The figure carefully closed the door. Seeing the room was pitch-black, their eyes darted about.

Sitting beneath the window, Xu Lai didn't even open his eyes. It was Ruan Lan.

Ruan Lan groped her way to the side of the bed in the dark. "Where's my brother-in-law?" Finding no one there, she froze in confusion.

"What are you doing?" Xu Lai finally spoke.

The voice suddenly came from beside the window, scaring Ruan Lan into a scream. "AAAH! A ghost!"

Resigned, Xu Lai turned on the light. Fortunately, the room was well soundproofed, so her scream didn't carry across the hall. Otherwise, not even ten mouths could have explained this away.

When the lights came on, Ruan Lan saw it was Xu Lai and said angrily, "You rotten brother-in-law! You weren't in bed! Were you sitting under the window just to scare me on purpose?"

Xu Lai raised an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, this is *my* room. The real question is, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? I thought you went to sleep."

"I… I…" Ruan Lan blushed and fidgeted. "I need your help with something, but it's a little embarrassing to ask."

Deep in the night. A man and woman, alone in a room. A brother-in-law and his young sister-in-law.

Xu Lai's expression turned grave. "I can't do anything to betray your sister, Ruan Lan. Please, have some self-respect!"

Ruan Lan stared at him blankly.

She was just so hungry she couldn't sleep and wanted him to make a late-night snack. Where on earth did his mind go?

Her face darkened. "I'm hungry. Go make some food."

"No." Xu Lai pouted. "I have a responsibility to my future brother-in-law. I can't let him marry a pig. Go back to sleep."

Dark lines appeared on Ruan Lan's forehead.

"Fine." She huffed and promptly lay down on Xu Lai's bed.

Now it was Xu Lai's turn for his face to darken. "What are you doing?"

"I'm asleep. I can't hear you," Ruan Lan said lazily.

She's a sophomore in college, so why is she acting like a child?

With a serious expression, Xu Lai said, "Get up, quickly. Your sister is here."

"Yeah, right. Don't try to fool me." Ruan Lan snorted. "My sister never enters a man's room. It's been that way since we were little."

"She really is here."

"I'm Ruan Lan; I've seen it all. You think a childish trick like that is going to fool me? Dream on! Brother-in-law, either make me food or shut up!" she declared. "Otherwise, I'll just plant myself here all night!"

As she spoke, the door swung open. It moved so quietly that Ruan Lan neither saw nor heard it.

Xu Lai glanced at his wife and asked leisurely, "Aren't you afraid she'll find out?"

"If I were, I wouldn't have come!"

After Ruan Lan spoke, she felt the temperature in the room plummet. An icy chill ran down her spine. Looking toward the door, her expression instantly went blank.

Why is my sister here?!

Ruan Lan turned her head stiffly, glaring daggers at Xu Lai. "You set me up!"

"I was telling the truth the whole time. You just refused to believe me," Xu Lai said with a noncommittal shrug.

Ruan Lan covered her face and tiptoed off the bed, trying to sneak away while muttering under her breath, "You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me..."

Ruan Tang's expression was grim. She had suddenly remembered something she needed to discuss with Xu Lai, but when she opened the door, she found a scene straight out of a nightmare. Her own sister—who had just claimed she was 'too tired and going to sleep'—was lying in Xu Lai's bed in thin pajamas, boldly declaring that she would 'plant herself here' and wasn't 'afraid' of being caught.

Ruan Tang felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. Her worst fear had come true.

She grabbed her sister by the back of the neck, her voice ice-cold. "When did this start?"

"Sister, this is a misunderstanding…" Ruan Lan forced a smile. "Brother-in-law, hurry up and explain!"

"Paper can't wrap up a fire. Now that the secret's out, there's no hiding it." Xu Lai shook his head. "Accept your fate."

Ruan Lan panicked. She could feel a murderous aura radiating from her sister, and the hand clutching her neck was gradually tightening…

She wailed tearfully, "I was wrong, brother-in-law! I shouldn't have pestered you to make food! Please, save me!"

"You did nothing wrong. The mistake was all mine."

Ruan Lan dissolved into sobs. I'm done for. I'm doomed!

"Well, cleaning up the house is going to be a real chore," Xu Lai hinted darkly.

Is he even human? Xu Lai, for the love of god, have a heart!

But her will to survive forced Ruan Lan to grit her teeth and say, "From now on, I'll sweep and mop the floors."

"And the dishes?"

"I'll wash them!" Ruan Lan said indignantly. "Aside from cooking, I won't let you or your wife lift a single finger. Satisfied now?"

Xu Lai nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, honey, you can let her go now."

Ruan Tang's face remained frosty as she stood in silence.

Gradually realizing the gravity of the situation, Xu Lai explained everything from the beginning, repeatedly declaring his innocence. Ruan Lan nodded along desperately, looking pitiful. "I was really just hungry! We're completely innocent."

"Is that all?" Ruan Tang asked skeptically.

"Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm." Ruan Lan nodded again. "Besides, sis, you know my situation."

"What situation?" Now it was Ruan Tang's turn to be perplexed.

After a long hesitation, Ruan Lan bit her lip and whispered something in her sister's ear. Then, covering her flushed face, she added, "Sis, you absolutely cannot tell anyone, okay?"

"Are you planning to stay single your whole life? Absolutely not!" Ruan Tang exclaimed anxiously.

Ruan Lan sighed. Getting my sister to keep a secret is mission impossible.

She decided to throw caution to the wind. "Games are fun, anime is great, and there's so much delicious food out there. Why would I want some smelly guy to make my life miserable? What's so bad about being a carefree salted fish?"

"This generation has no ambition," Xu Lai remarked, shaking his head.

"You shut up!" Ruan Tang glared at Xu Lai before turning back to her sister. "Ruan Lan, come with me."

"Oh," Ruan Lan replied reluctantly. But just as she was closing the door behind her, she shot Xu Lai a sly, cunning wink from behind her sister's back.

Xu Lai chuckled. Tsk, tsk. Tricking her own sister. He couldn't resist calling out, "Don't forget about the cleaning!"

Ruan Lan's smile stiffened.

About an hour later, Ruan Tang returned to Xu Lai's room, looking exhausted.

He asked with concern, "How's our little sister doing?"

"With my guidance, she has given up on her previous dangerous ideas. She even said she wants to find a boyfriend to experience what love is like," Ruan Tang said with a relieved smile.

My poor, silly wife. If your sister sold you, you'd probably help her count the cash.

Though he was criticizing her inwardly, Xu Lai praised her aloud, "My wife is amazing!"

"Heh." Ruan Tang's expression instantly turned cold. "Don't think a few compliments will make me forgive you. Ruan Lan is a young woman. What would happen to her reputation if word got out that you let her into your room in the middle of the night?" she demanded.

"Then I'll just take care of her, too," Xu Lai replied casually.

As the magnificent Supreme Emperor of the Heavenly Court and Lord of the Four Immortal Domains, looking after his future sister-in-law was a trivial matter.

But to Ruan Tang's ears, those words took on an entirely different meaning.

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