Chapter 4 I'm all alone today

"Grandma, don't listen to his nonsense. How could I do such a thing?" Lin Xi hurriedly explained to her grandmother.

"Then why did you go to the Brilliant City Apartments so late at night and not come out all night, only returning in the morning?" Li Sheng asked, pointing at Lin Xi. "Don't tell me your friend lives there. That's a place for rich people; you can't afford it at all."

Li Sheng's father scoffed, "So what if she got into Jiangbei University? There aren't many good female college students these days. They're all the kind of girls who will sleep with any man for money."

Li Sheng's mother pursed her lips and said, "That's right, she's not clean anymore. What's wrong with our Xiao Sheng touching her? It's not like she'll lose anything."

Grandma Lin's face was terribly gloomy. She picked up a broom and started hitting the three members of the Li family. "You bunch of bastards! I'll let you slander and defame Xixi. I've had enough of living. I'm going to die with you all."

"Grandma," Lin Xi hugged her overly agitated grandmother, "Don't be angry, you have high blood pressure and can't get angry."

After Lin Xi persuaded her to calm down, Grandma Lin glared at the Li family of three and said, "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will fight you to the death."

After making those harsh words, Grandma Lin took Lin Xi back home.

Once inside, Grandma Lin closed the door, sat down in a chair, her face still grim. She glanced at Lin Xi and hissed in a low voice, "Kneel down!"

Lin Xi obediently knelt at Grandma Lin's feet, "Grandma, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lie."

Last night, she lied to her grandmother, saying she was going to stay at the home of a female classmate she was close to, so she was afraid her grandmother would worry.

"Where did you go last night?" Grandma Lin asked.

This time, Lin Xi told the truth. She showed Grandma Lin the messages sent by the agency and the fees collected.

Grandma Lin knew that Lin Xi was working as a part-time cleaner, and she thought that it was fine as long as it was a normal job during the holidays.

"Five hundred for an hour?" Grandma Lin thought the price was a bit outrageous.

"Maybe it's because it's so late. The homeowners are two young people who sleep during the day and stay up all night, and they are indeed very wealthy," Lin Xi explained.

Grandma Lin helped Lin Xi up. "Xi Xi, Grandma believes in you. Don't take on jobs that aren't very safe in the future."

Lin Xi nodded obediently, "Grandma, I understand. I've joined a few part-time job groups these days, some for tutoring, some for being a greeter, and some for being a print model."

Grandma Lin sighed, "It's all Grandma's fault for being so incompetent that you have to go out and earn your own tuition."

"Grandma, it's already been so hard for you to support me through high school all by yourself. Now I have the time and ability to earn money, so you won't have to work so hard anymore," Lin Xi hugged her grandma. "I will also find my brother, and then our family will be reunited."

Grandma Lin patted Lin Xi on the back, "Xi Xi, the outside world is full of temptations. Grandma hopes you can hold on to your principles and not do anything you'll regret."

"I know, Grandma, don't worry."

...

Song Xu gets up at seven o'clock every day, gets ready, goes downstairs to the breakfast buffet, has breakfast, and then goes to the company or school.

He changed his clothes and left the room, ignoring Chen Yan and Xiao Heng. Those two brats never sleep at night and never get up in the morning; they must be sleeping soundly right now.

The once messy living room became clean and tidy, which improved Song Xu's mood. He went to bed on time last night and didn't know when the cleaning lady left.

As Song Xu passed by the restaurant, he saw a note on the table. He picked it up and found the elegant handwriting on it to be very pleasing to the eye.

[Mr. Shen, thank you for your stay. I made some breakfast for you. I hope I will have the opportunity to serve you again. Goodbye! —Lin Xi]

It turned out that the hourly worker had slept here all night. Song Xu raised an eyebrow; he was somewhat of a germaphobe.

He didn't hire a live-in nanny because he always felt those women were unclean and always asked too many questions, which was too annoying.

However, he seems to be able to accept a nanny like Lin Xi.

He's pleasing to the eye, doesn't talk much, works efficiently, and cooks delicious meals. I might consider using him long-term.

Since there's breakfast readily available, he doesn't need to go downstairs to eat.

There's pumpkin and millet porridge cooking in the pot, along with fried dumplings, sandwiches, and fried eggs. The fruit has also been washed and cut into pieces.

After finishing his meal, Song Xu went to the company.

...

For the next two days, Lin Xi didn't receive any orders, so she accompanied her grandmother to collect recyclables.

"Xixi, go home." Grandma Lin didn't want Lin Xi to collect recyclables with her. Girls this age are at a time when they have strong self-esteem, and she was afraid that others would laugh at Xixi.

Wearing gloves, Lin Xi picked up a plastic bottle from the roadside and put it into her woven bag. "Grandma, I'll stay with you. I have good eyesight and I'm quick. We're sure to have a good harvest today."

Lin Xi never felt ashamed of her grandmother collecting recyclables. Her grandmother's retirement pension was meager, barely enough to support her through high school graduation, and she occasionally needed extra nutrition. The money from selling recyclables was the only source of income.

In her view, there is nothing shameful about earning money through labor.

Lin Xi's phone vibrated in her pocket. She took off her gloves, took out her phone, and saw a friend request on the green bubble. The applicant's name was Song Xu, and his profile picture was completely black.

Song Xu? Lin Xi didn't know her, but she knew her through a friend. She had been looking for part-time jobs recently, and she was just hoping that Song Xu might be the one they were looking for.

After becoming friends, Lin Xi sent a message first: "Hi, how can I help you with something?"

The other party replied quickly, with a brief message: "[Brilliant City Apartment 1701, lunch and dinner included, cleaning, 200 RMB per hour, interested?]"

Lin Xi's eyes lit up. It was that Xu-ge! She immediately replied, "Yes, I'll be there on time."

She put away her phone, took her grandmother's hand, and said happily, "Grandma, I got another hourly cleaning job. You can rest today. I earned some money."

Back home, Lin Xi took a quick shower, grabbed her tool bag, and headed out.

The daytime temperature was too high, so she chose to take the bus this time. However, there was a traffic jam on the way, which made her run all the way to her apartment after getting off the bus.

At exactly twelve o'clock, she knocked on Song Xu's door.

Song Xu opened the door and saw Lin Xi panting slightly, her cheeks flushed, and her forehead covered in sweat.

“Mr. Song, there was some traffic on the way,” Lin Xi glanced at her phone, “but luckily I wasn’t late.”

Song Xu turned aside to let Lin Xi in.

Lin Xi found a pair of disposable slippers and changed into them. "Mr. Song, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Seeing that her clothes were mostly soaked with sweat, Song Xu casually asked, "Do you want to take a shower first?"

"No need, I just showered when I came," Lin Xi replied.

Song Xu raised an eyebrow. Their conversation was too easy to misunderstand, thankfully no one else was around.

He coughed lightly, "Just make a couple of simple dishes, it's just me today."