We moved to Golden Courtyard

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At night, Xu Qi was sleeping soundly with Ai Li's chubby body in his arms when a sudden ringing alarm on the bedside table woke him up.

Ellie and Eden were also woken up. Both of them groggily peeked out, wondering who it was that was calling in the middle of the night.

Ellie hugged Xu Qi even tighter and muttered, "Who is this? Let's hang up and go to sleep."

That really won't work. Xu Qi's phone is set so that it won't ring at this time of night unless it's someone important to him.

So Xu Qi wasn't annoyed at being disturbed from his sleep. The moment his mind cleared, a hint of worry flashed through his mind: who would call him so late at night?

I picked it up and took a look—Theresa.

As soon as the call connected, the girl's anxious voice came through.

"Xu Qi! Your subordinate, Xilin! Her mother just came to report that she's missing!"

Xu Qi sat up instantly on the bed.

Who are you talking about?

"Cilin! Her mother said that her daughter went out after dinner and hasn't come back since! She can't get through to her on the phone! So she rushed over to report her missing!"

838. Can you kiss my forehead?

"Don't worry, please don't worry, we'll be dispatched right away and we'll definitely find it for you." Inside the police station, Himeko was comforting the mother.

Theresa offered words of comfort after finishing the call.

"Auntie, don't worry, we will definitely find Miss Xilin for you."

Her words were full of concern, and Ji Zi teased, "Did you talk to Xu Qi on the phone?"

"Yes, I just got out of bed. He told me to keep Auntie calm while he sets off immediately."

However, Theresa didn't notice that as soon as she finished speaking, Celine's mother, who had been anxious and speaking with a sob in her voice, suddenly stopped talking.

She looked up and glanced at Theresa suspiciously.

"This... officer, who did you just say...?"

······

On the banks of the Huangpu River, the river breeze tousled Xilin's long hair. The little girl leaned alone on the railing, watching the river water lap against the shore, her face filled with sorrow.

She couldn't accept either her mother's last words to her, nor could she accept the fact that she had been sold to TX.

And it's said that he's not working as an animator, but rather as a performer...

Celine felt betrayed not only by Seed Studios, but also by herself.

She didn't know how to stop it from happening. Everything seemed to be good during the day, but everything changed at night.

She and Seele went to Bronya to ask her for advice.

Is it still needed right now?

Xu Qi will definitely be very angry if he finds out about this...

I felt like a deserter, jumping ship when Seed Studio needed me the most.

Anyone would be angry if they came, right? After all, it's really outrageous.

Whenever Xilin thought of this, she felt depressed and didn't even want to stay in that house anymore, so she ran away and wandered aimlessly.

Eventually, they drifted to the banks of the Huangpu River.

Xilin kept taking out her phone to check it, hesitating whether to call Xu Qi and tell him that she had been traded to TX.

But I don't know how to bring it up.

Xu Qi must be very disappointed in himself.

Tears welled up in her eyes, filled with grievances.

Xilin was very sad. She didn't know why her mother seemed like a different person. She also didn't know how things had developed to this point.

The poor little girl was just thinking to herself—is there really no one... who can think about her?

I want to draw... I want to stay in ET... I like Xu Qi...

Xilin suddenly took a deep breath, and with a voice that sounded like she was about to cry, shouted at the Huangpu River in front of her—"I want to paint! I want to stay at Seed Studio! I like Xu Qi!"

Her inner thoughts drifted on the river breeze. Xilin collapsed, crouching down and burying her head in her hands, sobbing like a helpless little girl.

However, the next moment, she suddenly felt a tremor beside her. She turned her head with tears in her eyes and was completely stunned.

Right in front of her...

A three-person-sized exoskeleton suit stood quietly beside Sirin. The earlier tremor was clearly the vibration from the suit landing.

"laugh!……"

The gate is depressurized, and the hydraulic struts open the cockpit door.

Xu Qi jumped out of the room with a slightly flustered expression. Only after he squatted down and confirmed that Xilin was safe and sound did the huge weight on his heart finally lift.

Xu Qi reached out and hugged Xilin, who was still squatting on the ground, clearly having just cried. He patted her back comfortingly, murmuring, "It's good that you found her, it's good that you found her..."

“Xu...Qi…”

"You little rascal, how old are you now? Still so naughty! Your mother thought you were missing and went to report you missing. But it's good that you've been found...it's good that you've been found..."

"You...how did you find me...and..."

Driving an exoskeleton armor, flying down from the sky, finding the girl, and then holding her in his arms—for a moment, Sirin thought she was dreaming.

Are you reading some kind of fairy tale...?

"I know a hacker friend who set your phone's location. I was a little worried when you ran off from the company that time, you rascal..."

