Invincible Dad

"No, Ruan Tang isn't that kind of person."

Xu Lai quickly calmed down, but Taotie's mouth began to twitch. "The Supreme Emperor, it hurts..."

The First Divine General felt incredibly wronged. He had followed The Supreme Emperor to the gym entrance and hadn't said a word when The Supreme Emperor suddenly grabbed his arm—forcefully! Divine General Taotie felt as if his arm was about to be torn off.

Though he was a Quasi-Emperor, at this moment, Taotie was pitiful, helpless, and weak.

"...I'm sorry," Xu Lai apologized.

CLICK.

Just then, the door opened. Ruan Tang leaned against the doorframe, poking only her head out. Her face was flushed, and she cast a coquettish glance at him.

She bit her lower lip, a mix of surprise and delight in her voice. "You're back."

Beads of sweat dotted Ruan Tang's forehead, and she radiated a youthful energy.

Xu Lai tried to peek inside but was scolded by his wife, "What are you doing!"

"I'm seeing who's inside."

"No, you're not."

Ruan Tang looked slightly flustered as she used her foot to block the door. Blushing, she said, "Why don't you come back later? It's not a good time right now."

After she spoke, Ruan Tang saw the look of utter desolation on Xu Lai's face and tilted her head in confusion. Realizing what he must have been thinking, she became both embarrassed and angry. "Xu Lai, what on earth are you imagining? I'm really exercising, with Liu Wan!"

Xu Lai instantly brightened. "Oh... you're with Liu Wan?"

Two women. Then there's no problem.

Xu Lai knew that Liu Wan had a thing for the First Divine General.

Ruan Tang glanced cautiously back into the gym, then at Taotie. "She came to bring me some documents, and we chatted for a bit. She said that for as long as she can remember, her heartbeat has always been much slower than a normal person's. She rarely showed emotion; even when she was bullied, she wouldn't get angry.

"Other kids used to mock her for being a robot. But after meeting your friend, Taotie..." she trailed off for a moment. "She felt like she'd truly come alive."

Ruan Tang then lowered her voice to a whisper. "We have a treadmill at home, don't we? I was having her exercise with me, thinking it might let her experience the feeling of a racing heart again."

"And the result?" Xu Lai asked with concern.

Ruan Tang shook her head. She was drenched in sweat from the effort, but Liu Wan had been jogging calmly the whole time, her breathing and heart rate remaining perfectly steady.

Just like a robot!

"The reason I didn't let you in is that I promised her some private space," Ruan Tang explained. She paused, then shot Xu Lai a playful glare. "If you dare to have such ridiculous thoughts again, I'll castrate you."

Xu Lai coughed. "I get it. I wasn't actually thinking anything. It's that little troublemaker Yiyi's fault for not being clearer."

Ruan Tang's lip curled.

Hmph. Men. Now he's even blaming his daughter.

Liu Wan's voice, as calm as Ruan Tang had described, came from inside the gym. "President Ruan, is that the Boss out there?" She then added, "And Taotie, too."

...

There was a moment of silence from within. When Ruan Tang turned to look, she saw that Liu Wan, who had been breathing steadily after jogging for an hour, had suddenly become slightly breathless.

Well then. Ruan Tang understood. She draped a jacket over herself and said, "Hurry and change, touch up your makeup."

"President Ruan, I-I don't wear makeup. Could you help me?" Liu Wan's voice was laced with embarrassment.

"...I don't know how, either." Ruan Tang pressed a hand to her forehead. "Forget it, you're very pretty without makeup. Just be bold."

Before long, the two women walked out of the gym, with Liu Wan standing shyly behind Ruan Tang.

"For you." Taotie held out a small box. "You treated me to a movie last time. This is a return gift."

Liu Wan stared at the small, delicate box.

It looked just like the ring box a male lead in a TV drama would use to propose.

Instantly, Liu Wan's heart began to race uncontrollably. With what little composure she had left, she whispered, "I-Isn't this a bit too fast..."

"Not fast," Taotie stated seriously. "If anything, I think it was too slow."

The Taotie Clan never owed anyone a favor. Repaying a debt a whole day later was indeed very slow. If word of this got out, it might even damage the Taotie Clan's reputation.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

Liu Wan pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her heart pound faster and faster through her clothes as her face flushed blood-red.

Is this... a confession?

"Open it and have a look," Taotie said, pushing the small box a little closer to Liu Wan.

Liu Wan was silent for a moment before looking up into Taotie's eyes and shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I can't accept. I'm not mentally prepared yet."

Even though it was love at first sight, she couldn't bring herself to marry Taotie after knowing him for only a few days. She didn't know what food he liked, what sports he enjoyed, or anything about him. They didn't know each other at all. The rest of their lives... could they really be happy?

"Ah?" Taotie scratched his head. "No problem. Just open it when you're ready."

In the First Divine General's mind, it made sense. It was an Immortal Pill, after all. A normal person would indeed need to prepare themselves; otherwise, their body might just explode after eating it. He chided himself for his lack of consideration.

Just then, Liu Wan added with a blush, "However, we could start as... no, let's start as friends."

"Mm," Taotie replied without giving it much thought. As one of the Lady's subordinates, she was naturally his friend.

Meanwhile, Ruan Tang lamented, "Xiao Liu rejected him so quickly! It's rare for Taotie to propose!"

Xu Lai was speechless. If he didn't know the box contained an elixir, he would have thought it was a marriage proposal too. It had to be said, this 'cross-server chat' between Taotie and Liu Wan was making his skin crawl.

"Taotie, are you hungry?" Xu Lai asked with a brilliant smile.

"Not..." Taotie subconsciously started to say he wasn't hungry, but seeing The Supreme Emperor's smile, he quickly changed his tune. "A little hungry. What are your orders, Supreme Emperor?"

"When you're hungry, you should eat. As it happens, I have two coupons for a high-end buffet for two. You two go tonight." As he spoke, Xu Lai shooed Taotie and Liu Wan out the door.

This was all he could do. He just wondered how far the two of them would let this happy little accident go.

SLAM.

As the gates of Haitang Court closed behind them, Taotie said with a serious expression, "Let's go."

Liu Wan was secretly thrilled. Had this blockhead finally gotten a clue?

She hesitated for a moment, then took the initiative to link her arm with Taotie's. He found it strange but didn't stop her.

He kept a solemn expression on his face. He absolutely could not delay the sweet family time of The Supreme Emperor, the Lady, and Princess Yiyi.

...

「That evening.」

Xu Lai made a sumptuous dinner for Yiyi, then soaked in the hot springs with Ruan Tang, enjoying the night view. Meanwhile, Yiyi was in the living room on the phone with Qian Xiao, who sounded quite peeved.

"Big Sis, the Martial Dao Association called me! They actually want us to continue to the next stage of the competition!"

"We're not going," Xu Yiyi huffed.

Her dad was clearly the strongest person in the world, but Deng Shu and the others didn't believe her. She never wanted to see them again!

"Right!" Qian Xiao wholeheartedly agreed with his big sis's decision. "I'll reject them then."

"Uh-huh," Yiyi whispered. "If that's all, I'm going to hang up. My dad's home, and we're doomed if he finds out we secretly entered the martial arts tournament."

Hearing that Xu Lai was home, Qian Xiao panicked for a moment but then puffed out his chest. "What's there to fear? I'll protect you forever, Sister Yiyi!"