Making a Little Money

"Are you sure?"

Xia Xu wore a smile. "I thought you'd gotten the wrong idea."

"The... the wrong idea about what?"

Tang Youxin's eyes darted away. In the end, she simply lowered her head out of habit, burying it against her chest like an ostrich.

Perhaps she had wrestled with herself for a while and decided that making such flimsy excuses wasn't right. A moment later, she cautiously raised her head again and said in a tiny voice, "S-sorry. I misunderstood you. Will you forgive me...?"

Faced with that pitiful, delicate little expression, what else could Xia Xu say? Of course he could only forgive her.

"All right, all right, I forgive you. I wasn't bothered in the first place, actually."

Given how shy and reserved this delicate little flower was, Xia Xu couldn't tease her too much. He smiled, then turned serious. "But I meant it. I want to hire you to help me with some work."

"But I don't know how to do anything..."

Tang Youxin sounded unsure of herself. "If you need help with something, just tell me. You don't have to pay me. If I can do it, I'll do my best to help."

"That's different..."

Xia Xu shook his head helplessly. After a pause, he leaned close and whispered mysteriously in her ear, "I'll let you in on a secret. I've actually studied fortune-telling. I'm the current successor to Ghost Valley Divination."

People unwilling to accept charity generally weren't willing to take advantage of others either. He knew he wouldn't get Tang Youxin to agree today without a convincing reason, so he could only try bluffing.

"Huh?"

Tang Youxin looked blank, seemingly unable to keep up with Xia Xu's sudden change of subject.

Weren't we talking about a part-time job? How did we suddenly get onto fortune-telling?

"I counted on my fingers and discovered that you're an unrivaled genius, the kind that only comes along once a century."

Xia Xu looked utterly serious. "That's why I want to hire you before anyone else does. If possible, I'd even like to sign something like an education sponsorship agreement. The kind where I pay for your schooling, and you have to work for me after you graduate."

"N-no."

Tang Youxin delivered the firmest refusal in the meekest voice.

She wasn't going to believe such an obvious load of nonsense from Xia Xu.

Who could possibly know better than she did whether she was a genius?

Although her grades had always been good, that was only because she wasn't stupid and studied very hard. She knew she certainly didn't qualify as a genius, nor did she have a photographic memory or any particular talent.

Xia Xu probably wanted to hire her to help her out. She was grateful, but she couldn't accept it with a clear conscience.

"You..."

Tang Youxin's meek yet resolute refusal left Xia Xu speechless, with frustration tight in his chest.

People who could be won over with money or other benefits were actually the easiest to deal with. Tang Youxin's situation really was a little tricky.

"Forget it. How about this? I won't talk about hiring or training you anymore. Just think of it as a part-time job. Come work for me for two days this weekend. I really do need your help right now."

Xia Xu took a deep breath and settled for the next best thing.

His sudden desire to "hire" Tang Youxin wasn't purely about securing this five-star programming genius, nor was it out of pity. He genuinely had a use for her help.

After all, besides her five-star talent, Tang Youxin also had a five-star special fate.

[Husband-Blessing (5 stars): A lucky star descends to bless her husband. Those she is close to or loves receive increased luck. Her wedded husband receives greatly increased luck, with a chance of triggering good fortune.]

Although this fate was called husband-blessing, its description suggested that people she was close to or loved could benefit as well. Adding an employer-employee relationship might strengthen the effect a little.

Besides, however miraculous this fate was, it probably couldn't bless everyone Tang Youxin was close to or loved. It likely only blessed the closest person, or a select few. Securing one more connection might well make the difference between receiving no blessing and receiving one.

This could enhance his luck, and even give him a direct chance of receiving good fortune. In a world where "plots" existed, with Zhang Jianmin as a prime example, there was good reason to put some faith in such things.

In fact, he already felt that encountering the plot of "The Dying Man" might have been this kind of luck at work.

After all, the plot of The Dying Man posed almost no risk, yet offered plenty of opportunities to reap benefits. A single tip-off call had earned him tens of thousands without investing a cent. Calling it a "lucky encounter" wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Xue Mingjie's noodle shop was remote and quiet, with few customers under normal circumstances. If Xia Xu hadn't invited Tang Youxin to eat, and hadn't deliberately gone to the front gate to find a quiet shop out of consideration for her withdrawn, introverted nature, he might never have met Xue Mingjie. Naturally, he wouldn't have encountered the plot of "The Dying Man" either.

"Is there really something you need me to do?"

After hearing Xia Xu out, Tang Youxin hesitated, looking torn. Only after a moment did she ask in her soft little voice.

She truly wanted to earn money. It had practically become an obsession, and there was no faking that.

She didn't want to take advantage of Xia Xu, but if he really was offering her a job because he needed someone to work for him, she was tempted.

"Of course. I just rented a little shop, but it's filthy and a complete mess inside. Hiring a cleaning service would definitely cost a lot."

Xia Xu deliberately put on the air of an unscrupulous businessman, smiling mercenarily. "Hiring you would definitely be much cheaper. I'd save quite a bit. I could also get you to do some odd jobs, and when you're free, you could help me catch up on my studies. That would save me tutoring fees too."

"Th-then all right. Just give me fifty yuan a day."

Tang Youxin hesitated briefly before finally nodding, though a trace of guilt appeared on her face.

Xia Xu's acting was obviously terrible. Anyone who wasn't an idiot could see through it. There was still an element of personal kindness behind his decision to hire her; he was only putting it this way out of consideration for her feelings.

But she really, really wanted to make a little money!

At worst... at worst, I'll just do more work, like Xia Xu said.

"That won't do."

While Tang Youxin was wrestling with herself, Xia Xu shook his head.

"Huh? Is... is that too much?"

Tang Youxin raised her head, twisting her fingers uneasily. "How about thirty yuan, then? It's fine if you don't pay me, too. I can help for free, as long as it doesn't interfere with classes."

"Do I look that stingy?"

Xia Xu tapped her forehead in exasperation. "It's too cheap. Even handing out flyers for a day pays more than fifty. If I hired a cleaning service, that wouldn't even cover half an hour."

Then he grew serious again, looking straight into Tang Youxin's eyes. "I'm not doing this out of charity or pity, or trying to help you because we're close. I'm simply hiring someone to do a job. If I don't hire you, I'll have to hire someone else, so there's no need for you to act like this."

"W-well, I don't know how much they get paid."

Tang Youxin offered a timid protest under her breath, then said, "You're the boss, so why don't you set the pay? But it can't be too much."

"Everyone else wants as little work and as much pay as possible. With you, it's the other way around."

Xia Xu couldn't help smiling. "Little Tang, look at you. With that attitude alone, you're a top-ten employee. Even without any special skills, you'd have bosses fighting to hire you."

"Could you call me Little Xin? Little Tang feels strange."

Tang Youxin timidly raised her hand.

"Little Tang was just a joke. I'll stick with Youxin."

Xia Xu chuckled. "It's only a part-time job. You don't have to treat me like your boss. As for the pay, let's make it a hundred yuan a day. These days, even a random job pays two or three thousand a month."