Chapter 10: The Personal Bodyguard Officially Takes Duty

Ling Xuan’s sobbing gradually subsided, but she did not answer me.

"If you won't say it, then I have no choice but to continue acting as your bodyguard."

"Even though I have a suspect in mind, I have no evidence!" Ling Xuan had stopped crying, though she kept sniffing, her voice no longer laced with anger. In fact, combined with the sound of her sniffing, she sounded rather pitiful.

I smiled slightly. "In that case, let me protect you for a while longer!"

Ling Xuan suddenly looked up, pulled some tissues from the desk, wiped away her tears and snot, and said coldly, "I can't be bothered with you. That's your business, it has nothing to do with me!"

It seemed she had completely run out of ways to deal with me.

I felt a sense of joy and laughed lightheartedly. I proactively pulled out a few tissues and handed them to her, saying with a smile, "Wipe again. The security guards will be here soon. Just tell them I’m your bodyguard. I won't interfere with your work or daily life; you can just treat me as if I were invisible."

Ling Xuan didn't take the tissues from my hand. Instead, she kept a cold face, took a mirror out of her drawer to check her reflection, and wiped her face again.

Soon, a knock sounded at the door, and then Director Zhang entered, accompanied by Liu An and two other security guards.

"Throw him out!" Director Zhang, who likely hated my guts, pointed at me with a furious expression and ordered.

When Liu An and the others saw it was me, they stood frozen in surprise, hesitating to move.

Director Zhang shouted in a rage, "What are you still standing there for? This brat is disrupting the company's order and disturbing President Ling's work. Throw him out immediately!"

Ling Xuan had already grabbed a laptop from the side to shield her face and said flatly, "No need. Let him stay. From now on, he is my bodyguard."

"Huh?" Director Zhang was stunned.

Liu An and the others had been somewhat prepared for this and didn't find it too strange; they just looked at me with envy.

"What's with the 'huh'?" I began to act with the authority of the tiger, saying coldly, "Get out!"

To ensure the guards didn't think I was speaking to them, I added with a smile, "Team Leader Liu, this is just a misunderstanding. You should listen to President Ling."

That was clear enough. In this company, Ling Xuan was the highest authority; her word was law.

Liu An and his team quickly greeted Director Zhang and hurried away.

Director Zhang stood there like an idiot, stuck in a dilemma.

I walked over coldly and slammed the door shut.

Director Zhang had been standing in the doorway, and if he hadn't stepped back, he would have been hit by the door. He scrambled away, his face looking as unpleasant as if he had eaten a pile of dung.

Bang!

The door closed, and finally, there was peace.

I returned to the sofa, feeling immensely relieved, and began to leisurely brew some tea.

Ling Xuan suddenly said flatly, "Zhang Shaohua is the Operations Director of our group's subsidiary, Xuanli Women's Wear E-commerce. He was previously an operations director at other large women's fashion companies on the Tmall platform and is very experienced in operations. Don't go too far."

I laughed easily, "Since President Ling has spoken, I, as a mere employee, will naturally comply."

Ling Xuan gave me a cold glance.

Speaking of being an employee, I remembered what Liu An had said about a salary, so I asked with a smile, "President Ling, how much are you paying me?"

Ling Xuan said coldly, "I told you, staying here is your own business; I am not paying you a salary."

"Sigh!" I sighed with a smile and lay back on the sofa, saying nonchalantly, "Then I’ll be left to 'drink the northwest wind.' My rent is 4,800 a month! Apartments in the Shangpin residential area are just that expensive. But I can handle the rent myself; I’ll just have to eat my three meals a day with you, and incidentally, protect you."

Ling Xuan did not respond.

I started humming a little tune.

"Shut up! Sit up straight!" Ling Xuan snapped coldly.

Ugh, I had no choice but to sit up.

Feeling bored, I took out my phone and checked it. Qin Ruhua had left many messages on WeChat, mostly asking why I wasn't replying, and finally saying she was going to go make lunch.

"Did you finish cooking? I was busy just now," I sent her a message.

She didn't reply.

After staying for a while, the novelty wore off, and I grew bored. Seeing another desk in the corner next to the coffee table with a computer on it, I ran over to play on it.

This workstation must have belonged to the secretary, who was off today.

"Don't touch the things there. If you're going to stay here, sit on the sofa and stop moving around!" Ling Xuan issued another order.

