My girlfriend isn't as cute as me.

"Yeah, I've found the job that's perfect for me. I wouldn't get tired of it even if I did it for the rest of my life," Lin Jiu replied absentmindedly as she browsed the supermarket and looked at the prices.

He was considering whether or not to make a late-night snack tonight, feeling that it would be too high in calories, and was somewhat worried about Wang Yuting's health.

"Oh, congratulations!" Ning Yueyao said. "May I ask what kind of job you have?"

"Househusband."

"Eh?"

Ning Yueyao didn't quite understand.

It's probably a job similar to taking care of people, right? That must be it, hmm.

At this moment, Lin Jiu had made up her mind: tonight she would be ruthless and not make any midnight snacks.

Fruit salad is still an option, though.

Perhaps because he had mentioned salad so many times, Lin Jiu was also getting a little hungry.

With that thought in mind, Lin Jiu tiptoed and took two boxes of yogurt that he had just recommended to Ning Yueyao from the shelf.

Ning Yueyao originally wanted to help him get it, but Lin Jiu glared at her, so he tried his best to reach it.

The only thing Lin Jiu didn't want to rely on others for was her height.

"Lin, may I ask you something?"

As they prepared to head to the cashier to pay, Ning Yueyao diligently followed them again.

"You said."

Lin Jiu glanced at the long, smelly queue and figured she had enough time anyway, so she just went with it.

Ning Yueyao glanced at him and asked the question that had been on her mind.

Why do you always get 60 on your exams?

"..."

Lin Jiu glanced at her.

His eyes were devoid of warmth.

Because of Lin Jiu's glance, Ning Yueyao felt as if the temperature around her had dropped ten degrees, chilling her to the bone. However, when she came to her senses, Lin Jiu's expression returned to normal.

"If you do something to the best of your ability for someone who was once very important to you, thinking that you are also important to them, hoping that this will make them better, and expecting them to make changes because of it... in the end, all your efforts are just a piece of waste paper to them, your efforts are spat on and thrown into the trash heap."

Lin Jiu slowly raised his head, his voice trembling slightly.

In this world, almost every boy harbors aspirations for his family. He wants to be a strong and upright man like his father, to learn how to treat others with gentleness like his mother, and to become an extraordinary person.

Lin Jiu was no exception.

He was the same before he was ten years old.

The moment my parents divorced when I was ten years old.

A door opened in his heart, and later a lock was added.

Ning Yueyao didn't understand Lin Jiu's feelings. She just looked at him quietly without making a comment.

There isn't much true empathy in this world. If you don't know how much suffering someone has endured, don't try to offer advice from your own perspective. That's not comfort or encouragement; it's malicious mockery.

"But it's alright."

Lin Jiu smiled, a very sunny smile, without any self-deprecation.

“I’ve met someone who is truly important to me.” Lin Jiu’s mind flashed with Wang Yuting’s smile, and his smile deepened. “That person has high expectations for me, and I can’t let her down.”

"……Um!"

Ning Yueyao nodded vigorously.

Although she is rather naive and doesn't understand social etiquette very well, she is shrewd in her own mind.

The person Lin Jiu was referring to was definitely not her, but the radiant older sister who appeared and kicked open the door of the teaching affairs office.

"so good."

Ning Yueyao whispered.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Someone Came to Pick Me Up

The two stopped talking and quietly waited in line.

When it came time to pay, Ning Yueyao asked for a large plastic bag, while Lin Jiu took out a folded reusable bag from her pocket. Lin Jiu packed the purchased items into the two bags according to their categories to avoid mixing them up. After all, plastic bags cost money, and using reusable bags allows for recycling. The difference might not be noticeable once or twice, but over time it can save a lot of money.

Lin Jiu didn't yet possess the grand vision of caring for the world; more concerned with whether the money he saved could buy him an extra bottle of milk than with global warming. After all, Wang Yuting had said that the extra living expenses could be used for company team building activities.

Lin Jiu was quite looking forward to the team building activity, which involved only the two of them.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a date, would it?

"Here, take this."

Ning Yueyao took out dish soap from her bag, which she had originally intended to buy for Lin Jiu.

Lin Jiu nodded: "Thank you, I'll transfer the money to you via WeChat."

"Ah good!"

Ning Yueyao initially wanted to refuse, after all, she had done so much for Lin Jiu, and a mere dish soap seemed like a rather stingy thank-you gift. If she truly wanted to express her gratitude, she should invite him to her home for a meal, right?

After the two added each other on WeChat, Lin Jiu transferred the money quite readily.

