Silence lingered on the other end of the line. No one spoke.

Yet Ruan Jin could still hear a clamor in the background, which sounded like a group of young men and women talking.

"It's snowing at our school! It's so beautiful!"

"You bet! The snowscape at Dongli is famous among all the colleges in East Sea."

"Alright, kids, stop chattering and let's have a snowball fight before the snow gets cleared away. Dad's going to take on three of you at once today!"

"..."

Although Wan Yan hadn't said a word, Ruan Jin guessed where he was.

Gone was the arrogance he'd shown when speaking with Wan Yan and the bank manager. Now, he asked cautiously, with a fawning tone, "Brother Wan, are you at Dongli University?"

"What is it?"

Wan Yan's voice was frigid.

Ever since learning of Xu Lai's true power from his grandfather, Wan Yuanshan, he no longer dared to associate with the Ruan Family.

His last visit to the Ruan estate had been a decisive break. More importantly, his grandfather's decision to bring only him along to meet Mr. Xu at Dongli University was deeply meaningful.

So, when Ruan Jin called, his attitude was ice-cold.

"Brother Wan, our Ruan Family is willing to forgo our three-hundred-million investment in your Wan Family's real estate project. Do you think you could return two hundred million?" Ruan Jin asked with a dry laugh. "If not, one hundred and fifty million would also work."

This was a very profitable deal, he thought. The Wan Family only needed to pay a portion of the money owed to the Ruan Family a few years ahead of schedule to make a net profit of over one hundred million.

But Wan Yan didn't respond. He simply hung up.

Ruan Jin stamped his foot, his expression incredibly gloomy. He had hoped to get some money back from the Wan Family to flee abroad and enjoy a few more years of comfort.

That hope was now completely crushed!

But he wasn't ready to give up.

He had invested over three hundred million in the Wan Family! If he could just get back one hundred million—no, even just ten million would be enough for him to live extravagantly in the country for a while.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going to Dongli University to find Wan Yan. I'll see if I can get any of that money back," Ruan Jin said with a sullen look.

"We'll go too," Ruan Qingshan and Song Ru said hurriedly. They were afraid their son would abandon them just as he had the old master, though the chance of that was small.

"Ruan Jin, are you really leaving me behind?" Ruan Su asked in disbelief, watching the family of three depart.

"You old coot, none of this would have happened if you had just handed the Ruan Family over to me sooner! The Ruan Family's decline started when you got injured!" Ruan Jin cursed as he left.

"You animals! You're all animals!"

Ruan Su raged, cursing endlessly but utterly helpless. He slumped in his chair, his face a mask of misery as he sobbed uncontrollably.

Did he have regrets? Of course. But more than regret, there was resentment. He resented that charlatan Dongfang Xun. If Xu Lai had just been seriously injured, would the Ruan Family be scattering like monkeys from a fallen tree?

* * *

On the snowy ground outside the medical office at Dongli University, Wan Yuanshan looked at his grandson, Wan Yan, and frowned. "What was that about?"

"It was Ruan Jin."

After Wan Yan briefly explained, the elder Wan spoke icily. "Watch your words and actions. Have nothing more to do with the Ruan Family, lest you displease Mr. Xu."

"Yes, Grandfather," Wan Yan replied hastily.

Standing not far away was Niu Guihua, the Family Head of the Niu Family from Hua City. With a full head of white hair, she stood tall with her hands clasped behind her back. Beside her, a breathtakingly beautiful young woman—her granddaughter—held an umbrella.

Also present were the heads of three other Leading Families.

They were fortunate. Or perhaps, they had provided enough benefits to Su Daiyi and Old Jiang Ba to earn this opportunity to purchase Magic Artifacts from Xu Lai. After all, only Su Daiyi knew Xu Lai's salary bank account number. "First come, first served" really just meant they had to curry favor with Su Daiyi.

