Amidst the hubbub of satisfied voices, a barely audible murmur broke the balance.

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“Can I eat with you?” a trembling voice asked.

Silence fell like a slab. The waiters glanced at each other. The pianist stopped playing for a second. Even the glasses on the tables seemed to vibrate.

A man in an impeccable suit, perfectly slicked-back hair, and a gold watch that gleamed in the warm light, slowly looked up. His name was Mr. Lam, a millionaire known for his cold and distant demeanor. He was about to take his first bite of steak when he turned his head and saw her.

A little girl.

Barefoot. Her feet reddened from the cold. Her clothes torn and too big for her slender body. Her eyes, huge, full of hunger and hope.

The head waiter stepped forward, ready to remove her immediately, but the tycoon raised his hand.

“Stop.”

The girl gulped, afraid she’d done something wrong.

“What’s your name?” he asked, his voice deep.

“An…” she whispered, almost breathless. “I haven’t eaten in two days.”

A murmur ran through the restaurant. Some ladies wrinkled their noses; A man murmured that it was a shame they’d let “that girl” in. But the millionaire heard none of it. His eyes were fixed on her.

He asked her to sit down. He ordered the waiter to bring a plate identical to hers and a glass of warm milk. When the food arrived, An devoured it with a mixture of embarrassment and relief, as if afraid someone would snatch it from his hands.

He waited patiently, watching every bite. Then he asked,
“Where are your parents?”

The girl lowered her gaze. Her voice broke:
“Dad died in an accident. Mom disappeared. And my grandmother… she took care of me, but… she died last week.”

A heavy silence filled the air.

No one knew it, but that man had also grown up on the streets. He had also known what it was like to sleep hungry, what it was like to hide pieces of bread under his clothes for fear of never eating again. The memory hit him hard.

He put away his wallet, sighed deeply, and looked into her eyes.
“Do you want to come with me? You’ll have a bed, food, and school… if you’re willing to fight for your future.”

Tears rolled down An’s cheeks. She nodded.

And so it all began.

🌱 Learning to Trust

Mr. Lam’s mansion seemed like a palace compared to the street. At first, An couldn’t believe that soft bed, those clean blankets, and that warm light were meant for her.

The first few nights, she hid bread under her pillow. She got up in the early hours to make sure the food was still in the kitchen. The instinct of the street was stronger than any words of comfort.

But the tycoon was patient. He didn’t offer her empty promises. He didn’t try to buy her affection with toys. He only gave her consistency: three meals a day, a safe school, and a “good morning” every morning. Little by little, fear turned into trust.

An began to smile. She began to study. She began to dream.

📚 The Awakening of a Future
At school, the children first looked at her with curiosity. Her simple clothes, her silence, her invisible scars. But they soon discovered that An had a keen intelligence, a thirst for learning that never quenched.

Mr. Lam attended every school festival, sitting in the front row in his impeccable suit. He didn’t applaud excessively, but his eyes sparkled with a new light. Each of An’s accomplishments seemed to heal something in him, an old wound he’d never confessed.

Over time, An stopped hiding bread under his pillow. He learned that there were homes where food never disappeared. He learned that there were hugs that never broke.

Years later, he earned an international scholarship.

The tycoon, who for years had been known as cold and distant, began to change. People noticed that he smiled more, that he stopped to greet the employees, that he gave time as well as money.

He wasn’t just a tutor. He was a father. And An, his daughter.

🌍 The Foundation

One day, returning from her studies, An sat in front of him with a notebook in her hands.
“I want to do something,” she said determinedly. “I want no child to go through what I went through again.”

Mr. Lam listened silently as she spoke of her idea: a foundation that would provide food, shelter, and education to homeless children. The name would be simple, direct, impossible to forget:

“Can I Eat With You?” Foundation

The tycoon closed his eyes. He remembered that night in the restaurant, the trembling voice of a little girl, the question that had changed his destiny.

“You’re right, daughter. Let’s do it together.”

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He shared part of his fortune. Thousands of people joined. The news spread. And so, with a single question, thousands of lives began to change.

🍲 The October 15th Ritual
Every October 15th, the date they had met, father and daughter returned to the same restaurant. But they didn’t go in. They stayed outside, on the sidewalk, with folding tables and large pots of hot food.

They served meals to children and entire families living on the streets. They rolled up their shirts, got their hands dirty, laughed amidst steaming soup and grateful smiles.

The restaurant staff, who had initially wanted to get An out, now came out to help. They laid out tablecloths, played music, brought bread and desserts.

That day, the sidewalk became a banquet. And everyone, absolutely everyone, could sit and hear the same phrase:
“Yes. Of course you can eat with me.”

🌟 The Legacy
Over the years, the foundation grew to have offices in several cities. An became a director, and Mr. Lam, now elderly, continued to proudly accompany her.

When he died, his funeral brought together thousands of people. He was remembered not as the millionaire with the gold watch, but as the man who had said “yes” to a starving girl.

And An, with tears in his eyes, vowed never to let that spark die.

Today, every child who receives a hot meal at the “Can I Eat With You?” Foundation is a living testament to that night when such a small question opened a heart… and forever changed the destiny of two lives.