When Song Tinghuan woke up the next morning, she saw a bonus deposit notification.
Her spirits instantly lifted.
Why had another bonus been issued out of nowhere?
Could it be…
Without even washing up, Song Tinghuan slipped into her slippers and dashed downstairs, yanking open the refrigerator door.
Sure enough, the egg fried rice she had left behind last night was gone.
A sticky note had been left on the refrigerator door. The handwriting pressed so hard that it nearly pierced through the paper—
Breakfast: Pan-fried chicken breast with tomato slices and lettuce in a whole wheat wrap, topped with salad dressing. One cup of black coffee.
Song Tinghuan: Wasn’t that just a jianbing guozi?
She knew it. Bonuses never appeared for no reason.
Though she could not figure out why the amount included an odd fifty yuan.
It was accurate down to the last fifty.
Delighted, Song Tinghuan pocketed the bonus, changed clothes, washed up, and then went downstairs to make the “jianbing guozi.”
Just as it came out of the pan, Shen Yuqing came downstairs.
Song Tinghuan waved at him.
“President Shen, good morning!”
The morning sunlight streamed into the room.
Song Tinghuan wore a single side braid. Her hair tie was decorated with a bright pink rose. Her porcelain-smooth face displayed two obvious dimples.
Shen Yuqing was momentarily distracted.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
“Morning.”
Song Tinghuan raised the spatula.
“The jianbing guozi will be ready in a moment.”
The slight smile on Shen Yuqing’s lips immediately disappeared.
“That isn’t jianbing guozi. It’s—”
“Pan-fried chicken breast with tomato slices and lettuce in a whole wheat wrap topped with salad dressing.”
Song Tinghuan placed the jianbing guozi in front of him.
“I didn’t get the name wrong, did I?”
Only then was Shen Yuqing satisfied.
“Mm.”
“And your black coffee.”
This time, Shen Yuqing did not find fault with anything.
“Not bad.”
Song Tinghuan grinned.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
After breakfast, Shen Yuqing watched Song Tinghuan’s busy figure moving around the kitchen and remembered that today was already her third day here.
The fingers of his right hand tapped lightly against the wheelchair armrest.
Forget it.
It wasn’t impossible to keep her.
She was not entirely without merits.
After all, her cooking was genuinely good.
If she could stop digging out his battery in the future, then he would agree to let her stay.
With that thought in mind, Shen Yuqing was about to speak when the villa’s doorbell rang.
Hearing the sound, Song Tinghuan ran to the foyer and opened the video intercom.
A man in a gray suit stood outside, carrying a briefcase.
“President Shen, who is this? Should I let him in?”
The display screen on Shen Yuqing’s wheelchair showed the same image.
He nodded.
“My friend. Let him come to the study on the second floor.”
Song Tinghuan opened the gate and welcomed the visitor inside.
The man wore gold-rimmed glasses and smiled politely at her.
“Hello. I’m Xu Jiachang, Yuqing’s good friend.”
Song Tinghuan returned the smile courteously.
“My name is Song Tinghuan. I’m President Shen’s nanny.”
A meaningful look appeared behind Xu Jiachang’s lenses.
“Being his nanny must be very difficult.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t mean anything else by it.” He continued smiling. “Don’t feel pressured. I just think you’re still young. It’s a pity for someone your age to work as a nanny, especially when the employer has… those kinds of circumstances.”
Song Tinghuan felt that her reactions were already rather slow.
Yet she still immediately sensed the malice hidden in those words.
“Aren’t you President Shen’s friend?” she asked.
Xu Jiachang paused.
“I am.”
“Then who talks about their friend like that?”
Xu Jiachang adjusted his glasses.
“I’m merely speaking the truth. Young girls like you are usually the most prone to sympathy. Combined with Yuqing’s good looks, it’s easy to lose your way. But after some time, once you understand Yuqing’s personality, you’ll probably change your mind.”
Song Tinghuan was so angry that she immediately wanted to argue back.
“Hey, that’s not why I—”
Xu Jiachang raised a hand, refusing to continue the discussion.
“Sorry. I have business with Yuqing.”
He hurried upstairs, leaving Song Tinghuan with nowhere to vent her frustration.
What kind of friend was that?
How could he make such assumptions about her?
She definitely had not become Shen Yuqing’s nanny out of sympathy.
And certainly not because Shen Yuqing was handsome.
It was clearly because Young President Shen offered an exceptionally high salary.
This Xu Jiachang looked refined and cultured, but every sentence he spoke was a knife.
He did not seem like a sincere friend at all.
