Chapter 8: Stress-Relief Assistant
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An Bu propped one foot on the windowsill of the employee lounge, sipping juice, enjoying the scenery, doing leg stretches, wearing earphones to listen to foreign language readings. Multitasking with both physical and mental exercises.
She still hadn’t changed out of the poker-faced bear costume, only removing the bear head. With her chubby body doing leg stretches, she remained as agile as a monkey.
After completing a set of exercises and memorizing a short passage, she opened her bear arms, shouted passionately, “Don’t waste life in doubts and fears!“
Passing employees: “…” A bear with a big personality disorder.
An Bu calmly put on the bear head and walked past a group of people: these foolish humans wouldn’t understand the majesty of Bear Baby.
In the afternoon, Bear Baby didn’t distribute balloons; it focused solely on being cute. An Bu, taking bear-like steps, roamed around the amusement park. Once caught by visitors, she would contribute her body, satisfying their requests in various ways. Most visitors were friendly, but occasionally, she encountered some unreasonable troublemakers.
Like the couple in front of her.
They requested An Bu to squat on the ground, with one of them holding a realistic toy knife in a beheading gesture, and the other gesturing as if stabbing her butt.
Stabbing her butt? Absolutely intolerable.
An Bu learned of their intentions and promptly refused their request. Such insulting actions might be okay as jokes among acquaintances, but doing it to a stranger in public was impolite.
“Just strike a pose, it won’t really harm you,” the man complained.
“Yeah,” the woman chimed in, “isn’t the mascot supposed to play with visitors? Why act so high and mighty?”
“Hurry up, we’ll leave after taking the pictures,” the man tapped An Bu’s shoulder with the toy knife, arrogantly saying, “If you don’t let us take pictures today, we’ll complain about you.”
“Feel free,” An Bu replied nonchalantly.
The woman coquettishly said to the man, “Darling, I just posted it on my Moments. If we can’t take the pictures, won’t we be laughed at?”
“No worries, today you’ll definitely get your pictures,” the man comforted her and then said threateningly to An Bu, “Get down on your knees, or don’t blame me for getting rough.”
The argument quickly attracted the attention of some visitors, and many people gathered to watch the commotion.
An Bu caught sight of the children around, her thoughts rapidly changing. With a wave of the bear paw, she boldly declared, “The poker-faced bear baby will never bow to evil forces.”
“What did you say?” the couple angrily retorted, “Evil forces? Are you making fun of us? I’ll ask you again, will you pose or not?”
“Not posing,” An Bu made a cool fist gesture towards the excited children who responded with cheers. It was the signature move of the poker-faced bear, representing that it was ready for battle. The poker-faced bear baby was a character from an animated series, brave, cute, and loyal, beloved by children. Seeing An Bu’s fist gesture, the children became even more excited, shouting the name of the poker-faced bear baby.
The unknown couple, thinking that An Bu was mocking them, has the man charge forward, reaching out to grab her arm.
An Bu swiftly dodged, gracefully moving to the side.
“You dare to dodge! Stop right there!” The man, now angered by embarrassment, continued to reach for her.
An Bu chuckled, twirled around, and ended up behind the man.
“She’s behind you!” The woman hurriedly took a few steps, attempting to surround An Bu with the man.
An Bu didn’t take them seriously at all. Within a radius of less than 7 meters, she exhibited the agility of a rabbit in the body of a bear. Running, jumping, backflipping, she turned the commotion into an acrobatic performance. Onlookers applauded and cheered, taking out their phones to record the spectacle. Children, in particular, were excited, loudly shouting the name of the stoic bear baby. Especially when they saw An Bu suddenly pick up a little girl, perform a somersault with her, the kids went wild, cheering and rushing towards An Bu, forming a lively circle around her.
As for the troublemaking couple, they had long been pushed to a corner by the crowd, with no one remembering the earlier conflict.
The little girl in An Bu’s arms was Jian Xiaowei.
Originally, Jian Ningxuan planned to leave with her in the afternoon, but she insisted on playing for another two hours. Jian Ningxuan couldn’t do anything about it, so he agreed. Unexpectedly, they encountered An Bu halfway, and he saw her being harassed by the couple.
The couple was obviously causing trouble and lacked civility. Jian Ningxuan thought the situation would turn unpleasant, but she effortlessly resolved it. Instead of bringing any negative impact to the amusement park, she even increased its popularity.
“Thank you, Little Weiwei,” An Bu said as she walked towards Jian Ningxuan, holding Jian Xiaowei.
Jian Xiaowei blushed and leaned against the poker-faced bear baby, unable to contain her joy.
“Sir, please take your baby back,” An Bu handed Jian Xiaowei to Jian Ningxuan.
As she approached, Jian Ningxuan once again felt that refreshing coolness.
Jian Ningxuan didn’t reach out; instead, he glanced to the side, and Assistant Little Liu immediately stepped forward, taking Jian Xiaowei reluctantly from An Bu’s hands.
“You were too impulsive just now,” Jian Ningxuan suddenly said.
“What?” An Bu looked at him in confusion.
“Holding a child and doing somersaults without the parents’ consent. What if something had happened?” Jian Ningxuan’s tone wasn’t accusatory; he was just stating the facts.
“Yes, you’re right,” An Bu didn’t deny, bowing gracefully in a bear’s manner. “I was indeed impulsive just now. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Uncle,” Jian Xiaowei spoke up, “I really like the poker-faced bear baby. Don’t blame her.”
