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
The first to notice Alex was little Lizzy. Her mouth fell open in apparent surprise at seeing him there. "Why is daddy here? Did he come to buy cake for Lizzy?"Blinking her eyes, Lizzy flashed a sweet smile and softly called out, "Daddy."The café, a quiet and relaxed public space, demanded a certain decorum. Lizzy knew she couldn't yell as she usually did. She was a polite and considerate child, always mindful not to disturb others.Michelle Xia looked stunned for a moment, her gaze following the child's to where Alex Ye was approaching. Alex took a seat opposite them, his expression unreadable, revealing no hint of emotion. He acknowledged the little girl with a low, magnetic "Hmm" in response to her earlier call."I originally came to pick up something for you both to take home," Alex began to explain, "but it seems you're already here."Hearing that her father had planned on getting her a little cake, Lizzy's heart soared. She immediately said, "Daddy can bring Lizzy a cake tomor
In contrast to the tumult of the Yu and Zhao households, life was serene for Alex Ye and Michelle Xia. One afternoon, Alex left work early, intending to pick up his child from kindergarten. The child was overjoyed to see her father coming to get her that day. Lately, it had mostly been her mother, Michelle, doing the pickups. When her dad picked her up, it often meant a delightful detour to grab a delicious slice of cake, with an extra slice for her mom. And if she acted sweetly towards her mother, Michelle might even let her sneak an extra bite of her slice. Just thinking about it made Lizzy Xia feel like the luckiest child in the world! With her little legs, Lizzy dashed over to Alex Ye, her laughter soft and sweet. "Daddy, let's buy a yummy cake for Mommy, okay?" she chirped. Pausing to feign a sigh of concern, she added dramatically, "Mommy's been so busy writing again. She works so hard." Thus, the need for the scrumptious cake. Whether or not she got to eat some was secondary;
Spring ebbed away, and by the swift turn of May, summer was fast approaching. At the beginning of the month, Aria Cheng joyfully welcomed a baby boy into the world, affectionately named "Liam." Sophie Ye was thrilled with the addition of a baby brother and shared her excitement with Lizzy Xia, "My little brother is also your brother, Lizzy. From now on, we'll both be Liam's big sisters!" Though she too was Liam's sister, Lizzy couldn't help but envy Sophie. Returning home, Lizzy once more cozied up to Alex and Michelle Xia, expressing her desire for a little brother. Michelle nodded in response and then, with an air of seriousness, began discussing with Lizzy which street's trash bin they should visit to pick up a brother. Lizzy's young mind filled with confusion. She pondered, "So, is that how you get a little brother? By picking him up like trash?" Lizzy felt a sudden repulsion at the thought of a brother from a trash can – stinky and unclean! She was having second thoughts,
Alex Ye and Michelle Xia had obtained their marriage certificate, but Eleanor Ye never quite dared to urge them to hold a wedding. The story between Alex Ye and Michelle Xia was nothing short of dramatic. Yet, fundamentally, it was a case of "jumping on board first and buying the ticket later". Having a child out of wedlock was seen as a blemish on the Ye family's reputation, and this act in itself was perceived as morally questionable, not something to flaunt. Another factor was that Michelle Xia was essentially on her own; she had hardly any family or friends. If they were to host a wedding, the guests would predominantly be from Alex's side, making the disparity between the groom's and bride's guests glaringly obvious. Such a scenario might be embarrassing for Michelle. Therefore, Eleanor Ye always hesitated to bring up the topic of their wedding. The concerns Eleanor Ye had were equally clear to Alex Ye. When it came to his and Michelle's wedding, he was genuinely hesitant. A
Ye Corporation doesn't hold an annual meeting every year, mainly because organizing one involves a lot of fuss, time and manpower. At least, that was what the young Mr. Alex Ye believed. In his opinion, it was better to devote that time to work on new projects and use the money for year-end bonuses rather than unnecessary events. However, this year, Mr. Alex Ye seemed to take a keener interest in the annual meeting, rather than just delegating it to his assistant and not bothering about it. He would frequently ask his assistant about the event's proceedings, like the agenda, any refreshments planned, and if he needed to deliver a concluding speech. He received a detailed plan for the annual meeting, which, barring any last-minute changes, would be strictly followed. On the chilly winter night of the annual meeting, the indoor heating of Rivenhold was cranked up to fend off the biting cold. As a stakeholder in Ye Corporation and the wife of the Ye family, Eleanor Ye would, as always,
When Lizzy Xia started kindergarten, she was actually quite scared and nervous, worried that the other kids wouldn't like her. In truth, Lizzy was a very sociable child who loved playing with other kids.However, her mommy never let her go out to play, insisting she stay home. Her mom had to work, to earn money, and had no time to watch her, let alone take her out to play with other kids. Keeping Lizzy at home was the easiest way for her mother to ensure she was safe.Occasionally, her mom would take her downstairs to play with the neighborhood kids. But they never seemed to like Lizzy. They bullied her and whispered about her being a "bastard". Every time this happened, Lizzy felt extremely wronged.Whenever this occurred, her mom would just frown, saying nothing, only taking her back home, insisting she stay indoors.When Lizzy heard from the “uncle” that she would be starting kindergarten and would have many friends to play with, she felt a mix of anticipation and fear.She hoped th