We moved to Golden Courtyard

Bronya narrowed her eyes.

Is it really that superficial?

"Making animation, or rather, creating art, inherently requires a certain superficiality. Frey isn't a vicious woman; she just has the common flaws that most people have."

But look, if you put yourself in Kira's shoes, she slept with me when I was at my most painful and vulnerable... and she was even my first love, how could I not like that?

And... Frey will gradually realize that, lost in hatred, she has actually already... truly fallen in love with Kira.

“And then at this moment!” Bronya took a deep breath, “let her die… even in front of Kira, under Kira’s desperate protection—die.”

Ultimately, all the flaws she displayed were simply forced out by the high pressure of war. At heart, she was still a lively and cheerful girl.

Having suffered so much from the ravages of war, wasn't the moment of ending his life also a painful end for him? You are a human being, Xu Qi…”

Xu Qi shrugged noncommittally.

"The portrayal of Lux as the female protagonist is just too perfect for me. If I hadn't met Mei, and if I hadn't met you all, I wouldn't have been able to create such a perfect female character."

Because I feel this isn't real. And before I met you all, Frey... was the most realistic image of the heroine in my mind. She's just dead.

Bronya smacked her lips.

That line, "He's just dead..." really makes me want to punch him a couple of times.

"In short..." Xu Qi took a deep breath.

"To portray Frey well, episodes nine and ten are the beginning of everything! These two episodes... strive to show Frey's psychological state in the best possible way!"

This can be considered the screenwriter making demands on the director.

Bronya smiled.

Appointing Xu Qi as both screenwriter and supervisor was definitely the best decision I've ever made... and, well, I also managed to snag a husband along the way.

Just then, the cell phone rang.

Xu Qi opened it and saw that it was a text message.

"what happened?"

"Oh... I think I'll have to leave work early today."

Bronya's eyes were playful.

"Leave work early? To meet someone?"

"Uh..." Xu Qi scratched his head, an embarrassed look on his face. "So... that's not wrong either."

"Is it Mei?"

Xu Qi nodded quickly.

It is indeed Mei... but it's not just Mei.

Bronya narrowed her eyes, clearly showing some displeasure.

"You mean, you want me to grant you leave so you can go on dates with other women?"

That seems to make sense... Even Xu Qi felt that doing this was going too far.

"I can let you go, no problem."

Bronya walked gracefully to the office door and locked it.

"If you can satisfy me, letting you out isn't out of the question."

If Xu Qi didn't understand this, he could just jump off this building.

He reached out and put his arm around Bronya's waist, letting her sit on her desk.

Xu Qi laughed and said, "It seems our duck is quite greedy."

"Stop talking nonsense! Don't think I don't know what you and Rita did in the bathroom the other day."

Okay... by simply pushing the pencil skirt back, Bronya's legs were easily spread apart.

Xu Qi kissed her on the lips, looked at Bronya's flushed cheeks, and said with a smile, "I guarantee you'll be satisfied, my dear CEO."

508. This kiss is my affirmation of you.

Shanghai at night, while not the most dazzling and brightly lit place in the world, is like a woman in a cheongsam and a crown in a vast crowd.

It always manages to catch your eye instantly.

However, for Shanghai today, the most prosperous area is undoubtedly the Lujiazui area in Pudong, but in 93... it was a place called Huanghe Road.

"In 1993, Huanghe Road was a 755-meter-long street with more than 100 restaurants, attracting countless wealthy people to spend money here every night."

In that single year, hundreds of thousands of bottles of imported liquor were poured into the throats of these Shanghainese.

At the crossroads, Xu Qi rubbed his hands together as he spoke.

As November approaches, even the weather has become unpredictable, fluctuating between hot and cold.

He glanced at the woman with long, dark purple hair beside him and saw that she was only wearing a white shirt with a purple bow tie as an accessory, which made her look exceptionally fresh and refined.

"Is not It Cold?"

Mei exhaled a breath, leaned close to Xu Qi, and shook her head.

Is what you're saying true?

"That's how it's described in the book anyway. I wasn't even born in 93, and I grew up in Songjiang, not Huangpu District, so there's no way to verify whether what he said is true or false."

Mei chuckled softly, glanced at Xu Qi's empty arm, and suddenly took it from her the moment the pedestrian crossing light turned green.

Xu Qi was stunned.

"Mei?"

"Is that not allowed?"

That...of course.

With her arm linked with his, they naturally got closer together... The warmth and softness of Mei's body were transmitted to Xu Qi through her thin clothes.

A feeling stirred within me, as if ripples were spreading across my heart.

"But Mei invited us here, but when we got there, she was nowhere to be found."

Upon hearing Xu Qi's words, Mei blushed slightly and turned her head away.

