We moved to Golden Courtyard

Rita lowered her eyes, effectively concealing the fleeting sadness in her pupils.

Delta also got straight to the point.

"Alright, alright, there's no smoke without fire! Tell me, what are you planning to do by inviting us to dinner? If you're planning to pursue Rita, I can tell you Rita's measurements right now."

Hearing these rather explicit words, Rita couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Xu Qi directly complained, "Why is your first reaction when you're pursuing a girl to give me her measurements? I'm not some kind of pervert!"

238. Let us take you through Bronya's past.

They only criticized the second half of the sentence, but didn't explain the first half at all...

Rita understood what Xu Qi meant. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she rolled her eyes at him and began to help put the raw meat into the baking pan.

Hmm... Why does this feel like... a virtuous wife and loving mother?

Rita shook her head. An illusion…it's all an illusion.

Xu Qi also ordered a case of ice-cold beer.

Rita didn't want to drink, which she had confirmed beforehand. She opened a bottle for Delta and herself, then picked up the bottle and began chugging it down.

"Seriously, are you really not considering vodka?"

"I'm not Russian!"

Delta shrugged.

"So, what do you want to ask? You can ask now, right?"

After finishing a bottle of wine, Xu Qi felt a bit better. He looked straight at Delta and said, "Director Delta, you must have known Supervisor Bronya for a long time, right?"

……

This guy really did hear everything from outside the door.

"You want to ask about what happened between Bronya and me this afternoon, right? How much of it did you hear?"

"Actually, I didn't hear anything, but Delta, your tone seemed a bit intense."

Rita continued to stir the grilled meat as if she didn't care, and every now and then she would thoughtfully put a piece on Xu Qi and Delta's plates.

……

Delta dipped the meat in the sauce and ate a piece to fill his stomach.

"Bronya and I... should be considered as one of the employees who were immediately added to ETStudio after it became famous."

Xu Qi nodded; he knew that.

"The reason for choosing ETStudio at that time was simple: Alahato 0079 was our childhood."

"Is it the Alahato movie with Karen and Otto?"

"Yes, yes, you've seen it?"

Xu Qi joked, "Legs are just decorations; the important people sitting on them wouldn't understand."

Delta smiled knowingly.

"It's not over yet! It's just that the main camera was destroyed!"

The two looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

After laughing, Delta calmed herself down and continued, "By the time we joined the company, Alahatto Z had already been completed."

Back then, I was just a small production assistant, and Bronya was just a production assistant. ETStudio didn't have such a luxurious office building back then.

It was just a simple, large bungalow. At that time, Mr. Walter only needed to do his supervisory work; back then…”

Delta took a deep breath, then chugged a whole bottle before continuing.

"Back then, everyone was simple-minded, focused solely on making a good animation... How to adjust the background color? Can the storyboard be more impactful? The tension and dynamism of the original animation..."

People always end up arguing over the smallest details, which is really tough on me as the production coordinator. After all, I'm the one who has to push for the progress.

But how should I put it? I'd rather work harder myself, arrange the schedule as well as possible, and notify everyone in advance... than have them rush to complete their tasks.

Every time I see them arguing about whether the animation can be improved, I feel anxious, but actually... I feel very gratified.

"You don't know, Xu Qi, Bronya was already quite domineering back then."

"Ugh?"

"She's just a production assistant, yet she dares to directly point out problems with the performance, and even with Walter's supervision! And she criticizes him without any mercy."

To be honest, I was worried at the time that she might be fired the next day for stepping into the company with her left foot.

Xu Qi couldn't help but laugh.

"But you know what happened next."

……

Alahato ZZ sales plummeted...

“I chose to stay with the company and continue in my production role, while Bronya opted to switch jobs. She went to a larger animation studio at the time and became a full-time producer.”

He rose through the ranks from performance to supervision. Then, miraculously, he became the president of that company… As for what happened after that…

You've probably heard of it, haven't you? Alahato X.

Xu Qi's expression was somewhat strange. Of course he had heard about it; it was Miss Rita who told him.

To allow director Walter to focus on drawing storyboards, he was locked in a dark room...

"That was the only way we could do it, and the reason I dared to do it was because... Bronya came."

Delta's eyes held a hint of reminiscence.

“I told Bronya about the company’s predicament, and she did not hesitate at all. She resigned from her position as president of her previous company and joined ETStudio.”

