After a period of recuperation, Chloe's sallow complexion gradually regained its fairness, and her gaunt cheeks began to fill out.
Chloe loved her current life, with Grandpa Earle and her Boss, Mr. Tang. She ate three square meals a day, and even got to go to school… Compared to before, it was like a dream.
Chloe often prayed that if it was a dream, she would never wake up.
Her father used to scold her, saying she was a useless burden and that he would throw her away. So, a notion formed in Chloe's young mind: only by being useful could she have value, and only with value would she not be abandoned.
Working made Chloe feel at ease, but now, to work, she first had to finish her homework.
U.S. elementary school students didn't have much homework. First and second graders had almost none, and third graders only started to get some, mainly in math, reading, and some hands-on activities.
Previously, the most troublesome part was multiplication and division, but ever since she memorized the "Nine-Nine Multiplication Table," Chloe no longer worried about math.
"Why doesn't the school teach the Nine-Nine Multiplication Table? It's so useful…" Chloe mumbled, habitually wanting to bite her pen cap, but managed to stop herself.
"Hello, little sister." A gentle voice suddenly spoke, "Is the Boss, Mr. Tang, here?"
Chloe was startled and saw a beautiful older sister with a black hiking backpack. The beautiful older sister was very kind and smiling, which slightly calmed Chloe down.
She timidly called out, "Grandpa Earle!"
Old Earl, who was restocking shelves, poked his head out from behind them. He saw a young woman with Asian features and thought she was a supermarket customer.
Old Earl smiled and asked, "Hello, can I help you with anything?"
The young woman said, "Hello, I'm here for the job interview, according to the recruitment advertisement."
"Interview? Do you have an appointment?"
Old Earl was taken aback. Mike had specifically mentioned this. But after a week, no one had come for an interview, and Old Earl had almost forgotten.
"No," Skye said, a little uneasy.
U.S. citizens are accustomed to scheduling their daily activities and doing things according to routine, so they don't like unannounced work meetings.
"Oh." Old Earl didn't think about that. "I'm an employee here. The Boss, Mr. Tang, is upstairs. Please wait a moment, I'll go find the Boss, Mr. Tang."
"Okay, thank you for your trouble." The woman was very polite and introduced herself, "I'm Skye."
Old Earl smiled and said, "Earle, everyone calls me Old Earl."
Upon learning that someone was applying for the job, Mike's eyes lit up. "Oh, someone finally came to apply, damn it."
Old Earl said, "The workplace is in Hell's Kitchen, and the salary is higher than normal. Most people subconsciously think it's a prank or a scam…"
Mike was skeptical, "Is that so?"
Old Earl said, "Probably. And according to your requirements, most of those who meet the criteria are middle-aged people who need to support their families and don't dare to change jobs easily. So, to poach such people, it's best to go through headhunting websites."
Mike glared, "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
Old Earl: "You didn't ask."
The two went downstairs.
Seeing Skye, two thoughts popped into Mike's head—
The first thought: "Beautiful, what a pity."
The young woman in front of him perfectly matched Mike's aesthetic. As the saying goes, men and women working together don't get tired… But the young woman was too young, in her early twenties, not like the manager he needed.
He couldn't just hire her because she was pretty, after all, the annual salary was one hundred eighty thousand U.S. dollars.
An interesting soul is one in a million, a beautiful young woman is two thousand a night.
One hundred eighty thousand, too expensive!
The second thought: "Isn't this Quake?!"
Skye, an Inhuman, real name Daisy Johnson, a future excellent S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent.
"Could she be an undercover Agent sent by S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Mike thought, but then felt it was impossible. Skye's recruitment by Coulson should have happened after the Avengers Battle of New York…
"Hello, Mr. Tang, my name is Skye, and I'm here to apply for the manager position." Skye tried her best to appear confident.
Mike thought about it and decided to refuse: "I'm sorry, this position requires a manager with over five years of work experience…"
Skye had applied mature makeup and looked twenty-five or twenty-six, but her actual age was only twenty-one or twenty-two. How could she possibly have over five years of work experience?
"Mr. Tang! I have carefully reviewed your requirements for this position and I am aware that my qualifications are insufficient. Coming to apply is not an impulse or overestimating myself; I have made quite thorough preparations. Mr. Tang, please give me a chance to demonstrate myself." Skye was well-prepared, taking out a laptop from her large backpack and saying, "It won't take up too much of your time."
