Beauty and the Bodyguard - Chapter 1
Chapter 1: CH1
Translator: Marcysee Editor: Marcysee
"Your earnings for the Africa mission." Old Lin pulled out a package neatly wrapped in old, worn cloths, his hands delicate as he handled the item. With care, he produced two crumpled pieces of one hundred rmb notes, and handed them to a boy staring at him.
Lin Yi didn't understand. It was a high-stakes mission he'd just completed, and a very demanding one as well- he had to deal with highly formidable enemies! His client's profits were rich, bountiful!! How did it make sense for him to be paid this little?
Where the hell did the old shit get these extreme missions from? They pretty much had a ten percent survival rate, and the rewards always ranged from only fifty to a few hundred kuai...
And that'd actually be a good pay for him- sometimes the payment was so disgustingly low it didn't even reach the two digit mark!
He'd always feel like crying inside whenever he thought about that, but he wanted to curse at this old man's mom as he handed him the two hundred kuai he'd risked his life for.
But Lin Yi didn't have a mom.
He was an orphan, motherless since a young, tender age.
But Old Lin taught him kungfu and also home-schooled him for fifteen years! He was educated and proficient in both academics and martial arts... Put him in ancient times, and he'd be nothing less than a high official!
But here he was, spending his days like he was some mere servant, what the hell?
He'd heard that even construction workers could earn up to a couple tens of thousands a year... Lin Yi's days of extremities yielded him no more than two thousand annually...
"Old man... You're joking, right? Two hundred? Are you pocketing my rewards or something?" It wasn't the first time Lin Yi's had suspicions, but the guy's life wasn't different from his at all. He wore the same kind of clothes, ate the same kind of food... He didn't seem rich one bit.
"Be glad you even have money to complain about. Think making money's so easy, do you?" Old Lin said gruffly with a roll of his eyes. "Don't want it? Give it back, it's been awhile since I ate at Widow Wang's."
"......" Lin Yi wanted to beat the geezer up, but he knew better- he'd just get destroyed again.
Yet he didn't know much- All he understood was that the old guy never used his full ability when training with him. His mentor would simply match his standards to Lin Yi's level whenever he found himself making a breakthrough, wrecking him regardless.
"Right, it's probably about time... You've trained enough these past years- you're ready for the big one, I think." Old Lin's head was lowered at a pit he was crushing beans in, focused on preparing the meal. "Do this one mission well, and you're set for life!!"
"Seriously?!" Lin Yi had been told ever since Old Lin picked him up during a scavenging session that the studies and training of kungfu, medicine, and knowledge of the outside world were for a something big at the end...
Yet he couldn't help but doubt the words- was the reward really so great that he needn't work for the rest of his life?
"When have I ever lied to you?" Old Lin barked as he tossed more beans into the pit. "You going or not? Maybe I should get someone else?"
"No, I'll do it! Of course I'll do it!" Lin Yi snapped without hesitation. What kind of idiot would miss out on something like this? One mission for a lifetime of comfort? He had no problems risking his life for this one.
"Hmm... All right, go then. Go to Songshan, where there's this company called Pengzhan Industries. Look for a Chu Pengzhan and he'll tell you the rest." A mischievous smile crept across his lips, barely noticeable. "But you'd better consider this one carefully... You can't back out once you've accepted it."
"Why? They're not letting me back out even when it gets dangerous?" Lin Yi wasn't one of those stubborn hero wannabe types- He'd never do something that'd just lead to him dying.
"Ah, my little Yi... I've raised you. For fifteen years. Fed you food, gave you water... even bought you a laptop, a 3G internet card..." The old man nagged as his eyes rolled again. "Stop spitting so many questions at me when I tell you to do something so simple!! Don't you force me, you little shit!!"
"Fuck!!" Lin Yi wasn't pleased with what this old shit decided to throw at him. "Yeah. You're right, you raised me.... For the first three years!! Starting from six I made the meals, I prepared the firewood, I weaved straw sandals to make money to be used on you! Don't _you_ force _me_!"
"I know what you've been doing at night with your hand and laptop!" Old Lin snapped with a glare. "Yeah. Yeah, that's right- thought I didn't notice, huh? You forced this on yourself! Also, you even-"
"Okay, okay... I'll go through with the mission, till the end, okay?" Lin Yi interrupted, his face red with embarrassment- he wasn't expecting the old man to have noticed! He'd been extra careful with his nighttime activities, after all. Let this man go on and he'd pull out some very inappropriate scenes.
And so, Lin Yi put on his luggage pack, and got on a train north. A quick couple of ten thousand miles later he reached the modern, internationalized metropolis- Songshan.
Lin Yi decided on the train that he'd be more careful of his surroundings when doing his business at night, from now on- he'd also have to increase the security for his porn, too, maybe hide them deeper in some folders.
He had a genuine excitement for his current mission, despite it all- It was something he'd been dreaming of, a mission with ample enough rewards for him to retire early. He could tell from the way Old Lin spoke that this was a hard assignment, but that didn't bother him in the slightest. The challenge of a hard mission produced thrill, after all.
A sudden pop sounded from a freckled guy sitting across Lin Yi. He had just popped a can of coke open, and wasted no time in putting the drink to his mouth. He threw the pull-tab at the ground with a soft toss.
Some guy with a crewcut put on a nonchalant face as he picked the tab up, raising his hand for a better look at it. He yelled out abruptly after turning it around a couple of times. "Woah!!! Woah, woah, woah, first prize!!"
The crewcut guy wasn't able to overwhelm the noise in the train, but his voice was loud enough for the people nearby to hear. They turned to look at him, including the freckled man sitting right next to him.
The man panicked, his face twisting upon seeing the tab and realizing that it was the one he just threw away. "Give it back, it's mine..."
"Yours? Whaaat? I don't see your name here?!" The man yelled back, his grip tightening on the tab as he glared. "So your name's 'first prize', huh?"
"Nono... I mean I was the one who threw that prize ticket tab away..." The freckled man seemed to be afraid of the other, but not quite enough to be backing down from reclaiming what he thought was rightfully his.
The crewcut guy only snorted. "You said it yourself, you threw it away, didn't you? So since it's not yours anymore, anyone who picks it up gets to keep it."
"Hey, what's the matter with you, man? What's wrong with you??" The freckled man started panicking harder as he turned to a tourist sitting across him. It was a guy with spectacles, seated next to Lin Yi. "Mister, you seem like an educated person, can you please say something to this shameless man?"
"Who're you calling shameless!" The man, unhappy, decided to turn to the scholar as well. "Sir, tell us, who should this tab belong to?"
"Hmm..." The man with the glasses put a finger to his face and started pushing his specs up. He spoke after a while's hesitation. "I am a college professor- Since the two of you seem to be placing your trust in me I shall produce for you a fair solution to the problem."
"Please do!" Both the freckled man and the crewcut guy nodded in unison, their faces anxious as they stared at the self-proclaimed college professor.
"Logically speaking, the tab came from the soda can of this man here, so naturally it should belong to him..." The freckled man started grinning upon hearing the professor's words, while the crewcut guy, on the other hand, panicked as he opened his mouth to say something. The professor held his hand up to stop him before continuing. "However... This man did throw the tab away, and you, mister, picked it up. It's not surprising then that you should be the one to take the tab home..."
"But sir... You said yourself that the tab is mine..." The freckled man said, his face growing pale at the words.
"How about this... Why don't the two of you split the prize money? It should be plenty fair if the two of you share it!"
"Sharing it..." The crewcut guy hesitated a while. "Fine. I can do that."
The man probably recognized the flaw in his logic; The freckled man, on the other hand, understood that the tab, at the end of the day, was in the other guy's palm. If he went against the idea crewcut guy agreed to, he might never get the tab back, and he'd rather get half a prize than nothing at all.
"Fine, we'll split it." The freckled man said.
