Leo once again walked past the central office area, and finally, Ava couldn't hold back any longer.
**[Group Chat] Boss Doesn't Rest, Neither Do I (5)**
**Ava:** Why is Mr. Leo acting so strange today?
**Ava:** He's been to the break room seven or eight times this morning, right?
**Ethan:** Whose turn is it for duty this week?
**Casey:** It's mine.
**Casey:** I asked Mr. Leo first thing this morning if he needed me to prepare any drinks or snacks, but he said he'd get whatever he needed himself.
**Casey:** I didn't expect him to be thirsty this often...
**Ryan:** Weird, the boss usually thinks eating is a waste of time, and now he's making his own coffee?
**Ava:** The key point is that every time he goes to the break room, he has to pass by us. It's making me nervous!
**Ava:** It's like being watched by the teacher from the back of the classroom.
**Chris:** Me too.
The seventeenth floor of the Lu Wei Building is the exclusive office area for the chairman. To save time, Leo set up his office right next to the elevator. Just a bit further in is the open office area for his assistants like Ethan and Ava, followed by the break room and multifunctional meeting rooms.
Normally, Mr. Leo would stay in his office. But this morning, he had already made seven or eight trips past his assistants' desks.
As they were chatting, Leo came out of his office again. The assistants quickly sat up straight, focusing intently on their screens. But this time, he didn't head to the break room; he stopped in front of the office area.
Ava was full of questions.
What's going on?
Is the teacher's tactic escalating?
"Are there any documents that need my signature?" Leo asked.
Everyone looked at each other, puzzled. What's with the boss today? Did he finish his work and come out looking for something to do? Or is he hinting that we're not efficient enough?
Oh dear.
Ethan, as the highest-ranking assistant, stepped up under the pressure. He stood up, "Mr. Leo, there are indeed some documents from the marketing and finance departments that need your signature. They're still being reviewed, and I'll bring them to you in thirty minutes."
"No need," Leo raised a hand, lightly brushing off some nonexistent dust from his left chest pocket, "I'll come back in half an hour."
And then he left.
Everyone: What? He's coming back?
Ethan was stunned too, silently mouthing to Ava: "What's going on?"
Ava shrugged, "No idea."
Thirty minutes later, Mr. Leo returned right on time. At 1.88 meters tall with a model-like physique, just standing there, he was a sight to behold at Lu Wei.
But the assistants had no time to admire the view.
They sat in terror as their always-efficient boss slowly raised his right hand, slowly took out a pen from his left breast pocket, and slowly unscrewed the cap.
The whole process took two minutes.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
The boss wasn't acting normal today, really not. But what was wrong exactly?
Leo bent down to sign the documents, twirling the deep blue pen in his fingers, the light glinting off it.
Ava was slightly surprised. When did the boss start using colorful things? But it was quite pretty.
Even if he meticulously signed each of the five documents, it didn't take more than a few minutes. Leo straightened up, looking a bit unsatisfied.
No one dared to wonder aloud what the boss meant. They just respectfully waited for him to leave.
But Leo didn't leave.
He didn't say anything either, just stood there playing with the pen.
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Ethan's head, "You got a new pen? It's really nice."
"Mm." Leo finally moved.
He seemed to casually nod, emphasizing each word, "My wife gave it to me."
Everyone: "..."
Ah, so that's it.
The coffee isn't the point, the documents aren't the point, the signing isn't the point, showing off the pen is the point!
Boss, if you want to smile, just smile, no need to hold back. We can see your mouth twitching upwards. We all noticed.
"Haha," Ethan laughed dryly, "Mrs. Leo has great taste."
Leo: "Yes, she chose it specifically for me."
Everyone: "..."
Leo continued, "And it's a limited edition… only 520 in the world… you guys…"
"Wow! Really?"
"That's so meaningful!"
"This blue color is stunning!"
"Look at the sapphire on the cap! So precious!"
Everyone hurriedly chimed in with compliments, and the usually reserved Mr. Leo responded to each one.
"Right, the blue represents the ocean, and it also has an environmental protection message."
"The inlaid gemstone is actually a design."
"Yes, it's a whale."
"She said the ocean suits me, and most importantly, she loves the ocean."
Everyone: "Yeah, it's a perfect match."
It really is a perfect match.
Boss, have you shown off enough yet? Please go back now!
But the boss hadn't had enough; he wasn't leaving.
Ava, barely hanging on, suddenly had a stroke of genius and fired off a string of compliments: "Mrs. Leo is so considerate; she must care about you deeply and love you a lot. I'm so envious. Mr. Leo, you and Mrs. Leo are such a perfect couple! It's like a match made in heaven!"
"Mm." Leo finally nodded in satisfaction and leisurely turned to return to his office.
Ava collapsed into her chair, pinching herself to stay awake.