Sigh, this is so boring!

"President Ling, it's time, let's go eat!"

Ling Xuan didn't respond. Her face was hidden by the laptop, and her hands were tapping away rhythmically.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Ling Xuan said without looking up.

I stared at the door and saw half a body poke in—it was actually Director Zhang Shaohua from before.

As soon as he arrived, he locked his eyes on me, his gaze filled with deep hostility.

"President Ling, it's noon. Let me take you to lunch! We can discuss the offline operations as well," Zhang Shaohua said. After glancing at me, he quickly looked away, his face full of arrogance.

Perhaps, although he felt that I had a closer relationship with Ling Xuan for the moment, he reasoned that I was only a bodyguard, far below his status and position, and couldn't possibly be his rival. Naturally, he chose to regain his composure and deliberately chose to despise me.

"You go ahead. We can discuss operations during work hours; there's no rush," Ling Xuan said flatly.

"Very well, I'll head off then." Zhang Shaohua’s eyes swept over me with disdain once more before he closed the door.

Tch, what a clown!

I sneered and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. I started spouting nonsense, "President Ling, I think that Director Zhang looks shifty, with his sneaky eyes, sharp mouth, and monkey-like cheeks. He looks truly repulsive—so ugly, dark-skinned, and with those bruised-looking lips. He must be deceitful and cunning, full of bad intentions. There's plenty of time to discuss work during office hours, yet he insists on doing it during lunch. He’s probably up to no good..."

"Enough!" Ling Xuan slammed the desk hard, stood up abruptly, and let out a sharp shout, her face as cold as frost.

I was startled and suddenly realized that my words must have reminded her of what happened eight years ago.

"I'll stop," I sighed helplessly. "Miss, you bark orders at me all day long; I reckon I must be the most miserable bodyguard in history."

If a professional bodyguard heard this, they would probably be filled with resentment. Professional bodyguards are required to stand straight, keep their nerves tight, and be observant in all directions; they could never be as lazy as I am.

"Then leave!" Ling Xuan sneered.

"Alright!" I stood up and smiled, "Let's go eat!"

"I'm not going!" Ling Xuan, clearly still angry, immediately rejected my suggestion.

However, it sounded a bit like a couple bickering and acting spoiled.

Ling Xuan clearly realized this too, and immediately sat back down, her hands returning to tapping on the keyboard.

I walked over to her with a grin and chattered, "Miss, you have to listen to me now. Eating is good for your health, and it's also part of my duty as a bodyguard."

Ling Xuan kept a straight face and didn't respond.

I leaned over to take a look; the computer screen showed a document with various charts and text, which I couldn't understand anyway.

"Let's go, let's go! You can finish this after we eat." I grabbed Ling Xuan’s hand and tugged.

"Don't touch me!" Ling Xuan jerked her hand away, but after a moment of hesitation, she stood up and walked out.

There was a cafeteria in the group building on the second floor.

We took the elevator down. Along the way, several female employees stepped in. Seeing Ling Xuan, they greeted her respectfully and stood to the side, making the atmosphere in the elevator rather stifling.

I stood beside Ling Xuan, leaning lazily against the elevator wall.

Those female employees looked at me with curiosity, and I looked back at them. They were all very young; while not necessarily all beauties, they were all brimming with youthful energy.

I smiled, "You all must be the customer service team for Xuanli Women's Wear, right?"

"Yeah, that's right! We haven't seen you before," a lively-looking girl with a round face replied with a smile.

"I just started today."

"Oh!" They all had questions, but with Ling Xuan present, they didn't continue the conversation.

When the elevator reached the second floor, they didn't dare rush out and let Ling Xuan go first.

I followed, walking side-by-side with Ling Xuan, and smiled, "President Ling, it seems you have quite a lot of authority!"

Ling Xuan kept a straight face and ignored me.

The girls behind us whispered curiously.

"Who is that? He seems very close to President Ling."

"President Ling seems to be in a bad mood; she usually greets us."

"But that guy is quite handsome and tall, and very manly. It’s a pity I already have a boyfriend. My intuition tells me he must be very good in that department. Girls, make your moves if you're interested! The male resources in this company are very limited!"

"Let's go find out more this afternoon."

Good grief, can girls be this direct and terrifying when they get dirty-minded!