As he closed the door, he looked up and saw a young man practicing calligraphy at his desk.
He was much thinner than him. But his back was straight, and as he stood there, holding a brush in his right hand, he focused his mind and, in one breath, wrote sharp and elegant characters on the rice paper.
A handsome young man.
This was the only thought that popped into Jiang Qinfeng's head at the time, when he didn't have much education.
Of all the people he had known since childhood, none had a more outstanding temperament than Lin Mo.
Just by standing there, you can attract everyone's attention.
He was so stunned that he only snapped out of it after being reminded twice by the butler.
He quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, I was daydreaming just now."
The butler was clearly displeased.
He actually preferred to find Lin Mo a smart and capable assistant who could handle anything.
Instead of the dull and foolish Jiang Qinfeng, who seems to have no other merits besides being tall and skilled, he should serve as Lin Mo's special assistant.
But this was the master and mistress's wish, and he couldn't stop them.
Now, unable to resist seizing the opportunity to lecture Jiang Qinfeng for being distracted and lacking manners, he vented his dissatisfaction.
As Lin Mo listened to the butler reprimanding Jiang Qinfeng, his gaze remained fixed on the tall man.
Seeing that the other party showed no impatience, they listened patiently to the butler's increasingly outrageous words with good temper, keeping their heads down and adopting a humble attitude.
"Mr. Wang, that's enough." Lin Mo finally spoke up, interrupting the butler's incessant chatter: "I heard that ever since my mother suggested finding me a special assistant, you have been recommending your nephew for the position."
"My mother rejected your suggestion and chose Mr. Jiang instead, and she naturally had her reasons."
As someone who has managed the Lin family for so long, don't you even understand this simple principle?
These words struck a nerve with the housekeeper.
The old man's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "I was confused. I hope the young master will not take offense."
As he spoke, he stepped back behind Jiang Qinfeng: "Young Master, you can talk to him slowly and get to know him first. If you think he can handle the job, then keep him. If you think he can't, then I'll talk to Madam."
"Okay, I understand," Lin Mo said. "Old Wang, you can go ahead and get back to work."
After seeing the old butler off and hearing the door close, Lin Mo, who had always maintained a serious and composed demeanor, plopped down on the stool.
Then, while massaging his shoulders and flexing his wrists, he said, "Ugh, practicing these things every day, and they want me to cultivate my mind? Even the donkeys in the production team are happier than me!"
A question mark slowly appeared above Jiang Qinfeng's head.
He could hardly believe that the slovenly man now, leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on the edge of the table, was the same person who had just been practicing calligraphy with such an impressive air.
“Jiang Qinfeng…” Lin Mo took out the information about Jiang Qinfeng that his mother had given him from the drawer, and subconsciously read out the keywords as he looked at it: “Orphan, served in the army for six years, injured his right hand while protecting his teammates during a mission… retired… orphanage…”
As he read on, Lin Mo frowned and his fingers slightly cracked the paper.
After a long while, he looked up at Jiang Qinfeng and concluded, "You... you really are stupid, huh?"
Jiang Qinfeng was stunned for a moment, unsure how to refute it. But so many people had called him stupid, and he thought maybe he really was stupid.
"During my six years of military service, I didn't save a single penny; I gave it all to the welfare home."
During a mission, a teammate disobeyed orders and made a mistake. In an attempt to save him, you almost lost your entire arm in an explosion.
Now that he's back outside, he's even coming to the Lin family as my special assistant to repay a debt of gratitude, without accepting any payment.
Lin Mo placed the documents on the table and said, "Jiang Qinfeng, have you never thought of being a little selfish and living for yourself?"
Lin Mo asked Jiang Qinfeng this question because he saw something in common with the other person.
He is eighteen years old, his sister is fourteen, and his brother is nine.
Over the years, he has appeared well-behaved, and even gave up his hobbies to put his parents at ease.
In reality, however, they are completely unable to avoid feeling disgusted with their current lives.
The inability to do what he loves and to live for himself has been a deep-seated pain in his heart.
“Young Master…” Jiang Qinfeng looked up at him and said, “I have always lived for myself.”
"Because these are things I wanted to do myself, it may seem to you that I suffered a loss or a hardship."
Jiang Qinfeng pursed his lips and said, "However, I did find joy in the process, which proves that everything I did was worthwhile."
Lin Mo was stunned for a moment, and the image of Lin Fei and Lin Yutang chasing after him, calling him "brother" in a dependent way flashed through his mind.
My heart was touched.
Finally, he curled his lip and clicked his tongue.
He casually put his feet down on the table, put his hands in his pockets, and walked up to Jiang Qinfeng.
Despite being only four years apart in age, Jiang Qinfeng was almost a head taller than him.
Lin Mo wondered to himself, "What did this person eat to grow so tall?"
On the surface, however, she puffed out her chest defiantly, looked up and met Jiang Qinfeng's gaze, and said, "Alright, you've passed."
