As Xu Ke and Wong Qifu separated, he was still grumbling, "The future of our Xu Family's lineage is still in there…"

"It's severed? Fix it yourself. Aren't your medical skills top-notch?" Wong Qifu glanced at him and snorted, her pretty face still flushed with a lingering blush.

Xu Ke started playing the sympathy card. "I was just trying to tease you and make you happy. Did you have to hit so hard? It really hurts!"

"Stop talking nonsense. With your powerful cultivation, how could it hurt?" Wong Qifu remained indifferent.

Xu Ke coughed twice. "My power is restricted!"

Hearing this, Wong Qifu gave him a stern look and turned away. "Then go have your Sister Ki lift the restriction. It's her child who's holding you back."

Xu Ke groaned inwardly. How did it circle back to this?

Now, he didn't dare play the victim anymore. He quickly straightened up, walked over to Wong Qifu's side, and said with a grin, "No need, I'm all better now."

"Get lost." Wong Qifu did not give him a pleasant look.

When they were out and about, before serious matters were concluded, Wong Qifu would never be unreasonably demanding with Xu Ke. However, now that they were alone together in her room, it was only natural for her to feel jealous over the name "Sister Ki." It was only fitting, considering their entire relationship began with him calling her Sister Wang.

Xu Ke then said with a solemn expression, "I was wrong, I was wrong! I'll never call her that again. When I see Ki Qinyin, I'll call her Old Lady!"

Wong Qifu laughed in exasperation. "What nonsense are you spouting now? The Northern Dragon Guard is an elite power. The fact that they're willing to be our allies means they see our worth. Be careful, one 'Old Lady' could ruin everything."

It was one thing to be a little petulant in front of the man she loved, but she was genuinely worried that Xu Ke might actually call Ki Qinyin 'Old Lady' just to make her happy. That would be a huge problem.

Listening to her, he nodded with mock seriousness. "Alright! If you tell me to go east, I'll go east. If you tell me to go west, I'll go west. If you want me to call her sister, I won't call her Old Lady. I'll listen to whatever Sister Wang says."

A smile touched the corners of Wong Qifu's lips, but she quickly covered it with a scoff. "Don't call me Sister Wang. It makes me sound so old."

Xu Ke touched his chin. "If not Sister Wang, then what?"

Wong Qifu didn't look at him. "Whatever you like."

But her mind suddenly drifted back to that day at the factory, to the words Xu Ke had spoken to her over the phone…

"Qifu, if we have a future together, this is what I'll call you."

Her lips curled up slightly. If Xu Ke had affectionately murmured 'Qifu' at that moment, it would have perfectly matched the memory he had just stirred.

But just then, Xu Ke looked pensive for a moment before clapping his hands excitedly. "Well, if you don't like sounding old, I'll call you little sister from now on. Little Sister Qifu? Sis Fu… Not bad, I think that…"

He stopped talking.

Wong Qifu was staring at him quietly.

Xu Ke stammered for a moment before asking tentatively, "You don't think 'Sis Fu' sounds young enough?"

"Get out!"

"Alright then…"

Xu Ke coughed twice and started to leave, but he quickly turned back. "Sis Fu?"

"Get lost!"

…

Of course, Xu Ke didn't actually get lost.

Taking over for Mai Qing, he helped Wong Qifu bring in the clothes from the balcony and folded them neatly. He also mopped the floor for her and changed the bedsheets. While he was at it, he wiped down the nightstand and the dressing table. In other words, he did every chore that could be done in Wong Qifu's room.

"I'm done wiping everything down," Xu Ke said, listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom.

He was filled with regret. He had just managed to pacify her, so why did he have to open his big mouth? He'd finally gotten some time to be intimate with Wong Qifu in her room, but he'd spent it all on appeasing her and doing chores.

"Alright!" Wong Qifu's voice called out.

Xu Ke asked again, "Can I rest now?"

"Yes," she replied concisely.

Xu Ke let out a long sigh of relief and immediately flopped onto Wong Qifu's bed.

