I really like your sand sculpture group friends

"Get lost, they're just making a fuss." Cai Yibin laughed and scolded.

Su Mengli, standing to the side, was more focused on the production line in front of her, her eyes following the movement of the semi-finished products on the conveyor belt, observing each step.

Just then, two middle-aged women walked over from the other end of the workshop. One had a capable demeanor, and the other had a kind face.

Mo Xiangwen's eyes widened for a moment, then he forced a smile: "Hahaha, Mom, what a coincidence... Hello, Aunt Cai!"

Zhou Xiuqin had originally intended to ask him why he was skipping class and running back home, but before she could finish speaking, her attention was instantly drawn to the beautiful and elegant girl beside her son. She immediately changed her tone, softening considerably: "You silly child, you didn't even tell your mother you were coming back! And who is this...?"

Mo Xiangwen quickly introduced, "This is my senior, Su Mengli, who is also my friend and colleague. Shishi and Nuoya both know her."

Su Mengli immediately stepped forward and gracefully bowed to Zhou Xiuqin, her voice gentle and melodious: "Hello, Auntie, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Su Mengli, a friend of Xiang Wen."

Zhou Xiuqin's eyes lit up, and her smile became even more amiable.

Mo Xiangwen suddenly had a bad feeling.

P.S.: There will be another chapter tonight, to catch up on yesterday's.

Chapter 255 No way!

Zhou Xiuqin's face immediately lit up with a smile, and she waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "No need to be so polite, no need to be so polite!"

Cai Yibin's mother also smiled and said to Zhou Xiuqin, "Xiuqin, your son is really successful. He's the one who gave us this order. Otherwise, we would have really had to consider downsizing."

Mo Xiangwen smiled modestly: "Aunt Cai, you flatter me. This has little to do with me. You should thank me..."

Just as he was about to use the same trick again to attribute the credit to Su Mengli, a sharp pain shot through his arm.

This time, Su Mengli noticeably increased the pressure, pinching him hard while giving him a warning look.

Mo Xiangwen wisely shut up, coughing twice to cover it up: "I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore."

Su Mengli gave him a subtle, slightly disgruntled glare.

Zhou Xiuqin took in the subtle interaction between the two young people, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

However, now is clearly not a good time to ask further questions.

"Come home for dinner tonight." Zhou Xiuqin quickly put on a warm smile again. "You've brought your classmates all the way to your doorstep, how can you not come home for a simple meal? Mom will cook some of my best dishes for you."

Upon hearing this, Mo Xiangwen paused for a moment, then forced a smile: "Mom, we have to go back right away. Time is really tight, so let's just skip it this time."

Actually, his schedule wasn't that tight; he originally planned to stay at a nearby hotel for one night before leaving. But his mother's overly enthusiastic attitude clearly indicated that she had ulterior motives.

He himself hadn't sorted things out yet, and was far from being as guiltless as he had been when he first brought Shishi and Nuoya home.

If they were caught and taken home for questioning, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Zhou Xiuqin frowned and said with displeasure, "Even if it's urgent, can it be urgent for just one night? We're already here, what kind of behavior is it not to go home for dinner? I'm going to call your homeroom teacher to ask for leave!"

“Universities… no longer have class advisors,” Mo Xiangwen muttered to himself.

Zhou Xiuqin ignored him and turned to Su Mengli beside him, immediately putting on a kind and friendly smile: "Su classmate, are you not in a hurry? If you're not in a hurry, why don't you stay for a meal before you leave?"

Upon hearing this, Su Mengli turned her head to look at Mo Xiangwen, only to meet his anxious gaze as he frantically blinked at her.

Seeing this, Su Mengli imitated him, blinking slightly, a hint of cunning flashing in her eyes.

Just as Mo Xiangwen thought the tacit understanding had been achieved and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, he saw Su Mengli smiling and gently shaking her head at Zhou Xiuqin.

