I Really Didn't Mean to Make Money

“Mr. Chen, is there anything else?”

Shen Rou paused before stepping out of the car and looked at Chen Mo.

“You don’t need to come to the office tomorrow morning. The children’s beds will be delivered to the orphanage then, so you should go oversee it. Also, I’ll be transferring a charitable donation to your account shortly—hand it over to Grandma Wu along with the beds.”

“Once you’ve handled things at the orphanage, go to the intercity bus market to check out the available models and prices. Make a report and bring it back for me to review.”

Chen Mo had been planning to arrange commuter buses for the garment factory employees, and this was the perfect opportunity to have Shen Rou conduct some preliminary research.

“Understood, Mr. Chen.”

Shen Rou nodded happily. But this time, it wasn’t just about the orphanage—she was thrilled that Mr. Chen was finally assigning her tasks fitting for an assistant.

Previously, all these procurement and research tasks were handled by Wei Yan.

...

“Brother Yang, didn’t you use to drive freight trucks? Do you know any experienced bus drivers? Our company will need one in a few days.”

“If you do, could you help me get in touch with them?”

Inside the car, Chen Mo suddenly asked.

Once Shen Rou finished her research on the buses, the next step would be purchasing one.

That left just one issue—hiring a driver.

Recruiting through the HR department could take a while, so if Yang Dahai had any connections, things might move faster.

“Mr. Chen, actually, I do know someone. He used to drive long-distance buses and has over ten years of experience.”

“He’s a couple of years younger than me, but last year, he was let go because a passenger complained about him.”

“Mr. Chen, don’t misunderstand. My friend’s a good person. The bus company just wanted to replace him with a younger driver who’d work for less, so they deliberately found an excuse to fire him.”

Yang Dahai seemed worried that Chen Mo might get the wrong idea, so he quickly clarified.

“What’s he doing now? Would he be willing to work for us as a driver?”

“The last time I saw him, he was working as a security guard. If you need him, I can reach out tonight.”

“That’d be great. I appreciate it.”

Chen Mo thanked him politely since this was beyond Yang Dahai’s usual work duties.

“Mr. Chen, no need to be so formal with me. My entire family owes you a huge debt of gratitude. We used to worry about where our next meal was coming from every day.”

Yang Dahai let out a hearty laugh, his voice full of sincerity.

Ever since he and his wife started working for Chen Mo, their financial burdens had lifted completely. He even felt younger these days.

“By the way, Mr. Chen, how much are you planning to offer for this bus driver position?”

Chen Mo hesitated for a moment—he hadn’t thought about that yet.

The salary couldn’t be too low.

Currently, Yang Dahai was making ¥8,000 a month. If the new hire were paid the same, it wouldn’t seem fair. After all, Yang Dahai was an experienced employee.

Then, an idea struck him.

He could give Yang Dahai a raise to ¥10,000 and offer the new hire ¥8,000. That way, everything would be fair.

“Brother Yang, I’m thinking of offering ¥8,000 per month.”

“¥8,000? Mr. Chen, don’t worry. If my friend hasn’t lost his mind, he’ll definitely take the job.”

Yang Dahai was overjoyed.

The last time he met his friend, things weren’t going well for him. Now, he could offer him a stable job with a solid salary and benefits. There was no way he’d turn it down.

“That’s great.”

Chen Mo nodded, relieved. Then, he continued,

“Brother Yang, you’ve been working here for a while now, and you’ve been doing an excellent job. So, starting next month, I’m raising your salary to ¥10,000.”

“Mr. Chen, ¥8,000 is already more than enough. There’s no need for a raise.”

Yang Dahai immediately declined.

Chen Mo had already done so much for him. Besides, his workload wasn’t particularly heavy—earning ¥10,000 felt excessive.

“This is company policy. Employees who perform well receive salary increases. Rules are rules, so don’t refuse.”

Chen Mo rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit exasperated.

What was wrong with his employees?

They refused raises.

They insisted on taking on sales roles to bring in more business.

And when there were too many orders, they voluntarily organized overtime without being asked.

Was this a stroke of luck... or just weird?

The car continued smoothly on its way.

Soon, they arrived at the Old City residential area.

...

Evening.

Jiangcheng University.

Girls’ dormitory.

Shen Rou sat in her chair, staring blankly at the bank transfer notification on her phone.

After getting off the subway that afternoon, she had gone straight to her part-time job and hadn’t checked her messages.

It wasn’t until she returned to her dorm that she remembered Mr. Chen had transferred a donation for the orphanage.

She opened her banking app to check.

And then... she froze.

Half a million.

Chen Mo had donated over ¥500,000 to the orphanage.

If she counted the children’s beds, desks, and chairs from the furniture store, plus the rubber flooring and playground equipment ordered from the sports company...

Altogether, the total must have been around ¥800,000.

Shen Rou remained silent for a long time, struggling to process her emotions.

Her biggest goal had always been helping the orphanage survive, ensuring those kids had a better environment.

But today... something she had seen as an impossible dream had been accomplished in an instant.

She was overjoyed—for the orphanage, for the children.

But at the same time, she felt a strange emptiness inside.

The motivation that had been driving her forward for so long had suddenly vanished.

“What’s wrong, Xiaorou?”

Her roommate, Zhang Lan, noticed her unusual expression and asked with concern.

“Lanlan, if the orphanage no longer needs my financial support... what should I do?”

Shen Rou looked up at Zhang Lan, her eyes filled with confusion.

“That’s a good thing! Now, you won’t have to work part-time all the time or be so frugal.”

“You’re earning ¥10,000 a month now—you can buy clothes you like, eat your favorite snacks. And if you ever miss the orphanage, you can bring them gifts and visit.”

“Doesn’t that sound like a better life?”

“You’ve spent years living for the orphanage. Maybe it’s time you started living for yourself.”

Zhang Lan spoke seriously, meaning every word.

She had watched Shen Rou struggle for years.

But then, Zhang Lan sighed and shook her head.

“Then again, what’s the point of talking about this? We’ve gone to big companies before to ask for sponsorships.”

“The good ones might donate a few thousand, but only if they can use it for PR.”

“The bad ones won’t even let us through the door.”

“Honestly, CEOs who genuinely care about charity are rare.”

“If we had to wait for one... who knows how long that would take?”

“I’ve found one.”

Shen Rou looked at Zhang Lan and said firmly, one word at a time.