The five Family Heads were all astute individuals, each trying to guess the nature of the relationship between Xu Lai and Su Daiyi. Niu Guihua, being the most shrewd, had brought her own granddaughter along. If she could just establish a connection with Xu Lai, what was to stop the Niu Family from soaring to new heights?

Waiting was tedious.

But it was well worth it.

* * *

At Haitang Court, Xu Lai was unaware that people were waiting for him at the door of the school's medical office. He was busy having a snowball fight with his daughter.

Joining Yiyi were Ruan Tang and Ruan Lan. Even Beibei had entered the fray.

It was four against one.

Xu Lai showed no mercy at all.

The result, naturally, was a resounding victory for him.

The sisters Ruan Tang and Ruan Lan, along with Beibei, each got hit by dozens of snowballs, bringing tears to their eyes. Xu Yiyi was hit the least, with only three or five light, scattered snowballs.

Of course, Xu Lai himself was hit with hundreds.

Yiyi was having a wonderful time, giggling as she cried, "Again, again!"

Xu Lai checked the time and shook his head. "It's almost nine o'clock. You have to go to school."

Yiyi blinked her big, adorable eyes and pleaded, "Daddy, I want to play a little longer. Can I go to school a bit later?"

"No," Ruan Tang said with a stern face.

Xu Yiyi looked at Xu Lai with a pitiful expression, as if waiting for her father to overrule her mother.

Xu Lai ruffled his daughter's hair and smiled. "Be good. We'll continue when you get back tonight."

"But the snow will be melted by then," Yiyi said worriedly.

The first snow of the season rarely lasted long. This particular snow had started the previous night and had mostly stopped by morning. Once the sun came out, the thin layer would melt into water and wash away.

"Don't worry," Xu Lai smiled. "It will snow all day today."

Yiyi didn't doubt her father for a second and chirped happily, "Then we'll play again tonight!"

Ruan Lan was puzzled. She had just checked the weather forecast, which said no more snow was expected in East Sea City for the next three days. But she didn't correct him, assuming it was just a little white lie her brother-in-law told to appease a child.

"Don't drive today; the traffic will be a nightmare. I'll take Yiyi on the subway," Ruan Lan said, yawning.

Xu Lai was rather surprised. He hadn't expected his sister-in-law to proactively offer to take his daughter to school. It was a bit strange.

He had no idea that Ruan Lan was simply thanking him for helping Yun Xi the day before. There was another reason, too. She figured that after her sister and brother-in-law's wild time in the hot spring pool last night, they definitely needed to catch up on sleep.

"Ah, a considerate little sister like me is a rare find," Ruan Lan sighed sentimentally. "I wonder which lucky man will get to marry me—gentle as water, but with a devil's figure."

Yiyi looked at her with concern. "Little Aunt, my teacher says you shouldn't lie to yourself."

"..."

Leading her niece by the hand down the mountain, Ruan Lan smiled faintly. "Yiyi, you're still young. You don't understand your aunt's charm. You will when you're older."

Before Yiyi could say anything, Ruan Lan's eyes lit up. "Yiyi, want to roll a huge snowball?"

The little girl looked puzzled.

She watched as Ruan Lan packed a small snowball and gave it a push downhill. It quickly began to grow larger, then larger still.

After all, the road from the top of the mountain to the bottom was very, very long.

* * *

The snow in East Sea City had stopped.

On Mount Haitang, however, it began to snow again.

Large, feather-like snowflakes drifted down. The Haitang trees all over the mountain swayed in the wind, a scene so beautiful it could have been an immortal realm.

In the backyard, Ruan Tang gazed at this peerless earthly beauty, so stunned she was lost in a daze.

Xu Lai stood with her, forgoing an umbrella to watch the snow.

After just a few minutes, Ruan Tang's peripheral vision caught their reflection in the French doors behind them. Through the glass, she saw that both she and Xu Lai were covered in a layer of snow.

Her eyes softened, and she smiled gently.

With snow frosting their hair,

They were already growing old together.

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