Upon seeing Ruan Tang's flushed cheeks and furious gaze, Xu Lai's eyes flickered with an apology. He had just heard his daughter cheering for them and instinctively went to respond, but he had forgotten their current situation—they were in the midst of a kiss! As a result, his voice couldn't carry at all. Instead, the moment he opened his mouth, what was supposed to be a light peck turned into something far more involved.

An embarrassed Ruan Tang pinched Xu Lai hard on his waist, as if warning him not to mess around again!

Another long five minutes passed.

The ten-minute princess carry competition had eliminated nearly ninety percent of the participants, leaving only seven couples on the field, including Xu Lai and Ruan Tang.

Each pair was a formidable opponent.

From the sidelines, Luo Chu, Liu Beiming, and Xu Yaoyao were sweating for Xu Lai, especially Liu Beiming. As a man, he could better understand the challenge Xu Lai was facing.

"Mommy and Daddy will surely win," Yiyi asserted with conviction.

"Uncle Xu, you can't let the boss lady down!" Qian Xiao shouted.

"There are still seven couples in the competition. Which ones do you all think will come out on top?"

As the female host finished speaking, two more couples fell to the ground, regretfully eliminated. Of the five remaining pairs, the men in two of them were shaking all over; clearly, they wouldn't last much longer.

"I can't go on!"

Accompanied by a scream, another pair was out.

Within the final four, one couple was quite distinctive. Unlike the others where the man carried the woman, this pair featured a woman carrying a man! Despite being roughly 1.6 meters tall and appearing frail, the petite woman was holding a rugged man who weighed at least one hundred and seventy pounds.

The man's face had gone green. At first, when there were many people, their group hadn't attracted much attention. But as the number dwindled, most eyes were on him now, and it was utterly embarrassing. He shot his girlfriend a pitiful look, only to receive a fierce glare from the petite woman in return. He didn't dare look again.

Five minutes.

Five minutes.

Five minutes.

Fifteen more grueling minutes passed, and another couple stumbled out.

Joy spread across Ruan Tang's face. Only three pairs were left. If they could just outlast one more, she and Xu Lai would secure second place and win the first-prize figurine.

But this wait turned into a lengthy hour. All three pairs appeared relaxed, evidently still having strength to spare, and none were willing to yield as they locked eyes.

The host had been commentating for an hour and a half, her mouth dry. Yuhua Alley held this event every year, and she had been hosting it for four years. However, she had never witnessed such a tightly contested battle.

"Will Couple Number 7 win, will Couple Number 19 have the upper hand, or can Couple Number 72 claim the top prize?" the host's words stirred a wave of excitement in the crowd. "Let them hear your cheers!"

"Couple Number 7 looks stronger."

"Come on, Number 19!"

"Number 19 is adorable, but I'm rooting for the prettier woman in Number 72!"

"..."

Xu Lai and Ruan Tang were Number 72, while the couple with the woman carrying the man was Number 19.

Number 7 was a muscular young man, his body rippling with muscles. He cast a fleeting glance at Xu Lai.

The next moment, an invisible force surged toward Xu Lai.

Xu Lai curled his lip. The young man is truly overestimating his own abilities, even daring to pull a sly move. With a simple thought, the internal energy attack from the robust youth rebounded back at him.

The muscular youth's face went pale as he fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. He stared at Xu Lai, his expression full of horror.

The woman in his arms asked worriedly, "What happened?"

"Let's get out of here, fast!"

The muscular youth's scalp went numb. He was a Fourth Grade Martial Artist and had intended to use a covert energy attack to eliminate Xu Lai. He never expected his plan to backfire so completely.

"Hey handsome, you haven't taken your prize yet!" the host, oblivious to the underlying confrontation, hurriedly called out.

However, the burly man had already pulled his girlfriend away, disappearing in the blink of an eye. They had only entered the competition on a whim; their lives were far more important than any prize.

"Second place."

Xu Lai gently set Ruan Tang down, and Xu Yiyi excitedly rushed over. "Daddy, Mommy, you were awesome!"

Luo Chu and Xu Yaoyao also came to congratulate them.

Seeing her best friend Ruan Tang still a bit dazed, Xu Yaoyao chuckled and said, "You couldn't possibly be reminiscing about that kiss just now, could you? What does a ninety-minute kiss feel like?"

Ruan Tang's face turned beet red. She shot her an annoyed look. "Why don't you try it for yourself and find out?"

"My man isn't up to it," Xu Yaoyao sighed.

Liu Beiming felt like vomiting blood. It wasn't that he wasn't up to the task; Xu Lai was just too damn strong!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stage, the five-foot-three girl was stunned. She casually dropped her boyfriend to the ground and looked unhappily at Xu Lai.

"You clearly had strength to spare. Why did you give up!"

Xu Lai glanced at her. The girl wasn't a Martial Artist, just an ordinary person, but her alarming strength didn't surprise him in the slightest.

He stroked Yiyi's head and smiled. "Our goal was just the second-place prize."

The girl huffed, "That's no way to win. Let's continue and see who the real winner is!"

"Sorry, but we're leaving now." Ruan Tang smiled, and after receiving the prize, the group left, paying no mind to the disgruntled girl.

They wandered the streets for another hour. When it was nearly midnight, Xu Lai returned to the restaurant's parking lot and drove Ruan Tang and Xu Yiyi home. The journey was silent.

「Haitang Court」

Ruan Lan lay on the couch, her stomach rumbling with hunger. She had only managed two bites of her takeout; Xu Lai's cooking had completely spoiled her palate.

CREAK—

When she heard the door open, Ruan Lan turned her head. Seeing the two familiar figures, tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

"Sis, Brother-in-law, you're finally back! I'm starving to death! What about the big meal you promised!?"

Xu Lai paused. No wonder I had the feeling I'd forgotten something. It was about dinner.

Cradling a sleeping Xu Yiyi in her arms, Ruan Tang said helplessly, "You're a sophomore in college. Even if you can't cook, you could have just ordered some takeout."

"I did, but it's not as delicious as what Brother-in-law makes. I couldn't eat it," Ruan Lan said pitifully. "Sis, stop lecturing me. Just have my brother-in-law cook me a bowl of noodles."

Without waiting for his wife to speak, Xu Lai went straight to the kitchen and cooked a huge pot of noodles, for he knew that no matter how much he made, Ruan Lan would devour it all.

Indeed, Ruan Lan ate like a Taotie, her appetite frighteningly large.

Xu Lai then stir-fried a large plate of crayfish and turned to his sister-in-law. "Remember to clean up when you're finished. I'm going to rest."

"Go ahead, go ahead." A satiated Ruan Lan waved her hand casually and continued to enjoy the crayfish, alternating between sips of iced Sprite and bites of shrimp, utterly content.

As for Ruan Tang, she had already taken her daughter back to the bedroom to lie down. She gently fanned Yiyi, gazing at the bright moonlight that spilled through the window onto the floor. Her eyes fell on the limited-edition figurine placed there, and her mind uncontrollably drifted back to the couple's competition.

Ruan Tang covered her face with a blanket and tossed and turned.

That night, Ruan Tang suffered from a rare bout of insomnia.

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