Not wanting to disturb them directly, Song Tinghuan grabbed a cleaning cloth and pretended to do housework while wandering back and forth in the hallway outside the study.
The villa had excellent soundproofing.
She could not hear a word of what was being discussed inside.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
It was Young President Shen.
Shen Heng’s tone was urgent.
“Song Tinghuan, quick! Throw the man in the study out!”
Before she could respond, a loud crash suddenly erupted from inside the study.
Without hesitation, Song Tinghuan kicked open the door.
“President Shen!”
Almost everything on the desk had been swept onto the floor.
Amid the mess, Xu Jiachang stood quietly, still wearing the same faint smile.
He looked toward Shen Yuqing behind the desk with an expression of helpless resignation.
A video conference was still connected on the computer.
“You all saw it, didn’t you?” Xu Jiachang said. “Yuqing’s condition is really not good right now.”
Ignoring the reactions from the video conference, Shen Yuqing fixed his black eyes on Xu Jiachang.
“Get out.”
Xu Jiachang shrugged.
“Of course I’ll leave. I’ll give you time to calm down. Once you’ve calmed down, we can continue our discussion.”
“There is no need.”
Xu Jiachang sighed helplessly.
“Yuqing, at a time like this, stop acting on impulse. We’re only doing this for your own good.”
Shen Yuqing maneuvered his wheelchair out from behind the desk and stopped in front of Xu Jiachang.
With both hands in his pockets, Xu Jiachang looked down at him from above, a playful smile curling at the corners of his lips.
Song Tinghuan immediately noticed that Shen Yuqing’s hands, resting on his knees, had clenched into fists. The veins on the backs of his hands bulged prominently.
This was a sign that he was desperately restraining himself.
She could not worry about anything else now.
Like an energetic young calf, Song Tinghuan shoved Xu Jiachang hard enough to make him stumble backward.
Then she turned and stood protectively in front of Shen Yuqing.
At the same time, she quietly took hold of the hand he had clenched into a fist.
Applying a little pressure, her warm fingers gently pried apart his tightly closed fist until their palms touched.
Shen Yuqing stared at their joined hands.
A flash of surprise crossed his face.
Xu Jiachang steadied himself against the wall and pointed at Song Tinghuan.
“You’re just a nanny, and you dare barge in here!”
Song Tinghuan lifted her chin.
“So what? Not only can I come in, I can throw you out too.”
Xu Jiachang snorted, clearly unconvinced.
Song Tinghuan lowered her head and saw three rows of buttons on Shen Yuqing’s wheelchair control panel.
Which one had she pressed last time?
Following her memory, she pressed one.
Xu Jiachang sneered.
“Just because you know how to use a wheelchair?”
“I’m definitely better than you!”
While the two argued, Shen Yuqing quietly pressed another button.
He guessed that this was the button Song Tinghuan had actually intended to press.
Sure enough, less than half a minute later, a rumbling noise echoed from downstairs.
It sounded like an army advancing.
Xu Jiachang’s expression changed repeatedly.
“What is that sound?”
Song Tinghuan wiped her thumb across the tip of her nose.
“Hmph. Let me show you how powerful a nanny can be!”
The same dozen or so black-clad bodyguards she had seen on her first day arrived.
Each one was strong, muscular, and built like a mountain.
“Big Brothers Bodyguard, it’s him!”
Song Tinghuan pointed at Xu Jiachang.
“Throw him out!”
Behind her, Shen Yuqing gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The bodyguards immediately understood.
They grabbed Xu Jiachang and effortlessly lifted him off the ground, carrying him outside.
Song Tinghuan picked up the briefcase from the floor and chased after them.
The study became quiet once more.
The video conference had not yet disconnected.
A middle-aged man’s sigh came from the speakers.
“Yuqing, your behavior has deeply disappointed your mother and me.”
Crack—!
The computer screen was smashed.
The video call was forcibly terminated.
After a few bursts of static, the screen went completely dark.
Rubbing his fingertips together, Shen Yuqing spoke in an icy voice.
“Then I’m truly sorry.”
Downstairs, just as the bodyguards were about to throw Xu Jiachang out through the gate, Song Tinghuan grabbed one of the bodyguards’ arms for support and delivered a vicious flying kick straight to Xu Jiachang’s backside.
Enhanced by that kick, Xu Jiachang flew another two meters before crashing to the ground.
He remained sprawled there for quite a while, unable to get up.
Even his glasses had flown off.
Then his briefcase came flying through the air and smacked him squarely on the rear.
His entire body bounced twice against the ground.
Song Tinghuan clapped her hands with satisfaction.
“Well? Did it hurt when the nanny beat you?!”