The house came fully furnished so all one had to do was to pay up, and they can move in right away. But Chen An’s taste has always been particular so before he moved in, he hired a home decorating company to redecorate the place to his satisfaction.
On the first day, he had searched, bought and redecorated a house.
On the second day, he purchased a number of fitness equipment and had movers moved them into the gym inside his house.
And on the third day, the home decorating company was moving in a piece of expensive furniture. Chen An sat in his sky garden and drank his coffee. He tilted his head down to skim lightly through the resume on the table in front of him before shifting his eyes up to the young lady before him.
Standing in front of Chen An was a petite college student who was about twenty years old. Her face was round and on it, was a pair of glasses that gave her a demure appearance. Her hands twisted together, revealing her nervousness.
Chen An needed a helper. This assistant cannot be too smart nor can they be too stupid, but more importantly, they cannot be sly.
‘Why don’t you introduce yourself?’ He asked mildly.
While his appearance is that of a portly middle-aged man, but in the marrow of his bones, he is still that all-powerful international firearms crime lord. Once a person had changed on the inside, his entire aura would change as well.
The young lady merely wanted to apply as a housekeeper as she does normally. She certainly didn’t expect the seemingly unremarkable man before her to bring her such invisible pressure the moment he opened his mouth.
As though she was carrying a heavy rock on her back, the young lady timidly opened her mouth. But despite feeling nervous, she did her best to keep her voice level. 'Mr. Chen, it is very nice to meet you. My name is Wang Li. I am a year 2 student at Shanghai University A. I have been familiar with doing chores since I was a child. Currently, I already have a year of professional housekeeping experience…’
She spoke at great length as though she was regurgitating from a book. From her long eloquent speech, she certainly sounded like she had experience and capability. However, what caught Chen An’s attention was not her lackluster resume, but rather, it was the fact that she seem to be studying at the same university as Chen Yang.
Among the candidates who came in for an interview, there was no lack of those who are prettier than Wang Li, there was no lack of those with richer experience, and neither was there a lack of those carrying impressive professional certificates. Chen An certainly have no lack of choices.
'That’s enough.’ Chen An intoned flatly as he set his coffee down.
Wang Li froze for a moment. Assuming that the other had lost interest in hearing more, she was just about to apologise politely and leave when she saw the man stood up to walk to her side. 'Do you know how to cook?’
'Yes, I do!’ Wang Li nodded her head vigorously in a dazed manner.
'Then prepare dinner before 7.’
Having said his piece, Chen An entered the house. While he certainly could have chosen a more competent assistant, but when he looked at the slightly naïve young lady before him, she reminded him of the Chen Yang back home.
The man couldn’t help a small self-depreciating smile. When did he become so sentimental?
______________________
The biggest difference between his previous life and his present life is probably the fact that Chen An now have to handle several matters personally. In his room, Chen An scheduled an appointment via telephone to visit the hospital the next day when he saw that the time was already close to dinner time.
The young lady prepared 4 dishes. While the variety isn’t much, they certainly looked appetising. The taste was good as well and it even carried a flavour of a mother’s cooking.
Without bothering to ask if Wang Li knew Chen Yang, Chen An finished his meal and left the house together with her. 'This is the door key card. Come by tomorrow to clean.’
'Urm, Mr. Chen, would you not be home tomorrow?’ Wang Li gingerly asked as she kept the key card carefully.
'Hn.’
Receiving only a grunt as an answer, the shy girl didn’t dare venture more questions as she stood awkwardly in the elevator. It was only until when Chen An left did she heaved a heavy sigh of relief.
Chen An had never been a man that people could feel close to, be it in the past or the present.
By the time he took a cab back to the rented apartment, it was already close to 9pm. Chen An was still wearing that set of plain clothes and had gotten used to the extra flabs on his body such that it doesn’t pull as much of his attention away as before.
From the bottom floor, he could see that the lights in the apartment were on. It seems like Chen Yang is already back.
When Chen An exited the elevator, the young man in the house suddenly rushed out. With a look of anxiety, he asked, 'Uncle, why did you come home so late? You scared me.’
Looking at the face of relief on his nephew, Chen An mocked, 'Why, are you afraid that I will try to kill myself again? I’ve tried it once and I failed. If I were to try again, then I’m just too much of a failure.’
'No, No! I was just worried about you. Uncle, its already so late, have you eaten?’ Chen Yang continued as he carried Chen An’s bag inside and shut the door behind them.
Chen Zhang An gave a darting look at the dining table. Atop the small table were two neatly placed rice bowls and chopsticks. The food has already gone cold but it didn’t looked touched.
'Next time, don’t wait for me. I’ve eaten already, so go ahead by yourself.’
Turning around, Chen An headed straight to the bedroom. By the time Chen Yang thought to follow, he heard the bang of the bedroom door being shut.