Green plums cannot become lovers.

He knocked gently on the door.

"Come in." A familiar, slightly hoarse female voice came from inside.

Pushing open the door, the president's office came into view. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was the bustling street scene of Shibuya, and sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the blinds, cutting out alternating stripes of light and shadow on the dark solid wood floor. Akane Akasaka was standing by the window, talking on the phone, her back to the door, holding her phone in one hand and unconsciously twirling a pen in the other.

Today she wore a dark gray suit skirt, the sharp tailoring accentuating her tall and slender figure. Her long hair was neatly styled in a bun, revealing her beautifully shaped neck. Even from behind, one could sense the aura unique to those accustomed to positions of authority—powerful, confident, and undeniably authoritative.

An and Asuka didn't disturb her, quietly sitting down on the sofa in the reception area. The sofa was made of soft, dark brown leather, and it sank slightly when you sat on it, like a gentle embrace.

The sun was shining brightly outside the window. Tokyo in April had completely shed its winter gloom; the sky was a clear azure, with wisps of white clouds floating lightly like feathers. In the distance, the new green canopies of Yoyogi Park were faintly visible, gleaming freshly in the sunlight.

Everything seemed so normal, so peaceful.

Just like that reunion at the amusement park entrance yesterday afternoon, it was just an overly realistic nightmare.

"...Okay, it's settled then. Send me the contract this afternoon." Akane Akasaka ended the call and turned around.

When she saw An and Asuka sitting on the sofa, a hint of surprise flashed in her always sharp eyes, but it was quickly replaced by gentleness.

"Feiniao?" She put down her phone, walked behind her desk, and sat down. "Why are you here so early today? I remember you had class this morning, didn't you?"

Her voice was softer than usual, as if she had deliberately toned down her sharpness at work. Akane Kousaka always treated An and Asuka in a special way, not as artists or subordinates, but as special people who needed extra care.

An and Asuka looked up and met her gaze.

Akane Akane keenly sensed something.

The boy looked... a little different today. Not tired, not frustrated, but with an indescribable calm. That calm was so complete, so unnaturally so.

"I've taken leave," Anhe Asuka said calmly. "There's something I want to talk to Zhu Yin about."

"What is it?" Akane Kousaka leaned forward slightly, her hands clasped on the table, a habitual gesture when she was listening attentively.

An and Asuka were silent for a few seconds.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the blinds, casting long, thin patches of light on his face. These patches swayed slightly with the breeze blowing in from outside, like ripples on water.

“Yesterday,” he finally spoke, his voice very soft, “I met my mother.”

The statement was made very casually, but Akane Akasaka's reaction was quite different.

She was completely stunned!

Those usually sharp and shrewd eyes widened instantly, and the fingers gripping the pen tightened involuntarily, the knuckles turning slightly white.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only uttered a short syllable: "...Huh?"

The air in the office seemed to freeze.

The sounds of traffic outside the window, the discussions in the distant conference room, and the footsteps in the corridor—all these sounds seemed to be separated by an invisible glass, becoming blurry and distant.

Akane Kousaka stared at An and Asuka, trying to find a trace of emotion on their faces. Anger? Sadness? Pain? Even the slightest fluctuation would be appreciated.

But all she saw was calm.

That calmness made her heart tighten.

"Where did you meet her? When? What...what did she say to you?" Akane Akasaka asked in rapid succession, her voice filled with unusual urgency and tension.

She knows it.

Akane Akasaka knew the story behind the boy ever since An and Asuka signed with Rouge En Rouge three years ago.

Abandoned, living alone, supporting their studies through part-time jobs and scholarships.

She knew all these facts, and it was precisely because she knew them that she took extra care of him. It wasn't just as a company president caring for a valuable artist, but also as an older person feeling a certain... pity for a young person venturing out into the world alone.

And now, the woman who disappeared eight years ago has reappeared.

“At the entrance of the amusement park,” An and Asuka replied, their voices still calm, “yesterday afternoon. She, her new husband, and their child, the three of them, came to Tokyo for a trip.”

He spoke very simply and objectively, as if he were reporting on a work-related matter.

Akane Akasaka frowned: "New husband? Child?"

“Yes. She remarried, has a new family, and new children.” An and Asuka paused, then added, “She seems very happy.”

