Become a mother in a night

Chapter 72

After Alex Ye left, Lizzy Xia continued to sit on her little stool, drawing.
Well, calling it "drawing" might be a bit generous. It was really just the doodlings of a child with colored pencils on paper. Regardless, Michelle Xia had never been able to decipher her daughter's artwork.
Having completed two drawings, Lizzy held them up, admiring her own work with a hint of pride. She wanted to show them to her mother. 
However, glancing up, she saw that Michelle was still engrossed in her writing. Lizzy hesitated, not wanting to disturb her.
Watching her still-busy mother, the young girl heaved a deep sigh, thinking, "Mommy writes so slowly. I've already finished two drawings!"
In the quiet room, it would have been hard for Michelle not to hear her daughter's sigh. Thinking Lizzy was just bored, Michelle felt a tinge of guilt.
Turning to her daughter with a gentle smile, Michelle asked, "Lizzy, would you like to watch some cartoons with Mommy?"
Cartoons were Lizzy's favorite, and Michelle thought it might be a good opportunity to take a break together.
However, Lizzy looked earnestly at her mother and said, "No! Mommy needs to write. You can't be lazy!"
Michelle was taken aback, her feelings mixed. She hadn't expected her daughter to turn her down.
Nevertheless, Lizzy eventually went to watch cartoons by herself. Before leaving the room, she reminded her mother, "Mommy, you need to keep writing and not slack off."
Seeing Lizzy's serious expression, Michelle couldn't help but laugh. "Alright," she said, "Mommy will keep writing. If you get bored, you can come and play with me."
Lizzy nodded in acknowledgment, but in her heart, she wondered: Is all Mommy thinks about playing? Can she even write properly?
Sighing, Lizzy picked two of the largest, juiciest cherries from a plate and handed them to her mother. After a brief moment of playing coy, she took her plate of cherries and left, feeling content, to watch her cartoons.
With her novel nearing its conclusion, Michelle found the writing process challenging, particularly in depicting the emotional and psychological changes of a princess after her return to her kingdom. One misstep, and the narrative could fall apart.
It took her the entire morning to write a single chapter. However, the chapter was well-received upon its release. The subscription count, clicks, favorites, and comments were considerably higher than usual.
Seeing these encouraging metrics, Michelle decided to give herself a break and leave the update at that for the day. 
She then opened another document and began drafting a short fairy tale. Light-hearted and concise, it was a stark contrast to her novel. In under an hour, she had a story of over a thousand words.
Michelle posted her fairy tale on her social media as a New Year's gift to her followers. 
Almost immediately, comments began pouring in:
"Beautiful! I'm hungry for more!"
"I'm a fan of Mizzy, but this story is so fun!! Worth every moment! @XXXX @XXXXX"
"We have the New Year's story, when's the New Year's selfie coming? Waiting for the lovely photo."
"Who would have thought? The elegant lady from yesterday can write such lively, childlike prose without it feeling out of place."
Michelle Xia: "..."
This was the first time Michelle had seen her social media comments so animated.
It seemed like everyone online these days was a comedian or a literary expert. There were some amusing comments in the section. They certainly knew how to entertain themselves.
Checking the time after reading the comments, Michelle noticed it wasn't even half past eleven yet. She figured Alex Ye would be back around noon.
After some thought, she shut down her computer, deciding to go watch some cartoons with her child.
However, upon seeing Michelle, little Lizzy Xia became somewhat nervous. Her chubby little face took on a serious demeanor. "Mommy, have you finished your manuscript?"
She resembled a strict schoolteacher checking assignments.
Seeing Lizzy's face, Michelle couldn't resist teasing her, "Oh dear, Mommy can't seem to finish her manuscript. What should I do?"
The child became even more anxious. Lizzy hurriedly urged, "Then, Mommy, you should go and finish it. Don't come out. "
Michelle finally broke into laughter. It took Lizzy a moment to realize her mother was jesting. The little girl's round face displayed evident irritation.
A slightly annoyed Lizzy exclaimed, "Naughty Mommy! Always tricking Lizzy!"
After saying that, she huffed in a childish tone, making it clear she was quite upset.
Seeing this, Michelle quickly moved to soothe her, apologizing with a smile, "Mommy's manuscript isn't done, but I can finish it later tonight."
Hearing the explanation, Lizzy wasn't mad anymore. 
However, upon further thought, if her mommy was going to write tonight, then she wouldn't be able to sleep with her.
Lizzy was about to show her disappointment, but Michelle preempted her intentions.
Before Lizzy could start her usual tactics, Michelle said, "Our Lizzy is a smart and brave girl, right? You'll sleep on your own tonight."
Lizzy: "..."
Feeling slighted, Lizzy took her plate of cherries away, deciding not to share them with her mother.
She resolved not to speak to her mother until she finished watching her cartoon episode.
...
For New Year's holidays, almost all of Ye Corporation's employees were on leave.
Even though Alex Ye didn't have much to do at the office, he felt uneasy not checking in.
Not long after Alex returned to the office, and before he could review his schedule, his public relations team approached him. They wanted to brief him on some events from the previous evening.
Previously, the PR team had intercepted various news and photos about Alex, Michelle, and Lizzy. Last night, they had to intercept even more.
As Michelle's popularity soared, the team found themselves filtering out more and more news...
The PR team was exasperated. Michelle, with all her high society gossip attached, didn't seem to care about laying low. She was rather conspicuous.
"Mr. Ye, you can indulge her all you want," they thought, "but if things go awry, it's still a family matter."
However, today the PR team wasn't there to complain but to provide Alex with an update on the recent situation and their findings.
