Chapter 343
Upon hearing this, Walter furrowed his brow as if seriously considering the matter. Shakira couldn’t help but smile, finding it amusing that the well-known CEO of Lopez Group was caught up in something so trivial. She was curious about Walter’s final decision, but he seemed to follow his own unpredictable rules.
Walter moved past her and called out to Xanthe. “Ms. Sullivan, I like to trade something with you.” Shakira felt a twitch in her eye, sensing that something might not go well.
Xanthe was still debating which design to pick and was momentarily confused. “Huh? What does Mr. Lopez want to trade?”
“Ms. Sullivan, you can choose any ceramic art piece you like, with no price or location restrictions, in exchange for the cup she promised to make you,” said Walter.
With her cheeks puffed out, Shakira exclaimed, “Walter, how could you do something like this?”
As soon as Xanthe, the number one fangirl, understood, her grin widened till it almost reached her ears. “Haha. No worries. It looks like I’ve gained something here.” Xanthe playfully winked at Shakira. “Thanks.” Walter calmly pulled Shakira closer. “Now both the first deal and the attractive one are mine.”
Shakira was speechless and had no words for his cheeky behavior.
In the end, she decided to make two mugs for Walter. One would be a wide, solid-color coffee other a matching couple’s mug with hers.
mug
for office use,
and the
Xanthe dropped the BFF milkshake mug idea and opted to make a personalized fruit platter for herself to enjoy while snacking.
As for Sean, after pondering for some time, he chose a unique path by deciding to make a ceramic spoon.
When Xanthe heard he was only going to make a spoon, she was visibly puzzled. “Just a spoon? Won’t it look out of place with the other tableware?”
Sean just shrugged it off. “It’s just a little keepsake,” he said casually. “My mom will celebrate her birthday next month, so the spoon can be a small gift. I’ll get something more formal later. A two-pronged approach will make her happy.” “Hmm? Is Mrs. Reynolds’ birthday coming up?” Xanthe’s eyes lit up as she leaned closer to Sean. “What design are you planning? I could make a little cup to match.”
Sean gave her a skeptical look. “Why are you so eager to impress my mom? What’s your plan?”
Xanthe tied her hair up into a bun to make her work easy. She gave Sean a knowing glance. “Well, shouldn’t we make Mrs. Reynolds feel like she’s getting her money’s worth?”
Sean was lost for words and thought, ‘A million dollars for a ceramic cup? What a ridiculous idea of value.’
After deciding on their individual handcrafted art pieces, the four of them sat at the workbench and began crafting. The first step was to form the basic shape and then they refined it and added finer details.
This was the first time for all four of them to try this kind of craft, and the soft clay spun quickly in their hands. A slight change in pressure could make a big difference.
Walter was the most experienced of the group. He picked it up the fastest, quickly shaped the bottom and walls of the cup
and then looked over at Shakira.
Shakira was doing okay; she got the general shape but had trouble with the thickness, making the cup thicker at the top and
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hu, Dec 12
Chapter 343
thinner at the bottom, which looked a bit awkward.
Even Shakira laughed at her work and said to Walter, “Let’s make this our couple’s cup first. If it doesn’t look good, we can just use it at home.”
Walter shook his head with a smile and encouraged her. “No rush.” As he said this, he moved behind her, gently wrapping his arms around her, and his hands slid to her waist.
Shakira froze for a moment, instinctively glancing at Xanthe and Scan nearby, and then softly said, “Stop it.”
“I’ll guide you,” he said in a deep, calming voice, gently holding her hands and leading her in shaping the clay.
Shakira took a deep breath. She followed Walter’s lead, and slowly, the cup started to take on a normal shape.
At this moment, Walter released his grip at the right time, allowing Shakira to manage the pressure herself. She successfully shaped the entire cup.
She flashed a big smile. “I did it.”
When Walter stepped back, he turned his head slightly and gave her a quick peck at the corner of her lips.
Shakira’s face turned bright red. “Walter.”
Big Devil grinned. “Since you suspect I’m up to no good, I might as well do something to meet your expectations.”
Shakira was lost for words and thought, ‘He even tries to justify taking advantage of me.
Watching the two who were closely pressed together, Sean couldn’t wait to stick up.
Suddenly, Xanthe’s head popped out from the side, startling Sean so much that he nearly fell backward. He managed to keep his balance, but the spoon in his hand wasn’t so lucky, turning from a stick into an unrecognizable blob. Sean was exasperated. “Xanthe, what are you doing?”
“There’s a saying: Don’t look if you shouldn’t. Got it?” Xanthe said seriously, “You should watch less, or it might overstimulate you, which isn’t good for your health.”
Sean sneered and scoffed disdainfully. “I used to think Walter was different from those guys who are constantly driven by desire, but now it seems he’s not much different after all.”
Shakira being with him was like placing a beautiful rose on the stinkiest pile of manure of the entire Crescentville.
Upon hearing this, Xanthe rolled her eyes dramatically. “Come on, if a man doesn’t have a little thought about the woman he likes, then there’s a problem, right?”
“What problem? That’s what a gentleman is,” said Sean.
“Xanthe chuckles. There were plenty of righteous gentlemen in ancient times. If they were really that proper, how would children even be born? How could there be so many people around the world? They just make it sound good.” Sean was lost for words and was really frustrated. He couldn’t win an argument against Xanthe, and even the spoon in his hand was so ugly that it irritated him.
His face turned dark as he was about to curse and quit when Xanthe finished her task and kindly sat down beside him. A fresh fruity scent floated around, and Sean paused for a moment as Xanthe sat close next to him.
“Look at you, trying to take on tasks you can’t handle. Cups and plates are so simple, yet you insist on making a spoon?” Xanthe teased as she started working, trying to fix the misshaped lump of clay.
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