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
Michelle Xia had prepared a special birthday gift for Lizzy Xia, the mystery blind box she had recently become enamored with. Inside one of these blind boxes was a chubby blue figurine known as the “Forest King,” which Lizzy was particularly fond of.However, Lizzy seemed to have a streak of bad luck. She had never once received the toy she wanted, and every time she opened a blind box, her face would fall in disappointment. Yet, every time she saw another blind box, her eyes would light up with excitement, her feet would freeze, and she'd gaze longingly at it, forever filled with hope.To make her daughter's dream come true, Michelle ordered many of these blind boxes online. She hoped to find one with the blue chubby toy inside, and then repackage it to surprise Lizzy. She went through hundreds of boxes, yet the elusive "Forest King" figurine remained out of her grasp. On the evening before Lizzy's birthday, having still not found the toy, Michelle was close to despair.It was Alex Y
Michelle Xia had never formally delved into the world of live streaming. Her only two encounters with it were during her previous side gigs. During that time, she coincidentally teamed up with a rather well-known streamer who appreciated her gameplay and wanted to collaborate.Michelle, oblivious to her teammate being a popular streamer, agreed to join forces. Once their session was over and she had swiftly completed her task, she silently removed him from her friends list, disappearing without a trace.It was later disclosed to her by someone else that she had unknowingly teamed up with a streamer from the "X-Fish" platform and that their entire gameplay had been recorded. They urged her to watch it.Rumor had it that the moment the streamer was about to ask Michelle when she'd be online next, she promptly removed him from her friends list. This scene quickly became a widespread tale among the gaming community.Upon viewing the edited clip, Michelle had to admit the situation did loo
Michelle Xia was somewhat taken aback by Alex Ye's words; they hadn't crossed her mind before. It was the first time someone had offered to pick her up after work. She glanced at the work meal in her hand, considering her empty stomach. "Just wait a bit," she told Alex, "I'll eat a little and change my clothes."Usually, Michelle and her sister Lizzy ate dinner quite early and weren't accustomed to eating too late. They'd simply have a small meal to fill up. Noticing the peculiar atmosphere surrounding her conversation with Alex, Michelle looked up and caught the eyes of several co-workers discreetly watching them. When her gaze met theirs, they immediately looked away, pretending they hadn't been observing.Feeling somewhat uncomfortable with all the attention on her chat with Alex, Michelle wished he would leave soon. She nodded hurriedly and said, "Sure, go ahead and do your thing."Alex cast a sidelong glance at her and asked in his usual calm and deep voice, "Is knowing me someth
In the past, Michelle Xia was not fond of staying over at the Ye residence. One reason was that she felt an unspoken pressure from Eleanor Ye. Another reason was the feeling of being a guest, a mere outsider in the Ye family home.Unlike her, Lizzy Xia belonged there. Lizzy was the daughter of Alex Ye and the granddaughter of Sebastian Ye. It was only natural for Lizzy to be there.Whenever Michelle faced Sebastian Ye and Eleanor Ye, she always felt her position as a mere "guest." That's why she disliked staying over.Actually, Michelle had initially planned to return to her place in Rivenhold's C district today. But with the thought that Lizzy would be staying at the Ye's tonight, she decided to come back with Alex Ye.She worried about how the child would react if she wasn't there in the morning, probably feeling hurt and thinking someone had upset her.Even though her heart was still fluttering from the memory of the dashing and impressive man, its warmth remained, refusing to fade
After Alex Ye left, Lizzy Xia continued to sit on her little stool, drawing.Well, calling it "drawing" might be a bit generous. It was really just the doodlings of a child with colored pencils on paper. Regardless, Michelle Xia had never been able to decipher her daughter's artwork.Having completed two drawings, Lizzy held them up, admiring her own work with a hint of pride. She wanted to show them to her mother.However, glancing up, she saw that Michelle was still engrossed in her writing. Lizzy hesitated, not wanting to disturb her.Watching her still-busy mother, the young girl heaved a deep sigh, thinking, "Mommy writes so slowly. I've already finished two drawings!"