083. Helping Chen Jiang Find a Job【5/52】
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Right next to the neighborhood is a pedestrian street, and since it’s a temporary gig of finding a job on the fly, there are plenty of options on the street.
Chen Jiang had been holed up at home for too long, having avoided human interaction, and was treating Lin Nan like a younger sister. At the moment, he looked as skittish as a thief, glancing around suspiciously every few steps.
He didn’t buy Lin Nan’s words; after all, short hair doesn’t necessarily scream “man,” right?
Let’s not even get started on that face—take a look at those barely-concealed curves, that subtly swaying backside while walking, and that casual hair flip paired with a smile…
If this is what passes for a man, then heaven knows how few genuine girls there are left in this world!
It’s not like he had come for a blind date. I mean, he’s a self-proclaimed introvert… Chen Jiang was feeling pretty self-conscious about it.
The atmosphere between them was awkward; Lin Nan didn’t know what to say, and Chen Jiang was floundering at the sight of a girl. He was so far outside his comfort zone, he felt on edge.
“By the way, if someone annoys you, would you throw them into the Minjiang River?” Lin Nan attempted a bad joke, hoping to lighten the mood.
“…” Chen Jiang froze; that was not a funny joke at all.
Looks like he missed the memo on Emotional Intelligence 101.
Due to years of excessive sitting, Chen Jiang’s posture was less than stellar—hunched shoulders, a crooked back, and a head that pitched forward. With his overly skinny frame, you could say he radiated a vibe of shyness.
Lin Nan, however, was a different story. He too had spent long hours sitting, with no one bothering to remind him about his slouching habits as a kid. But thanks to Lilith’s influence, his posture had improved. He might not be strutting like a supermodel, but at least he stood up straight… the issue was, with those little feminine quirks and a body that couldn’t help but resemble that of a girl, he was decidedly feminine.
And what’s more, his hips seemed wider than before—his walk had a natural sway to it, more pronounced than a typical guy’s.
Headache.
Thinking of this made Lin Nan’s head hurt. In just a few days, he’d be going home, and he was genuinely worried his parents wouldn’t recognize him, or worse, think he was transitioning.
The weather today felt abnormally hot, especially during the peak of the afternoon sun, and the pedestrian street was surprisingly less crowded than usual.
This gave Chen Jiang a bit of relief since he hadn’t been out in ages, but a quick glance at Lin Nan made him tense up yet again.
“What kind of job are you looking for? I have some connections here since I work part-time.”
Lin Nan looked up at Chen Jiang, his cute demeanor perplexing poor Chen Jiang, who hadn’t seen a woman in ages.
If this is what counted as a man, does that mean we’re really entering the realm of “denying what you see”?
He stuttered, “Anything’s fine.”
“Well, then at least I can help you find a flyer distribution job; it’s better than doing nothing and staying cooped up.” Lin Nan immediately thought of his part-time gig at Yonghui Supermarket. Besides, he was on decent terms with the recruitment manager, so who knows, maybe he could actually land Chen Jiang a simple job.
“Sounds good.” Chen Jiang’s eyes wandered off into the distance, unable to meet Lin Nan’s gaze.
“Follow me.”
Feeling secure now, Lin Nan whipped out his phone and hit the timer function. He’d forgotten when he left, and now they’d just lost a few bucks after a ten-minute walk.
Chen Jiang turned out to be a lot easier to deal with than Lin Nan imagined; at least he didn’t have the all-too-typical anti-social vibes of a typical otaku. He had planned to go out anyway and had actually been productive at home, so if he took his work with him to job hunt, he kind of had some qualifications—unlike those hermits who just stay home and know nothing about the outside world.
Lin Nan felt like this money was practically free cash, which made him a bit guilty.
Upon reaching Yonghui Supermarket, Lin Nan confidently made his way to the back office. After a bit of searching, he found Liu Yi, who was busy.
“What brings you here?” Liu Yi and Lin Nan were somewhat familiar, so their chat seemed casual. “You don’t need to hand out flyers today.”
“I’m introducing a friend who needs a job,” Lin Nan said, glancing around, only to realize Chen Jiang had vanished from sight. Leaning out the door, he spotted Chen Jiang cowering behind a corner, too scared to step in.
Without hesitation, he marched over and yanked Chen Jiang’s wrist, dragging him inside. Chen Jiang didn’t resist much, his head down and cheeks red as he followed Lin Nan into the room.
“This guy is a bit shy, Liu Ge. Any suitable work for him?” Lin Nan asked with a smile.
He called everyone “Ge” unless there was a big age gap.
Liu Yi looked up from his work and noticed Chen Jiang hiding behind Lin Nan. He frowned slightly.
“They’re short on supermarket promoters and movers, but your buddy here doesn’t seem suited for promoting, nor does he have the build for moving…”
“Let’s go with promoting then?” Lin Nan decisively chose the job. “Talking to people could help him out of his shell a little.”
Promoting here meant sampling tasks or explaining discounts, and you didn’t need much talent, just not being too shy. If customers come to taste but you don’t say a word, they might as well be having a free meal!
Liu Yi gradually relaxed, nodding, “Okay, come back here tomorrow at 7:30 AM with original and photocopied ID.”
Wait, is this a done deal?
Lin Nan’s spirits soared; he felt like a hero.
After discussing the payment, they left the supermarket. Lin Nan was all smiles, but Chen Jiang looked more anxious than excited.
“You’re starting tomorrow.”
“Uh-huh…” Chen Jiang, clearly out of practice socially, looked troubled.
Lin Nan had seen similar situations online, but getting out of the social anxiety that came with being a recluse could only be tackled alone. He had thought about taking Chen Jiang to an amusement park or something fun to help him adapt to life away from home, but Chen Jiang seemed uncomfortable outdoors altogether.
After a few steps, Lin Nan led him to the crossroad where the traffic cop was stationed.
The cop nodded at Lin Nan with a greeting but did a double-take when he noticed Chen Jiang, sporting a look of surprise.
“I got him a job on the side; it won’t pay much, but at least he’ll get some exposure to society.” Lin Nan felt like Chen Jiang was like a little cousin tagging along.
“Sounds good.” The traffic cop took a deep breath, genuinely pleased. “You’re really something, bringing him out like that!”
“Of course!” Lin Nan beamed with pride, but turning back, he noticed Chen Jiang’s expression; he was clearly troubled by his father’s presence, staring at the ground and not daring to glance up.
It must be that spending too long at home had made him feel his father’s judgment acutely. Chen Jiang probably felt that pursuing his dream of making games wasn’t wrong, but his dad only saw him glued to the computer day in and day out doing nothing. So, the father-son relationship must be pretty shaky.
Lin Nan thought of his own dad without meaning to.
At least Chen Jiang had a father to stand there being critical of him.
For Lin Nan, he barely saw his parents a few times a week; when they did meet, there wasn’t much to talk about. Most of their exchanges on WeChat were just red envelopes.
Sometimes, he envied kids who could at least fight with their parents.
——————
I swear, I didn’t do the work-stealing!
