Zog glanced at the store owner, then at his wife.

’I never would have guessed. This old man looks all respectable, but it turns out he’s on the same level as Epstein.’

’An old man robbing the cradle!’

’To put it more poetically, a pear blossom tree crushing a crabapple.’

Noticing the surprise mixed with teasing and a hint of disgust in Zog’s eyes, the store owner tried to explain.

"No, no, it’s like this, uh..."

He stammered for a good while without managing to say anything coherent, which only made him look more suspicious.

Such a huge age gap wasn’t exactly rare; plenty of noble lords and ladies were known for setting new lows in that department.

If they were careless and got exposed, they would become the butt of everyone’s jokes.

Mainstream societal values were still opposed to such things.

The wife seemed to notice her husband’s predicament. She brushed the hair back from one side of her head, revealing a pointed ear.

"I’m an Elf."

"A Half-Elf?"

"No, an Elf."

"You’re not just traveling?"

"I am 300 years old."

’So it was the Old Elf robbing the young store owner’s cradle.’ Zog understood now.

"Whoa."

This was something Zog truly hadn’t expected. It was fairly common for Half-Elves and Humans to form families, as Half-Elves had always lived among Humans.

Elves were different. They usually left a Half-Elf baby behind and took off. Scumbags, the lot of them. It was rare for one to stay and accompany their partner.

Among mixed-race pairings, unions between Elves and other races were the least common.

Firstly, because there were few Elves to begin with, and secondly, because Elven society placed extremely harsh demands on non-Elf partners.

First, you had to be good-looking. Every last Elf was obsessed with appearances.

Even though they claimed not to judge a book by its cover, that was only because all Elves were beautiful.

And their obsession with looks wasn’t like other races’ appreciation for beauty—it was more like, if you were ugly, you weren’t even worthy of speaking to them.

That was why, in the eyes of Elves, Beastmen were just beasts, and Dwarves were filthy, disgusting runts.

Then, the non-Elf partner had to join Elven society, move to their lands, convert to their faith, and live according to their ways.

In short, there was a whole heap of rules.

As for the situation before him, where an Elf wife came to a Human-dominated city to live with her husband...

...it was something Zog had rarely seen in all his years.

This act of leaving Elven society would be seen as a betrayal by other Elves.

Although he didn’t know why they thought that way, that’s just how they were.

’Perhaps it’s to protect the Elves’ abysmal birth rate. Can’t let the breeding stock get away.’

So, the store owner’s wife must have been under immense pressure from her own kind, yet she still chose to stay and live in Twin Tower City.

Zog was already imagining a beautiful, tragic love story—the kind you could milk for dozens of soap opera episodes.

The Elf meets a naive young boy. For her beloved, she chooses to leave her people. Their two worldviews clash in the city, leading to arguments, setbacks, and disapproval from friends and family on both sides.

They face countless hardships, but in the end, love conquers all.

In the finale, the husband, at the end of his life, peacefully closes his eyes in the arms of his seemingly ageless wife.

His last words are, "I’m sorry... I couldn’t be with you until the very end..."

Then the wife takes her husband’s wrinkled hand, presses it to her face, and says something like "You fool" or "You silly man" through her tears.

Right then, the ending theme kicks in—a super-sentimental ballad. The camera slowly pulls up and away, lingering on a meaningful shot of the sunset as the credits roll.

’It’s a hit!’

’A romance drama!’

’A romance drama full of heart-wrenching angst!’

’The audiences in this world won’t be able to resist this stuff.’

All those cliché tropes only become unpopular after they’ve been done to death. Before that, they’re called classics.

When that ending airs, the audience will be a sobbing, sniffling mess. They’ll flood Zog Film Studio with letters, screaming and shouting, demanding we resurrect the male lead so he can live happily ever after with the heroine.

Then I’ll launch a campaign on social media: One Copper Coin to support the male lead.

Once we’ve gathered enough support, we release the happy ending.

’Press 1 to resurrect the male lead!’

And to top it all off, we’ll hint that it’s based on a true story and turn the pet shop into a viral photo spot for influencers.

After all, they came all this way. Wouldn’t they want to buy a cute little animal to heal their souls?

’Now *this* is the keen business sense of an outstanding Dragon director.’

"Any interest in publishing a memoir or something? Then we can adapt it into a romantic Magic Shadow Drama. I guarantee that as the real-life models for the characters, you’ll make a fortune," Zog urged.

"I think we’ll pass," the Elf politely declined with a smile.

"Trust me, this kind of story—an Elf defying the opposition of her people to be with a Human—is guaranteed to be a huge hit."

Zog thought she was doubting his abilities.

After all, according to the survey data sent back by Mrs. Kaelan, Elves really didn’t watch Demon Vision or Magic Shadows, nor did they play many games. Even when offered free trials, eighty percent of them didn’t even reply.

’A completely dead market.’

"Actually, we didn’t face any opposition from my people."

"How is that possible?"

"I was exiled for breaking Elven law. I married him after that," the Elf said matter-of-factly.

Silence. That was Zog tonight.

’So she’s a rogue Elf girl who only chose a Human after being tragically exiled. The dramatic conflict is shot to hell.’

’Boring. Give me back my beautiful, tragic story of fighting against the unjust oppression of one’s people for love!’

"How about this: a young pet store owner saves a lost Elf maiden."

An idea struck Zog.

"If you really want to turn our story into a Demon Vision drama, feel free to do so. Just don’t reveal that it’s us," the Elf said, still smiling.