Oh no! What I feared most has come to pass! Mo Xiangwen's face immediately stiffened. He wanted to stop it, but dared not make any big moves because his mother was present.

Just when he was feeling utterly hopeless and thought he was doomed, Su Mengli spoke again, her voice as gentle and soft as ever, full of apology, saying, "No, thank you for your kindness, Auntie. Just like Xiang Wen said, we have to catch our flight back tonight. We couldn't get tickets for tomorrow, so we have to travel through the night."

This unexpected answer surprised both Mo Xiangwen and Zhou Xiuqin.

Zhou Xiuqin sighed regretfully, then turned her blaming gaze to her son.

Mo Xiangwen quickly seized the opportunity and said, "Mom, I really had something to do tonight! Next time, next time I'll definitely bring Mengli back for dinner! She has a younger sister who wanted to come this time too, but she couldn't make it."

Zhou Xiuqin paused for a moment, her expression softened, and finally said helplessly, "Alright... it's a deal then, I'll definitely bring them here to play next time."

"Definitely! Definitely next time!" Mo Xiangwen readily agreed.

"Also, if Yan and Bai are free, bring them back as well."

"That's right, that's right, it's necessary."

Zhou Xiuqin stopped looking at him and just smiled at Su Mengli, saying, "Su, now you know where I work."

She gave her son a meaningful look and smiled, "If this kid doesn't bring you next time, you and your sister can come and play by yourselves. Auntie welcomes you both."

Su Mengli smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Auntie. Xiang Wen wouldn't do such a thing. I'll definitely come to visit again when I have the chance."

Zhou Xiuqin and Aunt Cai didn't seem to be idle either; they just came over to see them, chatted for a bit, and then left immediately.

Having finally gotten rid of his mother, Mo Xiangwen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and refocused his attention on the important matter at hand.

Cai Yibin continued to lead them deeper into the factory area, where they visited several core production lines.

While reviewing the documents, Mo Xiangwen finalized the supply details for the winter break with Cai Yibin: "The first batch of goods, standees and keychains, needs to be ready to be shipped within a week after the holiday. In addition, considering the subsequent promotion and possible surge in orders, we also need to prepare a contingency plan for expedited production capacity. I hope you can help me handle it if demand suddenly increases."

“No problem,” Cai Yibin replied confidently, clearly having prepared in advance. “I have reserved extra capacity for the production line and raw materials. As soon as the order comes in, we can start the expedited production line immediately.”

Mo Xiangwen smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Although this deal may not be big, I hope it's a good start for our cooperation."

Cai Yibin patted his chest, nodded heavily, and said very seriously, "Don't worry about leaving it to me. Even if I'm not home, I will check on all your orders every day. If I have a holiday, I will come to the factory every day to keep an eye on things."

"It's not that bad," Mo Xiangwen chuckled. "But I understand your intentions, so thank you."

"Of course." Cai Yibin laughed as well: "I'm counting on a long-term partnership with you as a safety net, so you'd better keep up the good work."

"Hahaha, then I'll take your good wishes." Mo Xiangwen laughed, "You too, keep up the good work."

As they chatted and toured, Su Mengli's gaze was constantly drawn to the exquisite little fox girls around her.

She held the plush toys that had just come off the production line as samples in her hands and examined them carefully. Her fingertips gently brushed over the soft fabric and the delicate embroidered features of the toys, and her eyes revealed undisguised affection.

Mo Xiangwen noticed her expression and turned to Cai Yibin, saying, "Old Cai, please pack a few more of these samples, as well as the several standees and keychains that have already been made. If you have any dolls, please take them back so the other members can see how they look in person."

"No problem," Cai Yibin readily agreed. "How much do you need?"

"I'll need five portions of each," Mo Xiangwen estimated.

Cai Yibin paused for a moment, but quickly remembered that he was giving it to the other members of his studio. Perhaps there were five members in his studio, which is why he needed five copies.

“Okay.” Cai Yibin waved his hand. “I’ll go pack it up for you right away.”

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, "How about we have dinner together tonight?"

