Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Quentin Grant’s slightly gloomy mood instantly brightened.

”Draw it again. Does making Daddy look so ugly make you proud?”

Leon Lynch leisurely watched as Dylan Grant tore up the drawing and started a new one.

Quentin Grant then looked over at Elmer Grant’s drawing and nearly fainted from anger.

There were no people on it, just a watermelon, an ear of corn, and a tomato. The three crops had grown arms and legs and were holding hands, building a harmonious society together.

”Don’t tell me this is how you see the three of us.”

”Daddy, you already know the answer. What else can I say?” Elmer Grant shrugged. ”I used an abstract, metaphorical style. It’s better.”

Quentin Grant was completely defeated by his son. ”Fine.”

After dinner, Leon Lynch went out. A heavy rain had started to fall outside.

He drove back to the Lynch Residence.

As he passed a storefront, he noticed a large crowd gathered at the entrance. He immediately spotted a figure inside the glass door, head bowed low.

Leon Lynch slammed on the brakes and took a closer look. The shop was a flower shop.

Not wanting to get involved, he watched quietly for a few minutes. But when he saw the slender figure get slapped across the face several times by a woman, he pushed his car door open, grabbed a black umbrella from the back seat, and opened it.

He walked toward the flower shop.

Closing his umbrella, he used the tip to part the onlookers.

The crowd turned to look back, annoyed.

”What’s your problem?”

”Why’d you poke me?”

”Who the hell are you?”

”...”

He opened his mouth. ”Get lost!”

A few women left sheepishly. Standing in the doorway, Leon Lynch’s gaze fell directly on the woman just a few feet away.

”Holly Wood.”

She snapped her head up. ”Mr. Lynch?”

”What happened?”

The flower shop owner snorted. ”What happened? I sent her to deliver flowers, and she dropped ninety-nine roses, ruining them! And all those Blue Enchantress roses... that’s more than her monthly salary! Pay me back right now! You’re so clumsy. You’re fired.”

Leon Lynch asked, ”How much?”

”Eighty yuan a stem. That’s 7,920 yuan in total. Not a single cent less.”

He pulled out his wallet and took out a wad of cash. The owner reached for it, but Leon Lynch snatched it back. ”You want this? Let her return the slaps you just gave her. Otherwise, you won’t get a single cent. Don’t believe me? Just try.”

Holly Wood was dumbfounded, standing there at a complete loss.

The owner snorted again, acting surprisingly magnanimous. ”Fine, hit me back then. Go on.”

Leon Lynch looked at her. ”Hit her. Hit her back exactly how she hit you. You have to understand, you can’t just let anyone slap you in the face.”

”Mr. Lynch... let’s just forget it...”

”If you don’t hit her, I’m leaving.” Leon Lynch started putting the money back in his wallet. Seeing that he was about to leave and knowing Holly Wood couldn’t pay, the owner panicked. She grabbed Holly’s hand and slapped her own face with it several times, hard.

”There, is that good enough?”

Holly Wood was clearly stunned.

Leon Lynch handed her the money. ”Your face really isn’t worth much.”

Then he looked at Holly Wood. ”What are you spacing out for? Pack your things and go home.”

Carrying her handbag, Holly Wood followed him and got into the car.

”Are you an idiot?”

”I’m not.”

He drove her to the entrance of Prosperity District in Westgate.

”Thank you. I’ll pay you back once I’ve earned the money.”

She was about to get out of the car.

But just then, Leon Lynch drove the car into the district.

Startled, Holly Wood quickly shut the car door. ”You... what are you... again...”

Leon Lynch stared straight ahead. ”Aren’t you going to invite me to your place for a cup of tea?”

Holly Wood stammered, ”My parents are home...”

He parked the car downstairs from her apartment building. The entire district was pitch-black, without a single streetlight.

”It’s fine. We can be quiet. Is this district scheduled for demolition soon? Why are there no streetlights? When you come home from work at night, what if you run into a bad person? Wouldn’t you be...”

But she just smiled. ”It’s fine. I’m not good-looking, I don’t have a great figure, and I look like a middle schooler. No one would bother with me.”

”So self-deprecating. You might not be gorgeous, but you have delicate features. Your figure really isn’t the best, but you’re kind. A little baby fat is nothing. In my eyes, you’re still very slender. Go on back. Good night.”

”Didn’t you say you wanted to go to my place?”

”Not anymore. Aren’t your parents home?”

”As long as you don’t make a sound... it would be okay.” She lowered her voice.

”Let’s not. Some other time.”

Holly Wood nodded and got out of the car.

Just as Leon Lynch was about to start the engine, a coincidence so perfect it made his head spin occurred: the car wouldn’t start.

He opened the car window. ”Wait.”

Holly Wood turned back. ”Mr. Lynch, is there anything else?”

”My... car... won’t start... Looks like I have to take you up on that cup of tea after all.”

She actually gave a gentle smile. ”Okay.”

And so, he followed her into her home.

It was pitch-black, with no lights on.

She pushed the door open, closed it, and let out a long breath.

She turned on the light, and what he saw was just as he had imagined. The room wasn’t large, but it was neat and clean. Inside, there was nothing but a worn-out wardrobe, a bed, and a table.

There were a few potted flowers on the windowsill. Outside, the rain grew heavier, lashing against the window.

”Mr. Lynch, the rain is so heavy outside and your car is broken. If you don’t mind, you can sleep on my bed tonight. I’ll sleep on the sofa in the living room. As long as your girlfriend or wife doesn’t get the wrong idea.”

He looked at his watch. There wouldn’t be any repair shops open at this hour. Besides, this part of Westgate was truly inconvenient.

”I’m single at the moment. Never mind that. If you trust me, let’s just lie in bed together. I... won’t touch you.”

She thought for a moment before nodding, a determined light flashing in her eyes. ”I... trust you.”

Two strangers who had only met twice were suddenly lying in the same bed. Of course it was awkward. Their bodies were ramrod straight, and they didn’t dare to breathe too loudly.

”Aren’t you afraid I just said the car was broken on purpose so I could come up here...”

She closed her eyes. ”I don’t think... you would do that...”

”You... just trust me like that... After all, we’ve only just met...”

”With some people, you can’t explain why. You just trust them. You lent me money and weren’t even afraid I wouldn’t pay you back. So why shouldn’t I be able to trust you?”

A smile spread across Leon Lynch’s lips. The two of them drifted off to sleep, and that night, they both slept soundly.

They were jolted awake in the morning by someone pounding on the door.

The two of them shot up in bed. Holly Wood’s heart was pounding. ”It’s my mom! What do we do?!”

Leon Lynch looked around the small room, almost dying of frustration. He glanced under the bed—it was solid. The wardrobe was far too small to hide a man his size. It was either get discovered, or...

”Holly Wood, what time is it?! Aren’t you going to work?! You wretched girl, open this door right now!”

”I’m getting up!”

The words had barely left her mouth when they heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. Holly Wood was scared to death. She immediately hid Leon Lynch’s shoes behind the wardrobe door, sat on the bed, and yanked Leon Lynch down between her legs, forcing him to lie there face down, aimed right at her...