After playing around with Lizzy, who was quite the drama queen, it was time for dinner.Since Michelle wasn't feeling particularly hungry due to her illness, Nora Su had specially prepared porridge for her, complemented with pickled vegetables.Michelle was a bit taken aback by the extent of the care. She was not picky and found the vegetables mixed with porridge quite appetizing.Nora, worried that Michelle might get hungry later, made an extra portion, so she could reheat it if needed.After dinner, Michelle prepared to take her medicine. But because of her decreased updates for the day, her subscription count had dropped. This made her feel uneasy, leading her to consider burning the midnight oil to make up for it.Alex Ye seemed to sense her internal debate. Seeing her linger near the water dispenser, he feigned getting water for Lizzy and casually mentioned, “Flu can relapse easily. It's best if you rest early."Then, turning to Nora Su, he inquired, “Do we have any coffee? I’d l
Hearing Alex Ye call out to her, Michelle Xia snapped back to reality. She lifted her head to gaze at him, and after a moment, said, "Thank you."Michelle always used these formal words of gratitude to create distance between them. Alex was used to it by now, and he didn't think much of it. He glanced at her and simply responded with a nonchalant "Mm-hmm."Noticing that Michelle didn't seem upset by his words, Alex felt relieved. The last thing he wanted was to upset her in front of Lizzy. The scene of both mother and daughter crying would be too much to handle. Alex thought to himself, "Better not dwell on that." He then poured himself another glass of warm water and went to sit with Lizzy, watching cartoons with her.Michelle was aware that she often thanked Alex excessively. Now, when she genuinely wanted to express her gratitude, she struggled to find the right words. Alex probably thought she was just being her usual polite self.She had always recognized that Alex treated her
That afternoon, Leonard Chen received a call from Michelle Xia. She expressed willingness to appear on a live stream alongside Brandon Su to promote "Star Path." However, she requested that they also promote her pseudonym and work during the broadcast.Brandon Su was a contracted writer with ScribeSphere, and the rights to "Star Path" had been acquired by NexRealm Studios from ScribeSphere. Michelle Xia, too, was a contracted writer with ScribeSphere. Given her involvement in the design of "Star Path's" game narrative alongside Brandon Su, her desire to promote her work during the live stream seemed reasonable.Leonard thought for a moment, then readily agreed. "Of course," he replied. "However, considering this arrangement, your compensation would be slightly reduced."Leonard wasn't a harsh leader. He wouldn't expect Michelle to help promote their game without some compensation. But given their tight budget, the fee they could offer Michelle would be modest—just enough to cover her
The next morning, Lizzy Xia walked in with a pouty, chubby face, trying her best to convey the message "Lizzy is unhappy, Lizzy is mad" to the adults in the house.Nora Su, who was preparing breakfast for the family in the kitchen, noticed the young girl's sulking demeanor as she asked for milk. Thinking the child was just being grumpy from just waking up, Nora gently ruffled Lizzy's hair. After all, kids always enjoy a few extra moments in bed. And what's a little morning grumpiness from a child? Soon enough, they cheer themselves up. Nora gave Lizzy a warm smile, retracted her hand from the girl's head, and continued with the breakfast preparations.Lizzy stared down at the sweet milk in her hands. "Oh, it's sweet milk today! Much tastier than plain milk!" Holding her delightful drink, her mood lifted, and she thought of joining her mom in the dining room for some pampering. However, just as she approached the kitchen door, she remembered she was still mad at her mom.Making sure to
Michelle chuckled when she read Alex's final comment. She was well-acquainted with her daughter's temperament. She was certain Lizzy wouldn’t remain upset by the afternoon. Besides, Michelle felt that Lizzy had just feigned her anger earlier. And Michelle didn't feel she'd done anything wrong. Surely, accidentally falling asleep because she was too tired wasn't a mistake, right? While she believed this, she still nonchalantly agreed to Alex's suggestion. She responded: "If Lizzy is still upset in the afternoon, I'll try to cheer her up."The workaholic Mr. Ye, as Alex was popularly known, didn’t respond to her message. Staring blankly at her phone screen for a while, Michelle felt she hadn't quite regained her focus and decided to rest for an additional 20 minutes.She sent Alex another message, "Thank you, Mr. Ye."Everyone knew Mr. Ye was a workaholic. He might pick up Eleanor Ye’s call during work hours, but he wouldn’t spend too much time chatting idly with her.Similarly, Mr. Ale
Upon hearing Michelle Xia's slightly irritated voice, Alex Ye thought to himself: If I wait to get dressed before coming out, she might just break my doorbell from pressing it so much.Alex lazily lifted an eyelid, calmly meeting Michelle's gaze. He noticed the elegant gift box in her hand and had a fair guess as to why she was visiting tonight.Without a word, he stepped aside to let her in.Michelle had been waiting outside for what felt like an eternity. It wasn't just cold—it was freezing. So, without giving it a second thought, she entered.As she stepped in, Alex gently closed the door behind her.Michelle's heart seemed to skip a beat in sync with the sound of the door shutting. Only then did she realize the implications of her actions—visiting a single man's house late at night?Oh, but Mr. Ye was known for being completely consumed by his work, a man with little interest in the opposite sex.From what she knew of Mr. Ye, he was a perfect gentleman. So, she had nothing to fear
Alex Ye had indeed spoken those words intentionally to Michelle Xia. He couldn't afford her repeatedly interrupting his work. In truth, the occasional disturbance wasn't a big deal. After all, Eleanor Ye had often distracted him, and he had always dealt with it patiently. The real issue was Michelle's obliviousness. She'd interfere and then nonchalantly walk away, without any consideration of the implications of her actions. Michelle hadn’t always been like this. She used to be direct and wouldn’t waste any time around him; their communication was highly efficient. But now, she seemed to need everything explained twice.Recently, Michelle's behavior towards him had shifted. Whether for good or bad, she needed to understand what these changes implied. Owing to the deliberate remarks Alex made, Michelle felt a tad awkward around him the next day. When Alex came over for breakfast, Michelle greeted him as usual. But after that, they barely spoke, trying too hard to maintain normalcy.Th
Michelle Xia hadn't anticipated Alex Ye to question her so directly. If she admitted now that she hadn't given it much thought, wouldn't that be an indirect admission that she had forgotten about Lizzy's birthday? Torn between telling the truth or deflecting, she finally replied carefully, "That day coincides with the promotional livestream for the 'Star Path' game. How should we go about it, Mr. Ye?"The truth was, Alex, being a novice father, hadn't given it much thought either. He had no experience in planning birthdays for children, and his own parents' past efforts didn't serve as any point of reference. Clearly, neither of them had any solid ideas, and discussing Lizzy's birthday now might take up half the day.Alex suggested, "How about we discuss it tonight?" Given that it was work hours, he needed to stay focused on his tasks and could ponder about the celebration later.Realizing the timing wasn't right, Michelle was just grateful for a response from Alex during his work hou