Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Leon Lynch looked at her righteously. ”Mom, I’m the one looking for a wife, not you. What’s wrong with her family background? Back then, Nora’s family was on par with ours, so why weren’t you willing to accept her? Hmm?”

”I just didn’t like Nora Ainsworth as a person. Who knew she was adopted by Joel Chaucer and that her biological father was so rich? If I had known earlier...”

Leon Lynch snorted. ”Don’t use family background as a bargaining chip. Looks, education, family—I don’t care about any of that. Right now, all I care about is the connection.”

”Since when can you eat ’connections’? If it weren’t for you going on and on about your ’connection’ with Nora Ainsworth, I’d be holding my grandchild by now! Fine. Now you’ve finally decided you have no ’connection’ with Nora Ainsworth, and you go and find someone like *this*. Are you trying to kill me with anger? In my opinion, she’s not even as good as Maeve Sutton!”

Holly Wood’s face had turned deathly pale. She knew her own circumstances, and because she knew, the worries that had plagued her the entire way here had finally erupted.

But she still stood up and bowed to Mrs. Lynch. ”Auntie, please don’t be angry. I know my family background is poor, I’m not very pretty, and my education isn’t great. But, Auntie, I love Leon. I’m willing to give up everything for him. I want to try being with him. As long as Leon is happy, won’t you be happy too, as his mother?”

Mrs. Lynch shot her a look. ”Are you lecturing me?”

”Auntie, you’re overthinking things. I didn’t mean to lecture you, nor would I dare. I’m just speaking the truth.”

Mrs. Lynch looked at Leon Lynch. ”Tell me. Tell me right here, in front of her. Have you completely erased Nora Ainsworth from your heart?”

He lifted his head. ”Even in front of her, I can say it. It’s been five or six years, not five or six days. I still can’t completely erase her. But I once thought that since I could never have her, I would just become a monk. Mom, do you think it’s better for me to become a monk, or to try starting a new relationship?”

Mrs. Lynch was rendered completely speechless. Of course she didn’t want her son to become a monk.

Just then, Mr. Lynch returned home.

He had naturally overheard his son’s words at the door.

He walked over and sat down across from Leon Lynch. ”Leon, if it’s time to start a new relationship, then start one. I think this girl seems very nice.”

”Lynch, you...”

Mr. Lynch looked at Mrs. Lynch and grunted, ”Sit down.”

Mrs. Lynch sat down reluctantly.

”You’re the one who’s been making trouble with our son’s marriage from the very beginning. If you don’t approve, does that mean our son can’t get married?” Mr. Lynch began. ”Back then, there was Nora. Good family, a university student at the time, and very beautiful. Why didn’t you approve? You insisted on breaking the engagement no matter what. Fine, the engagement was broken, but look how well she’s doing now. This only proves one thing: your judgment is absolutely terrible. Besides, what’s wrong with this girl? Her family background isn’t good, but it’s not like we’re short on money. As long as she and Leon live a good, stable life together, that’s better than anything. Why do you have to be the villain standing in their way?”

His words left Mrs. Lynch speechless.

”I’m doing this for Leon’s own good.”

Mr. Lynch scoffed. ”Oh, give me a break. Whether you’re good to him or not, he’s not a child. He knows perfectly well. Enough. I think she’s great.”

Holly Wood suddenly felt very grateful to this reasonable future father-in-law.

At the dinner table that evening, Mrs. Lynch didn’t say anything more. It seemed she was no longer so vehemently opposed, but she didn’t show any obvious support either.

But for Holly Wood and Leon Lynch, this was already a good outcome. They could take it slow; they had plenty of time to gradually win her over.

That night, Leon Lynch drove Holly Wood home.

As soon as they got in the car, he said, ”See? Wasn’t my dad impressive tonight?”

Holly Wood nodded. ”Leon, when you broke off the engagement with Miss Ainsworth, didn’t your dad say...”

He froze for a moment, then said, ”My dad was away on a business trip at the time, he wasn’t home. But he did give my mom a piece of his mind after he got back.”

”What a pity, wasn’t it?” As soon as she said it, Holly Wood regretted it. She shouldn’t have said that.

Leon Lynch gave a faint smile and didn’t answer. He reached out and fastened her seatbelt. ”I’ll take you home.”

Holly Wood was on edge the entire ride home. She felt that Leon Lynch was a little angry.

The car stopped downstairs in her apartment complex. Holly Wood unbuckled her seatbelt, fidgeted nervously for a moment, and then said, ”I’m sorry.”

He smiled. ”It all happened a long time ago. There’s nothing to be sorry for. Go on up.”

She nodded. As she was about to get out, he grabbed her hand again and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Holly Wood pushed the door open, got out, and waved at him. As she watched the car drive away, the gloom in her heart dissipated, replaced by a sweet feeling.

”Holly Wood!” Suddenly, a figure rushed out from behind her, scaring the daylights out of her.

”AH!” She turned around and saw her close friend, June Walsh. ”What are you doing standing here?”

”Waiting for you, of course! Hey, I just saw a guy kiss you! Who was it? The car looked expensive, so he must be rich. I couldn’t see his face. Quick, tell me who it was!”

Holly Wood didn’t want to reveal Leon Lynch’s identity just yet, so she simply said, ”My boyfriend.”

”Have I seen him somewhere before?”

Holly Wood turned and walked toward the stairwell entrance. ”Mhm.”

