We moved to Golden Courtyard

"Speaking of which, we've known each other for about half a year now. Alicia should know me quite well by now, right? Both my abilities and my personality."

Alicia nodded firmly. She was quite familiar with not only Xu Qi, but also everyone in the Golden Courtyard.

“But Bronya is different. She came here on a whim tonight, hoping to get my help. Have you ever thought about what to do if my abilities don’t match?”

"But Xu Qi..."

"You see, it's because you know me well that you think I'm capable, but she clearly doesn't know me at all..."

Xu Qi let out a long sigh.

"If I actually agree, then the pressure will be immense, because I will want to respond to this expectation and the other party's high regard for me."

Honestly... I can't afford it.

"But Xu Qi."

"Ok?"

Alicia turned to the side and looked at Xu Qi seriously.

"Humans only ever need to respond to their own expectations."

Xu Qi was taken aback. His mouth gaped slightly as he pondered Alicia's words for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh. He'd actually been lectured by her…

"What's wrong? You seem to have been thinking about this for a long time. Do you think what I said is right?"

"Yes~~Yes~~" Xu Qi reached out and rubbed Alicia's little head. "As expected of a top online streamer, you speak so eloquently, I'm almost moved by you."

"Hehe?~~"

Humans only need to respond to their own expectations... and that's enough.

So correct it's undeniable.

"Alright, my dear teacher Alicia, it's so late, shouldn't you be going to sleep?"

"Huh?...Oh no! It's almost midnight!"

"Staying up late is a girl's worst enemy—you should be the one saying that, right?"

"Hmph!...Goodnight."

Goodnight, Alicia.

Xu Qi breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the girl go upstairs.

The phone screen lit up, and I opened it to take a look.

Xin: I've already obtained the relevant investigation reports for 914. They're on my USB drive. If you want them, let's meet sometime, but not at the company.

Xu Qi read the message expressionlessly and silently turned off her phone.

Char...

18. Trying to have your cake and eat it too? Are you underestimating me?

"To be honest, if the character design and plot really go according to your plan, then I think there is no problem with removing the female lead and making the second male lead the female lead."

"But unfortunately they are men, so they can only be close friends."

"Yes... friends with very deep feelings, and then in your writing, you make them become enemies because of a war caused by something almost ridiculous."

"And..." Xu Qi said coldly, "They both killed each other's best friends."

……

Bronya sat on Xu Qi's bed with her arms crossed, holding a laptop in her hands, and let out a long sigh.

"You really dare to write that... You've been completely consumed by the will to hate, and the only thought left in your mind is to kill the other person."

No matter how close friends they were before, at this moment, all of that is gone... You bastard, are you a demon?

Xu Qi shrugged.

"Compared to Z. Allahato, I've been quite merciful."

Today marks the third day since Bronya visited the Golden Courtyard to discuss the project with Xu Qi. It must be said, these two are both people who can't stay idle.

Moreover, they are all highly capable people.

Xu Qi watched as a brand-new Alahato project was gradually perfected on Bronya's computer.

This feeling... is quite wonderful.

“I also have to thank little Gretchen.” Bronya pulled out a sketch from beside her, which depicted a woman as beautiful as a princess.

"Long pink hair, beautiful appearance, possessing both gentleness and a strong sense of conviction and purpose..."

Bronya tilted her head and looked at Xu Qi with a hint of mockery, saying, "Are you planning to... have your cake and eat it too?"

Xu Qi sat at his desk, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Two lines? Are you looking down on me?"

"Ah..." Bronya sighed, rubbing her forehead with one hand, as if to say, "This person is hopeless. How come I didn't realize you were such a scumbag the other day?"

Of course, the two were just joking with each other.

When Xu Qi received the original manuscript from Gretchen, he also felt that... there was no greater coincidence in the world.

"It's like a combination of Alicia and Mei..."

"To put it another way, you and Mei had a boy, and you and Alicia had a girl. And their daughter is pretty much like this."

"What a terrible ethical dilemma... You better stop this."

Bronya put the notebook aside and suddenly jumped off the bed to get close to Xu Qi.

At this time, Bronya was still dressed in her usual office lady attire. In her words, changing clothes before and after get off work was too much trouble, so she would just keep wearing them as is.

With one hand supporting herself on the table and the other resting on the back of Xu Qi's chair, she leaned forward, a few strands of her silver hair even swaying down and brushing against Xu Qi's cheek, causing a slight tickle...

Xu Qi immediately froze in his seat, not daring to move an inch.

Don't let his sharp tongue fool you; he can spout all sorts of raunchy jokes. But when it comes to being teased by a sexy older woman, he's completely disarmed.

"Really? What if I just like to play?"

Then you can have fun... but I just can't bring myself to say that...

