"Alright, tonight it is."
Ruan Lan didn't dither or hesitate. A promise made was a promise kept; it was a matter of personal integrity. After hanging up, she thought for a mont before calling Xu Lai to explain the situation.
"Go for it, and take Yiyi with you," Xu Lai said casually. "I hear the Sea of the Moon is pretty dangerous. You two can go on an adventure."
"???"
Dark lines appeared on Ruan Lan's forehead. Go on an adventure in a dangerous place? Is he trying to get us killed?
"There's one more thing," his sister-in-law said, her voice full of annoyance. "You stinking brother-in-law, you locked in my room yesterday, and I almost—"
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Before she could finish, Xu Lai cut her off with a quick, "I'm busy," and ruthlessly hung up.
Ruan Lan was livid. "You despicable bastard! If I wasn't so concerned about my sister's happiness, I'd castrate you!"
"Uwaaah..." A lazy groan escaped the Gold Swallowing Beast, Xiao Hei, who was sprawled out on the floor. It stared at Ruan Lan with its large, black-and-white eyes, prompting her to glare back. "What are you looking at? Don't you take seriously either?"
The round little furball wasn't even a year old. It still had two years left in its Chaotic Period and had yet to undergo a Spirit Awakening. Nevertheless, it instinctively sensed danger. Just as it was about to bolt, Ruan Lan charged down from the second floor. She snatched it up and subjected it to a session of rciless face-rubbing and belly-kneading.
Half an hour later, Ruan Lan dusted off her hands and left Haitang Court, thoroughly satisfied. All that remained was a Gold Swallowing Beast having an existential crisis as it stared blankly at the ceiling.
Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?
The round little creature was utterly bewildered.
…
「In the school infirmary.」
Xu Lai had a smile on his face and was humming a tune; he was obviously in a great mood.
Liu Nanwei and Zhou Feng exchanged a glance before she asked, "Director Xu, you're in such a good mood. Did Dr. Li's research team have another breakthrough?"
"Nope." Xu Lai shook his head. He was simply happy because he and Ruan Tang would get the evening to themselves. Of course, he would miss his daughter dearly, but he had no choice in the matter. Ruan Lan was insistent on taking Xu Yiyi on a dangerous adventure to the Sea of the Moon, and they probably wouldn't be back until the next day.
"ACHOO!"
On the subway, Ruan Lan sneezed several tis in a row. She looked around suspiciously. Is soone talking bad about ?
"Director Xu," Zhou Feng whispered, sidling closer. He shot a wary glance at Liu Nanwei first. "Do you have... that stuff?"
"Hm?" Xu Lai was confused. "What stuff?"
"SHH! SHH!" Zhou Feng's face flushed beet red as he frantically gestured for Xu Lai to keep his voice down.
"Well, well. So that's why Dr. Zhou has been so restless all morning," Liu Nanwei said, rocking with laughter. "I see you're worried you won't be able to hit a ho run with your senior when the ti cos."
"S-Stop it!" Zhou Feng wished a hole would open up and swallow him. His face was crimson. "You... you're a shaless woman!"
"You know, your senior and I exchanged numbers the last ti she was here," Liu Nanwei said, propping her chin on her hand. She waggled her phone with a sly grin. "Should I ask her out to dinner tonight? We could chat about Dr. Zhou's embarrassing past..."
"..."
Zhou Feng was rendered speechless.
Xu Lai sighed. So that was it. "I don't have any dicine like that," he said casually, "but I can teach you a mantra."
"A mantra?"
While Zhou Feng was still confused, Xu Lai tapped a finger between his brows.
A minute later, Zhou Feng's eyes snapped open, gleaming with newfound vigor. "Thank you, Director Xu!" he exclaid, ecstatic.
"Go get 'em," Xu Lai encouraged.
At two in the afternoon, Zhou Feng hastily packed his things and slipped out of the infirmary.
Liu Nanwei's gaze flickered to Xu Lai, her eyes fixed on him. "Director Xu, does that mantra really work?"
"A pregnant woman like you shouldn't be thinking about such strenuous things." Xu Lai checked the ti, also planning his escape. "Dr. Liu, it's all yours."
"Go on, get out of here," Liu Nanwei said with a pout. "Two grown n off to have their fun, leaving a poor pregnant woman to hold down the fort all alone. What is this world coming to?"
"..."
Xu Lai's mouth twitched. He was lucky Ruan Lan hadn't heard that. With his sister-in-law's wild imagination, she would have spun dozens of scandalous stories to report back to Ruan Tang.
He drove toward Above the White Clouds. Instead of going upstairs, he parked near the entrance, called his darling wife, and bought a pair of movie tickets online.
Three minutes later, Ruan Tang ca downstairs holding her purse. She slid into the car and asked nervously, "What's happened?"
"It's serious," Xu Lai said with a grave expression before stomping on the gas, the car speeding away from the company building.
During the drive, Ruan Tang's mind raced, imagining all sorts of terrible scenarios. Why else would Xu Lai have made her rush downstairs like that? She suddenly grabbed his hand. "You're driving so fast! Did sothing happen to Yiyi? But... this isn't the way to her kindergarten."
"We're going to the movies," Xu Lai said, checking the ti. "Our show is about to start."
"..."
Ruan Tang fell silent. The temperature in the car plumted, dropping to near freezing.
"It's a cody about the crazy things young parents go through," Xu Lai explained with a slight cough. "The reviews are great, and I thought we could watch it together. It's very... educational."
"Xu Lai!" Ruan Tang glared, her eyes wide. "You scared like that just for a movie? I thought Yiyi..." Her voice caught in her throat.
"I'm sorry, honey," Xu Lai said apologetically. "I didn't an to scare you. I just knew if I told you we were going to the movies, you wouldn't have agreed to co."
Ruan Tang was about to argue, but stopped. He was right. She still had three etings to attend and more than a dozen contracts to sign.
"Ruan Lan is taking Yiyi out for the evening," Xu Lai said with a smile. "That ans we have so ti to ourselves. After the movie, we can go ho, go shopping... whatever you want."
Ti for just the two of them! Ruan Tang's eyes lit up. She imdiately pulled out her phone, called her secretary, and postponed the rest of her work. Then, she chided him playfully, "Just don't scare like that again."
"You got it."
They soon arrived at the cinema. Xu Lai held Ruan Tang's hand as they entered the theater.
Xu Lai had chosen seats in the second-to-last row. But when he and Ruan Tang arrived, they froze. Sitting right behind them were none other than Taotie and Liu Wan.
Seeing her boss appear right in front of her, Liu Wan was equally stunned. She had, after all, taken the day off…
The four of them stared at each other. The would-be romantic atmosphere instantly stiffened.
Xu Lai asked in surprise, "Taotie, what are you two doing here?"
Divine General Taotie answered awkwardly, "I, ah, had a al at her place, so we decided to see a movie."
"Having a al at her house? Not bad," Xu Lai said, impressed.
"No, no, no!" Taotie waved his hands frantically. "I didn't go over just for a al! I stayed at her place last night, so—"
Before he could finish, Liu Wan pinched his arm, hard, forcing him to swallow the rest of his sentence.
"Staying together, hmm?" Ruan Tang struggled to hold back a smile. "No wonder you called in sick. If you're not feeling well, you shouldn't be out and about."
"President Ruan, it's not what you think!" Liu Wan's face turned crimson as she explained in a low voice. "Taotie brought ho last night, and my parents insisted that he stay. We didn't do anything..."
"That's right," Taotie declared with utmost seriousness. "I, Taotie, am a man of integrity. How could I possibly take advantage of the situation? I ditated by Miss Liu's bedside the entire night."
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