"Who threatens people like that?" Ruan Tang glared. "Xu Lai, don't go too far."

Without another word, Xu Lai tickled her again. Ruan Tang immediately dissolved into helpless laughter, a charming blush spreading across her face, born of pure vexation.

She bit her lip, enunciating every word, "Even if I, Ruan Tang, were to die—even if I had to jump off the cliff by the pool—I would not scream."

"Impressive."

Xu Lai admired his wife's steely resolve, so he tickled her a few more times.

At first, Ruan Tang could bear it, but soon enough—

"Ah, stop! I was wrong, Hubby, don't…"

In her room on the second floor, Ruan Lan was getting quite annoyed. She jumped off her bed, slammed the window shut, and grumbled indignantly, "Young people these days are just too much. Can't they wait until they're in their room to get all hot and heavy? Don't they know there's an innocent young woman here?!"

***

Back at the poolside, Ruan Tang glared at Xu Lai as if she wanted to skin him alive.

What kind of husband or boyfriend torments their partner like this? He's such a bully!

Xu Lai coughed. A sudden mischievous impulse had taken hold of him, and he had only wanted to be a little cheeky. He hadn't expected his wife to get so genuinely angry, or for the consequences to be potentially so severe.

He sat up straight and said apologetically, "You can tickle my feet, too. I'm also ticklish. Then we'll be even."

"...I'm not as perverted as you are. And besides, I'm afraid you have athlete's foot."

"I don't. Smell them if you don't believe me."

"???"

Ruan Tang's expression darkened. But when she saw Xu Lai actually lift his foot, she scrambled backward, shrieking, "Get it away from me! I'm not smelling it!"

That evening, Ruan Tang came to a simple conclusion: Some men just deserve a beating.

But Xu Lai insisted on gender equality and an eye for an eye, so his foot crept closer…

"I forgive you! I really won't smell it!"

Ruan Tang swam to the corner of the pool. Finding no escape, she gripped the edge to try and climb out. But she was too hasty, and her arm gave way. She stumbled backward, not into the water, but directly into Xu Lai's arms.

"Stop running," Xu Lai whispered. "I'm not going to eat you."

Ruan Tang looked into Xu Lai's eyes and said nothing. Xu Lai gazed back, also silent.

Aside from the distant sound of the waves, the only sounds in the pool were the twin heartbeats of Xu Lai and Ruan Tang.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Ruan Tang didn't know why her heart was suddenly pounding so fast, but she could feel it clearly.

Under the moonlight, in the pool, a peculiar atmosphere began to weave itself around the embracing pair. It was somewhat intimate, somewhat romantic, and somewhat… bewildering.

Ruan Tang didn't avert her gaze, as clear as spring water, as she said softly, "It's getting late. We should go upstairs and sleep."

Xu Lai didn't let go. His voice, magnetic and gentle, replied, "How about that kiss I owe you? Let's do it now."

Ruan Tang's eyelashes trembled. She murmured her assent and slowly closed her eyes.

White petals of snow began to drift down from the sky, and in no time, they had blanketed the ground in white.

「Early December.」

East Sea City saw its first snowfall after the start of winter.

***

The first winter snow fell for an entire night, blanketing East Sea City in silver, transforming it into a city of snow. Although professionals cleared the urban center and major roads, the city's young people were still buzzing with excitement.

Couples and groups of friends went out to build snowmen in their apartment courtyards and on school playgrounds.

Even Yiyi was ecstatic when she woke up. She immediately wanted to run barefoot into the yard to play in the snow. This was the first time she had seen snow in her five years.

"Put on your shoes and get dressed!" Ruan Tang called after her, holding out the pair of indoor cotton slippers she had bought for her a while ago.

After slipping them on, Yiyi plunged straight into a snowdrift in the backyard. The snow in Haitang Court was quite deep, and the little girl sank halfway into it.

"Daddy, Mommy, come out for a snowball fight!" Xu Yiyi chirped excitedly.

