It's no wonder Ruan Lan was so angry. Whether man or woman, everyone should be responsible, yet Xu Lai clearly wasn't!

...

On the day before Ruan Tang's birthday, a physically and mentally exhausted Ruan Lan, wearing a mask and sunglasses, finally managed to shake off a crowd of reporters. She cautiously returned home, letting out a long sigh of relief.

As for Ruan Tang's daughter, Yiyi, Ruan Tang had been asking her secretary or her sister, Ruan Lan, to handle pickups and drop-offs for the past few days.

Opening the front door, Ruan Tang was startled. The living room was thick with the smell of blood, and there, sitting cross-legged on the floor, was Xu Lai, completely covered in it. It was impossible to tell if he was dead or alive.

"Xu Lai!"

Ruan Tang jumped in shock, dropped her briefcase, and ran over. She checked his breathing and found he was still alive.

Just then, Xu Lai's eyes fluttered open. "It's not my blood. I'm fine."

"What on earth happened!" Ruan Tang demanded angrily.

Xu Lai ignored her, instead saying, "Ruan Tang, do you know that no two leaves in the world are identical?"

"I know."

Ruan Tang frowned slightly. She was perceptive and noticed that Xu Lai, who was usually glib and flirtatious, hadn't called her 'wife' but had used her full name instead.

"I found Grandma, but I was one step too late. She had already crossed the Bridge of Forgetfulness and drunk the Reincarnation Soup. Her past life's karma has been severed, and the fruits of her next life have been sown. I could have forcibly pulled her soul back and resurrected her to be your grandmother again, but I cannot restore her memories. After all, just as no two leaves are the same, neither are people."

Xu Lai's voice was heavy. "So, I didn't disturb her. I'm sorry. I did everything I could."

"..."

For a moment, Ruan Tang didn't know how to respond. If anyone else had said such things, she would have given them a massive eye-roll. But Xu Lai's tone and expression didn't seem feigned. The regret and helplessness in his voice were so palpable that she felt a pang of empathy.

Finally, she said softly, "You should go take a shower. I'll mop the floor, otherwise Yiyi will worry when she sees all this."

"Mmm."

Xu Lai nodded and went to the bathroom.

He could bring the dead back to life, but a grandmother without her memories would no longer be the person Ruan Tang remembered. She would just be a stranger with a familiar face.

Instead, Xu Lai chose not to interfere with his grandmother's reincarnation, opting only to add a measure of good fortune to her new life.

Fortunately, he did not come away empty-handed. Gazing at the ball of light in his palm, he finally allowed a faint smile to touch his lips.

...

Just after he had finished his shower, Ruan Lan happened to arrive home with Yiyi. Seeing Xu Lai in a bathrobe, the little girl immediately rushed over, happily shouting, "Daddy!"

Xu Lai grinned and happily picked Yiyi up, spinning her around in the air and making her giggle uncontrollably.

"You ungrateful little thing!" Ruan Lan stomped her foot in mock irritation.

"It's been tough on you two these past few days," Xu Lai said.

"You have the nerve to come back?" Ruan Lan glared.

"I went to pluck the stars."

"..."

Ruan Lan was left speechless. What could she even say to a lunatic like him? She silently resolved to keep her sister away from Xu Lai and find her a proper husband.

That night, Ruan Lan completely ignored Xu Lai, speaking only to her sister and Yiyi. However, she certainly didn't eat any less of the food he had prepared. In fact, channeling her anger into appetite, she ate even more than usual.

After all, Xu Lai had brought back many high-quality ingredients from the Heavenly Court, most of which were rare delicacies that couldn't be found on Earth. The wine, also from the Heavenly Court, was a top-grade Thousand-Year Nu Er Hong.

Despite the tantalizing aroma of the wine, Ruan Lan didn't dare drink too much. She had only a little, but it was enough to leave her cheeks flushed and her eyes hazy.

She mumbled, "Sis, some mysterious person spent ten million to book all of Mount Haitang for tomorrow! They say it's for a birthday celebration, and no one else can get in!"

