Chapter 5: Why does this feel like dating?

Lin Yi smiled slightly and nodded, shaking Chu Pengzhan’s hand naturally.

Handling this kind of standard social etiquette was something Lin Yi was quite comfortable with: "Mr. Chu, hello!"

Chu Pengzhan’s enthusiasm made Lin Yi feel a bit flattered; it was his first time meeting such an enthusiastic employer.

Although he had been hired by him to carry out a specific task, for the chairman of a publicly listed company to treat him this way made Lin Yi curious. Why did it feel like a meeting between equals?

"Mr. Lin! I also know that perhaps asking you to lower yourself to do these things puts you in a difficult position..."

Chu Pengzhan hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Hearing Chu Pengzhan go on in such an increasingly absurd manner, even someone as thick-skinned as Lin Yi felt a bit embarrassed and hurriedly said

"Not lowering myself... I only earn a few hundred yuan a month weaving straw sandals at home. The old man said this task would be enough to feed me for a lifetime..."

Lin Yi thought to himself, this employer is so kind. He hired him to do a job and is still being so polite, unlike some people who, after paying him, start nitpicking.

"What? Weaving straw sandals?"

Chu Pengzhan was stunned. He looked at Lin Yi carefully; he hadn't mistaken the person, had he? But what on earth was this guy talking about? Could it be that Old Man Lin really made him weave straw sandals every day to earn those few hundred yuan?

Chu Pengzhan was speechless. He had vaguely heard some things about Lin Yi’s exploits from his own grandfather; the commission for that one time he went to Africa to rescue hostages alone should have been in the hundreds of millions of dollars. And he actually weaves straw sandals for money?

"Yeah, a pair of straw sandals sells for four yuan. If I weave three or five a day, that’s several hundred a month."

Lin Yi nodded. He himself also vaguely felt that something wasn't right. The old man didn't seem like a poor person, did he?

Chu Pengzhan couldn't concern himself with someone else's private affairs, so after hearing Lin Yi’s words, he could only shake his head helplessly.

"Your salary will be thirty thousand yuan per month. This money includes your tuition fees and daily expenses. Of course, any money spent on my daughter can be reimbursed separately through Uncle Fu."

"Thirty thousand? Didn't the old man say a few thousand?"

Lin Yi was stunned for a moment. No way? Such a high salary?

If he had known this, he wouldn't have brought any money with him, just to avoid seeing that pained look on the old man's face. Lin Yi recalled the scene when he asked the old man for those forty-nine thousand yuan: "Wait, Mr. Chu, what did you just say? School? Tuition and miscellaneous fees? And money spent on your daughter? What does this mean? I don't quite understand..."

Lin Yi was very puzzled. What exactly did Chu Pengzhan mean? Wasn't he here to carry out a mission?

"Oh? What, didn't Old Man Lin tell you beforehand? Please come this way; let's go upstairs to discuss the specific situation."

Chu Pengzhan smiled slightly, made a gesture of invitation, and walked toward the elevator side-by-side with Lin Yi.

Since Chu Pengzhan was his employer now, and the salary was indeed not low, Lin Yi decided to go along with it. Although he found what Chu Pengzhan said to be inexplicable, Lin Yi had encountered many strange tasks over the years.

Therefore, as he walked with Chu Pengzhan, Lin Yi deliberately slowed his pace to fall slightly behind him, but Chu Pengzhan very deliberately kept his pace in sync with Lin Yi’s.

Lin Yi naturally noticed this and felt a bit surprised. Why did it feel like Chu Pengzhan’s attitude toward him was a bit too friendly?

Although Lin Yi found it strange, he didn't ask.

After all, this was his first time meeting Chu Pengzhan, and they weren't very familiar with each other. It wasn't easy to say too much; once more time had passed, he would naturally figure it out.

Chu Pengzhan’s office was located on the top floor of the Pengzhan Building and was two hundred square meters in size. One wall was entirely floor-to-ceiling windows, making the room exceptionally bright.

After Uncle Fu ushered Chu Pengzhan and Lin Yi into the office, he retreated and instructed Xiao Yu, a secretary in the outer office, to go in and pour tea.

"Mr. Lin, what would you like to drink?"

Xiao Yu already knew Lin Yi’s surname from Uncle Fu.

"Just plain water, please."

At home, plain water was what Lin Yi drank the most, and it was the same when he was out.

Xiao Yu was taken aback, but she still smiled and said, "Alright, please wait a moment."

