"There’s nothing more to say, I’ll have my lawyer go to your local bank to withdraw the funds, and request the local government to terminate cooperation with your Xuyong County charitable organization."
Shi Haishui was taken aback.
"Chairman Gu doesn’t plan to continue cooperating with us?"
Gu Bai blew away non-existent dust from his fingernails, gently flicked his fingers, and said calmly, "It’s not that I don’t want to cooperate with you; the reason for working with you is to help impoverished students faster. But now, not only is it not speeding up, the efficiency has actually decreased, so there’s no need for cooperation."
"But these charity funds have already been notarized and belong to both of our organizations." Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Previously, yes, but not anymore. Zhuang Kexin has been dismissed by me, and the agreements he signed can be annulled. I will explain this to the local government, and if they disagree, it doesn’t matter. We will continue to appeal to the Celestial Province Government and will no longer make any charitable donations in Xuyong County."
Upon hearing Gu Bai’s fearless words, a slight cold sweat appeared on Shi Haishui’s forehead.
"Returning 50 million is possible, but we’ve already d 2 million, including the labor costs, so less than 48 million remains."
Gu Bai smiled and said, "That’s a good thing; the money is meant to be d to them anyway."
Shi Haishui also joined in the laughter.
Gu Bai’s tone shifted.
"But please, Chairman Shi, later hand over the list of recipients to us. I will arrange for someone to investigate and record it. As you know, we are a legitimate private charitable fund, and every penny spent is documented."
The vice-chairman sitting next to Shi Haishui hurriedly said, "There is no list of recipients for this money, but we can provide proof of fund usage."
"Well, that’s a surprise. Isn’t this money under government supervision? How come our fund can’t access it, yet our partner can easily use it?
No matter, Chairman Shi, you don’t need to explain to me. Before coming, we already communicated with the Celestial Charity Association. You can explain to them when the time comes. Over 2 million is nothing in my eyes, and I believe it’s not a significant amount for Chairman Shi either. If it can be made up before the association’s people arrive, that’s fine. If it can’t be made up, then we’ll see each other in court."
With that, Gu Bai stood up.
"Zhuang Kexin, you signed the previous cooperation plan. Discuss it well with Chairman Shi; if it can’t be settled, I’ll assume you’ve illegally embezzled company funds, and that accusation alone should be enough to cause you trouble."
Leaving behind two lawyers to assist Zhuang Kexin, Gu Bai walked out of the temporary meeting room.
After Gu Bai left, Zhuang Kexin, who had remained silent, looked coldly at Shi Haishui and said, "Chairman Shi, you should have realized that our chairman is here to hold you accountable. If this money isn’t made up, you know the consequences very well. I know you are just a county-level charity association and have never seen such a large sum of money, so the temptation is understandable. Our chairman is a person who dislikes trouble. As long as you don’t make things troublesome for him, it’ll be never happened. Understand?
Also, don’t think that just because we are a fund from Shanghai, you can treat us like fools. Let me tell you, the Black Swan Fund is a 1 billion non-public fundraising charity, unmatched in Hua Country. If you pursue this matter, no one will be able to escape!"
This was originally Gu Bai’s words; Zhuang Kexin was just repeating them to Shi Haishui.
Shi Haishui: "Director Zhuang, we’re all here to do charity; there’s no need to make it so embarrassing. Why don’t you talk it over with Chairman Gu again? Our entire association will fully cooperate to ensure the charitable acts of the Black Swan Charity Foundation are implemented swiftly."
Seeing Shi Haishui still trying to play it off, unwilling to return the over 2 million, Zhuang Kexin coldly laughed, saying nothing.
Shi Haishui and another vice-chairman were already sweating profusely on their foreheads.
It wasn’t entirely their fault for being greedy; Xuyong County had only received a few million in donations over the past decade, so when faced with a sudden 50 million, how could they be content without trying to take a share?
Moreover, it wasn’t just him who took the money.
It was split internally and had to be distributed up and down.