They had previously blocked many photos and news about Michelle and Lizzy. Last night, they had to block a similar batch. The intel suggested that these were leaked by the Zhao family.
The Zhao family, particularly Isabella Zhao.
She was the heiress who almost married Alex.
Hearing the PR team's briefing, Alex paused for a moment, then nonchalantly acknowledged, signaling he was aware.
The Ye family had more collaborations than competitions with the Zhao family. The Zhaos had no reason to target him over a failed marriage proposal.
After pondering, he told the head of the PR team, "Keep an eye on Cedric Yu and Isabella Zhao's movements."
The PR head acknowledged.
The PR team remained stressed and worried.
Aside from Ms. Michelle Xia, who blatantly parades her high-profile socialite gossips instead of laying low, there is now the ever dramatic, on-again-off-again power couple that everyone needs to monitor online.
The PR team of the Ye family isn't as free as you might think, Mr. Ye.
They are busy managing online influencer accounts, promoting Michelle's works, and ensuring their visibility. They truly have their hands full.
So, perhaps, could the family's personal affairs remain, well, more personal?
The PR team misses the good old days when they could slack off at work, playing games and reading novels.
Alex Ye never mentioned to Michelle Xia about the filtered information from the internet.
It wasn't that Alex wanted to "protect" her. He just believed that telling Michelle would only add to her worries.
He once heard from Brandon Su: Creatives, being who they are, have limited bandwidth. To focus on their craft, they can't spare much attention to other matters.
So Alex figured, unless absolutely necessary, it's best to spare Michelle these worries.
——————
Alex didn't stay long at NexRealm Studios. Before leaving, he made sure to make a restaurant reservation. Then he went home to pick up Michelle and her family.
As soon as Alex got home, little Lizzy Xia, with her tiny legs, rushed towards him with a "tap tap tap", a pout on her face, complaining that her mommy was a big bully.
Hearing her daughter tattle to Alex, Michelle felt somewhat guilty.
She quickly explained to Alex, "I only ate two of her cherries."
She didn't want him thinking she was bullying their daughter.
But Lizzy wasn't holding a grudge about the cherries. She was just upset because Michelle wouldn't sleep next to her tonight.
The little girl promptly corrected her, "It was THREE cherries! Not two!"
Looking at Michelle's slightly innocent face, then to Lizzy's upset expression, Alex took a moment to pick a side.
He bent down, lifting Lizzy, settling her on his forearm. With a playful tone of agreement, he playfully scolded Michelle, "Taking three cherries is just too much."
Lizzy nodded seriously, "Yes, mommy went overboard!"
Michelle was left baffled.
Alex teased Lizzy again, "So, should we not join her to see the white whale this afternoon?"
Lizzy went silent. As much as she thought her mommy was being mean, she really wanted to see the white whale with her.
But she was still "mad". So she played coy, pretending she didn't hear him.
Seeing Lizzy's feigned ignorance, Alex couldn't help but chuckle.
In the heart of Rivenhold, Alex Ye had chosen a renowned children-themed family restaurant for lunch. This place wasn't just about food; they offered story performances, quiz games, and kitchen experiences. Children were particularly fond of the ambiance there.
In the morning, Lizzy Xia had half a plate of cherries and still didn't feel hungry. So she simply sat in front of the small stage, completely engrossed in the story being performed. Only when their meals arrived did she reluctantly return to their table.
Although Lizzy was physically back at the table, her mind was still on that little stage.
Realizing her distraction, Alex gently told her, "After lunch, we can go see the white whale."
At that, Lizzy instantly perked up. "Oh! We can see the white whale!" With renewed enthusiasm, she began to eat.
After lunch, she returned to her spot in front of the stage, absorbed in another performance. As the afternoon hours approached, signaling the opening of the aquarium, she took Alex and Michelle Xia's hands, leading them to the marine exhibit.
Lizzy was immensely intrigued by marine life. Even the larger creatures like the white whales and sharks didn't scare her. She was so thrilled, she pressed her face against the glass, yearning to be closer. She was so enamored by these aquatic giants that she asked Michelle to take photos. But, in truth, Lizzy didn't want photos of herself. She wanted pictures of the fish.
After a while, Michelle's hand began to tire from all the photography. She passed her phone to Alex with a warm smile that reached her almond-shaped eyes. "Mr. Ye, your turn," she said in a gentle voice.
Alex took a few pictures of the child. But when some didn't turn out right, he wanted to delete them. He looked up at Michelle and asked, "May I see the gallery?"
Michelle replied, "Sure, go ahead."
Upon scrolling through, Alex realized Michelle's photography skills were rather lacking. How she managed to turn such a cute child like Lizzy into multiple overlapping images was beyond him. Suppressing a chuckle, his scrolling halted when he saw a strikingly different set of photos. They were of a woman, exquisite in every feature. The soft brown eyes were filled with warmth, making it hard for anyone not to be captivated.
Hearing Alex's suppressed laughter, Michelle, unaware of her questionable photography skills, gave him a puzzled look. "What's so funny?"
Alex hesitated for a second, then replied, "I just thought Lizzy looked too adorable."
Michelle nodded in understanding. "Well, Lizzy has always been universally acknowledged as adorable."
Maybe sensing her tone was a bit chilly, Alex said, "Lizzy looks a lot like you."
Implying that the credit for Lizzy's cuteness went to her. But Michelle, looking at her daughter's chubby face, couldn't resist countering, "No, Lizzy is way cuter than me!"
Alex just sighed in response, conceding, "Alright, you win."
After a pause, Alex inquired, "Can I transfer some of these pictures to my phone?"