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

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

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 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 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