Invincible Dad-Chapter 538: You Are Already _1
Chapter 538: Chapter 538: You Are Already _1
"I don’t want to hear it."
Just as Ruan Tang was about to close the bathroom door, Ruan Lan quickly stuck her hand out to stop it, saying dejectedly, "Wow, Sis, you really don’t want to know? This could resolve every conflict between you and my brother-in-law!"
"We don’t have any conflicts."
"..."
Ruan Lan was speechless.
She fell into a thoughtful silence. It seemed that ever since Xu Lai had appeared, not only were her sister and brother-in-law incredibly loving, but there had also never been any sign of them arguing. That was because Xu Lai pampered her sister to no end, doting on her as if she were his second daughter.
Sometimes, even Ruan Lan felt a pang of envy.
She mumbled, "Looks like you can’t call him ’brother’ anymore. You should be calling him ’dad’."
"Huh?"
Dark lines formed on Ruan Tang’s forehead. "You’d better clarify what you’re saying. I don’t understand a single word!"
"I dreamt last night that a little boy was chasing me and calling me ’sister.’ He sounded so sweet that I was still happy when I woke up." Ruan Lan said earnestly, "So, clever as I am, I figured women calling men ’brother’ might have the same effect. Of course, since my brother-in-law dotes on you like a daughter, you should be calling him—"
Before she could finish, Ruan Lan heard a heartbreaking voice call out, "Xu Lai, from now on, you are forbidden from making Ruan Lan late-night snacks. She’s going on a diet."
"NO!!!"
Ruan Lan panicked. She couldn’t live without her late-night snacks; it was a basic human right! As the old saying goes, a life without late-night snacks is an incomplete life.
However, Ruan Tang was resolute.
Tears welled in Ruan Lan’s eyes. "Sis, I was wrong! I really was! Sis, my beautiful granny... I’ll even call you Mom, just please don’t take away my late-night snacks!"
"Looks like I got a daughter for free," Xu Lai chuckled from the kitchen.
"See, Sis?" Ruan Lan tried to shift the blame. "We’re sisters, so if my brother-in-law treats me like his daughter, it’s obvious what he wants you to call him! Men are terrifying!"
Ruan Tang gave her a calm look.
"???"
Xu Lai’s expression froze. "Honey, let me explain."
He felt like he was about to cough up blood. How did he get dragged into this mess? His little sister-in-law was such a troublemaker.
Fortunately, Ruan Tang didn’t take her seriously. She rubbed her temples. "Ruan Lan, just go take a shower. I don’t feel like hitting you today."
"Sis, you haven’t hit me in at least five years. Could you really bring yourself to do it now?" Ruan Lan asked, putting on a pitiful expression.
But the "kindly" look she received from her sister sent her scurrying away in an instant.
Ruan Tang sighed. "Ruan Lan is a good kid, but she can be too impulsive. She’ll say anything without thinking."
"She’s not that bad," Xu Lai chimed in.
"What do you mean, ’not that bad’?" Ruan Tang pinched Xu Lai’s side, a smirk playing on her lips. "Don’t tell me you’re actually expecting me to call you... that."
"Well, if you’re willing..."
"..."
And then Xu Lai was beaten.
「After breakfast.」
Xu Lai drove his wife and daughter, while Ruan Lan took a leisurely bus ride, getting off two stops from Mount Haitang. She was meeting her good friends, Yu Xiaoxiao and Li Li.
They dropped their daughter off at Galaxy Kindergarten at precisely eight o’clock in the morning. Qian Xiao was already waiting by the entrance, looking listless and dejected. He clung to the iron gate, looking as if someone had hollowed him out.
"Another day, and then another... When will my Yiyi return?" Qian Xiao gazed at the sky, choking back a sob. "Big Sister, you haven’t really abandoned me, have you? Boohoohoo..."
