Mei, I Absolutely Won't Let Go (Continued)

Xu Qi had never learned to hide the things he wanted to pursue. This time, he had not only affirmed his own feelings, but Mei's as well.

A girl this wonderful had no reason to let go of her, much less choose an awkward, ambiguous relationship.

Mei sat where she was, head lowered, her small hands intertwined. Now that the moment had arrived, she instead began to waver.

"I..."

"There's no need to give me an answer right away, Mei."

Mei froze. She raised her head in panic, the flush that had colored her face turning deathly pale. The meaning conveyed by her eyes seemed to say—

Don't abandon me...

Xu Qi's heart ached. How could I possibly leave you behind?

He opened his arms and, amid Mei's renewed shyness, pulled her into his embrace.

The girl's delicate body rested against him, and the fullness of her chest was enough to stir anyone's heart. But Xu Qi's heart was so peaceful that even he found it hard to believe.

"I won't let go. Absolutely not!"

Xu Qi's firm words soothed Mei's heart. Wrapped in his scent, her gaze gradually grew hazy.

When he let go, she even seemed a little reluctant.

Xu Qi couldn't help but tap Mei on the nose and chuckle.

"It's obvious you're still a little lost. That's normal. It's everyone's first time dating—you and me both."

Mei's face reddened, and she stubbornly replied, "Who says this is my first time? Maybe I dated someone in middle school."

"All right, then I guess this isn't my first time either."

Mei's eyes instantly turned dangerous.

"Who?"

Only after seeing Xu Qi laughing so hard he doubled over did she realize she had been played.

Mei clenched her fists and lightly thumped him on the chest. She didn't dare use any force, since Xu Qi had just undergone surgery and she was afraid of hurting him.

"Mei, would you like to... move into the Golden Courtyard?"

"Huh?"

"Just try it first." Xu Qi naturally took Mei's little hand, causing her breath to catch again.

"Besides, it doesn't look like you get along that well with your roommates. Why not move here instead? It can also give you some time to sort out your feelings. Think it over and give me your answer later. I'm not in a hurry, and neither are you."

How am I supposed to refuse after you've gone this far...?

Mei was secretly annoyed with herself, but in truth, the corners of her lips had curled upward, as sweetly as though she had eaten honey.

"Oh... I'll listen to you."

14. Bronya Used Heavy Bunny

"Actually, Alahato has already done an excellent job of building its world. It just needs a new title that caters to the market to regain its popularity."

"I agree with you. The Alahato IP can still be salvaged."

"The main problem with the latest installment was that it leaned too heavily toward children, to the point that it became nothing more than robots fighting. It lacked a strong core."

"Perhaps it was a compromise with the market..."

In front of his computer, Xu Qi—who had already been discharged—paused mid-typing when Bronya, whose ID was Heavy Bunny, sent him that message.

Yes... compromise...

Three weeks had passed since that accident, and Xu Qi had finally obtained Su's permission to leave the hospital.

He was discharged amid the nurses' looks of astonishment, as though they were watching a monster.

As mentioned before, Xu Qi hoped Mei could move into the Golden Courtyard. Summer vacation was approaching, so Mei planned to wait until everything at school was completely settled before moving in.

As for Xu Qi...

He hadn't told the company that he had been discharged. In any case, during one of his superiors' visits, he had already obtained three months of paid leave.

Since that was the case... he might as well make good use of it, right?

He still needed plenty of rest.

Moreover, Mobius had also advised Xu Qi not to rush back to work. There was no harm in staying at the Golden Courtyard and recuperating for a while longer—and Xu Qi would certainly listen to the professor.

Perhaps it was because everyone wanted to take care of Xu Qi, the patient.

In any case, the Golden Courtyard, which would normally become noisy every night, was unusually quiet tonight.

Everyone returned to their rooms to rest early, lest Xu Qi become overly excited.

This consideration was silent, but it was worth keeping in his heart.

Even though they had known each other for only half a year, the people of the Golden Courtyard had indeed become like family to Xu Qi.

"Speaking of which, do you have any good ideas about Alahato?"

Seeing the question Bronya had sent, Xu Qi raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Even if I have ideas, they're useless. They won't listen to me."

"Tell me anyway. Just consider it boasting between fellow enthusiasts."

That was true.

For something he loved as much as Alahato, how could Xu Qi have no ideas at all?

"The main reason for compromising with the market is that Alahato has been declining for the past few years. Not only are there no new players willing to get into it, but all kinds of merchandise—especially the model kits—haven't been selling very well.