"Hmph~" A slight smile appeared on Bronya's lips. She seemed to sense Xu Qi's stiffness at the moment, and it was indeed a... simple and easy-to-understand expression.

She didn't go too far, quickly stepped back, and sat back down on Xu Qi's bed.

This also relieved Xu Qi.

My sister has such a strong presence...

Bronya glanced at her watch while rolling up her sleeve and said, "Alright, I won't bother you any longer. I have a meeting at the company this afternoon, so I need to go back first."

Xu Qi tilted his head, indicating that he would like to proceed.

“I said…” Bronya stood up, tossed her long, silver-white hair behind her, and her handsome appearance made Xu Qi unable to look away.

"It sounds strange for me to say this, but I'm pretty good-looking and have a decent figure."

Xu Qi: ...

"I've been staying in your room these past few days, so don't have any improper or misunderstanding thoughts about me, okay?"

Xu Qi mimicked Bronya's gesture, covering his forehead with one hand and letting out a desperate sigh.

No way...

“But…” As she opened the door and was about to leave, Bronya suddenly winked at Xu Qi, “If you use sheets that smell like me to masturbate, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

"That's enough! I really wouldn't do something like that!"

This was the first time Xu Qi had been teased like this by another woman since he matured—what a loss of composure!

This woman... she's become so uninhibited after we get to know each other!?

As expected of an older woman, a naive young virgin like me is no match for her at all...

Shaking his head, Xu Qi rested for a while, tidied up the drawings in the room, and then left the room.

At this moment, in the living room, Chef Qian was preparing dinner, while Kevin and Kosmo were playing video games. It was rare to see Kevin on a Saturday.

But speaking of which... Bronya, does she have to go to the company for a meeting on Saturdays?

He's practically a corporate slave just like Kevin.

The screen showed two people playing Street Fighter IV, Ryu versus Ryu, with Kevin dominating the points and likely to win this match.

Especially Kosmo—he's completely impatient and can't calm down. How can you fight Kevin like that...?

Shaking his head and calculating the time briefly, Xu Qi asked, "Where are the others?"

Right after asking that question, Kevin killed Kosmo with a single punch.

Winner—Programmer!

"Ah!!...I lost again!!!" This is probably the only time you'll ever see Kosmo so frustrated.

Kevin put down the controller, his face showing utter satisfaction.

"Fu Hua is doing an outdoor live stream with Ai Li, Sakura is still working overtime, Aponia seems to be going to church to pray today, and the others are probably upstairs."

That was really fulfilling, everyone...

"I'm going out to meet someone, so I won't be home for dinner tonight. Don't wait for me."

"OK."

The door closed, and Kevin glanced at Kosmo—the kid was still replaying the game in his mind and muttering to himself… He was really persistent…

······

Shining Qiqi: I'm going to Xujiahui now.

Heart: Good.

After a brief conversation, Xu Qi took a deep breath and left.

……

There is a famous long corridor in Xujiahui subway station, where a bronze statue of the father of Shanghai's subway stands. The meeting place was here.

Xu Qi looked at the bronze statue not far away and couldn't help but laugh out loud—I must love the company so much to choose this meeting place.

"You're more punctual than I expected, XCMG."

A familiar voice came from behind, and Xu Qi turned around. What she saw was, of course, an acquaintance from the company, and definitely the kind of acquaintance that was unexpected—Xin An.

"You should have brought all the materials for 914, right? This time... don't let me down."

19. I choose you! Padofelis!

Inside the ubiquitous Starbucks, holding a Frappuccino of unknown flavor, Xin'an leaned back in his chair, looking out through the huge floor-to-ceiling window in front of him.

The expression on his face didn't reveal any joy or other emotions; in fact, it was a little strange.

Across from her, Xu Qi was using a laptop to check the data on her USB drive.

The man's expression was very focused and serious, a sight that Xin'an rarely saw.

Her appearance was actually quite outstanding. In college, she was considered one of the most beautiful girls in her department, and she had no shortage of suitors at work.

Few people can remain so calm and focused on their work when they are alone with her...

Even the older leaders were no good—the way they looked at him made Xin'an feel nauseous.

But... someone who completely ignores her won't be liked by Xin'an either.

In this girl's world, she should naturally be the protagonist, and no one can ignore her or disregard her—no one can!

Of course, Xu Qi didn't care what this woman was thinking. He was completely focused on the information Xin'an had compiled regarding the 914 brake failure incident.

Although this woman had once been in his project team, after Li Fu took over, he didn't even bother to give her any face and directly threw himself into her arms.

However, it must be said that her professional skills are still excellent.

With Xin'an around, those purely superficial reports have long been filtered out, and what Xu Qi sees is all solid information.

As for why people were willing to help him...