Volume 1 Chapter 9: Compensation
The study door wasn’t fully closed.
Jiang Zhiwan had just taken her place before the study door, and before she could even knock, the person inside spoke up: “No need to knock, just come straight in.”
Standing by the window, Lu Yanshu wore only a black shirt.
The first button of the shirt was undone, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, the contours of his well-built muscles faintly visible.
There was a small wooden tea table by the window.
On one side of the tea table sat a cup of steaming brown sugar ginger tea and a small plate of assorted candied fruit.
“Come sit.” Lu Yanshu said in a low voice.
As Jiang Zhiwan drew near, Lu Yanshu promptly pulled the chair out a little for her.
Seeing that Jiang Zhiwan was only wearing a thin layer of clothing, Lu Yanshu furrowed his brows, barely restraining the urge to reach out and touch her hand to check if she was cold.
At that moment, all he could do was lower his voice and ask, “Are you cold?”
“Not cold.” Jiang Zhiwan shook her head honestly.
After Lu Yanshu sat down on the other side, he pushed the brown sugar ginger tea on the table toward Jiang Zhiwan: “Drink some first to warm yourself up.”
Jiang Zhiwan didn’t refuse Lu Yanshu’s kindness. She picked up the brown sugar ginger tea and took a sip.
The pungent spiciness of the ginger made Jiang Zhiwan’s eyes turn red around the rims. She was about to put the cup down when she caught a glimpse of Lu Yanshu watching her from the corner of her eye.
With no other choice, Jiang Zhiwan resigned herself to her fate and took a big gulp, then swallowed it while holding her breath.
The plate of assorted candied fruit prepared nearby helped alleviate the strange taste in Jiang Zhiwan’s mouth.
Afraid that Lu Yanshu would speak up and tell her to drink more brown sugar ginger tea, Jiang Zhiwan quickly steered the conversation toward the main matter at hand.
Jiang Zhiwan cleared her throat lightly, putting on a serious expression: “Mr. Lu, we should discuss the work matters now.”
Lu Yanshu pretended not to notice Jiang Zhiwan’s little scheme, merely curving the corners of his mouth as he pushed the contract he had prepared long ago in front of Jiang Zhiwan.
“Take a careful look. If there’s anything unsuitable, you can bring it up.”
The contract wasn’t exactly thin.
Jiang Zhiwan opened it and went through it clause by clause, her expression exceptionally meticulous.
Ever since her mother’s accident, Jiang Zhiwan had changed jobs many times. People in society came in all shapes and forms, and she had certainly been taken advantage of before.
But the more she read through this contract, the tighter Jiang Zhiwan’s brows furrowed.
It wasn’t that the contract was too harsh on her—rather, it was that the contract was simply too good to her.
Almost every clause was in her favor, and the monthly salary was more than enough to cover her mother’s medical expenses.
Jiang Zhiwan knew all too well that what fell from the sky wasn’t a free pie—it was a trap.
But she really couldn’t figure out what she had that the lofty Lu Yanshu could possibly covet.
After hesitating again and again, no matter how tempted she was, Jiang Zhiwan still refused.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Lu, but I can’t sign this contract.”
Lu Yanshu rubbed his brow, his eyes filled with helplessness, as if he had long anticipated that Jiang Zhiwan would refuse.
“I received a kindness from Old Master Fang in my early years. That’s part of the reason I’m offering you such a high salary.”
“The bigger reason is that you’re worth this price to me.”
“I really need you.”
Jiang Zhiwan was stunned.
The Old Master Fang that Lu Yanshu referred to was Jiang Zhiwan’s maternal grandfather—a renowned professor in Wangjing who could well be described as having students all over the world.
There were too many people who had received kindness from her grandfather, but after the Fang family’s downfall, almost everyone chose to turn a blind eye, afraid of offending Jiang Shuchen.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiwan’s trust in Lu Yanshu increased another notch: “The salary is too high.”
“Then how about cutting it by a third?” Lu Yanshu knew exactly how to strike the right balance.
Jiang Zhiwan was still hesitating: “But I’m not sure whether my voice will actually be effective in helping you sleep.”
