Yiyi beamed. "I like Daddy the best, too!"

However, after giving it some thought, the little girl began counting on her fingers and added, "I also like Mommy, and Auntie, and Beibei. I like Xiao Hei too, and Mao Dou, and Qian..."

"That's enough, my girl." Xu Lai quickly interjected, "That will do."

From not far away, Qian Xiao clutched the kindergarten gate's iron bars, his face a mask of grievance. "Uncle Xu, why don't you let Yiyi finish?"

It hurts not to hear her say she 'likes' me! Who knows when the big boss will express her true feelings again? Ah... does this count as a confession?

As Kid Qian thought about it, he even started to feel flustered. He turned around and said, "Yiyi, I also like... MMMPH, MMMPH?"

Qian Xiao's eyes went wide.

Strange, why can't I speak?

"Humph." Xu Lai curled his lip. Trying to flirt with my little Xiao Mian'ao? In your dreams.

As for the invitation from the East Sea Wushu Association, Xu Lai hadn't discarded it, but instead stuffed it into his Storage Space.

If I have time in the next day or two, I might as well go take a look. I could offer those fellows a pointer or two to prevent the Moon Clan from constantly showing up on Earth and disturbing my peaceful life.

"Sigh, a heavy responsibility and a long road ahead," Xu Lai lamented as he carried his precious daughter home.

Snow was still falling in Haitang Court, where it had accumulated to a full twenty centimeters, nearly submerging Yiyi's little legs.

SQUEAL! SQUEAL!

The Gold Swallowing Beast rolled around in the snow, making Yiyi eager to try it herself.

She shot a sneaky glance at her dad and mommy in the living room, then lay on the ground and rolled around once.

"Yiyi, you..."

Ruan Lan didn't stay at school to study after her classes. Instead, she had returned to Haitang Court, planning to treat herself to a big meal as a reward for her 'hard work.' But when she saw her niece letting her wild side out, she immediately grew a bit angry.

"Auntie, don't tell Daddy and Mommy..." Yiyi quickly stood up, looking pitifully at Ruan Lan, afraid she'd be scolded for getting her clothes dirty by rolling in the snow.

"How could you have all this fun by yourself and not even call me to join?" Ruan Lan said unhappily, puffing out her cheeks.

Yiyi was speechless.

She hadn't expected her aunt to not only refrain from lecturing her but also... No, wait. This is a reprimand too.

They say goofy girls have the most fun, and under the influence of her goofy aunt, the once-hesitant Xu Yiyi completely let herself go. She followed Ruan Lan, rolling all over the backyard in every which way. Ruan Lan even goaded Yiyi into riding Xiao Hei around the yard, causing chaos.

Watching them, Ruan Tang felt a mixture of helplessness and a burgeoning headache. "Ruan Lan doesn't act like an aunt at all. And Yiyi, too, isn't she afraid of catching a cold? This won't do; I have to stop them."

"Don't."

Xu Lai, who was in the kitchen cooking, put down his knife and hurried to embrace Ruan Tang from behind. He rested his head on his dear wife's fragrant shoulder and said with a smile, "Just let them go wild. With me here, they won't catch a cold."

"It doesn't matter who's here."

"If you don't listen, I'll have to resort to some family discipline, you know," Xu Lai teased, raising his eyebrows.

"Family discipline?" Ruan Tang's brows furrowed slightly. "You wouldn't dare!"

Xu Lai lifted his arm with a grin. "You'll see whether I dare or not."

"Pah, you flirtatious man!" Ruan Tang muttered.

She knew, of course, what Xu Lai's raised hand implied, but she still felt a little indignant. Would he actually dare to spank me?

Xu Lai indeed didn't have the heart to spank her.

Instead, he gave her bottom a gentle squeeze...

"Xu Lai!!!" Ruan Tang's face became scorching hot as she glared fiercely at him.

"Keep complaining and you'll really get some family discipline!" Xu Lai glared back.

Ruan Tang was speechless for a moment, then bit her lip angrily. "If they catch a cold," she said, enunciating every word, "I'll castrate you!"

Xu Lai held his forehead. Does she have to be so ruthless?

He leaned close to Ruan Tang's ear and whispered, "Don't be mad. You must be tired after a long day at work, right? Go back to our room, and I'll give you a massage. Dinner is beef stew, but it still needs another half hour."

Ruan Tang rolled her eyes flirtatiously.

It's not that I'm tired. It's more likely that Xu Lai just wants to take advantage of me and act like a rogue.

If this had happened before, she might have feigned resistance while letting Xu Lai take some small liberties, but now…

"I'm not tired," she said coolly.

"I think you're tired."

"Say one more word and, believe it or not, I'll throw you in the pot to stew with the beef!"

"You want to eat me? No need to stew, you can have me raw."

Ruan Tang's face darkened. "Xu Lai, that's enough! If you say any more nonsense, you can sleep on a mat by the front door!"

Xu Lai pouted.

Alright, my dear wife is getting more and more cruel. Before, when she was angry, she'd say 'sleep on the sofa' or on a mat in the living room. Now she's banishing me to the front door...

Although it wasn't cold atop Mount Haitang, if Xu Lai really got kicked out, what would the stray cats and dogs think of him? What would the flowers and plants think? And what would Xiao Hei, Beibei, and the Dragon Spirit think of him?

So, Xu Lai cleared his throat and devoted himself completely to preparing dinner.

Seeing this, the corners of Ruan Tang's lips curved into a smile, though it quickly faded.

Dinner was sumptuous.

Throughout the entire East Sea, snow was only falling on Mount Haitang. The family of four gathered together, eating beef stew and watching the snow flutter outside the window as they exhaled puffs of warm air.

"By the way, Sis, Xiaoxiao gave me a deck of Dare Cards. Let's play tonight," Ruan Lan said, full of interest.

"Dare Cards?" Ruan Tang frowned. What was that?

"They have tasks written on them, and whoever draws a card has to do what it says," Ruan Lan explained with a grin. "I haven't even looked at them yet, but I heard they're perfect for couples. You, me, and brother-in-law... Hmm... let's leave Yiyi out of it."

"No," Ruan Tang refused immediately.

It sounds a bit like Truth or Dare, so absolutely not. What if the tasks are too extreme? After all, it's not just her and Xu Lai.

"Our family is a democracy; let's vote on it," Ruan Lan challenged. "All in favor, raise your hand!" She promptly raised her own.

Ruan Tang kept her hand down. She glanced at Xu Lai, pleased with his lack of reaction, and was just about to curve her lips into a smile of praise when she saw Xu Lai raise his hand as well.

That made it two against one!

Ruan Tang glared at him. "Xu Lai? You—"

"Democracy," Xu Lai said solemnly.

"Fine." Ruan Tang nodded, then turned a gentle gaze on her daughter. "Yiyi..."

"I don't know anything," Xu Yiyi said, blinking her big eyes. "So Yiyi abstains."

Ruan Tang was speechless.

So much for being my sweet little Xiao Mian'ao. Why is she suddenly not on my side?

"Lady Ruan, you can't go back on your word now," Ruan Lan giggled.

With that, she ran off to fetch the deck of cards from her backpack and started opening it. As Ruan Tang caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye, a flicker of panic flashed through them.

This is outrageous! Kissing, hugging... I can't even bear to look at them.

"Wow, this is intense," Ruan Lan blurted out, equally taken aback. I didn't expect these cards to have absolutely no limits.

"Cough." Xu Lai cleared his throat. "Maybe we should just forget it."

"No way!" Ruan Lan and, surprisingly, even Ruan Tang protested at the same time.

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