”Where have I seen him?”

”At the movie theater.”

Hearing this, June Walsh stopped in her tracks.

Holly Wood looked back, peering at her in the dim light. ”What’s wrong?”

”Do you even know who he is? That’s Leon Lynch! He used to be engaged to that actress, Nora Ainsworth, the one sitting behind you at the theater. After she got together with Quentin Grant and had a child, he’s been pining for her in secret ever since. How could he possibly be your boyfriend? Stop kidding.”

Holly Wood smiled. ”I know everything you just said.”

”Then how could he possibly be with you? I wouldn’t believe it in a million years.”

”Whether you believe it or not is your business. The fact is, I’m with him.”

”You’re lying, Holly Wood! Are you just doing this for your ego?”

Holly Wood turned and continued up the stairs. ”You can’t eat vanity. I wouldn’t do something like that.”

June Walsh kept following her. ”Then tell me, how did you hook up with him? What tricks did you use? Teach me your ways.”

Holly Wood pushed open her apartment door. ”Mom, Dad, I’m home.”

June Walsh, who had followed her in, kept pestering from behind, ”Holly Wood, tell me!”

Mrs. Wood looked surprised. ”Tell you what?”

”Auntie, didn’t you know? Holly Wood is dating someone.”

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wood immediately shot back, ”For real?”

”Of course it’s real.”

Mrs. Wood pushed open Holly Wood’s bedroom door. ”Holly Wood, you tell your mother, which little rascal managed to snatch you up?”

Holly Wood sat on the edge of her bed and took off her shoes. ”Mom, he’s Leon Lynch, the CEO of the Lynch Group. I just came from his parents’ house.”

At this, Mrs. Wood’s joy was written all over her face. She quickly sat down beside her, unable to contain her excitement. ”Really?”

”It’s true.”

”This is wonderful! I’ve seen that guy on TV, he’s incredibly handsome! I can’t believe he’s going to be my son-in-law. It’s really like a dream. Why didn’t you invite him in for a bit?”

”Mhm, I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow.”

Mrs. Wood immediately stood up. ”Okay, then I’d better take this chance to tidy up our place.”

Standing in the doorway, June Walsh felt a pang of jealousy. She closed the door and said, ”Holly Wood, how come he got together with you when we both saw him for the first time together? Your luck is just too good, isn’t it?”

Holly Wood paused, silent for a moment. ”I don’t know either.”

”I don’t believe you. You must have used some kind of trick. Right, you’re working as a cleaner at the Lynch Group now. You must have gone there on purpose.”

”I went because I couldn’t find another job. It’s not what you think.”

How could June Walsh believe that? ”Holly Wood, I’m going to apply for a job at the Lynch Group tomorrow, too. I’ll go fish for a Prince Charming of my own! You’re already with him, are you still working as a cleaner?”

”Mhm, it’s my job.”

”I’ve always said you’re naive. You’re practically the boss’s wife now! Why are you still a cleaner? Quit tomorrow! Get him to give you a big pile of money, go to the salon, buy some high-end clothes, and doll yourself up.”

Holly Wood rolled up her pant leg. ”What’s the difference between relying on a man and being useless? I don’t earn much, but it’s all from my own hard work. It gives me peace of mind.”

June Walsh glanced over. ”Holly Wood, let me sleep over tonight. I’m not going home. I have so much I want to talk to you about.”

”Sure.”

She quickly took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed. ”Where are you going?”

”To wash my feet.”

When she went out, she saw Mrs. Wood and Mr. Wood frantically tidying up the living room as if they’d been injected with chicken blood.

She didn’t say anything, just washed her feet and went back to her room.

Re-entering her bedroom, she saw June Walsh on her phone, reading a novel.

Holly Wood dried her feet and then lay down.

June Walsh then put her phone away. ”I’m done with this author’s latest update. They only release a few thousand characters a day. It’d be better if they released dozens of Chapters a day. They’re as slow as a snail.”

Holly Wood picked up her own phone from the table. As she looked at it, she said, ”You’re trying to work the author to death. What takes us ten-odd minutes to read takes them a whole day to write. Besides, June, a good plot requires inspiration. You can’t just sit there and type nonstop.”

June Walsh snorted. ”I don’t care if it takes them one day or two. If they’ve got the skill, they should just write the whole ending in a day. If not, they shouldn’t be writing at all.”

Holly Wood fell silent, looking at her phone.

”Why aren’t you saying anything?”

”I don’t know what to say to you. You talk as if the author has three heads and six arms and can just whip up the finale for you in one go, especially for a cheapskate like you who won’t even spend a dime.”

June Walsh retorted, ”How am I a cheapskate? I use my cellular data to read her novel. That’s a contribution, too...”

”I hate to break it to you, but the money for your data plan goes to the telecom company. What does the author have to do with it? This username, XXX, is that you?” Holly Wood looked up at her.

June Walsh gave a sheepish grin. ”How did you know that username was me?”

Holly Wood said wearily, ”Based on what I know about you, I just knew it was you. You read the pirated version, so why do you go to the official version’s comment section to curse out the author? Don’t you know that readers of the official version have a VIP level displayed under their username? Non-VIP readers are just marked as ’regular reader’.”

”I just think she updates too slowly. I don’t feel right if I don’t flame her a bit. Besides, she doesn’t know it’s me, so what’s the big deal?” June Walsh said dismissively.