Chapter 465 - 461: Julian Summers Gets Owned

Secretary Grant was startled. Before she could say a word, Julian Summers had already shot up from his chair in excitement, raising his hand high. "Over here!"

"Let’s welcome Chairman Sullivan to the stage!"

Looking like he was rolling up his sleeves and ready for action, Julian Summers raised an eyebrow at Cecilia Sterling before going on stage. "I’m the best at these kinds of games. Just watch me."

Cecilia Sterling had no reason to doubt him. The idiom fill-in-the-blanks game wasn’t actually that hard, and the event organizers probably wouldn’t pick exceptionally difficult phrases. She made a fist and pumped it in the air, cheering Julian Summers on.

Grant looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue. In the end, she could only watch helplessly as Julian Summers took the stage.

"Number fifteen! Well, well, it’s our top-tier superstar, Miss Heather Keaton!"

A spotlight hit her, and Heather Keaton stood up, dressed in an off-the-shoulder gown. Hearing the applause, she walked onto the stage with a faint, graceful smile, while Connie pulled out her phone to record, a proud motherly smile on her face.

The host drew two more numbers. Cecilia Sterling was enjoying the show, only for the very last number to be hers.

"Number 32, Miss Sterling."

Jasmine Sterling excitedly grabbed her daughter’s hand. "Cecilia, it’s you!"

Cecilia Sterling blinked in surprise, but the spotlight was already on her. She slowly rose to her feet and walked toward the stage under everyone’s gaze.

"Go, Miss Sterling!"

"Go, Cecilia!"

Some friends who knew Cecilia Sterling well joined in the fun, clapping and calling out her name. Cecilia looked back at them, offering a smile and a wave.

Director Vance watched the beautiful young woman with curiosity. He couldn’t help but turn to Mr. Young and ask, "This girl is Ms. Sterling’s daughter, isn’t she?"

Mr. Young nodded. "She is."

"She looks so young. Mr. Young, is this one of those friendships that transcends generations?"

Mr. Young chuckled. "Don’t judge Cecilia by her age. That girl is exceptionally brilliant. Director Vance, if you’re hoping to take things further with Ms. Sterling, I’m afraid getting past Cecilia will be your toughest challenge!"

Hearing this from Mr. Young, Director Vance had a better sense of the situation. For a junior of her age to receive such high praise and affirmation from Mr. Young, she must truly have some extraordinary qualities.

At this point, there were five people on stage: four women and only one man, Julian Summers.

He displayed his gentlemanly nature by voluntarily taking the fifth spot, letting the ladies line up ahead of him.

The game hadn’t even started, but down in the audience, Grant was already cringing with second-hand embarrassment for him. She lowered her head, glanced left and right, and thought, ’Should I make an excuse and go hide in the restroom?’

She couldn’t bear to watch what her boss was about to go through.

"Alright, is everyone ready? Then let’s look at our first question!"

As soon as the host finished speaking, the first phrase appeared on the large screen.

You ( _ ) I ( _ )!

Julian Summers’s eyes lit up when he saw the phrase. He leaned over and whispered to Cecilia Sterling, "This one’s easy!"

Then, Heather Keaton, who was first in line, gave her answer: "You come, I go!"

The second person said, "You chase, I race..."

"You’re willing, I’m willing..."

The moment that phrase was spoken, the color drained from Julian Summers’s face.

’It’s over,’ he thought. ’They already said the two I came up with.’

When it was Cecilia Sterling’s turn, she gave Julian Summers a cool glance, then calmly and deliberately said, "You die, I live."

Julian Summers stared at the big screen and blinked. The answers he’d thought of were taken, and now he was getting anxious. His mind went completely blank.

"You... You get out!"

The host cut in, "Director Sullivan, we can’t be cursing at people now!"

Julian Summers waved his hands dismissively. "No, no... You... you’re not as awesome as me? You scammed my money? No, that’s not it either..."

In the audience, Grant slapped a hand to her forehead, speechless. Listening to the roaring laughter from the crowd, she thought, ’I knew this would happen.’

"You fight, I seize! You fight, I seize!" Julian Summers finally came up with one after racking his brains.

The host, suppressing a laugh, nodded. "First round, one point for each of our five contestants!"

Then, the second phrase appeared on the screen.

First ( _ ), then ( _ )!

Julian Summers’s eyes lit up again. "This one’s easy too!"

Heather Keaton, still first, answered, "First come, then served!"

The second person: "First act, then report!"

The light in Julian Summers’s eyes visibly dimmed.

The third person: "First others, then self."

Cecilia Sterling instinctively glanced at Julian Summers again, only to find him staring intently at the screen, thinking very hard.

So she went ahead and gave her own answer: "First courtesy, then conflict."

"Hey, Miss Sterling!" Julian Summers jumped up in frustration. "I finally thought of one, and you beat me to it!"

Cecilia Sterling gave him an apologetic smile and a reminder, "You’ve got this, Mr. Sullivan. Only ten seconds left!"

Julian Summers’s handsome face flushed bright red. He stared at the phrase on the screen and started spouting nonsense again. "First... first... first scrub, then back!"

The audience erupted in laughter, and even the women on stage couldn’t help but chuckle at his sudden "first scrub, then back."

Only Jasmine Sterling, trying to save face for him, held back her laughter and said to Secretary Grant, "Going fifth is such a disadvantage, isn’t it? All the good answers are already taken."

Grant wore a pained, awkward expression and nodded weakly.

It wasn’t over. Julian Summers dropped another bombshell: "First kill, then the archer?"

"Oh my! Director Sullivan, I can tell you’re quite the gamer," the host said. "But that doesn’t count as an idiom. No points for Director Sullivan this round. The four ladies each get a point!"

Hearing this, Julian Summers scratched his head in frustration and turned to Cecilia Sterling. "Are there more? How come I can’t think of a single one?"

Cecilia Sterling said softly, "First bitter, then sweet. First action, then renown. First fame, then reality. First..."

"Alright, alright, stop, don’t say any more," Julian Summers quickly cut off Cecilia Sterling’s impromptu lesson.

The third phrase appeared.

Mental ( _ ) ( _ )!

"Oh boy, this one’s a bit hard!"

His position was already a disadvantage, and now the question was harder. Julian Summers immediately got nervous. He turned his head to Cecilia Sterling. "Wanna trade places?"

Cecilia Sterling, trying to hold back a smile, nodded. She quickly swapped places with Julian Summers. The host saw it but didn’t say anything.

Heather Keaton: "Mental fortitude!"

The second person: "Mental fatigue!"

The third person thought for a moment and said, "Mental radiance!"

Julian Summers: "Mental hospital!"

The host exclaimed, "Director Sullivan, that doesn’t count as an idiom!"

"Breakdown! Breakdown! ’Mental breakdown,’ that works, right? They had ’fortitude’ and ’fatigue’ up there, so my ’mental breakdown’ should be fine, right?"

Julian Summers was just too entertaining. Regardless of his idiom vocabulary, the joy he brought everyone was real. In the audience, these successful people, who were usually so serious, were bent over with laughter because of him. Some were even laughing so hard they cried.

The host clearly had a soft spot for Julian Summers too, and nodded with a smile. "Fine, we’ll count it as correct."

Julian Summers shot Cecilia Sterling a triumphant look. "Can you think of any others?"

Cecilia Sterling smiled and said, "Mental acuity!"

Julian Summers’s eyes widened, his face a mask of confusion. "What?"