Ning Yueyao tapped the red envelope, looked at the transfer amount, and asked, "Lin Jiu, did you transfer too much?"

"Did you pay the fifty yuan for my books before?"

"That is indeed true..."

"That's it then. It's only right to pay back debts. In fact, I should thank you for helping me."

Lin Jiu was surprised that the other party had actually forgotten about this.

This child can be used to make soup in the future.

"Heave-ho."

Lin Jiu struggled to lift the bag; the two bottles of dish soap alone weighed four pounds, not to mention the milk, yogurt, fruit, discounted chicken, beef, and vegetables he had also bought—a whole bunch of miscellaneous items, making it quite heavy. Even though he had carefully packed everything into the bag and tied it, it was still very difficult to lift. Fortunately, the way home wasn't too long, which made Lin Jiu admire Wang Yuting even more.

Last time she bought more things at the supermarket, but Wang Yuting easily carried two bags back home.

Ning Yueyao didn't buy much, since it was just dinner and snacks for one person.

"Do you need my help?" Ning Yueyao asked.

"No need, I can still carry it." Lin Jiu declined the other party's offer. "Then, be careful on your way home."

"Bye-Bye."

Lin Jiu nodded to Ning Yueyao who was waving, then carried the large bag of things toward the exit.

As Lin Jiu walked, he recalled the suspicious people standing at the four gates of Mingyue Pavilion, and something felt off. So, halfway through his walk, he subconsciously turned around to look. Lin Jiu discovered that of the four suspicious people, three men were still in their original positions, but the woman was gone... wait, the woman was right next to the class monitor!

Lin Jiu subconsciously moved his hand closer to the anti-wolf alarm. He looked at the woman warily, calculating her identity and whether she was related to the three students at the school.

"Sister Gao, you've come to pick me up."

"Well, your dad's been busy these past few days, so he asked me to come keep you company. You don't mind if I stay at your place for a couple of days, do you?"

"How could I possibly mind! My mother has been so bored at home these past few days. She'll be happy if you come to visit."

Lin Jiu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ning Yueyao and that woman chatting and laughing together. The two clearly knew each other; their expressions and intimate actions suggested there was nothing wrong with them.

"Ok?"

The man sitting near the west gate of Mingyuexuan, playing on his phone, noticed something was wrong.

He saw a girl standing still, carrying two large bags, her gaze fixed on her colleague and the person she was protecting. He tried to raise his phone to take a picture, but the girl suddenly moved, and he only managed to capture half of her figure.

By the time he stood up and tried to continue, the girl had already disappeared.

"illusion?"

He muttered to himself and slowly sat back down in his chair.

The man looked down at the photo on his phone and noticed that the woman in the picture was turning her head and staring at him.

This sent a chill down his spine; he realized he had been discovered long ago.

As he was about to contact others, a neutral voice came from behind him.

"Don't move."

The man instinctively tried to turn around, but a hard object blocked the back of his head.

"If you move again, I can't guarantee what will happen to you next." The voice was extremely cold, and the strong will it revealed made the man subconsciously obey.

"The snapshot technique is pretty good."

Lin Jiu glanced at the phone in the other person's hand and said calmly, "Speak, who are you? What are you planning to do?"

"I……"

The man deliberately slowed down his tone of voice. His colleagues would conduct a safety check every five minutes, and his task was to stall until the five minutes were up so that others could come and resolve the predicament.

Lin Jiu glanced at him, then simply took out her phone and dialed the number of her most recent contact.

There's not much to say. The fact that this man sat there observing passersby and taking photos without their consent already violates Article 42 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law. He is subject to detention of up to five days or a fine of up to 500 yuan; in more serious cases, he may be detained for five to ten days and fined up to 500 yuan.

Lin Jiu would naturally try to get the maximum punishment for the other party, which simply means serving their full sentence.

Mingyuexuan is a high-end residential community, so security is naturally a top priority. Lin Jiu will contact the property management and put pressure on them. The property management staff are unlikely to be foolish enough to ignore the situation. Rather than concealing the truth and letting the conflict erupt, it's better to help resolve the problem from the beginning. They might even be able to use this to promote the property management's security awareness and enhance their own image.

Whether something is good or bad, opinions will differ depending on the perspective.

Lin Jiu will seize every opportunity to utilize this place. This is where he and Wang Yuting live; this is his home. Lin Jiu will not let his guard down, nor will he show any mercy.

Being kind to the enemy is cruel to yourself.

In Lin Jiu's mind, Wang Yuting's safety was the top priority.

"Officer Li."

After Lin Jiu connected the call, he didn't waste any words and simply explained the situation he was in.