What wolf doesn't eat meat?

But Xu Lai didn't force Ruan Tang. Instead, he took a roundabout approach. "Alright, then. Let's take a dip in the hot springs together."

First, a soak in the hot spring. Then, some cosplay would be perfect. Two birds with one stone!

However, Ruan Tang was unaware of Xu Lai's 'nefarious intentions' and just thought he was compromising, which made her feel a bit guilty.

After all, I made a promise, but I couldn't go through with it…

So, she didn't refuse the invitation to the hot spring. She nodded gently. "You go on ahead. I'll get ready and be right there."

"Okay."

Ten minutes later, footsteps finally arrived, and Xu Lai looked over.

He saw Ruan Tang dressed quite conservatively in a black, one-piece swimsuit. If there was any difference between it and her pajamas, it was probably that the hemline was slightly shorter.

This left Xu Lai slightly disappointed.

I wanted to admire my wife's perfect figure. I'm not asking for a bikini, but shouldn't she wear something that actually shows it off?

It was a good thing Ruan Lan wasn't around. Otherwise, she would have definitely complained, "You always wear a one-piece! Sis, is your figure worse than other women's? You have to show off a good body!"

Ruan Tang rolled her eyes. "What are you disappointed about? Should I just not wear anything at all?"

Xu Lai nodded decisively. "I think that's an excellent idea!"

Jerk!

Ruan Tang gritted her teeth in anger. She was just saying that; how could he actually dare to agree?

Just as she was about to scold him, she caught a glimpse of the pink cherry blossoms covering the mountain out of the corner of her eye and exclaimed in surprise, "These flowers weren't blooming when we arrived, were they? This… did you do this?"

Making tens of thousands of cherry blossom trees, which normally bloomed in April and July, all blossom within a few hours was nothing short of a fantasy. It was simply impossible with current scientific capabilities!

But Ruan Tang inexplicably had the intuition that Xu Lai had done it, as there was precedent.

"Do you like it?" Xu Lai asked with a smile.

"I love it." Ruan Tang's eyes sparkled with delight. The beautiful scenery before her seemed to wash away all her fatigue.

She asked curiously, "How did you do it?"

"It came at a great cost!" Xu Lai said solemnly. "But as long as you're happy, my dear, I'd be willing to give up half my life."

"Scumbag. He clearly did it for his daughter, but now he's saying it was for his wife, and that he sacrificed half his life… He did it with a single breath. It was effortless."

A child's muttering was heard from the sky.

Xu Lai glanced up. Why is that Heavenly Dao fellow here too? And he dares to mock me? Does he really think I can't hear him just because he's whispering?

With a flick of his finger, the Heavenly Dao shrieked as it was sent flying backward. Its small body tumbled thousands upon thousands of times in the air, flying all the way to the other side of Earth.

"Did it sound like someone screamed?" Ruan Tang looked around, puzzled, but their surroundings were silent. Other than the chirping of birds in the Sakura Hill forest, there were no other strange noises.

"No, you must have misheard," Xu Lai said with a smile. "Let's eat." After saying that, he snapped his fingers.

A sandalwood board, intricately carved with a dragon and phoenix, appeared on the water's surface. It was laden with dishes and two small wine cups.

"Wine?" Xu Lai teased.

"Just one cup," Ruan Tang said, her face flushing. She didn't dare drink more. It was one thing to get drunk at home, but getting drunk and making a fool of herself in Sakura Country would be far too embarrassing.

"Not even one cup. You're drinking tea!" Xu Lai gave her a sidelong glance. "Have you already forgotten what you're like after you've been drinking?"

Ruan Tang glared at Xu Lai. With such beautiful scenery, don't you understand that a little drink enhances the mood?

Although she was a woman from the water towns of Jiangnan, and she did enjoy tea, her personality made her love wine even more.

But there was no way Xu Lai would let Ruan Tang have her way. "Glaring at me is useless," he refused flatly.

Ruan Tang didn't insist. Instead, with a complicated expression, she said, "Xu Lai, you've changed. You never used to refuse me anything."

Xu Lai was speechless. Wait a minute, why does that sound so familiar? I feel like I've heard that line somewhere before.

Unable to win against her, Xu Lai helplessly poured her a cup of wine. "Just one, okay?"

After taking a small sip, Ruan Tang's clear eyes narrowed into crescent moons. "Delicious."

Admiring the scenery while drinking, they barely touched their food.

"Another cup." Ruan Tang looked at Xu Lai. About five minutes later, her voice already slightly slurred, she said, "Another..."

Glass after glass, by the time the sky was dotted with stars, Ruan Tang had downed at least ten cups.

She's hopeless. Is it too late to trade her in for a new wife? Xu Lai pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Mmmph." Ruan Tang tried to stand, but in her drunken state, she staggered and fell right into Xu Lai's arms. She didn't try to get up again, instead nestling into his warm embrace.

Xu Lai had a strange expression on his face. He suspected Ruan Tang had gotten drunk on purpose just to take advantage of him...

Heh. Women.

"Xu Lai, which star do you think Grandma is?" Ruan Tang murmured, gazing at the starry sky with hazy eyes.

"Which one do you think she is?" Xu Lai asked.

"The brightest one," Ruan Tang said, pointing. "I can feel its warmth."

"Honey, can't you tell that's a streetlight? The warmth you're feeling is because you're soaking in a hot spring..."

"Oh, it's a streetlight. Hehe, my mistake."

Ruan Tang scratched her head shyly. Having grown so used to seeing her either angry or in her strong-businesswoman mode, Xu Lai found his wife's current dopey smile rather goofy.

Xu Lai decided to tease her. "Honey, call me 'husband'."

"Don't you go too far." Although Ruan Tang was drunk, she still had a sliver of awareness left. She was angry. How could Xu Lai take advantage of her like this?

That soft tone nearly made Xu Lai's heart skip a beat.

Oh, crap. My heart's actually racing!

But Xu Lai was no saint, nor was he a scoundrel. Seeing that Ruan Tang was completely drunk, he carried her back to her room to rest.

Then he went to the other room and pulled the blanket back over Yiyi, who had kicked it off in her sleep.

"Good night, sweet dreams." Xu Lai sat on the edge of the bed, watching his daughter's profile for a moment. Once he was sure she wouldn't kick the blanket off again, he closed the door and left.

From the room across the hall, a series of soft rustling sounds could be heard. When Xu Lai opened the door, a giant question mark might as well have appeared over his head.

He saw that Ruan Tang had somehow managed to change her clothes. It was... a Magical Girl Madoka outfit.

But right after changing, she had collapsed onto the bed and fallen into a deep sleep, murmuring, "I, Ruan Tang, am a woman of my word! Men are such pigs..."

Xu Lai let out a long breath, feeling a headache coming on.

I wanted to see you cosplay! I wanted to see you all shy and blushing, covering your face! Not passed out defenselessly, sprawled out like some carefree martial hero who lives for the moment!

Still, this meant that Ruan Tang subconsciously trusted Xu Lai a great deal. Otherwise, she wouldn't have remembered to do this even while drunk.

"Hm?" Xu Lai suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked toward the edge of the hot spring pool. A three-year-old boy stood there in his eternal red bellyband, holding a stick of candied haws.

Xu Lai walked toward the backyard. Now that they were face to face, the Heavenly Dao didn't dare act mischievous. It quickly bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Supreme Emperor."

Xu Lai asked nonchalantly, "What are you doing here?"

"Well..." The Heavenly Dao rubbed its hands together. "It's a little embarrassing to say."

"Then don't."

"..."

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