The ultimate Valkyrie has fallen for me

What a loss!

The three hundred million yuan given by the Shen family has not been spent.

Lu Yuan felt a pang of frustration; he hadn't even spent all the money he'd earned—a failure.

"Thank you all for your generosity tonight. Your good deeds will help countless orphans of martial arts practitioners emerge from the darkness..."

Just as I was pondering this, a middle-aged man with a slightly overweight build went on stage to give a speech.

"He is the person in charge of the Wu Gu Society in Chongming Base City, named Zhu Fuyuan."

Before Lu Yuan could ask a question, Xia Banzhu, who was standing next to him, introduced the situation in a low voice.

Lu Yuan nodded slightly. It turned out that the person on the stage was the president of the Chongming Martial Arts Association.

I had imagined him to be a tall and strong man, or a kind old man with a white beard, but he turned out to be quite unremarkable, which was quite different from what I had imagined in my childhood.

Of course, the president of the Chongming Martial Arts Association at that time may not have been Zhu Fuyuan.

A five-star warrior, but his cultivation and strength are only average.

That makes sense, considering he's in an administrative position; his abilities are already quite impressive.

Zhu Fuyuan spoke for about ten minutes, mostly speaking in high-sounding terms, but Lu Yuan sat up straight and listened attentively.

"Um?"

Dugu Feiying and the others glanced at it and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Even they found it boring. Shouldn't Lu Yuan have been yawning or just sleeping by now? Why did he suddenly change his mind?

"Now it's time for dinner, please make yourselves at home."

Finally, Zhu Fuyuan smiled and said something before stepping off the stage.

Amidst the gentle applause, Lu Yuan's applause was exceptionally strong and powerful.

Next, a waiter came over and led everyone to the banquet hall.

It's still a buffet, but both the drinks and the food are top-notch.

It was almost ten o'clock. Although he had eaten some snacks earlier, he was hungry again. Lu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and picked up his plate to prepare two premium abalones.

Chongming Base City is not located by the sea, so seafood is particularly expensive.

In fact, even in coastal cities, seafood is not cheap.

After all, in this era, the vast and deep sea is even more dangerous than the wilderness.

"We're not here."

Just as Lu Yuan was about to pick up the fork, Xia Banzhu, who had finished handing over the auctioned items, returned and stopped him.

Then, they took him to a large private room.

Dugu Feiying, Ye Qingcang, Xiao Buyun, and Qian Qianqian were all present, while the person sitting in the main seat was Zhu Fuyuan, the president of the Chongming Martial Arts Association.

As for the others, Xia Banzhu had already introduced them to Lu Yuan when they first arrived; they were all representatives of the top families in Chongming Base City.

Lu Yuan suddenly realized that there was another small circle, and those who could enter this circle were the most elite of the elite.

The seats had already been arranged, with Zhu Fuyuan, the host, as well as Ye Qingcang and Xiao Buyun.

After all, they represent the Ye and Xiao families.

Based solely on their family power, they have become one of the seven major martial arts groups in Chongming Base City. However, in terms of family strength, these two families are indeed the strongest.

Lu Yuan's seat was two people away from the two of them. As a long-established master of innate realm, the Shen family was also very influential among the major wealthy families in Chongming Base City.

Of course, Qian Qianqian, a member of the old-established master family, was also present, sitting in the corresponding position opposite Lu Yuan.

And next to Lu Yuan is Dugu Feiying; I wonder if that can be arranged.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming tonight."

After everyone was seated, Zhu Fuyuan raised his glass.

Everyone raised their glasses, smiling and behaving perfectly.

Lu Yuan sat there, looking at the dishes on the table that were far more expensive and rarer than those outside, and felt somewhat awkward.

It seems we won't be able to enjoy a hearty meal.

Lu Yuan sighed inwardly, and could only accept the gift as politely as possible, after all, he still had to give Zhu Fuyuan face.

Although there were many people in the private room, the sounds of clinking glasses and quiet laughter did not make it noisy.

