Morrison had made up his mind—he had to get Karl into MOS Corp.
But Karl was absolutely refusing.
"I can’t. I just can’t do it," Karl said firmly, panic rising in his voice.
Before Morrison could press further, Karl quickly added, "Anyway, I gotta go—the lab’s closing."
And with that, he hung up, cutting off the conversation without a second thought.
Morrison stared at the phone screen for a moment, his face darkening.
"Goddamn it," he muttered, tossing the phone aside.
Is there anyone around me who doesn’t give me a headache?
Later that afternoon, just as the workday was wrapping up, Norton was packing up and getting ready to head home.
The moment he stood up, Morrison strode into the office with big, purposeful steps.
Norton instinctively straightened up, assuming his boss had more tasks to assign.
Instead, Morrison casually tossed a sleek Porsche key onto Norton’s desk.
Without a word, he plucked Norton’s car key from his hand, spun it deftly around his finger, and said,
"I’m taking your car today. Drive mine home."
Then he turned and walked out like it was no big deal.
Norton stared at the Porsche key sitting on his desk, then glanced toward the door Morrison had just walked out of.
His gaze returned to the key. He pictured that limited-edition sports car in his mind, then shook his head with a sigh.
Nope. Not worth the risk.
That car was way out of his league. If he so much as scratched it, he’d be paying it off for life.
Might as well just borrow his younger brother Sean’s car instead.
When Sean heard about the situation, his reaction was immediate.
"Dude, your boss is weird as hell," Sean said, laughing as he drove.
Then he glanced at his brother. "Are you sure he’s just messing around with that little girlfriend of his? ’Cause from what I’m seeing, he’s looking real serious."
Norton, ever the calm and reserved type—completely opposite from Sean—just stayed quiet.
Serious or not... who could say?
What starts as a fling could turn into something real.
And what begins in earnest could still fall apart in the end.
Love wasn’t something that could be summed up in a sentence or two.
Meanwhile, Morrison was driving Norton’s plain black Volkswagen to Lilian’s school.
The car was modest—costing maybe a couple hundred thousand yuan—and just like its owner, it was low-key and dependable.
Sure, with the kind of salary Morrison gave him, Norton could have easily afforded something flashier.
But Morrison liked that about him. Not everyone had to be like Sean—showy and attention-grabbing.
That’s exactly why he chose Norton’s car tonight.
The girl had finally worked up the nerve to ask him out. No way he was going to mess this up.
When she suggested he either change his car or just call a cab, he picked the former. He wasn’t about to come off as pretentious.
Before heading to her school, he stopped by home.
Showered. Dried his hair. Changed clothes.
He picked a pair of light brown casual pants, rolled up the cuffs slightly to make his long legs look even longer.
A crisp white shirt on top, paired with handmade leather shoes.
His hair, no longer perfectly styled like at work, now fell a little more naturally. He wanted to look stylish.
As he adjusted his outfit in the mirror, Morrison couldn’t help but sigh.
What kind of world is this now? Used to be women would dress up for a date with me. Now? I’m the one trying to impress her.
Thinking he now looked a few years younger—at least by his own judgment—Morrison finally headed out to keep the appointment.
When he arrived at her school, he gave her a call.
"Park at the front gate," she said sweetly, "then come in and turn right. There’s an artificial lake over there. I’m waiting by the water."
"What the hell are you doing all the way over there? Can’t you stand somewhere obvious so I can see you right away?"
He grumbled in protest, but his feet were already moving. He locked the car and walked into the campus.
On the other end of the line, the girl’s voice was flustered and anxious.
"No way! What if someone sees us? That’d be so awkward!"
He let out a cold snort.
"You’re that worried about being seen, and you still asked me to come to your school?"
The girl giggled, her tone soft as cotton.
"There are always so many people at the restaurants... I just wanted to have a meal with you at school."
The real reason Lilian invited Morrison to campus was simple—envy.
She often saw other girls holding hands with their boyfriends, walking into the cafeteria with big smiles on their faces.
She couldn’t do that out in the open like they could, but this?
This was the closest she could get to that kind of moment.
Morrison, of course, had no clue about the little fantasies going on in her head.
To him, this was baffling.
All the women he’d dated before couldn’t wait to be taken to fancy restaurants and five-star venues.
But this girl... wanted to eat at a school cafeteria?
He rubbed his temples.
Is this what they call a generational gap?
Having a girlfriend who was completely on a different wavelength from him... Morrison was honestly losing his mind.
He wanted to talk to someone about it—desperately.
Back in the day, whenever something weighed on him, he’d go straight to Dave to vent. But this time? No way.
If he dared to spill this mess to Dave, the guy would probably kill him before he even got halfway through the story.
So, Morrison could only keep it all bottled up, suffering in silence like a man who’d just stepped into a trap he willingly walked into.
But all that irritation—every last trace of it—melted away the moment he saw the girl waiting for him by the lake.
Because she was stunning.
So stunning it nearly blinded him.
She wore a sleeveless white dress that fluttered slightly in the breeze. It was the perfect mix of youthful energy and gentle elegance, sweet yet composed—like a scene from a movie he’d never thought he’d be in.
Her ears shimmered with the rainbow diamond studs he had given her, exactly as he’d imagined when he bought them.
Dangling from her delicate earlobes, the earrings made her look even more adorable, more irresistible.
She’d even put on makeup—not heavy, just a touch of blush, soft eyeliner, and that subtle pink lip gloss that made her lips look like fresh, juicy peach slices.
He felt his throat tighten.
Just... standing there like that—under the dappled shade by the lake—she stole his breath and locked his gaze in place.
He couldn’t look away.
It wasn’t until she raised a hand and waved at him with that bright, clean smile of hers that he finally blinked.
"Morrison! Over here!" she called, her voice clear and sweet like a bell in spring.
Lilian thought he hadn’t seen her.
He just couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Lilian had actually put a lot of thought into this dinner date.
She’d chosen this quiet, secluded artificial lake for two reasons.
First, it was out of the way—less chance of bumping into anyone they knew.
Second, it was conveniently close to the cafeteria she’d reserved. All they had to do was follow the cobblestone path around the lake, and they’d reach the back entrance. From there, they could sneak into the second floor where she’d already booked a private room.
Don’t underestimate the school cafeteria.
Sure, it wasn’t exactly five-star—but it did have private rooms. Just... nothing like what Morrison was used to.
When he finally snapped out of it, Morrison walked over and stopped right in front of her.
Then, with zero shame, he let his gaze sweep across her face, bold and unfiltered.
People said Dave was handsome—and yeah, he was.
But Morrison was now convinced: this girl was far better looking than her brother.
Look at those eyes—bright, clean, like fresh spring water.
Meeting her gaze made him feel like the world wasn’t such a terrible place after all.
Dave’s eyes? Sometimes so cold, it felt like looking into an abyss.
Then there was that mouth—soft, lush, like candy he really wanted to taste.
And that little nose—delicate, slightly upturned. Adorable.
The more he looked, the more he felt her beauty completely outclassed her brother’s.
And yet... he couldn’t figure her out.
Was her emotional intelligence high or low?
If he went by how she always said the most infuriating things and pushed his buttons on a daily basis—then yeah, low.
But today? She had dressed up beautifully, picked the earrings he gave her, even booked a quiet little spot just for the two of them...
That kind of move? Definitely high EQ.
Morrison sighed internally.
What the hell is this girl doing to me?
He had no idea how to deal with her. Every move she made left him spinning in circles.
He shoved the confusion aside.
Let it be. Just go with the flow.