The professor took the tab from them and examined it. "Well... It says here that the first prize amounts to a hundred thousand rmb... Taking twenty percent out for the taxes, you'll have eighty thousand left. To actually cash the winning ticket in is a bit of trouble though... Here, how about one of you give the other guy thirty thousand, and that guy can go cash the ticket in for the full eighty? Sound good?"
"Yeah, that's good." The freckled man seemed satisfied as long as he got his share, agreeing with no hesitation at all as he turned back to the other man. "Give me thirty thousand then, you can be the one to cash the ticket in!
Chapter 2: CH2
Translator: Marcysee Editor: Marcysee
"Uh..." The crewcut guy patted his pockets subconsciously before looking back at the freckled man. "I don't have that much on me. Why don't you give me thirty thousand? It's the same if you cash it in."
"I don't have that much..." The freckled man said, frowning. "I mean, look at me. You think I'm someone who can just pull out thirty thousand?"
"Professor, please, give us some ideas, we don't have enough money with us!" The freckled man turned to the professor once more.
He sighed before testily giving a suggestion. "Hm... Why don't I give both of you thirty thousand each, and I'll cash the ticket in?"
The two men looked at each other for a bit- they would still be getting thirty thousand each. "That's good. Let's do that, then."
Seemingly pleased, the professor reached for his briefcase and started looking inside. The glee on his face didn't last long, however, and the faster he rummaged through his case, the uglier his face grew. He was drenched in sweat by the time he looked up. "Shit, turns out I didn't bring that much with me today- I only have thirty thousand here! You guys probably don't know how to cash that winning ticket in, too... Ahh... That money's going to go to waste! This sure sucks."
"Hah?" The two men blinked. None of them had the money, so how was the money meant to be split then, at this rate? The freckled man started standing up to ease his anxiety. "Professor, you're knowledgeable, cultured... Can't you think of anything else...?"
"Well... How about this, we could ask someone else..." With that, the professor turned to the person next to him- Lin Yi. "My friend, here's a once in a lifetime opportunity! Do you happen to have sixty thousand kuai to give to these two? All you need to do is cash the ticket in, and you'll have twenty thousand for profit! It doesn't get any easier, don't you say? I'd do it myself, but as you can see... I don't have the money with me."
Lin Yi had been eyeing the performance the whole time, and found it to be poorly presented. The three were obviously a team of amateur scammers.
The freckled man was the initiator, the one with the buzzcut the offender, and the professor the mediator.
Lin Yi had grown up in the mountains, but he was no idiot. Under the farmer-looking clothes was a man very well read, and very knowledgeable. There weren't many that could match Lin Yi in that regard, let alone third-rate con artists like these three.
"Me?" Lin Yi said, putting on his best startled face. "Is that okay?"
"Sure it is! It's a rare fortune dropping on your head, young man!" The professor was overjoyed when Lin Yi replied with a 'is that okay' instead of just straight up saying he had no money. After all, people who respond that way usually qualified.
Lin Yi was about to continue his act when he felt someone kick him. He glanced to the right and saw a pretty girl around his age sitting right beside him.
Her hair flowed like a river, her skin white and supple. Lin Yi hadn't seen her standing up yet, but he could tell that she was at least 1.65 meters in height. Her figure was nice, as well.
She was an ideal target, and Lin Yi had wanted to talk to her the moment he got on the train, and maybe hit on her a bit and chat the trip's tedium away. A simple set of earphones destroyed any opening for conversation, however.
Yet the very same girl was anxiously looking at Lin Yi, her pretty face full of worry. She was trying to say something to him, but couldn't- she was trying to convey something to Lin Yi using her eyes.
Naturally, Lin Yi understood her- She didn't want him to fall for the scam. The event may be irrelevant to her, but the fact that she had the heart to warn him was enough for a sensation of warmth for Lin Yi- it meant that she was kind. Weren't people in the city said to be cold?
With that, Lin Yi gave the girl bonus likeability points. A pretty face had its significance, but a vile heart rendered anything else meaningless. That was Lin Yi's standard.
The man with the crewcut squeezed out a loud cough when he noticed what the girl was doing. He gave her a glare, and she lowered her paling face immediately.
It went without saying that Lin Yi didn't miss the little exchange. He was all but bored the whole trip, and pissed off at Old Man Lin. He wasn't about to let something like this slip by before he entertained himself.
The girl, on the other hand, hadn't given up yet. Her face was lowered, but her legs went on kicking. Lin Yi simply pretended not to feel anything.
"But I only have forty-nine thousand here..." Lin Yi pumped his face full of gullibility and dumb honesty, but that really was what he had in his bag.
The scammers managed to pull their frowning faces out, but Lin Yi's saying he had forty-nine thousand had their eyes lit with excitement already. "Forty-nine thousand? That seems a bit low... How do we split that?"
"Let's see... Forty-nine thousand divided by two is twenty-four thousand five hundred..." The crewcut guy started calculating.
"Twenty-four thousand five hundred, huh? That's not bad, I suppose. I'll take those numbers, you?" The freckled man said to his accomplice after some thought.
"Fine, if that works for you." The other man nodded in response. "Kid, the money?"
Lin Yi opened his pack, pulling out a small package wrapped in newspapers. He proceeded to slowly peel apart the packaging before handing five bundles of cash over to the two men.
"There, forty-nine thousand... Count them..." Lin Yi continued as he maintained his gullible face. "Can I have the tab now?"
The money was his allowance for the years he'd be spending on the mission. Lin Yi always assumed that the Old Man had earned for himself quite an amount the past few years, if he really was pocketing the mission earnings. Take the assassination mission in Africa for example- there should at least be a couple hundred thousand for that kind of thing as a standard, shouldn't there?
Yet the old man told him to use the money sparingly, claiming that it was his entire savings! He had it well hidden, even, before handing it to Lin Yi on his departure day!
Lin Yi didn't know what to think. Was the old man actually poor, or was it all an act? It honestly didn't seem fake, and his life was no different from Lin Yi's. Perhaps he really did overestimate the mission rewards.
"Sure, sure!" The freckled man and the crewcut guy split the cash like starving wolves before handing over the tab.
Lin Yi made an effort to hold the tab with care, as if it was some treasure he didn't want to lose.
The girl beside him could only sigh at that point- It had been done, after all. She took a final look at Lin Yi's excited face, not sure what to say.
The scam was completed, and the scammers sat back in their seats, tranquil and quiet. Almost as if they didn't know each other.
Chapter 3: CH3
Translator: Marcysee Editor: Marcysee
The girl wasn't kicking Lin Yi anymore. Having lost interest, she leaned against the window and put her earphones back on.
"We have arrived at Songshan Station, all passengers please prepare for exit. The train will stop for fifteen minutes." Lin Yi started getting ready as soon as the announcement ended.
He didn't expect the girl beside him to be doing the same. This was her stop.
Lin Yi confirmed the girl's height as soon as she stood up- his guess was correct.
He took in his surroundings after stepping off the train. Skyscrapers filled the sky, changing the scenery into a completely different view from when he visited ten years ago.
"Wait!" A girl's voice sounded from behind Lin Yi.
It was the girl from the train, and she was running at him.
"What is it?" Lin Yi didn't think it was a case of love at first sight, though he did sport a pretty handsome face. His looks were simply useless with attire this shitty- a white tank top and a muddy yellow for his pants labelled him a tasteless farmer.
"You're not planning on cashing that ticket in, are you?" The girl wasn't very friendly when she spoke, clearly still pissed at Lin Yi for ignoring her before.
"Oh, this?" Lin Yi pulled the tab out of his pocket and littered the roadside with it.
"Wha-!?" The girl's eyes went wide with disbelief as she pointed her finger at Lin Yi- what was he doing?! "Y-you threw it away?"
"Yep." Lin Yi nodded. "It was fake anyway."
"You knew?" The girl only grew more confused. What was wrong with him, paying for something he knew was fake? Is he stupid? Is he insane? From what she could see, Lin Yi didn't seem like someone rich enough to get scammed for fun.