At that time, Bronya was in charge of everything in the company. It has to be said that she was a completely different person after leaving for a few years.

Whether it's their skill or their ability, they are all terrifyingly top-notch.

And just when we all thought Mr. Walter would be replaced by Bronya... she chose to hand over her work to Walter and take over Mr. Walter's mantle.

He has become the sole supervisor of the Alahatto project IP at ETStudio.

……

Looking at the dumbfounded Xu Qi in front of him, Delta smiled smugly and said, "You've never heard of these inside stories before, have you? At least back then, I felt that she still liked Alahato."

"Then why did you ask that question this afternoon...?"

The words had barely left her mouth when Xu Qi quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late…

Delta smiled slyly and pointed at Xu Qi, saying, "Still saying you didn't overhear what was going on?"

Xu Qi gave a wry smile.

Delta didn't mind; she downed another bottle of wine and said...

"Because I think she's following in Mr. Walter's footsteps."

"Ok?"

"Bronya has been in the upper echelons for a long time. Power is something that... once it's been held in someone's hands for too long, it's hard not to be influenced by it."

Didn't Mr. Walter want to seriously complete the task back then? But he had no choice...

I'm worried... I'm worried that Bronya will end up like Welt, only focused on the company's development and factional struggles...

But we're animators! Making an animation better is what we should be focusing on!

"Since you've chosen the supervisory position, then you'd better see it through to the end, you idiot!"

……

Xu Qi and Rita exchanged a glance and both sighed.

Delta put the bottle aside, burped, and said...

"I'm sorry, I had too much to drink. I know that she is, after all, the president of ETStudio, and her perspective and viewpoint are different from ours. Maybe that's just the adult world... always filled with so much helplessness."

……

Xu Qi opened a bottle of wine for Delta and, after thinking for a moment, said in a soft voice.

"Delta's concerns are indeed not without merit, but... I have a different opinion."

"Ok?"

"If Bronya really no longer liked animation or Alahato, then... she probably wouldn't have taken up Mr. Welt's mantle in the first place and continued until now."

Delta was taken aback.

"I think there must be something in her heart that she still cherishes that initial dream, which is why she has stayed in this industry all this time..."

However, as Delta said, she was ultimately the company president, and there were certain things she couldn't refuse.

"..."

239. This time, he really hasn't learned his lesson.

"Why not try giving Bronya more time and trust? Besides... Delta is probably her best friend, and I think... Bronya's mood right now is definitely not very good."

……

Delta took a sip of his drink and suddenly chuckled.

"It seems... I don't know Bronya as well as you do."

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant..."

"Alright, no need to comfort me, I understand..." Delta stood up and let out a long sigh. "However, I won't change my mind so easily."

"Of course, Miss Delta, I have no intention of changing anything, I just want to say a few words on behalf of Supervisor Bronya."

"Feeling sorry for her?"

Xu Qi was taken aback, neither nodding nor shaking his head.

Does it hurt my heart? — I guess I do feel a little bit…

After all, Xu Qi could see that Bronya really didn't have many friends. If even Delta couldn't understand her... how heartbroken she must be...

"I'll try to look around more, but!..."

Delta's gaze suddenly sharpened.

“If Bronya were to fall into the same predicament as Mr. Walter did, I would have absolutely no pity for her, because she would be nothing more than a traitor.”

……

"Alright, the meat's getting cold. Aren't you going to fill your stomachs first?"

Rita's words startled both of them, and they then smiled at each other.

Xu Qi quickly picked up her chopsticks and said, "Indeed, after listening to so much, I'm almost hungry."

"Isn't this your own fault?"

Dinner eventually ended in a lively atmosphere.

On the way back, Xu Qi called a designated driver for Delta. Although Delta wasn't even slightly drunk, Xu Qi didn't want to see him in jail the next day.

On the street, watching the other person leave, Rita let out a long sigh.

"How gentle Xu Qi is..."

"Uh... huh?"

“I mean, your attitude towards Miss Bronya… is so gentle… it makes me a little jealous.”

Xu Qi scratched his head and smiled shyly, "Really?"

"Hmm...of course. But one thing is for sure, Mr. Xu Qi is definitely not the kind of male protagonist in a light novel who is good for nothing but being gentle."

"Why do I feel like you're belittling the protagonist of a light novel into some kind of worthless being?"

"Xu Qi..."