Top tier Wife

2:Now job

Jake M. was stunned. Her composure made him feel like his furious words were wasted in the air.

“Why treat me like this? I didn’t harm you!” he spat.

“It’s a job, right?” she asked simply.

“Yes! Who doesn’t need a job? No salary, no food, no life!”

“Short on money?”

“Who isn’t?” Jake M. replied.

She offered him a job: “Help me tomorrow. One or two days a week. $10,000 a month.”

Jake M. nearly fell over. “One week… one day?”

“No illegal work, full discretion, and you serve only me,” Rose J. added.

“I’m a man, not a pretty boy for hire,” Jake M. protested.

“Fine. If you want the job, start tomorrow at 8:30 AM at the gate. Otherwise, I’ll find someone else. Now leave,” Rose J. ordered.

Jake M., still hungry, helped himself to a meal before leaving, thinking, Why am I actually doing work for her now? But desperate for money, he accepted the arrangement.

Jake M felt that the day had been inexplicably strange—he was inexplicably complained about, inexplicably rescued someone, then inexplicably got fired, and then inexplicably offered a high-paying job.

Jake M, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, walked into a slab-style apartment building. This was a four-story red-brick building from the 1980s, with exterior corridors. There were seven or eight similar buildings nearby. Over time, this area had almost become the city’s slum. Most residents here were people who had come from other places to work. Their salaries were low; they couldn’t afford houses or apartments, so they rented places like this.

Jake M walked up to one of the apartment doors and pushed it open.

On the sofa in the middle of the room, a man and a woman were rolling around together, the man on top kissing the woman. Seeing Jake M enter, they were startled. The man scrambled to his feet and shouted at Jake M, “What the hell! Why didn’t you knock?”

“Wow, my bad. Can you two have some decency? It’s only eight in the morning! How can you start mating this early? And besides, this sofa is my bed! Can’t you go inside if you want to… you know, use a bed? The sofa’s too small for that!” Jake M said casually, walking in and pouring himself a glass of water by the dispenser.

“Qiangzi, you’re shameless! What do you mean this sofa is yours? We’re renting this place together! You just moved in with your bag and haven’t paid a cent of rent, and I cook and serve you every day!” The woman, sitting up with a flushed face, scolded Jake M. She was clearly really angry.

“Hey, hey, hey! Are you two ungrateful? Lao Bi, tell me, didn’t the first time you and Liu Yan went to a hotel, you used money from me? And in senior year, when Liu Yan got pregnant, I ate instant noodles for two months to scrape together enough for your abortion. Don’t you two have any conscience?” Jake M walked to the sofa, slipped on his slippers, and with a single kick moved Lao Bi out of the way, sitting down on the sofa.

“Qiangzi, Qiang-ge, we really don’t want you to leave. We’re friends, right? But you see, it’s really inconvenient for us if you stay here. We’re both working during the day, and when we come home at night, we want to… you know, have some couple time. You, a grown man, lying here, how do you expect us to live a normal married life?” Lao Bi said in a sad voice.

“You act like you’ve never done anything. D*mn it, once a day on weekdays, twice on weekends, right? And that’s not counting during the day. Young people, don’t overdo it. With your frequency and Lao Bi’s condition, maybe five more years max, you need to moderate a bit!” Jake M patted Lao Bi on the shoulder seriously.

“You actually remembered the numbers?” Lao Bi widened his eyes. Liu Yan’s face flushed as she kicked Jake M lightly, embarrassed.

“Can’t blame me, it’s just a thin wall, no soundproofing. I could hardly avoid hearing Liu Yan’s screaming.”

“Shameless! You’re shameless!” Liu Yan scolded while hitting Jake M.

“Alright, big brother, I beg you. Move out. Every time we… you staying here gives me psychological trauma. I know you have difficulties. A thousand bucks a month for rent isn’t much for you. I’ll find you a place across the street; I saw a family moving out. You live there, still come here for meals—good wine, good food every day.” Lao Bi was at a loss.

“Bro, I wasn’t trying to bother you. You know my situation. Don’t worry, even one cent I save, I save. Truthfully, I was planning to move out, but here’s the bad news—I’m unemployed again. Maybe I won’t be able to move out for a while. Please bear with me as if I don’t exist. Do what you want.” Jake M took out a cigarette and handed one to Lao Bi.

“What? Unemployed? Are you kidding?”