"Yeah, I knew. Even if I didn't, you warned me, didn't you!" Lin Yi said, smiling.
"And you still paid them?" The girl was starting to panic.
Lin Yi continued to smile as he removed his bag, holding it open for the girl to see.
She looked at Lin Yi before peeking inside.
There were seven bundles of cash in there!
"So you're rich? You shouldn't be wasting money like that even if you're rich, don't you think..?" The girl didn't understand what Lin Yi was trying to prove. To her, it just seemed like he was showing off how rich he was.
"This here is the money from before."
"The money from before? What does that mean?" The girl still didn't understand. "You're saying you took the money back, but wasn't it forty-nine thousand? You have at least seventy or eighty thousand in here!"
"Well, that professor guy had thirty thousand on him. I just took it along with my own money." Lin Yi shrugged. To him, it was nothing more than a mere gesture, like putting clothes on, or pouring water into a glass.
"Wha..." The girl was utterly dumbfounded at this point. So Lin Yi wasn't an idiot. Not only that, he was several levels higher than the scammers, stealing even the professor's thirty thousand along with his own!
"What's with that face... You're not going to report me for stealing, are you?" Lin Yi joked as he observed the girl's reaction.
"Of course not." The girl shook her head with a blush.
"Jokes aside, I really wanna thank you. Girls like you are rare." Lin Yi spoke genuinely. "Wanna get something to eat later?"
"Nah..." The girl shook her head, fidgeting. "My family's waiting for me at the gates."
Lin Yi simply nodded. Hitting on girls required skill, but fate played a role as well. Going against the flow too much would yield the opposite result. "Well, see you then."
The girl watched as Lin Yi's figure disappeared into the distance. What an interesting person. She wouldn't mind getting to know him a little better if her mother wasn't waiting at the gates.
Yet it didn't mean that the girl's taken a liking to Lin Yi- it was a different kind of attraction: Lin Yi stood out from the crowd. He had tens of thousands in his bag, instead of his bank, and there was a certain aura Lin Yi produced that even his ugly clothes failed to cover.
"Sir, interested in a hotel for the night? It's real cheap here..."
Lin Yi was attacked by a crowd of hotel promoters the moment he left the station. Farmer-looking people like him were the ideal target for budget hotels, after all.
Those who had money wouldn't bother with hotels like these, and the grander ones didn't need promoters handing fliers out in the field.
Lin Yi waved his hand in response as he shoved out of the crowd, making his way to where the taxis were.
He held in his hand a piece of paper Old Man Lin gave him, detailing the address where he was expected.
He entered a taxi, and the passionate driver turned to him. "Where you headed, lad?"
"This address here." Lin Yi handed the note to him.
The driver was a local around the train station area, and he had a sharp eye for his customers. Lin Yi, obviously, was not a local. The man speculated that Lin Yi was most likely a villager looking for a job in the city, and he planned on taking a couple of detours to boost the fare. He took the note happily.
His face went green with one look at what was written on it.
Songshan City, High Light Avenue, No. 36. Pengzhan Towers. 11.2 kilometers from the station. Use the Second Circle Bridge.
Even the route was planned out, along with the distance. There wasn't any space for him to manoeuvre! Also, why would this kid want to go to Pengzhan Towers? That was where Songshan's largest corporation was based at! A farmer looking person like him... It didn't seem likely that he'd know anyone from the inside.
The driver sighed, putting the note aside before starting the ride.
Songshan had great traffic, and bridges were plenty. It didn't take long before they reached the destination. Lin Yi paid the driver twenty-four kuai for the fare before getting off the taxi.
He couldn't help but feel dizzy with a skyscraper this tall looming over him. Wasn't this taller than that huge mountain back home? The client this time around seemed wealthy enough that it really could be his retirement mission. He wondered if he'd die if he fell from that height.
Lin Yi made sure it was the right place before marching in.
Chapter 4: CH4
Translator: Marcysee Editor: Marcysee
"Who are you looking for, sir?" Lin Yi didn't take more than a few steps before the security stopped him.
"Oh, wait. Let's see..." Lin Yi reached for his pocket as he contemplated on the city's security- there certainly wouldn't be anything like this back where he lived. These guards, however, didn't seem like much, and even Er Gouzi back home could wipe the floor with them.
The guy was Lin Yi's playmate. He didn't know kung fu, but one punch from him could kill off a grown bull. These guards here were far weaker than any bull.
Lin Yi pulled a note out and looked at the name on it. "I'm looking for Chu Pengzhan."
"Chu Pengzhan? Who's that? Heard the name somewhere before..." One of the security guards muttered.
"It's the chairman, dude!" The other guard tugged at his colleague's sleeve to shut him up, making sure no one heard him. "What the hell, you wanna get fired or something?"
"Shit!" The guard's eyes widened with shock and regret upon hearing his senior's words. What kind of security was he if he didn't even know the name of his employer?
He took another look at Lin Yi, and saw what he was wearing. From the looks of it, this boy here didn't seem like someone associated with the chairman himself. It didn't appear likely, after all, that a farmer like him would have connections to the man leading Pengzhan Industries, one of the top 500 companies worldwide.
The kid might even be some random field laborer charging at the chairman with complaints. With that thought, the guard tensed, recalling a movie with a title like _You Owe Me One Hundred Fifty Thousand,_ where a chairman was confronted by a farmer, something he watched a couple of days ago.
He met eyes with his colleague, and it was apparent that the two shared similar thoughts.
"What business do you have with the chairman?" The senior guard cleared his throat, putting on a solemn expression, as if Lin Yi might attack at any moment.
"Eh... It's not me, it's my old man. He told me to come look for him." Lin Yi replied lazily. He didn't care how powerful the client was in the outside world- he was the one requesting Lin Yi's help.
"Hm? Your old man?" Lin Yi's words only confirmed the suspicions. The farmer from the movie went to the chairman on behalf of his brother, so naturally this farmer kid was doing the same for his dad.
"...Can you two stop talking? Tell me which floor this Chu Pengzhan is at, and I'll be on my way, alright?" Lin Yi didn't have time to waste on the bullshit these guards were spewing- He wanted to meet the client as soon as possible.
"The chairman isn't here..." The senior guard decided to just tell Lin Yi to go away. He'd already decided that it was impossible for Lin Yi to have any relations to the chairman whatsoever.
Lin Yi was getting really tired of the duo blocking him. They were looking down on him so much that it reflected in their eyes, and Lin Yi had had enough. These clothes were giving him so much trouble!
"I see. I'll wait for him inside then!" Lin Yi said as he strolled past the two.
"Wait! You can't go in!" Both the guards exclaimed in surprise, not expecting Lin Yi to just barge past them.
They were moving to stop him when the elevator doors opened on the first floor. A well dressed middle aged man stepped out with another darker, skinnier middle aged man following after him.
"It should be about time... Why hasn't Lin Yi contacted us yet? Maybe you should go to the train station, just in case. You've seen his picture, too." The well dressed man said to the skinnier one.
"Sure thing, chairman. I'll get to it right away." Li Fu responded without delay, his voice respectful.
Li Fu was just about to leave when the commotion in front of the company caught the chairman's eye. "Before that, Li Fu, go see what's happening over there first."
Li Fu took a couple quick strides before reaching the entrance, only to see two security guards holding a young man back. "What's going on here?"
"Mister Fu, this guy here's saying he wants to meet the chairman, and he's even trying to force his way in!" The guards, naturally, recognized Li Fu. He didn't have a specific role in the company, but he was the most trusted follower of the chairman himself. If one had to describe his position, it'd most likely be the chairman's personal driver.
Yet everyone in the corporation understood that he wasn't just a mere driver. The security guards, as a result, respected him as they would a leader.
And in many situations, this man's words represented the wishes of the chairman himself.
Li Fu's eyes widened as he recognized who the young man was. "Lin Yi? Are you Lin Yi?"
