luggage and prepared to head out. Yin Tianxue stood at the door, straightening his collar for him, her eyes carrying a hint of reluctance and worry: "Be careful on the road, pay attention to safety. Call me when you arrive."

"Don't worry, I'm just going to a few nearby places and will be back soon." Yu Bo lowered his head and pressed a kiss on her forehead, his gaze gentle, "Rest well at home, don't overwork yourself. Take the hospital matters slowly, there's no rush."

"Mhm, I know." Yin Tianxue nodded, looking at him with a gentle gaze full of love, "I'll wait for you to come back."

Yu Bo's heart warmed, and he gave her another hug before turning to leave. Getting into the car, he took out his phone and sent a message to Tang Guo: "Guoguo, I'm going on a business trip for a day or two to verify the 'Yin Angel' aid requests in the surrounding areas. I'm not comfortable leaving Tianxue home alone; if you have time, come over and keep her company."

Not long after the message was sent, Tang Guo replied, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible joy and... determination: "Don't worry, I'll keep Tianxue good company. You... be careful on the road, I miss you." The message was followed by a hug emoji.

First stop, the City West Shantytown.

The car stopped at the entrance of a narrow, crowded alleyway where sewage flowed. Yu Bo looked at the dilapidated and cluttered environment before him, his brow furrowing imperceptibly. The conditions here were even worse than he had imagined.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, and a gentle, friendly smile appeared on his face—one with just the right amount of pity and... a warmth that felt like a spring breeze—as he stepped inside.

According to the address, he found a low, dilapidated single-story house. At the door, a middle-aged woman in old clothes that were faded from washing and patched was doing laundry, her face full of exhaustion and the hardships of life. Seeing the well-dressed Yu Bo with his extraordinary temperament, she froze for a moment, then stood up warily, wiping the water off her hands, her eyes filled with defensiveness and... an imperceptible sense of inferiority and awkwardness: "Who are you looking for?"

Yu Bo showed a gentle, friendly smile, his tone warm and carrying a reassuring magnetic quality: "Big sister, hello. Is this the home of Ms. Wang Cuihua? I'm from the 'Yin Angel' Charitable Foundation, my name is Yu Bo."

The woman froze, her eyes becoming even more wary, even carrying a hint of suspicion and... hostility: "Wang Cuihua? What do you want with her? ...What Foundation? What does it do..."

Yu Bo's heart sank, but his face showed an even more gentle and sincere smile, his tone earnest and firm: "Big sister, I'm from the 'Yin Angel' Foundation. Look, this is my business card, and the relevant documents of the Foundation."

He took out his business card and copies of the Foundation's relevant documents from his bag and handed them to the woman, his eyes sincere and open: "We received your online application for help, so I've come personally to understand the actual situation."

The woman took the card and documents, looking at them carefully. The wariness and suspicion in her eyes dissipated slightly, but she still carried a hint of hesitation and... mistrust: "Are you... really like what the news reported? Can you really fix a child's lip?"

Her voice carried a hint of bitterness and helplessness; she had clearly suffered before or heard of too many similar scams. Yu Bo felt a pang in his heart, but his face showed an even more gentle and understanding smile, his tone sincere and full of strength: "Big sister, rest assured, we will treat your son. We are a genuine charitable Foundation and won't charge you a single cent. Not only is it free, but we will also cover all of Xiaobao's surgical costs, hospitalization fees, and follow-up recovery costs... even including the transportation, food, and lodging for you and Xiaobao to go to the hospital. We will be responsible for everything. We have only one goal: to let him smile happily and speak clearly like a normal child."

The woman was stunned, her eyes widening suddenly, filled with shock, disbelief, and... a faint, almost invisible sliver of hope: "Re... really? You... you really... don't want a single cent? And... and you'll cover food and housing?"

"Really." Yu Bo nodded firmly, his eyes resolute and sincere, carrying a power that made it impossible to doubt, "Big sister, don't worry. Our Foundation truly wants to help children like Xiaobao. Once we finish verifying the information, we will contact a hospital for you. At that time, we'll send a car to pick you up and take you there. All costs will be covered by the Foundation; you won't have to pay a single cent."

Looking at his sincere and firm gaze and hearing his earnest and powerful words, the last trace of doubt and defensiveness in the woman's heart finally vanished completely. Her eyes reddened, tears welling up instantly, her voice so choked she could hardly speak: "Thank you... thank you! Mr. Yu... I... I... thank you..."

As she spoke, she excitedly shouted into the house: "Xiaobao! Xiaobao! Come out quickly! Our benefactor is here! Our benefactor has come to help you!"

There was no movement inside. The woman froze for a moment, wiped her tears, and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, Mr. Yu, Xiaobao... Xiaobao is shy, and... and has low self-esteem. He's afraid to see people..."

Yu Bo felt a pang in his heart, but his face showed a gentle, understanding smile: "It's alright, big sister. Don't force the child; don't scare him."

The woman nodded gratefully, her eyes full of trust and... a near-devout gratitude. She rubbed her hands together and said awkwardly: "Mr. Yu, please... please sit... the house... the house is too messy, and there's nowhere to sit..."