Mo Xiangwen paused for a moment, then shook his head with a smile: "No, I'm planning to have dinner with Miss Su tonight."

Chapter 256 I'm Sorry (4K Combination)

As night falls and dusk descends, the lights in the town come on one by one.

Night market streets that are closed during the day but open at night are also starting to get busy.

Mo Xiangwen led Su Mengli into a bustling alley with practiced ease and sat down in front of a late-night snack shop.

It's been a long time since I've been here, and I didn't expect the owner to have renovated the shop.

While it is far from luxurious, it is certainly very clean.

"This place is delicious," Mo Xiangwen said with a smile as he rinsed the bowls and chopsticks with hot water. "I promised Mengyao I would bring her here to try it, but I didn't expect you to get here first."

Su Mengli looked around at the bustling and vibrant environment, a place she would never have visited before.

She turned to look at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said, "Then I'll take a picture and send it to her later."

"No way," Mo Xiangwen quickly waved his hand, "She'll throw a tantrum when we get back."

Thinking of her younger sister's sullen expression, Su Mengli couldn't help but laugh.

Steaming hot stir-fried noodles, fragrant grilled skewers, and comforting clay pot porridge were served one after another.

The two ate and chatted, and their tired nerves gradually relaxed under the comfort of the food.

As he ate, Mo Xiangwen put down his chopsticks, his movements somewhat heavy.

He looked at Su Mengli. This girl had followed him all day long just because of one sentence he said, without even asking why.

"I'm sorry, Mengli," he said softly.

Su Mengli's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the drink cup, already having a vague idea of ​​what he was going to say.

She shook her head, her voice soft: "It's me... I'm sorry to have troubled you."

“No, it’s not your fault.” Mo Xiangwen said firmly, “It was my oversight. When we decided to make merchandise and promote it, I only put forward the idea and the goal. The specific budget, how to arrange the timeline, and how to allocate resources—all these tedious but crucial planning and execution tasks fell almost entirely on your shoulders. I only briefly discussed the idea with you a few times at the beginning, and then I naturally handed everything over to you to be in charge.”

He paused, his eyes filled with apology: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. These things must have taken a lot of your time and energy too, right?"

Su Mengli was taken aback, not expecting him to say that, and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

That's true, after all, she's not Noah.

It's normal that Xiang Wen wouldn't guess if she didn't tell him.

However, I still feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Su Mengli sighed softly in her heart.

If it were Noah, would he be able to understand her feelings...? No, if it were Noah, perhaps there wouldn't even be any need for this conversation between them?

She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembled, and she shook her head, her voice even softer: "Actually... it's not so bad. It's not as time-consuming and energy-draining as you imagine. Doing these things hasn't put too much of a burden on me."

"Actually," Mo Xiangwen didn't delve deeper into the matter as she expected, but instead changed the subject, his voice softening, "things aren't that complicated. What I'm trying to say is that it's precisely because I entrusted you with these important and complex tasks, and was worried that you wouldn't be able to handle them, that I had you assist Shishi and Mengyao more in the actual production of the game. This absolutely does not mean that I think you are less capable than them, or that you are not serious enough."

He looked intently at her, his tone utterly sincere: "On the contrary, Mengli, I think you are exceptionally talented, so talented that I feel completely at ease entrusting you with the crucial responsibilities of project operations, planning, and external communication. These tasks are just as important as drawing a character illustration or writing a piece of code, and are even more complex because they involve communication with others. Therefore, I have entrusted them to you, who are more adept at these areas than the others."

As soon as she finished speaking, Mo Xiangwen seemed to realize that this was another attempt to manipulate her into misunderstanding, so she quickly added, "It may sound a bit strange, but I didn't mean anything by it; I was just stating the facts."

Su Mengli pursed her lips, feeling as if something had gently bumped into her heart, a bittersweet feeling mixed with warmth, leaving her speechless for a moment.

Mo Xiangwen didn't know what she was thinking, and seeing that she didn't react, he could only assume that she had no opinion.