"Yeah, that's me." Lin Yi nodded. He started paying attention to the man the moment he appeared, but instincts told him that this wasn't the Chu Pengzhan he was looking for. He had a form of solemnity to him, and his men respected him, but important leaders had a sort of air about them while he didn't.
"Nice to meet you!" Li Fu understood the priority and significance the young man before him held, and so he leaned forward for a handshake without hesitation. "I'm Chairman Chu's secretary, Li Fu. We had no idea you've arrived already, we were just about to go greet you at the station!"
"That's okay, I wanted to get to know the place a little bit anyway." Lin Yi said with a smile as he shook hands with him. That was how he was- he'd treat anyone with respect as long as they treated him the same. Li Fu was, however, being a little _too_ polite, and it was actually making him feel bad.
"The chairman's right there, I'll bring you to him. Please follow me." Li Fu gestured before making his way back to Chu Pengzhan.
The two security guards from before simply stared at Lin Yi's back with open mouths.
"He's really the chairman's... guest?" The younger guard was in disbelief.
"Mister Fu came for the guy himself, so of course he is!" The senior sighed, relieved. "One more step, and we wouldn't be getting off easy if we pissed him off! Thank god he came in time before we kicked the kid out."
Lin Yi didn't miss the well dressed person who appeared along with Li Fu. He was most likely his client- the chairman of Pengzhan Industries, Chu Pengzhan.
"You're Lin Yi, yes?" Chu Pengzhan moved with wide steps towards the two the moment he saw them coming. With a smile, he held out his right hand.
Chapter 5: CH5
Translator: Marcysee Editor: Marcysee
Lin Yi responded with a smile as he shook hands with the chairman. Common social greetings weren't beyond the scope of someone like Lin Yi, despite his background. "Mister Chu! Nice to meet you!"
It was the first time Lin Yi met a client so passionate... He'd hired him here for a particular mission, but still, the man was a chairman of one of the top 500 companies worldwide, after all. The guy was almost treating him like an equal, and Lin Yi found it odd- it felt like they were on the same level.
"Mister Lin! I know, I know... It is a bit much to call you all the way out here for something like this..." Chu Pengzhan spoke after a moment's hesitation.
Now the client was getting absurdly kind! Shameless as Lin Yi may be, even he couldn't stand such kindness coming from his employer. "No, no! Old Lin told me that this mission's enough for me to live the rest of my life with no trouble! I only earn a coupled hundred every month for the straw sandals I make, so really, I'm thankful!"
Lin Yi was surprised at how his client was crossing the kindness boundaries. He's paying him for his services, so there really wasn't any need for him to treat Lin Yi with this much respect. Some of his clients even grumbled when paying Lin Yi, after all!
"Straw sandals?" Taken aback by the comment, Chu Pengzhan took a closer look at Lin Yi to make sure he didn't mistake him for someone else. What the hell was he talking about? Was Old Lin telling him to make straw sandals every day for a couple hundred rmb? He didn't know what to say. He'd heard from his own father about Lin Yi's feats- that hostage rescue mission in Africa, for example. The rewards should be up to a hundred million US dollars, so what's this bit about making sandals for money?
"That's right. One pair sells for four kuai, and if i make about three or five pairs a day, that's a couple hundred kuai a month!" Lin Yi was nodding, but even he felt something off, as well. From how things stood, it didn't seem like Old Lin was poor at all.
Chu Pengzhan decided not to meddle with the affairs of another home, and simply shook his head. "Your pay from now on is thirty thousand per month, your school fees and daily spendings accounted for. Naturally, the money you spend on my daughter will be paid for by Li Fu."
"Thirty thousand? Didn't the old man say a couple thousand?" No way, this one was a high paying job? He wouldn't have had to look at Old Lin's miserable face giving forty-nine thousand away if he'd known about the pay! "Wait, Mister Chu, I don't understand. School fees? The money spent on your daughter...?"
Lin Yi was at loss. What was the chairman talking about? What about the mission?
"Oh? Didn't Mister Lin tell you? That's fine, that's fine- Why don't you come with me upstairs? I'll fill you in on the details." Chu Pengzhan gestured with a smile, walking shoulder to shoulder with Lin Yi as they headed for the elevator.
No matter the case, Chu Pengzhan was Lin Yi's employer now, and the pay wasn't low, either. Lin Yi found the chairman's words to be a little absurd, but he's had his share of things far odder from his past missions.
And so, Lin Yi slowed his pace so that he'd be walking behind the chairman instead of beside him. Chu Pengzhan's legs, however, insisted that they be walking side by side.
Lin Yi, naturally, kept that in mind- It was weird. The guy was being a little too familiar with Lin Yi, as if they were more than just employer and employee. Lin Yi decided to not say anything. It was their first meeting, and some things weren't appropriate to be brought up. Things would clear up eventually.
The chairman's office was two hundred square meters large, and situated at the top of the skyscraper. One of the walls was a huge window that illuminated the room with sunlight.
Li Fu backed out of the room right after escorting the two into the office. He asked for the secretary outside to have tea prepared.
"Mister Lin, what would you like to drink?" The secretary Xiaoyu had already heard from Li Fu what Lin Yi's name was.
"I'll have water." Lin Yi drank mostly water back home, and he wasn't any different outside.
Xiaoyu didn't expect that answer, but smiled all the same. "Sure, it'll be a moment." She didn't need to ask the chairman, since he drank the same thing every day.
"Mister Lin, from tomorrow onward, Li Fu will assign you to class five of Songshan's First School's twelfth grade. You'll become a high school student, and you'll be in the same class as my daughter Chu Mengyao. You'll go to school with her, go home with her. You'll be in charge of taking care of her and her needs, and also tutor her... Well, put simply, you'll be her companion. I'm too busy with my business these years, and I haven't been fulfilling my role as a father too well. On that note, I'd like to find her someone to get along with, to make her days a little livelier... That's the real reason I've asked for you. You're around the same age as her, and you're both young people. I'm sure there's plenty of stuff the two of you could talk about." Chu Pengzhan said with a smile.
Lin Yi was a little overwhelmed. Someone to get along with? Take care of her needs? Stuff the two of them could talk about? Wait, this was the mission that would have him set for his whole life? This was starting to feel like marriage! This wasn't a girl with some sort of problem that prevented her from getting married, was she? Lin Yi didn't want to be part of any marriage plans!
"Mister Lin, are you okay?" Chu Pengzhan seemed to understand with one look at his stunned face. "I thought that you've been told all this before accepting the assignment, but... It seems that this isn't the case?"
"Mister Chu, please, call me Lin Yi. Mister Lin is a bit... much." Lin Yi replied with a bitter smile. "Frankly, I didn't know what I was asked here to do. The old man only told me how important the mission was, and that upon completing it I'd be set for life..."
"Set for life?" Chu Pengzhan blinked at the thought before laughing loudly. "Hahaha! I see, I see. Your old man wasn't lying. You do this job well, and your rewards will let you live your life with no trouble at all!"
"Uh..." Lin Yi still didn't understand what he was supposed to be doing. "But... What exactly is my mission..?"
"Didn't I just go over that? You'll go to school with my daughter, and of course, you'll be in charge of protecting her from bullies, too." The chairman explained.
"Going to school with her, and... being her nanny?" It was the only word that came to mind.
"Well... I suppose you could take it that way. Yes, you'll be something like a nanny." Chu Pengzhan agreed with a nod. Without waiting for Lin Yi to say anything else, he handed him a file. "This file details information on Songshan's First School. Familiarize yourself with it."
Lin Yi nodded helplessly as he took the file. This was what's meant to be some super mission? Fuck, that shitty old man...
It was the same back in North America... Old Lin said he had to rescue someone... And that someone turned out to be a whole group of someones!
Lin Yi shrugged. It was a high pay, after all, and there was only a low level of danger involved. A bodyguard-like follower for some rich girl... Whatever. Lin Yi decided to think of it as a break.
