"Mm," Xu Lai nodded.

Xu Yiyi said uncertainly, "But she doesn't look like Mommy at all, and she's kind of..."

She stopped because, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the bedroom door quietly cracking open.

With his back to the door, Xu Lai didn't notice anything amiss. He was completely focused on his daughter.

Grinning, he finished the sentence his daughter had left unsaid. "Is it because she's also a bit ugly? Babies are usually a little wrinkly when they're born. They get cuter as they grow."

Xu Yiyi scratched her head, a little embarrassed. "Not ugly! Mommy is the most, most, most, most beautiful woman Yiyi has ever seen!"

"She's not here," Xu Lai said. "We're just talking heart-to-heart, father and daughter. You don't have to hold back."

"Um..."

Xu Yiyi's expression as she looked at her father was complicated, a mix of admiration and pity.

Xu Lai gave his daughter a strange look, sensing that something was wrong.

It seems... It appears... Probably... someone else is in the room...

He could hear suppressed breathing behind him. It was very quiet, but steady.

Even though Xu Lai had sealed his Divine Sense and five senses, his intuition and combat instincts still alerted him to any potential danger. However, he subconsciously considered Ruan Tang and Xu Yiyi his closest family, letting down all his defenses around them. Only in front of his wife and daughter could Xu Lai be considered a truly ordinary person, so ordinary that he didn't even hear the sound of Ruan Tang tiptoeing into the room barefoot.

Luckily, Ruan Tang wasn't bothered by Xu Lai calling her "ugly" as a baby. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the photo album lying on the bed. Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.

Where did Xu Lai get this photo album!?

Ruan Tang's breathing quickened as she saw a picture of herself at one year old, with a runny nose, a silly grin, and a finger in her mouth... Back then, she'd been a little dark-skinned, chubby kid.

This is definitely some embarrassing history!

Ruan Tang pounced onto the bed, using her body to cover the album. She glared and said, "Xu Lai! No wonder you didn't eat dinner. You were in here secretly looking at this!"

I was careless! Xu Lai mentally kicked himself. I should have locked the door.

"Why were you going through my things!"

Ruan Tang's face flushed. The album didn't just contain her embarrassing childhood photos, but also her diary...

How infuriating! I'm sure I hid it in Grandma's old house. Could Xu Lai have secretly found it when we went to the countryside to visit Grandma's grave last time?

Ruan Tang sat up and flipped through the album. Thankfully, the diary tucked into a hidden sleeve was still there, and she breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"I wasn't the one who found it," Xu Lai defended himself instinctively. The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he was in trouble.

As expected. Ruan Tang's eyes narrowed. "So it was Ruan Lan who found it?"

No wonder Xu Lai looked so strange earlier whenever I mentioned Ruan Lan. The two of them were definitely hiding something from me!

"No, knowing Ruan Lan's personality, she would never give you the album for no reason." Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ruan Tang crossed her long legs. Her voice was calm, but her presence was commanding. "So, tell me. What kind of deal did you two make?"

Xu Lai was speechless.

He hesitated for a long time before saying, "Honey, sometimes it's not good for a woman to be *too* smart. You..."

"If you don't talk, you can sleep on the couch from now on," Ruan Tang said, her face expressionless.

"No, no, Mommy," Xu Yiyi whispered. "It's too cold now. He can't sleep on the couch."

Xu Lai was deeply gratified. What a sweet and caring daughter. She just warms my heart!

"So let Dad sleep on the floor," Xu Yiyi added. "We have floor heating, so a blanket will be warm enough."

PFFT—

Xu Lai clutched his chest. Ouch, right in the heart.

Ruan Tang's lips curled into a smile, but she said seriously, "That's right. We'll do whatever our daughter says."

"Mommy, Yiyi wants to see, too," Xu Yiyi said, pointing pitifully at the album Ruan Tang was holding.

Ruan Tang hesitated for a moment before opening the album, though not before she removed the diary. At home, everything revolved around Yiyi!

Ruan Tang kicked the shameless Xu Lai out of the room when he tried to look, then she started sharing her childhood stories with Yiyi.

Xu Lai went out to the backyard and sat on a wicker chair. Gazing at the moon in the distant sky, he mused, "Xiao Hei, do you know why there are so many stars in the sky?"

The Gold Swallowing Beast, Xiao Hei, tilted its head, then went back to lying on the ground and basking in the moonlight. Its belly seemed to itch, and it stretched out a furry paw to scratch it.

A beast in its Chaotic Period never bothered with such thoughts. Eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating—its only priority was to accumulate strength for its Spirit Awakening at age three.

Xu Lai turned his head, looking toward the room where he could faintly hear the muffled laughter of Ruan Tang and Yiyi. An indescribable sense of fulfillment and happiness swelled in his chest.

The truest joys of life are the simple ones.

...

「Ten o'clock in the evening.」

At the Star Moon Bar, the lively music and heated atmosphere sent the hormones of the young patrons raging.

Ruan Lan and Yu Xiaoxiao's cheeks were flushed. In addition to finishing the jar of Pear Blossom Wine from Xu Lai, they had also drunk numerous other cocktails and fruit wines. Although the alcohol content was low, the sheer quantity was getting to them.

"Why isn't Hu Yanjie back yet?" Ruan Lan downed her glass in one gulp and frowned. "Does he find his bed so comfortable he wants to come home and kneel on a washboard?"

Yu Xiaoxiao scoffed, "You little minx, making fun of me again, are we? Just you wait, I'll teach you a lesson tonight!"

Ruan Lan slid a hand over her best friend's leg and hummed playfully, "My dear consort, you're getting a bit carried away. This emperor shall not grace you with his presence tonight." Turning to the other girl, she commanded, "Concubine Li, pour the wine!"

"..."

Li Li was speechless. She checked the time and covered her ears against the noise, shouting delicately, "Shouldn't we get going?"

"Yeah, let's go," Yu Xiaoxiao agreed, also annoyed. Hu Yanjie had promised to come celebrate her birthday, but he'd been completely unreachable since taking a phone call right after they'd had cake.

But just as the three of them grabbed their coats and bags to leave, the bar's raucous music suddenly stopped.

The multicolored stage lights converged into a single, blinding beam, shining straight down on their corner booth.

Yu Xiaoxiao, Ruan Lan, and Li Li instinctively shielded their eyes. Then, a familiar voice boomed through the speakers. "Yu Xiaoxiao, I have something I want to say to you!"

"Huh?" Yu Xiaoxiao was stunned.

Shielding her eyes with a hand, she tried to peer toward the source of the voice on the bar's main stage. The spotlight was still too bright for her to see clearly, but she recognized her boyfriend's voice.

On stage, Hu Yanjie looked toward the lighting technician in the back. "Soften the lights a bit!" he said quickly.

The technician muttered under his breath, "You're the one who said to make your girlfriend the most dazzling person here, and now you're saying it's too bright..."

Despite his grumbling, he changed the lighting. This was the boss's friend, after all; you had to give him face.

"Hu Yanjie, what are you doing!" Yu Xiaoxiao sobered up instantly.

As the surrounding crowd of men and women began to hoot and holler, yelling things like "Kiss her!", she shot a fierce glare at Hu Yanjie.

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