Ruan Lan was caught off guard by their sudden, blatant display of affection, and she was dumbfounded.

Her older sister did look beautiful after putting on makeup.

But did her darn brother-in-law have to pounce on her right then and there?

Even if he had... adult ideas, shouldn't he wait until night? After all, Yiyi and I are still here.

Heh. Men. They really are creatures that think with their lower halves.

As Ruan Lan silently fumed, Ruan Tang was dumbfounded. "Xu Lai, you..."

"Shh." Xu Lai placed a finger to his lips. "Don't talk."

His fingertip brushed against Ruan Tang's lips, and the small gesture instantly filled the room with an ambiguous atmosphere.

Ruan Tang gazed into Xu Lai's eyes, so close to hers. Flustered, she couldn't help but shut her own eyes, her long lashes trembling like a flower ripe for the picking.

"Wow."

Yiyi quickly covered her eyes with her small hands, though the gaps between her fingers were so large they hardly blocked out anything...

But Xu Lai didn't seem to have any further moves in mind. He closed his eyes too, as if concentrating on feeling something.

Silence.

The living room fell silent.

"Brother-in-law, hurry up!" Ruan Lan urged impatiently in a whisper. This was the perfect opportunity to deepen their relationship.

Xu Lai took a step back and said softly, "Your sister is fine, you don't need to worry."

Ruan Lan said blankly, "What am I worried about..."

"Didn't you ask me to see what was different about your sister? I looked. Her face is redder than usual, but I just used my forehead to check her temperature."

Xu Lai said seriously, "She doesn't have a fever. Everything is normal."

Ruan Lan was dumbfounded.

My sister even closed her eyes! With that shy expression, even another woman's heart would flutter. And you're telling me you pressed your foreheads together just to check her temperature? Xu Lai. For heaven's sake, can't you act like a normal person?

"..."

Ruan Tang opened her eyes, her face even redder and hotter than before.

She had mistakenly thought Xu Lai was about to kiss her, and the most infuriating part was that she had actually closed her eyes…

Ruan Tang. Can't you have some self-restraint!

A mix of shame and anger washed over Ruan Tang. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into. Shoving Xu Lai away, she snapped, "Yiyi, I'll take you to school!"

"Wait, I still have to make breakfast," Xu Lai said, puzzled. "Besides, didn't you say you wanted me to drive?"

"You're fired!"

"Sigh."

Yiyi sighed, patted Xu Lai's hand, and encouraged him, "Don't give up, Dad."

Then she trotted to keep up with Ruan Tang, her ponytail bouncing cutely with every step.

"Your sister is angry?" Xu Lai raised an eyebrow.

"Duh," Ruan Lan rolled her eyes dramatically. "I spent half an hour on her makeup. The normal response would have been to praise her, then lean in for a kiss. You completely wasted my perfect assist."

There was something else Ruan Lan didn't say—

If I were Ruan Tang, I'd definitely be angry too. After all, Ruan Tang was ready to be kissed. Not only did Xu Lai not go through with it, but he even said she didn't have a fever and her temperature was normal… A more sensitive girl might even misconstrue his words as him mocking her, as if to say, 'You don't have a fever, so why are you delusional enough to think I'd kiss you?'

"You're a hopeless blockhead," Ruan Lan lamented.

Ruan Tang had put on makeup! Xu Lai truly hadn't noticed. In his eyes, Ruan Tang was always the most beautiful woman in the world, no matter what. He hadn't thought much of it, simply assuming the redness on his wife's face was a sign of something being wrong, but it turned out…

"Brother-in-law, you should cook a great meal tonight. Use your skills to win my sister's heart back," Ruan Lan sighed.

"Okay."

"Oh, and brother-in-law, make sure you make spicy stir-fried crayfish and roasted lamb chops."

"...You just want to eat them yourself, don't you."

"Hehehe, my sister and Yiyi love them too. You can choose not to make them."

"..."

Well, if his little sister-in-law said so, then he'd have to make them.

"I'm not making breakfast then," Xu Lai said after a moment's thought. "Just go out and buy yourself some soy milk and deep-fried dough sticks."

"What!" Ruan Lan cried, utterly exasperated. She had waited so long for breakfast, and now Xu Lai was bailing on her. How unreasonable!

「Dongli University.」

The school's medical office was buzzing with excitement. The newlywed Liu Nanwei had actually come to work.

Zhou Feng asked in confusion, "Why aren't you lovebirds on your honeymoon instead of coming to work?"

"I'm a doctor. I can't be away from my post for too long," Liu Nanwei said seriously.

Zhou Feng was silent for a long moment before he finally said, "Dr. Liu, although the truth can sometimes be hurtful, I still have to say..."

Liu Nanwei, knowing what Zhou Feng was about to say, cut him off with a scowl. "That's enough. You don't need to say it."

She glanced at Li Shouzhong, Lin Qiu, Yan Gui, and the other veterans of the Xinglin medical community. Just as Zhou Feng had implied, they didn't need her at all. Not to mention the presence of Xu Lai, whose medical skills were nothing short of miraculous...

The truth really was too painful. I used to be the cornerstone of this office! Liu Nanwei thought indignantly.

"By the way, Director Xu has been sitting at his desk, just staring into space, ever since he got here. Is something wrong?" Zhou Feng whispered.

At the mention of Xu Lai, the old doctors, who had been engrossed in their medical research just a moment before, all raised their heads. Their eyes burned with the fire of gossip.

Realizing he was being watched by over a dozen pairs of eyes, Xu Lai snapped back to attention and asked, "What should I do if I've made my wife angry?"

"Kneel on the keyboard."

Liu Nanwei handed Xu Lai the keyboard from her desk. "It's capacitive, costs over two thousand. Li Mi said it's more comfortable to kneel on than a mechanical keyboard. Give it a try."

A series of black lines appeared on Xu Lai's forehead.

"Women are quite simple," an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor chuckled. "If she's angry, just take her pulse and prescribe a few medicinal herbs to soothe her temper. It's a tried-and-true method!

"When they hold the prescription, they look at me with such touched expressions. And they stay quiet for at least a month."

"I finally understand why Old Zhong has been divorced three times," Lin Qiu, the neurology professor, said in a complicated tone. "And that's not a 'touched' expression. That's a 'don't talk to me' expression..."

Then the two old doctors started bickering.

Xu Lai found it all highly amusing. Dr. Zhong was clearly a man with a past.

"Director Xu, a woman's heart is a complex thing," Zhou Feng leaned in and whispered. "From a psychological perspective, I suggest you do this... and then do that..."

Zhou Feng's voice was so low that no one else could hear. Even when asked, he wouldn't say, maintaining an inscrutable expression.

Xu Lai mulled it over for a moment, then promptly shirked his duties and headed straight for the Ruan Clothing Company.

Half an hour later, the door to the president's office was pushed open.

Ruan Tang, who was reviewing documents, glanced up. Her expression turned frosty before she looked back down. "Show the guest out!"

"Ah, President Ruan, my stomach is suddenly killing me. I need to run to the restroom..." the secretary said before scurrying away on her high heels. As she passed Xu Lai, she gave him a wink. "I don't know who upset President Ruan, but she's been sulking all morning. I'm leaving her to you, 'ma'am'."

"Mm," Xu Lai nodded, indicating that he understood.

Ruan Tang put down the contract and glared at her departing secretary. That traitor!

"Honey, guess what I have for you," Xu Lai said with a beaming smile, extending a clenched fist.

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