"Lucius, what a coincidence," Helena stammered, "Sisi’s back in Kingport, and she even got herself a boyfriend."

Elderly people sure know how to hit the nail on the head.

But this topic didn’t seem to pique Lucius’s interest. He merely glanced at his watch and reminded me, "The auction is about to start."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot," Helena said cheerfully, grabbing my hand. "Sisi, let me treat you to a meal sometime. Bring your boyfriend too, and I’ll give him my stamp of approval."

It was just polite talk, and I didn’t pay it much mind, merely giving a casual nod.

But Helena didn’t seem satisfied and shot Lucius a playful glare. "Aren’t you going to say something?"

Lucius scoffed coldly. "Are you two close?"

The atmosphere immediately dropped to freezing point.

But Lucius was right. Without him, I wouldn’t have any reason to interact with Helena at all.

I quickly found an out for myself. "Auntie, Mr. Albrecht, I’ve got to go. See you later."

I’d been holding that in for a while.

Having given enough face to the 'God of Wealth,' I calmly excused myself.

As I was walking away, I faintly heard Helena asking, "Why does Sisi call you Mr. Albrecht?"

Her tone was laced with curiosity.

I rubbed my throbbing temples and silently made my way to the electronics section.

It took half an hour before I finally picked out an air purifier. The staff was nice enough to offer free delivery, so I felt at ease heading downstairs.

As the elevator passed the third floor food court, a large group of people walked past, and to my surprise, the leader was class rep Michael.

He was wearing a black collared jacket over a white T-shirt, paired with dark-colored casual pants, and the silver-rimmed glasses on his face gave him a very married man vibe.

In fact, after graduating from university, he didn’t go to a big company but stayed at school as a professor.

If I wasn’t mistaken, the people around him were probably his students.

He had always been quite popular.

I was hesitating whether to approach him when Michael spotted me.

He quickly stepped into the elevator and greeted me with a smile, "Sylvie, what a coincidence."

A few of the younger guys with him followed into the elevator, their eyes landing on my face. One of them teased, "Prof. Busch, you’re quite the lucky man, huh?"

"Cut it out," Michael replied with a modest tone, explaining, "She’s my classmate. By seniority, you should all call her ‘senior Sylvie.’"

The young guys quickly straightened up and in unison said, "Hi, Sylvie."

I couldn’t help but laugh at their antics.

The elevator reached the first floor, and the group of guys quickly left, seemingly having agreed to escape together. Before they left, they made sure to ask me to look after their Prof. Busch.

Michael had been drinking.

We went together to the parking lot, where I called a ride for him.

When Michael saw that I didn’t get in the car, he asked, "Aren’t you coming?"

"It’s not on my way," I said honestly, not wanting him to feel burdened. "I’ve already called a ride."

Michael sighed softly and got out of the car, but this time, he was holding a small beige plaid business briefcase.

"Thanks to you helping out with the website last time," he said, looking at me earnestly. "Consider this a token of appreciation."

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but the size of the briefcase was a perfect match for my notebook. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the leather was top-notch, clearly expensive.

I declined, saying, "This isn’t necessary. I didn’t really do much to help."

"Don’t like it?" Michael’s tone was a little disappointed, and he self-deprecatingly added, "Looks like I’m really bad at picking gifts."

"That’s not what I meant."

"Then take it," Michael insisted, his tone unusually firm. "I was too abrupt this time, but don’t make a big deal of it, okay?"

After that, he gave me an expression that seemed like he was deeply reflecting.

I knew it was hard to repay favors, so I didn’t press him any further and reluctantly nodded.

Michael seemed reassured and got back in the car. Before he left, he reminded me, "Make sure to text me when you get home."

As I watched the black BMW disappear from sight, I turned and started walking toward the subway entrance. But after just a few steps, I heard the crisp sound of a lighter flicking.

I glanced over in confusion and saw Lucius standing not far away.

Amid the swirling smoke, his face appeared almost ethereal.

I kept walking without saying a word, but then his cold voice drifted toward me. "Is this the new one you chose?"