"From now on, you will be my special assistant, protecting my safety, taking care of my daily life, and learning how to manage the company with me."
"Once you've become my special assistant, you're tied to me. You have to listen to me, always think of me first, and if anyone bullies me, you have to beat them up for me! Especially Gu Xun! He absolutely can't be let off!"
"Gu Xun?" Jiang Qinfeng was initially pleased to hear that he had gained the boy's approval, but the sudden appearance of that name caught his attention.
"Yes! It's him! He's always causing me trouble!" Lin Mo grabbed Jiang Qinfeng's hand, pulled him to sit down next to her, and began to recount Gu Xun's "misdeeds" against him one by one.
But he didn't notice that the man opposite him stiffened after he grabbed the man's hand.
Even after he released her, the man's gaze remained fixed on her still-warm hand, and the tips of her wheat-colored ears were faintly flushed...
Chapter 50
Lin Mo and Jiang Qinfeng (center)
Living in the team year-round, Jiang Qinfeng rarely sees women around him.
Every day is spent exercising, and the guys around me have plenty of scars and calluses on their bodies and hands.
So even when their palms touched, Jiang Qinfeng didn't feel anything, but Lin Mo was different.
The boy's hands were dry and slightly cool, yet very smooth and soft, just like... a girl's hands.
In addition, Jiang Qinfeng had a very good first impression of Lin Mo, which is why he blushed unconsciously.
Lin Mo was completely oblivious and continued talking about himself and Gu Xun.
In his eyes, Jiang Qinfeng had already become someone he could confide in.
Moreover, the other party was tall and big, and looked a bit silly, which made Lin Mo feel more at ease, and she was willing to tell Jiang Qinfeng anything on her mind.
Later, when she met Gu Xun, she brought him up again, hiding behind him and showing off to Gu Xun in a childish and helpless manner.
Jiang Qinfeng was trained in harsh environments, so when he came to a family like the Lin family, which was particular about everything, he found it difficult to adapt at first, as there was so much for him to learn.
For example, what clothes Lin Mo needs to prepare for what occasion, the culture at drinking parties, the etiquette at banquets, and how to reasonably arrange Lin Mo's schedule.
At first, I was completely flustered and couldn't get anything right.
But Lin Mo never got angry with him; she would always laugh at him while patiently teaching him.
When they finally manage to steal a moment of free time, Lin Mo will take him to play games.
The Lin Mo in the game is completely different from the calm and collected young man he is when facing business partners.
He instantly became the number one troll in the Chinese server, hurling insults without using any profanity or commas.
Jiang Qinfeng, who was sitting next to him, was dumbfounded.
After a satisfying game, Lin Mo would take out a cigarette case from his pocket and smoke one.
When Jiang Qinfeng first saw him smoking, he was utterly shocked.
After all, in his eyes, a bookish young man like this would never be associated with cigarettes.
But Lin Mo always exceeded his expectations, and when facing him, she showed her unruly side to the fullest.
"Young Master, did Gu Xun teach you to smoke?" Jiang Qinfeng's voice carried an anger that even he himself didn't realize, as he looked at Lin Mo across from him, who was puffing out smoke.
"Hmm?" Lin Mo rested his chin on his hand, casually opened a webpage, and tapped the keyboard idly, his fingers dancing across the keys. He answered lazily.
"Yes, I was in a bad mood at the time, and he handed me one, so I smoked it."
"Smoking is harmful to your health, so it's better to smoke less."
"Oh, I understand the logic, it feels great." Lin Mo smiled at him, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Brain empty, consciousness numbed, this slightly tipsy feeling is very comfortable."
The team is strict and doesn't allow smoking, and Jiang Qinfeng himself thinks smoking is a useless behavior, so he really can't understand Lin Mo.
He frowned and fell into deep thought.
Lin Mo looked at the man in front of him with a distressed expression, his gaze sweeping over the man's handsome, cold and stern eyebrows and the half-finger-long scar at the corner of his eye.
For no apparent reason, I suddenly felt thirsty.
He licked his lips and, as if possessed, asked, "Brother Qin Feng, would you like to give it a try?"
"Try what?"
As soon as Jiang Qinfeng asked the question, a shadow appeared in front of him, and Lin Mo's face was right in front of him.
Those lips, a shade deeper than pink, exhaled a puff of white smoke, which blew all over his face.
"Cough cough..." Jiang Qinfeng was caught off guard and coughed twice. The next moment, Lin Mo blocked his lips with the finger holding the cigarette and successfully put the cigarette butt to his lips.
Jiang Qinfeng took a deep breath because of a cough.
Now, his whole face turned red.
He shoved Lin Mo aside, grabbed the table, and began to cough violently.
The veins on the back of his hands bulged as he gripped the edge of the table tightly.
Jiang Qinfeng didn't even dare to look at Lin Mo.
His heart was beating too fast.
In those few short seconds, it felt like I was on a roller coaster, feeling dizzy, my face was flushed, and my ears were ringing.