"Let's be together."

Those simple words made Ruan Tang, who was still in his embrace, instantly stop struggling. She lifted her head to look into Xu Lai's incredibly earnest eyes, somewhat baffled as to why he would say such a thing. It was just too sudden, so sudden that she froze on the spot, not knowing how to respond at all.

"So, let's cancel that contract we made at the very beginning," Xu Lai added, resting his head on Ruan Tang's fragrant shoulder. His voice was soft, yet every word hammered at her heart. "I like you."

The words "I like you" carried immense weight.

In a hundred thousand years, Xu Lai had known many women, but the only one who could make him utter those two words was Ruan Tang.

At first, his feelings were indeed tied to his daughter; his affection for Ruan Tang was born from his love for Yiyi. But as he slowly got to know her, Xu Lai discovered that this woman met all his criteria for a wife. She was beautiful, strong-willed, had a great figure, and was virtuous...

Well, let's set "virtuous" aside for now.

Though she appeared cold on the surface, she possessed a heart warm enough to illuminate the darkness, and she had her own standards for judging good and evil. Most importantly, Ruan Tang was strong. She was strong enough to have endured years of malicious gossip and grievances, yet upon their reunion, she still chose to let Xu Lai live in her home for Yiyi's sake, without ever deliberately making things difficult for him.

She was the only one for the rest of his life. And thankfully, it was her.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Her heartbeat gradually quickened. Ruan Tang's gaze darted away as she mumbled, "Uh, well... it's normal to like me. After all, I am our daughter's mother."

"Look me in the eye when you say that," Xu Lai said.

"...No." Ruan Tang turned her head even further away.

Xu Lai fell silent, simply continuing to stare at her.

A blush crept up Ruan Tang's face. She could feel his searing gaze and knew that if she didn't give him a clear answer today, he wouldn't let the matter drop. After a tense moment, she finally bit her lip and conceded, "Fine, I agree. Happy now?"

Just as Xu Lai was about to give up, his body jolted. "Huh? Honey, what did you just say?"

"If you didn't hear me, then forget it!" Ruan Tang, face crimson, scrambled back to the bed and pulled the covers over her head.

"Hey, don't be like that," Xu Lai pleaded, quickly slipping under the covers beside her. "Did you just say yes?"

"I forgot!"

"...You can't just take it back! You're acting like a child," Xu Lai said helplessly as he wrapped his arms around her soft, fragrant body from behind.

This time, she didn't even offer a token resistance.

"Tsk, tsk," Xu Lai remarked wistfully. "Before we were official, I was always afraid you'd kick me out of bed for holding you like this. Now that we have a proper status, I don't have to worry..."

SWOOSH!

Before he could finish, Ruan Tang's hand shot out to pinch him. "Shut up and go to sleep!"

"Yes, honey."

「The next morning.」

Ruan Tang opened her eyes to find herself lying in the crook of Xu Lai's arm. He opened his eyes at the same moment, and they stared at each other for a moment before she quickly averted her gaze.

Wait. Why should I look away? I haven't done anything wrong.

Ruan Tang shifted her gaze back to meet his. They stared at each other for a full minute before she finally spoke. "Haven't you had your fill of looking? It's time to get up."

"I'd love to get up, but you're using my arm as a pillow. I can't move."

"Then move your hand off my waist first!"

"Let's just sleep in a little longer. We can both skip work today," Xu Lai suggested, changing the subject.

"..."

Ruan Tang's silence was a tacit agreement to continue lazing in bed. Hugging her, Xu Lai felt utterly content, a hint of smugness bubbling up inside him. "I did some calculations. The first of next month is an auspicious day, perfect for getting married!"

Ruan Tang rolled her eyes dramatically. "When did I ever say I'd marry you?"

"Uh," Xu Lai said, shocked. "Isn't the whole point of dating to get married?"

Ruan Tang paused. He kind of has a point.

But she merely responded with a lazy drawl, "It depends on my mood. Who knows, I might be in a bad mood one day and decide to break up with you."

Xu Lai was dumbfounded. "...Huh?!"

"Mr. Xu, your expression suggests you have an opinion. Feel free to voice it."

"And you'll listen?"

"Nope."

Ruan Tang said this with a confidence that belied her faulty logic. Xu Lai thinks he can trick me into marriage? In his dreams!

She was his girlfriend now, true, but marriage was a major life decision that required careful consideration. After all, she was only twenty-four, with a long life ahead of her. Besides, she already had Yiyi. It would be perfectly fine even if they never got married.

"The road is long and winding, but now that you've entered my den, you're not getting away. Time to set another small goal—getting married!" Xu Lai muttered to himself.

Compared to Ruan Tang's disdain when he first arrived in East Sea City, confirming their relationship was a massive step forward!

They lazed in bed until after eight o'clock, when Ruan Tang's urging finally got Xu Lai to get up reluctantly. He would have happily stayed there until noon, but the sound of his daughter and sister-in-law talking outside the door meant he couldn't feign sleep any longer.

He went downstairs to wash up and make breakfast. Meanwhile, Ruan Tang went to the backyard to gather her daughter's dry clothes. She looked up to see clusters of white clouds drifting across the sky, and a simple string of wind chimes was tinkling softly. It looked like something Xu Yiyi had made; there was even a crooked smiley face drawn on it.

Ruan Tang let her mind go blank, listening to the crisp sound of the wind and admiring the beauty of the clouds.

...

「A few days later.」

Xu Lai found that while his relationship with Ruan Tang had changed, their daily life remained largely the same.

Of course, there were some small differences. For instance, during meals, when Ruan Tang put food on Yiyi's plate, she would occasionally add some to Xu Lai's, and he would do the same for her. These small, intimate gestures made the growing warmth between them obvious to everyone.

Never mind the adult Ruan Lan; even five-year-old Xu Yiyi noticed that her daddy and mommy were closer than before.

The little girl suddenly let out a loud "WAAAH!" and burst into tears.

"Yiyi, what's wrong? Please don't cry," Ruan Tang said, quickly putting down her chopsticks, completely at a loss.

"Mommy, Yiyi's just so happy." Xu Yiyi wiped the tears from her eyes and took hold of Ruan Tang's and Xu Lai's hands, sobbing, "I finally have a complete family. Qian Xiao once told me that Mommy didn't like Daddy, and maybe she liked some other uncle. I was so worried..."

Ruan Tang felt her nose sting. "Stop crying, sweetie."

Xu Lai's expression, however, had turned dark. That little brat Qian Xiao, filling my daughter's head with such nonsense. I'll have to find a chance to teach him a lesson!

His gaze shifted to Beibei, who was eating with a pair of miniature chopsticks. The little creature met his eyes and nodded knowingly, then communicated via Divine Sense, "Don't worry, leave it to me!"

Xu Lai put a hand to his forehead. Wait, I haven't said a thing. You understood all that from a single look?

Ruan Lan remained silent, quietly eating her meal and giving her sister and niece their space.

Inside, though, she was ecstatic. Her cheap brother-in-law had finally tricked... no, won her sister over! This called for a celebration! She decided to reward herself by skipping class for a day. After all, being a wingman was exhausting.

Ruan Lan stretched languidly. She decided to call her two best friends, Yu Xiaoxiao and Li Li, and go have some fun. Just as she picked up her phone, the doorbell rang.

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