Become a mother in a night

Chapter 61

Hearing Alex Ye call out to her, Michelle Xia snapped back to reality. She lifted her head to gaze at him, and after a moment, said, "Thank you."
Michelle always used these formal words of gratitude to create distance between them. Alex was used to it by now, and he didn't think much of it. He glanced at her and simply responded with a nonchalant "Mm-hmm."
Noticing that Michelle didn't seem upset by his words, Alex felt relieved. The last thing he wanted was to upset her in front of Lizzy. The scene of both mother and daughter crying would be too much to handle.
Alex thought to himself, "Better not dwell on that."
He then poured himself another glass of warm water and went to sit with Lizzy, watching cartoons with her.
Michelle was aware that she often thanked Alex excessively. Now, when she genuinely wanted to express her gratitude, she struggled to find the right words. Alex probably thought she was just being her usual polite self.
She had always recognized that Alex treated her kindly. However, she often believed that his kindness was a mere extension of his affection for Lizzy. For instance, they shared responsibilities, like taking care of Lizzy, so she ate at his place and stayed there.
When he treated Lizzy to cake, he'd bring a piece for her too.
But he wouldn't buy her keyboards or game consoles just for Lizzy. Nor would he assist her with academic issues for Lizzy's sake. He definitely wouldn't risk revealing that Lizzy was born out of wedlock while supporting Michelle in her career endeavors.
Observing the father-daughter duo seated side by side on the couch, engrossed in the cartoon, Michelle felt a wave of complex emotions—more intense than when she saw her early fans defending her honor online after she retired from writing.
After taking her medication, Michelle quickly became drowsy, even more so than Lizzy, who usually went to bed at nine.
Seeing her mother in this state, Lizzy became anxious and urged Michelle to rest.
"Mummy should be good. If you're sick, you should sleep early," Lizzy softly spoke, adding, "Because Mummy is sick, Lizzy will take care of Mummy and sleep with her tonight."
With a smirk, Lizzy clarified, "I'm only sleeping with Mummy to care for her, not because I want to."
Feeling proud of her excuse and noting that it was almost nine, Lizzy hurriedly beckoned Alex over. "Daddy, Lizzy wants milk~~"
Once she finished her milk, she could go to bed with her mum. Lizzy thought her acting was flawless, but both Alex and Michelle couldn't help but chuckle at her smug expression.
Alex warmed up some milk for Lizzy and handed it to her. He then turned to Michelle, offering her a thermometer, "You should check your temperature."
Michelle accepted the thermometer, automatically muttering "Thank you." It was only after hearing his usual "Mm-hmm" that she realized this gesture of gratitude had truly become a habit.
She remained silent as she took her temperature.
37.4°C – the fever hadn't fully subsided.
Alex Ye put away the thermometer, placing it back into the medical kit. A hint of worry crossed his eyes. "If you feel unwell during the night, call me," he advised.
Before Michelle Xia could respond, little Lizzy Xia jumped in, "Don't worry, Daddy! Lizzy will take good care of Mommy~~"
Michelle chuckled and gave a slight nod towards Alex.
Looking at Lizzy, Michelle thought amusedly: *This clingy little girl, who's really taking care of whom?*
It had been a long while since Lizzy slept with her mother, and her excitement was palpable. Yet, she reminded herself that she was here to "care" for her mother. So, Lizzy resisted her elation.
Lizzy was a sensible and sweet child. If she was there to look after her mom, why should she have to bring her pillows, blankets, and unicorn plushie?
Before Michelle could voice any objections, Lizzy took the initiative. She shuttled back and forth from her room three times, ensuring she brought all her belongings, not forgetting her beloved unicorn pillow.
Michelle thought: *Did I even agree to let this little one sleep with me tonight?*
However, Lizzy pretended as if she didn't hear. She had brought her unicorn plushie, and there was no way she was going back to her room.
Michelle was concerned that her cold might spread to the child, making her hesitant about sleeping together. But Lizzy was insistent, snuggling up and acting so cute that Michelle found it hard to resist.
