Chapter Sixteen: The Bodyguard Treaty

  Changji, after all, is a provincial capital city, and in terms of prosperity, it is ten times stronger than the small city where Wang Ke was before. Taking a brand new taxi, looking at the high-rise buildings outside, the dense shops and dazzling goods, he has a feeling of being overwhelmed.

  "The car is like flowing water, the horse is like a dragon, this is an even broader stage, this is where I can fully display my skills." Wang Ke muttered to himself as he stared blankly at the scene outside from his position in the passenger seat.

  Li Ruoxi, sitting in the back seat, let out a snort of laughter. Her stunning and beautiful face turned towards the window, ignoring Wang Ke's words. Many young people with surging hot blood, they brought their dreams and passion into this prosperous city made of steel and cement, but after years of hard work, years of struggling to make ends meet, years of being eroded by social atmosphere, they came to realize the importance of money through hardships, and knew that time was plentiful, but what belonged to them was very little.

  If you really want to describe the hardships of those people in a few words, Li Ruoxi once saw a sentence on the internet that is very reasonable:

  "Wake up earlier than a chicken, eat more sloppily than a pig, work harder than a donkey, and live more wretchedly than a dog."

  How many people have been worn away by this life, with their passion and dreams slowly grinding down, until they are no longer sharp, no longer passionate, and no longer dream.

  The taxi driver was a stout middle-aged man, and when he heard Wang Ke's muttering, a bright smile appeared on his face, and he asked: "Young brother, are you new to Changji City? Or have you just graduated from school? Haha, young people, with passion, enthusiasm and dreams, good things, good things!"

  Wang Ke came out of his daze and heard the fat driver's words, only then did he realize that it was his own muttering.

  With a hint of surprise on his face, Wang Ke smiled and asked: "Master, how did you guess that I just came from afar?"

  The fat driver laughed and said, "After hearing what you just said, I made a wild guess. Look at this prosperous metropolis, the pace of life is fast, the standard of living is high, to put it nicely, almost everyone is fighting for their career, but if you say it in a bad way, then everyone is just circling around money. In this era! Money isn't omnipotent, but it's closest to being omnipotent. With money, ghosts can push mills, with money, you can eat and drink well, enjoy wealth and glory, but without money, you can only work for others in distress, and be exploited by others for your labor.

  As he said this, his eyes darted out the window for a quick glance before focusing back on driving. He sighed and continued, "This place is prosperous, its appearance seems glamorous, but how much hardship lies behind the scenes that make up this beautiful landscape? Little brother, I'm going to say something you might not want to hear: time is the best poison to wear away one's edges. After a few years, when you look back, you'll only understand four words."

  Wang Ke stared blankly at the panting fat driver and asked: "What four words?"

  "Contentment is happiness!"

  Wang Ke fell silent. Although he had grand ambitions, after hearing the fat driver's words, a hint of desolation also rose in his heart.

  Looking back on my life in recent years, isn't it exactly this principle?

  If it weren't for the great improvement in one's own cultivation realm, if it weren't for suddenly possessing heterochromatic eyes, how would one be passionate and ambitious? How would one's stagnant blood surge again?

  Li Ruoxi, exuding a youthful aura, had a captivating smile playing on her lips. Her gaze swept over the silent Wang Ke before turning to the chubby driver with a smile and asking, "Driver, if I'm not mistaken, you were a liberal arts student back in the day? Do you like literature?"

  The chubby driver's expression paused, and then a hint of surprise appeared on his chubby face. He smiled and said: "If you're not a half-immortal who can tell fortunes, little girl, then you're really too clever. What you said is right, I studied liberal arts back in the day, and my university major was classical literature. Nowadays, after finishing work and going home every day, when I have nothing to do, I'll also write some online articles to entertain myself and others."

  Li Ruoxi smiled and didn't say anything else, reaching out to press down on her duck-tongue hat, blocking her autumnal wave-like eyes.

  Wang Ke also showed a hint of surprise, turned his head to glance at Li Ruoxi, before shifting his gaze out the car window.

  Forty minutes later, the taxi stopped outside the gate of a high-end villa area. After paying the bill and getting out of the car, Wang Ke silently followed behind Li Ruoxi, walking towards the inside of the villa area.

  Row upon row of neatly planned villas, but not all built in the same style, catch one's eye. The scenery in the villa area is extremely beautiful, with towering ancient trees standing beside wide cement roads, and colorful flowers competing to bloom in gardens, filling the air with a faint scent of fragrance that can be smelled from the roadside.

  Winding small roads, extending in all directions, are nestled among flower beds here and there. Occasionally, a few bees can be seen busily buzzing from flower to flower.

  The central square of the villa area, a huge fountain is spraying crystal clear water columns, and the layered misty air envelops a considerable range around.

  Wang Ke followed Li Ruoxi, walking for seven or eight minutes, passing through the central square, before arriving in front of a villa on a wide and flat road. The garden-style villa was filled with European flair, and even Wang Ke, who had never been to the villa district before, could sense its grandeur at first glance.

  Deeply shocked in his heart, Wang Ke's gaze towards Li Ruoxi also changed somewhat. To be able to own such a luxurious villa, was she really just running a small company as she said?

  As Li Ruoxi opened the small courtyard door in front of the villa and stepped inside, Wang Ke finally silently suppressed the shock at the bottom of his heart.

  "No matter what identity this Li Ruoxi is, since she has come, let's just accommodate her!"

