Chapter 16: Don't Call Me CEO Leo, Call Me Leo

Leo selected each piece of clothing and jewelry for Sophia, who put them on mechanically, as if she were an emotionless machine. Sophia was full of doubt, not understanding why this man, who had been tormenting her in the bathroom just moments ago, was now patiently dressing her up. Could a man's heart change so quickly?

She had thought that a man like Leo, who stood at the top of the social pyramid, would never stoop to dressing up a woman, yet Leo seemed to enjoy it. Perhaps, he had often dressed up his female companions in the past. So, he has this kind of hobby too, Sophia thought to herself with irony.

However, it was clear that Leo wasn't good at matching outfits. Every time Sophia was dressed, he would shake his head in dissatisfaction. Time ticked away, and after half an hour, Sophia's patience was wearing thin, but Leo was still enthusiastically choosing.

"CEO Leo, let me choose by myself. I think we might already be late," Sophia said, trying to be as tactful as possible.

Leo didn't look at Sophia, still focusing on the evening dresses in front of him, "Don't be ungrateful, this is the first time I am personally dressing up a woman."

Sophia was somewhat surprised; she was actually the first to receive this kind of "treatment."

"Also, stop calling me CEO Leo, it feels too distant. Call me Leo." Leo's command left Sophia, still in surprise, momentarily unable to respond, and she just dumbly agreed, "Oh!"

"Call me that now." Leo stopped what he was doing, looking at her with interest.

"Ah?" Sophia was caught off guard by this sudden request, her face flushing with embarrassment. She couldn't bring herself to say it, but since she had promised, she couldn't go back on her word, feeling torn.

"Heh..." Leo laughed happily, seemingly enjoying teasing Sophia.

He liked breaking her tough, smart, and stubborn shell to see her show shy, embarrassed, and feminine sides. She indeed brought a different color to his life.

Sophia, mixed with shame and anger, quickly picked an evening dress, a necklace, a pair of earrings, and sandals, then hurriedly dressed and walked out.

Leo was a bit angry, his tone more sharp, "You can only wear the clothes I choose for you. Don't make decisions on your own anymore!"

Sophia stood in front of the mirror, applying foundation to cover the kiss marks on her neck and shoulders, without responding to him. But Leo's stern reflection in the mirror still made her shiver, and the ripples stirred by his tenderness quickly subsided.

Sophia initially thought the banquet was just an ordinary business event, but it turned out to be the celebration party for the movie "Great China Merchant." This movie set a new box office record for Chinese cinema, reaching an astonishing 1.8 billion in just one week.

When Sophia walked into the venue arm in arm with Leo, she saw everyone smiling, holding glasses to congratulate Leo, the film's biggest investor, but the cold aura surrounding Leo still commanded respect.

Sophia was not happy, her eyebrows furrowed throughout. For other women, being able to attend such an occasion on Leo's arm, enjoying the envious glances from other women, might have been delightful. But Sophia only found it troublesome.

Although she had heard that Leo always acted decisively, never allowing any gossip to leak, so she didn't worry about seeing herself in tomorrow's entertainment papers, it didn't mean she was willing to endure the envious glances from the women around her.

When Leo went on stage to give a speech, he unexpectedly pulled Sophia along with him. Sophia wanted to withdraw her hand that he held, "What are you doing? With my status, I can't..."

Leo interrupted her impatiently, "If you keep being disobedient like this..."

Sophia didn't wait for him to finish, she just obediently held his hand back.

Leo revealed a satisfied smile.

This interaction between them seemed full of ambiguity to others, especially when Sophia held Leo's hand and he smiled, shocking everyone present.

Who is this lady, able to make Leo, the perennially ice-cold tycoon, smile publicly?

Many journalists wanted to capture this moment, thinking tomorrow's newspaper sales would soar. But thinking of Leo's methods, they silently put away their cameras.

Jamie, watching Leo actually leading that woman onto the stage, felt infuriated. A woman's intuition told her this woman was different from all the female companions Leo had brought before, including herself. In the past, at any public occasion, Leo would only allow his female companions to enter with him, then leave them to their own devices, never showing too much physical contact.

But this woman, from the moment they entered to now, had been arm in arm with Leo. Now, she even followed him onto the stage directly.

Unable to bear it any longer, Jamie lifted her dress and rushed towards the stage.