Lucius’s eyes were sharp, and his gaze fell directly on my briefcase.

I wasn’t sure when Lucius had appeared, nor why he was scrutinizing a handbag so intensely.

In my confusion, I suddenly recalled what Cecily had asked me earlier that day at the studio. I guessed Lucius must have thought I’d replaced my old laptop. Was he bothered by the new one? The old one, the new one... what exactly was bothering him?

I met his gaze and said calmly, "I don't think that's something the investors need to worry about."

Lucius paused for a moment, taking a long drag of his cigarette before crushing it with a decisive twist of his fingers. Without a word, he turned and walked away.

His mood had shifted dramatically.

Great. I had offended the "God of Wealth." This was not good. I should have kept my cool a little longer. I definitely didn’t want to come back and find the office in chaos after Lynne's business trip.

The next morning, I went to work as usual, relieved to find that Lucius wasn't downstairs. But that feeling didn't last long, as a stream of deliveries soon shattered my peace.

"Miss Linwood, your laptop is here for signature."

"Miss Linwood, could you sign for your computer bag?"

"Miss Linwood..."

By the eighth delivery, Cecily was opening a package that contained allergy medication.

Hannah from the front desk, always eager to gossip, pointed at the sender's name and said, "Is it Mr. Albrecht again? Wow, he’s not just good-looking, but also willing to spend money. What a perfect boyfriend!"

Cecily, surrounded by packages like a little mountain, couldn't hide her joy.

Blushing, she closed the door, tearing open the boxes while talking on the phone.

Her voice, full of excitement, reached my ears from the hallway.

"Lu, you really went all out. This must have cost you a fortune, huh?"

"I’m not sure, but I could take you out to eat if you'd like?"

Whatever Lu said on the other end made Cecily chuckle and cover her mouth. "Lu, you’re teasing me again."

I glanced down at my old laptop, its worn-out logo barely visible. It was almost laughable. After six years of hard work, all I got was a barely noticed gift, while Cecily received carefully selected, expensive presents. There was no comparison.

After lunch, Jackson handed me the code he’d finished the night before for me to check. I thought about it for a moment, then knocked on Cecily's office door.

When I entered, she was busy with her new rose gold laptop—a brand name, with a base configuration starting at around ten thousand.

Clearly, Mr. Albrecht had deep pockets.

Seeing me, Cecily flushed slightly and quickly explained, "Sorry, Sylvie, I don’t know how Lu ended up sending so many gifts. I hope it didn’t disrupt anyone?"

"Where are we with the work I assigned yesterday?" I asked, cutting straight to the point.

Cecily widened her eyes and looked at me with an innocent expression. "Sorry, Sylvie. I just finished setting up the system on my new laptop. I haven’t had a chance to write the code yet."

As expected.

"Can you get a section done before we finish for the day?"

She hesitated, then reluctantly said, "I’ll try."

I knew it was pointless to rush her, but when I returned to my desk, I took over the work she was supposed to finish.

Technically, she was an investor’s representative, but she was also part of our tech team. If she was going to be listed as responsible, she needed to contribute. Simple tasks like this couldn’t just be left undone.

If I left it, there’d be complaints from the team. So, I took care of it.

By the time I finished, it was already past seven in the evening.

I glanced at Cecily's office again. She hadn’t left, still absorbed in responding to messages on her phone.

It seemed like she noticed me looking, because she stood up, grabbed her laptop, and hurried out of the office.

"Sylvie, I’ve written a section. Could you take a look?"

Her voice was filled with an obvious desire for approval.

It made me feel a bit awkward.

I quickly skimmed the code, then fell silent for a moment. Maybe I had been too hard on her.

Just as I was about to speak, Cecily suddenly looked up, her eyes reddened. "Sylvie, am I just too stupid?"

Before I could respond, the door to the studio opened unexpectedly, and I looked up to see Lucius standing there.

His gaze immediately fell on Cecily, and she looked back at him in surprise. The next moment, her lashes fluttered down, and she bit her lip.

She looked... so vulnerable.