"Oh," Ruan Tang replied, seemingly indifferent.

"This is clearly a targeted move against you!" Ruan Lan slammed the table indignantly. "We always celebrated our birthdays at the Haitang Hotel at the foot of Mount Haitang, but now someone has paid a fortune to book the entire mountain."

"Don't overthink it. It has nothing to do with us."

Ruan Tang frowned. Though she said that, she was still bothered. She had celebrated her birthday at the Haitang Hotel ever since she was a child. Even after her grandmother passed away and she stopped celebrating, she still made a point to visit every year, just to reminisce. It was a pity she wouldn't be able to go tomorrow.

"Look at what other people's men do for them, and then look at you!" Ruan Lan slurred, emboldened by the alcohol as she pointed an accusing finger at Xu Lai.

"What if I told you that I was the one who booked it? Would you believe me?" Xu Lai asked calmly.

"You might as well say you plucked a star from the sky."

After that snide comment, Ruan Lan swayed, collapsed onto the sofa, and was instantly fast asleep, snoring softly.

Ruan Tang shot Xu Lai an apologetic glance and then turned to coax her daughter to bed.

...

The night was as cool as water, yet East Sea City was buzzing with unusual activity.

The memory of Ruan Tang being driven out of the Ruan Family home five years ago was still fresh in everyone's minds, serving as a popular topic for post-dinner gossip. Especially now—with Mount Haitang booked solid for the next day. By comparison, Ruan Tang's situation seemed all the more pitiful.

「Ruan Family.」

Ruan Qingshan's family of three had been having a rough time lately. Their failure to secure a marriage alliance with the Fang Family had earned them a furious lecture from the old patriarch. Fortunately, after they knelt and apologized to Ruan Tang, the Fang Family hadn't made things too difficult for them.

"Ruan Tang is going to be utterly humiliated tomorrow. The whole of East Sea City is waiting for the show," Ruan Jin said with a cheerful laugh.

"That little bitch, making us kneel and apologize. She deserves this!" Song Ru couldn't have been more delighted.

"It's a shame we can't be there to see it in person," Ruan Qingshan remarked with a hint of regret.

"By the way, Father, I have a friend in real estate. He can sneak us into the villa at the summit of Mount Haitang for a day," Ruan Jin suddenly announced.

Ruan Qingshan's eyes lit up. "The Tower King at the summit?"

"That's the one."

"Excellent! You handle the arrangements. It's best if we go in the next day or two. Move as quickly as possible," Ruan Qingshan exclaimed joyfully.

The old patriarch had coveted the villas at the foot of the mountain for half his life. If he could stay in the Tower King villa at the summit for even one day... he'd probably wake up laughing from his dreams!

"Yes, Father. But my friend only manages the Tower King. To stay there, we'll probably have to give him a significant favor," Ruan Jin said hesitantly.

"Give him whatever he wants!" Ruan Qingshan gritted his teeth.

As long as he could regain the old patriarch's trust, what did a few favors matter? In the future, the entire Ruan Family would be his!

...

Ruan Tang had a dream.

In the dream, she was paddling a small boat across a boundless sea. The water was perfectly calm, without a single ripple. The surface of the sea mirrored the brilliant, dazzling sky, and a long, stone bridge stretched from the earth to the heavens.

People hurried across the bridge, but strangely, they were all walking in the same direction.

Among the crowd was a kind-faced, unassuming, white-haired old woman.

Ruan Tang, still rowing her boat, blinked hard. That old woman was—

Grandma!

"Grandma!"

Ruan Tang shouted with all her might, but the old woman on the bridge never looked back, simply continuing her slow, steady walk.

Time seemed to stretch on indefinitely. It felt like a day, a year, or even a lifetime before Grandma finally reached the end of the bridge.

Just as her figure was about to vanish from sight, she suddenly turned. It was as if she was looking back at the path she had traveled, or perhaps looking at Ruan Tang in the small boat on the sea.

Grandma's kind face wore a smile tinged with reluctance. She left behind a single sentence—

"Tangtang, Grandma misses you."

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