Become a mother in a night

Chapter 18

When Michelle saw the transfer notification, she thought to herself, "Truly a friend of the wealthy businesswoman." It seemed they shared the same demeanor, not hesitating to send money without so much as a discussion. Was it because they feared she'd learn of a hidden snag and change her mind? Michelle hesitated. She truly feared that they might be setting a trap for her. But she was exhausted from constantly writing, not wanting to continue ghostwriting novel drafts any longer. Moreover, she had set her price high and they had accepted it. It'd be rather unjust to refuse now, wouldn't it?
After a moment of indecision, Michelle clicked on the confirmation to accept the payment.
Then came the demands. The client described to her an incomplete world view, narrating yet-to-be-fleshed-out character relations. They wanted Michelle to draft detailed character designs. These were to encompass everything from appearance and orientation to past experiences and character evolution—everything that could be compiled into a 200,000-word character biography. Wasn't the request a bit... excessive? It seemed even more demanding than any previous drafts she'd worked on. Who knew if they'd request countless revisions once she delivered the finished product? Surely, this was someone befitting the title of a wealthy businesswoman's friend, seeking her out when they had hit a wall halfway through their writing.
After some thought, Michelle quietly refunded the money.
"Michelle": Perhaps you could find another writer to accommodate your needs?
"BaldButNotStronger": No worries. Just draft one of the characters as a test. If it works, we can discuss the price further.
"BaldButNotStronger": How about drafting the 'Moonlit Beauty' character first?
"Michelle": Alright then.
The two exchanged a few more words, setting a clear deadline, and then the conversation trailed off.
About a month and a half since the last conversation, Michelle reached out to her affluent employer.
"Michelle": Hey, the person you recommended had added me, what do they do?
"awerfadf": ???
"awerfadf": Who are you???
"Michelle": ...
"awerfadf": Oh, it's you.
The wealthy employer briefly introduced her friend: "He's a novelist."
Michelle found it hard to believe. Why would a novelist require such detailed character setups? Did they think she had never written a novel? While she might not have written 100 original novels, she had ghostwritten that many. Everyone knows that in contemporary online novels, many characters make their appearance even before the authors have settled on names. Like the character "Michelle", the biological mother of Lizzy.
Seeing Michelle's skepticism, the employer hurriedly added, "Really, he is a novelist. But I think he also works at a game company."
"Michelle": Are they short on staff and trying to get some external help?
"awerfadf": Maybe...?
Michelle was thoroughly impressed. It made sense why they were so generous. However, she had accepted the commission and she would see it through, come what may. Perhaps because the client was from a game company, they hadn't explained the previous settings to Michelle in detail. Some parts were even vague, probably due to certain details that they weren't keen on sharing with her. Michelle could understand, as these game settings were proprietary information. What if she were to leak them? It was rather bold of them to hire an online writer for such tasks without even signing a confidentiality agreement.
Michelle spent half a day brainstorming the concept for the 'Moonlit Beauty'. Due to her other commitments, she only worked on this character after completing her daily tasks, which meant the progress on it was almost nil. The client, aware that Michelle wouldn't deliver quickly, didn't pressure her. This made Michelle feel a bit guilty.
Michelle thought to herself, "While I feel guilty, I'll still continue to delay the assignments that need to be delayed."
By the time Friday rolled around, Lizzy was feeling a bit low-spirited. Her "bad daddy" had come to pick her up yesterday, and today was no different. She deeply missed the days when her mother, Michelle, would come to get her from school, even though Michelle had just fetched her the day before yesterday.
Today, Alex had been delayed en route. By the time he reached the kindergarten, Lizzy was the only child left to be picked up. She sat on a tiny bench waiting for him, her solitary figure looking forlorn and pitiable. Seeing Alex arrive, the child promptly swung her little backpack onto her shoulders, waved a cheerful "bye-bye" to her teachers, and went to join him.
Lizzy was an understanding and well-behaved child. Even though she had waited a long time and wasn't particularly fond of Alex picking her up, she didn't complain. Looking up at Alex with hopeful eyes, she exclaimed, "Let's go home and get mommy!"
It was clear her heart always yearned for her mother.
Reaching into his coat pocket, Alex pulled out a few candies. He crouched down on one knee and extended them to Lizzy. Trying to sound as gentle as possible, he said, "Sorry, daddy was late today. This is for you, Lizzy."