In the end, with a stern face, Michelle pretended to be upset. "If Lizzy doesn't sleep now, Mommy will be angry."
With that, the little one obediently hugged her unicorn plushie and drifted to sleep.
Maybe it was the soft presence of her daughter beside her, but that night, Michelle slept soundly without any dreams.
The next morning, Michelle felt much more refreshed, without the cloudy and dizzy sensations of the previous day. After breakfast, as usual, Alex took Lizzy to preschool. It took some cajoling from the little girl before she agreed to leave.
Before they left, Michelle, in a rare move, flashed a beautiful smile at Alex, her voice gentle and melodic, "See you tonight, Mr. Ye."
This caught Alex by surprise, "...Yes, see you tonight."
On his way back to the office after dropping Lizzy at preschool, Alex wondered: *Did Michelle's fever affect her brain yesterday? Why was she suddenly so friendly this morning? And that smile... it was so radiant.*
He pondered for a moment and realized it might have been because of the promotional livestream for "Star Path" she mentioned, in collaboration with Brandon Su.
Alex was not keen on the idea of Michelle and Brandon streaming together. But he couldn't let his personal feelings hinder her career opportunities.
Recalling Michelle's recent intense update schedule, Alex felt a twinge of pain.
Brandon Su's "Star Path" was originally serialized on ScribeSphere. Since the rights were bought from there, naturally, they were bound to promote this game project.
Upon returning to his office, the first thing Alex did was summon his assistant, Derek Lin, to discuss the promotional affairs between NexRealm Studios and ScribeSphere.
At that very moment, Alyssa and Lulu were fiercely competing for the top recommendation slot on the homepage. Yet, with just a casual directive from Alex Ye, the upcoming top recommendation was reserved for the "Star Path" game promotion.
When the boss speaks, no one at the ScribeSphere editorial department dares to counter. Besides, it's reasonable to feature Brandon Su's work, given its exceptional metrics. So, it was settled.
Hearing this news, Lulu was so infuriated she felt she might spit blood. An author under her guidance was neck and neck with Michelle Xia's work. Due to Michelle's decreased updates the previous day, her author had pulled ahead. Lulu was confident in securing the next homepage recommendation. But now the boss suddenly decided to reserve it for Brandon Su? It was enough to enrage her to no end.
The happiest of all was Alyssa. When she learned that Michelle was ill and couldn't guarantee the usual updates, her heart sank. Alyssa had been prepared to continue her battle with Lulu for the upcoming slot. However, hearing that Brandon was claiming this spot, she couldn't help but mentally applaud him.
Although Michelle wouldn't be featured in the upcoming recommendation, neither would Lulu's author! Alyssa's disdain for Brandon was different from her disdain for Lulu. Seeing Lulu's infuriated expression brought joy to Alyssa's heart. She then removed Brandon from her blacklist and sent him a message of gratitude.
Alyssa: "Thank you, great Brandon Su."
Alyssa: "Well done!"
When Brandon received Alyssa's message, he was puzzled about what she was thanking him for. Nevertheless, Alyssa unblocking him and messaging him was a good sign. Wary of any missteps, Brandon decided to probe into the reason for her "thanks." He cautiously sent a question mark, only to receive a glaring exclamation mark in response.
— Message sent but declined by the recipient.
Brandon: "..."
For him, this was a first — pursuing a woman felt so humbling.
Brandon: "Fine, Alyssa. As long as you're happy."
Unaware of the events unfolding in the ScribeSphere editorial department, and especially ignorant of the exchanges between Brandon and Alyssa, Michelle finished her draft and prepared to update it on the author's backend.
Having finalized the day's content, Michelle recalled her conversation with Leonard Chen from the previous day, and also what Alex Ye had told her. After much contemplation, she decided to call Leonard. She remembered something Alex had said to her a long time ago.
He'd said that she could try to trust him, that she could try to lean on him.