Chapter 272: Ten Million Reward
Yuan Tiancheng kicked the man aside. "Alright, I don't want to hear any more of your bullshit. The Patriarch of the Yuan Family can only be me!"
"Starting today, I declare that Yuan Tianhui and his followers have betrayed the Yuan Family. Their actions have severely tarnished our family's reputation."
"I will be revoking your shares, freezing all your assets, and expelling you from the Yuan Family, effective immediately!"
The men Yuan Tiancheng had brought with him moved swiftly.
In just three short hours, the Yuan Family was reclaimed!
Yuan Tiancheng was once again the Patriarch of the Yuan Family. As for the masterminds of the coup, they were all expelled.
Not only that, but all of their assets were to be confiscated!
For these people, losing their money was a fate worse than death!
Xiao Ye had enjoyed watching the show.
After Yuan Tiancheng had dealt with everything, he immediately dismissed his men and had the housekeeper prepare a table of her signature dishes.
"Master Xiao, I owe you a great debt for today's events. Otherwise, I don't know how long it would have taken me to accomplish this."
Xiao Ye had indeed lent a hand, but it was merely in a supporting role.
"The reason I helped is that I need you to do something for me."
Without a second thought, Yuan Tiancheng raised his glass and drained it in one gulp. "Master Xiao!"
"From this day forward, the Yuan Family will be at your command!"
Xiao Ye nodded. "Then help me find someone. A woman. While I have people in Shanghai, this isn't my territory, after all."
"If you investigate, you might have better luck."
Looking at the person in the photo and the accompanying information, Yuan Tiancheng nodded solemnly. He had to handle this matter perfectly!
'Losing face would be a minor issue; incurring Master Xiao's displeasure would be a major one!'
After dinner, Xiao Ye left.
Yuan Tiancheng immediately ordered his subordinates, "Mobilize all the power of our Yuan Family! You must find information on this woman for me!"
"I don't care what methods you use, get me news within three days!"
"Anyone who finds a lead will be rewarded with ten million!"
Yuan Tiancheng was pushing them to stop at nothing!
Lured by the massive reward, all of his subordinates pulled out all the stops, even trying to rope in every relative they had.
Finally, their hard work paid off.
「Three days later, news arrived!」
A subordinate rushed into Yuan Tiancheng's office. "President Yuan, we have a lead!"
"I asked a lot of people and finally got a piece of information. This woman visited an orphanage before!"
"An orphanage..." Yuan Tiancheng nodded. "Alright, I understand. I'll have someone transfer ten million to your account in a bit. If this information proves useful, I'll give you another bonus!"
"Thank you, President Yuan!"
「Sunshine Orphanage.」
It was located in one of Shanghai's alleyways.
It was an inconspicuous place. The orphanage wasn't large and barely got by on government subsidies and help from social workers and volunteers.
When Xiao Ye arrived at the orphanage entrance, Yuan Tiancheng, who had been waiting for some time, immediately came forward to greet him. "Master Xiao, this is the place."
"My men found out that the woman came to this orphanage once when she was in Shanghai."
"Thankfully, my subordinate was very meticulous and went around asking everywhere with the photo, or we never would have gotten this lead."
The woman's appearance was quite striking, so everyone who saw her when she visited the orphanage remembered her.
But the place was so remote that ordinary people wouldn't just go around gossiping, which was why Xiao Ye hadn't found anything until now.
The two of them entered the orphanage.
The courtyard wasn't very large. A few children were squatting on the ground, playing a game.
The marbles in their hands were very plain, and there were almost no other toys in sight.
Seeing someone arrive, they immediately stood up excitedly. "Hello, uncles!"
Visitors meant they might be chosen and taken to a new home, and maybe even get some delicious food.
Xiao Ye smiled faintly and patted a little boy's head. "Hello to you, too."
Of course, they hadn't come to the orphanage empty-handed.
He and Yuan Tiancheng had brought a car full of supplies.
Inside were books, snacks, and some nutritional supplements that the children needed.
When the director learned the two had brought so many donations, she came out to greet them personally.
"Thank you so much for your generosity! On behalf of all the children at the orphanage, thank you!"
"Why don't you two stay for lunch today? We can have the children help prepare it."
Xiao Ye nodded. Yuan Tiancheng, however, proactively handed over his business card. "From now on, the Yuan Family will take care of the children here. We'll cover their tuition and all daily living expenses."
"So you're from the Yuan Family! Thank you, thank you so much!" The director, a woman who looked to be in her fifties, thanked them profusely, her face flushing slightly.
Most of their donors were ordinary people, or perhaps those with a little bit of money.
This was the first time they had ever encountered a benefactor from a major family like the Yuan Family.
The director led them to her office.
Yuan Tiancheng asked to see the records from previous years.
Although the director was curious, she didn't dare refuse. Besides, there was nothing to hide.
"All the children's records are here."
An entire wall was covered with them, but each binder was labeled with a year, one binder per year, making them very easy to search through.
Xiao Ye started looking from over twenty years ago.
Not many children were adopted from the orphanage each year, only about two or three.
When Xiao Ye flipped to the records from twenty-two years ago, he saw a photo of a little girl.
It was a black-and-white photo. She looked to be four or five years old at most, her small lips pressed together, her eyes full of timidity.
Although she looked nothing like the woman in the photo he had, Xiao Ye never looked at superficial features, but at the bone structure.
From that perspective, this child was the woman he was looking for!
Noticing he had been still for a while, the director looked over. "I remember that girl. She was the prettiest one we ever had here."
"Back then, many families wanted to adopt her, but she had a problem—she couldn't speak, so they all changed their minds."
"Fortunately, she was lucky enough to be adopted by a foreign couple. As you know, many foreigners like to adopt children from our Dragon Country."
The belief is that Eastern genetics are superior, so many Westerners come to Eastern countries to adopt children and then invest in their development.
There was once a couple who adopted six children from the Dragon Country, and every one of them became successful. That's when the trend of adopting children from the Dragon Country really took off.
Xiao Ye nodded. "Was there any news about this child afterward?"
The director sighed helplessly. "Most of the children who are adopted never come back. They surely don't want to be reminded of these things."
"In some cases, the parents don't want them to visit, and others simply forget. Not to mention, this girl was adopted by foreigners. It's unlikely she'll ever return to the country in her lifetime."
'It seems the woman didn't reveal her identity when she came here last time,' Xiao Ye thought. 'She really is hiding herself!'