Songshan's First School was called the first school, but it was made into a private one a long time ago, and the name was never changed even after the school was bought. Pengzhan Industries held a third of the shares.
It was no surprise then that Lin Yi could just enroll without any primary school records. He hadn't been to school, but the internet made it clear how difficult it was for villagers to attend schools in the city.
"I understand. I'll do as expected." Lin Yi nodded as he flipped through the file briefly.
"Of course. Mengyao's temper isn't the best, but she's a good girl." Chu Pengzhan smiled bitterly as he said that. "I'm sure someone as talented as you will get along with her very well."
Get along with her very well? No thanks. It's not like he was looking for a girlfriend, after all, so what's the point of getting along with this rich girl very well? "I'll try."
Chu Pengzhan recognized the courtesy in Lin Yi's final reply. He ended the conversation with a smile, and called out to Li Fu outside his office. "Li Fu, school's almost over! Fetch Mengyao home, won't you? Mister Lin also needs to take a look at what the school's like."
"Mister Chu, please, call me Lin Yi, or Little Yi. Mister Lin is a little much." Lin Yi said.
"Alright, I'll call you Yi. You should stop calling me Mister Chu, as well, 'Uncle Chu' is fine." Chu Pengzhan nodded, not intending to dwell on the matter any longer.
Lin Yi nodded in response before following Li Fu down the elevator and into the parking area.
Chapter 6: CH6
Translator: Marcysee Editor: Marcysee
The parking lot was filled with high-end cars, and there wasn't a lack of variety, either, ranging from Mercedes Benz to BMW cars and to even higher tiered ones. From the prominent decorating of many of these cars it was evident for Lin Yi that they were private vehicles, purchased by the company's employees themselves.
It was clear as day that the employees of Pengzhan Industries were making top tier salaries from what he'd seen. With that in mind, Lin Yi's thirty thousand monthly didn't seem that high anymore.
Following Li Fu's lead, Lin Yi arrived at a deep blue Bentley 728 of the '06 variant. It was well maintained, and Lin Yi couldn't tell if it was bought recently or just treated with care. The car looked very new.
"Mister Lin, here." Li Fu gestured as he opened the passenger door at the front.
"I'm taking this seat? What about the Miss...?" Lin Yi asked after some hesitation.
"The Miss always sits at the back." Li Fu said. "She does have a bag with her, after all. Not very convenient for the front seats."
Lin Yi nodded, entering the car. Li Fu drove the Bentley slowly out of the parking lot and through the guard post, where the security guards stood with solemn faces as the car passed by.
Li Fu had veteran driving skills, and Lin Yi could tell that he was someone who followed the rules, contrary to himself. He leaned more towards the racing aspect of driving, but it wasn't something he chose for himself. As Old Lin always said: It's not your fault if you can't win, but it is if you can't even run when you can't win."
As a result, Lin Yi picked up several tactics for retreat, despite only using them when facing the old man. Lin Yi wasn't the one running, in most cases.
"Mister Lin, do you drive?" Li Fu asked as he stopped at the traffic lights. He glanced at Lin Yi, who sat quietly beside him.
Li Fu was an experienced man, with sharp eyes. He was able to tell if a person could drive just by looking at their behaviour when in a vehicle. He only asked because Lin Yi wasn't showing any signs.
"A little." Lin Yi wanted to be more humble, as a newcomer and all.
"You have a licence?" Li Fu didn't bother asking how much about driving Lin Yi meant by 'a little'. The chairman trusted the kid, and Li Fu didn't doubt that trust.
"Not yet." Lin Yi said as he shook his head. He knew how to drive, and even raced cars overseas, but he didn't have a licence. "I just turned eighteen, didn't get one in time."
"That's fine. Give me your IC and I'll get a licence for you. You'll be able to fetch the Miss to school and back should Mister Chu or I be busy."
The car stopped near a very grand looking school. Li Fu didn't go any closer, most likely because of how flashy the Bentley was, since it would be a bad impression for the other students.
Lin Yi had read from the file that Songshan's First School was a private school, but it wasn't a typical noble-filled establishment. There were strict examinations involved, and apart from some of its students enrolling through the influence of their families, most of the applicants got in with their own ability.
With three giant corporations backing the school up, Songshan's First School was packed with top notch facilities and quality teachers. It was on another level compared to the other schools, and it was the reason why all its graduating students were able to get into college.
Yet even Lin Yi understood- the hundred percent ratio wasn't a clean one- Some students didn't study at all, and they went to college regardless, due to their family's ties.
The familiar sound of a school bell rang, and Lin Yi contemplated before turning to look at the school field. How long had it been since he last heard that sound?
He regained the calm look in his eyes a short while later.
Soon enough, groups and groups of students walked out of the building, some of them clothed in uniform, and others not. Schools didn't enforce any dress codes apart from when big events took place, for the most part.
"That would be the Miss." Li Fu raised an arm suddenly, his finger pointing at a student in the middle of a group of boys and girls.
Lin Yi looked at where he was pointing, and spotted a girl with a pretty face and a nice, tall figure. There were other girls with her, but it only took one look for Lin Yi to tell that this one was the Miss he was supposed to protect.
Old Lin had told him that Chu Mengyao was the school beauty. The school beauty, naturally, would be the prettiest girl in school, and unless Lin Yi had difficulties with aesthetics this girl should be the one.
There was also another girl with looks that stood from the crowd, but her body was a little more petite, evidently not matching the height detailed in the file. She definitely had the potential as candidate for the school beauty, however. She was definitely one of those girls who'd grow up to be a national beauty.
Chu Mengyao was making her way towards the car with the other girl when a couple of princey looking boys followed behind.
"Mengyao, please, wait..." One of the princey boys stood in the Miss' path before continuing. "Mengyao, please! Just one chance!"
Mengyao frowned as she looked at the boy in front of her. "Zhong Pin Liang, can't you give it a rest? I told you, I don't like you, okay? Go away."
"But..." Zhong Pinliang was about to preach his love when Chu Mengyao pushed past him.
She reached the car in a few quick steps, and wasted no time in getting in. The girl with her did the same, much to Lin Yi's puzzlement.
"God! This Zhong Pinliang, following me around all day. Doesn't he get tired?" Mengyao wasn't done complaining even after entering the car, but stopped when she saw the guy sitting in front of her. "Who are you..?"
"Hi, I'm Lin Yi." Lin Yi tried to make himself look cuter- the Miss wasn't looking very happy, after all.
"Lin Yi? Uncle Fu, what's he here for?" Mengyao asked as she looked at this random dude in her car.
"Lin Yi is a study companion your father assigned for you..." Li Fu started.
"Study companion? Who asked for a study companion? I said I wanted a shield, and this guy here doesn't look like a very good one!" Mengyao started panicking as she eyed Lin Yi a couple more times. What, the hell, was the person wearing? A huge singlet with some rags for pants? He looked like a complete farmer much more than a farmer would be able to look! How can there be someone who looked this much like a farmer?!
Li Fu started wiping the sweat off his brow as he glanced at Lin Yi, helpless. He let out a breath of relief upon seeing no reaction from him. He was the chairman's most trusted man, and he knew things outsiders didn't... This young man was valuable enough that it took even the chairman's father to summon him.
Chapter 7: CH7
Translator: Marcysee Editor: Marcysee
"The chairman's said so himself, Miss... Lin Yi here is a very capable person, skilled in many areas. He's smart, and strong. Shielding you will be the least of what he can do..." Li Fu explained.
There were certain things Chu Pengzhan decided to keep hidden for Mengyao's sake, and Li Fu was ordered to do the same. On the surface, Lin Yi was summoned as a companion for her studies and everyday life... Yet there lay a deeper meaning that involved a promise from before the chairman's time.
Evidently, someone like Mengyao wouldn't just agree to a study companion out of nowhere. A strike of coincidence, however, provided the opportunity. Mengyao happened to ask her father for a shield, so that she could fend off the flies swirling around her everyday at school. Taking this chance, Chu Pengzhan recommended Lin Yi to his daughter.
