Lin Yi smiled faintly and nodded, shaking Chu Pengzhan's hand naturally. This was normal social etiquette, and Lin Yi handled it with ease: "Hello, Mr. Chu!"
Lin Yi was somewhat flattered by Chu Pengzhan's enthusiasm. This was the first time he had encountered such a welcoming employer. Although he had been invited by him to perform a specific task, the chairman of a Fortune 500 company treated him so kindly. This made Lin Yi curious. Why did it feel like a meeting of equal rank?
"Mr. Lin! I understand. Perhaps it's a little awkward for you to condescend to do this..." Chu Pengzhan hesitated, then said.
As Chu Pengzhan's words grew increasingly outrageous, even someone as thick-skinned as Lin Yi felt a little embarrassed. He quickly said, "No, I'm not condescending... I only make a few hundred yuan a month making straw sandals at home. The old man said this job would provide me with a lifetime of support..."
Lin Yi thought to himself, this employer is so kind. He invited me to do something and was so polite. Unlike some people who, after paying me, start gossiping.
"What? Weaving straw sandals?" Chu Pengzhan was stunned. He looked at Lin Yi carefully. He hadn't recognized the wrong person, had he? But what was this guy talking about? Did Old Lin ask him to weave straw sandals to make a few hundred yuan every day? Chu Pengzhan was speechless. He had vaguely heard some stories about Lin Yi from his grandfather. The reward for rescuing the hostages in Africa alone must have been hundreds of millions of dollars. He actually made money weaving straw sandals?
"Yeah, a pair of straw sandals can sell for four yuan. Weaving three or five pairs a day, that's hundreds of yuan a month," Lin Yi nodded. He also had a vague feeling that something was wrong. The old man didn't seem like a poor guy.
Chu Pengzhan couldn't get involved in other people's private affairs. After hearing Lin Yi's words, he could only shake his head helplessly and say, "From now on, your salary will be 30,000 yuan per month. This will cover your tuition and daily expenses. Of course, any expenses you spend on my daughter can be reimbursed by Li Fu."
"30,000 yuan? Didn't the old man say a few thousand yuan?" Lin Yi was stunned. No way? Such a high salary? If he had known this would happen, why would he have brought the money? He would have avoided seeing the old man's pained face. Lin Yi recalled the scene when he had asked the old man for the 49,000 yuan. "Wait, Mr. Chu, what did you just say? School? Tuition and fees? And money for your daughter? What do you mean? I don't understand..."
Lin Yi was puzzled. What exactly did Chu Pengzhan mean? Wasn't he here to carry out a mission?
"Oh? Why didn't Mr? Lin, tell you before? Please come this way. Let's discuss the details upstairs." Chu Pengzhan smiled slightly, made an inviting gesture, and walked shoulder to shoulder with Lin Yi towards the elevator.
After all, Chu Pengzhan was his employer now, and the salary he paid was quite good. Although Chu Pengzhan's description was a bit baffling, Lin Yi had encountered many unusual assignments over the years.
So, when Lin Yi and Chu Pengzhan walked together, he deliberately slowed down his pace, making it look like he was following behind him. However, Chu Pengzhan was very attentive to keeping pace with Lin Yi.
Lin Yi naturally noticed this and was a little surprised. Why did Chu Pengzhan seem a little too friendly towards him? Although Lin Yi was puzzled, he didn't ask any questions. After all, this was his first meeting with Chu Pengzhan, and they weren't very familiar with each other. Some things were difficult to discuss. With time, things would become clearer.
Chu Pengzhan's office, located on the top floor of the Pengzhan Building, spanned two hundred square meters. Large floor-to-ceiling windows lined one wall, making the room exceptionally bright.
After Uncle Fu ushered Chu Pengzhan and Lin Yi into the office, he withdrew and instructed Xiao Yu, a secretary from the secretarial office, to go in and pour tea.
"Mr. Lin, what would you like to drink?" Xiao Yu had already learned Lin Yi's last name from Uncle Fu.
"Boiled water, please." Lin Yi usually drank boiled water the most at home, and even outside.
Xiao Yu was taken aback, but smiled and said, "Okay, please wait." As for what Chairman Chu drank, she knew without asking; it was the same every day.
