Lin Yi smiled faintly and nodded, shaking hands naturally with Chu Pengzhan. This gesture of normal social etiquette was something Lin Yi handled effortlessly. "Mr. Chu, hello!"
Chu Pengzhan's enthusiasm caught Lin Yi off guard, as it was his first time meeting such an ardent employer. Although Lin Yi had been hired for a specific task, the chairman of a Fortune 500 company treating him this way made Lin Yi curious. It felt as though they were meeting as equals.
"Mr. Lin!" Chu Pengzhan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I know that asking you to lower yourself for this task may make you uncomfortable..."
Hearing this, Lin Yi, who had thick skin, felt slightly embarrassed by how absurdly off-track Chu Pengzhan's words were becoming. He hurriedly responded, "Not at all. Back home, I make only a few hundred yuan a month making straw sandals. My old man said that this task will be enough for me to live on for the rest of my life..."
Lin Yi thought to himself that this employer was quite decent. He'd been hired for the job, and yet Chu Pengzhan was so polite and courteous, unlike others who, after offering compensation, began to make all kinds of demands.
"What? Straw sandals?" Chu Pengzhan blinked, staring at Lin Yi in confusion. He double-checked, wondering if he had mistaken the person. But what on earth was Lin Yi saying? Did Lin Yi's old man really ask him to make straw sandals to earn a few hundred yuan? Chu Pengzhan couldn't help but feel dumbfounded. From what he had heard, Lin Yi had once rescued hostages in Africa, earning tens of millions of dollars. And yet, he claimed to be making a living by weaving straw sandals?
"Yes, a pair of sandals costs four yuan. I make about three to five pairs a day, so I earn a few hundred yuan a month." Lin Yi nodded, realizing something was off. His old man didn't seem like someone who would be so poor.
Chu Pengzhan didn't want to delve into Lin Yi's personal affairs but could only shake his head helplessly after hearing his words. "From now on, your salary will be thirty thousand a month, which will cover your tuition and living expenses. Of course, any money spent on my daughter can be reimbursed by Li Fu."
"Thirty thousand? Didn't the old man say it would be a few thousand?" Lin Yi was taken aback. "Wait, what did you just say? Tuition fees? And money for your daughter? What does that mean? I'm a bit confused..."
Lin Yi was puzzled. What did Chu Pengzhan mean? Wasn't he here for a specific task?
"Oh? Didn't Old Master Lin tell you?" Chu Pengzhan smiled faintly, gesturing for Lin Yi to follow him upstairs. "Let's go up and discuss the details."
Though Lin Yi was still confused about what he was being asked to do, he was, after all, now Chu Pengzhan's employee, and the salary wasn't bad. He had encountered all sorts of strange tasks over the years, so he decided to follow Chu Pengzhan's lead. He slowed his pace intentionally to follow him, but Chu Pengzhan also matched his step, walking in tandem with him.
Lin Yi couldn't help but feel that Chu Pengzhan's attitude was unusually friendly. Although he was curious, he refrained from asking too many questions, as they were meeting for the first time, and they didn't know each other well. It was best to wait for time to reveal things.
Chu Pengzhan's office was on the top floor of the Pengzhan Building, covering two hundred square meters. One entire wall was made of large floor-to-ceiling windows, flooding the room with bright light.
After Fu Bo had ushered them into the office, he stepped back, instructing the secretary to bring tea.
"Mr. Lin, may I offer you something to drink?" The secretary, Xiao Yu, had already been informed of Lin Yi's surname.
"Just plain water, please," Lin Yi said. He drank only plain water at home, so it was no different when he was out.
Xiao Yu blinked, but smiled and said, "Alright, please wait a moment." She didn't need to ask what Chairman Chu wanted, as he always had the same thing.
"Mr. Lin, starting tomorrow, Fu Bo will arrange for you to join Class 5 of the senior year at Songshan No. 1 High School. You'll be in the same class as my daughter, Chu Mengyao. You'll accompany her to school and back, look after her daily life, and help her with her studies when you return home..." Chu Pengzhan explained with a faint smile. "To put it simply, you'll be her companion. I've been so busy with business over the years that I haven't been able to take care of her properly. I feel guilty, and I want to find someone she can get along with, someone who can give her more attention..."
Lin Yi was stunned. What did he mean by finding someone to talk to her? More attention? Common topics? Was this really the task that would feed him for the rest of his life? The more he heard, the more it sounded like he was being asked to "date" the young lady.
"Mr. Lin, what's the matter?" Seeing Lin Yi's expression of shock, Chu Pengzhan seemed to realize what he was thinking. "I assumed Old Master Lin had told you all about this, but it seems not?"
"Mr. Chu, please just call me Lin Yi. 'Mr. Lin' feels a bit awkward." Lin Yi gave a wry smile and added, "To be honest, I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing here. The old man only said it was an important task, and if I did well, it could sustain me for the rest of my life..."
"Sustain you for the rest of your life?" Chu Pengzhan laughed loudly. "Haha, yes, Old Master Lin wasn't lying. If you do well, the reward will certainly be enough to last you a lifetime!"
"But... what exactly is the task?" Lin Yi still didn't understand.
"As I mentioned, you'll accompany my daughter to and from school, help her with her studies, and of course, protect her safety, ensuring no one bullies her," Chu Pengzhan explained further.
"A companion? A nanny?" Lin Yi could only think of those words to describe the role.
"Well... you can put it that way. That's essentially what it is." Chu Pengzhan nodded, then handed Lin Yi a folder. "This is the information for Songshan No. 1 High School. You can familiarize yourself with it."
Lin Yi took the folder with a sigh, thinking this was what the old man had called a "major task"? He couldn't help but wonder if he was being tricked again, just like that time in South America when he had been sent to "rescue a person"... only to find out it was a group.
But at least this time, the pay was high, and the task seemed low-risk. It was like being a rich family's little girl's personal assistant, but whatever, he could treat it as a break.
Songshan No. 1 High School, though named the best, was actually a private institution that had been bought out years ago, with Chu Pengzhan's Pengzhan Group being one of its major stakeholders. No wonder Lin Yi, who had never attended school, was so easily arranged to attend this high school.
"Alright, I'll do my job." Lin Yi nodded after quickly scanning the information.
"Of course, my daughter Chu Mengyao might have a bit of a temper, but at her core, she's a good kid." Chu Pengzhan added with a bitter smile, "I'm sure someone as excellent as you will get along with her very well."
Get along? Lin Yi had no expectation of getting along with this young lady. It wasn't like he was trying to date her. What was the use of getting along so well? However, he replied, "I'll do my best."
Chu Pengzhan seemed to understand that Lin Yi's response was somewhat perfunctory, but he smiled and called out to the door, "Fu Bo, Mengyao should be finishing school soon. Go pick her up, and take Mr. Lin along to get familiar with the environment."
"Mr. Chu, please just call me Lin Yi or Xiao Yi. Don't call me 'Mr. Lin.' It feels a bit awkward," Lin Yi said.
"Alright, I'll call you Xiao Yi then. After all, I'm your elder. You can't go wrong with that. Don't call me Mr. Chu either, just call me Uncle Chu," Chu Pengzhan nodded, not lingering on the matter.
Lin Yi nodded and followed Fu Bo downstairs, taking the elevator to the basement parking lot.
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