He flushed and beat a hasty retreat once more.
To his surprise, as soon as he jumped out the back window, he saw his father, whose face was ashen.
That night, his father spoke to him at length.
After listening to his father's words, his heart was instantly frozen by the cold wind, deprived of oxygen, his limbs went numb, and his brain stopped working.
After a long time, he roared like an enraged lion, "This isn't true!"
To make him believe his words, his father retrieved a document from the safe in his study and gave it to him.
He read it word by word and was forced to accept a fact: he and Xi Bao had no chance in this lifetime.
That night, he cried. After crying, he made a decision that pained him to his core.
The next day was Xi Bao's coming-of-age ceremony, yet he deliberately avoided her, treated her coldly, and returned to the military before the banquet even began.
He thought this would make Xi Bao ignore him, but the diary his father sent him was filled with Xi Bao's love and longing for him.
Thus, under his father's coercion, Yun Si Yan became his fake girlfriend.
He had already negotiated a price with Yun Si Yan: a million yuan for being his girlfriend for one year, after which they would go their separate ways with no ties between them.
Who would have thought that as the year-long term neared its end, his father would send him a second diary?
After reading that diary, Nan Xiao realized that Xi Bao's love for him had not diminished over the past year but had only grown stronger.
What could he do to make Xi Bao forget him completely?
Nan Xiao confined himself for three full days, emerging with a disheveled appearance.
He signed a new contract with Yun Si Yan, proposing a sham marriage – a wedding ceremony but no legal registration. They would break up after Xi Bao went abroad, and he would give her another three million yuan.
Yes, he intended to send Xi Bao abroad. The arrangements were all made; she would be able to leave after the current semester ended.
However, everything he had planned deviated from its course.
Nan Xiao held the photo album, tears falling one by one.
A strong, stoic man slid to the floor on the carpet and cried like a helpless child for an entire afternoon.
Half-Mountain Villa.
Lan Mu Shang waited until the two children and Elvis were asleep, then knocked on the study door.
Lan Yu Xi closed her laptop and asked with a smile, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Lan Mu Shang glanced at the laptop she had closed and said sternly, "You're not asleep either!"
"Ah, I'm just a workaholic; I can't even slack off." Lan Yu Xi gently patted her laptop with both hands. "It's all handled. I'm going to sleep now."
Lan Mu Shang looked at her deeply. "Are Chao Chao and Mu Mu your biological children?"
Lan Yu Xi frowned. "Brother, what are you joking about? How could I have such big children!"
"If they're not your biological children, then they must be the illegitimate children of your sixth or seventh brother!"
"Ah?" Lan Yu Xi feigned surprise and opened her mouth wide.
"Chao Chao and Mu Mu look very much like them. Haven't you noticed?"
Lan Yu Xi shook her head like a rattle drum. "No! When I adopted them, I thought their eyes looked very much like mine, and then, on impulse, I brought them home. Fortunately, they're well-behaved, or I would regret it!"
Lan Mu Shang couldn't detect anything unusual on her face. He took out his phone and opened his photo album.
Lan Yu Xi leaned over to look. In the photos were two identical chubby babies.
At first glance, Lan Yu Xi was also startled. "Wow! Are these my sixth and seventh brothers when they were little? If it weren't for the old look, I would have thought they were Chao Chao and Mu Mu!"
"Brother!" Lan Yu Xi grabbed Lan Mu Shang's hand and said gossipy, "Could Chao Chao and Mu Mu really be their children? Why don't we secretly do a DNA test?"
Seeing her say this, Lan Mu Shang finally stopped doubting that the two children were hers.
"There's no need. They can't be their children."
"Why?"
"I asked about the children's birthdays. When their mother was pregnant, your sixth and seventh brothers were being punished in the ancestral hall for violating family rules."
Lan Yu Xi continued gossiping. "Then couldn't they have 'done something' in the ancestral hall?"
"What are you thinking! There isn't even a female mosquito in the ancestral hall. What could they have done?"
"Gay stuff!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Lan Mu Shang irritably patted her head. "Mother always says that children take after their maternal uncles. I thought Chao Chao and Mu Mu were your children. Seeing them now, even if these two children aren't from our Lan family, they're fated to be with us. I like them! How about I take them back to Norcas? Mom and Dad would definitely love them."
Lan Yu Xi's eyes darted. "Okay! I have so many things to deal with; I really don't have the energy to raise them. Ask them tomorrow. If they're willing to go with you, then take them."
Seeing her agree, Lan Mu Shang said no more and turned to leave the study.
After hearing the door close, Lan Yu Xi let out a sigh of relief. She had finally fooled her elder brother.
She looked at the closed door, a mischievous smile creeping up the corners of her lips.
She opened her laptop and clicked on a chat window.
[Your uncle wants to take you to Norcas and will ask for your opinion tomorrow. My dears, your mother has already guessed your answer. Don't disappoint me~]
After typing the message, the other party didn't reply immediately. Lan Yu Xi continued typing.
[I know you're pretending to be asleep. If you don't reply soon, I'll cut off your internet!]
[Mom, we won't go with Uncle.]
This time, the other party replied instantly.
Lan Yu Xi snorted coldly. It seemed cutting off the internet was quite effective.
[Don't monitor my computer and phone anymore. If I find out again, I'll cut off your internet for a year!]
[...]
[Leave the door open for me. I'm sleeping with you tonight.]
[Ok!]
Lan Yu Xi happily closed the chat window and opened a hidden file, continuing to sift through it.
The next day, Lan Yu Xi took Elvis and the two children to the Hongmen.
Elvis successfully became a disciple.
While everyone was present, Lan Yu Xi sent Chao Chao and Mu Mu out to let her junior disciples test their martial arts skills.
Elvis also had to undergo the test, but his luck wasn't as good as Chao Chao's and Mu Mu's, as his opponent was Wu Wan, whose martial arts were second only to Lan Yu Xi's.
Elvis, with his boxing and martial arts, managed to hold out for fifty moves against Wu Wan. However, few people could last that long against Wu Wan.
As for Chao Chao and Mu Mu, although they hadn't systematically studied, they garnered a standing ovation with their inherent cleverness.
After the three tests, Elder Hong was overjoyed and immediately decided to officially accept them as disciples.
Lan Yu Xi had happily unloaded three burdens onto her master.
However, by the time she returned to Half-Mountain Villa, she could no longer smile.