The over 2 million had already been dispersed; how could it possibly be returned now?
They had previously thought Zhuang Kexin was an easy target but didn’t expect Gu Bai to come in, ready to overturn the table, catching them off guard.
As Gu Bai had already walked out of the hotel, he didn’t care what was happening inside. Shi Haishui was just a microcosm of the entire charity system; it didn’t matter if it was rotten, as long as it didn’t affect him personally. Such small characters weren’t worth getting angry over; taking him down wouldn’t even require lifting a finger. Just some words were enough to have countless people deal with Shi Haishui for him.
A non-public fundraising charity with a scale of 1 billion.
It’s an organization that governments everywhere want to attract.
As for the matter with Shi Haishui, Gu Bai certainly wouldn’t drop the pursuit.
However, he didn’t want to spend too much energy on him either. He left a few lawyers and gave Zhuang Kexin a chance to redeem himself.
Zhuang Kexin was originally set up by Shi Haishui and his group, and now that Gu Bai was giving him the opportunity to restore his reputation, he couldn’t wait to deal with Shi Haishui.
Meanwhile, Gu Bai had arrived at a village primary school under Xuyong County, following Yi Jiahui.
Though called a primary school, it was actually just a few low single-story buildings.
Not a dangerous building, but it appeared extremely rundown, with a worn-out appearance amidst the small hill behind the school, making the scene distressing.
"Are you sure this is a school?"
Gu Bai turned his head, questioning Yi Jiahui with skepticism in his voice.
Looking at the scene before her, Yi Jiahui hesitated: "According to the map, this is the place..."
As if responding to Gu Bai’s doubts, a melodious reading sound came from one of the single-story buildings.
"On Mount Tai, you can often see mountain porters. They carry a smooth bamboo pole over their shoulders, with ropes hanging from both ends, carrying heavy items..."
It was the mandatory primary school text "Mountain Porter."
The school plaque, almost falling apart, was finally noticed by everyone.
Heba Village Primary School.
Once confirmed that it was indeed a school, Gu Bai suddenly fell silent.
While researching online, he’d seen many similar images, but when faced with the actual scene, the feeling was indescribable. It was hard to believe that in 2017’s Hua Country, schools still existed...
Suddenly, a slightly hunchbacked man walked out from inside the school.
The man seemed to be in his fifties, with a slender frame, wearing a light green, plain jacket. Seeing the well-dressed Gu Bai and others in front of him, he nervously asked, "Who are you looking for?"
He spoke without any accent, using standard Mandarin.
Upon seeing someone, Yi Jiahui quickly stepped up: "Hello, are you a teacher or staff member at Heba Village Primary School? We are from a charity foundation in Shanghai, and we’d like to learn about the situation here."
Hearing that they were from a charity, the man’s cloudy eyes suddenly became clear.
"Yes, yes! I am the principal of Heba Village Primary School. My name is Jin Shulin."
Upon getting Jin Shulin’s response, Yi Jiahui looked back at Gu Bai.
"Principal Jin, is it? My name is Gu Bai, from Shanghai, and these are all our charity fund staff. Our staff should have contacted you in advance, right?"
According to Zhuang Kexin, all 21 schools should have been notified.
"It’s damp in the mountains. Let’s not talk outside; come inside first,"
Gu Bai agreed with Jin Shulin’s suggestion and followed him towards the few single-story buildings. Seeing Jin Shulin’s unsteady walking, Gu Bai hurriedly supported him.
It took several minutes to walk the distance of only a few dozen meters.
Gu Bai showed no impatience, supporting Jin Shulin while inquiring about the conditions at Heba Village Primary School as they slowly moved forward.
Inside a small room of less than 10 square meters, a bed and a desk were placed, with neatly folded bedding and a desktop filled with books and exam papers.
"Including me, the school has only 5 teachers, so there’s no office. This is where I usually live, and it’s also considered the principal’s office."
Jin Shulin said with a cheerful expression.
This was Gu Bai’s second overwhelming experience at Heba Village Primary School.