Chapter 270 Do You Want Me to Come Alone
Lily was about to rest when she got a call from Leopold and hurried up to the tenth floor.
Stepping out of the elevator, she saw Leopold standing outside. "What's up?"
Leopold tilted his head toward the far end of the hallway. "Summer brought us some snacks."
Lily followed along, her steps slowing slightly. "You called me here in the middle of the night to pick up local snacks with you?"
Leopold glanced at her sideways. "Not for me, for us. You think I should come alone?"
Coming alone this late wouldn't be appropriate. "Can't we get it during the day?"
"You can ask her yourself when we see her."
Summer was staying in room 1023 on the tenth floor, quite a distance from the elevator. As for why she chose somewhere so far away, it was her assistant's request, saying Summer didn't sleep well and the noise from the elevator would disturb her.
The two arrived at Summer's room. Leopold knocked lightly, and a voice came through the door. "Coming, just a second!"
Hearing the response, Leopold stepped back half a step, standing slightly behind Lily.
They were all women, so naturally they could hear the sweet tone in that voice just now. A smile played at the corner of Lily's mouth as she looked back at Leopold—he definitely needed someone with him for this.
Leopold's mouth twitched. What's with that look?
Light footsteps came from inside, and the next second, the door opened. Summer stood there in pajamas, and despite wearing a white shawl, her low-cut neckline revealed her full curves.
"Lily, I brought you guys some local snacks from my hometown. Give them a try."
Lily took them with both hands. "Thank you, Ms. Quinn."
Summer smiled back. "You're welcome. The company changed the schedule temporarily today, and I feel really sorry for troubling Mr. Wipere to arrange someone to pick me up. For the next few days of recording the program, I'll have to rely on your care, Mr. Wipere. Please don't find me a bother."
Lily gave a professional smile, and Leopold responded very formally, his eyes focused on the floor the whole time. "Ms. Quinn, serving you is what our hotel should do. It's getting late, so we won't disturb your rest. Good night."
Summer held the door, smiling with crinkled eyes as she waved at Lily. "Bye-bye, good night."
The two walked into the elevator. Only after the elevator doors closed did Lily speak. "This food..."
Before she could finish, Leopold said, "You can take it all back and eat it."
Lily laughed. "Thank you, Mr. Wipere."
Back in his room, Leopold checked the time again—better not disturb her sleep.
Lily stared at the gift box on the table. This Summer might be young, but she had plenty of tricks up her sleeve. When they picked her up at the airport during the day, Summer had hinted around, trying to see if she could change rooms. Simply changing rooms would have been fine, but she actually wanted to move to Ryan's floor—that was difficult.
Leopold had made it clear that Ryan's room was on a floor kept separate, and no matter who it was, no one was allowed to stay on his floor.
After being refused, Summer didn't show any embarrassment. Lily actually admired this about her—she dared to express what she wanted. What if it worked out? That would be one more opportunity.
Lily called security. "It's me, Lily. Make sure you have good security measures on Ryan's floor. Arrange your people, and absolutely no one can leave their post."
After hanging up, Lily also went to rest.
The next day, early morning.
Leopold came to the restaurant for breakfast. He had just sat by the window with his coffee when he saw a tall, well-dressed man walk in. Although he wore a hat and mask, his disguise couldn't hide his strikingly handsome appearance.
Ryan carried his tray to a quiet spot and sat down. As soon as he removed his mask, he saw Leopold sitting by the window and nodded politely at him. Leopold nodded back.
Lily sat down across from Leopold with pumpkin soup and a bacon sandwich. After a sip of soup, she started criticizing his breakfast.
"Just a cup of coffee for breakfast? There's a lot to do during the day—aren't you afraid you'll faint from hunger?"
Lily took the egg from her plate and gave it to him. "Eat an egg."
Leopold said, "I'm not hungry."
Lily took a bite of her sandwich, chewing until her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's. "If you don't eat it, I'll tell Caroline."
Leopold put down his coffee cup and started peeling the egg, saying as he peeled, "Stop always using her to pressure me. You think I'm scared of her?"
Lily took a sip of porridge. "Not scared—that's called respect."
From her tone, she was clearly mocking him. "With that attitude of yours, most guys couldn't handle you."
Lily stuffed the rest of the sandwich in her mouth, deliberately eating messily. Only after swallowing did she say, "I love my career. Who needs men?"
Leopold nodded. "Don't forget, Jack is still waiting for you."
At the mention of Jack, Lily fell silent.
"What are you planning to do?" Leopold asked.
Lily kept her head down, eating, as if she hadn't heard.
Leopold took a bite of egg white, chewing slowly. "Don't pretend you didn't hear me. Last time Jack made it clear—whenever you're willing, you can go over anytime."
Lily stood up. "I'm going to get a fried egg."
Leopold shook his head helplessly.
Actually, Jack and Lily were quite well-matched, but the key issue between them right now was the different countries.
Leopold could tell Jack was sincere about Lily, but Lily never accepted him and had clearly stated they were impossible.
Until the night before returning home, Jack came to the hotel to find Lily. All she had to do was say the word, and Jack would immediately return to the country, but Lily refused.
The morning was spent receiving artists, arranging check-ins, coordinating meals and other issues. Near noon, Leopold got a call from Ryan's assistant, asking which nearby hospital was more reputable.
Leopold immediately rushed to Ryan's room. Seeing him remove his mask, with red spots all over his face and body, Leopold's brow furrowed. "Do you have a history of allergies?"
Ryan put his mask back on and shook his head. "No, I've never had allergies."
Ryan's assistant, Dashiell Merrick, said, "Forget allergies—he doesn't even get colds normally. He's super healthy. You should check if the bedding in this room is dirty. He slept one night and ended up like this."
Leopold said, "This morning I was eating breakfast in the restaurant and saw him—there was nothing on his face then."
Dashiell paused and looked at Ryan. "You went out this morning?"
Ryan nodded. "To get breakfast."
Dashiell said helplessly, "Before we came, Mr. Snow told you not to show your face, not to go out except for recording the show. Look at that Summer—whenever she sees you, she sidles right up. If the paparazzi catch you two, who knows what kind of scandal they'll cook up."
Ryan's gaze was indifferent, his tone cold. "So I'm supposed to hide from her and not go out at all?"
Dashiell quickly smiled apologetically. "That's not what I mean. The key is that Summer has powerful backers we can't afford to offend. If she ties you to her to create a scandal, she won't be the one losing out—we will. With your current reputation, creating buzz with her isn't worth it. It'll only damage your brand image. Plus, your current fanbase sees you as their ideal guy. We need to watch our public image."
What Ryan hated most was creating personas. "How many times have I told you guys—don't give me this ideal guy persona. I just want to act well. My job is just acting."