"Mr. Lin, starting tomorrow, Uncle Fu will arrange for you to enter Class 3-5 of Songshan First High School. You'll be in the same class as my daughter, Chu Mengyao. You'll go to and from school with her every day, take care of her daily life, and help her with her homework when we get home... To put it bluntly, it's just about keeping her company... I've been busy with business these past few years and haven't been able to take care of my daughter, and I feel guilty about that. I want to find someone she can get along with and show her more care... That's the real reason I'm looking for you... You're about the same age as her, both young people, so you should have something in common, right?" Chu Pengzhan said with a faint smile.
Lin Yi was a little stunned. "Find someone you can get along with?" "And show her care?" "Common topics?" No way? Is this the so-called lifelong task? The more it sounds, the more it sounds like finding a partner. Could this girl have some hidden medical condition that's keeping her from getting married, so she's looking for me to fill the void?
"Mr. Lin, what's wrong?" Chu Pengzhan saw Lin Yi's stunned expression and seemed to know what he was thinking. "I originally thought that Mr. Lin had already told you what you were going to do this time, but now it seems that's not the case."
"Mr. Chu, please call me Lin Yi. Mr. Lin feels a bit awkward." Lin Yi smiled bitterly and said, "To be honest, I really didn't know what I was going to do before. The old man just said this was an important mission, and if you succeeded, you'd have enough to live on for the rest of your life..."
"Live on for the rest of your life?" Chu Pengzhan was startled by Lin Yi's words, but then burst into laughter. "Hahahaha, that's right, Mr. Lin wasn't lying to you. If you do it, the reward you'll get will be enough to live on for the rest of your life!"
"This..." Lin Yi still didn't understand what Chu Pengzhan was asking him to do. "But what exactly is my mission?"
"I've already told you, haven't I? You're going to accompany my daughter to and from school and study with her. Of course, you're also responsible for keeping her safe and making sure she doesn't get bullied," Chu Pengzhan explained.
"Study companion? Nanny?" These were the only words Lin Yi could think of.
"Well... you could understand it that way, and that's actually the case." Chu Pengzhan nodded, and without waiting for Lin Yi to say anything, he handed Lin Yi a document. "This is the information about Songshan No. 1 Middle School. You can familiarize yourself with it first."
Lin Yi nodded helplessly and took the document. Was this what the old man called a super mission? He'd cursed his neighbor, had he been fooled again?
Just like the last time he went to South America, the old man told him he was going to rescue someone... but it wasn't just one person, it was a whole group...
But no matter what, there was a high reward, and the mission was surprisingly low-risk. It just felt like a bit of a rich lady's lackey, but that didn't matter. He'd just take a break.
Although Songshan City No. 1 High School was called No. 1 High School, it had actually been a private middle school for a long time. It just didn't change its name when it was acquired, and Chu Pengzhan's Pengzhan Group was one of the school's three largest shareholders.
No wonder he'd been easily admitted to this high school without even attending elementary school. Although Lin Yi had never been to school, he could read online about the difficulties it faced for children with rural household registration to attend school in the city.
"Okay, I'll do my job." Lin Yi briefly reviewed the information and nodded.
"Of course, Chu Mengyao might have a bad temper, but she's a good girl at heart." Chu Pengzhan said this with a wry smile. "I believe you're such a talented person, you'll definitely get along well with her."
Harmonious? Lin Yi didn't expect to get along well with this young lady. They weren't dating, so what was the point of getting along so well? But Lin Yi said, "I'll do my best."
Chu Pengzhan seemed to notice Lin Yi's perfunctory attitude and smiled slightly. Then he called out to the office door, "Uncle Fu, Yaoyao's almost out of school. Go pick her up. It's a good opportunity to take Mr. Lin to get acquainted with the environment."
"Mr. Chu, please just call me Lin Yi, or Xiaoyi. Don't call me Mr. Lin anymore. It sounds a bit awkward," Lin Yi said.
"Alright, then I'll call you Xiaoyi. After all, I'm your elder, so you won't be at a disadvantage. And don't call me Mr. Chu, just call me Uncle Chu." Chu Pengzhan nodded, not arguing with the question.
Lin Yi nodded and followed Uncle Fu downstairs, taking the elevator to the parking lot on the basement level of the building.