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!"
Because the promotional live stream for the game "Star Path" had brought considerable attention to Michelle Xia, Alyssa easily secured a top spot on the homepage recommendations, much to the chagrin of Lulu. Every time Lulu saw Alyssa, she'd roll her eyes in evident displeasure. Lulu didn't hide her annoyance with Alyssa, but Alyssa didn't seem bothered in the least. In fact, Alyssa was quite pleased whenever she saw Lulu upset. Unable to contain her glee, Alyssa reached out to share the news with Michelle. Alyssa texted, "I bet Lulu's regretting trying to push you down now. Serves her right!" Michelle, engrossed in her writing, didn't respo
A couple of days later, Alyssa relayed some surprising news to Michelle.Alyssa: "Michelle, you sold the rights to your work to Makka Comics."She then sent Michelle a price.Soon after, Alyssa messaged again: "GreenMango Comics says they look down on our works and don't plan on purchasing?! Who do they think they are? This is infuriating! 😠"Michelle, unsure of how to comfort Alyssa, replied: "It's okay, we've sold the rights anyway. And isn't Makka Comics better than GreenMango Comics?"Alyssa: "Yes, Makka Comics is better, but it's not GreenMango Comics' place to snub us! It's infuriating!"
Behind them was a vibrant tapestry of brilliant fiery trees against a broad, warm-hued sky. In the foreground, the cool, composed silhouette seemed to melt into the velvety backdrop of the night, accompanied by a delicate and fragile one.The first time Michelle Xia kissed a man was when she was twenty, though her physical age was twenty-four. It was during her first winter in this world and subsequently her first spring. The nights bridging winter and spring were chilly, and her hand found warmth tucked inside the pocket of a man's coat, held securely by his grasp. The world outside was filled with the raucous noise of fireworks; sharp and jarring, but to her, it was as if she heard nothing.Alex Ye's first kiss came at twenty-nine, just four months shy of turning thirty. By then, he had built a little family - Michelle, Lizzy, and
Michelle Xia fiddled with the red envelope Alex Ye had handed to her, feeling unsure, debating whether to return it.In romance novels, there was always a trope where the domineering CEO stuffed a bank/credit card into such an envelope. Whenever Michelle came across or wrote such a scenario, she found it utterly nonsensical. Why would anyone do this in real life when a simple bank transfer would suffice?She never understood the thought process behind such writers. Yet, since the readers seemed to love such plotlines, she followed suit whenever she saw other authors penning them down.But here was Alex, looking as calm as ever, as if giving her a red envelope was the most natural thing in the world—let alone one with a card inside.
In the end, Mr. Ye gave her a new password – it was her birthday. Michelle Xia smiled as she accepted his bank card, not offering further comment. She didn't like accepting handouts, and besides, she was doing well financially now. To her, Alex Ye's bank card held no real significance; she didn't need his money. But if he was brave enough to offer, what reason did she have to refuse?Years ago, when Alex Ye worried she might be strapped for cash, he'd extended her the offer of a bank card. Back then, their relationship could best be described as "strangers," so she naturally declined. Eleanor Ye had made a similar gesture, but Michelle had also refused.Michelle wasn't surprised that Alex knew her birthday. After all, if he could know Lizzy's birthday, why wouldn't he know hers? She turned to him, her smile soft and gentle. With no hint of guilt, she inquired, "Mr. Ye, when is your birthday?"Lifting his gaze to hers, Alex replied, "May 28th, Gregorian calendar."Michelle nodded,
In truth, Mr. Alex Ye was rather innocent.He looked into Michelle Xia's accusing eyes, paused for a moment, and subtly glanced in the direction of his study. His study happened to be right next to Lizzy Xia's room.Michelle followed his gaze and had a hunch about what he meant. Still, this didn't deter her from continuing her accusations.Alex sighed silently.From what he'd heard from his married or dating peers, when the other party was upset or unhappy, simply apologizing could avoid 80% of potential unpleasant situations.With utmost sincerity, Alex apologized to her, "I'm sorry."His apology was so earnest that Michelle found herself unable to continue her blame game, so she reluctantly looked away. In reality, the bump hadn't been hard, but the nose was sensitive, which caused a sharper pain. For a moment, she couldn't help but blame him.Michelle knew she was being slightly unreasonable and quickly composed herself. Rubbing her nose, which still throbbed a little, she briefly
When Alex Ye returned home, he found Michelle Xia and Lizzy Xia arranging flowers in his room.They had procured several gleaming glass vases from somewhere, and pale golden champagne roses were strewn about, creating an almost melancholic scene. Lizzy was leaning over the table, handing flowers to her mother with great care, all the while tilting her head to watch as Michelle inserted the roses into the vase.Upon seeing her father, the little girl immediately hopped off the chair and, with her short legs, made a quick “patter-patter-patter” as she rushed to greet him. Lizzy smiled brightly, briefly acted coquettishly with Alex, then ran back in her “patter-patter-patter” manner, continuing her task of handing flowers to Michelle and watching her work.Alex didn’t get upset upon seeing the champagne roses being used as playthings, but he did feel a pang of frustration, a slight incredulity. To him, Michelle’s demeanor was hardly what one would expect from someone who received flowers