Jian Ningxuan nodded and once again said to An Bu, “Will you reconsider my previous proposal?”
“I only do part-time jobs,” An Bu replied.
Jian Ningxuan paused for a moment, “Part-time is also acceptable.”
Assistant Little Liu beside them was puzzled, not understanding what they were talking about.
“What do you do, sir?” An Bu asked.
Jian Ningxuan took out a business card and handed it to her, “I’m a trader. I have a busy work schedule and irregular rest times. What you need to do is help me relieve stress during my breaks.”
Assistant Little Liu’s eyes widened, as if he had heard something unbelievable. Mr. Jian hadn’t hired a dedicated life assistant in all these years, and now he was actively hiring this poker-faced bear?
An Bu looked at the business card, which only had a name and a phone number.
She pondered for a moment and hesitated, “I can’t guarantee to be available at your beck and call.”
“Three or five times a month will be fine,” Jian Ningxuan compromised. The aura emanating from this girl made him feel truly comfortable for the first time in his twenty-nine years. If he let this opportunity pass, he might never encounter it again.
“Okay then,” An Bu agreed, “When you need assistance, you can contact me.”
The reason for her agreement was also related to Jian Ningxuan’s identity as a trader. An Bu was wealthy, having initially made her fortune through buying and selling real estate. Later, she ventured into venture capital, owning shares in several large enterprises. The wealth accumulated over the years was beyond her own calculation, but these riches couldn’t add much to her vitality value. In the future, she was bound to enter high-popularity industries such as film and entertainment, sports, healthcare, etc. Therefore, she needed a professional trader who understood the financial market and had investment insight to manage her surplus funds.
An Bu and Jian Ningxuan exchanged contact information, reaching a preliminary employment agreement.
“Do you want to have dinner together tonight?” Jian Ningxuan casually invited, with a barely perceptible sense of delight in his tone.
This statement once again surprised Assistant Little Liu. Those who knew Jian Ningxuan were aware that due to his unique physique, he rarely interacted closely with people. Combined with his professional attributes, he could practically spend a month analyzing the market in front of his computer continuously. Inviting someone to dinner, let alone normal social interaction, was quite rare for him.
“No need, thanks. I haven’t finished my work yet,” An Bu declined with a wave.
Watching her walk about five or six meters away, Jian Ningxuan was immediately engulfed by waves of rising heat. After experiencing that refreshing feeling, the heat that had accompanied him for twenty-nine years suddenly became exceptionally unbearable.
Jian Ningxuan thought, if only this girl were a computer or a mobile phone, she could be carried around…
After finishing her work at the amusement park, An Bu drank two glasses of fruit juice, spent an hour in the gym, then went home for a shower. She watched a knowledge competition while making small handicrafts.
Around nine in the evening, An Bu received a text message from her prospective boss, Jian Ningxuan.
【Can you cook?】
【Yes.】
An Bu had received specialized training in cooking, but she couldn’t create truly delicious dishes due to her taste being different from ordinary people. She could only follow conventional ratios and make food that met standard expectations. Although her dishes tasted better than those made by most people, she couldn’t innovate. Moreover, if someone secretly added other ingredients to the food, she wouldn’t be able to taste it.
【Is it convenient now? Can you come over and make me a midnight snack?】
Calling a girl at night to his home to make a midnight snack? Was this guy pretending to be proper, or was he genuinely innocent?
【Send me the address.】
An Bu readily agreed, deciding to treat tonight as an interview for this employer. If he didn’t pass, there would be no need for future appointments.
Jian Ningxuan quickly sent the address, approximately a fifteen-minute journey from An Bu’s residence.
Wearing a set of sportswear, An Bu grabbed her backpack and left.
On the top floor of the Hengdi Building, Jian Ningxuan sat in front of the computer, eyes fixed on the screen, but his mind couldn’t settle. Although the air conditioner at home was set to 14 degrees, he still felt uncomfortable all over, as if there was a flame burning incessantly within him. The collision between the external cold air and the internal heat made him suffer.
Jian Ningxuan hesitated for a long time but eventually decided to send that text message to An Bu.
Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Jian Ningxuan opened the door after confirming her identity through video call.
The moment the girl stepped into the room, it seemed as if she brought autumn with her, dispelling all the heat. What followed was a refreshing coolness that made him physically and mentally comfortable.
“Good evening, Mr. Jian.” An Bu greeted him with a brilliant smile.
“Good evening.” Jian Ningxuan stood in the living room, quietly watching her.
“What would you like to eat?” An Bu asked as she changed her shoes.
“Anything you make will be fine; I’m not picky.” In reality, Jian Ningxuan was quite particular about his food. Any dishes that could potentially cause internal heat wouldn’t be on his menu. However, today with this girl around, he might not need to be so strict.
As she entered the kitchen, Jian Ningxuan caught a glimpse of the temperature displayed on the air conditioner and quickly adjusted it to 26 degrees.
Over the years, the reason he didn’t have a regular life assistant was not only due to his unique physique and introverted personality but also because he kept the house at a low temperature year-round, which normal people couldn’t endure.
However, when this girl entered just now, she didn’t seem to show any abnormalities. Didn’t she feel that the room’s temperature was too low?
An Bu, of course, had no feelings about it. Whether it was high or low temperature, as long as it didn’t reach the point of damaging her skin, it made no difference to her.
Opening the freezer, she found a variety of ingredients. An Bu chose noodles, eggs, green onions, and some other ingredients, planning to make Jian Ningxuan a nest of noodle pancake with eggs.
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