33: Chapter 33 The Perfect Laundering of System Funds, The Shadow Philanthropist

Fang Jiming leaned against the blue electric scooter at the alley entrance, pulled a crumpled pack of seven-yuan Hongmei cigarettes from his pants pocket, shook one out, and clamped it between his lips.

It took three clicks of the lighter to get it lit, the flame flickering in the autumn breeze.

He took a drag, and as the smoke billowed out from his nostrils, it carried a sharp pungency that made him squint.

He didn't smoke often, but today, he needed this drag.

The sensation of Wang Jianjun's calloused hands gripping his wrist still lingered on his skin, and the red marks left by the grip had yet to fade.

The bandages on Li Xiulan's fingers were layered one over another, their edges already curling, revealing the chapped, red skin beneath.

And then there was the three-legged dining table, with the fourth leg propped up by two red bricks; he'd nearly tripped over the sofa with its exposed springs when he walked in.

Fang Jiming held the cigarette between his fingers, took out his phone, and opened the banking app to take a look; a row of zeros lay quietly in his account.

He crushed the cigarette butt against the cement ground next to the scooter's footboard, straightened his posture, and the gloom in his eyes dissipated, replaced entirely by calculation.

Fang Jiming: ( ╬ ᶘ ᶘ ╬ )

"Alright, Uncle Wang."

He muttered to himself, "Within three days, I'll prop up the ceiling for your family."

He opened his phone's browser and spent twenty minutes clarifying three things.

The Nanqiao City Disabled Persons' Federation had a special social charity matching fund channel that accepted targeted donations from overseas charitable The Foundation, to be used for rehabilitation subsidies and living assistance for individuals disabled by work-related injuries.

The approval authority for this channel rested with the Vice Chairman of the City Disabled Persons' Federation, and it was connected to a local executive organization called Xinghuo Public Welfare.

Xinghuo Public Welfare's official website clearly stated that for donations over five million, donors could designate specific aid recipients and aid plans, with the entire process handled anonymously.

Fang Jiming dialed the contact number on the Xinghuo Public Welfare website.

The phone rang three times before it was answered; on the other end was a female voice that sounded to be in her forties, her tone professional but tinged with exhaustion.

"Hello, Xinghuo Public Welfare. How can I help you?"

Fang Jiming leaned against the scooter and spoke in the most indifferent tone.

"Hello, I represent an overseas charitable The Foundation and would like to make a targeted donation to the Nanqiao City Disabled Persons' Federation through your organization."

"The amount is ten million."

There was a three-second silence on the other end of the line.

"Sir, how much did you say?"

"Ten million, RMB."

The sound of a chair creaking came from the other side; the woman must have sat up straight from a semi-reclining position.

"Sir, would you mind telling me the name and registration information of The Foundation? We need to conduct a donor qualification review."

Fang Jiming had already thought it through.

The funds received from the system went through an overseas trust fund dividend channel, and the remittance party shown on the bank transaction records was an asset management company registered in Singapore, with complete documentation that could withstand scrutiny.

He only needed to authorize the charitable donation in the name of this company.

"The Foundation name is New Far East Education Development Fund, registered in Singapore. I will email you the business license and the donation authorization letter shortly."

"There are only three conditions for the donation."

He held up three fingers, even though the person on the other end couldn't see.

"First, provide targeted aid to Wang Jianjun, a resident of Qiaonan Old Street, Nanqiao City, who is disabled due to a work-related injury. Provide a top-of-the-line electric wheelchair and a monthly rehabilitation subsidy of five thousand yuan, for a period of three years."

"Second, include all medical expenses for Wang Jianjun's spouse, Li Xiulan, within the scope of the fund's reimbursement, also for three years."

"Third, the entire process must be anonymous. Do not disclose the donor's information to the public, and do not reveal the source of funds to the recipients. Execute it in the name of the City Disabled Persons' Federation's special aid program."

The woman on the other end was stunned by this string of conditions and took several seconds to recover.

"Sir, I have recorded your requirements, but a donation amount of ten million requires the personal approval of our Chairman. The process might take one to two weeks..."

"Two weeks is too long."

