Ten o'clock at night.
Li Ran gently closed the door to his son's room.
After spending the evening together, he had discovered a problem he couldn't ignore.
His son was being bullied and physically punished at school!
A troubled home, school bullying, and physical punishment had only made his already fragile, twisted heart worse.
He realized that although Li Ziyang still listened to him, when he was alone, his behavior became extremely strange.
He would run to the edge of the rooftop and play "walking across a single-log bridge" with his "friends."
Late at night, he would crawl along the wall into the corridor outside, talking to himself and waving his arms around.
When he was bullied, he would bury himself in the dirt until he couldn't breathe...
There were many other strange behaviors like these.
His classmates and teachers all had serious problems.
Li Ran had seen all of this in his son's artwork.
In one painting about "home," the parents were depicted as two terrifying monsters fighting each other to the death.
He couldn't believe that was one side of a child's inner world.
It seemed the cracks in his son's heart ran much deeper than the ones on his face!
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Li Ran went into the living room and found Su Bingyao sitting quietly in an armchair, admiring the night outside the window.
"Waiting for you," Su Bingyao said indifferently.
Li Ran immediately understood. He pointed at his son's room and asked, "So you heard everything just now?"
"Mm," Su Bingyao replied.
Li Ran came closer, grinning shamelessly. "So, does that mean you'll let me sleep in your room tonight?"
Su Bingyao slowly turned around, her clear, beautiful eyes fixed on him.
"Do you dare?"
The voice of an ice-cold queen came from Su Bingyao's cherry-red lips.
Li Ran's heart gave a jolt.
He pretended to be calm, but the terrifying monster reflected in the pressure cooker flashed through his mind. "Why wouldn't I?"
He was scared inside, but he couldn't show it.
"Oh, really?"
Su Bingyao leaned close to Li Ran. Her exquisite face was flawless.
Her breath was close enough to feel, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance that made Li Ran's heart race.
Su Bingyao stared intently at Li Ran. A murderous glint flashed in her frosty eyes as she spoke in a cold voice:
"What do you think is the most disgusting thing a married couple can do?"
Su Bingyao abruptly changed the subject, and Li Ran froze.
At the same time, he felt a chill rising all around him!
He didn't know why Su Bingyao had asked him that, but...
This damn question was a death sentence, wasn't it?
Was this even something a man could answer?
Had his former self done something that disgusted her?
(Warning: She has remembered everything you did to her. Those painful memories are like countless knives stabbing into her heart.)
(Hint: She has become murderous toward you. Don't bring up what happened in the past, or you'll die horribly.)
(Hint: This question is beyond your pay grade. Good luck.)
Li Ran: "..."
There wasn't a single moment of peace in this family!
What was this supposed to be? Had he owed this mother and son something in his past life?
His former self had abused his wife, and now he was stuck trying to win her back.
Women were terrifying. Even his Golden Finger had stopped working.
The temperature in the living room plummeted. It was as if they were inside an icy cave.
He didn't look away from Su Bingyao's utterly cold gaze.
But he could already picture how horribly he'd die after answering.
Still, nothing was certain. He had to take a chance.
As the number one romantic in the Dragon Kingdom, with knowledge of everything from astronomy and geography to the most trivial details of life, and perfect theoretical knowledge, Li Ran didn't think this question fell outside his expertise in married life...
This question... was solvable!
Li Ran gave a disdainful laugh. "Heh. Woman, is this how you test your husband?"
He steadied himself, cleared his throat, and looked at Su Bingyao with gentle sincerity.
"Bingyao, I think the most disgusting thing a married couple can do..."
"Is... hiding their gender!"
Su Bingyao looked puzzled and murmured, "Hiding your gen—"
But the next second, she seemed to understand. She burst into laughter, bending at the waist.
The living room warmed with Su Bingyao's lovely laughter, like the gentle sunlight of early winter. It was warm and soothing.
She laughed without a care for appearances.
Su Bingyao laughed for quite a while.
The emotions she had kept suppressed for so many years unexpectedly found an outlet in that moment.
After their marriage, her life had gone from heaven to hell. The enormous change had made her want to end her life several times.
But she couldn't let go of her child. As a mother, she didn't want her child to grow up in an unhealthy family.
If she just held on a little longer, perhaps it would pass.
She often comforted herself that way.
But in the end, all she got in return was a cruel cage and a disgusting betrayal.