“Fired. Ran into a b*tch who had me kicked out…” Jake M leaned on the sofa and changed channels, then slowly recounted the whole day.

The couple, Lao Bi and Liu Yan, were Jake M’s college friends. Lao Bi and Jake M were dorm mates and very close. Liu Yan had been dating Lao Bi since college. After graduation, Jake M returned home, while they came to New York. Their combined income was less than ten thousand a month. Despite joking about Jake M moving out, they took care of him, providing meals and lodging without charging him anything.

“One ten-thousand? Only a few hours of work per week?” Lao Bi widened his eyes.

“Yes, that’s what she told me.”

“Must be lying. Where on earth does someone pay you first, then ask you to work?” Liu Yan was incredulous.

“Don’t care. I have to see her tomorrow. If it fails, I’ll find another job!” Jake M yawned.

“Bro, don’t stress. Debts aren’t urgent. Don’t push yourself to death. Go to sleep early.” Lao Bi took Liu Yan into their bedroom. Jake M’s bed was the sofa.

Jake M lay down, lit a cigarette, and let the day’s events float through his mind.

He remembered his college girlfriend, Nie Qian, a beautiful girl considered the campus flower. They loved each other deeply. After graduation, he became a civil servant, earning just over three thousand $ a month. Nie Qian earned over five thousand. Two years later, they planned to marry, but her father fell seriously ill.

Jake M borrowed over 500,000$ from relatives and friends to treat Nie Qian’s father, who still passed away within a year. Nie Qian then sent him a message: “I’m sorry. I can’t bear this poor life. I’m going to Shanghai to live the life of the rich. Forget me, wish you happiness.” She disappeared completely.

Jake M, heavily in debt, came to New York to earn money and search for Nie Qian, taking any job that paid well, including being a courier. He did this because, as a courier, he could move around the city and potentially run into Nie Qian.

The next day, Jake M woke early, found himself unemployed, and decided to meet Rose J at 8:30. After breakfast, he rode his bicycle to her neighborhood. At exactly 8:30, a BMW drove out—it was Rose J’s.

Rose J got out and asked about his bike.

“What’s wrong with my bike? It’s eco-friendly.”

“You can’t even dress properly?”

Jake M complained, “I’m here to work, not to play with you.”

“Get in!” Rose J insisted. He hesitated but eventually got in. She tossed him an envelope: “Your salary for this month, ten thousand.”

Jake M opened it: indeed, a stack of hundred-dollar bills.

“What is this for?”

“Money is the least of your concerns.” Rose J said coldly.

“I need money, not for fun. I earn it honestly. If I don’t work, I won’t touch it. Now that you’ve given it, tell me what you want me to do.”

“Everything you need will be told to you. Just follow my orders, don’t ask unnecessary questions.”

Jake M sighed and accepted the contract she handed him.

“The contract states: I hire you. Work isn’t limited. Your work must be legal, ethical, and within your abilities. Hours aren’t fixed but comply with labor laws. Salary is ten thousand per month, may increase. You must follow my instructions, be punctual, diligent, and responsible. Breaches include disobedience, swearing, or criticizing me. Breach incurs ten times compensation.”

Jake M’s eyes widened.

“Ten times? That’s one hundred thousand.”

“Yes. Understand?”

“D*mn! Feels like I’m on a pirate ship.”

“Sign it. We have a formal employment relationship now. I’m strict. Break rules, you bear the consequences.”

“Fine! I’ll sign!” Jake M signed quickly.

They arrived at a mall. Rose J directed him to a high-end men’s clothing store.

“Try these on.”

Jake M was stunned. “Why are you buying me clothes?”

“Work requires it. Wear it. Paid by me, not you.”

He tried on a suit worth tens of thousands. Rose J nodded approvingly. They bought three sets, plus an expensive watch and phone. Jake M protested, “I don’t sell myself. I need money, not to compromise my dignity.”

Rose J laughed. “Work needs proper attire. Haircut and shave next.”

Jake M followed. After transformation, he looked like a wealthy professional.

Finally, in the car, Jake M demanded, “What exactly am I doing? I won’t break the law.”

“See the international kindergarten? Your job: be my son’s ‘dad.’”

Jake M was shocked.

“You mean lie to a child? That’s immoral!”

Rose J explained tearfully: her son had never met his father. She feared a lack of paternal figure would harm his personality. This was the only solution she could think of.

“If you refuse, I’ll sue for breach and claim tenfold compensation. Everything I bought for your work, you’d have to repay.”