Ye Qiu felt that he was living a pitiful life.
He had spent over ten years in a remote mountain village, serving an old man who was perfectly capable but insufferably lazy. When he finally got permission to leave, he found himself still serving others. Was he destined to be a servant for life?
A bodyguard? In plain terms, it was just a male nanny. A fool's job of taking a bullet for someone else in times of danger.
He wondered which young lady from the Yanjing aristocracy would dare to hire him as a bodyguard without fearing for their life.
It was September, the peak period for university students returning to school. The train Ye Qiu was on was filled with students heading to Yanjing for their studies.
"What school are you from?" asked a bespectacled man opposite Ye Qiu, addressing the long-haired girl sitting by the window next to Ye Qiu.
"Shuimu University," the girl replied shyly. Having just graduated from high school, she was still a bit reserved when approached by boys.
"Really? I'm from the Information Management Department at Shuimu University. It's quite a coincidence that we're both from the same city and attending the same university. We should hang out sometime. I've heard there are hometown associations at the university," the bespectacled man said with a flattering tone.
The long-haired girl was indeed beautiful, though her attire was more conservative compared to city girls. Her delicate face was as fresh as water, and she had a tall and graceful figure with a pleasant demeanor. It was natural that she attracted attention.
"Mm," the girl nodded.
Seeing that the girl wasn't very interested in talking, the bespectacled man turned his attention to Ye Qiu, hoping to engage him and thereby catch the girl's interest. "Are you also going to Yanjing to study?"
"No, I'm going there to work," Ye Qiu shook his head.
"A laborer?" The boy's expression changed subtly.
Ye Qiu, being quite perceptive, could easily see the disdain in the boy's eyes and words. However, he didn't feel the need to argue with the kid and simply ignored him.
"Ah, the global economy is tough right now, and life isn't easy for laborers either. I read an article recently titled 'Economic Crisis: Migrant Workers Returning Home Early for the New Year'. It's only September, yet many laborers are already heading back. But you're doing well; while others are going home, you're heading to Yanjing for work. Have you found a job yet? If not, I can help. I have a relative in Yanjing who runs a construction company. With your build, I could recommend you for a job carrying bricks or mixing cement," the boy said, glancing at the girl as he spoke.
As expected, the girl was drawn to his words, her large, beautiful eyes fixed on Ye Qiu with a hint of sympathy.
"Are you trying to hit on her?" Ye Qiu asked, pointing to the long-haired girl beside him.
"Ah?" The boy was stunned, not expecting such a direct question from someone he thought was a laborer. The girl's face turned crimson, and she bit her lip, hesitant to speak.
"Why drag me into your flirting? Do you need a poor guy to make you look better? Are you trying to highlight your wealth with my poverty, your intelligence with my ignorance, and your admission to Shuimu with my lack of education? And my good looks to contrast with your pig-faced appearance? You look like the chairman of the football association, lacking both intelligence and self-esteem, and yet you try to gain confidence at my expense? Who do you think you are? Speak to me again, and I'll break your legs," Ye Qiu berated the boy, mixing rural dialect and internet slang in a perfect combination.
Ye Qiu's loud voice drew the attention of the entire carriage. Most of the passengers were students, and they applauded and cheered at Ye Qiu's tirade. Some even brought over cans of beer to toast him, amazed that such words came from someone dressed like a laborer.
"You—how can you be so uncivilized?" the boy said angrily.
"Civilized? You think you deserve to talk about civilization with me?" Ye Qiu sneered. "When you were eight, you still wet the bed. At twelve, you spied on the neighbor's bath. At sixteen, you tricked a girl into bed. Your English is terrible, yet you scored over 120 points this time. How did that happen? You know best. Two days ago, you dumped your thirteenth girlfriend, and now you're trying to hit on this one. And you dare talk to me about civilization? I've been a model villager every year. Can you beat that?"
"You—you're lying—" The boy's face twisted with disbelief, sweat beading on his forehead and his pupils dilated. How could a stranger know so much about him?
"Lying? Are you sure?" Ye Qiu asked coldly, his smile sending a shiver down the boy's spine.
"You—you—"
Seeing the boy's timid expression, Ye Qiu chuckled and turned his attention away. This kind of person wasn't worth his time. If it weren't for being dragged into it, he wouldn't have wasted his spiritual energy on such meaningless things.
Ye Qiu unconsciously touched a platinum ring with strange patterns on his right hand, feeling a bit regretful. His accurate predictions came from this magical ring that allowed him to glimpse into others' souls.
Ye Qiu was a practical person and wouldn't do anything that was a waste of effort.
"Can you tell fortunes?" the long-haired girl asked Ye Qiu in amazement.
"Huh?" Ye Qiu was taken aback, then realized she must have thought he used fortune-telling to know about the boy's past. He didn't bother to correct her and nodded mysteriously.
"Can you read mine?" she asked expectantly.
"No," Ye Qiu refused.
"Please, help me," the girl pleaded, her face full of innocent hope.
"Alright, what do you want to know?" Ye Qiu finally agreed after some hesitation.
"—My future love life."
"Okay. Give me your hand."
"You need my hand? Didn't you just—"
"Do you want me to do it or not? Reading his character and your love life are different things."
"Oh, alright." Frightened by Ye Qiu's stern tone, she hurriedly extended her delicate, fair hand to him.
The boy across from them watched with jealous eyes but could do nothing. Although he didn't want to admit it, he was intimidated by Ye Qiu. This seemingly harmless man was like a demon.
The train arrived at Yanjing station as the announcement played.
The boy couldn't stand another moment with Ye Qiu and rushed to the door with his luggage before the train had even stopped.
Ye Qiu stood up to get his luggage and helped the girl, Lan Kexin, with her pink suitcase. They had become quite familiar during the journey.
"Ye Qiu, will we meet again?" Lan Kexin asked as she saw Ye Qiu about to leave.
"Didn't I tell you? Love is destined," Ye Qiu smiled.
"Do you have a phone number? Or a way to contact you?" Lan Kexin persisted.
Ye Qiu smiled wryly. "As you can see, I can't afford a phone. And as for an address, I really don't know where I'll be staying."
Waving goodbye to Lan Kexin, Ye Qiu followed the crowd out of the station.
The old man had mentioned that someone would be there to pick him up, but Ye Qiu didn't know who it would be or what they looked like. He only knew he was coming to Yanjing to be a bodyguard for a woman.
Outside the exit, Ye Qiu immediately saw his name among the crowd.
A man in a black suit was holding a sign with "Ye Qiu" written in calligraphy, accompanied by an elderly man in a similar attire.
"Are you waiting for Ye Qiu?" Ye Qiu approached them with his luggage.
"And you are?" the elderly man asked, puzzled.
"I am Ye Qiu."
"—Excuse me, do you have any identification?" Uncle Wang asked, unable to reconcile the boy in front of him with the idea of a bodyguard for the young lady of the Tang family.
"Good thing I'm eighteen," Ye Qiu said, pulling out his ID card.
The elderly man examined the ID closely. It matched the person they were supposed to pick up, and it didn't look newly issued—this had to be Ye Qiu.
Great, the young lady was going to throw a fit.
"Let's go. We'll take you to see Miss. You were hired by the Master to be her personal bodyguard," the elderly man said, gesturing for Ye Qiu to follow.
On the train, the boy who had been humiliated by Ye Qiu saw him being escorted by two well-dressed men into a special license plate Mercedes-Benz. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he cursed under his breath, "Bastard, what kind of rich guy pretends to be a laborer? Show-off."