Chapter 19 He Doesn’t Lack Money

The stroll lasted from noon to evening. Nell’s stomach rumbled with hunger. Gideon invited her to dinner in order to thank her for helping him ‘pick out’ clothes. Nell was hungry, so she did not reject him. Thus, at 7:00 pm, they went to a nearby restaurant to eat. She ate ten Chinese mitten crabs caught from the Yangcheng Lake. The man sitting at the next table watched her and thought in his heart, ‘That man looks elite and handsome, how could he starve his girlfriend like that? How many days hasn’t she eaten?’ When Nell was famished, she ate without caring about how she looked. This was something she trained over the past few years while at work. That was because she was usually busy most of the time, so it was a luxury to be able to eat on time. Where would she have the mind to care about her image? All she thought about was to finish eating quicker so she could go back to work. When she finished her tenth crab, she reached her hand out for more, but the crab on the plate was suddenly taken away. She looked up and stared blankly at Gideon. “What are you doing?” Gideon handed the plate to the waiter to be taken away and said in a deep voice, “Your body will get cold if you eat too many crabs. Eat something else instead.” Nell pouted in dissatisfaction but knew that he was right, so she could only listen to him. However, after looking at the other dishes on the table, she started feeling full and no longer felt like eating. Thus, she simply put down her chopsticks. Gideon saw her put her chopsticks down and stopped eating as well. He called the waiter over to pay the bill before the two got up and walked out together. The black Rolls-Royce was parked by the curb. Matthew Starks got down from the car and respectfully opened the door for them. Nell greeted him with a laugh. “Mr. Starks, have you eaten?” Matthew felt that there was something eerie in that laugh and quickly smiled apologetically. “I have.” “Well, that’s good.” Nell got into the car and whispered to Gideon. “President Leith, this assistant of yours actually dared to drive your car out for dinner after leaving you in a restaurant. I think he’s getting too arrogant.” Matthew immediately froze and explained with a bitter face. “President Leith, I didn’t. I just ate at a nearby restaurant.” However, Gideon seemed not to hear his words and instead nodded with a smile. “Hm, you’re right. He is a little arrogant. I’ll punish him later.” “Good.” Nell successfully got her revenge. Matthew looked bitter, but Gideon affectionately rubbed Nell’s head. When the car started, Gideon suddenly took out a bag from behind him and handed it to her. “This is for you.” Nell was surprised and took a look. It was the dress that she tried on in the shop before. “How is this here?” Gideon smiled. “Didn’t you like this? Matthew saw that you did, so he bought it.” Nell turned to Matthew. Matthew received the hint from Gideon and nodded quickly. “Yes, yes. I bought that, Ms. Jennings. Well… About lying to your friend earlier, it was just a casual remark. You’re a magnanimous person, so please don’t get hung up about it!” Nell suddenly laughed. She had just been teasing Matthew and did not expect him to be so nervous. She nodded and took out her phone. “I’ll transfer the money to you.” “No, no, there’s no need.” Matthew hurriedly refused. The money had been from the President. How could he dare to accept it? He smiled and explained. “The truth is… I simply came up with the idea. It was the President who decided to do it, so if you want to pay anyone back, it should be to him instead!” Then, he quickly shut up and refused to say any more. Nell turned to Gideon in surprise, and he said softly, “I don’t lack money.” Nell. “...” Could she be unaware of that? Did he really have to say it out loud? Gideon smiled at her. “If you really want to repay me, why don’t you do something for me instead?” “What is it?” Gideon drew a piece of paper from a pile of documents beside him. Nell looked at it. It was the case of a recently popular male artist under Anning International. The man’s name was Simon Wilburn. His most recent role had been in a historical drama that became incredibly popular, earning him the nickname of ‘Little Prince of Historical Dramas’. However, this ‘little prince’ ended up in a scandal. His ex-girlfriend suddenly appeared and accused him of cheating and domestic violence, and that he cheated her out of a huge sum of money before he became popular and had not paid her back yet. Having an affair was already a toxic situation, but there was also cheating money and domestic violence added to the mix. Regardless of whether it was true or false, news like this was bound to have a very negative impact on artists. If it were serious, it would not be a stretch to say that his acting career would be cut off and his future would be ruined. Nell looked at Gideon, slightly suspicious. “He’s an artist under Anning International. Doesn’t your company have anyone to handle PR for him?” “We did, but it was not very effective. There are too many artists in the company now, so it’s impossible to focus all our energy on him alone.” Nell frowned. “It still shouldn’t be something for you to worry about! You’re the president of a corporation. Why are you worrying about an artist?” Gideon pursed his lips and hesitated. Then, he said, “He’s my cousin.” Nell. “..." … Thanks to this cousin, Nell had the privilege of learning about President Leith’s family history. Surprisingly, it was a story about a prince and Cinderella. It was said that Gideon Leith’s father was also a gentle and beautifully refined man. However, he did not like the partner his family arranged for him. Instead, he fell in love with a girl from a poor family. When his family opposed, he eloped with the girl, and when he returned, his child had already grown to the height of an adult’s thighs. When the elders saw this, they could no longer force the couple to break up and finally agreed. Naturally, that child was Gideon Leith. As for Simon Wilburn, he was the only child of his mother’s younger sister. Although the two families did not cross paths much over the years, they would still help out if the other was in trouble. Nell was overjoyed when she listened to the story. “Who would’ve known that your father was so capable. Your parents must be very happy together!” Gideon turned his gaze outside the window. His voice was tinged with a hint of sadness. “They would be, if they were still alive!” Nell winced. The smile froze on her lips. It took several seconds for her to react. She quickly restrained her expression and whispered, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know…” “It’s okay.” Gideon looked back at her. “It’s been years. I’ve already accepted the reality.” For a moment, Nell did not know what to say. The atmosphere suddenly became tense and awkward. She brought the topic back to Simon Wilburn’s case. “I can help you with this. It just so happens that I’m free recently, but I’ll have to meet him first!” “Hm.” GIdeon nodded. “Then, do it the day after tomorrow! He recently went abroad to take a breather, so I’ll have him book a flight back tomorrow.” “Alright.” After finalizing the plan, they soon arrived at the bottom of the apartment building where Nell lived. She opened the door, got out of the car, and waved goodbye to Gideon. In the dark night, she somehow suddenly felt that the gentle and elegant man sitting in the car looked a little lonely, as if he was a single lamp shining alone in the long night. Her heart suddenly felt like it was pricked by something and started to pick up. Gideon smiled at her and motioned for her to go upstairs. Nell nodded and turned to walk towards the apartment building without another thought. The car behind her did not leave until her figure completely disappeared into the building. Nell looked back in the direction the car left and pondered for a moment before taking out her phone and making a call. “Hello, I’d like to ask about someone. Are you familiar with Simon Wilburn?”