Li Fu was starting to regret not stopping for clothes, however. The picture portrayed Lin Yi as a young man with fresh looks, but his choice of attire simply wasn't an appropriate one for a place like this...
"Him?" Chu Mengyao failed to see anything special in the person before her. Father didn't just choose some random farmer who transferred to his company, did he?
The girl sitting beside Mengyao muffled her laughter- The way Lin Yi looked it didn't seem like he could shield anyone off for Mengyao.
"What the-! What're you laughing at, Shu!" Mengyao was pissed off enough already because of what her father decided to shove at her, and now her best friend was laughing at the whole thing! Mengyao glared at her, unable to hold in her frustration.
Chen Yushu stuck her tongue out and shut her mouth in response, but kept her curious eyes on Lin Yi.
"Uncle Fu, tell him to get off the car. I want somebody else." Mengyao frowned, unwilling to waste any more time on the problem.
"Miss... Mister Chu has great amount of faith for Mister Lin Yi's capabilities... Plus, the contract's signed already..." Li Fu tried to get the point across to Mengyao: It was simply too late for anything else to be done. The chairman's made up his mind.
"Huh?" Mengyao blinked, her pretty eyes wide open and on the verge of tearing up. What was her father thinking, sending someone like this? She wouldn't even want him as a shield in the first place, and now they're telling her he's supposed to some sort of companion? She'll be the laughing stock of the entire school!
Mengyao had originally planned on passing the shield off as her boyfriend, if the looks were good enough. It was one of the surefire methods for blocking off people like Zhong Pinliang, after all.
But it wouldn't work if the shield looked like Lin Yi!
In the first place, no one would believe that she'd choose someone like this as her boyfriend! Zhong Pinliang would probably burst out laughing if she told him that!
Lin Yi, on the other hand, was overwhelmed with confusion. Shield?! From what he could gather, a shield might very well mean a mate in this context! The chairman was acting odd, as well. He wasn't really planning on marrying off his daughter, was he..?
"Fine. You, go take care of that guy from earlier, the one who wouldn't stop following me. Do it well and I'll give you a pass." Mengyao decided to see if she could get rid of her new shield. If he couldn't handle the first job she assigned him, she could just tell her father that Lin Yi wasn't up to task, and get him fired.
"That guy?" Lin Yi nodded before getting off the car, making his way to Zhong Pinliang with quick steps.
"That Chu Mengyao, always putting me off. Any other girl would have leapt into my arms long ago!" Zhong Pinliang was in the middle of grumbling to a couple of his lackeys.
"Liang Bro, this Chu Mengyao isn't just some ordinary girl, she's the daughter of Pengzhan Industries' chairman! She's supposed to be difficult!" One of the lackeys, Gao Xiaofu, said.
"I know, okay? You think I need you telling me something like that?" Zhong Pinliang put his hands on his hips. "I need to persevere..." Zhong Pinliang paused when he noticed a young man with muddy brown pants and a yellowing white singlet walking at him, startled at how fast he was moving.
Lin Yi didn't waste any time carrying out the assignment, firing a kick at the guy's ass the instant he reached Zhong Pinliang. After sending the guy faceplanting onto the ground, Lin Yi turned to walk back to the car.
Zhong Pinliang was about to give an impassioned speech regarding his plans to go on Mengyao, when suddenly his face smacked against the ground after an unpleasant impact to the butt.
"Who was that!!! How dare you, do you think you can get away with this?!" Zhong Pinliang yelled after managing to stand back up, his raging face smeared with gray dirt.
"It was that farmer..." Gao Xiaofu quickly answered.
"What the hell are you guys still standing here for, then? After him!" Zhong Pinliang was burning with malice as he continued the yelling. "Get him, and beat him up! Beat him up bad!"
"Liang Bro... He's gone already..." The lackeys had all their focus on the face-planted Zhong Pinliang when Lin Yi kicked him, and the farmer had long since vanished when they turned their heads back.
"Fuck!" Zhong Pinliang cursed. "I saw his face. I'll remember that face well, and tomorrow I'll put it on the newspapers for all his fellow farmer friends to see! I'll hunt him down, that fucking farmer, how dare he kick me! I'll make sure he can't show his face around Shongshan again!"
"Yao Yao, I didn't think so at first, but this Lin Yi's quite something! He's not even scared of Zhong Pinliang!" Chen Yushu's eyes were wide open, having just witnessed the scene.
"Out of his mind, more like." Lin Yi did manage to impress her, but Mengyao's mind was already set on getting him fired. She'd never give him a pass no matter what he did.
"Yao Yao, why don't you just take him in?" Yushu suggested.
"Shu, whose side are you on?" Mengyao glared at her, her tone curious. "You're... not at that age, are you..? Have you taken a liking to this little farmer boy?"
"No way!" Chen Yushu shook her head instantly. "You're the one who likes him, I bet!"
"You're not in love with him, so why are you trying to get him to stay...? So that I can embarrass myself as much as I want, I suppose!" Mengyao was baffled at what Yushu was saying. Was she out of her mind, as well?
"Jeez, think about it. Zhong Pinliang's always doing whatever he wants at school, and no one even tries to stop him! Out of nowhere comes a little guy ballsy enough to kick him... Things'll get pretty interesting, can't you see!" Chen Yushu said mischievously. "Zhong Pinliang wouldn't be able to follow you around with that guy here, now would he?"
"What? Who do you think Zhong Pinliang is?" Mengyao was blunt and went straight to the point. "The guy's a farmer! He'll get destroyed!"
"Yao Yao, how dumb can you get? It's not about that! You think Zhong Pinliang's gonna touch the guy when he has your name backing him up?" Yushu pouted. "I'll be backing him up too, you know!"
Chapter 8: CH8
Translator: Marcysee Editor: Marcysee
"Hmm... You have a point. I'll let him stay for now." Mengyao gave in after seeing the sense in Yushu's words. She turned to Li Fu. "Uncle Fu, did you get him insurance? If something were to happen to him..."
"Insurance..?" Li Fu started sweating again. There was no way that someone the chairman chose would get himself hurt so easily, but he answered the question regardless. "Don't worry, he does have insurance..."
Lin Yi had reached the car door by that time. He turned to look at Mengyao after seating himself back in the front seat. "How's that? Do I pass?"
"Hmph. Barely." Mengyao replied with a hmph.
Lin Yi smiled, and said nothing more as he got back into his seat. Experience and the internet told him that girls are creatures that never mean what they say. Lin Yi didn't want to add anything unnecessary.
Mengyao was not pleased. She was expecting some form of gratitude, yet Lin Yi just smiled, and that was it! Didn't he know how cruel society was nowadays? Even college graduates had to go clean septic tanks! The guy should be overjoyed to find a job this good, especially when he was a farmer and no college graduate!
"Hey. Why aren't you thanking me?" Mengyao couldn't take it anymore.
"Thanking you? Why?" Lin Yi didn't know where this was coming from. If anything, Mengyao should be thanking him for taking care of that boy earlier!
"You...!" Mengyao was in disbelief, and very pissed off. How dumb can the guy get, she gave him a hint already! Didn't he know how off his attitude was?! She was his boss!
"Hehe, Yao Yao's saying that she's already accepted you, so you should thank her!" Chen Yushu explained to Li Yi with a playful laugh.
"Shu, what the hell are you saying??? Accepted him?!" Mengyao was shocked. What's with Shu's wording? She's making it sound like she's accepting a love confession!
"What? I'm just saying you've accepted him as your shield!" Yushu smiled.
"Oh... Thanks." Lin Yi said without giving much thought to it. The job was a good one, and the pay was high, too. His only problem was how weird everything was.
"You're welcome..." The frustration Mengyao felt was indescribable as she spat the two words out. This person was too dumb to be her shield!
