Chapter Nine: I Slap Your Face—Do You Bear Any Grudge?

“Lin Yi, I’ve forgiven them,” Lin Doudou whispered in Lin Yi’s ear, the faint, youthful fragrance drifting continuously into his nose.

“Mm.” Lin Yi nodded.

“Aren’t you angry?” Lin Doudou asked.

“Why should I be angry?” Lin Yi retorted.

Since he had left this matter to Doudou to handle, he wouldn’t intervene no matter what.

Lin Doudou chuckled and then said to Xia Tao and Zhao Huan, “Alright, the two of you can go now. We’re heading back as well.”

“Um, Doudou, have you really forgiven us?” Zhao Huan asked.

Lin Doudou’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she replied with a laugh, “Well, that depends on my mood.”

Lin Yi couldn’t help but laugh. He hadn’t expected Doudou to have such a playful side.

Seated in the taxi, Lin Doudou clung affectionately to Lin Yi’s arm, her voice dripping with sweetness as she said, “Lin Yi, after all, we grew up together, didn’t we? Just how much are you still hiding from me?”

Lin Yi corrected her, “We didn’t really grow up together. If anything, I could be your grandfather’s grandfather.”

“Be serious,” Lin Doudou rolled her eyes. Grandfather’s grandfather—who would believe that if he said it out loud?

She had purposely said childhood friends just to give Lin Yi a hint, but he was so dense—it was no wonder he didn’t have a wife.

“Believe it or not,” Lin Yi chuckled.

After returning home, Lin Yi cultivated for a while and then received a call from Cai Qing.

Cai Qing was a colleague from his previous job at the Timely Rain Bar. Her call now made Lin Yi a bit curious.

“Hello, Lin Yi, have you found a job yet?” Cai Qing asked.

“No.”

“I have a friend I work out with. She’s looking for a home tutor for her child—mainly to teach high school subjects. Your college entrance exam scores were pretty good, so I thought I’d recommend you. Would you like to give it a try?” Cai Qing’s voice was gentle.

“A home tutor?”

Lin Yi was momentarily stunned. Over his long years, he’d tried all sorts of jobs, but teaching was the one he’d done the most.

“That’s right, though the pay is a bit low to start with—ten yuan per hour. But if you prove yourself capable, it could go up to twenty or thirty an hour,” Cai Qing said.

Lin Yi didn’t really care about the salary. He just wanted to pass the time. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Alright. When should I go?”

“I’ll send you the address. Just say I recommended you. If you get hired, don’t forget to treat me to a meal,” Cai Qing said playfully.

Lin Yi laughed, “No problem, anywhere you want.”

“You said it! Then let’s go to Quanfu Restaurant, right across from our bar,” Cai Qing said.

Quanfu Restaurant was a buffet, with an average price of just fifty yuan per person. Clearly, Cai Qing was trying to save him money.

After chatting with Cai Qing for a while longer, Lin Yi hung up.

Cai Qing sent the address via WeChat. Lin Yi glanced at it: Junqi Traditional Medicine Clinic.

Lin Doudou had just come out of her room. She’d keenly overheard the woman’s voice on the phone and asked curiously, “Lin Yi, who were you talking to?”

She was dressed in a pretty pink dress, white stockings, and little leather shoes, looking full of spirit and utterly adorable.

“Just a friend. I’m heading out for a bit,” Lin Yi said, ruffling Lin Doudou’s hair.

“Oh.” Lin Doudou pouted.

Lin Yi left home and set out on his Phoenix bicycle.

Junqi Traditional Medicine Clinic was rather far, and it took Lin Yi almost twenty minutes of cycling to get there.

Of course, if he’d wanted to, he could have arrived in an instant, but that would have been far too shocking.

The clinic had two floors and was decorated in a retro style—red walls, glazed tiles, and two massive stone pillars at the entrance, each requiring two people to encircle. The renovations alone must have cost over a million.

At the entrance, Lin Yi made a call. A pleasant but stern voice answered, “Hello, who’s this?”

“Hello, is this Ms. Yang? My name is Lin Yi…”

“Yes, Cai Qing told me about you. When can you come for the interview?” Yang Junqi asked briskly.

“I’m at the entrance of the clinic right now,” Lin Yi replied.

“Then come up to my office. Just give my name at the front desk,” Yang Junqi instructed.

