"No money."

"Brother-in-law~"

"Who might you be, miss? Do we know each other?"

"Boo-hoo-hoo... The handsomest, kindest, and most considerate brother-in-law in the world! Surely you wouldn't stand by and watch your poor little sister-in-law suffer, would you?"

Ruan Lan put on a cloying, cute display, her big, watery eyes full of expectation. The sight gave Yu Xiaoxiao and Li Li goosebumps.

Xu Lai rubbed his forehead. "Choose a place and tell me. Let your sister pay for it; she's the one who manages the money in our family."

That's true. Ruan Lan dropped the act and muttered, "I forgot you don't have money."

Xu Lai was speechless. This little sister-in-law is far too honest.

"Let's have dinner together tonight."

Xu Lai subconsciously reached out to pat Yun Xi's head again but thought better of it and quietly withdrew his hand.

"Mhm." The little girl, Yun Xi, nodded repeatedly.

By five o'clock in the afternoon, Xu Lai picked up his daughter first, then went to the company to get Ruan Tang. The family of three headed to the restaurant location Ruan Lan had sent.

It was a seafood restaurant, but the food was merely average.

After a couple of bites, Ruan Tang's delicate eyebrows knitted together slightly. She put down her chopsticks and gave Xu Lai a tender look.

Although she didn't say a word, Xu Lai knew what she meant. He nodded, signaling that he would cook another meal for her when they got home later.

Yiyi, on the other hand, was having a great time. The restaurant had a large aquarium, and she stared at the marine life inside through the glass, her big eyes filled with curiosity.

Beibei squatted on her shoulder, promptly explaining the habits and names of each creature, as well as how they tasted...

But Yiyi wasn't a big fan of seafood. She preferred meat: pork, lamb, and beef.

However, neither Yiyi nor Beibei noticed a crab huddled in a corner of the aquarium, its eyes swiveling about.

As the one paying the bill, Ruan Tang smiled at her sister's friends. "You should come over to our house for a meal next time."

"Okay, sure, sister-in-law," the girls all nodded.

Yun Xi, who had only been eating carrots and other vegetables, was lost in thought. No wonder Xu Lai turned her down. His wife radiates such a warm glow.

After dinner, Ruan Lan and her three friends planned to head to the next spot to continue their party. Since there was a crowd, Ruan Tang didn't scold her sister, only reminding them to be careful.

On the way home, Ruan Tang rubbed her temples. "She talks about studying all day, but all she does is play!"

"Don't be so hard on her," Xu Lai consoled. "Young people are under so much pressure these days. It's good to let them relax once in a while. You don't want Ruan Lan to become a bookworm, do you?"

Even so, Ruan Tang remained slightly dissatisfied. "Who isn't under pressure? I'm under a lot of pressure, too."

Xu Lai glanced at the front of Ruan Tang's blouse and nodded in agreement. "Yes, I can see you're under a lot of pressure. When we get home, I'll give you a massage to help you relax."

"Xu Lai, what nonsense are you spouting? Our daughter is right here!" Ruan Tang, flustered and annoyed, pinched Xu Lai's arm.

"Yiyi doesn't know anything! Yiyi can't hear anything..." Yiyi cooperatively covered her ears and kept muttering, and Beibei did the same.

Back home, while Xu Lai was cooking in the kitchen, Ruan Tang suddenly said, "By the way, Xu Lai, the company is having a dinner party tomorrow, and you have to come."

"Your company party? Why would I go?" Xu Lai shook his head. "I'm not going."

"My team really likes you, you know," Ruan Tang said with a smile that hid a dagger. "Have any of them caught your eye? I could play matchmaker for you."

"Actually, there is one," Xu Lai replied without turning around.

Ruan Tang's eyebrows shot up. Is Xu Lai really daring to push his luck?

"Which one?" she asked, a hint of murderous intent in her voice.

"I don't know her name. All I know is she has a great body, a pretty face, and a wonderful husband," Xu Lai sighed.

"She already has a husband, and you still won't leave her alone?" Ruan Tang ground her teeth.

"That's just my type."

"..."

Ruan Tang had already stood up and was heading to the kitchen for a knife when she heard Xu Lai say, "Oh, right, her last name is Ruan. You can help me keep an eye out for her."

Her last name is Ruan... I'm the only one in the company with that last name.

Ruan Tang stormed into the kitchen with a dark expression and kicked Xu Lai. "Is it fun teasing me?"

"Quite a bit of fun, yes." Xu Lai turned, wrapping his arms around Ruan Tang's fragrant body. He grinned. "Were you jealous just now?"

"No!" Ruan Tang turned her head away, refusing to admit it. A moment ago, I just wanted to chop him to pieces.

"Then do you think that woman would like me?"

"I don't know."

"Tell me," Xu Lai whispered in her ear. "If you don't, I won't let go. Dinner will burn, and you'll go hungry."

"...That woman, Ruan, likes her husband, not you!"

He chuckled, satisfied with her answer, and let her go. "I'll go to the party tomorrow. What do I need to prepare?"

"Prepare the food."

"..."

Xu Lai was stunned. "So you're just asking me to be the chef?"

"You're the one who said they should come over for dinner sometime," Ruan Tang said with a mischievous smile. "Pick our daughter up early tomorrow and come home. There'll be dozens of people, so start thinking about what to cook."

The Marketing Department, the Sales Department, the HR Department, and various other departments... all told, there would be fifty or sixty people.

"Alright, fine."

Xu Lai had tricked her once, and now she had tricked him back. They were even.

「Nighttime.」

Deep in the ocean, about seven hundred nautical miles from Mount Haitang, lay a Sea City. It was not, however, the one where Yuan Man resided.

This Sea City was named Abyssal Sea City, built thousands of meters deep on the seafloor.

It was a mysterious place; no one knew the identity of its Demon King. Powerful humans had attempted to make contact several times, but all were denied entry, leaving the city completely isolated from the outside world.

But today, a man cloaked in a black robe stood before the gate of this city, which had been sealed for four hundred years, and produced a token.

The city gates opened with a thunderous roar.

The architecture inside was peculiar. The city was still underwater, but countless colossal rocks pierced down into the ocean from above, like a forest of inverted mountain peaks. These inverted peaks were riddled with caves, which housed a vast number of Sea Demons of every imaginable species.

Without exception, the eyes of these Sea Demons gleamed with intense bloodthirst and brutality. Staring at the calm human strolling along the seabed, the Sea Demons grew restless, eager to taste this new flavor.

Finally, a few sharks, unable to resist their gluttonous urges, lunged forward with gaping maws.

However...

As they came within ten meters of the black-robed man, their bodies exploded, dissolving into thick clouds of blood and chunks of flesh.

The onlooking Sea Demons swarmed forward, devouring the remains of the dead sharks. Many others, however, still targeted the mysterious prey, only to meet the same explosive end.

The blood and death did not frighten them. Instead, it incited them further, and they attacked in wave after wave.

The black-robed man seemed interested at first, but his expression grew steadily more impatient.

He said coldly, "If you continue to stand by and watch, don't think I won't slaughter your entire city."

The Sea Demons, frenzied by the blood, suddenly scattered. They had sensed an overwhelming pressure, one that came from their Demon King.

RUMBLE.

The ground shook and the mountains quaked. A strange light enveloped the entire Sea City.

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