"Well, see ya, Yao Yao! You too, shield guy." The car parked in front of a villa, and Yushu waved goodbye to Mengyao before taking a final look at Lin Yi. With that, she got out of the car.
_Shield guy, huh?_ Li Yi smiled bitterly. It sounded like one of those popular online celebs.
Chen Yushu was neighbors with Chu Mengyao, and it took the car only one turn before the three arrived at Mengyao's villa.
Mengyao had willingly accepted the farmer because of what Yushu said... But this farmer seemed to be walking into the villa along with her, luggage and everything! "W-what are you doing?"
Lin Yi looked at her. Confused, he turned to Li Fu. "Isn't this where I'm staying..?"
"What a forward young man you are!! There hasn't even been a single guy who's stepped into my villa!" Mengyao roared, her hands on her hips.
Li Fu wiped the sweat off his brow. Not a single guy... Didn't he count? Mengyao not treating him as a man was finr and everything, but... what about Mister Chu, what would he think of the Miss' words?
Mengyao seemed to realize the problem with her wording when she saw Li Fu's reaction. "What I mean is! Guys that aren't part of the household!"
"Miss, Mister Chu said that you can treat Mister Lin like a brother... He'll be living with you in the villa from today on..." Li Fu spoke each word with care as to not incur her wrath. He knew what the Miss was like.
"WHAT?!" Mengyao's eyes shot themselves wide open, her face full of disbelief as she pointed a finger at Lin Yi. "Him? My brother?! Are you kidding me!!! Uncle Fu, get him out of here! I couldn't care less where he lived, just not here!!!"
"I'm afraid that's not my call to make, Miss... It's the chairman's wish, you see..." Li Fu made sure to tread lightly. While he may be Chu Pengzhan's most trusted man, he was still technically a driver. It wasn't his place to be dealing with the chairman's daughter.
"Whatever, I'll talk to dad myself!" Mengyao pulled out the newest Nokia E7 she got for free with Yushu back in a promotion event.
Lin Yi looked at the phone in Mengyao's hand with envy. It was probably time he bought himself a phone as well; he'd be needing it.
"Daddee! Yao Yao here!" Mengyao's tone flipped a hundred and eighty degrees instantly, much to Lin Yi's surprise. He didn't know girls could make voices that sweet.
"Oh, Yao Yao! What's wrong?" Chu Pengzhan was in the middle of a meeting when his phone rang, but he picked it up regardless when he saw who was calling.
"Well, you see, dad, what's with this shield you got me? You didn't just choose some random farmer from the market, did you?" It was the first time her father handled her request so half-heartedly, and she wasn't happy about it.
"Ah, you must be talking about Yi! Heh, he's someone I went through a great deal of effort to get you, all the way from Mount Starwest! He's good with his studies, and at kung fu as well! He's also a nice person, on top of all that!" Chu Pengzhan said with a wide smile on his face.
"Wha..." Chu Mengyao didn't understand- what had the farmer done to her father? Why was he praising him so much?
Chu Pengzhan misunderstood his daughter's reply, and assumed that she was pleased with his arrangements. "Heh heh, well, what do you think? Pretty good, right?"
"Pretty good? No! Not at all! Before anything else, his looks! His looks, dad! I can't stand looking at a shield like this!" Mengyao replied, displeased. "Also! How could you tell him to live with me? It's not very safe, is it? I'm a girl!"
"I know, I know. I didn't want you to live alone in a villa all by yourself, too. That was why I hired little Yi, it's for your own safety! Don't worry, the protection he provides is top notch!" Chu Pengzhan pretended to miss his daughter's point.
"I... He...!" Chu Mengyao was at a loss of words, speechless from what her father just said.
The chairman didn't wait for her to regain her senses. "Okay Yao Yao, I'm still in the middle of a meeting here. We'll talk later."
With that, Chu Pengzhan hung up. Mengyao gritted her teeth as she glared at Lin Yi, enraged. "Speak! How did you trick my father?!"
Chapter 9: CH9
Translator: Marcysee Editor: Marcysee
Li Fu, who didn't want to stay near the angry Miss any longer than necessary, decided to use fetching the chairman as an excuse to leave. He gave Lin Yi a backpack that had Songshan's First School's textbooks and uniform in it before turning to Mengyao.
"Miss, do call me should you need anything. Dinner will arrive at 7pm today, as usual."
With that, Li Fu took his leave.
Mengyao stared at the man before her, not sure what to do. She couldn't really let him sleep on the streets, now could she? Her father was a well known philanthropist, and she didn't want anyone to see her abusing employees. It really wasn't that big a deal to let him live in the villa, anyway.
But Mengyao was still very unhappy about the situation. She recalled the person who was responsible for the whole thing, and contacted her immediately. "Hello? Shu! My dad's letting the farmer stay in my villa, what do I do?"
"Yao Yao? The shield guy, huh? That doesn't sound so bad. I'll go tell everyone at school tomorrow that the two of you are living under the same roof already! No one will be following you around then." Yushu was watching television comfortably in her princess bed, and she didn't want to deal with Mengyao's problems right now.
"Chen Yushu!" Mengyao yelled into the phone. "Weren't you the one who told me to let him stay? How can you abandon me like this, stop saying useless things! I want you here at my place, now! Right! Now!"
"Hmm... Sure. Lemme take a bath first. After I take a nap, I'll go to you tomorrow first thing in the morning." Yushu replied lazily.
"If I don't see you in one minute, we're not friends anymore!" Mengyao roared.
"Ahh... Come on...! I already took my clothes off for a bath! You're not expecting me to put them back on, are you?" Yushu got up from the sofa, passing by a mirror. She stopped and admired her nude body. Eh, there seems to be a little belly problem here? Perhaps she should go on a diet.
"Fifty seconds!" Mengyao was already counting down using the call duration timer.
"Okay, okay... Door can't be left unlocked, can it?" Yushu said as she finished dressing herself.
"Forty!" Mengyao continued counting.
"Jeeeeez! Coming!" Yushu ran out after putting her shoes on.
Yushu's villa was only a couple tens of meters away from Mengyao's, and a small path connected the two.
Mengyao hung up when she saw Yushu's figure in the distance. She let out a sigh of relief.
"Yao Yao, what's wrong with you? I was already butt naked in front of the shower, and all of a sudden you drag me out here!" Yushu complained.
Mengyao cleared her throat softly, and proceeded to point her finger at Lin Yi once more. "Shu, there's an outsider here!"
"Come on, it's fine, isn't it?" Yushu clearly didn't care if Lin Yi heard what she said. "Shield guy's part of the family now!"
"Since you're family with him that much, why don't we ask him to go live at your place! Yes, I think we'll do that!" Yushu was enjoying her suffering, and she didn't like it one bit.
"Ugh... " Yushu smiled innocently with her tongue out. "Yao Yao, you know how I get naked first thing when I get home... Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate for him to be living with someone like that..?"
"I suppose it's appropriate for him to live with me, then?" Mengyao scolded.
"Ehh... It's simple, Yao Yao." Yushu said, shaking her head. "You can just come to my place and leave him at yours! What are you fussing over for?"
"You're right!" Yushu finally said something useful, Mengyao thought.
But it didn't seem right. Why should she give her entire villa to a farmer to enjoy? What's with that? And what if things went missing?
"No! I'm not letting him live in my house by himself!" Mengyao said.
Yushu told Mengyao to accept the guy because wanted Li Yin to entertain her at school, but things were starting to get annoying. Let Lin Yi live in Yushu's place? She'd never agree to that.
After more brainstorming, Yushu snapped her fingers. "Why don't I live with you for the time being! He'll just mind his own business downstairs, and your room's upstairs anyway! Just tell him to stay on the first floor!"
Mengyao would have preferred a better solution, but there didn't seem to be another way. "Fine, we'll do that then."
Having had multiple sleepovers at Mengyao's villa, Yushu knew the place well. They entered with Lin Yi following slowly behind them.
