Beauty and the Bodyguard Chapter 5 - Feels Like A Marriage Plan?

Chapter 5 - Feels Like A Marriage Plan?

Shaking hands with the chairman, Lin Yi offered a polite smile. Despite his unique background, standard social graces were not beyond him. “Mister Chu! It is a pleasure to meet you!”

This was Lin Yi’s first time encountering such an enthusiastic client. Considering the man sat at the helm of a global top 500 corporation, his behavior was peculiar. He was treating Lin Yi almost as a peer, which struck Lin Yi as strange.

“Mister Lin! I am aware... it’s a bit of a stretch to bring you all this way for something like this...” Chu Pengzhan spoke, pausing briefly with a hint of hesitation.

The client’s kindness was becoming borderline absurd. As thick-skinned as Lin Yi usually was, even he felt slightly overwhelmed by such warmth from an employer. “Not at all! Old Lin informed me that this assignment would provide enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my days! I usually only make a few hundred a month weaving straw sandals, so I am truly grateful!”

Lin Yi felt surprised by how much the client was overstepping the usual boundaries of professional courtesy. Since the man was paying for a service, there was no logical reason to treat Lin Yi with such immense respect. In his experience, some clients even complained when it came time to settle the bill!

“Straw sandals?” Startled by the remark, Chu Pengzhan scrutinized Lin Yi’s appearance to ensure he hadn’t summoned the wrong person. What on earth was he talking about? Was Old Lin actually making him weave sandals every day for a pittance? He was momentarily speechless. He had heard tales from his own father regarding Lin Yi’s legendary exploits—like that hostage rescue in Africa. The compensation for such feats should have been in the hundreds of millions of US dollars, so why was he talking about making sandals for pocket change?

“Indeed. A single pair goes for four kuai. If I manage three to five pairs daily, that totals a few hundred kuai a month!” Lin Yi nodded, though he also sensed something was off. Judging by the current situation, it didn't seem like Old Lin was actually short on cash at all.

Deciding not to pry into another family's private business, Chu Pengzhan simply shook his head. “From this point forward, your salary will be thirty thousand per month, with your tuition and daily expenses fully covered. Naturally, any funds spent on my daughter will be handled by Li Fu.”

“Thirty thousand? Didn't the old man mention only a few thousand?” Lin Yi was stunned; this was an incredibly high-paying position. Had he known the salary, he wouldn't have had to watch Old Lin’s miserable expression while giving away those forty-nine thousand! “Wait, Mister Chu, I’m confused. School fees? Money spent on your daughter...?”

Lin Yi was completely bewildered. What was the chairman talking about? What did this have to do with the mission?

“Oh? Did Mister Lin not explain it to you? That is quite alright—why don’t you join me upstairs? I will provide you with all the specifics.” Chu Pengzhan gestured warmly, walking side-by-side with Lin Yi toward the elevator.

Chu Pengzhan was now Lin Yi’s employer, and the pay was excellent. While Lin Yi found the chairman's words a bit nonsensical, he had encountered far stranger things during his past missions.

Consequently, Lin Yi slowed his stride to walk a step behind the chairman rather than next to him. However, Chu Pengzhan slowed down as well, insisting they walk as equals.

It was bizarre. The man was acting far too familiar, as if their relationship was more than just a boss and an employee. Lin Yi opted to stay silent for now. Since it was their first meeting, certain questions felt inappropriate. He assumed things would become clear in time.

The chairman’s office spanned two hundred square meters at the very top of the skyscraper. One wall consisted entirely of a massive window, flooding the interior with bright sunlight.

After escorting the pair inside, Li Fu excused himself. He instructed the secretary outside to prepare some tea.

“Mister Lin, what would you like to drink?” The secretary, Xiaoyu, had already been informed of Lin Yi’s name by Li Fu.

“Just water for me.” Back home, Lin Yi primarily drank water, and his habits didn't change just because he was in the city.

Xiaoyu was caught off guard by the simple request but maintained her smile. “Of course, I’ll have it for you in a moment.” She didn't need to check with the chairman, as he had the same thing every day.

