Mr. Shen was visibly surprised when he saw me.

I don't know why, but seeing him here made me feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Perhaps it was my worthless self-esteem acting up.

I didn't dare to look up at him. Aunt Liu kept praising me, saying that despite being young, I was reliable, responsible, and efficient.

Mr. Shen didn't say much in the end, but he agreed to let me work here.

I had already prepared myself to face him awkwardly every day.

In reality, I was worrying too much.

During this time in the morning, Mr. Shen had already gone to the office, so I wouldn't see him at all.

The cleaning tasks in this apartment weren't difficult. It was just Mr. Shen and a dedicated cook maid here.

There weren't many people, so it wouldn't be too dirty or messy. The main task was to clean the dust every day.

Work for two hours, slack off for one hour, and earn 5,000 yuan a month. It truly was a great job.

I couldn't help but sigh. Perhaps this was the extravagance of the wealthy.

Before starting my part-time job at the afternoon interest class, I went to the hospital to see my mom. I told her about my recent situation and happily mentioned that Aunt Liu had introduced me to a good job.

Mom smiled and was happy for me, but her eyes were filled with pain.

I also felt sorry for her. She was tormented by illness, thin to the point of being skin and bones, and even lost her hair due to the effects of chemotherapy.

She always wanted to say something but hesitated. I knew what she was thinking.

"Mom, we'll both work hard and hold on. We'll get through this."

Now, no matter how difficult things are, I can endure them because I still have my mom by my side.

I can't imagine how dark and terrifying the world would be if it were just me alone.

"Xiao Xi, it's all because of me that you're burdened."

"You used to take care of me, and now it's my turn to take care of you. There's no such thing as being burdened or not burdened."

I tucked her in and made sure she took her medicine before letting her rest.

As for me, I was in a hurry to leave and go to the next job.

When the elevator reached the fourth floor, the cardiology department, I saw Mr. Shen.

We both looked surprised at the same time.

"Mr. Shen..."

He entered the elevator, and there was no one else inside. He glanced at the elevator floor plan and asked, "Why are you here at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm here to visit someone." I politely asked in return, "Are you here for the same reason, Mr. Shen?"

He casually replied, "No, I'm here for a check-up."

Regular check-ups are indeed a good thing. I couldn't help but think that if I had been more aware of taking my mom for annual check-ups earlier, the situation might have been much better now.

We chatted briefly, and the elevator reached the first floor.

I realized that time was running out, so I quickly said to him, "Mr. Shen, I still have work to do. I'm running out of time, so I'll go ahead."

He suddenly said, "I'll give you a ride."

"No need to trouble yourself. I can take a taxi."

I hurriedly declined. He was wearing a suit and seemed to have made time to come to the hospital.

"It's not a problem. I'm free this afternoon." He walked straight towards the exit, gesturing for me to follow. "Didn't you say you were running out of time? Let's go."

I checked the time and indeed, I was running out of time. Without further ado, I followed him.