Liu Yao never dreamed that Wang Chengle would call her over just to hire someone he had only met once as his bodyguard.
On the way over, she had already prepared herself to deal with him. She had even carefully crafted a speech she thought was flawless, intending to fool Wang Chengle.
After all, given his sharp-tongued and stingy demeanor, he most likely wouldn’t think about the possibility of being followed.
A person feeling guilty is vulnerable. Right now, Liu Yao, who had mentally rehearsed a direct response to Wang Chengle’s questions, was so startled by his words that she spat out the tea she had just drunk, right onto his face.
Wang Chengle, now sprayed in the face, pressed his lips together and closed his eyes.
He took a deep breath, then raised a hand to wipe away the moisture. Instead of losing his temper like he had with those girls earlier, he let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha! Little Brother, are you frightened by my words? Even if you don’t want to agree, there’s no need for such a reaction!”
Liu Yao hurriedly set down her teacup and reached out to help wipe his face, but then realized how rude that instinctive gesture would be. She could only touch her nose to cover up her embarrassment.
“Ahem—my apologies, Uncle Wang. I was indeed startled.” The girl covered her mouth with her fist to hide her awkwardness. “After all, I really didn’t expect you to spring this on me.”
Liu Yao cleared her throat twice, trying to steady herself.
“No matter, no matter! Little Brother’s reaction only makes me want to hire you even more!”
Wang Chengle waved his hand, picked up a handkerchief to wipe his face, then poured himself another cup of tea.
“Little Brother, the way you say that… well! Blame me for being too blunt. Come, come, first taste this tea and then we’ll talk.”
“This… how about you continue, Uncle Wang? I promise I won’t have such an extreme reaction this time.”
“Good! Truly a young hero of the Jianghu—straightforward! I like it!”
Wang Chengle burst into laughter upon hearing this. He raised his teacup toward Liu Yao.
“I’ve taken a liking to your straightforward nature. Besides, Little Brother, you’ve done me a great favor, and I don’t think you’re the type to have any ulterior motives toward me. So I simply want to invite you to become my bodyguard, Wang Chengle’s personal protector.”
“Uncle Wang is joking.” Liu Yao looked up at him. “I am merely new to the Jianghu, passing by when I happened to see someone committing a crime in broad daylight. I was indignant and stepped in to help.”
“As for your offer to hire me as a bodyguard…” Liu Yao put on a troubled expression.
“Ai!” Wang Chengle waved his hand, cutting off her next words. “Little Brother, don’t be so quick to refuse. First, hear me out, then make your decision, how about it?”
The youth hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.
In truth, Liu Yao wanted to refuse a thousand times over.
Setting aside the fact that she was only tailing Wang Chengle to investigate the truth behind the Wang family, in her eyes, this man was nothing but a spineless bully who kowtowed to the strong and terrorized the weak.
From a practical standpoint, what good could come from working for a boss like that? A bully who caves to the powerful and shifts with the wind—when trouble comes, he’d be the first to run.
From a personal standpoint, this old lecher always gave her a very uncomfortable feeling. If it weren’t for investigating the Wang family’s affairs, she would have turned tail and left long ago.
‘…Forget it. I’ll wait a little longer.’
‘Let’s see what kind of good idea he can come up with.’
Liu Yao sighed inwardly, but her face remained expressionless as she waited for Wang Chengle to continue.
Wang Chengle set down his teacup and leaned forward, wearing the shrewd smile peculiar to businessmen.
“Though I’m not a man of great wealth, on this little patch of land called Xiang’an Town, my Wang family does have a say. In short, we have some face around here.”
“I see from your attire, Little Brother, that you’ve likely just entered the Jianghu not long ago. You probably don’t have much silver on you, right?”
“As the Second Master of the Wang family, I may not promise you feasts, but I can guarantee you won’t worry about food or clothing.”
After hearing Wang Chengle’s words, Liu Yao couldn’t help but start thinking.
Honestly, his offer did hit her current weakness.
Her money was nearly gone. She had never been well-off while traveling, and usually, she only dared to order peanuts or the like to go with her drinks.
Not long ago, she had gotten into trouble and racked up a load of debt. If things continued like this, she wouldn’t even be able to afford food, let alone alcohol.
But the problem was—become a bodyguard for this old lecher?
The girl glanced at Wang Chengle’s greasy face and felt a wave of nausea.
Having to face that face every day, and accompany him to places like Dawn Spring Courtyard… she was afraid she might end up beating him black and blue.
‘I’d rather investigate on my own, trailing someone else, than work for this guy!’
While Liu Yao’s mind was churning, Wang Chengle noticed her hesitation—clearly a sign she was about to refuse.
Seeing that tempting her with profit wasn’t working, Wang Chengle decided to play the sympathy card instead.
He wiped the smile off his face, put on a sorrowful expression, and sighed heavily.
“Ah—Little Brother, you don’t know this, but although I tend to be flashy on ordinary days, I’ve never made any mortal enemies…”
“If it weren’t for Little Brother saving me today, my old life would have been lost…”
He even raised a hand to wipe the corner of his eye, though it was unclear if there were real tears.
“If Little Brother is unwilling, I won’t force it. But this life-saving grace… I’m afraid I’ll have to repay it in the next life…”
A grown man, without any warning, used his gruff voice to utter the most pathetic words. Liu Yao’s face twitched, and she almost lost her composure.
‘This old man… putting on a show for me now? Does he think I’m a fool?’
‘I just hope you don’t cause trouble in your next life.’
Watching Wang Chengle play the victim before her, the girl felt a strange unease. Yet, she was the type who couldn’t stand seeing others suffer like this in front of her.
Liu Yao let out a long internal sigh.
‘Oh well. At least he’s a human life.’
‘If I refuse, he might end up dead somewhere one day, and then I’d feel bad about it, wouldn’t I?’
‘Besides… becoming his bodyguard is the perfect excuse to get close to the Wang family. And it pays. Not a bad deal.’
‘Once I’ve saved up, I’ll buy another sword and get that stupid apprentice some new clothes. Make him look sharp, so he stops being so timid all the time.’
Liu Yao began scheming again.
Just as she was hesitating, Wang Chengle gritted his teeth and extended a few fingers, saying excitedly:
“How about this! If Little Brother agrees to protect me, I’ll give you this much!”
Liu Yao looked up at the hand Wang Chengle held out, and asked in disbelief.
“This… is it ten strings of cash…?”
“No! Little Brother, I mean ten taels of silver!” Wang Chengle insisted, as if he had made a monumental decision.
‘Ten… ten taels!? That much!?’
The girl’s eyes lit up at the words. The hesitant expression vanished in an instant, replaced by a beaming smile as she grabbed Wang Chengle’s hand.
“Deal! It’s a deal!”
Who said anything about despising wealth and valuing righteousness?
He was offering way too much!