If Ruan Lan had been here and seen the man's face, her own would have certainly turned ice-cold. This man was none other than her paternal uncle's son—Ruan Jin!

Some time ago, on a cruise ship during the Sea Temple Festival, security guards had thrown Ruan Jin from the third deck into the sea. The water was bone-chillingly cold, and he choked on mouthfuls of seawater. The worst part was being chased for several hours by a shark that appeared out of nowhere.

As a result, he had to lie in the hospital for several days and had just been discharged yesterday. Even the female companion he had spent a small fortune to impress immediately left him after they were both thrown into the water.

This incident became a running joke among the second-generation circles in East Sea City, causing Ruan Jin to lose all face.

Filled with resentment, Ruan Jin wished he could flay Xu Lai and Ruan Lan alive, but he couldn't afford to provoke those two right now. After all, Xu Lai had close ties with the Eighth Master of Liu City as well as Su Daiyi, the Pearl of the Su Family from Hangcheng. And Ruan Lan… in the eyes of Ruan Jin, his parents, and his grandfather, she was still having an affair with the Eighth Master of Liu City.

Fortunately, persistence pays off.

During his hospital stay, a friend introduced Ruan Jin to a famous master from Hong Kong. He was not only adept at performing rituals, but it was also rumored that his "Distance Curse" could kill invisibly, leaving no traces behind. It only required an article of clothing previously worn by the target to cast the spell.

And so, an idea began to form in Ruan Jin's mind.

He posted on the Dongli University forum and spent a few thousand yuan to have one of Ruan Lan's classmates share the link with her.

As expected, Ruan Lan took the job.

"To get what I wanted for a mere hundred thousand yuan was just too easy," Ruan Jin laughed maniacally.

He didn't want to kill Xu Lai. At least, not until he got what he wanted; Xu Lai couldn't die yet.

The Above the White Clouds company was growing by the day, with its annual revenue surpassing the Ruan Family's several times over. On top of that, there was the Haitang Court, worth five hundred million…

Deep greed filled Ruan Jin's eyes; he wanted it all. By threatening Ruan Tang and Ruan Lan with Xu Lai's life, he was confident the two women would take the bait.

"A cheap woman who bore a child out of wedlock and a mistress kept by the Eighth Master, why should they live better than me?" Ruan Jin clenched the tote bag in his hand and said, word by word, "I am the true heir of the Ruan Family. All of this should be mine!"

There was a time when Ruan Tang's family of four couldn't hold their heads high in the Ruan Family and were the targets of ridicule for Ruan Jin and his parents. But now, Ruan Tang and Ruan Lan were living better than anyone. How could Ruan Jin tolerate this? He was jealous and envious, but most of all, he hated them.

You're just low-class people. You aren't meant to live glorious lives. You should just be the dregs at the bottom of society, where you belong.

Ruan Jin sneered. He reached into his tote bag and pulled out the item inside.

Instantly, a pungent stench of urine forced him to hastily drop the sock in his hand.

"DAMMIT!"

When he got a clear look at what it was, Ruan Jin was about to lose his mind. He had spent a hundred thousand yuan just to buy a single, reeking sock. And only one at that! Was this something a sane person would do?

But Ruan Jin still pinched his nose and stuffed the sock back into the tote bag.

Now, everything was ready. All he had to do was wait for the master's arrival.

"Two days. Just two more days, and I won't be the same person anymore!" Ruan Jin murmured to himself as a cold light flickered in his eyes.

* * *

At nine o'clock in the morning in the school infirmary, Liu Nanwei was surprised when Xu Lai walked in. "Hey, Director Xu, why didn't Anna come?"

"She went home," Xu Lai said.

Yesterday, Xu Lai had handed the three Two-Winged Angels over to Anna. He didn't pay much attention to how she dealt with them, but he was sure the outcome was brutal. Afterward, Anna left Earth and headed straight for the Western Immortal Domain.

Xu Lai was unaware that upon returning to the Angel Clan, Anna had enacted dozens of decrees with great resolve. One of them was to completely recall her clanspeople from the Milky Way and the hundreds of thousands of surrounding star systems.

Provoking The Supreme Emperor was something that could happen once. If it happened again, Anna and her sister would definitely be furious enough to cough up blood!

"Went home?" Liu Nanwei said gossipingly. "Could it be that your wife got angry, so you..."

"Get back to work," Xu Lai said wearily.

"Oh." Liu Nanwei responded with little enthusiasm. With no students visiting the infirmary all morning, it was terribly boring without some conversation.

Zhou Feng, who was usually practically invisible, pushed up his glasses and suddenly spoke with an air of mystery, "Director Xu, Dr. Liu, a world-altering event happened last night!"

"Huh?" Liu Nanwei's face was a picture of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Zhou Feng grew anxious. "I'm not making it up! Last night around six or seven, it got dark here, right? But in Europe and America, which have a different time zone... no, the entire Earth was suddenly enveloped in darkness!"

Liu Nanwei frowned. "If something that big happened, how come I didn't see any news about it?"

"The news was blocked by all the major media! My old university group chat was dead for half a year, but last night it completely exploded. My friends all work abroad, on every continent, and they were all saying it might be the end of the world. They booked flights back home, saying that if they had to die, they wanted to die in their hometown..." Zhou Feng said gravely. "Also, on the highway on the outskirts of East Sea City, many drivers claimed they saw angels flying in the sky, radiating a dazzling holy light!"

"Angels?" Liu Nanwei looked skeptical. "Zhou Feng, you're getting more and more outrageous. If angels have appeared, then where are the demons?"

Zhou Feng was insistent. "Why would I lie to you? Director Xu, do you believe me?"

"I do," Xu Lai nodded. "Anna is that angel, but the world isn't ending."

Yesterday, Anna hadn't concealed her aura in the slightest, so it wasn't surprising that she was seen. He had no intention of hiding it either.

Liu Nanwei and Zhou Feng exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads. "Director Xu, this joke isn't funny."

Xu Lai sighed. As expected, no one believes the truth.

"I think we should stock up on three years' worth of water and food at home," Zhou Feng said, looking worried. "To prepare for any disasters that might be coming."

"Don't worry," Xu Lai reassured him with a wry smile. "If the sky falls, there will be someone tall enough to hold it up. And if the world ends, someone will protect the Earth. All we need to do is live every day happily."

"But what if it really is the end of the world?"

"It won't be. Because I said so," Xu Lai stated calmly.

Those simple words were like a Sea-Calming Divine Needle settling in Zhou Feng's heart, instantly calming his unease.

BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ.

His phone vibrated. Xu Lai looked down and saw it was a call from Ruan Tang. He answered it.

"Xu Lai, are you busy today? If not, come to my company. I have something to ask you," Ruan Tang's voice was strange, a mix of excitement and bewilderment.

"Okay."

Xu Lai hung up and stood. "I'll leave this place to you two. I have something to take care of."

Liu Nanwei nodded. "Go ahead, Director Xu. We've got this."

Xu Lai drove leisurely to the entrance of the Above the White Clouds company but didn't hurry upstairs. Instead, his gaze fixed on a beggar in front of the building, his body covered in grime, cupping a bowl in his hands.

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