Chapter 2: The Commission

Though they were indoors, the man still wore a baseball cap, its brim casting a shadow over most of his face, making his features difficult to discern. All that could be vaguely seen was a jawline, clean and smooth, set against skin pale as cold porcelain.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, Cen Mo felt a strange familiarity about his bearing and silhouette, as if she’d encountered him not long ago.

But the situation was urgent, and she allowed herself only a fleeting distraction before rapping twice on the window, signaling for him to open it.

The man’s cap shifted slightly—his expression was impossible to make out, but with just a few long strides, he was before her. He reached out with a slender arm and, almost effortlessly, pushed open the window sash.

Cen Mo quickly lifted the child in her arms, passing him inside, then unclasped her own seatbelt.

She watched as the man set the child steadily on the floor, then braced herself on the window sill, preparing to climb in as well.

Suddenly, a hand appeared before her.

The man’s hand was long, pale, his knuckles defined, and on his little finger he wore a nearly black jade ring, deep green in hue. He simply extended it toward her.

A cool, pine-like aura seemed to emanate from him, dispersing the oppressive heat in the air.

That odd sense of familiarity surged again. Cen Mo shook her head, pushing away her tangled thoughts, and placed her hand in his.

But in the next instant, she realized something was wrong: the man wasn’t pulling her up at all—the hand was stretching in another direction.

Her gaze followed his movement, and she watched in disbelief as his large hand seized her by the collar and, as if hauling a pig, yanked her inside in one swift motion.

...

A stream of curses flashed through her mind. For a moment, Cen Mo felt like she was being strung up, her face flushing red. Luckily, his other hand caught her arm, or she might truly have been strangled on the spot.

His strength was considerable; with barely a lift, he brought her easily from outside the window into the room.

Only once her feet were firmly on the ground did Cen Mo unfasten the last strap, taking several deep breaths, suppressing her irritation lest it get the better of her.

Just then, the homeowner, an elderly man, stormed in waving an old wooden stick he’d found somewhere, emboldened now that he brandished a weapon. He shouted, “Thieves! Burglars! How dare you break into my house! I’m calling the police to have you all arrested!”

Dealing with such unreasonable and selfish people was always the most troublesome. Cen Mo frowned, shielding the child behind her, and instinctively glanced at the man beside her.

His cap was still pulled low, and the black shirt he wore added to his inexplicable allure. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he lazily eyed the old man up and down. “So what do you want? Money?”

His voice was unexpectedly deep, like an underground stream running through icy stone.

Cen Mo glanced at his attire and watch, coming to a swift conclusion: this was a man accustomed to solving all problems with money. It was not the worst approach, perhaps, though to her mind a bit wasteful.

And people who lacked basic decency deserved some consequence, didn’t they?

With that thought, she pursed her lips, already considering how to help him. After all, regardless of the reason, he had broken in to help her save the child.

“You’re willing to settle this privately? Fine—one hundred thousand, and I’ll let you off jail time. That’s not too much, right? Just pay up and I won’t call the police,” the old man said, his eyes lighting up at the prospect, opening his mouth without shame.

“One hundred thousand, not much at all,” the man replied breezily, leaning at ease by the window.

His cap swiveled slightly, as if facing her, and though she couldn’t see his eyes, Cen Mo felt an odd certainty that their gazes met.

“What do you think?” Sure enough, he lifted his chin at her a moment later.

“Me?” Cen Mo blinked in surprise. “Are you talking to me?”

“Yes. Tell me your opinion.” Switching hands to tuck one in his pocket, his tone was unhurried but certain.

She had the odd feeling of being called on by a superior, which irked her slightly, but she quickly tamped it down.

Clearing her throat, she spoke: “Sir, it was wrong of us to enter your home without permission, and I apologize. But you illegally rebuilt the exterior window ledge, which caused my rescue rope to fray during the emergency—almost resulting in tragedy. On that alone, I could sue you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Breaking into my house and you still think you’re in the right? Who’s to say you weren’t trying to steal something! I’m calling the police right now!” the old man shouted, eyes wide.

Cen Mo remained calm. “Feel free to call them. When I knocked on your window, you were clearly home but refused to open the door, hindering a rescue. We were left with no choice but to enter, and both the building manager and firefighters can testify to that.”

The old man opened his mouth, paused, then suddenly forced a smile, turning to the man by the window. “Young man, you look capable, surely you won’t listen to a woman? How about this—three thousand, just pay me three thousand and we’ll settle it right here.”

Cen Mo raised a brow, turning to look as well.