"Simply put, Alahato can no longer tell the market no with the confidence it once had."

His penetrating words left the other side silent for a while.

Only after a long time did Bronya reply.

"Indeed. The sun is setting. Perhaps Alahato really has grown old."

"It's not impossible for it to have a second spring."

"?"

"Previously, Alahato's story was like a historical record. The weight brought by that sense of realism was exactly why people were reluctant to get into Alahato. In other words, everyone knew it was a good work, but they simply didn't want to watch it."

In a detached villa in downtown Shanghai, Bronya sat cross-legged in the living room, looking at the laptop before her. She suddenly laughed.

This Xu Qi... What is he even saying?

"First, we can step outside Alahato's existing world. Let's create a world similar to Alahato's, give it the name Alahato, and set sail again."

Bronya furrowed her brows.

She suddenly felt as though she had grasped something...

Create a new world similar to Alahato...

Just who is this Xu Qi? So many of his ideas were novel enough to make people think. She had already felt that he was a very special person back at the hospital.

"With a new Alahato like that, we could preserve Alahato's original spirit while shedding its heaviness. Of course, that alone would still be far from enough."

"Then what should we do?"

Bronya sounded somewhat impatient.

In front of his computer, Xu Qi also raised an eyebrow. It seemed he really had encountered someone of like mind. It was obvious that the person on the other end loved Alahato just as much as he did.

"Make it glamorous."

"Glamorous?"

"That's right! First, handsome men and beautiful women. Second, extraordinarily flashy mecha designs! While discarding that sense of weight, discard the realism as well!"

"Uh..."

Bronya hesitated. For Alahato, would such a change be too drastic...?

"If we want to reclaim its popularity, necessary innovation is a must! But we have to understand what can be discarded and what can't.

"Miss Bronya, do you really think Alahato's core is that realism and weight?"

Of course not...

No creator would believe that Alahato's core consisted of only those superficial, simple things.

"Its ideals—hoping that everyone can understand one another, hoping the world will no longer be twisted, hoping people will no longer live sorrowfully because they hurt one another..."

Exactly!

That was Alahato!

"If we grasp that point, then this is Alahato! It doesn't even need an excessively dark and tragic plot. Darkness and tragedy are merely methods of expressing the core.

"Many people even believe that darkness and tragedy are the essence of Alahato—that's just a joke! They don't understand Alahato at all!"

Exactly!

That was it!

Bronya excitedly slammed her hand on the desk and stood up! Countless ideas converged in her mind, and she wanted to express them all at once!

No... she couldn't endure this... this feeling of wanting to express herself while the person who had inspired her wasn't by her side... No!

Bronya's little mouth parted slightly, her face flushed. No... if she kept holding it in... her body would break down!

She quickly sat back down in front of the computer and asked Xu Qi a question that left him completely baffled.

"Are you at home right now?"

"Hm? Yeah, why?"

"Good."

And then there was no follow-up.

Xu Qi scratched his head. What does that mean?

In front of the computer, Bronya's hands flew across the keyboard, so fast they seemed to leave afterimages. What kind of typing speed was that?

"The Golden Courtyard... Xu Qi!"

Bronya shut her laptop. At her fastest speed, she packed her things and rushed to the garage.

There, a silver-blue motorcycle sat quietly.

The small amount of dust on it showed that its owner had seemingly neglected it recently. After all, Bronya only chose to ride it when she was especially excited.

She mounted her Heavy Bunny!

She put on her helmet and nimbly swung herself onto the bike.

When Bronya gripped the handlebars with both hands, a mechanical electronic voice came from inside the helmet.

"Heavy Bunny at your service."

"Let's go! Heavy Bunny!"

"Roger—Heavy Bunny! Deploy!"

The roar of the engine rang through the entire night sky! It seemed to announce that Bronya—the confident, spirited girl who had once tried to save all of E.T. Studio by herself—had returned.

15. Lovey-Dovey with Elysia

In front of the computer, Xu Qi scratched his head. Why does my head suddenly feel so itchy? Don't tell me I'm about to grow a brain...

This Bronya had been chatting with him just fine, then asked whether he was home and stopped talking. What did she mean? She couldn't possibly be coming straight to my house, could she?

Besides, he had never told her where he lived.

Shaking his head, Xu Qi shut down the computer. Just as he was preparing to sleep, a knock suddenly sounded from outside the door.

It was so late. Who could it be?

"Brother Xu Qi, are you asleep?"