Chapter 135: Chapter 135: I’ll Give You That
Ashley Shaw didn’t know what was going on with her brain lately. Not only did she forget about going to the birthday party with Ariana Grant, but she also forgot about buying a gift for Leo.
It’s like her intelligence and memory have plummeted since the college entrance exam.
Sure enough, what they say online is true: the smartest you ever are is during the college entrance exam, and after that, it’s a steep decline.
"I’m sorry," Ashley said awkwardly. "What time tomorrow? I’m free until 6:30."
There was silence on the other end, then: "What are you doing after 6:30?"
Ashley brushed it off with a "just some things," and asked, "When are you free?"
Warren Prescott simply replied, "I’ll find you then," and hung up the call.
The video interface froze for a second, and Ashley managed to catch the displeasure in his eyes before the video call ended.
Ashley was puzzled. What was he upset about?
Meanwhile, on Warren’s side.
The Stardust Team members were standing behind Warren just now.
They were planning to tease Warren about calling his girlfriend right after work.
But when they saw Warren’s face, looking like everyone owed him eight million, they swallowed their words.
When Warren stepped out of the e-sports hotel to talk to his assistant, the team finally dared to whisper among themselves.
"What’s up with Warren?"
"No idea, wasn’t he chatting happily with his girlfriend? And from what I heard, they only set a time to buy a gift, no arguments either."
The captain smirked sinisterly.
"You all just don’t get it, do you?"
The team members scoffed.
"Captain, stop pretending. You’ve never dated either."
"Who said I haven’t? Is online dating not dating?"
"Alright, then tell us, why was Warren unhappy after the call with his girlfriend? Do you know?"
The captain lifted his chin high.
"Of course I know! Warren’s upset because he asked his girlfriend where she’s going after 6:30, and she only brushed it off with a ’just some things.’ So he’s displeased!"
Everyone suddenly understood and immediately gave the captain a thumbs up.
"Impressive!"
All men know the weight those words carry.
The captain was quite pleased with himself.
And at that moment, Warren was discussing the livestream with a few assistants.
"The growth rate of new users is very fast, and today’s active user count has surpassed the largest streaming platform currently available."
"However, there’s some negative feedback about the recharge system. Some users are experiencing delays after recharging."
Hearing the report, Warren’s already cold expression grew even colder.
The assistants standing next to him clearly felt a drop in temperature, as if Warren had turned into a summer cooling device.
But right now, they would rather not have such a device.
Warren asked in a chilly voice, "What is the longest delay time?"
"It seems like some cases took more than two minutes to process. Customers are calling, accusing us of stealing their money."
Warren’s brow furrowed tightly.
"Make it clear that this issue is top priority. It must be resolved by tomorrow. Reduce transaction time to under two seconds."
After a round of communication, the livestream discussion finally came to an end.
Warren waved to the Stardust Team members, signaling goodbye.
The team quickly bowed to Warren.
One of the staff was puzzled.
"Are you guys afraid of Mr. Prescott Jr.? He seems pretty approachable to me."
The captain shook his head and said, "It’s not fear; it’s respect."
As described by the captain, that staff member finally understood—
The reason Warren managed to sign the highest-valued Stardust Team members wasn’t that he offered exorbitant fees, but because Warren made a bet with them.
"A bet? What kind of bet?" Several staff members gathered in curiosity.
"He bet that he could beat all five of us, on his own."
"In a fight?"
"Of course not in a fight, in a game!"
"Mr. Prescott Jr. won against all five of you?"
"Yeah! That’s why we signed with him willingly."
The other team members nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that’s why it’s not fear. It’s respect, admiration, and awe."
Even the internal members only realized now why Warren managed to sign the Stardust Team.
One by one, they widened their eyes in surprise.
"Wow, that’s truly a high-stakes showdown—pure skill!"
"I’m shocked for a thousand years, Mr. Prescott Jr. is even more impressive than the best professional players out there."
"The e-sports scene really missed out by not signing Mr. Prescott Jr. as a pro player."
"What a joke, who could afford to sign Mr. Prescott Jr.?"
"When you put it that way, it makes sense!"
Meanwhile, in the slowly departing black Bentley from the e-sports hotel.
Warren was reviewing today’s livestream data report and then lifted his eyes to see Mark in the rearview mirror, looking like he was holding something in.
Warren frowned slightly.
"If you need the bathroom, just pull over and go."
Mark was startled, quickly forcing a smile that was worse than crying.
"No, I don’t need the bathroom."
Upon hearing this, Warren lowered his head again, his eyes returning to the tablet.
Mark was anxious.
"Sir..."
Warren didn’t lift his head: "If you can’t hold it, just say so."
Mark then realized Warren had been joking about "going to the bathroom."
But with Warren’s jokes, you couldn’t really tell they were jokes.
Mark took a breath, summoning the courage to say, "Tomorrow night, there’s a relative’s friend’s birthday. Can I take a two-hour leave?"
Mark’s position is different from the usual roles.
He must be on call 24/7.
Even if Warren calls him at 3 am, he has to jump out of bed and run to Warren.
Of course, the job is demanding, but the pay is also very substantial.
He had to fight hard to get to the final interview round and was fortunate enough to be selected by Warren.
Coming from an ordinary family, reaching his position wasn’t easy.
That’s why Mark cherishes this job immensely.
Also, he hasn’t requested leave since starting because he’s afraid that once he does, he’d lose this job.
But today, he really had no choice. His family called numerous times, insisting he return, so he had to bite the bullet and request a two-hour leave.
After speaking, he glanced at the car’s rearview mirror, seeing Warren still with his head down.
"Two hours?"
Mark immediately replied, listening to Warren ask, "What time is it?"
This was a sign of agreement.
Mark quickly said, "6:30 to 8:30."
As soon as he spoke, Warren suddenly looked up.