Then, he continued to reflect, "However, I neglected your feelings. You see, Shishi is in charge of the character art, Mengyao is in charge of the background and background music, Nuoya is in charge of the programming, and I am in charge of the writing. Everyone has a clear task in making the game."

"And you, Mengli, are clearly excellent in every way, but while doing equally important operational work, you are only assigned to help and assist."

“I thought this would allow everyone to do things in their areas of expertise, which would be more efficient and give everyone a greater sense of accomplishment. However, I failed to realize in time that this might make you feel like you are not participating enough, as if you are the only one being excluded... This was indeed my mistake.”

Su Mengli remained silent for a long time, until the noisy background sounds seemed to fade away. The bitterness in her heart welled up little by little from the depths of her heart when he mentioned it like that.

She finally raised her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and gently shook her head: "No... really. This is just a personal... emotional issue. Your arrangements, from a project perspective, are already very comprehensive."

Looking at her forced calmness, Mo Xiangwen felt even more tender.

He changed the subject again and continued, "Mengli, the factory we visited today is just a very small part of your huge workload. There wasn't really a reason for us to come together. I brought you here so you could get a real sense of your work. Although, in theory, we should have taken you out at a more suitable time, such as when the product is released or when we're doing offline promotions, that would take too long, and I'm worried that some irreparable problems might arise."

Su Mengli nodded slightly. When she saw the factory's assembly line, she did have a tangible sense of reality about what she was doing.

Moreover, during this time, she did indeed feel the other party's desire to help her.

"I know," Su Mengli said softly. "Thank you, Xiang Wen."

"Mengli, do you know what the core purpose of all these merchandise items we've made is?" Mo Xiangwen suddenly asked again.

Su Mengli thought for a moment and answered seriously, "I think, on the one hand, it's to awaken the memories and impressions of those old players who have followed our studio before, and maintain the buzz; on the other hand, it's to expand the reach of our publicity. Perhaps... we'll need to plan some supporting promotional activities around the sale of merchandise to create a synergistic effect."

"Absolutely right!" Mo Xiangwen's eyes shone with admiration. "That's your vision and depth of thought. Now tell me, if I asked Mengyao or Shishi the same question, how would they answer?"

Su Mengli thought for a moment and couldn't help but smile: "They'll probably just say it directly—it's for sale."

“Yes, that’s the difference.” Mo Xiangwen smiled as well. “I never meant to belittle Mengyao or Shishi. Everyone in the studio is the most important, and everyone is indispensable. But ultimately, everyone has their own area of ​​expertise and focus. Even someone as versatile as Mengli, who can do almost anything, still has one outstanding ability, right?”

Su Mengli was a little embarrassed by his straightforward praise. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled and said reproachfully, "Alright, stop praising me in different ways."

Mo Xiangwen laughed along with her a few times, and the atmosphere immediately became much more relaxed.

He continued, "Although you are competent in all aspects, others are indeed not as good as you in terms of overall project operation, market understanding and long-term planning."

Su Mengli blinked and asked playfully, "Doesn't Nuoya understand you well? She sees things very clearly and is very meticulous in everything she does."

You know perfectly well what I'm asking, Miss Mengli. You're clearly very happy to be praised.

Mo Xiangwen silently complained in his heart, but showed a helpless smile on his face.

He shook his head and explained seriously, "You know Noah's personality. She prefers dealing with logic and code, and she hates things that require a lot of external communication and coordination, so she instinctively avoids them. In the end, the only people in the entire studio who are truly suited to this kind of work are you and me."

Su Mengli's eyes sparkled, and her smile deepened: "But I think that in this respect, you and Nuoya are the same kind of people at heart."

Mo Xiangwen touched his nose and said honestly, "There is a little bit. I wouldn't say I like it, but I can do it."

"Oh?" Su Mengli tapped her chin lightly with her finger, asking with interest, "Being able to do it but not liking it... does that mean you don't like it?"