As for what Chairman Chu drank, she didn't need to ask, as it was the same every day.

"Mr. Lin, starting tomorrow, Uncle Fu will arrange for you to enter Class 5 of the third year at Songshan First High School. You will become a high school student, be in the same class as my daughter, Chu Mengyao, go to school and come home with her every day, take care of her daily life, and tutor her in her studies after returning home... To put it bluntly, it’s actually just to keep her company... I’ve been busy with business all these years and have neglected my daughter, and I feel guilty. I want to find someone she can talk to and give her more care... That is the real reason I asked you to come... You are about the same age, both young people, so you should have common topics, right?"

Chu Pengzhan said with a slight smile.

Lin Yi was a bit dazed. What was this about finding someone she could talk to?

And giving her care? Common topics? No way, right?

This was the so-called task that would feed him for a lifetime?

Why did it sound more and more like matchmaking?

Could it be that this young lady had some physiological ailment, couldn't get married, and was using him as a filler?

"Mr. Lin, what’s wrong?"

Seeing the look of astonishment on Lin Yi’s face, Chu Pengzhan seemed to know what he was thinking: "I originally thought Old Man Lin had already told you what you were going to do this time, but now it seems that isn't the case?"

"Mr. Chu, you might as well call me Lin Yi; 'Mr. Lin' feels a bit awkward."

Lin Yi gave a bitter smile and said, "To be honest, I really didn't know what I was coming here to do. The old man just said this was an important mission, and if I did it well, it would be enough to feed me for a lifetime..."

"Feed you for a lifetime?"

Chu Pengzhan was startled after hearing Lin Yi’s words, but then he burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, Old Man Lin isn't wrong to say that. If you do it well, the reward you receive will indeed be enough to feed you for a lifetime!"

"This..."

Lin Yi still didn't understand what Chu Pengzhan wanted him to do: "But what exactly is my mission?"

"I already told you, didn't I? You accompany my daughter to and from school and study with her. Of course, you are also responsible for protecting her safety and not letting anyone bully her."

Chu Pengzhan explained.

"A study companion? A nanny?"

These were the only adjectives Lin Yi could think of.

"Uh... you could understand it that way, and in fact, that is what it is."

Chu Pengzhan nodded, and without waiting for Lin Yi to say anything more, he handed a file to Lin Yi: "This is information about Songshan First High School. You can familiarize yourself with it first."

Lin Yi nodded helplessly and took the file. This was the "super mission" the old man spoke of?

Damn it, had he been tricked again?

Just like last time when he went to South America, the old man told him to go save a person... as it turned out, it wasn't saving one person; it was saving a whole group...

But regardless, there was a high reward, and the danger level of this task was quite low. It was just a bit like being a lackey for a rich young lady, but it didn't matter; he would just treat it as a break.

Although Songshan First High School was called "First High School," it had long since become a private school.

It just hadn't changed its name when it was acquired, and Chu Pengzhan’s Pengzhan Group was one of the school’s three major shareholders.

No wonder he could be easily arranged to attend this high school even though he had never even attended elementary school.

Although Lin Yi had never been to school, he knew from the internet how difficult it was for children with rural household registrations to attend school in the city.

"Alright, I will do my job well."

Lin Yi finished reading the information briefly and nodded.

"Of course, Chu Mengyao might have a bit of a bad temper, but the child is good at heart."

When Chu Pengzhan said this, he gave a bitter smile: "I believe that since you are so outstanding, you will definitely be able to get along with her very harmoniously."

Harmoniously?

Lin Yi didn't expect to get along harmoniously with this young lady; it wasn't like they were dating, so what was the point of being that harmonious?

However, Lin Yi said, "I'll do my best."

Chu Pengzhan seemed to see through Lin Yi’s perfunctory attitude, smiled slightly, and then called out to the office door: "Uncle Fu, Yaoyao is almost out of school. Go pick her up, and you can take Mr. Lin along to familiarize him with the environment."

"Mr. Chu, you can just call me Lin Yi, or Xiao Yi is fine. Don't call me Mr. Lin; it sounds a bit awkward."

Lin Yi said.

"Alright, then I'll call you Xiao Yi. After all, I am your elder, so you won't be at a loss. And don't call me Mr. Chu; just call me Uncle Chu."

Chu Pengzhan nodded and didn't dwell on the issue.

Lin Yi nodded and followed Uncle Fu downstairs, taking the elevator all the way to the parking lot on the basement level of the building.

(End of chapter)