When he said the word "happiness," there was no sarcasm or resentment in his tone; it was simply a statement.

But this only made Akane Kousaka feel even worse.

"Then what did she..." Akane's voice was a little hoarse, "What did she say to you? Did she apologize? Did she explain?"

An and Asuka shook their heads gently: "It's not important anymore. We had a meal together, chatted for a bit, and then I left."

He looked up at Akane Akasaka and gave her a faint smile: "I'm really fine, Akane-nee, you don't need to be so nervous."

That smile was so pure and open, so pure that Akane Kousaka almost believed he was really "okay".

But she knew this boy too well.

She had seen his exhaustion after working for more than ten hours straight in the recording studio, his nervous deep breaths before the game launch event, and his repeated revisions until the early hours of the morning because he was not satisfied with a piece of music.

But he never complained, never showed weakness, and always had an attitude of "I can do it".

This excessive strength is itself a scar.

"Really?" Akane Kousaka stared into his eyes, trying to see through the calm facade.

“Really.” An and Asuka nodded. “I’m fine.”

The sunlight continued to move through the office, creeping from the corner of the desk onto the pile of documents, illuminating the contracts and proposals awaiting signature. The clock on the wall ticked away, the second hand moving steadily and persistently, like a heartbeat.

Akane Kousaka remained silent for a long time.

She leaned back in her chair, her fingers unconsciously tracing the cold metal surface of the pen. The sound of an ambulance siren drifted in from outside the window, growing louder and then fading into the city's clamor.

"So what are you going to do in the future?" she finally asked, her voice calmer than before.

An and Asuka seemed to have thought about this question long ago. He answered almost without hesitation, "Just like always. Going to school, making music, developing games, and living with Marina and the others."

He paused, then added, "As long as they don't bother me."

His voice was soft but firm: "I have nothing to do with them anymore."

These words were spoken so calmly and decisively, as if stating a fact that had already been settled.

Akane Akasaka felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart.

She looked at the boy before her—no, he was no longer the somewhat naive boy he was three years ago. He had grown taller than her, his shoulders had broadened, and the last traces of childishness had faded from his face, replaced by a clear and handsome profile. Only his eyes, those deep brown eyes that were always clear and resolute, remained the same as when they first met.

He has always been trying his best to be himself, to become stronger, to become someone who doesn't need to rely on anyone, and to become someone who can protect others.

The person who was supposed to protect him, the person who was supposed to give him a home, turned away when he needed her most, and now appears before him with a new family and new happiness.

"Birds..."

She stood up, walked around the large desk, and approached An and Asuka.

The sunlight cast a long shadow behind her, which stretched slowly across the floor as she moved, eventually stopping at An and Fei Niao's feet.

An and Asuka looked up at her, somewhat confused.

Akane Akane walked up to him and stopped. There was less than a meter between them. An and Asuka could even smell the faint perfume on her. It wasn't a sweet floral scent, but a crisp, unisex fragrance with hints of cedar and citrus. Just like her, clean, decisive, and straightforward.

"Sister Zhu Yin?" Anhe Feibiao asked softly.

Akane Kousaka did not answer.

She simply reached out and, before An and Asuka could react, pulled him up, and then—

She hugged him tightly.

An and Asuka were completely stunned.

His body stiffened instantly, his mind went blank. All his senses were overwhelmed by the sudden embrace—

Akane Akasaka was a bit shorter than him, so the angle of the hug was somewhat subtle, with his cheek pressed against her breasts. He could feel the soft fabric of the shirt under her suit jacket, smell the faint scent of shampoo in her hair, and feel the firm and warm strength of her arms wrapped around his back.

What bewildered him most was that Akane gently pressed his head into her arms. It was an almost maternal gesture, protective and inclusive, completely unlike the strong and capable president he usually was.

An and Asuka's bodies became even stiffer.

He instinctively wanted to break free, because this wasn't the kind of relationship he was used to. His relationship with Akane Kousaka had always been that of professional and harmonious partners. She was his producer, his boss, and a senior he respected and trusted.

They discussed work, made plans, and occasionally shared little things about their lives, but never had such...intimate contact.

However, just as he was about to struggle, Akane Akasaka's voice rang in his ear:

"You don't have to work so hard."

