Along with an annoyed voice, Ruan Tang slammed the bathroom door shut.

Xu Lai looked confused.

The Hongmeng Tea Leaves were a treasure of the Immortal Domain, and each leaf could be auctioned for a heavenly price. He, at most, only ever used them to brew tea. But extracting their energy for a bath? That was an extravagance even he was reluctant to indulge in. So why was Ruan Tang still angry?

"Sigh, women are impossible to understand."

Xu Lai shook his head and returned his attention to the kitchen. The few Hongmeng Tea Leaves he had been prepared to squander were placed back into his Storage Space.

***

In the bathroom, Ruan Tang lay in the spacious bathtub, fuming.

Xu Lai is getting more and more outrageous! It hasn't even been that long since we made our relationship official. First, he asked me to cosplay as Magical Girl Madoka, and now he wants me to... In a couple of days, won't he ask for something even more outrageous? He's infuriating!

It's true what they say: backing down just makes you angrier, and putting up with it only makes you feel worse.

Ruan Tang felt it was necessary to have a serious talk with Xu Lai about this issue.

After soaking in the bath for half an hour, Ruan Tang emerged in her bathrobe. She was about to scold Xu Lai with a stern expression when she suddenly smelled an enticing aroma...

GULP.

Ruan Tang swallowed hard. She knew Xu Lai had made a lot of delicious food again.

Don't look! Don't smell! Don't eat! Ruan Tang, you've already brushed your teeth, and you're supposed to be on a diet! You can't listen to the devil's summons...

Voices in her head kept admonishing her. At that moment, she even imagined Xu Lai as a terrifying demon with horns, luring an unsuspecting human to her doom.

"Honey, dinner's ready," Xu Lai said with a smile, thoughtfully pulling out a chair for her.

In Ruan Tang's eyes, however, he was no different from a madam soliciting business outside a brothel, waving a handkerchief and calling out, "Come on in, handsome!"

Ruan Tang huffed, "Hah! I, Ruan Tang, am a woman of integrity. Would I really stoop so low for a bite of food? Besides, I'm still angry!"

But as soon as the words left her mouth, her feet moved uncontrollably toward the living room, and she sat down at the dining table...

Xu Lai smiled teasingly. "How about just a couple of bites?"

Useless legs! Why can't you put up a fight? How could you be seduced by food?

Ruan Tang was secretly fuming as she glanced at the table out of the corner of her eye. It was laden with all sorts of delicacies, including Ruan Lan's favorite crayfish and stir-fried pig trotters, as well as her own favorites like braised pork ribs, garlic eggplant, and a variety of other meat and vegetable dishes...

"You spendthrift! Pork is so expensive right now. This pot must have cost a hundred bucks!" Ruan Tang couldn't help but criticize Xu Lai.

She kept looking, and the more she looked, the hungrier she became. Then she felt her hands starting to move on their own; her right hand was actually reaching for the chopsticks.

SLAP!

With a great show of willpower, Ruan Tang used her left hand to smack her right. "Stay strong, Ruan Tang!!!" she cried out.

Sitting beside her, Xu Lai watched his dear wife's spectacular psychological battle with great amusement. He picked up a piece of rib and held it to her lips.

Xu Lai hadn't even uttered his teasing words when Ruan Tang opened her mouth, inhaled the piece of rib, and bit down hard on the chopsticks.

Xu Lai was speechless. "..."

So was Ruan Tang. "..."

Her face turned blood-red, and she wished a hole would open up in the floor and swallow her. It was so embarrassing.

My legs won't listen, my hands won't listen, and now even my mouth is betraying me! What use are any of you?

"Stop being so stubborn. Just eat," Xu Lai said, handing her a pair of chopsticks.

"Even if I eat, I won't forgive you!" Ruan Tang snapped, taking the chopsticks and glaring at him.

As for losing weight... Who said anything about losing weight? I'll kill whoever said that!

"I just said I'd use some tea leaves for your bath. You wouldn't get so angry you'd give up on good food over that, would you?" Xu Lai said helplessly.

"Wait, tea leaves?" Ruan Tang's pretty face showed her astonishment. "It wasn't... *that*, was it?"

Xu Lai was completely baffled. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, *that*!"

"So, what is 'that'..."

"*That* thing!!!"

"..."

Xu Lai spread his hands. "I have no idea what you're talking about, honey, but since you're so angry, I'll apologize. I was wrong!"

"No, you weren't wrong. I was," Ruan Tang said, filled with shame.

She had, for the umpteenth time, jumped to the wrong conclusion. She felt like she'd been getting a dirtier mind lately, and it was all Xu Yaoyao's fault... Yes, she was the one who'd led her astray.

Ruan Tang instantly shifted the blame to her best friend. Was it actually her fault? Better not to ask. The answer was a definite yes.

To make up for it, Ruan Tang peeled several crayfish for Xu Lai and fed them to him. She even tenderly wiped the corners of his mouth, looking just like a doting wife...

At this, Xu Lai felt as if the sun had just risen from the west. He asked doubtfully, "Honey, did you do something you feel guilty about?"

"Nonsense," Ruan Tang pouted, unhappy.

A little suspicion between a boyfriend and girlfriend isn't 'wronging' someone! It's a reflection of human complexity! It's an extension of how much I care about you and cherish you!

"Waaaah!"

At that moment, a cry of shock came from the second floor. A drowsy Ruan Lan came running down like a madwoman, her hair a complete mess and her face a mask of astonishment. "Sis! Brother-in-law! It's one thing for you two to come home from your trip, but how could you have a late-night snack without calling me? If I hadn't smelled it, I would've missed out!"

"You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to disturb you," Ruan Tang replied.

"Ruan Tang, three days... three days!" Ruan Lan suddenly became emotional, startling her sister.

Ruan Tang asked nervously, "Um, what about these three days..."

"Three days! Do you have any idea how I've spent the last three days? I've survived on nothing but water, not a single grain of rice! And for what? I was waiting for my brother-in-law to come back and cook, but you two are eating all this good food without me..." Ruan Lan clutched her heart dramatically. "I feel betrayed by the whole world! My heart is broken, shattered into a million pieces..."

"Are you eating or not? If you are, hurry up." Xu Lai glanced sideways at his overly dramatic sister-in-law. She just keeps chattering on and on, interrupting her sister while she's peeling shrimp for me.

"I'll eat, I'll eat!" Ruan Lan immediately sat down obediently, served herself a large bowl of rice, and began to wolf it down.

After just one bite, Ruan Lan's eyes welled up with tears. "Boohoohoo... Brother-in-law, your cooking is still the best! I, Ruan Lan, hereby proclaim you the God of Cookery!"

The familiar taste was so nostalgic it reminded her of running under the setting sun as a child. It was like her youth had come rushing back. She, Ruan Lan, had been revived from a world gone wrong. Nothing else mattered, not when compared to a bowl of rice made by her brother-in-law!

"Eat slowly," Ruan Tang said, feeling a little sorry for her sister as she poured her a glass of water. "No one's going to steal it from you."

"You should tell your sister to visit our school infirmary sometime," Xu Lai whispered into his wife's ear. "I get the feeling she's not the sharpest tool in the shed."

"I'll hit you if you keep talking nonsense!" Ruan Tang shot him a glare.

"Hehehe, this food is so good!" Ruan Lan giggled foolishly. "Hey sis, you have a bite too."

"..."

Looking at her disheveled, foolishly grinning sister, Ruan Tang pondered for a long while before turning to Xu Lai with a serious expression. "You know what? Maybe we really should take her to get checked out."

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