Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Shen Linfeng felt very irritated.
The car drove into a narrow road, the alley was very crowded, barely enough for two cars to pass. If he happened to encounter a car parked on the side of the road, he would have to stare at the oncoming driver to see who would give way first.
The ornaments on the roof of the car swayed with the bumps of the road, the tassels occasionally hitting his peripheral vision, making his scalp itch.
“Arrived at the destination, Antai Community. There are no parking lots around…”
Shen Linfeng looked at the gate of the community in front of him. There was a gate barrier at the entrance, and the security guard was dozing off in the booth. Shen Linfeng rolled down his car window and told the security guard he was going in to find someone.
“Building number and apartment number?” the guard asked lazily, pulling out a notebook.
Shen Linfeng instinctively wanted to answer, but his heart tightened before he could speak. He asked, “Do you want to call the person inside to confirm?”
“Huh?” The guard picked at his ear, asking impatiently, “Are you going in or not? If not, don’t block the entrance!”
Shen Linfeng’s irritation intensified; he wanted to get out of the car and punch the guard against the wall.
No. Shen Linfeng told himself. Calm down. He wasn’t here to cause trouble.
Suppressing his anger, Shen Linfeng gave the apartment number. After registering it, the guard glanced at the security camera in the booth and said, “There are no parking spaces left. Go find one outside.”
“What?” Shen Linfeng didn’t react for a moment, then a surge of heat rushed to his head. Why make him register if there are no parking spaces? Was he deliberately messing with him?
The guard ignored him, rolled up the window, and went back to the booth to play on his phone.
Shen Linfeng sat in the car and slammed his fist on the steering wheel.
Calm down… He closed his eyes, repeatedly warning himself not to cause trouble, then slowly backed the car out.
Antai Residential Area was an old neighborhood. Parking was scarce inside, and outside… it was even scarcer.
There was no parking nearby at all. Shen Linfeng drove on, watching himself get further and further away from the residential area, finally finding a parking space after a long time. He was seething with anger as he got out of the car, and walked back to the residential area in a sullen mood.
Back at Antai Residential Area, he was stopped again by the security guard at the gate.
“What are you doing here?” the guard asked, holding a notebook, without even looking up.
“I already registered,” Shen Linfeng said, suppressing his temper.
“That was parking registration, this is visitor registration. It’s different.” The guard tapped the glass with his pen, equally impatient. “What are you doing here?”
Shen Linfeng took a deep breath, repeatedly telling himself not to cause trouble, not to cause trouble so soon after returning to the country…
After a moment of calm, he said, “I’m here to see a friend.”
The guard: “Who?”
Shen Linfeng felt a dull pain in his heart and was speechless for a moment.
The security guard glared at him impatiently. Shen Linfeng felt an urge to find a secluded spot to yell, or to pick a fight. The irritation in his heart was almost tangible, seeping from every pore of his body.
“This is it. Are you going to let me in or not?!” Shen Linfeng pointed at the address in the register, practically shouting.
The security guard was startled by his forceful tone, glanced down at the address in the register, and suddenly seemed to remember something, blurting out, “Oh, you’re here to see that…”
Shen Linfeng didn’t want to hear the rest. He was afraid to hear it, as if a guillotine was hanging over his head, ready to fall and slice him in two.
“Open the door!” Shen Linfeng roared grimly.
Shen Linfeng was 1.88 meters tall, dressed in designer clothes, looking arrogant and domineering— clearly a rich kid with a bad temper.
The security guard was intimidated by his aura and dared not say another word, immediately pressing the remote to open the door.
Shen Linfeng exhaled a breath of stale air, his expression gloomy. He took two steps, then turned back, asking for the exact location of the building.
The security guard obediently pointed him in the right direction.
“Thank you,” Shen Linfeng said fiercely.
“N-no problem…” The security guard remained hidden in his booth, afraid to come out, thinking, “What kind of person is this? Even his thanks sound like a threat.”
Shen Linfeng finally arrived at the building.
There was a doorbell at the entrance. His gaze fell on the button, but his finger hesitated to press it.
He stood there like a wooden statue for a long time, then closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. He felt as pathetic as a deflated balloon.
There was a small garden nearby. Shen Linfeng sat down in the garden, ruffled his hair haphazardly, and realized he had to compose himself before seeing that person.
Otherwise, in his current state… he really didn’t know what he might do.
Impulsiveness is the devil, and he was afraid he would do something reckless.
Shen Linfeng sat on a bench, one hand supporting his forehead, rubbing his temples which throbbed from jet lag.
The sounds of middle-aged women talking and the wheels of a stroller turning on the cobblestones drifted from nearby.
“Oh, that child is so pitiful. He was recommended to Tsinghua University, and then this happened right before graduation…”
“Yes, yes, dump trucks are so dangerous. They shouldn’t be driving in the city.”
“I heard the truck ran over his legs directly; both legs were crushed into a bloody pulp on the spot, impossible to catch. Luckily, he was rescued…”
“So pitiful. His mother is also miserable. This child isn’t married yet, is he? Like this, it’ll be hard for him to find a partner…”
Shen Linfeng felt the pain in his temples intensify. The veins on his forehead throbbed, as if a dump truck was repeatedly crushing his brain inside.
Shen Linfeng stood up, intending to leave, but then heard the older women say, “By the way, has Mother Lin found a caregiver yet?”
“Not yet, I think. She was asking me yesterday about the caregiver my father-in-law hired when he was hospitalized.”
“Oh, it’s so tough. Mother Lin has to work all by herself, and the child just got discharged and needs someone to take care of him. Finding a good caregiver these days is no easy feat.”
“Don’t even mention it. Lin’s child is very strong-willed; he refuses to hire a caregiver. He says he can manage on his own.”
