"Be my bodyguard to protect me."
Qi Wu was carefully thinking over Jin Si's offer while Lou Ying went from horrified to appalled and numb.
Why did Jin Si sound like he was trying to lure in an unsuspecting young girl?
As Qi Wu pondered, Jin Si could guess what she was going to say from the look in her eyes.
"All bodyguards are paid. Your salary will be high enough that you can afford our price for taking you in and also guarantee you will have a secure livelihood in the future."
Qi Wu snapped out of her thoughts and said without hesitation, "I'll do it."
While she did not know what it meant to be a bodyguard, she knew how to protect other people.
A minute later, the car started moving once again.
Lou Ying could not help but glance at the two individuals sitting in the back through the rearview mirror.
As soon as Qi Wu got into the car, Jin Si handed his suit jacket over so that she could wrap it around her soaking-wet body.
Just as Qi Wu thanked him, her stomach growled in protest.
Jin Si glanced at her. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that there was something inside his jacket pocket.
Qi Wu watched as he calmly pulled out a few lemon drops from the pocket and handed them to her. "Here."
The candies had been stuffed into his pocket by his nephews and nieces during his visit home earlier that day.
"Thank you." Qi Wu then unwrapped one of the lemon drops with a grave look on her face.
The lemon-flavored candy was covered in a light dusting of white powdered sugar. She carefully slid it into her mouth. Her brows were furrowed for a few moments before they relaxed. "They're very sweet."
Jin Si raised an eyebrow. "You're the first to ever call them sweet."
"Well, that's what they are."
Qi Wu's retort was spoken in a calm and subdued voice that made her sound just like a young beast stubbornly defending its territory.
Upon hearing that, Jin Si did not say another word.
There was a strange and conflicted look on Lou Ying's face when he saw Jin Si's reaction.
Mr. Xi had instructed Lou Ying to seize any chance of Jin Si falling in love and do his best to push Jin Si closer to the potential love interest.
It should not be a problem if the woman was a ghost, right?
*
Qi Wu followed Jin Si back home.
After getting out of the car, Jin Si glanced at Qi Wu, who seemed to be familiarizing herself with her new surroundings, before turning to say to Lou Ying, "Look into her."
"Very well!" Lou Ying replied with a solemn expression.
By the time Jin Si said that, Lou Ying had already been filling in the gaps in Qi Wu's identity with his imagination, inspired by years of reading. The ghost was sent by an enemy and was asked to stay because Jin Si found her suspicion.
However, the next thing Jin Si said was, "You can leave now."
Lou Ying silently stared.
As he watched Jin Si eagerly walk over to Qi Wu, he grumbled in his mind, Were spectators not allowed to view the bird Jin Si was keeping in a gilded cage?
As Lou Ying left, Jin Si continued to observe Qi Wu.
He led her into the house and pointed to the guest room next to his bedroom. "This is where you'll stay. There are brand new clothes in the closet."
Soon after saying that, he recalled the innocent and naive look in her eyes during the start of their encounter. She seemed to be wondering how to integrate herself into this world.
Hence, he subconsciously added, "Feel free to ask me for help if you don't know how to use anything inside."
"There's no need," Qi Wu said, shaking her head.
After the rejection, Jin Si fell silent and immediately walked away.
Half an hour later, Qi Wu knocked on Jin Si's door.
He raised his eyebrows at the girl quietly standing outside the door.
Not even the extremely average-looking dark gray sleep gown she was wearing was capable of hiding her inherent brilliance. Jin Si then shifted his gaze to look at her dripping wet hair.
There was not a hint of embarrassment on Qi Wu's face as she calmly asked, "Can you help me turn on the TV?"
Only the most advanced smart home appliances were used in Jin Si's home. While Qi Wu still had access to her body's memories, the other Qi Wu had never seen anything this high-tech before.
Jin Si shot her a glance with a faint smile on his lips. "Since you don't know how to turn on the TV, does that mean you also don't know how to use a hairdryer?"
"I don't need to," Qi Wu bluntly replied. "my hairs will get to dry by itself."
She was not in the habit of using that appliance.
Upon hearing that, Jin Si shoved his hands into his pockets and quietly walked past Qi Wu into the living room.
Using the smart home console by a wall of the living room, he turned on the TV before languidly saying to Qi Wu, "The remote control is on the table."
Qi Wu solemnly nodded.
Jin Si watched as Qi Wu sat on the sofa and quietly watched the TV. After one long look at her, Jin Si turned and walked away.
When he came out of the bedroom with the hairdryer, he spotted several pink piggies being displayed on the wide-screen TV. It was such a stark difference compared to the minimalistic and cold decor of the room.
Jin Si stared.
He swore that was not the channel playing on the TV when he turned it on.
Jin Si massaged his brows with a sigh and walked over. "What are you doing?"
"Studying."
Qi Wu's serious reply thoroughly made Jin Si feel speechless for the first time.
He then recalled the cartoon on the screen was targeted toward pre-school kids. With that in mind, the studious look on her face as she watched the show was actually... not that strange.
Jin Si's face darkened. After plugging in the hairdryer, he handed it to her.
When Qi Wu eventually looked at him, he blandly stated, "The most important part of being a bodyguard is to obey your boss' orders."
From Qi Wu's silence, Jin Si knew that she was still "deciphering" his statement.
Instead of rushing her, he calmly waited for her reaction.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, Qi Wu silently took the hairdryer.
The gentle sounds of the hairdryer filled the air of the living room. Jin Si's lips were also tilted upward in an imperceptible smile.
*
The next day, Jin Si went to the study room to read the investigation results Lou Ying had sent over.
As he silently gazed down at the document, Lou Ying continued to summarize the report over the phone, "Her name is Qi Wu, a native in Jingdu. She was taken in by her aunt and uncle after her parents passed away, but the investigation revealed that they only took her in because of her inheritance."
"I dug further into her situation. Her life is quite horrible, and she is an introvert who is prone to self-deprecation. After being cheated by a scumbag and her cousin, she decided to throw herself into the sea. She must have committed suicide because the shock was too much for her."
Jin Si had not said a single word by now. When he heard the words "introvert" and "prone to self-deprecation", he turned his attention to the photo on the document in front of him.
How could the owner of those eyes be the same person found in this photo? Moreover, she did not fit the description given at all.
"In that case, you thought a girl who committed suicide was a ghost?"
"Sir... According to the investigation report, Qi Wu never displayed any insane feats of strength before. Maybe she has been possessed by the ghost of Yunu Bay!"
Lou Ying sounded so sure of himself.
There was a pause of silence from Jin Si.
After a while, he let out a mysterious chuckle. "Maybe."
While he did not know where this naive ghost came from, he did not care who she was as long as she could be of use to him.
Jin Si casually flung the document on the table and coldly declared, "Enough. There's no need to investigate further."