9: Come be my personal physical therapist

In the kitchen downstairs.

Lan Qingyu was chugging a bottle of ice water, trying to extinguish her gossipy and restless heart.

Hearing the sound of a door opening and footsteps coming from upstairs, she instinctively poked her small head out from the kitchen doorway and peeked outside.

She happened to see Lin Chao's profile as he opened the door to leave.

He had sharp features, a high nose bridge, and a clean, crisp aura.

Hmm?

He's... actually quite handsome.

Lan Qingyu rubbed her chin, deep in thought.

Hmph, no wonder my mom took an interest!

Lin Chao had just stepped out of the villa's main gate. Before he could reminisce about that ambiguous and tense scene, a fiery red Ferrari swept past like a gust of wind and came to a steady stop in front of him with a beautiful drift.

The car window slowly rolled down.

A well-maintained, exquisitely made-up face peered out, a familiar and enthusiastic smile playing on her lips.

"Oh, if it isn't little Lin?"

Lin Chao turned around and was momentarily stunned.

It was Zhou Lin!

Why was she here?

Zhou Lin took off her Dior sunglasses and winked at him. The warmth in her eyes was like that of an old friend meeting by chance.

"What? You don't recognize Sister Lin so soon?"

"How could I, Sister Lin!"

Lin Chao immediately put on an enthusiastic smile and walked over quickly.

"What brings you here?"

Zhou Lin tilted her exquisitely made-up chin and gave a light chuckle. "I have a date with a friend for afternoon tea, and I wanted to check out her newly arrived batch of haute couture while I'm at it."

As she spoke, her gaze fell back onto Lin Chao, sizing him up with a hint of playfulness.

"But you, why are you coming out of Yanran's house?"

Lin Chao showed his trademark smile again. "Oh, CEO Lan's period came early, so I came over to give her some physical therapy."

"I see," Zhou Lin's smile deepened. "Come on, don't just stand there. Get in the car."

Lin Chao was a bit surprised. "Where are we going, Sister Lin?"

"To my house for a bit."

Zhou Lin's tone left no room for doubt, as if she were simply informing him.

Lin Chao thought about it. Zhou Lin was a major client who had bought several of his massage chairs, and it seemed there would be more opportunities for cooperation in the future. He couldn't afford to offend her.

He didn't decline further and briskly pulled open the car door and sat inside.

"Alright!"

The Ferrari let out a low roar and sped away, leaving a trail of dust.

Lin Chao's broken jetta was left parked alone, looking like an abandoned ugly duckling... Zhou Lin's home was also in Champs-Elysees Estate.

Furthermore, it was the best-positioned, largest villa in the area.

From the outside, it looked like a small European-style castle.

Once inside, the level of luxury made Lin Chao secretly click his tongue in amazement.

Crystal chandeliers, marble floors, a spiral staircase, and oil paintings on the walls—any one of them could be more expensive than his jetta.

Standing in the foyer, Lin Chao appeared somewhat constrained, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.

Zhou Lin changed into a pair of silk slippers. Turning back to see him like that, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"What's wrong with you?"

She leaned against the shoe cabinet with her arms crossed, looking at him with amusement.

"Back at 'Phantom Dream', you seemed quite the talker, didn't you? You were so eloquent that you had us all charmed."

"How come you've turned into a mute gourd now that you're at Sister's house?"

There was a hint of teasing in her eyes.

"Is it because Meng Ya isn't here to back you up?"

Lin Chao gave a dry laugh, scratched his head, and explained half-jokingly, "How could that be?"

"I'm just... afraid your husband will misunderstand."

He remembered clearly that when Xie Mengya introduced her, she said Zhou Lin's husband, Zheng Kaitai, was a very famous entrepreneur in Linhai City with a significant net worth.

If a man like that saw a young man being brought home by his wife in broad daylight, it would be a miracle if he didn't break the guy's legs!

To his surprise, the smile on Zhou Lin's face vanished instantly, replaced by an undisguised sneer.

"Him?"

"That old fogey and I have been doing our own things for a long time."

"Misunderstand? He'd wish I wouldn't go home to bother him!"

This... was a lot of information to take in!

Now Lin Chao really didn't know what to say. He could only stand there and give a polite, awkward smile.

Zhou Lin didn't seem to want to mention that unpleasant topic any further. She waved her hand and walked straight to the huge sofa in the living room to sit down.

"Alright, don't just stand there. Come and sit."

She patted the spot next to her.

Lin Chao hesitated for a moment but still walked over and sat in the corner furthest from her.

Seeing his avoidant behavior, Zhou Lin's beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

She hadn't given up on her previous idea and got straight to the point by bringing up that suggestion again.

"Little Lin, have you considered what I told you last time?"

"Come be my full-time therapist."

Lin Chao sighed inwardly, knowing he couldn't dodge this.

He still shook his head, his attitude firm. "Sister Lin, I'm truly grateful for your high regard."

"But I'm doing quite well in my current job and haven't thought about changing for the time being."

Zhou Lin's expression became noticeably displeased and a bit puzzled.

She leaned back on the sofa with her legs crossed, revealing a section of her fair calf. Her tone carried a hint of condescending scrutiny.

"I've already looked into it."

"Last time at 'Phantom Dream', you sold about twenty massage chairs to us."

"Even if one costs sixty thousand, the total sales would only be around a million."

"Based on your company's commission rate, you'd get eighty thousand at most, right?"

She paused, her gaze becoming sharp.

"Massage chairs aren't exactly fast-moving consumer goods; one can be used for several years."

"You can't have such good luck every month to run into clients like us."

"You'll always have to keep opening up new markets. How could that be easy?"

Her words hit the nail on the head.

Lin Chao couldn't refute her.

Seeing his silence, a victorious curve formed at the corner of Zhou Lin's mouth.

"But if you come be my full-time therapist, it'll be different."

She held up two slender fingers with red-painted nails. "I'll give you this much as a fixed monthly salary."

"Two hundred thousand."

Lin Chao's pupils shrank suddenly!

Two hundred thousand!

A month?!

This was higher than the salary he'd earn in a year of working his heart out as a Team Leader!

Zhou Lin was very satisfied with the shock on his face.

Her gaze carried a certain aggressiveness as she sized him up, and her tone became ambiguous.

"And..."

"If there are... other service items besides massage."

"I'll pay you extra."

Although she spoke subtly, Lin Chao understood her meaning instantly!

Boom!

His face turned bright red—not from embarrassment, but from anger!

This woman!

What did she take him for?

A gigolo?!

She had said earlier that she and her husband played separately; she probably played around a lot herself!

Although Zhou Lin was extremely well-maintained, with firm skin and a curvaceous figure that didn't make her look nearly fifty at all...

But Lin Chao didn't want to live off a woman like that!

Moreover, being a gigolo was even more degrading than just living off a woman!

Even though being a salesman was hard work and he might only earn a base salary of twenty-five hundred when business was bad, that was money he earned honorably through his own abilities!

If he became a gigolo, the nature of it would change completely!

Not only could he not get past his own conscience, but if his grandfathers found out, they would surely rush over from his hometown and break his legs themselves!