“Alright.” Lin Yi hung up and stepped inside. There were only a few patients, all elderly; young people were nowhere to be seen.

That was understandable—these days, few believed in traditional medicine anymore, favoring Western medicine instead. Western medicine could cure a cold with a single injection, while traditional medicine required several doses of bitter herbal concoctions.

At the front desk, Lin Yi gave Yang Junqi’s name.

“You must be Mr. Lin. Dr. Yang already let me know. I’ll take you up,” the nurse said.

“Thank you,” Lin Yi replied politely.

The nurse smiled and led Lin Yi upstairs. The second floor was half therapy area, half office space. Compared to the first floor, it was a bit livelier.

Soon, the nurse brought Lin Yi to Yang Junqi’s office.

Lin Yi knocked on the door, and a melodious voice responded, “Come in.”

He entered to see a woman in a white coat, bent over her desk, busy writing.

This was Yang Junqi. She was strikingly beautiful, her skin well cared for, appearing no older than twenty-five or six. Her hair was coiled in an elegant bun, and she radiated competence.

“Hello, I’m Lin Yi, here to apply for the home tutor position,” Lin Yi introduced himself.

Yang Junqi looked up, her gaze sharp as she scrutinized Lin Yi.

Most young people would have been intimidated by such a look. But Lin Yi—who was he? He was a thousand-year-old monster who had seen every kind of person; not even the emperors of old could make him flinch.

Yang Junqi was a little surprised, but gestured to the sofa, saying, “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.” Lin Yi sat down without the slightest unease.

“Even though you come recommended by Cai Qing, we still have to go through the formalities,” Yang Junqi said with a smile. Then, with a serious look, she asked, “Do you have any teaching experience?”

Lin Yi nodded, answering half-truthfully, “I’ve done it for a while before.”

“Oh? Show me your academic credentials. I can’t take your word for it just yet,” Yang Junqi said bluntly.

After all, hiring a home tutor required a certain level of trust—she couldn’t just hire a stranger.

Lin Yi took out his ID and student card. Yang Junqi checked them against the computer; all the information matched. At last, she smiled in satisfaction.

“With college entrance exam scores over six hundred, why did you choose Lan University, a third-rate school?” she asked, curious.

With such scores, he could have easily gotten into a top university.

“It was close to home,” Lin Yi replied.

“Uh…”

Yang Junqi had never met anyone so willful—choosing an unknown university just for the sake of proximity.

But it was his business; she had no right to interfere.

“You’re hired. The starting pay is ten yuan per hour. Any problem with that?” she asked.

“No problem,” Lin Yi said.

“As for how many hours per day you’ll teach, that’s up to you.”

Yang Junqi put away the files on her desk. “Come on, I’ll take you to my home. But let me warn you in advance: you’ve passed my evaluation, but if my daughter doesn’t accept you, I’ll have to let you go.”

“Understood.” Lin Yi nodded.

“Very good.” Yang Junqi nodded, satisfied, and slipped off her white coat before leading the way out of her office.

In her business attire, Yang Junqi looked even more attractive. It was hard to believe that a woman approaching forty could maintain herself so well—her figure was curvaceous and youthful.

On the way, several elderly men and women greeted Yang Junqi enthusiastically, and she responded with a warm smile each time.

As soon as they stepped out of the clinic, Lin Yi received a message from Cai Qing asking how things had gone.

He replied with a grin that everything was fine and slipped his phone into his pocket.

Yang Junqi took her car keys from her bag and pressed a button—a BMW in front of the clinic flashed its lights.

Lin Yi had planned on riding his bicycle, but after a moment’s thought, decided to leave it there for now.

They got into the car, and less than five minutes later arrived at Fanhuali Neighborhood nearby. It wasn’t fancy, just an ordinary residential complex.

After parking, Yang Junqi led Lin Yi to her apartment. The living room was spotless yet cozy.

“My daughter’s surname is Yang. Her name is Yang Yujia…” Yang Junqi began, but before she could finish, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen emerged from one of the rooms. She wore a white blouse and a denim skirt, white AJs on her feet, her long legs sheathed in black stockings. She looked both pure and alluring.

“I’m going out,” the girl announced. This was Yang Yujia.

Yang Junqi asked anxiously, “Yujia, where are you going?”

“None of your business,” Yang Yujia retorted coldly, leaving the apartment without a backward glance.

Lin Yi could see plainly that the relationship between mother and daughter was far from harmonious.