**[Group Chat] Boss Doesn't Rest, Neither Do I (5)**
Casey changed the group name to "Boss, Please Stop Showing Off."
**Chris:** @Ava, thanks for saving my life.
**Casey:** @Ava, thanks for saving my life.
**Ryan:** @Ava, thanks for saving my life.
**Ava:** We're all in this together, no need to thank me. [smile.jpg]
**Ethan:** I don't think I need lunch today.
**Ethan:** I'm already full.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Ian came to Lu Wei's headquarters to find Leo. When he reached the seventeenth floor, he didn't go straight to the CEO's office. Instead, he casually grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the break room and then wandered over to the central office area.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Ian leaned against Ethan's desk, smiling, "Why do you all look like wilted eggplants?"
Although Ian held a high position, he was friendly and talkative, and everyone usually joked with him.
Seeing everyone just weakly smile, Ian asked again, "Did Leo give you guys a tough job?"
"No," Ethan said, "It's just that today's been a bit tiring…"
"I see," Ian patted his shoulder, "It's almost time to go home. Get some good rest!"
"Thanks, Mr. Ian."
When Ian pushed open the office door, he saw Leo staring at his desk, seemingly lost in thought. As he got closer, he realized Leo was staring at a pen.
"Hey, a new pen!" Ian reached out to take it, but Leo quickly blocked him.
"Don't touch it."
Ian sat down in front of Leo's desk. "You used to let me drive your multi-million-dollar cars, and now you won't even let me touch a pen... Come on, I didn't even touch it and you're already wiping it off?"
Leo carefully wiped the fingerprints off with a handkerchief. "This was a gift from Stella."
"Is that so?" Ian casually opened his bottled water, throwing out a compliment. "Looks nice."
Leo: "She picked it out specially for me. It's called 'Deep Blue Sea.'"
Ian: "Oh."
Leo: "It has a significant theme."
Ian: "..."
Leo: "It promotes marine environment protection. See this whale? Stella really likes whales, especially orcas."
Ian: "I don't think I asked about this..."
Leo: "And look at the solid gold nib."
Ian: "...Wait..."
Leo: "It's crafted through 25 processes by hand. Stella said it's very durable."
Ian: "..."
He gazed sympathetically at the assistants in the central office area through the half-open blinds, wondering how many times they had to endure this to look so defeated.
The chairman continued enthusiastically, "Look at the patterns on the nib. Doesn't it resemble ocean waves?"
Ian couldn't hold back anymore: "I don't know about waves, but I know you're being very showy right now!"
"..."
"Alright, Mr. Leo," Ian patted him, "I know you're happy with your lovely wife, can you give us single folks a break?"
Leo coughed and put the pen back in his pocket. "Why are you here?"
Ian handed him a document. "I'm here to update you on your wife's filming project. You asked me to oversee it personally."
Leo flipped through the document and frowned. "Is this cast finalized?"
"The lead actress is set. The male lead is tentative."
Leo shook his head decisively. "He's not suitable. Replace him."
Ian: "How do you know he's not suitable? Have you read the script?"
"I have. I also read the original novel," Leo continued. "Replace him with the actor who won this year's Baihui Award. He fits the role best."
"You have time to read novels?" Ian was genuinely surprised. "But you and Director Huo seem to agree. We approached the award-winning actor, but he's busy with another project and may not have the schedule."
Leo: "Offer more pay. Also, give him favorable endorsement opportunities. Get him."
"Wow, Mr. Leo, when you commit, you go all out!" Ian applauded. "Once you're in, you're all in!"
Commit?
Leo suddenly paused.
Ian didn't notice the change in Leo's expression and kept teasing, "You used to act all aloof, saying marriage was just about honoring old agreements and taking responsibility… Pretending. You clearly liked the girl, but wouldn't admit it!"
Ian's words stirred up Leo's thoughts, making him feel like he was on the verge of understanding something, but it slipped away again.
"Let's go," Ian interrupted his thoughts. "Let's go to our place tonight for a drink. They've got a new band that's really cool!"
Leo shook his head. "No."
"Come on, you haven't been out in ages. What's going on? Trying for a perfect husband award?"
Leo: "I need to pick up Stella from school and have dinner with her."
"Bring her along then! Let the guys meet her."
"Take Stella to a bar?" Leo squinted at Ian. "Are you out of your mind?"
"Alright, alright, not going," Ian rolled his eyes. "You were overprotective before, and you're even more so after marriage."
Leo put on his coat. "I'm having dinner with Stella and her friends tonight. My treat."
Ian thought for a moment. "Then I'll join you. I'm your friend, there should be friends on both sides!"
Leo refused. "You're too frivolous. You'll scare them."
"...You jerk."
Ian raised an eyebrow. "If you don't let me come, I'll have a nice chat with Stella, tell her about the stuff you said back in school…"
"Fine, you can come. Let's go," Leo quickly interrupted him.
"Hahaha!"