Playing Outside the Box

Scarlett slid into the sports car with Lucius, his provocative words still echoing in her mind: "I Can't help it if she is so beautiful."

The blue sports car cruised along the smooth mountain road in silence. As usual, Scarlett was engrossed in her course materials.

"Don't take Jack's words to heart," Lucius suddenly said. Scarlett looked up, her expression unchanged, and replied, "Understood."

Lucius, his gaze fixed on the road ahead, asked without emotion, "Do you know what I mean?"

"I do," Scarlett responded. "Jack is a child, and I'm an adult. I know what I should and shouldn't do. I'll try to avoid getting involved in things that aren't my business."

Lucius was silent for a few seconds before speaking again, "You're quite clever. That kid isn't easy to handle."

Scarlett considered his words. Despite his indifferent tone, there was a hint of admiration. She smiled slightly and replied, "Maybe we just get along well."

"Let's sign the formal contract then. I have some free time today," Lucius said nonchalantly.

Scarlett was surprised, but she hid it well. "Are we signing the formal contract so soon?"

"If you don't want to sign, forget it," Lucius replied indifferently.

Scarlett didn't dare play hard to get with such an unpredictable person. She quickly put on a happy face and replied, "I'm definitely willing. I just didn't expect it to be so soon... Thank you, Lucius, for trusting me."

"If you do well, I won't let you down," Lucius said.

Scarlett's second visit had been a success. She had managed to handle Jack with a mix of soft and hard tactics. It wasn't great, but it was good enough for Lucius to say 'you're doing well'. What exactly he meant by 'well' was intriguing.

Perhaps it was because she had remained calm when he had acted out on the road the day before. Or maybe it was because her presence had indirectly helped him when Miss Feng had come charging in today.

Regardless, there were always surprises, and some of them were pleasant.

Scarlett didn't try to figure it out. She simply played dumb and promised on the spot to teach Jack properly in the future.

...

Around two in the afternoon, the office was at its most relaxed. Teachers without classes would gather in the break room to chat. After yesterday's public confrontation between Scarlett and Naomi, no one dared to gossip about Scarlett behind her back. Especially now that she had the backing of the powerful Zhou family. When they talked about her, they had to be somewhat respectful, praising her abilities, the boss's foresight, and the old adage of not judging a book by its cover...

As they were laughing and chatting, someone reported that Scarlett had returned. Everyone immediately dispersed to their own places. Scarlett didn't return alone; she was accompanied by the towering presence of Lucius. Everyone was puzzled. Lucius was a man of rumors, and many locals who had lived here for over twenty years had never seen him in person. How did Scarlett manage to bring him out so easily?

Everyone returned to their seats, stealing glances at Lucius from various angles. Scarlett led Lucius to the meeting room, then headed to Amelia's office.

Amelia had been outmaneuvered by Scarlett, who had publicly humiliated Naomi. It was clearly a warning to others. The more Amelia thought about it, the more frustrated she became. She had a restless night, thinking about how to get rid of this thorn in her side before Issac returned.

As she was thinking, someone knocked on the door. It was Scarlett.

"Come in."

Scarlett entered the room with a smile. Amelia couldn't muster a smile and asked indifferently, "What is it?"

Scarlett said, "A client is ready to sign. He's waiting for you in the meeting room."

Amelia suppressed the urge to frown and asked, "You met a new client?"

Scarlett replied, "It's Lucius. He wants to upgrade the trial contract to a formal one."

Upon hearing this, Amelia's heart sank. She would have preferred any other new client. Why did it have to be Lucius again?

Having met Lucius once, Amelia had been on edge all day. He was clearly protecting Scarlett and making things difficult for her. Yet, she couldn't afford to offend him. Not only could she not offend him, she had to treat him well.

In a matter of moments, Amelia managed to squeeze out a smile of surprise and asked, "Has the trial period ended so soon?"

Scarlett, with a light smile, replied, "Yes, Lucius informed me at the last minute. I didn't have time to notify you in advance, so I brought him here."

Amelia muttered to herself about Scarlett's hypocrisy, not knowing that Scarlett was telling the truth.

Despite her reluctance, Amelia couldn't keep Lucius waiting. She quickly got up and followed Scarlett to the meeting room, attracting curious glances along the way.

In the meeting room, Lucius was lounging on the sofa, wearing a black silk shirt. Not everyone could pull off such a material, especially men. If not worn well, it could look sloppy and greasy. But on Lucius, the silk shirt exuded a natural laziness and rebellion. His good looks were one thing, but his physique was also impressive. Even if he wore a sack, people would praise it as performance art.

Amelia was both afraid of and admired him. A man like him, rich and powerful with a handsome face, who wouldn't like him?

As she entered the room, she quickly put on a smile and greeted him warmly, "Mr. Zhou. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Lucius, with his usual disinterested demeanor, said, "Let's get this over with. I'm here to sign a formal contract with Scarlett."

Amelia sat up straight, not daring to waste any time, and replied with a forced smile, "How many sessions are you planning to sign? I'll have someone prepare the contract right away."

Lucius, seemingly unconcerned with anyone else, turned to Scarlett, "How many do you think is appropriate?"

Scarlett hadn't expected Lucius to ask her. The surprise in her eyes was fleeting, and she quickly regained her composure, "Given your high demand for sessions, I suggest we go with six sessions a week, which is twenty-four a month. How about we start with a three-month contract?"

She still wasn't sure what Lucius's intentions were, whether he was testing her or genuinely asking. So, she made a moderate suggestion.

Upon hearing her words, Lucius, without changing his expression, said, "Let's not deal with fractions. Let's start with a hundred."