Uncle Fu excused himself from staying at Chu Mengyao's villa by claiming he had to return to the company to pick up Mr. Chu after work. Before he left, he handed Lin Yi a backpack, containing the uniform and textbooks from First High School.
"Miss, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. I'll come by with dinner at 7 p.m.," Uncle Fu said hurriedly before departing.
Chu Mengyao watched the man leave, unsure of what to say. But surely, she couldn't let him sleep on the streets? Her father was renowned for his charitable acts; if it got out that she was mistreating the help, that would be a scandal.
After some time fuming, Chu Mengyao finally realized the source of the problem. She pulled out her phone and dialed Chen Yushu's number. "Hey, Yushu, my dad wants this migrant worker to live in my villa. What should I do?"
"Mengyao, you mean Shield Brother? That's perfect! I'll go to school tomorrow and tell everyone you two are living together, then no one will bother you anymore!" Chen Yushu, who was lazily lying on a chaise lounge watching TV, casually responded.
"Chen Yushu!!!" Chu Mengyao was on the verge of exploding. She yelled into the phone, "Are you seriously going to make fun of me now? You told me to keep him here, and now you're mocking me? You, come over to my house right now!"
"Oh, alright. I'll shower, nap, and then come find you when I head to school tomorrow," Chen Yushu replied nonchalantly.
"One minute, or we're done as friends!" Chu Mengyao said with finality.
"Aiya, I'm getting undressed to take a bath, give me a moment to get dressed," Chen Yushu complained as she got up, admiring her figure in the mirror. "Hmm, looks like I've gained a little belly. I guess I'll have to eat less from now on."
"Fifty seconds!" Chu Mengyao glanced at the call timer.
"Well, I need to lock the door, right?" Chen Yushu hurriedly finished putting on her clothes.
"Forty seconds!" Chu Mengyao's patience was wearing thin.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Chen Yushu slipped on her shoes and dashed out the door.
Chen Yushu's villa was only a few dozen meters away from Chu Mengyao's, with a small road separating the two, the houses facing each other across the way.
When Chu Mengyao spotted Chen Yushu's silhouette, she finally relaxed and hung up the phone.
"Mengyao, what's the rush? I was about to get in the bath, and you call me out," Chen Yushu grumbled.
"Cough, cough!" Chu Mengyao cleared her throat and motioned to Lin Yi, "Yushu, there's someone else here. Watch your language."
"Oh, it's fine," Chen Yushu dismissed it with a wave, "Shield Brother, he's practically family!"
"If you two are family, then let him live at your place! That's settled then!" Chu Mengyao glared at Chen Yushu, clearly displeased by her smugness.
"Uh..." Chen Yushu stuck out her tongue and gave an innocent smile. "Mengyao, you know me. I like to be free at home, so it's probably not convenient to have him live with me."
"Is it more convenient for him to live here?" Chu Mengyao thought bitterly about how unhelpful her friend was being.
"Come on, it's simple," Chen Yushu shrugged her small head and said, "You let him stay here, and I'll come stay with you. Then he can take the downstairs room, and we won't let him come upstairs!"
"Well, that makes sense," Chu Mengyao reluctantly agreed, feeling that Chen Yushu had at least offered a somewhat practical solution.
But as the idea settled, Chu Mengyao felt a pang of dissatisfaction. Why should she let a migrant worker live in her villa? What if things went missing?
"No! He can't stay alone in my villa!" Chu Mengyao gritted her teeth.
Chen Yushu hesitated. Originally, it had been a playful suggestion to have Lin Yi stay, but now she faced a dilemma. There was no way she would let Lin Yi live at her villa.
After much thought, Chen Yushu finally came up with a compromise: "How about I stay with you? He can stay downstairs, and we won't let him upstairs!"
Chu Mengyao, hearing the suggestion, agreed reluctantly, nodding. "Fine, let's do that."
Chen Yushu, used to staying with Chu Mengyao, quickly entered the villa. Lin Yi followed slowly, dragging his luggage behind him.
Chu Mengyao harbored a grudge against him, and Lin Yi could sense it. But recalling the stern warnings from his father and the trusting look from Uncle Chu, he didn't take it to heart. After all, Chu Mengyao was a girl, and it was only natural she might not want to live with him.
"Hey, what's your name?" Chu Mengyao reclined on the chaise lounge, throwing her long legs across it as she casually inquired.
"My name is Lin..." Lin Yi started to speak as he tried to sit on the couch, after having stood at the door for a while. But just as he was about to settle, he was startled by a sharp reprimand.
"Stop! Don't sit!" Chu Mengyao shouted, eyes widening as she pointed at him.
"What's wrong?" Lin Yi was caught off guard, his butt hovering above the couch in surprise.
"Your pants are filthy. Don't dirty my couch! Yushu often lies on it in the nude!" Chu Mengyao frowned, clearly irritated.
Chen Yushu rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, Mengyao, how could you say that after just telling me to be careful what I say in front of others?
Lin Yi wasn't angry. His clothes were indeed dirty after sitting on the train for hours and running around all day. The last thing he wanted was to dirty the couch or risk causing this little beauty to develop a skin condition.
"Okay, you can continue," Chu Mengyao sighed in relief as Lin Yi stood back up.
"My name is Lin Yi," Lin Yi replied.
"Good. Lin Yi, you'll sleep in the guest room downstairs tonight. But remember, upstairs is where Yushu and I stay, so don't go up there, or I'll have my father fire you," Chu Mengyao stated, her voice lacking conviction. She wasn't sure why, but she felt that her father had been influenced by this Lin Yi, and thus she added, "If you dare go upstairs, I'll have General Majestic bite you!"
"Oh," Lin Yi nodded indifferently, but was puzzled by the latter half of her sentence. "General Majestic? What's that?"
Hearing his question, Chu Mengyao, with a gleam in her eye, called upstairs, "General Majestic, come down!"
"Woof woof—" The sound of a dog barking came from above, and a fierce Rottweiler descended the stairs, glaring at Lin Yi as it stood guard by Chu Mengyao's side, its eyes never leaving him.