"Perhaps... there are other things involved."

"What could possibly be wrong with her right now? She's already taken the bar exam, and I doubt she'll pass. After all, she's only been preparing for this for a short time. She can try again next year."

"How could I not know what this girl is thinking?" Xu Qi glanced at Mei beside him, a strange look in his eyes. "She's really good to you, isn't she just handing her man over to someone else?"

Now, Mei's face really turned red.

She patted Xu Qi on the shoulder, glared at her, and her mature womanly aura made her look incredibly charming.

"I never said I wanted to pursue you."

Xu Qi's lips curled up.

"I want to pursue you, is that okay?"

Mei felt incredibly embarrassed. Despite her age and the many things she had experienced, she still acted like a little girl in front of Xu Qi.

Xu Qi laughed too, "They really look alike..."

Just like when I first started dating Mei.

However, Mei back then didn't have the mature and charming appeal that Mei possesses now.

A young woman, who is like a married woman, will still show a little shyness in front of you. However, she knows that it is inappropriate, so she will restrain herself and endure it to some extent.

But in Xu Qi's eyes, they all possessed an even greater charm...

Mei's power to harm him is boundless, and that's only natural—Mei is too.

After just a few glances, I felt my heart racing. If I hadn't just vented my frustration on Bronya before leaving get off work, I probably would have made a fool of myself.

Of course, Mei wouldn't just hand over Mei to Xu Qi and do nothing. In fact... she was preparing for something else quite important.

For example, he might bring some gifts and visit Xu Qi's home in person.

Hmph! ...What kind of advantage won't snowball? Other women, more or less, have to find ways to change their identities to get closer to their uncle and aunt.

Mei didn't need to—she could come directly as Xu Qi's future wife! Upon entering, she shyly called out to Lin Lai, "Mom..."

It made Xu Qi's mother happy for half a day.

Of course, right now... Xu Qi knows nothing about these things.

He didn't even know that Mebius had become his parents' therapist, and Sakura had become their comforter.

In any case, everyone felt that they had gone further and further down the road to winning over Xu Qi.

……

Are your hands so cold?

Upon hearing Xu Qi's question, Mei thought for a moment and then put her hand under Xu Qi's armpit.

"That way you won't be cold."

"You're really something."

Xu Qi gestured with his chin toward a shop in front of him.

"That shop has a snack called pork rib rice cake. The book says that Ms. Wang found her business partner, but it wasn't Mr. Bao, whom she liked.

And this pork rib and rice cake dish symbolized their bond. From then on... pork ribs were pork ribs, and rice cake was rice cake.

Mei, holding Xu Qi's hands, suddenly tightened her grip, her breath caught in her throat, and the faint smile on her face seemed to freeze at that moment.

Xu Qi naturally sensed it, but instead of offering any comfort, he continued speaking.

"Do you know how Bao responded to that line in the book?"

Mei lowered her head and remained silent, while Xu Qi continued talking to himself.

“He said, ‘For me, pork ribs and rice cakes have never been a business. Miss Mei, this dish is only delicious when the pork ribs and rice cakes are together.’”

……

Mei, who seemed to have realized what was happening, stared blankly at Xu Qi.

"You...aren't you trying to get rid of me?"

Xu Qi was the one who was stunned this time.

"When did I say I was going to kick you out?"

To me, Mei and Mei have always been two separate people, but similarly, my feelings for Mei have always been one-sided.

Didn't I just say that I'm the one who wants to pursue you, Mei?

The dramatic shift in her mood from sadness to joy left Mei unable to calm down for a long time.

She looked at Xu Qi, who was smiling at her—I already love you enough... Your actions only make me happy and more inseparable from you, nothing more, okay?

Xu Qi seemed to have noticed what Mei was thinking, and said.

"What I said to you that night was really a bit too much. I apologized afterwards, and you said you forgave me, but..."

There was always that thorn in my side, so when I found out I was going on a date with you today, I thought—I have to make you happy, as a way of making up for it.

To make amends for what? To make amends for the mistakes made that night.

Even if hurtful words have been spoken, even if the painful experience can never be forgotten, it doesn't mean that the relationship can never go any further.

Spare ribs and rice cakes only become spare ribs and rice cakes when they are together.

Mei suddenly hooked her arm around Xu Qi and, to Xu Qi's astonishment, kissed her deeply amidst the bustling crowds on the street.

So many years of waiting, so many years of research, she desperately extended a new branch on the World Tree, creating a future where Xu Qi could live, wasn't it all for this moment?

After the kiss ended, Xu Qi looked at Mei, who was suddenly so bold, and subconsciously licked the corner of his lips, as if still savoring the lingering fragrance.

"I'm very satisfied. This kiss... is my affirmation of you."