The resentment and humiliation buried in her heart were like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
Tonight, she had wanted to kill him!
She had wanted to kill her ex-husband!
To eradicate the source of her suffering once and for all.
But just as she was about to strike, her ex-husband's behavior surprised her.
It was as if he had become someone else.
He had even brought her warmth and laughter.
(A role model for us all!)
(Crisis averted.)
Two lines of prompts floated above Su Bingyao's head.
The chill all around them receded in an instant, like the tide going out.
Li Ran picked up the cup on the coffee table and gulped down its contents.
Even so, his heart kept pounding.
Every question was a death sentence, and no two were alike!
This instance was too hard.
There was no way he could keep living like this.
Su Bingyao was beautiful and captivating when she smiled.
If this weren't an instance, Li Ran would have wanted to freeze that moment in time.
After a long while,
perhaps she had laughed herself tired.
She got up and walked toward the bedroom, leaving a faint, sweet fragrance in her wake.
Li Ran followed in confusion and saw that Su Bingyao's bedroom door was ajar.
He came to the doorway and was about to push it open when he stopped.
Wait, Li Ran, what are you thinking?
She was a B-rank monster with 100 Mysterious Power.
Sleep in the same bed as a monster?
Did he have a death wish?
His Mysterious Power was only 10. He had no weapon and no skills.
His chances of winning a fight against Su Bingyao in bed were practically zero!
Even if there were no danger, a hero with a cooldown could never beat one with no cooldown.
Just as Li Ran was about to back out, he noticed from the corner of his eye that the bedroom door behind him had quietly opened a crack.
"Did that little brat stay up just to wait for this moment?"
Li Ran gave up.
He was caught in a bind now. Even if he didn't want to sleep there... he had to go in.
"Dear, I'm coming in."
Li Ran shouted, pushed open the door, and shut it behind him.
At the same time, in the room behind him,
the cracks on Li Ziyang's head slowly healed as the door closed.
Li Ran had never imagined he would get married. And even if he had, he hadn't thought it would happen now.
He had once secretly sworn to himself that if he ever got married, he'd make married life exciting.
In bed, he'd be as naughty as he liked, trying everything he could think of. He'd go all out, enjoy himself, and let loose.
Outside the home, he'd maintain an elegant, dignified, and refined air.
Life lasted only a few fleeting decades. While he was young, he should enjoy married life. There'd be no point regretting it once he was too old to stand up straight.
But looking at Su Bingyao lying on her side in bed with her eyes closed, Li Ran found himself wanting to put married life off for the first time.
Su Bingyao was beautiful and sexy, like a rose made of ice crystals—delightful to look at.
But that rose came with ice spikes.
Li Ran didn't want to die so soon.
Although he had managed to make Su Bingyao laugh just now, did that mean she had already forgiven him, her "irredeemably wicked" ex-husband?
Li Ran knew better than to rush things.
Even though he longed to let his life bloom, he understood which mattered more: a moment of pleasure or lasting happiness.
On the tatami by the bed lay a pillow and a blanket, clearly prepared by Su Bingyao.
Li Ran obediently went over and lay down on the tatami.
The night passed without incident.
Morning.
Before the mother and son woke up,
Li Ran got up early and prepared breakfast, leaving it on the table.
He also left Su Bingyao a note.
"I had something to do, so I went out. I'll be back tonight to cook for you, darling. (Heart gesture)"
Su Bingyao opened the breakfast warmer. Inside was a steaming bowl of eight-treasure congee and a fried egg with a smiling face.
"Boring."
Su Bingyao called it boring, but a smile she couldn't hide tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Li Ran took the elevator downstairs.
He felt like he'd die if he stayed in that home for even one more second.
So he had slipped out first thing in the morning.
Just after he stepped out of the elevator, a man and a woman walked in together, arms around each other.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Li Ran stopped and turned to look at the couple inside.
The man held the petite girl tightly in his arms, his gaze predatory and his smile brazen.
He was tall and broad, wearing a black tank top that showed off his strong, muscular arms. The devil tattoos on both arms stood out, giving him a vicious, gangster-like air.
The petite girl, by contrast, forced a smile. Her body showed some resistance, and she was clearly unwilling to play along with him.
The elevator doors slowly closed.
Li Ran saw the girl's pleading gaze!
The elevator went up.
Li Ran's expression changed drastically.
He knew that girl!
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