They are all top-tier families, and they inevitably interact with each other. Taking this opportunity to exchange ideas is also a good chance to deepen their relationship.

It's already commendable that Lu Yuan, a commoner from the bottom of society, can maintain proper etiquette and not show timidity. Asking him to socialize further would be like forcing a duck onto a shelf.

I simply ate my food in silence.

Xia Banzhu, who was standing behind, was also aware of this, but she didn't urge Lu Yuan to do anything.

Although he felt a little awkward, the dishes were all delicacies, and Lu Yuan ate quite happily.

"President Zhu, is the commission rate still 40% this quarter?"

Halfway through the banquet, Lu Yuan had almost finished eating when he suddenly overheard Qian Qianqian chatting with Zhu Fuyuan.

A cut? Forty percent?

Lu Yuan was taken aback. What did that mean?

"right."

Zhu Fuyuan nodded and gently wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

"As in the past, the target for this quarter is still tentatively set at 40%."

"That's too little, far too little."

Qian Qianqian waved his hand dismissively.

"The projects that our Qian family is cooperating on with the association alone require a lot of funds. This quarter, we're only allocating 40%, which I'm afraid won't be enough."

"What Qian Shao said is true, but I'm also under a lot of pressure."

Zhu Fuyuan sighed softly, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Even with only 40% taken, many people are still unhappy. They've even accused me of sucking the blood of Wu Gu and lining my own pockets with their life-saving money! This is a huge injustice. I'm doing this for the sake of the association, solely for its development! Just a few days ago at a banquet, I was so exhausted I almost vomited blood!"

"That's right, that's right. Chairman Zhu has put in so much effort, it hasn't been easy for him."

"Those who oppose it are utterly despicable!"

Listening to these people talking, Lu Yuan became more and more puzzled and couldn't help but turn his head to look at Xia Banzhu behind him.

Xia Banzhu leaned closer and whispered an explanation in his ear.

"Of the donations received by the Martial Orphans Association, 60% will be used to help the orphans of martial artists, and the remaining 40% will be used to maintain the daily operation of the Martial Orphans Association."

"Daily operations?"

Lu Yuan opened his eyes wide and frowned again.

"For routine operations, 40% of the donations are needed."

"Of course, apart from the basic salaries of the association's staff, the funds are mainly used to invest in various industries."

"invest?"

Lu Yuan's face grew increasingly grim. In other words, were they using the money meant to help orphans of martial arts practitioners to make money for themselves?

"President Zhu, I suggest increasing the commission rate this quarter, to at least 50%!"

Qian Qianqian spoke again, looking eager to try.

Zhu Fuyuan waved his hand repeatedly, then chuckled and shook his head.

"No, no, that won't do. People will cause trouble if we do that."

"Who dares to cause trouble? Those martial arts masters?"

Qian Qianqian snorted coldly, his face showing disdain.

"A bunch of orphaned wild children. Give them a bite to eat, and they should be grateful, yet they dare to cause trouble. They're courting death!"

"Sigh, who can argue with that? It's hard to be a good person. Some bastards are just born ungrateful."

Zhu Fuyuan sighed softly, then pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Although we can't increase the commission rate, we can flexibly allocate some funds to our project first, and then replenish them when the funds are recovered."

"That's right! That's a great idea. As expected of Chairman Zhu, you really know how things work..."

"May I ask, Chairman Zhu?"

Before Qian Qianqian could finish speaking, Lu Yuan suddenly spoke up.

"If the funds intended for helping orphans are misappropriated, what will happen to those orphans who are waiting for help? How will they live, how will they survive?"

"Um?"

Zhu Fuyuan was taken aback, as if he hadn't expected that anyone here would care about Wu Gu. Then, he came to his senses and couldn't help but smile.

"For the sake of the bigger picture, can't they just hold on a little longer? They won't starve to death if they miss a meal."

"Fuck your grand plan!"

Lu Yuan immediately flew into a rage, grabbed the edge of the table with his palm, and forcefully flipped it over.

"I'll make sure you don't eat a single meal! I'll make sure you don't eat a single fart!"