A glance at the time showed it wasn't even eight o'clock yet. They wouldn't have to get her to school until nine. Besides, they could always fly there.

"Coming!" Xu Lai took off his apron and dashed into the backyard.

Meanwhile, his sister-in-law, Ruan Lan, who was still lazing in bed, heard her niece's excited cries. She pulled open the curtains, saw the snow, and let out a whoop of her own, rushing downstairs without even changing out of her camisole nightgown.

The moment she reached the backyard, she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's so cold."

"Auntie, come play with us!" Xu Yiyi said expectantly, giving Ruan Lan a hug.

However, the little girl had already made a dozen snowballs. Her hands were freezing, and as she hugged Ruan Lan's legs, the cold made goosebumps erupt on her skin.

"Wait for me to go back and change!" Impatient as ever, Ruan Lan declared, before storming back upstairs.

Joyful scenes like this were playing out in many corners of East Sea City. Inside the Ruan Family villa, however, the atmosphere was bleak. Forget joy; the few people in the living room wore grim expressions.

They had heard last night that the Taoist from Harbour City, Dongfang Xun, was nothing but a fraud. He had supposedly been beaten up by the Leading Families of the thirteen cities in Jiangnan and was now saddled with over a hundred million in debt. His whereabouts were unknown.

At first, Ruan Jin and his family of four refused to believe it, but after pulling some significant strings, they confirmed the news was true.

And—most importantly—Xu Lai was completely unharmed!

Upon learning this, the four of them felt as if they had been struck by Heavenly Thunder, unable to utter a single word for a full half hour.

"We've been deceived by Dongfang Xun…" Old Master Ruan Su slumped into his chair. The spirited figure from two days ago was gone, replaced by a man who felt as if the sky were falling.

This wasn't just about being tricked out of a hundred million by Dongfang Xun. With Xu Lai unharmed, they had no leverage to threaten Ruan Tang and Ruan Lan. Naturally, the two women would never hand over Haitang Court and Above the White Clouds. This meant they had no way to repay the money owed to the bank.

In other words… the Ruan Family was finished!

"Ruan Jin, didn't you say Dongfang Xun was reliable?" the old master glared at his grandson, his voice raw.

Ruan Jin let out a ragged breath. He had been trying to call Dongfang Xun all night to no avail. His eyes were bloodshot as he gripped his phone, remaining silent.

Five hundred million. How could they possibly repay that?

If they failed to repay the debt on time, the Ruan Family would become the laughingstock of the entire city. They would become blacklisted debtors, facing restrictions on all high-end spending.

"Son, say something! What do we do now?" Song Ru was in a full-blown panic.

"At this point, the only thing we can do is quickly transfer all the remaining money in the company and run," Ruan Jin said through clenched teeth.

"Run? No!" Ruan Su slammed his hand on the table. "This is my life's work! I won't leave!"

"Suit yourself." Ruan Jin stood up. "Dad, Mom, hurry home and pack your things. We'll go hide out in the northwest!"

"You…" Ruan Su's finger trembled as he pointed at Ruan Jin, too angry to speak. He never imagined that his own grandson, who had always been the very model of filial piety, would dare to speak to him this way.

Ruan Su turned to his eldest son, Ruan Qingshan, and raged, "Qingshan, is this how you raise your son?"

"Dad, don't worry. You just stay here and look after the house," Ruan Qingshan said placatingly. "I'll go with Ruan Jin and Song Ru to raise money. We'll definitely come back once we have it."

Ruan Su gave a miserable smile.

He knew he had lost.

At this critical moment, his beloved eldest son and his own grandson were preparing to abandon him, an old man, to save themselves.

The Ruan Family company… It was his life's work!

With the money gone, Ruan Jin no longer bothered to feign filial piety toward his grandfather. He took out his phone and called Wan Yan, the young master of the Wan Family. The call was quickly answered.

"Brother Wan, it's Ruan Jin," he said obsequiously. "Is now a good time? There's something I'd like to discuss with you in person."

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