Invincible Dad-Chapter 455: Please Guide Me for the Rest of My Life, Mr. Xu_1
"Dad, you’re amazing," Yiyi exclaimed. "To be able to make such beautiful clothes, you’re the most incredible person in the whole world."
Xu Lai’s mouth split into a wide, smug grin. "But of course."
Even though he had been praised countless times by others and was viewed as the pinnacle by innumerable Cultivators, none of it compared to this single compliment from Yiyi.
Feeling utterly delighted, Xu Lai added, "Dad has other talents, too. I’ll show you when I get the chance."
Each of the hundred Divine Generals of the Heavenly Court was a master in their own right. Some excelled at cooking, some at strategic games and divination, some at music, tea, poetry, and painting, and others... even at statistics.
Well, the work of Divine General Ni Xing could be considered statistics, couldn’t it?
And Xu Lai had learned a little something from all of them. He never imagined that the skills he’d picked up out of boredom would one day make his daughter admire him so much.
If only I had known, I would have learned so much more, Xu Lai sighed inwardly, regretting that he hadn’t tried harder back then.
Take braiding hair, for example. He had tried to learn several times but was nowhere near as good as Ruan Tang, or even his sister-in-law, Ruan Lan.
Lost in thought, he waited for a full ten minutes.
Finally, the bedroom door opened. Xu Lai and the others turned their gazes in unison, and in the next second, the living room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
Leaning on the doorframe, Ruan Tang looked nervous. "What is it? Does it not look good?"
"It’s not that it doesn’t look good, it’s that it’s too beautiful!" Ruan Lan exclaimed in awe. "Oh my god, you look more ethereal than a fairy!"
Ruan Tang wore a long white dress, her hands clasped nervously over her abdomen. Her makeup-free face captivated Xu Lai, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Beautiful. Truly beautiful.
In his lifetime, Xu Lai had seen countless women. There were valiant female Sword Venerates, ice-cold Saintesses, and infinitely bewitching demonesses. But not a single one had ever made his heart flutter like this.
Ruan Tang stepped out of the room. The two-meter-long train of her dress glided across the floor, shimmering with what looked like countless flowing galaxies. Upon closer inspection, one could see that every point of light on each thread was a unique star. A sacred aura radiated from her.
This was his wife. The wonderful woman he would spend the rest of his life with.
"Xu Lai?" Ruan Tang reached out and waved her hand in front of his face. She called out again, "Xu Lai?"
"Ah? Oh..." Xu Lai snapped back to reality. "Sorry, what’s wrong?"
Ruan Tang bit her lower lip and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, flustered. "What were you spacing out for? Is it because I don’t have the right presence for this dress? That it doesn’t look good on me..."
When Ruan Tang had looked in the mirror, the person staring back had felt like a stranger. Dignified. Regal. Sacred. Breathtakingly beautiful. She had never thought such words had anything to do with her.
Xu Lai studied her for a long moment before saying seriously, "You’re right, it’s not that good-looking."
The light in Ruan Tang’s eyes dimmed.
Ruan Lan flew off the handle. "You useless brother-in-law, what nonsense are you spouting? How is my sister not beautiful?!"
Yiyi pouted as well. "Daddy is lying!"
"Let me finish. I’m talking about the dress," Xu Lai said helplessly. "This dress... while it might not be the most beautiful one in the entire universe, it definitely ranks among the top, wouldn’t you say?"
On this point, Ruan Lan had to agree. The moment this wedding dress appeared, every other one in the world, local or foreign, seemed like trash in comparison. Nothing could compete.
"But when you wear it, Ruan Tang, it just looks like an ordinary piece of clothing. It’s not as stunning as I imagined," Xu Lai said earnestly. "After all, it’s just a dress. The person wearing it, however... is as beautiful as ever."
Ruan Lan was floored. Is this the new trend now? Luring single people in just to flaunt your perfect relationship in their faces? What’s with the convoluted praise?
"Brother-in-law, what’s the difference between you and those clickbait posters on the school forums?" she grumbled.
Ignoring his sister-in-law, Xu Lai gazed at Ruan Tang’s bashful smile. An idea struck him like a bolt of lightning. He suddenly took her hand and said softly, "Ruan Tang, we have the rest of our lives ahead of us. It’s a long time. Will you be my wife and walk that path with me?"
Ruan Lan and Beibei gasped. He was proposing!
Yiyi’s big eyes shimmered with anticipation, desperately wanting to hear the words "I do."
Ruan Tang looked directly into Xu Lai’s eyes.
There were no flowers.
There was no diamond ring.
He wasn’t kneeling on one knee.
But Ruan Tang saw the brightness in his eyes, an undeniable fondness. In the way he looked at her... there was truly light. It was like the first ray of dawn piercing through the darkness, shining straight into the depths of her heart.
She asked only one question. "Will you suddenly leave me again, like you did five years ago?"
"I won’t," Xu Lai replied with solemn gravity.
"Then what reason would I have to say no?"
That’s right. There were no other reasons.
Only four short months had passed since Xu Lai’s return to East Sea City, but to Ruan Tang, it felt like half a lifetime.
She replied gently, "I look forward to the rest of our life together, Mr. Xu."
"As do I, Mrs. Xu," Xu Lai said with a brilliant smile, leaning down to place a light kiss on her forehead.
The kiss was gentle, but it was a vow to protect Ruan Tang for a lifetime. Fortunately, Xu Lai had never been one to break his promises. He always did as he said.
Ruan Lan covered her mouth, so moved she was speechless. She was afraid she would burst into tears and ruin this sweet, warm moment. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, her sister and brother-in-law’s relationship was finally on the right track. It was incredibly touching!
His sister-in-law didn’t cry, but Xu Yiyi did. The little girl hugged Ruan Tang’s and Xu Lai’s legs, sobbing, "I finally have a real family."
A lump formed in Xu Lai’s throat. "Yiyi, you’ve always had a family. I was just... a little late getting back to it. That’s Daddy’s fault."
"You’re not late!" Yiyi insisted, nodding vigorously as she choked back her tears. "Our family will never be apart again!"
Ruan Tang smiled through her own tears. "Okay."
Xu Lai remained silent. In this world, no one could live forever; not even the peerless emperors who dominated entire eons could be an exception. An Immortal Venerable lived for a hundred thousand years, a Quasi-Emperor for two hundred thousand. Those in the Emperor Realm had a lifespan of a million years—one emperor to an eon.
Even though Xu Lai was extremely opposed to Qian Xiao and other little boys getting close to Yiyi—so much so that he’d already taken a job as the school nurse at Dongli to preemptively deal with any potential puppy love—at this moment, he gently stroked his daughter’s head and smiled.
"Daddy and Mommy can’t be by your side forever, Yiyi. One day, you’ll get married and have children of your own, and you’ll spend the rest of your life with the person you love."
"No! I only want Daddy and Mommy!" Xu Yiyi shook her head relentlessly, her little hands gripping their clothes. "I want to be with you for my whole life," she whispered. "Daddy and Mommy can’t even think about leaving me behind."
"Alright, that’s enough sad talk on a happy day like this," Ruan Lan said, wiping away her tears. "Let’s get ready for the New Year’s Eve dinner!"
"Okay." Xu Lai nodded, his gaze unconsciously drifting to Ruan Tang. This time, unlike in the past, she didn’t look away after a few seconds but met his gaze and held it. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Then, Ruan Tang rolled her eyes at him. I guess I could never escape this rogue’s clutches after all.
Understanding the meaning in his wife’s eyes, Xu Lai threw his head back and laughed, his voice overflowing with smug triumph.