With her round, endearing eyes, Lizzy blinked at Alex in a way that was irresistibly cute. Though she didn't quite grasp why her "bad daddy" was apologizing, candy always managed to lift her spirits. Lizzy delicately took the sweets and after counting them twice, she suddenly remembered she hadn't thanked Alex.
Storing away the candies, she tilted her little head upwards, grinning sweetly. In her soft, childlike voice, she chirped, "Thank you, daddy!" She decided, from today onward, she wouldn't call him "bad daddy" anymore.
The sweet smile on the child's face caught Alex off guard for a moment. He reached out and ruffled her hair affectionately. After picking up Lizzy, he exchanged greetings with her teachers and then headed off to fetch Michelle. They had made plans to have dinner at Alex's place. Alex had reminded Michelle in the morning, but true to form, she had forgotten.
Soon, Alex and Lizzy were standing at the base of Michelle's apartment building. Eager to see her mother, the little girl didn't want to wait downstairs. She insisted on going up, and naturally, Alex followed suit. Together, they ascended to find Michelle.
Upon seeing Michelle, the first thing Lizzy did was to playfully seek a hug and a kiss.
Then, as if presenting a treasure, she proudly produced the candies that Alex had given her earlier, intending to share them with Michelle. "Lizzy wants to give some candy to her sister," she declared. "Sissy, you pick first!"
Watching the little one regift his offering made Alex chuckle. So that was why she hadn't eaten any earlier; she had been saving them for Michelle. He couldn't help but admire the cleverness of the child, thinking he should perhaps take a leaf out of her book.
Upon hearing Lizzy's earnest offering, Michelle feigned surprise and delight. She looked up at Alex, puzzled at what had amused him. Playing along, she carefully chose two candies and teasingly said, "Isn't Lizzy going to share any with daddy?"
Lizzy glanced up at Alex, surmising that he probably didn't like candies, which was why he had given them to her in the first place. With utmost seriousness, she explained, "Daddy doesn't like candies!"
Alex paused, looking taken aback. This was news to him.
Michelle nodded, glanced back at Alex, and tried to reassure the child, "If it's from Lizzy, then daddy will definitely like it."
Upon hearing this, the young girl's face lit up in earnest agreement. Clutching the remaining candies, she trotted over to Alex for him to make his choice. "Lizzy wants to give candies to daddy too!" she announced. Even though the candies were originally from him, she felt she could still offer them back.
Realizing Michelle's intent to foster a closer bond between him and Lizzy, Alex played along and carefully chose two candies himself. He smiled at the little girl and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Lizzy."
A bit bashful from all the attention, Lizzy shyly scampered off to rejoin Michelle. After a short spell of playful frolicking between the two, Alex guided them both toward his home.
Eleanor had been waiting for their arrival for quite some time.
She reclined on the sofa, absentmindedly stroking her cat. Upon seeing Michelle and Lizzy, Eleanor's spirits lifted.
With a smile, Eleanor greeted Lizzy, inquiring if anything fun had happened at her kindergarten recently. Lizzy excitedly shared a story about a classmate bringing a tiny squirrel to school. The little creature, incredibly adorable, had startled her by hopping onto her bed during nap time. As young children often do, Lizzy recounted the tale with a delightful mix of unclear speech and absent logic, but her eagerness to share made it all the more endearing.
Eleanor listened to Lizzy's narrative with rapt attention. When the little girl finally concluded her squirrel tale, Eleanor praised and fussed over her.
Then, Eleanor turned her focus to Michelle. As Michelle nibbled on some sliced fruits, she had been half-listening to Lizzy's story. However, upon catching Eleanor's gaze, she hesitated.
Eleanor spoke with a hint of concern in her tone, "Michelle, you seem to have lost weight recently. Has it been too tough for you, being on your own?"
Michelle remained silent, anticipating the next suggestion from Eleanor – an invitation to move back in, perhaps.
Eleanor displayed a hint of annoyance, "Surely Alex hasn't been taking good care of you. He's always so engrossed in his work." Then, shifting her tone, she wore a gentle smile, seemingly about to continue speaking.
However, something inside Michelle stirred. Before Eleanor could say more, Michelle interjected, "No, no, Alex has been wonderful."
She spoke with genuine warmth, reassuring Eleanor, "Alex has been taking great care of both Lizzy and me. Please don't worry, Mrs. Ye."
Given the care Alex provided, the idea of moving back to Eleanor's residence was out of the question