“I will listen—she’s right,” the man replied, still with that lazy, nonchalant air under the scrutiny of all. He had barely spoken a few words the whole time, simply observing, and as the matter was settled, he strode out the door without further ado.

So he’d never intended to pay at all—he just found it troublesome and left everything for her to handle.

Watching his tall figure recede, Cen Mo ground her molars in silent frustration.

...

It was Sunday. Xu Xudong had promised to stay home with his son, but a call from the hospital summoned him for an emergency case. He drove off in haste.

His son often stayed home alone, and he hadn’t expected any trouble. Who could have guessed the boy would climb out the window in a fit of pique?

He couldn’t answer the phone in the operating room, and only after finally coming out did he learn what had happened. His hands trembled on the steering wheel as he drove home.

Fortunately, the child stood before him, unharmed.

“Xu Lang!” Xu Xudong called, striding over, his tone stern with a hint of distress.

After checking his son over, he bowed to Cen Mo. “Thank you, Miss Cen. I truly don’t know how to thank you—you saved my son’s life, I—”

“It’s all right, it’s my duty,” Cen Mo replied with quiet composure.

She had tutored Xu Lang for a year now. Her role went far beyond academics; she handled all sorts of daily care. Every weekday afternoon, she fetched Xu Lang from school, made him something to eat, helped with homework, and stayed until Dr. Xu returned after nine.

Today was Sunday—ordinarily not her shift—but Dr. Xu had called, needing to rush to the hospital and asking if she could keep his son company. She agreed.

Who could have foreseen the scene that greeted her downstairs? The boy had just crawled out the window, the fire department couldn’t arrive in time, and faced with the emergency, she acted to rescue him.

...

By the time everything was resolved, two hours had passed.

Cen Mo took the child inside to watch some cartoons, calming his nerves, and only when she heard footsteps in the living room did she lead him out.

After what had happened, she dared not leave him alone for a moment.

Xu Xudong felt the same. He took off his coat, draping it over a chair, and settled his son on the carpet by the sofa to play with his model planes, then invited Cen Mo to sit.

“Miss Cen, I don’t know how to express my gratitude. You saved my son’s life. I’m willing to fulfill any request you have.”

Cen Mo could hear the sincerity in his words. She smiled and shook her head. “Just call me Cen, as always, Dr. Xu. As I said, it was my duty. I couldn’t just watch something happen to him.”

Xu Xudong thought for a moment, then took an envelope from his bag, placing it on the table and sliding it toward her. “I just withdrew this from the bank—not much, a hundred thousand yuan, just a small token of my thanks.”

A hundred thousand again.

For some reason, Cen Mo was reminded of the blackmailing old man earlier, and then of that man in black. Suddenly, her collar felt a little tight.

“Dr. Xu, I can’t accept this,” she said, regaining her composure and pushing the envelope back.

Xu Xudong rubbed his hands awkwardly. “I know it’s not respectful to offer money but—”

Cen Mo smiled. “Not at all. Money is a sincere way to show gratitude—after all, everyone needs it. I’m not offended. But I’d rather gain a friend than take a payment.”

“All right. You’re graduating this year, aren’t you? If you need any help, just let me know,” Xu Xudong nodded, not pressing further.

As someone who’d worked many years in society, he understood that favors were harder to repay than a one-off payment. He hadn’t expected Cen Mo to refuse money so readily. This young woman was truly uncommon—not only courageous, but far more composed than most her age.

With that in mind, he regarded her with even more admiration.

“Cen, did you study mountaineering before?” he asked.

He’d already heard the full story from the building manager and found it hard to imagine someone as young as her daring to use a rope to rescue someone from such a height.

He’d bought the rescue rope years ago after reading an article online, as a precaution against fire—never expecting it would actually be used.

“I have some experience,” Cen Mo replied, then after a pause, suggested, “Dr. Xu, if you’d like Xu Lang to develop some skills, why not try rock climbing? He’s quite talented.”

“Yes, my boy... always getting into trouble quietly. Maybe he should learn something to channel all that energy,” Dr. Xu said with a wry smile.

...

Monday came. After reviewing rental listings for graduates, Cen Mo was just about to pick up Xu Lang from school when his father called.

“Cen, you don’t need to pick him up today. Xu Lang’s always been curious about my work, so I had a colleague bring him to the hospital. I’ll take him to dinner after my shift.”

“All right,” Cen Mo replied, about to hang up.

“One more thing,” Dr. Xu hurriedly added. “I have a friend who just returned from abroad. He’s having trouble adapting to the climate here and has a fever, but refuses to come to the hospital. I’m really worried about him—would you mind helping out?”