Shen Jin nudged the dog bowl a little closer to Yuhe, then stood up and looked at Su Xiahe.
“It’s almost mealtime. I’ll go cook. Why don’t you join me for dinner? You can take a look around the estate in the meantime.”
Su Xiahe stood up as well, lifting her head. “You know how to cook?”
He carefully smoothed the creases on his trousers. “Mm, a little.”
Su Xiahe watched him.
Did he usually cook for himself?
She really couldn’t imagine it—a noble, elegant young master like him, actually cooking his own meals.
In Su Xiahe’s eyes, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who had any trace of domestic life about him.
Su Xiahe politely declined. “No need to trouble yourself. I’ll just grab something to eat outside later.”
“It’s no trouble. I have to cook for myself anyway.”
Su Xiahe still wanted to refuse.
Shen Jin said, “You already brought me fruit. At least stay for a meal.”
Remembering those two bags of fruit, she felt embarrassed…
So she didn’t refuse again.
Shen Jin looked at the servant. “Aunt Zhou, if A-He gets bored, take her around the estate for a stroll.”
Aunt Zhou nodded. “Yes, Dr. Shen.”
With that, Shen Jin left the living room.
Su Xiahe’s gaze followed Shen Jin until his figure disappeared from sight.
“Aunt Zhou.”
Aunt Zhou said respectfully, “Miss Su, please speak.”
“Dr. Shen—does he usually cook for himself?”
“Not always. Dr. Shen is usually at the hospital. At home, he cooks occasionally,” Aunt Zhou paused. “Dr. Shen suffered a lot when he was young, so…”
Realizing she was saying too much, Aunt Zhou immediately fell silent.
Aunt Zhou’s half-finished sentence piqued Su Xiahe’s curiosity. “Aunt Zhou, what happened to Dr. Shen when he was young?”
Aunt Zhou looked troubled. “I’m sorry, Miss Su. I’m just a hired help at the Shen residence. I’m afraid I can’t speak about my employer’s matters.”
Su Xiahe didn’t press further. “Sorry, Aunt Zhou. I didn’t mean to put you in a difficult position.”
Shen Jin had grown up in this wealthy mansion. He must be a young master from a distinguished family, noble and above it all.
Beneath such a lofty identity, was there also a humble childhood hidden away?
What hardships had he endured when he was young?
Was he abused? Or subjected to cold indifference?
It seemed that wealthy families weren’t as glamorous on the inside as they appeared on the surface.
In her heart, she couldn’t help but feel a trace of sympathy for Shen Jin.
At that very moment, Shen Jin was leaning against the wall outside the living room, having heard the entire conversation clearly.
Afterward, he walked away with a smile.
Aunt Zhou said, “Miss Su, let me show you around the estate.”
“Alright.”
Su Xiahe followed Aunt Zhou out of the living room.
The sea of roses on the estate caught Su Xiahe’s attention the most. She stopped in front of the flower field.
“Aunt Zhou, does Dr. Shen really like roses?”
Aunt Zhou hesitated for a moment. “It’s probably his mother who likes them.”
Beside the rose field was a lawn with some lush green plants.
The greenery had been trimmed neatly by the gardener, with no stray branches or tangled growth.
After a brief tour of the estate, Aunt Zhou led Su Xiahe back to the dining room.
Shen Jin had already finished cooking. Aunt Zhou went to the kitchen to help serve the dishes.
Su Xiahe didn’t just sit idle either—she helped out as well.
Shen Jin took off his apron and handed it to Aunt Zhou, who took it and left.
His white shirt sleeves were slightly rolled up, and his hair was a little tousled.
He gently brushed the bangs from his forehead, looked at Su Xiahe, and pulled out the dining chair for her. “Sit down and eat.”
“Oh,” Su Xiahe belatedly pulled her gaze away from him. “Thank you.”
Shen Jin had made three dishes and a soup. Su Xiahe took a taste—it was surprisingly delicious.
Su Xiahe asked casually, “Shen Jin, do you usually live here alone?”
Realizing her question might be a bit too personal, Su Xiahe quickly explained, “I mean, I think this estate is really big. If you lived here alone, it must be pretty lonely.”
That explanation was worse than not explaining at all.
Shen Jin ladled her a bowl of soup. “No, I usually live with my sister and my little nephew.”
Su Xiahe nodded.
Shen Jin spoke casually, “Has A-He been busy with school lately?”
Su Xiahe answered honestly, “Schoolwork is fine—not too busy. I’ve been looking for a part-time job recently.”
