Chapter 437 - 435: Did You Send the Pickles?
"Xiao Ya, go see if you can find a suitable bodyguard and hire one."
Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaoya teased, "Boss, does a big guy like you really need a bodyguard?"
"It’s not for me."
"Then who is it for? Don’t tell me... it’s for the missus?"
"You’re really becoming a professional secretary, Xiao Ya. You read my mind perfectly."
"So it really is for the missus? In that case... how about we hire a handsome, 200-meter-tall guy for her?"
"That’s a great idea. So great, in fact, that I’m tempted to dock your pay."
"Just kidding! I’ll go find a suitable female bodyguard right away."
Wu Xiaoya didn’t dare linger in Xue Yang’s office, afraid that he might actually dock her salary on a whim. She quickly slipped away.
A female bodyguard... how am I supposed to find one of those? And she can’t be too pretty, right? But she can’t be too ugly, either. What if the missus doesn’t like her? Ugh, this is giving me a headache.
***
Lin Xi and Xue Yang’s parents entered the first floor of Tianhong Supermarket. The ground floor was mostly occupied by jewelry stores and similar boutiques, with a few clothing shops scattered about.
"Xiao Xi, what do you want to buy?" Zhong Hailan asked.
"Auntie, I’d like to buy some clothes. I don’t have many to wear now that I’m here."
"Alright, let’s go buy clothes first."
After asking for directions at the information desk, Lin Xi led Xue Yang’s parents to the Xiang Naier boutique.
"Honey, are the clothes in stores like this very expensive?" Zhong Hailan asked her husband uneasily, feeling the intensity of the salesclerks’ enthusiastic service the moment they walked in.
"Probably? If Xiao Xi likes them, we shouldn’t worry about it too much."
"Ah, alright."
Zhong Hailan nodded. That’s right. It’s best for old folks like them not to meddle too much in the affairs of the younger generation. Besides, one look at Xiao Xi was enough to tell she wasn’t from an ordinary family; she certainly wasn’t short on money.
The elderly couple sat in the lounge area, waiting for Lin Xi to choose her clothes. A little while later, she came over holding a piece of menswear.
"Auntie, what do you think of this shirt for Xue Yang? Does it look good?"
It was a very fashionable white men’s T-shirt with a vintage-style print. Although Zhong Hailan and her husband knew nothing about fashion, they liked the shirt at first sight.
"Xiao Xi, weren’t you shopping for yourself? Why are you picking things out for that rascal again? You can just buy any old thing for that boy."
"I just thought this shirt would look great on Xue Yang, so I wanted to get it."
In fact, Lin Xi had fallen in love with the shirt the moment she walked into the store.
"Buy it if you like, but you don’t need to buy so much for that rascal."
"I’ll see what I find."
Lin Xi said she’d see what she found but ended up buying a huge pile of clothes for Xue Yang, while she barely bought anything for herself.
"It seems like I bought too little for myself."
Lin Xi went back to browse some more, and when she returned, she was carrying another large pile of clothes.
"Um, Uncle, Auntie, I think I bought too much," Lin Xi said, a little embarrassed. She was used to shopping with Si Wen, and when the two of them bought clothes, they never had to overthink it. She suddenly worried, would Xue Yang’s parents think she was a spendthrift?
Throughout their time together, Lin Xi had noticed that they were very frugal. Besides food, they had almost no other expenses.
Sensing Lin Xi’s apprehension, Zhong Hailan quickly said, "Ah, don’t worry about it. As long as you like them, it’s fine."
"Uncle, Auntie, these... are for you," Lin Xi said, pointing to the bags held by two salesclerks behind her.
"For us, too?"
"Xiao Xi, there’s no need to spend so much. We have plenty of clothes. These... maybe we should return them?"
It wasn’t that they disliked the gesture; they simply felt the clothes were too expensive. It would feel strange to wear them. Moreover, they had heard that expensive clothes like these were often difficult to wash. Honestly, they just weren’t very practical for them.
"Then let’s go buy some from another store. Uncle, Auntie, is there a particular store you prefer?"
"Oh, there’s no need, Xiao Xi. We don’t lack clothes," Zhong Hailan said, waving her hand.
"Uncle, Auntie, I earned this money myself. I’ve always wanted to use my own money to buy things for my family, and now I can finally do it. Please just let me buy you something, okay?"
"Well... just one set, then."
"Okay."
The three of them went to another clothing store, and while browsing, they still ended up buying several outfits. Lin Xi was so charming and her words so sweet, they found it utterly impossible to refuse her.
"By the way, Uncle, your build looks similar to my dad’s. I want to buy him an outfit; could you help me by trying this on?"
"Of course," Xue Yuanqing said with a chuckle. So Xiao Xi’s father had a similar build to his. He felt he understood Lin Xi a little better now.
After buying the clothes and arranging for the store to deliver them to the Xue Family residence, the trio moved on to the main goal of their shopping trip: buying all sorts of candy and snacks.
***
Xue Yang returned to the office a bit early that afternoon. The moment he entered, he saw a girl staring blankly at a jar of pickles on his desk. A cleaning rag lay on the desk beside her.
The girl had a nice figure from behind, but she was far too thin—emaciated, even. It was clear she wasn’t getting enough nutrition. If she gained about ten pounds, forget her face, her silhouette alone would be stunning. It looked like she was cleaning his office. And just like that, Xue Yang finally realized that this was the girl who cleaned his office every day.
Hearing the door open, the girl spun around. Her panic was palpable when she turned and saw it was Xue Yang. As she stood there flustered, Xue Yang had already walked over to his desk.
"H-hello, President Xue."
She’d specifically chosen his lunch break to clean, so how did he end up catching her? But a small part of her hoped he might be touched to see her. Still... the pickles she’d given him looked untouched.
Xue Yang’s gaze fell on the jar in her hand. "These pickles... did you leave them here?"
Li You blushed. "Y-yes. You don’t like them, President Xue?"
"Thank you, but I don’t eat spicy food."
"Oh... then I’ll make a non-spicy batch next time."
"There’s no need to go to that trouble. I like the pickles my mom makes."
Hearing his firm rejection, the color drained from Li You’s face. "President Xue... I was just... I was just trying to thank you. I didn’t mean anything else."
"Li You, you don’t need to thank me. I pay you a salary for your work. It’s a fair exchange, so we’re even. Do you understand?"
"That’s not what I meant, President Xue."
Xue Yang frowned. "Not that?"
"Boss, have you forgotten?" Li You looked hurt. The one thing she had always remembered was apparently not even worth mentioning to him.