The story was told in a plain, simple way.
But Xu Yiyi listened with rapt attention. After all, this wasn’t one of those hackneyed tales from her mother. Very quickly, she was captivated by the dramatic twists and turns of the story. However...
Ruan Tang seemed even more fascinated. "Then what? What happened to the Heavenly Court that Venerable Qingfeng established after subduing the Taotie?" For original chapters go to novelFɪre.net
Xu Lai looked helplessly at his wife. I’m telling our daughter a bedtime story, why are you so engrossed?
"To find out what happens next, please tune in for the next installment!"
Xu Lai tucked Xu Yiyi in. "Sleep tight, baby."
Xu Yiyi obediently closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep, her small hand still clinging to Xu Lai’s arm, her delicate, beautiful face filled with happiness.
Ruan Tang’s cool eyes stared at Xu Lai. "Don’t rush me," he said. "I’ll leave in another five minutes."
"You can stay for another half an hour and finish the story."
Xu Lai’s expression was complicated. Are you really that captivated?
He rolled his eyes. "I’ll continue tomorrow."
"But I want to hear it now."
Ruan Tang suddenly leaned toward Xu Lai, and he was enveloped by a fragrance that was not overpowering but quite pleasant.
Staring at that flawless, divinely beautiful face, Xu Lai smiled. "Do you really want to hear it?"
"Well, when the opportunity arises, I’ll take you to the Heavenly Court for a look," Xu Lai said softly. "You can see the vast, boundless river of stars with your own eyes and touch the great Ailanthus, a tree one hundred thousand zhang high."
"Stop talking nonsense and tell the story!"
And so, Ruan Tang forcefully made Xu Lai tell the story for another half an hour. When she heard how Venerable Qingfeng single-handedly took down the Black Dragon Clan of the Western Immortal Domain, her beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration. Now that was a real man!
"It’s a pity he’s just a fictional character." Ruan Tang bit her red lip, unable to hide her disappointment. "I can’t ever meet him."
Xu Lai suddenly had the strange feeling of being cuckolded by his past self...
Honey. Wake up. Venerable Qingfeng is me from a hundred thousand years ago!
However, before Xu Lai could reveal the truth, Ruan Tang had closed her eyes and fallen into a deep sleep.
After tucking his wife and daughter in, Xu Lai opened the bedroom door and spent the night on the living room sofa.
Despite her youth, Ruan Lan had the bad habit of sleeping in. When she woke up the next day to see that Ruan Tang and Xu Yiyi were already washed up and ready, she blushed with embarrassment. "Um, I’ve been under a bit of stress lately, so I overslept."
"It’s fine. We’re all family here, no need for excuses," Ruan Tang said with an amused laugh. "Let’s go. We’re heading to the Ruan Family’s estate."
There’s a world of difference between "going to the Ruan Family’s estate" and "returning to the Ruan Family." Ruan Lan’s expression darkened, realizing her sister now treated the Ruan Family as complete strangers.
But perhaps this was for the best. As long as her sister was happy, nothing else mattered.
Xu Lai glanced deeply at Ruan Lan. The truth was, she had woken up much earlier and had been on the phone all morning.
I swear, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.
Even with his powers restrained, his five senses were far superior to an ordinary person’s. He couldn’t help but overhear Ruan Lan pleading with her uncle and parents not to make things difficult for Ruan Tang.
Xu Lai felt even more pity for his sister-in-law. She, too, was a pitiful soul.
The estate was a large, two-story villa located in the suburbs of East Sea City. Right now, the villa was festooned with lights and colorful decorations, including various "happiness" characters. Everyone, from the Ruan family members to their servants, wore smiles.
Because today was a joyous occasion.
A man of about thirty sat in the head seat, with a white-haired old man beside him. These two were none other than Fang An, a Martial Artist from the Fang Family, and Ruan Su, the current head of the Ruan Family.
"Mr. Fang, your presence brings great honor to our Ruan Family!" Ruan Su said with a respectful expression and a restrained smile. "I was just wondering, where might Family Head Fang be at the moment..."
"You’re too kind, Family Head Ruan," Fang An said, shaking his head. "Our family head has caught a slight cold, so he sent me to represent the Fang Family in all matters."
"I see, I see. That’s fine."
Although Ruan Su was disappointed, he didn’t dare let even a hint of it show. Obviously, the Fang Family didn’t place much importance on this marital alliance. Otherwise, why wouldn’t Fang Zheng come to visit his future in-laws and a business partner with whom he would soon be working closely?
Fang An chuckled. He then looked at the people standing on both sides of the hall. Besides the couple he already knew, Ruan Qingshan and Song Ru, and their son, Ruan Jin, there was another middle-aged couple—Ruan Tang and Ruan Lan’s parents.
So they’re Mr. Xu’s father-in-law and mother-in-law?
He immediately stood up and said to Ruan Su, "Family Head Ruan, please, have Uncle Ruan and Auntie Ruan take a seat."
Ruan Su nodded. "Go ahead, sit."
Ruan Qingshan and his family of three sat down, smiling. They naturally assumed Fang An was being polite to them.
So what if you’re a Martial Artist serving the Fang Family? You still have to be courteous to us. After all, once Ruan Lan marries the second young master of the Fang Family, she’ll become their young mistress, even if he is in a vegetative state. As Ruan Lan’s uncle and aunt, and the ones who arranged this marriage, they felt they had contributed greatly!
Sitting across from Ruan Qingshan were Ruan Yinshan and Zhu Fen. After they sat down, Zhu Fen pinched her husband hard and complained resentfully, "Look at your elder brother, strutting around with his nose in the air. What’s he so proud of? It’s all thanks to our daughter!"
"Keep your voice down, don’t let him hear you," Ruan Yinshan whispered, shrinking back nervously.
Seeing her husband’s spineless demeanor, Zhu Fen grew even more irritated. She muttered, "I thought I’d have a comfortable life marrying into the Ruan Family, but since I married you, you useless wretch, have I had a single good day?
"Your brother lives in a villa and drives a Mercedes, and what about us? Four of us are crammed into a tiny, shabby apartment, and our eldest daughter wasn’t even sensible enough to not run off with some good-for-nothing!"
"Sister-in-law, let’s keep our voices down. We have a guest," Ruan Qingshan said with a frown.
"Yes, yes, of course." Zhu Fen quickly nodded with a smile and didn’t dare utter another word.
This scene did not escape Fang An’s notice. He frowned slightly but said nothing.
"By the way, Dad, Ruan Lan called a little while ago," Ruan Qingshan said. "She said she’s bringing Ruan Tang and Xu Lai back with her. I told her she could."
"Absurd!" Ruan Su glared. "Since Ruan Tang has been expelled from the Ruan Family, she has no right to set foot in our home."
"Dad, calm down. Haven’t we recently invested all our funds into the real estate project with the Fang Family?" Ruan Qingshan said with a chuckle. "As for me, I had Ruan Tang transfer her company to Ruan Jin, and it just so happens that we need her to come work."
"Oh?" Ruan Su frowned, hearing of this for the first time.
Yet, he didn’t find anything inappropriate about it. On the contrary, he felt it was perfectly justified. Ruan Su took a sip of tea and asked, "What are the annual profits?"
"A large contract was signed recently. This year’s conservative estimate is ten million in profit."
He was being shrewd, revealing only a third of the amount; the rest would naturally find its way into his own pocket.