Just as he collapsed onto the mattress, Wong Qifu finished her shower and walked out. "Are you tired from just that little bit of work?"

Her voice arrived before she did.

Startled, Xu Ke sat up and looked over, his breath catching in his throat.

Wong Qifu was wearing a rather conservative nightgown, but it still revealed a tantalizing amount of her fair, delicate skin. Undried water droplets trickled down her exquisite collarbones toward a mysterious destination, making Xu Ke swallow unconsciously.

"I asked you a question. What are you looking at? Want me to take it off for you?" Wong Qifu shot him a disdainful glance.

"No, that's not necessary!" Xu Ke said, flustered.

He'd discovered a curious thing about her after their encounters… Whenever she wasn't flustered by his advances, she spoke boldly and directly. But the moment he got the upper hand, all she could manage were pleas of 'don't' and 'let me go'...

Wong Qifu retorted, "Then why are you still looking? Didn't you get enough of a feel just now?"

Hearing this, Xu Ke rubbed his nose. "Well, I didn't get to feel up top, did I?"

"You're still talking!"

Wong Qifu threw a bath towel straight at his head.

Xu Ke's world was obscured.

Mmm… Obscured by a sweet fragrance.

「Ten o'clock in the evening. The Huang Estate.」

"Have Jin Hankang and Qian Jun both left Tianhai?" Huang Zhendong asked coolly, listening to his subordinate's report.

"Yes, Family Head!"

"And what about Ki Qinyin? Is she still in Tianhai?" Huang Zhendong asked again.

"Family Head, Madame Yu didn't linger in Tianhai. Instead, she immediately rushed to catch a flight to Jiangnan. Presumably, she is heading to the Ki Family."

Huang Zhendong raised an eyebrow. "Going to her maternal home by commercial flight? Not a private jet?"

"You jest, Family Head. The Northern Dragon Guard has always been low-profile. Unless absolutely necessary, they abide by domestic protocols and don't flaunt their special status."

Huang Zhendong sneered, "They certainly know how to be discreet." Then he grew pensive. "However, it seems the Northern Dragon Guard, which has been inactive for a long time, is about to become active in the country again."

They were still convinced that Ki Qinyin's trip to Tianhai was not without purpose. Just for a visit? That was definitely nonsense! Ki Qinyin absolutely had an agenda. And that agenda, more likely than not, was related to the expansion of the Northern Dragon Guard.

Standing by the window and gazing at the city skyline, Huang Sheng suddenly asked, "The Northern Dragon Guard left? What about Xu Ke? Did he leave with them?"

Hearing this, Huang Zhendong froze and looked at his subordinate.

The man paused, thought for a moment, and slowly shook his head. "According to our surveillance, Xu Ke was not on that flight."

"You're saying Xu Ke didn't leave?" Huang Sheng asked, taken aback.

"That's right!"

Huang Sheng's brow furrowed immediately. "That doesn't make sense. Wasn't Ki Qinyin supposed to recruit him into the Northern Dragon Guard? How can they recruit him if they don't take him with them?"

A suspicious look crossed Huang Zhendong's face as well. "Could it be that Ki Qinyin deliberately left Xu Ke in Tianhai, planning to use him as the first step in establishing a foothold for the Northern Dragon Guard?"

He felt that Ki Qinyin recruiting Xu Ke was a done deal. Therefore, he suspected that Xu Ke staying in Tianhai was a deliberate move by Ki Qinyin to have him establish their influence as part of the Northern Dragon Guard's expansion.

But at that moment, Shi Hongda, who had been standing by with a grim expression, suddenly laughed with scorn. "Establish influence? If you were Ki Qinyin, would you entrust that to a brand-new recruit?"

Huang Zhendong was stunned.

Shi Hongda's undisguised glee was palpable. "I think that piece of trash failed the Northern Dragon Guard's test and was outright rejected by Ki Qinyin! I thought I'd have to be wary of the Northern Dragon Guard and wouldn't be able to chase him up north to make a move. But now, it seems I have another chance! Hahahaha!"