The voice was very soft and gentle, so soft that it was completely unlike Akane Akasaka's.

Akane Akasaka, whom An and Asuka knew, always spoke crisply and incisively, with an undeniable confidence. Her voice was slightly hoarse, a mark of working late into the night, but this also gave it a unique, mature charm.

But at this moment, there was no sharpness or force in her voice, only a gentleness that was almost cautious.

That sentence was like a soft marshmallow, gently enveloping a part of Anhe Feiniao's heart that had always been tense.

He has experienced many kinds of tenderness.

Teacher Songyue's gentleness is the care and guidance a teacher gives to their students, warm yet restrained.

Marina, Shizuka, Ai, and the other girls' gentleness is the understanding and support among peers, passionate and pure.

The kindness of his fans is the resonance and support that strangers feel for his music, sincere yet distant.

But Akane Kousaka's gentleness... is something else entirely.

This was a woman more than ten years his senior, a senior who had already achieved great success in her career, and someone who usually presented a strong and calm image. But at this moment, she was trying to give him something he had never had before in the most clumsy yet direct way.

An and the bird stopped struggling.

His body gradually relaxed, his stiff back bent slightly, he could feel the warmth of her embrace, hear her steady heartbeat, and feel her gently patting his back, one pat after another, like soothing a frightened child.

The office was quiet.

The sunlight outside the window continued to move, dappling the floor and the sofa armrests, illuminating the slowly floating dust particles in the air. The distant hustle and bustle of Shibuya Crossing was blocked out by the heavy glass windows, leaving only a muffled background sound. The clock on the wall was still ticking, but those sounds had become distant and unimportant.

The hug didn't last long.

Akane Akane felt the boy in her arms gradually relax, and the weight that had been hanging over her heart finally lifted. She wasn't really used to this kind of contact either; after all, she wasn't good at expressing emotions, especially these tender feelings.

But just now, when she saw An and Asuka calmly say, "I have nothing to do with them anymore," the impulse that surged in her heart was too strong, too strong to suppress.

This child is so heartbreaking.

She gently released her arms and took a step back, but her hands remained on An and Asuka's shoulders. She looked up into his eyes—those deep brown eyes were somewhat lost and bewildered at that moment, but deep within them was a fragile gleam she had never seen before.

“If you want,” Akane Akasaka said softly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips, “Asuka can call me Mom too.”

When she said this, her voice carried a hint of teasing and a touch of probing, but more than anything, it was serious.

An and Asuka were taken aback.

Then, he smiled helplessly: "Sister Zhu Yin, you're still very young..."

His voice carried a hint of embarrassment and awkwardness, but the tension had vanished.

Akane Akasaka smiled, her smile much gentler than usual: "Indeed, it does seem a bit strange to suddenly have such a grown son."

She released his hand, turned around, walked back behind her desk, and sat down again. The whole movement was fluid and effortless, as if the tender embrace had never happened.

But something seemed different about the office.

The sunlight seemed warmer, the air seemed lighter, and even the noise outside the window didn't sound so harsh.

Akane Kousaka picked up the pen on the table, twirled it between her fingers, then looked up, resuming her usual work expression: "So, let's get down to business. How's the development progress of 'Ember Knight'?"

Her voice returned to its clean and crisp tone, as if the softness just now was only a fleeting illusion.

But An and Asuka knew that it was not an illusion.

He looked at Akane Akasaka, at the "President" mask she had put on again, at the familiar sharp light in her eyes, and a complex yet warm feeling welled up inside him.

“It’s in the final stages,” he replied, his voice returning to its usual calm. “We expect to complete the final testing this weekend and be ready to go live next week.”

"Very good." Akane Kousaka nodded, making a note in her notebook. "I've reviewed the promotional plan; it's basically fine. However—"

She paused, then looked up: "Are you sure you want to price it this low? Given the quality and scale of the game, you could easily raise the price by 30%."

An and Asuka shook their heads: "I've done market research, and this pricing range is the most acceptable to indie game players. Besides... my goal isn't to make a lot of money, but to get more people to play this game."

He spoke with a very serious look in his eyes.

Akane Kousaka looked at him for a few seconds, then smiled: "Okay, whatever you say. After all, you're the producer."

She closed her planner and leaned back in her chair: "Also, about the new album..."