“Mister Lin, starting tomorrow, Li Fu will enroll you in Class Five of the twelfth grade at Songshan’s First School. You are going to be a high school student, placed in the same class as my daughter, Chu Mengyao. You will accompany her to school and back home. Your responsibilities include looking after her, attending to her needs, and tutoring her... To put it plainly, you will be her companion. I have been far too occupied with the company these past few years and haven't been the best father. Because of that, I want to find her someone she can bond with, to make her life a bit more vibrant... That is the true reason I requested you. You are both roughly the same age. I’m certain you’ll find plenty of common ground.” Chu Pengzhan explained with a smile.

Lin Yi felt a bit stunned. Someone to bond with? Attending to her needs? Finding common ground? Wait, this was the "life-changing" mission? It sounded more like a marriage arrangement! Was this girl suffering from some sort of issue that made her unmarriageable? Lin Yi had no desire to be part of some pre-arranged wedding plot!

“Mister Lin, are you alright?” Chu Pengzhan seemed to read the shock on his face instantly. “I assumed you were briefed on these details before you accepted the post... but it appears that wasn't the case?”

“Mister Chu, please, just call me Lin Yi. ‘Mister Lin’ feels a bit... excessive,” Lin Yi answered with a strained smile. “To be honest, I had no idea why I was brought here. The old man only emphasized how vital the mission was and that finishing it would mean I’d never have to work again...”

“Set for life?” Chu Pengzhan pondered this for a second before bursting into a loud laugh. “Hahaha! I see, I see. Your old man wasn't being dishonest. If you perform this task well, the rewards will indeed allow you to live a life of total ease!”

“Uh...” Lin Yi was still struggling to grasp the core of his duties. “But... what is the actual mission..?”

“Didn't I just explain it? You will attend school with my daughter, and naturally, you will be responsible for protecting her from any bullies as well,” the chairman clarified.

“So, I go to school with her and... act as her nanny?” That was the only term that seemed to fit.

“Well... I suppose you could view it that way. Yes, a nanny of sorts,” Chu Pengzhan agreed with a nod. Before Lin Yi could protest, he slid a folder across the desk. “This file contains the details regarding Songshan’s First School. Get to know the contents.”

Lin Yi accepted the folder with a helpless nod. This was supposed to be some legendary mission? Dammit, that old geezer...

It was just like that time in North America... Old Lin claimed he had to save "someone"... and that "someone" turned out to be an entire battalion of people!

Lin Yi gave a mental shrug. The pay was high, and the danger seemed minimal. Being a bodyguard-companion for a wealthy heiress... whatever. He decided to treat it like a vacation.

Although it was called Songshan’s First School, it had been privatized a long time ago. The name remained even after the acquisition. Pengzhan Industries actually owned a third of the school's shares.

It was no wonder Lin Yi could be enrolled without any elementary or middle school records. Even though he hadn't attended formal school, he knew from the internet how difficult it was for people from rural villages to get into city schools.

“I understand. I’ll carry out the task as required.” Lin Yi nodded, flipping through the documents.

“Good. Mengyao has a bit of a temper, but she is a kind girl at heart.” Chu Pengzhan offered a wry smile. “I am confident that someone with your talents will get along with her splendidly.”

Get along with her? No thanks. He wasn't looking for a girlfriend, so what was the point of bonding with a spoiled rich girl? “I’ll do my best.”

Chu Pengzhan sensed the polite distance in Lin Yi’s tone. He ended the meeting with a smile and signaled for Li Fu. “Li Fu, the school day is almost over! Go pick up Mengyao, won't you? Lin Yi should also see what the campus looks like.”

“Mister Chu, please, just Lin Yi or Little Yi. ‘Mister Lin’ is too formal,” Lin Yi insisted.

“Very well, I’ll call you Yi. And you should stop calling me Mister Chu; ‘Uncle Chu’ is perfectly fine.” Chu Pengzhan nodded, finished with the formalities.

Lin Yi gave a final nod and followed Li Fu back to the elevator, heading down toward the parking garage.