"Sure, sure! Very insightful!" Louis really liked Andrew's personality and immediately expressed his approval!
At that moment, the skewers arrived, and the three of them started eating and chatting.
"Oh, by the way, what are you up to now? How about joining me? I've opened a studio over in San Francisco!"
Louis quickly waved his hand to refuse. With Anna starting work soon and himself needing to take care of the kids, he had no dreams, just wanting to be a stay-at-home dad!
"No, no! I'm planning to be a full-time dad at home! How about that? Isn't that an honorable ideal?"
Andrew was shocked.
"Honorable! It's too honorable! Are you planning to be a gigolo, living off your wife?"
*Cough cough cough...*
Louis choked, coughing violently. Who said being a dad meant living off your wife? Although, it does seem pretty good to live off Anna's income?
Louis fell into thought.
Seeing Louis silent, Andrew was even more shocked.
"Damn! You're not really planning to live off your wife, are you? But with your looks, you'd fit the bill perfectly!"
"Get lost! Who said being a full-time dad means living off your wife? I can still make money at home..."
Louis argued, even noticing Natalie's strange look when he mentioned living off his wife.
But Andrew patted his shoulder, saying earnestly, "I'm serious. Why not come work with me? I'll give you half of my shares! You graduated from the Media University, and your major is relevant. What do you say?"
Louis pondered for a moment after hearing Andrew's offer. He could see that Andrew genuinely wanted to help him, and Andrew had always wanted to create anime. He had been working hard on it since college, but his parents didn't approve.
It's impressive how determined Andrew is!
After thinking for a while, Louis shook his head.
"Madman, I appreciate the thought! If you need any help in the future, feel free to ask, but let's not work together! I really want to be a stay-at-home dad."
Louis patted Andrew's shoulder, encouraging him.
"Keep it up! I believe you'll make it!"
"Alright then! I won't persuade you anymore! Whenever you feel like it, you're welcome to join me. Half of everything when we meet, haha! This time, if I succeed, it'll be a dream come true! Remember to watch my first work!"
Seeing Louis's determination, Andrew stopped persuading him, giving him a hearty smile.
The two didn't continue discussing this topic, instead eating skewers and reminiscing about the good times in college.
Most of the time, it was Andrew talking while Louis listened. Louis occasionally fed Ada her favorite skewers, and Ada occasionally chimed in with some stories about Andrew.
Although they didn't drink, the atmosphere at the table was still lively.
It wasn't until most of the skewers were gone from the table that Louis checked the time and saw that it was almost midnight.
They had all stopped talking by then, and Louis said, "It's about time we head back. The hotel I'm staying at should still have rooms available, so you guys can stay there."
Both Andrew and Natalie nodded simultaneously, and the three of them headed back.
On the way, Louis and Andrew chatted, while Ada took a call from someone, her voice too low for Louis and Andrew to hear.
After a while, the call ended, and Natalie caught up with them. Andrew turned his head, curious.
"Who was it?"
"There were some issues at the studio, they called to report."
Ada replied.
"Oh? What kind of issues?"
Andrew's expression turned serious, clearly attaching great importance to the studio.
"Just some equipment issues, but it's been sorted out. Everything's fine. You guys continue chatting."
Only then did Andrew breathe a sigh of relief, turning back to Louis to continue their conversation.
"Sigh! This studio has been giving me quite a headache! When I was working from home before, I spent half a year pulling all-nighters writing scripts and editing videos."
Louis nodded, realizing that Andrew wasn't just blindly jumping into it. He had prepared for a long time, even starting preparations while still at home.
"Don't worry! Madman! I believe you'll definitely succeed this time! By the way, who was the person you just called?"
"Oh, hi! My partner! She's also in the anime industry. I met Ruan Qing and her at an anime festival, and we hit it off pretty well at the time, hehe!"
"So one became your girlfriend, and the other became your partner?"
"Haha! Yes, that's right. So I guess I'm pretty lucky, huh?"
Louis didn't reply but looked at Natalie. At this moment, her face showed no expression, as if she hadn't heard what Andrew said.
Louis pondered, feeling puzzled. Why did Andrew's partner call Natalie instead of him? But he couldn't say anything. Even though he and Andrew were close, he couldn't intervene in these matters without permission.
Hopefully, it's just my imagination.
Andrew was carefree and might not notice many things, but Louis, who had lived two lives, was different. Through their interaction tonight, he vaguely felt that there might be something off about Natalie.
Although she seemed close to Andrew on the surface, Louis always felt that she was distant from him.
The three returned to the hotel, and what surprised Louis even more was that they asked for two rooms.
Seeing Louis's strange expression and flushed face, Andrew pulled him aside and said hesitantly, "Natalie is a traditional person and we're not married... so..."
"I understand."
Louis gave Andrew a knowing look, then continued, "How long have you been dating her?"
Andrew just thought for a moment.
"Almost a year and a half! Natalie is a good girl. She gave me a lot of encouragement to start this studio. That's why I decided to come out."
Alright! A good traditional girl!
Louis patted Andrew's shoulder.
"Be more careful in the future!"
"Don't worry! I know! I've gone over this anime many times to make sure everything's right!"
Alright! It's not matching up!
Louis could only pat his shoulder again, speaking earnestly.
"As long as you're happy!"
As it was late, the three went upstairs. Louis didn't expect that they would ask for two rooms.
The next morning, Louis had just finished his morning run and was about to wake Andrew up for breakfast when he saw them already packed and coming out of their rooms.
"Bro, there's some trouble at the studio, I have to go back right away!"
"So urgent? Aren't we having breakfast?"
Louis was surprised. Everything seemed fine yesterday, why did something happen today?
Seeing Andrew's anxious look, was the situation serious?
"Yeah! No time for breakfast! When it's sorted out, I'll come directly to your place next time! I'll get a taste of my sister-in-law's cooking! Alright, no more talk, I have to rush over now, or I'll miss the flight."
Andrew said as he pressed the elevator button.
"Alright! Let me take you downstairs."
The three hurried out of the hotel, and fortunately, a taxi arrived shortly afterward.
Andrew got in the car and waved to Louis.
"Let's go, see you when I have time!"
"Okay! And remember, if there's really a big problem, be sure to contact me!"
Andrew nodded, the car started, slowly disappearing from Louis's sight.
It wasn't until the taxi was out of sight that Louis sighed, hoping everything would go smoothly for him.