The road to weight loss is always filled with obstacles. For Ruan Tang, her foodie sister and the master chef Xu Lai were two massive mountains on that road. If she could just cross them, she would be able... to smell the delicious aroma of food wafting up from downstairs.

"Damn it."

Ruan Tang opened the door and shouted, "I'm not eating!"

After saying that, she put on her pajamas, lay on the bed, and tried to use sleep to resist her hunger.

But oh, stomach, why are you growling? You shouldn't be hungry.

Out of sight, out of mind. Sleep, just sleep.

Covering her ears, Ruan Tang forced her eyes shut, but the fragrance made it impossible for her to feel sleepy. Instead, she became even more awake!

...

「Downstairs.」

Ruan Lan excitedly said while playing a game, "Brother-in-law, hurry up!"

Today is a good day. Not only did I beat the game after a week's effort, but I also get to enjoy a delicious late-night snack. What more could a person ask for? Absolutely nothing!

In the kitchen, Xu Lai pursed his lips. He wouldn't have bothered making a late-night snack if Yiyi hadn't mentioned she was hungry at the sound of the word 'meat'.

Xu Lai turned, looking through the huge floor-to-ceiling glass window. He fell into deep thought as he watched his daughter splashing in the pool and chatting with Beibei.

Hmm. Yiyi seems to have gained a little weight... but she's also grown taller, so that's completely understandable. Not a big problem at all.

The late-night snack was ready in no time, and it was even more lavish than dinner.

Ruan Lan was a loyal fan of crayfish. She took a sip of her specially made pearl milk tea, then took a bite of crayfish meat, a blissful expression on her face.

Yiyi, on the other hand, only loved meat. She was now eating the very last piece. If Xu Lai hadn't put some vegetables on her plate, the little girl probably wouldn't have taken a single bite of them.

Before long, footsteps sounded from the stairs. It was Ruan Tang, walking down step by step in her slippers.

Ruan Lan waved. "Sis, come and taste this! It's definitely the most delicious crayfish in the world!"

"...I'm not eating."

"If you're not eating, then why did you come down?"

Ruan Lan tilted her head, then decided to ignore her. "Never mind, never mind. I'll leave you to it."

Xu Lai looked over with a smile. "How about just one bite?"

"..."

Ruan Tang fell into a long, conflicted silence.

The "I'm not eating" she wanted to blurt out eventually turned into, "I'll just have one bite."

Ruan Tang took a bite of the stir-fried pork trotter, and her taste buds seemed to dance. She closed her eyes, savoring the irresistible delicacy in her mind.

"Mommy, have some milk tea," Xu Yiyi said softly.

I shouldn't drink... But can I really refuse that eager look in my daughter's eyes?

Ruan Tang took a sip. At that moment, Ruan Lan handed her another piece of crayfish meat, which Ruan Tang ate without thinking.

"One, two, three. That's three bites now."

Xu Lai sighed. "What about the diet you promised?"

Ruan Tang's face burned with embarrassment.

She had promised to have just one bite, but her mouth and hands had a mind of their own. Now, hearing Xu Lai's teasing, she stomped hard on his foot. "Shut up, and make me a milk tea too!"

"You got it."

Xu Lai complied.

No one in this world can resist the temptation of delicious food. If they can, it simply means the food isn't tasty enough.

...

「An hour later.」

Full and content, Yiyi went to sleep, while Ruan Lan continued to stay up all night grinding a new game.

In the room, Ruan Tang, held in Xu Lai's arms, covered her face. I promised to diet, but I ended up eating the most...

"You don't need to lose weight," Xu Lai said earnestly. "Even if you weighed 900 pounds, I'd still love you."

Ruan Tang: ???

Nine hundred pounds? That's the size of a pig! There's no way I could ever get that fat.

She gritted her teeth and said, "You're still beating around the bush to call me fat."

"I wasn't beating around the bush," Xu Lai said with surprise. "I'm usually just direct about it."

Ruan Tang: ...

She suddenly felt weary and didn't feel like talking to Xu Lai anymore.

Tomorrow. Starting tomorrow, I have to eat less. I have to start my diet!

With strong resolve, Ruan Tang closed her eyes and gradually drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Xu Lai tossed off the covers and got up.

I need to make a trip back to the Immortal Domain. We're out of food at home.

...

...

「The Immortal Domain.」

There are the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Immortal Domains. Strictly speaking, this realm is composed of countless billions of star systems. The Heavenly Court, meanwhile, was situated above the Nine Heavens, directly overseeing the Four Immortal Domains. The Lords of the Immortal Domains, in turn, managed the subordinate star systems and star domains.

However, there were also several billion star systems that were directly governed by the Heavenly Court. This was either for strategic reasons or because they produced a large number of supreme Spirit Plants and Immortal-grade Spirit Veins. The remaining systems were administered by the Four Domain Masters.

Despite this, the Heavenly Court's responsibilities were so numerous they seemed infinite. Otherwise, the First Divine General Taotie wouldn't have been so stressed that his hair had been falling out in clumps over the last three short months.

When Xu Lai returned to the Heavenly Court, he saw Taotie engrossed in official duties and almost didn't recognize him at first glance. The Divine General was gradually going bald.

He's gone bald, but he hasn't gotten any stronger...

The sunken eye sockets, the lifeless eyes, the stooping waist—he looked like an old man with one foot in the grave. Where was the bravado and defiance of being 'second only to the Supreme Emperor'?

Xu Lai couldn't help but pat Taotie's shoulder and remark with a sigh, "You should go rest for a while."

"The Supreme Emperor!?"

Taotie's eyes reddened. The Supreme Emperor had come back to see him. He was so moved! His steadfastness these past days had been worthwhile, profoundly meaningful.

Taotie stretched out his withered hands, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. He was just about to agree when he heard the Supreme Emperor continue, "Come back when your hair has grown back."

"..."

Taotie's expression froze. Come back? That's worse than not leaving at all! The backlog of official duties would make any new hair I grow fall out instantly...

PFFT.

From a corner of the Heavenly Court, a crisp laugh echoed.

Xu Lai looked over and immediately felt a headache coming on.

The woman radiated a pure white holy light. She had long, golden hair and twelve wings that were snowy-white and dazzling. Indeed, it was Anna, a Twelve-winged Archangel and one of the Domain Masters of the Western Immortal Domain.

The reason she was only 'one of' them was that she had a twin sister who also served as a Domain Master.

This woman, standing at the pinnacle of the Immortal Domain's hierarchy, cast a sympathetic glance at Divine General Taotie.

The Supreme Emperor is still the same old devil, making things so difficult for the First Divine General.

Recalling certain past events, a charming blush spread across the archangel's face.

Xu Lai tried to pretend he hadn't seen her.

But Anna stomped her foot and demanded, "Supreme Emperor, have you been avoiding my sister and me? It's been five years, and you haven't seen us once!"

This very girlish gesture left Taotie dumbstruck.

Is this truly Anna, the Twelve-winged Archangel renowned throughout the Western Immortal Domain for her decisive, ruthless, and deadly actions? But then again, the Supreme Emperor had always been far, far too... flirtatious, leaving behind countless romantic debts. But compared to such romantic dalliances, I yearn more for the thrill of charging into a bloody battle, for the razor's-edge pressure of a life-or-death duel against a formidable foe. That is what a real man should do.

"Supreme Emperor, the Western Domain Master has been waiting here for a month. It is my fault for letting her enter without permission," Taotie knelt on one knee, full of self-reproach. "Please punish me, Supreme Emperor!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.