Shen Jin looked up. “What kind of part-time job?”
“A tutor.”
“Found one yet?”
Su Xiahe shook her head.
Shen Jin’s tone was like casual small talk. “Speaking of tutors, I just remembered my nephew. He was sick a while back and stayed in the hospital for two weeks. After he was discharged, the attending physician told him to rest at home for a while.”
“His grades have plummeted. A few days ago, my sister asked me to help find him a tutor.”
It sounded casual, but it was all calculated.
Naturally, it was a carefully orchestrated plan to lure his wife in.
Su Xiahe asked, “Is your nephew feeling better now?”
“Mm.”
Su Xiahe nodded. “How old is your nephew?”
Shen Jin said calmly, “Seven. He’s in second grade of elementary school.”
After saying this, he seemed to think of something. “Actually, why don’t you come tutor my little nephew? The hourly rate my sister mentioned is 100 yuan an hour.”
100 yuan an hour?
If she tutored two hours a day, that would be 1,400 a week, which meant 5,600 a month.
Su Xiahe really wanted to accept, but she could sense that Shen Jin seemed to be deliberately arranging work for her.
She felt that she and Shen Jin weren’t close enough for him to be arranging jobs for her. She still wanted to rely on her own abilities to find work and didn’t want to trouble him.
“Thank you for your kindness, but I’d still like to try looking on my own.”
Shen Jin didn’t say much more. “Since you want to find it yourself, I won’t stop you. But if you can’t find something you like, my door is always open for you.”
Su Xiahe: “Okay, thank you for your kindness.”
“You’re welcome. I hope you find a job you love soon.”
“Thank you. I hope your words come true.”
Shen Jin smiled faintly, elegantly lifting his bowl to take a sip of soup.
As his gaze dropped for a moment, a shadow of unfathomable depth flickered in his dark eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses.
If you can find a job you love, then I’ll change my surname.
After the meal, Su Xiahe patted Yuhe’s little head. “Shen Jin, thank you for your hospitality today. I’ll be going now.”
“Alright, take care on the road.”
Su Xiahe left the mansion. “Mm, goodbye.”
Shen Jin sat by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, thinking to himself: Next time you come to my place, I’ll make sure you never forget it.
He seemed to have overestimated himself—he wasn’t as patient as he thought he was.
He needed to speed things up.
After leaving Jiangwan Mansion, Su Xiahe went job hunting again.
Since the opening performances at major shopping malls were out of the question, and finding tutoring gigs at school gates was also a dead end, she decided to try her luck at interest classes instead.
She went straight to an interest class training center in the city center and looked at the poster posted at the entrance.
What a coincidence—this center happened to be hiring pipa teachers.
She mustered up her courage and knocked on the door. “Hello, are you hiring pipa teachers here?”
Wang Xintai, the person in charge of the training classroom, looked over and gave the newcomer a quick once-over. She was a young girl, not very old.
He replied, “Yes, we are.”
“I’m here for an interview.”
“Come in.”
Su Xiahe obediently walked in.
Wang Xintai stood up and moved to sit on the sofa nearby. “Have you graduated?”
Su Xiahe answered honestly, “No, I’m still a sophomore.”
Wang Xintai asked, “How’s your pipa level?”
“I just passed Level 8 last month.”
As she spoke, Su Xiahe pulled out her level certificate and her student ID from her bag.
Wang Xintai looked at the certificate she handed over and marveled inwardly that this young girl had already passed pipa Level 8 at such a young age.
The pipa has a total of ten levels, with Levels 1-4 being beginner, Levels 5-7 intermediate, and Levels 8-10 advanced.
Wang Xintai looked at her certificate. “Do you have any teaching experience?”
Su Xiahe replied, “No, but I performed at Jiangcheng Theater two weeks ago. You should be able to find my video online.”
Wang Xintai opened his laptop and searched.
Sure enough, he found a video of Su Xiahe performing the pipa at the theater.
He wasn’t a man of much culture, but when he looked at the screen, only one word came to mind: breathtaking.
She’d performed at Jiangcheng Theater and had a Level 8 certification—this was practically a gem.
What a powerful promotional tool she’d be for recruiting students to his training center in the future!
There was nothing to hesitate about. Wang Xintai didn’t even ask for a trial lesson—he immediately extended an offer to Su Xiahe.
Su Xiahe was overjoyed. “Thank you, Teacher Wang.”
Wang Xintai said it was nothing. “Come report tomorrow evening.”
Su Xiahe nodded excitedly. “Okay!”