Invincible Dad

The card was the King of Spades!

An eerie silence fell over the room.

Xu Lai and Ruan Tang exchanged a glance while Ruan Lan stared blankly at the two kings, speechless. Recalling her earlier boasts, her confidence shattered. She covered her mouth and coughed. "Ahem, cough-cough."

Xu Lai's gaze was eager as he pointed to the playing cards. "Ruan Lan, if you please."

If he had known how much his sister-in-law loved to bluff and freeload, he would have bought several decks of cards instead of just one.

"Ahem." Ruan Lan was choked with embarrassment, stammering, "Well, I, uh…"

"Alright, that's enough," Ruan Tang said, struggling to suppress a laugh. "Just drink."

Ruan Lan said no more. She first drained the wine in her own glass, then picked up her sister Ruan Tang's. Seeing that she intended to drink from Xu Lai's glass as well, Ruan Tang quickly refilled her cup.

After downing three glasses in one go, an indignant Ruan Lan declared, "Again!"

Unfortunately, the goddess of fate did not seem to be smiling upon this self-proclaimed 'Goddess of Gambling.' Instead, it was Ruan Tang who had incredible luck, narrowly beating Ruan Lan and Xu Lai every single time.

"Sis, are you cheating?" Ruan Lan was dumbfounded. They had been playing for less than five minutes, but she had already drunk ten full glasses of red wine and was teetering on the verge of throwing up.

Ruan Tang was surprised herself. "Maybe," she said hesitantly, "it's true that girls who smile a lot have better luck?"

"..."

The logic was sound and convincing.

Although Ruan Lan didn't believe in fate, she still took out her phone, opened Penguin Music, and played a song called 'Good Luck Charm,' hoping to change her fortunes. But as the old saying goes: mysticism can't change your destiny, and money can't save you from bad luck. Despite calling upon this metaphysical power, Ruan Lan continued to lose disastrously at their simple game.

Her goal slowly shifted from getting her brother-in-law and sister drunk to just winning two or three hands. By the end, it was reduced to a desperate plea to win just once to save a little face.

Unfortunately for her, from the start of the game to the end, Ruan Lan never won a single round. Eventually, she didn't want to play anymore. Nearly drunk, she clutched the wine bottle and leaned against the sofa, whimpering pitifully. "Waaah, why do I always lose? It's not fair!"

As she spoke, she took several large gulps of red wine.

Xu Lai watched as the wine dribbled from the corner of his sister-in-law's mouth, down her snow-white neck, and continued to slide lower…

"Mr. Xu, what are you looking at?" Ruan Tang stepped hard on Xu Lai's foot, asking with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Care to tell me what it is, hmm?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Xu Lai didn't dare to answer. He cleared his throat and said, "Honey, let's you and I play."

"Are you sure?" Ruan Tang's expression was strange. She hadn't lost once all night; she was like the embodiment of Lady Luck herself.

"I'm sure." Xu Lai nodded. Ruan Tang's luck was indeed good, but he was never one to be afraid.

"Let's not play for drinks," Ruan Tang mused. I definitely can't outdrink Xu Lai. And if I lose… after a few glasses… what if I get handsy with him again, like last time?

At the thought, Ruan Tang's face grew hot. Despite having had no alcohol, she looked more enchanting than ever.

"So if you lose…" Xu Lai raised an eyebrow.

"We can draw a little turtle on each other," Yiyi, who was playing with building blocks in the corner while leaning against Gold Swallowing Beast Xiao Hei, said to Beibei.

Ruan Tang's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! Let's do that!"

"..."

Xu Lai gave his wife a deep look, surprised by her quirky sense of fun.

"Fine," Xu Lai said seriously, "but where do we draw? I'm just worried that if you lose too many times, you'll run out of space on your face, arms, and legs."

"If it really comes to that," Ruan Tang chuckled, "you can draw anywhere you want."

Xu Lai raised an eyebrow. "Anywhere?"

"Yes."

With his wife's definitive reply, Xu Lai's gaze swept below her collar twice before he said earnestly, "Alright, then. Let's battle until dawn!"

"Hmph, men," Ruan Tang muttered, twitching the corner of her lips. She drew the first card. It wasn't the lowest, but it was close.

It was the Two of Clubs.

Xu Lai laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, there's no way I can draw a card smaller than that!"

He drew his card—the King of Clubs. A decisive victory!

"Yiyi, lend Daddy a pen," Xu Lai called out. Taking the marker his daughter gave him, he looked at Ruan Tang and clicked his tongue. "No offense."

Ruan Tang could take a loss as well as a win. She extended her arm. "Go on."

She had thought that, at worst, Xu Lai would draw a palm-sized turtle. She never expected this…

The scoundrel drew a gigantic, thousand-year-old king turtle that covered her entire right arm!

Xu Lai, however, was quite satisfied. "Hmm, looks pretty good."

Ruan Tang shot him a fierce glare. "Again!"

After that, Lady Luck suddenly abandoned Ruan Tang. Their wins and losses were about even, and Ruan Tang quickly grew anxious. She already had 'little' turtles on her face, arms, and legs. If she lost again, where would he draw?

In her state of panic, Ruan Tang lost again. It was a particularly frustrating loss, decided by suit, as they had both drawn Queens.

"A narrow victory." Xu Lai coughed, his eyes wandering. "So, honey, where should this turtle go?"

A blush crept onto Ruan Tang's face. She hesitated for a long time before finally biting her lower lip. "We agreed… anywhere you want."

"I don't want to draw it now," Xu Lai whispered into his wife's ear with a grin. "I'd rather wait until tonight."

Tonight? The hot breath on her ear made Ruan Tang's body feel limp. She knew exactly what kind of thoughts were running through Xu Lai's head.

She pinched his side but… said nothing.

The rules for adults were simple: silence meant consent.

Her face flushed, Ruan Tang stood up. "I-I should take Yiyi for her bath now."

"Go ahead, go ahead." Xu Lai certainly wasn't going to stop her. He picked up the still-muttering Ruan Lan and carried her to her room on the second floor.

Just as he laid his sister-in-law on the bed, he heard her mumble, "Xu Lai… you can't bully my sister or my niece… or I'll… I'll hit you. I'm a Taekwondo black belt…"

Xu Lai was silent for a moment. Silly girl. They're my family, the ones dearest to me. How could I ever bear to hurt them?

"Sleep well." After tucking Ruan Lan in, Xu Lai stretched lazily. Suddenly, he seemed to sense something. He looked toward the foot of Mount Haitang, his brow arching slightly.

"Honey, I'm stepping out for a bit," Xu Lai called out from downstairs, standing outside the bathroom.

"Where are you going so late at night?" Ruan Tang poked her head out of the bathroom. Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, her face a mask of confusion.

"A friend dropped by."

"Yiyi is almost done with her bath," Ruan Tang said softly.

Xu Lai instantly understood the meaning behind his wife's words. I'll be finished with my bath soon, too. Aren't you going to stay and cuddle me to sleep? And we still have that little turtle to draw… Where could you possibly be going at this hour?

Xu Lai smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Get all nice and clean and wait for me."

Ruan Tang scoffed bashfully. "Go, don't come back for all I care. Who's stopping you?"

BANG!

The door was slammed shut.

Xu Lai smiled wryly. Still a tsundere, as always.

His figure flickered, reappearing an instant later at the foot of Mount Haitang. He looked at the newcomer and said coolly, "What is it? Speak."