He wasn't blind- Mengyao obviously didn't like him. Remembering Old Lin's solemn words and Uncle Chu's trusting eyes, Lin Yi didn't think it was a big deal. Mengyao was a girl, after all, it was only natural that she didn't want to live with him.
"Hey! What's your name?" Mengyao asked as she sat down on the sofa, throwing her legs up.
"I'm Lin..." Exhausted, Lin Yi was about to sit his butt down on the sofa when a girly shriek stopped him, giving him a fright.
"Stop! Don't sit!" Mengyao's eyes were wide open as she stared at Lin Yi.
"What's wrong?" Lin Yi asked, startled. His butt was still hanging mid-air, right above the sofa.
"Don't dirty the sofa with your dirty pants! Shu always rolls around naked on there!"
Yushu rolled her eyes, annoyed. _What the hell, Yao Yao? What happened to the whole outsider thing?_
Lin Yi didn't mind the outburst- his clothes were indeed dirty, after all. He was running about the whole day, and the train seats weren't clean either. Dirtying the sofa was a small matter, but he'd be screwed if the pretty lady here gets some kind of skin disease from it.
"Okay, you may continue." Mengyao sighed with relief when she saw Lin Yi resume a standing posture.
"I'm Lin Yi."
"Okay, Lin Yi, you'll be sleeping in that guest room over there tonight. But remember, Shu and I sleep upstairs, so you shouldn't be going up at all. I'll tell dad to fire you otherwise." Mengyao thought that the threat was lacking, since she felt Lin Yi had somehow brainwashed her father. On that note, she added another one. "If you do go up, I'll tell Great General Wei Wu to maul you to death!"
"Sure." Lin Yi nonchalantly nodded as he prepared to leave. "Wait, General Wei Wu? What's that?"
Mengyao put on a gleeful face for the question before calling out. "General Wei Wu! Come down!"
A rottweiler came charging down the stairs, filling the room with woofs and barks as it stood between Mengyao and Lin Yi, it's ferocious eyes glaring at the stranger.
Chapter 10: CH10
Translator: Marcysee Editor: Marcysee
Lin Yi scoffed at the rottweiler trying to intimidate him. He'd killed off multiple wolves with one slap back in a mountain mission; dogs didn't trouble him one bit. What could the Great General Wei Wu possibly do to him?
"See that? This here's Great General Wei Wu. He's quite powerful, don't say I didn't warn you. You'd better stay off the second floor if you don't wanna cross him!" Mengyao warned.
"I understand." Lin Yi nodded.
Mengyao was convinced that Lin Yi had his guard up against the dog, and she was pleased. With that, she ran upstairs with Yushu, leaving the general at the bottom of the stairs.
Lin Yi took his luggage with him and started making his way to the guest room. He glared at the dog before leaving, and it backed off instantly. The rottweiler understood immediately as a shiver ran down its spine: Lin Yi was no ordinary man. This human was more than it could handle.
But Lin Yi didn't have the heart to be playing games with a dog. Without delay, he went into the room Mengyao pointed him to.
The furnishing was simple, with one bed, table, and closet. They were, however, more than enough for Lin Yi, who brought with him nothing but old clothes. What surprised him most was the fact that he had a private bathroom all to himself! It was like staying at a hotel!
His body was fully covered in dust from his travels, so Lin Yi set his things up before grabbing a towel into the bathroom.
He looked at the time. There was more than an hour left before dinner was delivered, and Lin Yi decided to have a shower taken before that.
Up until this point, Lin Yi found himself very satisfied with his working environment. Thirty thousand rmb a month, a hotel-like room and life... It was too good a job to be true, much better than making stupid sandals for the old man.
"Shu, I'm starting to regret this. That Lin Yi just doesn't look like someone who can protect me!" Mengyao put on her casual clothes as she complained to Yushu.
"I think he's fine." Yushu had her legs on the wall vertically as she lay on the bed. She had read somewhere that she'd lose weight doing so, and that it'd help her body's growth.
"What's fine about him??. I was even thinking of getting a handsome looking shield that could act as my boyfriend! Great, now I have some farmer dude following me around! How am I supposed to take him outside when he looks like that, I'll get laughed at!" Mengyao gritted her teeth. "Why don't you take him as your boyfriend, since he's so fine and all?"
"Well... I'm not the one with people chasing after me, you know. I don't need a shield. I might consider it if i was in your position, actually." Yushu said nonchalantly.
"Of course you don't. You have a military officer for a brother! If I had a brother who could split trees with a kick I wouldn't be going through all this trouble getting a shield in the first place!" Mengyao knew that Yushu was trying to piss her off on purpose, but that's how it was- she had a brother while she didn't.
"Yao Yao, why don't I ask my brother to get you someone from his team? He could be your brother figure!" Yushu blinked. "Maybe even a lover figure! Zhong Pinliang would never go anywhere near you if that works out."
"Shu!!!" Yushu was getting absurd, and Mengyao glared at her. "What kind of shitty ideas are these? Ahh...! What in the world is this dude my father sent me?! Shield my ass! And now you're filling my head with all these shitty ideas, too! Lover figue? What in the world is that supposed to be!"
"Okay, okay, geez. I'll shut up, okay?" Yushu didn't want to push Mengyao over the edge- the girl was starting to get genuinely angry. Yushu was the one who suggested getting a shield in the first place, too, so she wasn't completely faultless.
Lin Yi was looking through his luggage when Li Fu arrived with dinner. There wasn't anything that resembled proper clothing! The old man was way too stingy, couldn't he at least buy him a couple of new T-shirts or something?
Mengyao would probably think he was wearing dirty clothes again if he went out with these. He wouldn't even be allowed to sit on the sofa! With no choice left, Lin Yi decided to put on the uniform Li Fu gave him.
Yushu and Mengyao were shocked at Lin Yi's sudden change of appearance. He was like a hobo before, with his dirty singlet and pant rags. One shower and one gentlemanly outfit had Lin Yi's farmer side completely wiped off!
Mengyao, however, was not about to call Lin Yi good looking, not after what her first impression of him was. The most she could do was stop finding him disgusting to look at.
Li Fu had delivered them some boiled fish and fish strips, fried cabbage, vegetable fried yams, and mushroom soup...
It had been a long while since Lin Yi had an actual meal with full fledged combination dishes. He wasted no time in preparing for dinner as he seated himself at the table.
He was about to start eating when Mengyao stopped him. "What are you doing? Me and Shu haven't even started! You're not supposed to eat before we do!"
With that, Mengyao went into the kitchen. She had this habit of using only silver utensils, something she picked up from her childhood, when she lived with her grandfather. There was always a personal set of utensils housed in the disinfection compartment, prepared especially for her.
Lin Yi could only smile bitterly at how unreasonable Mengyao was acting. He put his chopsticks down. Looks like he'll only be watching the girls eat for now. Seeing that the bowl of rice was his, he helped himself to a couple of mouthfuls. "Is there anything to drink?" He may have been going too fast, for he started choking.
Yushu was amused at how hungry Lin Yi looked. She pointed to the refrigerator. "There's drinks in there, help yourself."
"Oh." Lin Yi was met with a huge fridge as he turned his head back. He chose a bottle of orange juice from the selection, gulping it down to ease the discomfort in his throat.
Mengyao had already returned with her silverware, and was conversing with Yushu about how appealing the dishes were.
"Ah! There's my favourite boiled fish!"
"These fish strips are way too sweet, darn cook! Doesn't he know how fat sugar is? I'll get dad to fire him some day."
"This fried cabbage, though! Shu, here!"
Mengyao was as busy talking as she was eating. The dishes were prepared by grand hotel chefs under the Pengzhan corporation, and Li Fu would always arrive on time with them.
Chu Pengzhan had a busy schedule, and Mengyao's mother left her when she was very young. She didn't know a lot about what happened, and her father didn't want to talk about it.
Mengyao's daily life, as a result, relied on Li Fu's care.