Lin Yi chuckled quietly. Forget about dogs—when he was on missions in the deep mountains, he'd killed and eaten several wolves with a single strike. One Rottweiler was nothing.
"See that? That's the Mighty General. Let me tell you, he's very strong. If you try to go upstairs, I'll have him bite you to death!"
Chu Mengyao threatened.
"Got it."
Lin Yi nodded.
Seeing what she thought was Lin Yi's fearful expression, Chu Mengyao assumed he was scared of the Mighty General and felt even more smug.
She grabbed Chen Yushu's hand and rushed upstairs, leaving the Mighty General to guard the stairway entrance.
Lin Yi picked up his luggage and glanced at the Mighty General. The dog trembled and backed away, sensing that this person wasn't ordinary—he was dangerous.
Lin Yi had no time to play with the dog. After one glance, he ignored it and headed to the room Chu Mengyao had indicated with his luggage.
The room was simply furnished: a bed, a desk, and a small wardrobe.
But this was more than enough for Lin Yi. His luggage contained only a few old clothes and nothing else.
What surprised Lin Yi most was that the room had its own private bathroom. It was like a luxury hotel!
After putting away his things, Lin Yi grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom. The long journey had left him covered in dust.
Looking at his watch, it wasn't even 6 PM yet. He could shower before Uncle Fu brought dinner.
So far, Lin Yi was satisfied with his current job and living situation. Hotel-like treatment every day, plus thirty thousand yuan salary—where else could you find a job like this?
It was much more comfortable than helping his father make straw sandals back home.
Upstairs:
"Shu, I'm having second thoughts. This Lin Yi doesn't look like someone who could be my shield, does he?"
Chu Mengyao complained to Chen Yushu while changing into loungewear.
"Hmm, I think he's pretty good actually."
Chen Yushu lay on the bed with her feet up against the wall. She'd heard somewhere that this position made your legs thinner and promoted growth.
"What's good about him? I was hoping to get some handsome guy to pretend to be my boyfriend. Now I've got this country bumpkin, and I'll be laughed at if I take him anywhere!"
Chu Mengyao gritted her teeth angrily. "If you think he's so great, you can be his girlfriend."
"Well, I don't have any annoying problems, so I don't need a shield. But if I did, I might consider it."
Chen Yushu shook her head.
"You've got a tough older brother, so no one dares mess with you. If I had a brother who could break trees with one kick, I wouldn't need this kind of shield either!"
Chu Mengyao knew Chen Yushu was teasing her, but there was nothing she could do—Chen Yushu had an older brother and she didn't.
"Yaoyao, want me to ask my brother to find you a soldier boyfriend from his unit?"
Chen Yushu blinked. "Could even be a real relationship... that would definitely make Zhong Pinliang back off, right?"
"Shu!"
Hearing Chen Yushu's increasingly outrageous suggestions, Chu Mengyao glared at her angrily.
"What kind of crazy idea is that! I asked Dad to find me a shield before, and look what happened... what kind of person did he bring? How is that guy supposed to be a shield? Now you're suggesting even weirder ideas—a real relationship? That's disgusting!"
"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore."
Seeing that Chu Mengyao was really angry, Chen Yushu quickly shut up.
True, the shield idea had been her suggestion to Chu Mengyao in the first place. If the person they brought wasn't suitable, she shared some responsibility...
When Uncle Fu arrived with dinner, Lin Yi had just finished his shower. Searching through his luggage, he couldn't find a single decent piece of clothing.
Lin Yi wanted to complain that his father was too stingy. Couldn't he have bought one new outfit?
Wearing these clothes, he'd probably be considered dirty again and banned from the sofa when he went outside.
With no choice, Lin Yi opened the package Uncle Fu had given him and pulled out the Songshan First High School uniform to wear.
Lin Yi's transformation shocked both Chu Mengyao and Chen Yushu!
Before, his hair and face had been dirty, wearing a torn tank top and baggy pants. But after showering and putting on the school uniform, he looked completely different from the construction worker he'd resembled earlier!
However, because her first impression of Lin Yi had been so bad, Chu Mengyao refused to admit he was handsome. She could only acknowledge that he looked somewhat better—at least presentable now.
Uncle Fu had brought four dishes and a soup: fish-flavored pork, boiled fish, stir-fried greens, and spinach with wood ear mushrooms. The soup was matsutake mushroom soup.
Well-balanced between meat and vegetables, it looked, smelled, and tasted excellent.
It had been ages since Lin Yi had eaten such delicious food. Uncle Fu had thoughtfully prepared rice for him too, so he happily accepted it and sat at the dining table.
Just as Lin Yi reached for his chopsticks, Chu Mengyao started complaining: "What are you doing? Shu and I haven't eaten yet, and you want to eat first? From now on, Shu and I eat first, then you get the leftovers!"
With that, she headed to the kitchen. She had a dining habit—she liked using silver utensils, a custom from living with her grandfather as a child.
So the kitchen's sterilizer cabinet contained a set of silver tableware specifically for Chu Mengyao.
Faced with Chu Mengyao's domineering attitude, Lin Yi smiled wryly and put down his chopsticks. He could only stare at the delicious-looking dishes on the table and drool.
Fortunately, the rice was his, so Lin Yi quickly wolfed down several mouthfuls. Probably eating too fast, he started choking and mumbled through his food: "Is there anything to drink?"
Chen Yushu found it amusing to watch this guy who acted like he hadn't eaten in generations. She pointed to a nearby refrigerated display case: "Help yourself to whatever you want to drink."
"Thanks."
Lin Yi turned around to see a large refrigerated case filled with various beverages. He randomly grabbed a bottle of orange juice, opened it, and took a big gulp, finally feeling relief.
Chu Mengyao returned with her tableware and began critiquing the dishes with Chen Yushu.
"Wow, boiled fish! I love this!"
"This fish-flavored pork is a bit too sweet. That stupid chef doesn't know eating too much sugar makes you fat? I'll have Dad fire him next time!"
"Mm, these greens are delicious. Shu, you should try some too!"
Chu Mengyao chattered while eating.
All these dishes were made by the head chef from Chu Pengzhan's Pengzhan Group hotels, delivered punctually every evening by Uncle Fu.
Chu Pengzhan had many social obligations, and Chu Mengyao's mother had left when she was young.
Chu Mengyao didn't really understand what had happened back then. Every time she asked her father about it, he wouldn't tell her.
So Uncle Fu basically took care of Chu Mengyao's daily life.