"Well said, let's stay and see." Chu Mengyao thought that Chen Yushu made some valid points, so she agreed and turned to ask Uncle Fu, "Uncle Fu, have you bought him insurance? What if something were to happen to him…?"
"Insurance?" Uncle Fu broke into a cold sweat again, thinking to himself, how could someone Mr. Chu brought here possibly have an accident so easily? Nonetheless, he replied, "Don't worry, everything is taken care of…"
Meanwhile, Lin Yi had already reached the car, opened the door, and sat inside. Looking at Chu Mengyao, he asked, "How is it? Not bad, right?"
"I'll reluctantly give you a pass," Chu Mengyao huffed.
Lin Yi smiled, settled into the passenger seat, and didn't say much. Experience and the internet had taught him that women often say one thing but mean another, so he didn't bother to argue with Chu Mengyao.
Seeing that Lin Yi only smiled and didn't say anything else, Chu Mengyao's temper flared. She had expected him to express his gratitude, after all, in such a competitive society, even university graduates were resorting to manual labor, yet a freshly arrived migrant worker had managed to secure such a good job. He should be thrilled, shouldn't he?
"Hey, why aren't you thanking me?" Chu Mengyao finally couldn't hold it in, asking in a slightly irritated tone.
"Thank you? For what?" Lin Yi was puzzled, thinking to himself, I helped you kick that persistent guy out, you should be thanking me, not the other way around.
"I…" Chu Mengyao was exasperated. How could he be so oblivious? Didn't he understand her hints? Didn't he know how to flatter his employer?
"Hee hee, what Mengyao means is, now that she's accepted you, aren't you going to express your gratitude?" Chen Yushu, with a sly smile, clarified for Chu Mengyao.
"Yushu, what nonsense are you talking? What do you mean by 'accepted him'?" Chu Mengyao was startled by Chen Yushu's words. The ambiguity was far too much—didn't it sound like she had accepted a confession?
"Oh, nothing, I just meant you've accepted him as your shield!" Chen Yushu teased, her smile playful.
"Oh, thank you." Lin Yi responded casually. In fact, if it weren't for how strange this job was, he was generally satisfied with it, especially considering the high salary.
"No need…" Chu Mengyao spat the words out resentfully, seething at Lin Yi's cluelessness. This person was supposed to be her shield? He looked so foolish!
"Mengyao, I'm leaving. See you tomorrow, and you too, Shield Brother." The car stopped in front of a villa. Chen Yushu waved at Chu Mengyao and winked at Lin Yi before getting out.
"Shield Brother?" Lin Yi chuckled bitterly. The title was rather unique, almost as famous as the internet personality "Sharp Guy."
Chen Yushu's house was very close to Chu Mengyao's, their villas literally facing each other. A quick turn of the car and they arrived at Chu Mengyao's villa.
At Chen Yushu's insistence, Chu Mengyao reluctantly accepted the migrant worker before she exploded again as she saw him walking into the villa with his luggage: "You… what are you doing following me?"
Lin Yi froze, confused, and turned to Uncle Fu: "Am I not supposed to live here?"
"You're being too presumptuous. No man has ever entered my small villa!" Chu Mengyao scowled, hands on her hips, shouting at Lin Yi.
Uncle Fu wiped the cold sweat off his brow. No man? What am I, then…? He thought to himself. It didn't bother him personally, but what would Mr. Chu think if he heard this?
Seeing Uncle Fu wiping his sweat, Chu Mengyao realized her words might have been misinterpreted, so she quickly corrected herself: "I mean no man other than my family!"
"Miss, Mr. Chu said that you should treat Mr. Lin like a brother and get along harmoniously... So, from today, Mr. Lin will be staying in the villa," Uncle Fu said cautiously, knowing well how temperamental his young mistress could be.
"What?!" Chu Mengyao widened her eyes, incredulous, pointing at Lin Yi. "Him? My brother? What nonsense! Uncle Fu, take him away, he can stay anywhere!"
"I'm afraid I can't make that decision, Miss. This is Mr. Chu's instruction, you see…" Uncle Fu was caught between a rock and a hard place. Though he was Mr. Chu's most trusted aide, it wasn't easy handling matters between him and his daughter.
"Fine, I'll talk to Daddy myself!" Chu Mengyao pulled out the latest model Nokia E7 from her pocket, dialing a number. It was a promotional offer, and she and Chen Yushu had each bought one.
Lin Yi looked enviously at the phone in her hand. Maybe he should get a new phone too; otherwise, making calls was a hassle.
"Daddy, it's Mengyao!" Chu Mengyao cooed sweetly into the phone, sending a wave of warmth through Lin Yi. He never knew a girl's voice could sound so charming when she was being affectionate.
"Mengyao, what's up?" Chu Pengzhan was in the middle of a company meeting, but he picked up his daughter's call right away.
"Well, Dad, about this so-called 'shield' you found for me, did you just hire him from the market?" Chu Mengyao was angry. Her father had never been so dismissive of her before.
"You mean Xiao Yi? Haha, he was personally brought in from West Star Mountain by me. Not only is he well-educated, but his martial arts skills are impressive, and, most importantly, his character is outstanding!" Chu Pengzhan laughed heartily.
"What?!" Chu Mengyao couldn't comprehend. What kind of ** soup had this man fed her father? How could he say three good things in a row about this guy?
Hearing his daughter's words, Chu Pengzhan thought she was just teasing, so he responded, "Haha, so, are you satisfied with Xiao Yi?"
"Satisfied? How could I be? Just his looks are unacceptable! How could I let him be my shield if I don't even find him presentable?" Chu Mengyao snorted. "And, Daddy, how could you let him live with me? It's so unsafe for me as a girl!"
"Yes, that's exactly why I'm asking Xiao Yi to stay with you. You're living in a villa by yourself, and I'm worried about your safety, so you can rest assured, Xiao Yi will protect you!" Chu Pengzhan deliberately feigned ignorance.
"I… he…" Chu Mengyao was left speechless by her father's reasoning.
But before she could say more, she heard her father continue, "Alright, Mengyao, I'm in the middle of a meeting, we'll talk later."
Without waiting for her to respond, he hung up the phone. Chu Mengyao, gritting her teeth in fury, glared at Lin Yi, "You, tell me, how did you fool my dad?"