Fang Jiming interrupted her, "How about this: I will transfer one million to your public account first as a good-faith deposit, and the remaining nine million will arrive within twenty-four hours after signing the formal agreement."

"But Wang Jianjun's wheelchair and the first rehabilitation subsidy must be in place within three days."

"Three days?" The other person's voice rose by half an octave.

Fang Jiming: ( ¬ ‸ ¬ )

"Yes, three days."

His tone left no room for negotiation, "If your process cannot be done in three days, I will switch to another organization. There is more than one public welfare organization in Nanqiao City."

The phone line was silent for five seconds, and then the sound of rapid typing came through.

"Sir, please wait a moment, I will contact our Chairman now."

Fang Jiming hung up, lit another cigarette, and extinguished it after only two puffs.

He opened the banking app, initiated a transfer of one million to the Xinghuo Public Welfare public account, entered his password, confirmed, and the money arrived.

The entire process took less than thirty seconds.

His phone rang almost simultaneously.

It was a callback from Xinghuo Public Welfare. This time, it wasn't the woman from before, but a middle-aged man's voice, speaking twice as fast and three times as polite.

"Hello, hello, I am Chen Jianhua, the Chairman of Xinghuo Public Welfare. We have confirmed receipt of the one million good-faith deposit."

"Regarding the three-day deadline you mentioned, I have just communicated with the Disabled Persons' Federation, and we can use the green channel."

"The wheelchair will be shipped from the provincial capital tomorrow and delivered to Wang Jianjun's home the day after tomorrow. I will go to the Disabled Persons' Federation this afternoon to stamp the approval documents for the rehabilitation subsidy, and the first payment will be deposited into the account by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

Fang Jiming's lips twitched as he listened to this.

After one million arrived, administrative efficiency increased by about eight hundred times.

"There is one more thing. Wang Jianjun has a daughter in the second year of junior high school. Include her tuition and living expenses in the aid scope, covered within the ten million limit."

"No problem, no problem, we will add that to the plan immediately."

"Also, I will email you the scanned copy of the donor confidentiality agreement today. I will not be present in person."

"Completely understood, completely understood." Chen Jianhua's voice was so enthusiastic it was practically spilling out of the phone screen.

Fang Jiming gave a grunt, hung up the phone, and shoved it back into his pocket.

He rode off on Teacher Wen Ruyan's little blue electric scooter, clattering as he headed toward the school.

Fang Jiming: ( ˘ ̩ ̩ ̩ ε ˘ ̩ ƪ )

"Ten million to keep one student from dropping out."

He muttered to himself, "This is the most expensive homeroom teacher I've ever been."

But money could only pull the Wang family back from the edge of the cliff; how Wang Tiezhu himself would stand up would depend on something else.

That was something money couldn't buy.

As the scooter turned past the intersection of Qiaonan Old Street, he passed the twenty-four-hour internet café, its neon sign looking dusty and dull in the daylight.

He also passed the night market food stalls, where a few middle-aged men were playing cards at the entrance; they all looked up as they saw him zip by on the little electric scooter.

The shared bike with the loose chain that he'd ridden over had been left at the entrance of Wanda Plaza; though Teacher Wen Ruyan's little electric scooter was a bit low, it was agile.

He quickly ran through the entire operational chain in his mind.

The money started from the system account, passed through the bank's overseas trust channel, flowed into Xinghuo Public Welfare's public account, and was then disbursed by Xinghuo Public Welfare to the Wang Jianjun family in the name of the Disabled Persons' Federation's special aid.

In between, there were three layers of legal entities and two administrative approval processes.

Even if Wang Tiezhu grew eight heads, he could never trace this money to have any connection with his homeroom teacher.

He would only think that the government's poverty alleviation policy had finally fallen upon him.

Fang Jiming parked the scooter back under the plane tree behind the office building, pulled out the key, and just as he walked into the office building, he ran into Teacher Wen Ruyan coming down from the staircase.

Teacher Wen Ruyan was holding a stack of test papers, and her steps faltered when she saw him.

"You're back?"

She glanced at his gray hoodie, which had become even dirtier from the dust kicked up while riding, and her brows furrowed.

"What's the situation with Wang Tiezhu?"