Her gaze was candid and sincere—even though she clearly needed that salary very much, she was still worried about Lu Yanshu getting the short end of the deal.
Lu Yanshu’s eyes were gentle: “We’ll know tonight.”
Thinking about it that way, Jiang Zhiwan felt he had a point, and so she suggested with great sincerity: “Mr. Lu, let’s sign the contract after we try it out tonight.”
Lu Yanshu met Jiang Zhiwan’s earnest gaze as she looked at him seriously, a stubborn determination showing through her brows and eyes. He suddenly found her both old-fashioned and adorable.
As long as he could keep Jiang Zhiwan by his side, Lu Yanshu was willing to go along with her wishes on everything else.
After leaving the study, Jiang Zhiwan returned to the room the housekeeper had prepared for her.
The contract clearly stated that this job required Jiang Zhiwan to stay overnight at Lu Yanshu’s residence, living and eating together with him.
Provided it didn’t interfere with Jiang Zhiwan’s studies, she would also need to accompany Lu Yanshu when he traveled on business trips.
Jiang Zhiwan had no objections to that.
In the evening, a servant knocked on the door right on time to invite Jiang Zhiwan downstairs for dinner.
When Jiang Zhiwan followed the servant to the dining room, however, she didn’t see Lu Yanshu anywhere.
“Miss Jiang, please have a taste and see if these dishes suit your palate,” the housekeeper inquired.
Jiang Zhiwan’s maternal grandparents were from the Jiangnan region, and Jiang Shuchen was a son-in-law who had married into the family, so Jiang Zhiwan had actually grown up in the Fang household.
The Jiangnan palate leaned toward sweet and sour flavors, and having grown up in the Fang household, Jiang Zhiwan had developed a taste for sweet and sour dishes as well.
At this moment, looking around, every dish on the table suited Jiang Zhiwan’s taste.
Moved by this, Jiang Zhiwan asked, “And Mr. Lu?”
“Half an hour ago, an urgent matter arose at the company that required the young master’s attention,” the butler explained honestly.
He added, “Before he left, the young master specifically told me to inform you that he would likely be back very late tonight, and that you shouldn’t wait up for him—you should get some rest early to prepare for tomorrow’s final exam.”
Jiang Zhiwan pressed her lips together and said nothing more.
.
Midnight, twelve o’clock sharp.
The antique clock in the living room chimed with a deep, resonant sound.
Standing in the shadows, the butler yawned, then his gaze fell upon Jiang Zhiwan, who was sitting in a chair nearby, earnestly flipping through a book. A look of deep satisfaction filled his expression.
His family had served as the Lu family’s butlers for generations, and to put it boldly, he could say he had watched Lu Yanshu grow up.
From childhood to adulthood, Lu Yanshu had never been willing to open his heart to others. The butler had thought Lu Yanshu would remain lonely forever—but Jiang Zhiwan’s arrival seemed to have brought a turning point to that situation.
Half an hour later, faint footsteps sounded from the entrance.
Lu Yanshu, carrying the chill of the night, stepped into the foyer with a grim expression. Exhaustion and irritation weighed down the air around him, pressing his presence low.
That exhaustion and irritation vanished in an instant the moment he saw the figure seated in the living room.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Zhiwan looked up to see what was happening. Spotting Lu Yanshu’s figure, she immediately rose to her feet.
“Mr. Lu, you’re back.”
Lu Yanshu gave a soft “mm” in acknowledgment, then furrowed his brows slightly. “Why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?”
“I was waiting for you.” Jiang Zhiwan tilted her head.
Working overtime at the company for so long, coming home and not being able to sleep, then having to get up early for work the next day—how exhausting must that be?
Lu Yanshu felt his heart swell with tenderness, his voice gentle as water. “It’s too late.”
Jiang Zhiwan didn’t think much of it. She blinked, speaking with a hint of pride. “I can handle staying up late. Last year I worked a night shift until three in the morning, and even with a full day of classes, I wasn’t the least bit sleepy.”
This pained Lu Yanshu deeply. A cold glint flickered in his eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly.
If he had known he would meet Jiang Zhiwan in Wangjing, he wouldn’t have wasted so much time abroad.