"No problem with that, as long as she's capable." Jason knew that talent was crucial, but a person's ability could only go so far—one couldn't handle everything alone.
Ring, ring, ring—Lin's phone rang.
"Boss, there's a guest downstairs looking for me. I'll head down for a while. I don't really understand what you two are discussing, but I'll do whatever you ask. One of you is my boss, and the other is my cousin. I trust that neither of you would harm me." With that, Lin hurried downstairs.
Jason hadn't expected the usually honest-looking Lin to have his own thoughts. Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover.
"Her work ability is no problem. And don't worry about the real estate thing. I also took business administration as an elective in college. I'll do my best. I won't let you lose your savings for your marriage." Lily recalled what Jason had said and couldn't help but tease him.
"If you make me lose my savings for my marriage, I'll mortgage and sell you to get the money back." Jason muttered. Such a beautiful woman, even if sold, would probably cover the costs—and maybe even turn a profit. Jason smiled wickedly at the thought. The idea of selling a beautiful woman was something he hadn't considered before, but perhaps it was a good business idea. Surely, many men would be interested.
"What did you just say?" Lily frowned, unable to believe this wolf of a man was considering selling her. Wasn't he supposed to have some pity for a beautiful woman like her?
"Nothing! Nothing!" Jason panicked. He didn't expect Lily to hear him even though he'd spoken so softly. It was just a joke.
"Nothing? Didn't you say you'd sell me to get your marriage savings back?" she pressed. "Bad guy. You clearly said it but won't admit it. I wonder if you're even a real man." Lily's anger flared.
"It… it was just a joke." Jason couldn't deny it now that she had heard him clearly.
"A joke? Is that supposed to be a joke?" Lily's anger grew, especially seeing Jason's shameless smile. Her fury intensified as she thought about it.
"You said I'd lose my savings for marriage, so I was just going along with it. I didn't mean anything else," Jason explained quickly, not daring to offend her. If she quit now, things wouldn't be easy for him. Good talent like hers wasn't easy to come by.
"Just because I said it, you think it's okay to make that kind of joke?" Lily slapped the table in frustration.
"No, no." Jason looked at her flushed face and thought, Isn't this a case of "the official can set fires while the common folk are forbidden from lighting lamps?" But he couldn't say that aloud. Lily was like a balloon ready to burst at any moment.
Jason tried to smile carefully, but Lily saw it as a gloating smirk. People are strange; if someone doesn't have any ill will toward you, even a smile can seem kind.
"Stop smiling!" Lily yelled at him. Suddenly, she raised her high-heeled shoe and kicked at his foot.
Before, I let He Tao kick me voluntarily. Do you think you can kick me just because you want to? Jason thought as he swiftly moved his foot out of the way.
Lily, already furious, had put all her strength into the kick. But Jason's movement caused her to miss. Worse still, the loss of balance sent her stumbling forward, and her body collided with Jason's.
"Oh my God!" Jason exclaimed, surprised by her sudden lunge. Her small, cherry-red lips brushed his cheek, and worse still, her soft body pressed against his arms.
Jason could only think one word: "soft." Lily's entire body felt like it had no bones, especially where she was pressed against him. Jason couldn't deny that the sensation had excited him.
"You… you… pervert!" Lily quickly pushed herself off him and stood up, her face bright red.
"Hey, miss. Be reasonable, okay? You threw yourself at me, not the other way around. The one who should be complaining is me!" Jason now realized what it felt like to be wrongly accused. If he'd actually done something, then sure, he'd deserve the accusation. But he hadn't done anything—she'd rushed at him! It was the classic case of the thief crying "stop thief."
"How dare you argue! You… you…" Lily's anger flared, but she thought for a moment. Wait, it was me who threw myself at him, not this pervert who rushed at me.
"I didn't," Jason said innocently, playing the victim.
"Anyway, it's your fault! Why did you move your foot? If you hadn't moved, I wouldn't have fallen!" Lily finally shifted the blame, feeling pleased with her little logic. She wasn't as angry now, especially after the unintentional kiss... It was strange. She had given the kiss to this pervert, but now she couldn't stay mad at him. In fact, she found herself almost… missing it.
"Am I stupid? Standing still and letting you kick me?" Jason now realized that reasoning with a woman was harder than climbing a mountain.
"Yes, don't move and let me kick you!" Lily replied after thinking. She wondered if she should have used even more force the next time she kicked him.
"I'm no fool. Find a fool who will let you kick him." Jason gave her a look, deciding that he wasn't going to be the one.
"Pervert, what are you looking at?" Lily noticed Jason's eyes on her body, especially her chest, which had been pressed against him earlier.
"How would you know I'm looking at you if you weren't looking at me?" Jason retorted, grinning.
"I won't forgive you!" Lily was seething. She raised her small fist, ready to hit him. After missing the kick earlier, at least she could use her hands to get some revenge.
Before she could land the blow, Jason caught her wrist.
"Let go! Let go of me!" Lily struggled, flustered. She'd never been so close to the opposite sex, especially not with this annoying guy.
"I'll let go if you don't hit me," Jason said, still holding her hand.
"Let go of me, pervert!" Lily was furious. She wanted to curse him out, but in the chaos of emotions, she wasn't sure why she felt flustered.
As Jason held her delicate hand, an inexplicable impulse surged inside him. "Okay, I'll show you." With a fierce movement, Jason kissed her.
Lily was frozen in shock. She never expected him to dare kiss her.
Slap! Lily slapped him hard and quickly turned, rushing out of the room.
"Was I too much?" Jason wondered after the slap. Had he kissed her out of anger, or had her charm somehow driven him to it? Jason himself couldn't quite figure it out.
"Boss, what's going on? I just saw Lily running out. What happened?" Lin walked in, confused. Had the boss really bullied his cousin? And which side should he take? But then he saw the marks on Jason's cheeks—a slap mark on his left and another on his right—and he was even more bewildered.
"If the slap was because the boss molested Lily, then what's with the red mark? Did he get slapped first and then kissed? Or kissed first and then slapped?" Lin pondered over it, his head spinning. "Forget it. This is none of my business. Better to pretend I didn't see anything." With that, Lin hastily left, not waiting for Jason's answer.