Chapter 05: How is this like finding a partner?

Lin Yi smiled slightly and nodded, shaking hands with Chu Pengzhan naturally. This kind of normal social etiquette was something Lin Yi handled with ease: "Mr. Chu, hello!"

Chu Pengzhan's enthusiasm left Lin Yi somewhat taken aback. It was the first time he had encountered such a warm employer. Although he was hired to carry out a certain task, the chairman of a world-renowned Fortune 500 company treating him like this made Lin Yi curious. It felt as if he was meeting someone of the same level.

"Mr. Lin! I also know that perhaps it's a bit difficult for you to lower yourself to do these things..." Chu Pengzhan hesitated for a moment before saying.

As Chu Pengzhan spoke, even someone as thick-skinned as Lin Yi felt a bit embarrassed and quickly said, "Not lowering myself... I earn a few hundred yuan a month by weaving straw shoes at home. The old man said this task would be enough to feed me for a lifetime..."

Lin Yi thought to himself that this employer was really considerate. He was so polite in asking him to do the job, unlike some people who, after giving him the payment, started to nitpick.

"What? Weaving straw shoes?" Chu Pengzhan was taken aback, looking at Lin Yi carefully. He hadn't mistaken the person, but what was this guy talking about? Could it be that Old Lin asked him to weave straw shoes to earn a few hundred yuan? Chu Pengzhan was speechless. He had heard some stories about Lin Yi from his grandfather. Just the ransom for rescuing hostages in Africa should have been in the hundreds of millions of dollars. How could he be weaving straw shoes to earn money?

"Yes, a pair of straw shoes can sell for four yuan. If I weave three to five pairs a day, that's a few hundred yuan a month." Lin Yi nodded, but he also felt something was off. The old man didn't seem to be a poor guy, did he?

Chu Pengzhan couldn't care about Lin Yi's personal affairs. Hearing Lin Yi's words, he could only shake his head helplessly and said, "Your salary from now on will be thirty thousand yuan a month. This includes your tuition and daily expenses. Of course, any money spent on my daughter can be reimbursed by Li Fu."

"Thirty thousand? Didn't the old man say a few thousand?" Lin Yi was stunned. Was this really such a high salary? If he had known, he wouldn't have brought any money, saving him from the old man's pained expression when he asked for the forty-nine thousand yuan: "Wait, Mr. Chu, what did you just say? School? Tuition? And money spent on your daughter? What do you mean? I don't understand..."

Lin Yi was puzzled. What did Chu Pengzhan mean? Wasn't he here to carry out a task?

"Oh? Didn't Old Lin tell you? Please come this way, we'll discuss the details upstairs." Chu Pengzhan smiled slightly, gesturing for Lin Yi to follow, and they walked shoulder to shoulder towards the elevator.

Now that Chu Pengzhan was his employer, and the salary was indeed not low, although Lin Yi was a bit confused about what Chu Pengzhan was talking about, he had encountered many strange tasks over the years.

So, when Lin Yi walked with Chu Pengzhan, he deliberately slowed down, making it look like he was following behind. However, Chu Pengzhan deliberately kept his pace in sync with Lin Yi's.

Lin Yi naturally noticed this and was somewhat surprised. Why did Chu Pengzhan seem so overly friendly? Although Lin Yi was curious, he didn't ask. After all, it was their first meeting, and they weren't very familiar with each other. Some things were better left unsaid until they got to know each other better.

Chu Pengzhan's office was on the top floor of the Pengzhan Building, spanning two hundred square meters, with a large wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that made the room exceptionally bright.

After Uncle Fu led Chu Pengzhan and Lin Yi into the office, he stepped out and instructed the secretary, Xiao Yu, to bring in some tea.

"Mr. Lin, what would you like to drink?" Xiao Yu already knew Lin Yi's surname from Uncle Fu.

"Just plain water." Lin Yi usually drank plain water at home, and it was the same when he was out.

Xiao Yu was a bit surprised but smiled and said, "Sure, please wait a moment." As for what Chairman Chu drank, she didn't need to ask; it was the same every day.

