Chapter 268 High Compatibility
Maddox stuck out his tongue, "I shouldn't have bought you drinks tonight."
"Look." Leopold nodded his chin toward the distance, and Maddox followed his gaze.
The two women who'd left earlier were talking with their friends while glancing in their direction. Looking closer, the ones who'd come over to hit on them were all from that group, probably betting on who could score with them.
Maddox looked away, "Boring."
Leopold said, "As long as it works, who cares if it's a dirty trick or not?"
Maddox was quiet for a moment, "True. Wait, that's not right. If this were before, I'd definitely enjoy an opportunity like this. What's wrong with me now?"
Leopold leaned back lazily in his chair and pulled out his phone to open Erica's WhatsApp. "Come on, say that again. I'll send it to Erica."
"Don't you dare. If you send that to her, she'll kill me when I get home." Maddox pressed down on the phone, "I was just talking. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm very well-behaved now."
Leopold smiled and put away his phone, "You're about to be a dad, and you're still thinking about this stuff? In my Caroline's words, that's some dangerous thinking right there."
"No, absolutely not. I was really just talking. I have zero interest in these things now. Those two earlier were pretty hot, honestly, but I felt nothing. You think something's wrong with me?" Maddox was puzzled, "Or maybe I caught it from you. Ever since you got married, you've been giving off this faithful husband vibe. Hey, tell me the truth, can you not do it with anyone else? Only with Ms. Tudor?"
Leopold said seriously, "You didn't catch anything from me. You've developed a moral compass."
Maddox's eyes lit up, his face full of pride, "I suddenly feel as righteous as a saint, with pure light shining from the depths of my soul."
Leopold glanced to the side, the smile at the corner of his mouth casual, "Your insults are really filthy."
Suddenly, a voice called "Mr. Wipere" from behind, drawing Leopold's attention away.
"Mr. Wipere, it's me," Summer took off her mask and sunglasses, "Summer."
Only then did Leopold remember she was an artist under John's management who'd been trying to get him to move her room to Ryan's floor.
He nodded, "Hello."
Summer quickly put her mask and sunglasses back on and sat in the seat next to them, "Sorry, afraid the paparazzi might recognize me. This is my friend's bar. I really didn't expect to run into you. What a coincidence. Let me chat with you guys for a bit, drinks are on me tonight."
Seeing Summer wave over a server, Leopold interrupted her, "Ms. Quinn, my friend has something urgent. Maybe next time."
He looked at Maddox, who quickly stood up and said, "Let's chat next time. I really do have something urgent."
Summer watched Leopold leave, opened her mouth, but could only sigh helplessly.
Maddox asked, "Who is she?"
Leopold stood by the roadside waiting for a designated driver, lit a cigarette, and exhaled slowly, "A pretty popular artist right now."
Maddox's eyes widened as he looked at Leopold in surprise, "Wow, you know people in the entertainment industry."
Leopold pointed at him with his cigarette-holding hand, "Are you drunk? Forgot you built the outdoor filming location at Solstice Mountain?"
Maddox suddenly understood, "She's in the show too? What TV show was she in? How come I haven't seen it?"
Leopold took a drag, looking uninterested, "I haven't seen it either."
Maddox leaned in with a gossipy expression, "Is that certain someone coming?"
Leopold looked at him sideways, "Who?"
Maddox smiled so wide he could barely contain it, "You know, that actress I've always liked."
Leopold said disdainfully, "The ones coming are all legit stars, not the ones on your D drive."
Maddox opened his mouth, "Come on, I like legit ones too."
"So which legit star?"
Maddox blinked, "I drank too much, can't remember right now."
Leopold just smiled.
"What are you smiling about?"
Leopold stubbed out his cigarette and looked behind Maddox, "The driver's here."
Before entering the house, Leopold sniffed his clothes, which smelled strongly of tobacco and alcohol that had seeped into the fabric.
Caroline was in the study looking at materials about submarine cables when she heard the door. After Leopold's reminder, she'd remembered that Thornfield Town port was by the sea, and if they could use submarine cables for transmission, it would solve the electricity needs of several nearby coastal provinces.
"You're back?" Caroline called out toward the door.
Leopold knew she didn't like the smell of smoke.
He rushed into the walk-in closet to grab clean clothes and headed to the bathroom. Caroline had just reached the doorway when she saw a figure flash past her eyes.
"Why are you running?"
Leopold looked at her through the bathroom door crack, "Nothing, I'm taking a shower."
The door closed.
Caroline was speechless.
Seeing the coat on the sofa, Caroline walked over to pick it up to wash it, emptying the pockets and placing the items on the coffee table. She didn't pay attention to what they were, but when Leopold came out after his shower, he saw the lighter on the coffee table - the cashier had given it to him when he paid.
Looking at Caroline in the study, staring at the screen with a serious expression.
He started worrying - could she be mad?
Leopold brought in a plate of fruit. "Honey, what are you looking at so seriously?"
Caroline turned the laptop around. Leopold saw the webpage content, "You're researching submarine cables too?"
Her eyes were hopeful, full of anticipation, "The submarine cable project you mentioned last time inspired me. I think it's perfect for Thornfield Town port. If it works, offshore wind power will be another breakthrough development for our Seaside City electricity. By then, wind power from the sea will be endless and inexhaustible."
Leopold understood, "So that's what you're thinking about."
Caroline looked him over, "What's wrong?"
Leopold picked up a piece of mango and fed it to her, "Nothing, went to a bar with Maddox tonight for drinks. His company got paid back, scraped together the money to pay me back. I didn't take it for now - he's about to get married, needs money for lots of things."
Caroline said, "Erica's started preparing too. Her parents know Maddox is still in the startup phase, so they're planning to pay for a lot of things."
Leopold fed her another bite of fruit and said, "Tell Erica, don't mention it at all. Maddox will think he's useless."
"Really?" Caroline didn't think it was that serious, "When it comes to marriage, who pays more or less isn't that important, right?"
Leopold said, "Just listen to me on this."
Caroline nodded, "Okay, I'll tell Erica tomorrow."
"Honey," Leopold pointed at his neck, "Here."
Caroline stared at it, "What?"
"Smell it, I washed so thoroughly." Leopold gave a mischievous smile, "Want to study my body structure?"
Caroline hooked Leopold's chin with her finger, her eyes full of desire, her voice soft, "Leopold, do you know what I like most about you?"
Leopold grabbed her finger and bit it lightly with his teeth, "You like that I'm wild and free."
Caroline pulled back her hand, stood up and put it on his shoulder. Leopold smoothly scooped her up, "I like that you have good stamina and high cooperation."
Leopold nodded, "Got it. My wife's getting better and better at this."