Yu Xiaoxiao was startled by the sudden slap on her shoulder.

Just as she turned to angrily see who was so bold, she saw Ruan Lan's familiar face and said guiltily, "Wha-why is it you..."

Hu Yanjie felt even more guilty. He had once pursued Ruan Lan without success, only to later realize that her best friend, Yu Xiaoxiao, was his true love. He had then bravely pursued her. But no matter how he looked at it, his behavior was that of a scumbag.

In a moment of inexplicable courage, he gripped Yu Xiaoxiao's struggling hand and shouted, "Ruan Lan, I genuinely like Xiaoxiao! Please, let us be!"

"???"

Ruan Lan was baffled. Am I some kind of matchmaker who can sever the red thread of fate binding the two of you?

She pushed Hu Yanjie away and stared at Yu Xiaoxiao, who grew even more remorseful. "Ruan Lan, I'm sorry, I..."

"Kid, you finally found a boyfriend! Your daddy is so relieved," Ruan Lan said with heartfelt emotion.

"..."

Yu Xiaoxiao cautiously asked, "You're not angry?"

"Should I be angry?" Ruan Lan was the one who was confused. When a girl gets a boyfriend, don't her best friends normally tease her a bit? Why is Xiaoxiao acting as if she's committed some terrible crime?

She paused, then said with a smile, "Actually, I am quite upset that you didn't tell me or Lili. Sigh, my little girl is all grown up now!"

"..."

Yu Xiaoxiao almost coughed up blood. At one-point-eight meters tall, listening to the one-point-seven-meter Ruan Lan call herself "daddy" gave her the urge to beat someone up.

Yu Xiaoxiao couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You ungrateful descendant!"

The two women began to playfully squabble, and their laughter, like the chime of silver bells, left a nearby Xu Yiyi utterly perplexed.

"Can women be daddies too?" the little girl pondered for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed with urgency, "Ah! Auntie, Mom and Dad have gotten too far ahead. Let's hurry and catch up with them!"

Ruan Lan was frustrated. Damn it! They said they were taking me to see the fireworks display, but I'm just a nanny!

"See you tomorrow, Xiaoxiao. We'll go to Sea Temple Island together then."

With that, Ruan Lan and her niece hurriedly chased after Ruan Tang and Xu Lai.

Left behind, Hu Yanjie and Yu Xiaoxiao looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although he didn't know what had happened, Hu Yanjie scratched his head and asked, "Does this mean we don't have to sneak around for dates anymore?"

"...Yes."

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded and mulled it over. "You said the other day that you could take me to see the real Sea Temple Festival? I want to take Ruan Lan and Li Li with us."

The Sea Temple Festival. For the ordinary people and tourists of the thirteen southern coastal cities, it was a grand festival held once every ten years. From six in the morning to six in the evening, the full twelve hours were packed with various acrobatics, magic shows, and delicious snacks from all over the country.

But for the local wealthy families, the real highlight began at six in the evening. After all unrelated personnel were cleared out, a bloody contest would unfold between the peerless experts invited by the leading families of the thirteen cities.

The participants had to cross one hundred nautical miles from the shore to Sea Temple Island, relying solely on their own strength without any modern equipment.

During which—life and death were their own responsibility!

When Yu Xiaoxiao first heard about this from her boyfriend, she was so shocked she couldn't speak. She had even suspected Hu Yanjie was teasing her. But then she recalled the astonishing battle between her brother-in-law, Xu Lai, and Ishihara Kai from the Sakura Country. She finally realized the world was far more complex than she had ever known.

Hu Yanjie hesitated. "This..."

In truth, he had already spent a fortune and called in favors with a friend of a friend just to get two tickets. But seeing the expectant look in Yu Xiaoxiao's eyes, he gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I'll ask my friend to help me get two more."

Yu Xiaoxiao beamed a brilliant smile. "Thank you."

Seeing this radiant smile, Hu Yanjie suddenly felt that even if the sky were to collapse at this very moment, it would have all been worth it.

On the way home, Xu Lai asked Ruan Tang and his sister-in-law, "I'm going to the Sea Temple Festival tomorrow. Are you coming?" As for his daughter, Yiyi still had school.

"I'm not going. I have an important meeting tomorrow." Ruan Tang shook her head. She had been there once as a child and had almost gotten lost from her grandmother in the sea of people.

"Of course, I'm going! But I'll be with Xiaoxiao and the others tomorrow," Ruan Lan said.

"I have tickets, too." Xu Lai nodded and handed the five special VIP tickets from Su Daiyi to his sister-in-law. "You can get in with these after six in the evening."

"Six o'clock?" Ruan Tang was stunned. Wasn't the venue cleared out for cleaning after six?

Ruan Lan said with displeasure, "It's not funny if you're tricking me, Brother-in-law." The so-called tickets were just plain black cards with nothing written on them.

Xu Lai simply smiled and offered no further explanation.

Xu Yiyi wanted to go, but the next day was Wednesday, and school wasn't out. Besides, it would be boring for her to go as the only child. So, sitting on Xu Lai's shoulders, she said softly, "Daddy, when will Yiyi be grown up enough to go wherever she wants?"

Xu Lai spoke gently, "Very soon."

Ruan Tang fell silent for a long time. By the time her daughter grew up, she and Xu Lai would probably be old.

The family of three returned to Haitang Court, with Ruan Lan tagging along as the third wheel.

The nights in the thirteen southern coastal cities were as calm as ever. But every prestigious and wealthy family felt this was just the calm before the storm. A palpable sense of oppression, like the air before a tempest, hung over everyone.

"I heard the Martial Artist invited by the Wan Family from East Sea is none other than the Seventh Grade peak Grandmaster, Xu Huang from the North. He killed four other martial artists in the last event..."

"Xu Huang from Beishan Province, Feng Lang from Anxi Province, and Niu Taishan from Hua City... that's already three known Grandmasters!"

"And don't forget Xu Lai from East Sea City. I heard he's representing the Su Family of Hangcheng and the Jiang Family of Liu City."

"Who's Xu Lai? Compared to the previous champion, Xu Huang, he's a nobody!"

"..."

The well-informed families had already gotten wind of some participants. While the information wasn't entirely accurate, it was enough to cause a stir.

Compared to long-renowned Martial Arts Grandmasters like Xu Huang, Feng Lang, and Niu Taishan, Xu Lai's fame in the South was still too limited, confined to just Hangcheng and Liu City.

Even in his home of East Sea City, few acknowledged his strength—especially the local power, the Wan Family. The fact that they still chose the high-priced Xu Huang said it all.

"Tomorrow, there will be a new reshuffling among the thirteen southern coastal cities. It all depends on who can seize this opportunity."

The Family Heads of many prestigious houses grew excited. The revenue from Sea Temple Island increased year after year. The winning family was essentially making a fortune for doing nothing, which was truly enviable!

Xu Lai paid no mind to any of these discussions or speculations.

After Ruan Tang went to sleep, Xu Lai spread the wedding dress out in the moonlight. He saw that a third of the skirt was already complete. Under the night sky, it sparkled with a simple yet undeniably luxurious elegance. Xu Lai was very satisfied.

He exhaled. One more month at most, and it should be finished.

Then it will be time to coax Ruan Tang into marrying him. No, that's not right. You don't coax someone into marriage. It's about mutual love.

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