“Oh dear, that child must be so considerate of his mother! He must know how hard it is for his mother to earn money alone, sigh… don’t say it, it’s making me want to cry.”
“Me too, sigh…”
Shen Linfeng swayed slightly as he stood up. He pressed his lips tightly together, his heart aching as if being stabbed with a sharp knife.
Yes, that person was very strong-willed… from childhood to adulthood, he was always “someone else’s child,” a chosen one.
Shen Linfeng still remembered the nonchalant look on that guy’s face when he received his Tsinghua University admission offer.
Amidst everyone’s envious gazes, he wore an expression of utter entitlement. He was truly infuriating. The way he stood on the podium, the center of attention. The way he sat under the camphor tree in a white shirt, reading. The way he played basketball, sweating profusely, exuding an air of triumph as if the whole world was beneath his feet. He was truly…infuriating…
Shen Linfeng lowered his head and rubbed the corner of his eye. He thought to himself, how could someone who was so infuriating back then, yet he hadn’t even dared to hit him, have his leg crushed and amputated by a car? How could this happen?!
The older women were chatting idly in the small garden, pushing strollers. Their words of pity and sympathy still pierced Shen Linfeng’s eardrums.
Shen Linfeng finally couldn’t bear it anymore. The little balloon in his heart swelled to its limit.
—Impulse is the devil.
Shen Linfeng mounted the devil’s neck and ran into the nearest Uniqlo, buying a discounted tracksuit.
Half an hour later. The doorbell finally rang.
An older woman’s voice came from inside: “Who is it?”
Shen Linfeng: “I was introduced by Aunt Wang. Are you looking for a caregiver?”
“Oh, yes, yes.” The woman, completely unsuspecting, quickly opened the door for him.
The Lin family lived in room 602. Shen Linfeng leaped up two or three steps like a gust of wind, his heart pounding.
The person who opened the door was a simply dressed, somewhat haggard-looking middle-aged woman. As soon as she opened the door, she saw a handsome, aggressively handsome young man over 1.8 meters tall standing in the doorway, and she was taken aback.
“Excuse me…”
Shen Linfeng: “I’m here to apply for a caregiver position.”
The middle-aged woman exclaimed “Ah,” her expression somewhat confused. Just as she was about to say something, a panting voice came from downstairs.
“Hey, why doesn’t this building have an elevator…”
The two subconsciously turned around and saw a bald man wearing an old-fashioned tracksuit, with droopy, lifeless eyes, slowly walking towards them.
The middle-aged man glanced at the house number and then raised his voice to Mrs. Lin, “Is this the house that’s looking for a caregiver? I just called you!”
“Yes, yes…” Mrs. Lin said somewhat helplessly.
“I’m exhausted, this high floor must cost extra!” The bald man walked up with an unhappy expression.
“Excuse me, come in and have a glass of water!” Mrs. Lin squatted down uneasily, took out two pairs of slippers, and placed them at the door.
Shen Linfeng frowned and glared at the bald man with extreme displeasure.
“What?” The bald man stomped off his dirty sneakers and glared back at him irritably.
Shen Linfeng didn’t have time to pay attention to him at this moment. He was about to see Lin Chao, and his mind was in turmoil.
Shen Linfeng hastily pulled up his mask to cover his face, thinking that his appearance had changed a bit over the years, and Lin Chao shouldn’t recognize him…
However, as soon as he entered the living room, Shen Linfeng froze.
It wasn’t because he saw the person he wanted to see, but because another middle-aged man was sitting on the sofa. The other person was refined and polite, appearing very gentle and courteous.
“Hello, Uncle.” Shen Linfeng greeted him subconsciously.
“Huh?” The other person looked at him in surprise, then stood up awkwardly, scratching his hair and saying, “No, I’m not…”
Shen Linfeng: “?”
“He’s also here to apply for a caregiver position…” Mother Lin placed two cups of hot tea on the table, glanced at everyone somewhat awkwardly, and explained, “I’m usually busy with work, and I only have time today, so I scheduled several caregivers for the same time. I’m sorry.”
Shen Linfeng: “…”
How was this supposed to be unable to find a caregiver!
How come he not only has competitors, but two of them!
Shen Linfeng had just called his competitors “uncle” at the beginning, and the slight annoyance in his heart hadn’t even dissipated when he realized an even bigger problem. Putting aside that greasy, lazy, and unreliable bald man… this competitor who came in first actually seemed surprisingly reliable! Not only did he have more than ten years of work experience, but he was also neatly dressed, and his attitude was kind and amiable. He was the kind of caregiver uncle who looked like a good person at first glance!
Shen Linfeng clearly sensed Mother Lin’s fondness for the kind-hearted uncle, but her expression hesitated when the uncle mentioned his caregiver price.
“Seven thousand…” Mother Lin murmured.
“I don’t need seven thousand!” Shen Linfeng said decisively.
Mother Lin looked over, but Shen Linfeng hesitated. What price should he quote? Too cheap would be inappropriate, seeming too fake. Ideally, it should be slightly lower than the market price— cheap and good without arousing suspicion— but he had no idea about caregiver prices in China… While Shen Linfeng was still struggling with this, the bald uncle on the other side of the sofa suddenly spoke up.
“For me, three thousand a month is fine.” The bald uncle chuckled, revealing a set of yellowed teeth from years of smoking. “You’re close to my house, and you only need to come for half a day, right? I can still make it to another place.”
Mother Lin’s expression clearly wavered.
Shen Linfeng: “!!!”
This bald uncle’s smile was so lewd!
How could he entrust Lin Chao to such a person!
Shen Linfeng immediately said, “Auntie, actually I also—”
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