Even the kindergarten security guards’ eyes were red. For the past few days, Qian Xiao had shown up at five in the morning and wouldn’t leave until eight at night. It forced them to work overtime, and they were dying to teach the little brat a lesson.
"I once lived on the edge of East Sea City, with a house and land, a life of endless joy. Who knew that Uncle Xu would take my Yiyi away, tearing us apart... WAAAH!" Qian Xiao muttered to himself, his eyes welling with tears by the end.
After not seeing his Big Sister for four or five days straight, Qian Xiao felt like his world had crumbled, the sky had gone dark, and his youth was over.
"Qian Xiao!"
Xu Yiyi couldn’t help but stomp her foot. What nonsense was this big oaf spouting? Her mom and dad were right there!
"Sister Yiyi?" Hearing the familiar voice, Qian Xiao sniffled and stood up. The moment he saw her radiant, slightly annoyed smile, he suddenly felt his youth return.
He ran over, crying loudly. "Sister Yiyi, I thought you’d abandoned me..."
Xu Lai’s face darkened. Standing behind his daughter, he was about to send the little brat flying with a kick. But then he saw Ruan Tang smiling happily. "Look how much Qian Xiao adores our girl. They’re childhood sweethearts, so innocent and pure."
"Childhood sweethearts are meant to be broken up," Xu Lai said, dead serious.
Ruan Tang gave him a huge eye-roll. "You’re a grown man. Why are you getting jealous of a child?"
「Meanwhile.」
Qian Xiao completely ignored Ruan Tang and Xu Lai. In his eyes, Xu Yiyi was his entire world. For Qian Xiao, wherever his Big Sister was, even the most beautiful mountains and rivers, the twilight and the stars, were all mere decorations.
Xu Lai really wanted to give Qian Xiao a beating, but Ruan Tang pulled him away.
"I need to get Beibei back!" Xu Lai muttered to himself as he drove to the company. "With her here, I can use ’training’ as an excuse to teach Qian Xiao a lesson."
"You’re just bullying a child," Ruan Tang chided.
"I’m helping him. Anything that doesn’t destroy Qian Xiao will only serve as a stepping stone on his path to becoming stronger."
"Excuses."
"Who told him to go after my daughter?" Xu Lai was quite frank about it. "As Yiyi’s father, the fact that I haven’t punched that little brat into orbit already shows incredible restraint."
Ruan Tang looked at Xu Lai. Just then, sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his profile. At a glance, he was ridiculously handsome.
She joked, "If my father was like you, he probably would have beaten you to death six years ago."
"My father-in-law couldn’t beat me. Besides... look how happy we are now," Xu Lai said with a laugh. Across the entire Universe, he was probably the most hardcore father-in-law there was.
"So, you see, everyone’s life path is different. You can’t interfere too much with your daughter’s," Ruan Tang said. "You might think you’re protecting her, but you could actually be hurting her. Otherwise, she won’t be Xu Yiyi anymore. She’ll be a second Xu Lai, a puppet on strings. A life of smooth sailing from childhood, all arranged by parents or elders. Do you really want a life like that, Xu Lai?"
Xu Lai fell into deep thought. After a long moment, he sighed softly. "You’re right. I have been too overprotective."
A wave of realization washed over him. True love wasn’t about being a puppeteer; it was about being Yiyi’s unwavering support. Even if their daughter grew tired from flying, even if her wings were broken, she would still have a harbor where she could rest and heal.
"We’re all first-timers at being children and being parents. Let’s do our best, together."
As she spoke, they arrived at her company building. Ruan Tang leaned over and gave Xu Lai a peck on the cheek. She smiled. "For the rest of our lives, I’ll be with you as we learn to be a good father and a good mother. And I’ll do my best to be a good wife to you."
"You already are," Xu Lai said earnestly.
Ruan Tang gave a radiant smile. It was like a gentle spring breeze in March, wrapping around Xu Lai’s heart and illuminating his entire life.
Chapter 538: You Are Already _1
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