"Mr. Lin, starting tomorrow, Uncle Fu will arrange for you to enter Songshan No. 1 High School, Class 5 of Grade 3, as a high school student, in the same class as my daughter, Chu Mengyao. You will go to school and return home with her, take care of her daily life, and help her with her studies... In short, you'll be her companion... I've been busy with business and have neglected her, feeling guilty. I want to find someone who can get along with her and give her more care... This is the real reason I asked you to come... You're about the same age, both young, so you should have a lot in common, right?" Chu Pengzhan smiled slightly as he said.

Lin Yi was a bit stunned. Find someone to get along with? Give her care? Common topics? No way! Was this the task that would feed him for a lifetime? It sounded more like finding a partner. Could it be that this girl had some physical ailment and couldn't get married, so they were asking him to fill in?

"Mr. Lin, what's wrong?" Chu Pengzhan saw Lin Yi's shocked expression and seemed to know what he was thinking: "I thought Old Lin had already told you what you were supposed to do, but it seems that's not the case?"

"Mr. Chu, just call me Lin Yi. 'Mr. Lin' sounds a bit awkward." Lin Yi smiled bitterly and said, "To be honest, I really didn't know what I was coming here to do. The old man just said it was an important task and that doing it well would feed me for a lifetime..."

"Feed you for a lifetime?" Chu Pengzhan was taken aback by Lin Yi's words but then burst out laughing, "Hahaha, that's right. Old Lin didn't lie to you. If you do it well, the reward will indeed be enough to feed you for a lifetime!"

"Still..." Lin Yi still didn't understand what Chu Pengzhan wanted him to do, "But what exactly is my task?"

"I already told you, didn't I? You'll accompany my daughter to and from school, study with her, and of course, you'll also be responsible for her safety, making sure no one bullies her." Chu Pengzhan explained.

"Study companion? Nanny?" These were the only terms Lin Yi could think of to describe it.

"Uh... You can think of it that way, and that's essentially what it is." Chu Pengzhan nodded and, without waiting for Lin Yi to say anything more, handed him a file, "This is the information about Songshan No. 1 High School. You can familiarize yourself with it."

Lin Yi nodded helplessly, took the file, and thought to himself, "Is this the super task the old man talked about? Damn, am I being tricked again?"

Just like the last time in South America, the old man told him he was going to rescue someone... but it turned out he was rescuing a group of people...

But no matter what, with a high salary and a low-risk task, it was just a bit like being a lackey for a rich family's daughter. No big deal, he could treat it as a break.

Songshan No. 1 High School, despite its name, was actually a private school that hadn't changed its name after being acquired. Chu Pengzhan's Pengzhan Group was one of the three major shareholders of the school.

No wonder he, who hadn't even attended elementary school, could be easily arranged to attend this high school. Although Lin Yi hadn't been to school, he knew from the internet how difficult it was for rural children to attend school in the city.

"Alright, I'll do my best." Lin Yi nodded after a quick look at the file.

"Of course, Chu Mengyao might have a bit of a temper, but she's a good kid at heart." Chu Pengzhan smiled bitterly, "I believe you, being so excellent, will get along well with her."

"Get along well?" Lin Yi didn't really expect to get along well with this young lady. It wasn't like they were dating. What was the point of getting along so well? But he said, "I'll try my best."

Chu Pengzhan seemed to see through Lin Yi's敷衍, smiled slightly, and then called out to the office door, "Uncle Fu, Mengyao is about to finish school. Go pick her up and take Mr. Lin to familiarize himself with the environment."

"Mr. Chu, just call me Lin Yi, or Xiao Yi. Don't call me Mr. Lin, it sounds a bit awkward," Lin Yi said.

"Alright, I'll call you Xiao Yi. Since I'm your elder, you won't be at a disadvantage. You can call me Uncle Chu," Chu Pengzhan nodded, not lingering on the issue.

Lin Yi nodded and followed Uncle Fu downstairs, all the way to the parking lot in the basement of the building.