  The card-swiping sensor villa door, Li Ruoxi led Wang Ke to enter, while Wang Ke quickly scanned the luxurious decorations in the villa, Li Ruoxi calmly said: "Wang Ke, this is my home, you are my bodyguard, so you will also live here from now on. There are six rooms on that corridor, choose one for yourself. Now rest first, and we'll discuss the bodyguard rules tonight. Don't worry, I won't bother you in general, but when necessary, if I have an urgent matter to attend to outside, you must accompany me. Those public places pose a threat to my personal safety, and it's easy for dangerous situations to occur."

  "No problem."

  Watching Li Ruoxi carrying a beautiful bag, walking up the stairs to the second floor, Wang Ke's gaze once again swept across this villa hall.

  Luxurious, sumptuous.

  Everything is modern high-tech products, all the furniture is arranged with great care. Wang Ke has lived to such an old age, and he has seen many luxurious interior scenes on TV, but this is his first time seeing one in real life.

  "Someday, when I have money, I'll also buy a luxurious villa like this... No, I'll buy an even better one." Wang Ke clenched his fists, making a silent vow to himself.

  A few minutes later, he picked up his luggage and walked towards the corridor that Li Ruoxi had just pointed to. That was where he would be living from now on, so he needed to find a room.

  He soon looked through all six rooms and finally chose the innermost one.

  The room is fully equipped with facilities, complete with home appliances, a large Simmons bed, a 55-inch LCD TV, air conditioning and refrigerator, and even a desktop computer.

  "Extravagant, damn it's extravagant. Everyone has this kind of setup, that Li woman who loves to splurge, just buying these home appliances alone would cost a fortune! Alas, such a spendthrift who doesn't know how to live within her means, whoever marries her in the future will have to be like a printing press churning out money nonstop to support her."

  Wang Ke put down his travel bag and looked around several times before heaving a sigh of relief.

  The room has an independent bathroom with a large area inside and the bathing facilities are all advanced bath masters.

  On the second floor, in a luxurious suite, Li Ruoxi lazily sat on the soft sofa, slowly took out her phone, dialed a number, and after the other party answered, Li Ruoxi said lightly: "Help me investigate someone. I'll send his photo to you via mobile phone, name and general information, I'll send it to your email immediately, must be fast."

  "Got it, boss." A voice came from the phone.

  At four o'clock in the afternoon, a security guard from the villa area arrived and brought a courier that Wang Ke had signed for. Wang Ke still remembered clearly that when the security guard saw him, his face showed a strange color.

  In the late afternoon, a middle-aged woman in her 40s with a kind face carried a vegetable basket from outside. When she saw Wang Ke standing in the yard, the middle-aged woman suddenly showed a vigilant expression and asked urgently: "Who are you? How did you get in?"

  Wang Ke's eyebrows furrowed, and he turned his head to glance at the large door of the villa hall behind him before speaking: "I'm Li Ruoxi's bodyguard. I came with her this afternoon, and from now on, I'll be living here. Who are you?"

  The middle-aged woman stared blankly for a moment, then the vigilant expression on her face disappeared without a trace, and even a hint of intimacy appeared on her face. She walked forward, carefully examined Wang Ke several times, nodded with satisfaction, and smiled: "I am the housekeeper here. Since you are Miss's bodyguard and will be living here, we will be family from now on. You don't look very old, if you don't mind, just call me Auntie Song from now on!"

  Household manager?

  Is there still a job like housekeeper in the new era of the 21st century?

  Wang Ke blinked his eyes and then smiled and said: "Hello Aunt Song, thank you for your care in the future."

  Housekeeper Song smiled and said, "Let's go, don't stand in the courtyard anymore. From now on, since you're Miss's bodyguard, you must take good care of her safety. It's not easy for a girl to make a living outside these days, I'm worried she'll suffer injustice and danger."

  Wang Ke nodded and said: "Don't worry, Aunt Song! This is my duty, I will definitely protect the boss."

  Following Song's aunt, Wang Ke accompanied her to the kitchen and helped bring the fragrant dishes to the dining table in the dining room.

  At dinner time, Li Ruoxi saw Wang Ke and Song Niang's familiar appearance, and didn't waste her breath introducing the two again.

  After dinner, Song Yi was busy collecting dishes. Wang Ke originally wanted to help, but was pushed out by Song Yi.

  "Since Song Niang doesn't want you to help, come with me upstairs and let's have a chat." Li Ruoxi said, hugging her shoulders as she spoke to Wang Ke who was being pushed out of the kitchen.

  Wang Ke nodded and followed Li Ruoxi to a large living room on the second floor that was obviously used to receive guests.

  What he didn't expect was that Li Ruoxi didn't immediately discuss business with him, but instead personally brewed a pot of good tea and poured Wang Ke a cup. Only then did she slowly say: "Since you've already accepted my invitation, from now on you'll be my bodyguard. Therefore, we must sign a contract as well as the things that a bodyguard needs to pay attention to. Take a look at this Bodyguard Code of Conduct, and also, I hope you can remember the few prohibitions written on this piece of paper."

  Wang Ke took over the bodyguard's manual, then picked up the paper and carefully read through the terms written by Li Ruoxi.

  "Do not enter areas above the second floor at will..."

  "...without the boss's permission, outsiders cannot be brought into the home..."

  "When at home, one must dress neatly and not have a careless attitude..."

  "When the boss goes out on business, he must be followed and protected..."

  “……”