Since he was free anyway, listening wouldn't cost anything, and besides, the other person was a beautiful woman, so Mike pretended to hesitate for a moment and said, "Alright, five minutes. If you can convince me, I can give you a job. Begin."
"Thank you, thank you." Skye was a little excited. "Don't worry, I definitely won't disappoint you."
Two minutes passed…
Five minutes passed…
Ten minutes…
"So… for this job, you developed an entire set of specialized software?" Mike couldn't help but widen his eyes. With this ability, wouldn't Microsoft be a better fit?
Mike asked, "It must have taken you a lot of time, right?"
If someone else had successfully applied for this job before her, wouldn't all her effort have been wasted?
Skye replied, "Some modules can be found with existing code online, and they can be used with slight modifications. The workload wasn't as big as imagined."
It did take some time. This time allowed her to once again break through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s RSA encryption system. Fortunately, she hacked the recruitment website, so no one else could see Mike's job advertisement—that was the real reason no one applied!
The U.S. unemployment rate is high, and an annual salary of one hundred eighty thousand is enough for a bunch of people to fight tooth and nail. What's so bad about Hell's Kitchen as a workplace!
"That's amazing!" Mike had to admit, "Alright, this job is temporarily yours, with a three-month probation period. During probation, the salary will be eighty percent. You can choose a studio apartment as a free dormitory, or you don't have to."
Skye said, "Perfect, my lease is up, and a change of place would be good. Thank you, Boss."
Mike: "Just call me Mike. Oh, by the way, do you need help moving?"
Skye quickly waved her hand, "No, no."
Mike said, "Don't be polite, really."
Skye pointed to the hiking backpack on the floor and the laptop on the table, saying, "This is all my belongings."
"Uh… alright."
After completing the simple onboarding procedures, Mike suggested, "How about hotpot tonight as a welcome party for Skye?"
Old Earl raised both hands in agreement: "I agree."
Chloe didn't speak, but her fluttering eyes betrayed her thoughts.
Skye: "Will it be too much trouble for everyone?"
Mike: "No. We often have hotpot; it's just adding an extra bowl and chopsticks."
Old Earl smiled and gave a thumbs up, "Chinese hotpot is like this… super awesome!"
Chloe gathered her courage and said, "Yes, super awesome."
Mike asked, "By the way, is there anything you want to eat, or anything you can't eat?"
Skye: "Anything is fine, I'm not picky."
Mike: "Alright."
The soup base was old broth, the dipping sauces were ready-made; they just needed to replenish some ingredients.
Mike said, "I'll go to the supermarket to buy some ingredients. Old Earl, Chloe, you two take Skye up to the apartment and help clean it up."
Old Earl: "No problem."
Skye: "No, no, if everyone leaves, what about the supermarket?"
Mike hung the "Closed" sign on the door, "Problem solved, it's decided happily."
In the elevator.
"The supermarket door isn't locked, won't there be a problem?" Skye worried. The Public Security in Hell's Kitchen was famously bad.
"No problem." Old Earl was very certain.
Skye didn't know where Old Earl's mysterious confidence came from and remained skeptical.
Skye was born with a talent for being an Agent, perhaps that's why she could always find vulnerabilities in seemingly flawless firewalls.
Through conversation, Skye learned that Old Earl was originally a homeless man, and Mike gave him a stable life. Chloe's parents died, and she was once taken by gang members, but Mike rescued her.
The conversation largely revolved around Mike.
As she learned more, Skye became increasingly curious about Mike.
How did a top law student from Princeton University end up opening a small supermarket in Hell's Kitchen?
How did he rescue Chloe from a vicious gang?
So young, with a struggling supermarket, how did he own so many properties?
Could he be a rich second-generation heir who didn't want to inherit the family business?
When Mike returned from shopping, the three were already waiting in the supermarket.
Mike asked, "That fast?"
Skye replied, "Just some dust, a quick wipe was enough."
Mike said, "Previously, the cleaning was done by a domestic services company. Whether to continue with this company, switch to another, or hire two full-time cleaners, you decide."
Skye: "Understood. I'll help chop vegetables."
At this moment, Skye suddenly felt so at peace, a warm current flowing through her whole body.
So warm…
Having grown up in an orphanage and moved between various foster homes, wasn't this simple and warm feeling exactly what she longed for?