Chapter 353 - 351: The Passion That Never Dies
Walking onto the stage with a powerful presence, Rose scanned the crowd. All who met her gaze, apart from the major CEOs, quickly averted their eyes, unable to hold her stare. Her gaze paused briefly on Lu Tianxing before moving away.
After surveying the entire audience, Rose picked up the microphone and began to speak slowly, "First of all, I want the Rose Charity Foundation to thank everyone for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this charity gala. I won’t bother with pleasantries, as it’s the same old story we’ve all heard before until calluses have formed in our ears. I’ll just get straight to the point."
A rare joke from Rose immediately elicited laughter from the surrounding crowd.
"I believe after all these years, you all know very well whether I, Rose, have been wholeheartedly engaged in charity work. But today, I still need to emphasize that in everything I do, I am true to my conscience, without remorse, ensuring that every penny donated by all of you will go in full to the impoverished mountain regions to help those who need it."
Rose took a deep breath, organized her thoughts, and continued, "I’m just an ordinary person, not a saint of great compassion. I can’t save the world, nor do I want to because it’s simply too exhausting. But I do hope within my capacity to help those children who need it, to allow them to attend the schools they’ve long aspired to, to ensure they have enough food. That’s enough for me. One hundred yuan might be just the amount you can earn in a second, but to those children in the impoverished mountain regions, it’s a month’s living expenses, their hope for schooling, the beginning of changing their destinies."
"Perhaps this might not give you anything in return, but I believe, in the hearts of those impoverished mountain region children, you are their benefactors, the ones sent by heaven to save them, worth their gratitude for a lifetime. Perhaps this one investment might result in unimaginable returns for you."
"I don’t expect everyone to donate a certain amount of money, but if you save the cost of a pack of cigarettes or a meal each day, you could change a child’s future, their destiny. Why wouldn’t we do that? Maybe many years from now, when you find yourself at a dead end, this same child whose fate you once changed might be your chance for a comeback. To exchange a pack of cigarettes for a child’s future, or a meal for aid, why wouldn’t we make such an effortless gesture? Why should we turn a blind eye? Our passion has never ceased, the flames in our chests never extinguished..."
Her voice resonated with passion and compelling power, to the point that some of the more sensitive women began to sob softly, and Bai Zhiqing’s eyes reddened, clearly moved.
Lu Tianxing didn’t speak, an unusual seriousness replacing his usual playful demeanor as he sat there, listening intently to Rose’s words.
Just as Rose had said, those sitting here were either rich or noble, and by saving just the cost of a pack of cigarettes, a bottle of liquor, or even one less article of clothing a day, they could change the fate of tens of thousands of children. The price of a pack of cigarettes might cover a child’s living expenses for half a year, a bottle of liquor could ensure a child’s education from primary school to university, without any worries.
Sometimes, changing a person’s destiny is just that simple, and even a single sentence can change someone’s future.
"I believe that passion has not vanished from this world, and compassion still exists. We cannot change the world or the future of everyone in it, but I hope, on our deathbeds one day, we can see those we have helped emerging from the vast mountains, becoming the pillars of our country. That would be enough, wouldn’t it? By saving just one day’s expenses, we can change the future for countless people. Should we reject doing so? If with only a day’s time, we could earn the gratitude of countless children for a lifetime, isn’t such an investment the most worthwhile and pride-worthy of our lives?"