Why does she always run away from home when something happens? Is she a child?

I feel that Xu Qi is the least qualified person to say this.

"Me!...What can I do! You've all been lying to me...Liars! Big liars!"

"Yes, yes, yes~~ Good, good, good~~"

Xu Qi sighed inwardly. There were many schemes and calculations involved in Xilin's matter, but they all came to the same conclusion... that everyone was deceiving Xilin.

Sister Xian'er is right. Whatever my plans are, I can no longer hide anything from Xilin.

"Shall we get up first?"

"Um……"

Xu Qi stood up and helped Xilin up.

The little girl's nose was still twitching, and her crying appearance was heartbreaking to see.

However, Xilin immediately wondered if she had said something embarrassing before Xu Qi arrived. She immediately stared at Xu Qi warily.

"You...you didn't hear anything strange just now, did you..."

"Huh?" Xu Qi turned her head, looking puzzled. "What did you hear?"

Xilin breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Qi looked at the girl in front of him with a slight amusement, but he had actually heard her...

"Um...can I hug you?"

Xu Qi hesitated for a moment. After all, he was only pretending not to know anything to avoid embarrassing the girl, but he still knew that the girl in front of him liked him.

Will you agree?

Perhaps refusing now is the best choice for Xilin, but when Xu Qi saw Xilin's aggrieved expression and the fact that she was about to cry, he couldn't help but soften his heart.

And with that moment of hesitation, Xilin threw herself into Xu Qi's arms.

She hugged Xu Qi tightly, and finally, at a certain moment, she could no longer suppress her sadness and began to sob softly.

"Xu Qi..."

"Well, you said."

"I don't want to go to Tencent... I want to stay at Seed Studio, I want to be a concept artist, I want to do what I love..."

Xu Qi gently patted Xilin's back. He didn't say anything, but he was thinking about how badly he had done as a supervisor that such an excellent employee was crying her eyes out here.

The river breeze suddenly dispersed Xu Qi's thoughts; if he didn't do many things, his heart wouldn't find peace.

"If you like painting, then feel free to paint here. Everything... is here for you..."

Reliable, making you want to hold them in your arms forever.

Xilin hugged Xu Qi tenderly, then suddenly whispered, "Then... can you kiss my forehead?"

"Don't push your luck, little girl."

Celine pouted, somewhat displeased, but the next second...

A warm, smooth touch came from her forehead. Xu Qi gently kissed her and pulled the girl into his arms.

Xu Qi, you really need to reflect on your actions for not being able to protect even a young girl.

839. Your sister will create opportunities for you and Theresa.

"Cirin!"

At the police station entrance, Xilin's mother rushed forward and hugged her daughter tightly.

"mom……"

But soon, she pulled Celine behind her, looking warily at the man who had brought Celine there, and at the police officer named Theresa who was standing next to him.

"You're Xu Qi?"

Xu Qi didn't care about the other party's wariness. Actually... he should have encountered something like this a long time ago.

Xu Qi knows what kind of person she is, and others know it too. As a parent, this kind of mentality is perfectly normal, and Xu Qi can understand it quite well.

"You must be Celine's mother... the chairwoman of MH. Tonight, I don't want to talk to you about anything else, just one thing..."

Please terminate the transaction with TX immediately and let Sirin choose her own path in life.

Why should I listen to you?

"Tomorrow morning, we will acquire 20% of MH's outstanding shares through pre-market and post-market trading. After that, I will visit each of MH's shareholders one by one to have a heart-to-heart talk."

Let them transfer their shares to ET at a low price, thereby giving us more than 51% of MH's shares and completing the acquisition of MH.

The woman seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world; this kid…

Does he think this is child's play? That he can just decide to trade this much and then actually trade this much?

However, what Theresa did next made her less calm.

She answered the phone.

"Hello? Um... okay... I understand. We received a report from a Mr. Chen Wu who filed a formal complaint against several directors of MH, alleging that they have been involved in various illegal transactions, including gambling, for a long period of time."

Theresa rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

Looks like I'll have to work overtime tonight.

Xilin's mother's face turned deathly pale instantly.

She looked at Xu Qi in disbelief, then at Theresa next to her, and then at Officer Himeko standing next to her, who seemed oblivious to her presence.

Finally... she glanced at the police station on the steps behind her.

"Your employee transfer agreement with TX will take effect one month from now. Within this month, we will complete the acquisition of MH and terminate this agreement, paying the penalty for breach of contract."

"Are you crazy?! You!..."

The woman clenched her teeth tightly. MH had fallen into a predicament where it had to sell people because of its cash flow problems. Where would it get the money to pay the penalty for breach of contract?!

"If they can't pay, they can declare bankruptcy. I have no interest in MH. In any case, that agreement can be terminated."