"It's fine, big sister, I'll just stand," Yu Bo said gently, his gaze inadvertently sweeping into the room. In the dim room, a small, thin figure was hiding in the corner of the bed, timidly peeking out half a head. A pair of large eyes, clear and bright, were filled with timidity, low self-esteem, and... an imperceptible longing. Seeing Yu Bo look over, the figure suddenly shrank back and disappeared into the corner of the bed.

Yu Bo's heart sank slightly, as if pricked by a needle. He withdrew his gaze and looked at the woman, his eyes gentle and full of sympathy: "Big sister, has the child... always been like this?"

The woman's eyes dimmed, her voice choked with emotion: "Yes... sigh... this child... has a hard life. He was born this way, and his father... thought it was embarrassing and ran away. I've been raising him alone, working and taking care of him. I really... really didn't have the money for his treatment. Seeing the child grow day by day, he's already at the age to start school, but this appearance... other kids are scared when they see him... they all bully him. He only went to school for two days and hasn't gone back since..."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but cry again, her voice full of helplessness and despair: "This child... because of his face and speech... is especially self-conscious. He's afraid of people and usually doesn't go out, just hides in the room... As his mother, seeing this, my heart feels... like it's being cut by a knife..."

"Big sister, we already understand the child's situation. Once the surgery is done, he'll be able to smile happily and speak clearly like a normal child, playing and going to school with other children. Rest assured, everything will get better."

The woman nodded vigorously, tears falling continuously, her voice choked: "Thank you... thank you! Mr. Yu, you... you are truly a great benefactor!"

Yu Bo took out a form and his phone, saying gently: "Big sister, we need to fill out a form and take a few photos for our records. Is that okay?"

The woman nodded repeatedly, wiping the corners of her eyes with her sleeve: "Okay... okay... sure." As she spoke, she took the paper and pen.

She turned to look at the corner of the bed, a troubled look on her face. Yu Bo immediately understood and softened his voice: "It's normal for a child to be shy. How about this, I'll wait outside first while you talk to him. If he's really unwilling to take photos, we can just register the basic information first and take them later when the doctor comes for the follow-up evaluation."

These words were incredibly thoughtful, and the woman was so grateful she didn't know what to do. Yu Bo smiled and waved his hand, taking the initiative to step outside and even considerately closing the door. Standing in the narrow corridor, he listened to the mother's gentle persuasion and the child's faint whimpers from inside, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

After about ten minutes, the door opened slightly. The woman peeked her head out, her eyes still red, her hand tightly clutching a phone: "Mr. Yu... Xiaobao, Xiaobao still won't show his face... I, I secretly took two photos from the side. Will these work?"

Yu Bo took the phone. In the photos, the small, thin boy was curled up in the corner of the bed, only showing a small part of his profile. The obvious cleft lip scar was particularly striking in the dim light. The child was hugging his knees tightly, his whole being radiating a fear and low self-esteem unbefitting his age.

"They'll do, big sister." Yu Bo handed the phone back, his voice very soft, "We'll file this information for now. Rest assured, the Foundation has professional child psychologists. Before and after Xiaobao's surgery, we will arrange for psychological counseling to help the child rebuild his confidence."

Hearing this, the woman's tears welled up again, and she made a move to kneel: "Mr. Yu, you are truly a living Buddha..."

"Don't do that, big sister!" Yu Bo quickly supported her, saying seriously, "If you want to thank someone, thank the founder of our Foundation, Ms. Yin Tianxue. She's the one who started this project; I'm just an executor."

He paused and took an envelope from his wallet:

"There's two thousand yuan here; please take it. It's not the aid money, but a personal nutrition allowance from me for the child. Xiaobao needs extra nutrition before the surgery; buy him some good food to build him up."

The woman tried to refuse but eventually accepted it with reddened eyes. Yu Bo gave a few more instructions regarding post-operative care before finally leaving amidst the woman's endless gratitude.

Walking out of the shantytown, Yu Bo stood by his car and sent a voice message to Yin Tianxue: "The first verification is done. The situation is worse than imagined. The child has heavy psychological trauma and won't even show his face for photos. But don't worry, I'll follow through to the end."

Soon, Yin Tianxue replied with a voice message, the sound of flipping documents audible in the background: "Thank you for your hard work. I just finished a meeting with the design team, and the design plan for the hospital's Child Psychological Counseling Center is out. We'll look at it together when you return. Oh, and Guoguo said she's coming over to have dinner with me tonight, so you don't have to worry about me."

Hearing Tang Guo's name, Yu Bo's hand holding the phone paused, his eyes darkening. In the end, he only replied with a single word: "Okay."

Yu Bo put away his phone and looked out the car window with a complex gaze. The dilapidated and cluttered scenes of the shantytown flashed by—the low single-story houses, narrow alleys, and sewage-strewn ground stood in sharp contrast to the high-rise buildings of the bustling city nearby. He took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and started the car to drive to his next destination.