Jiang Huihui first sent Xu Mu a sweaty, speechless emoji.
Then she added: "The Marriage Tournament is the day after tomorrow."
Seeing this, Xu Mu shook his head lightly. It was already night, which meant he had only tomorrow left to prepare.
He replied to Jiang Huihui: "Got it. Don't worry."
Then he tossed his phone onto the sofa, stretched, got up, and headed for the kitchen.
Ye Tong was standing to the side, watching Ye Yu chop vegetables.
"Are your noodles any good? Maybe your sister should cook," Xu Mu joked, looking at Ye Yu.
"Brother-in-law, don't underestimate me. Mine will definitely taste better than Sis's," Ye Yu said coolly, then glanced at Ye Tong. "Sis, you head out too. I can handle it."
"Alright," Ye Tong said. She'd meant to help—after all, Ye Yu didn't know how to cook—but judging from her confidence, maybe she'd been practicing in secret.
Xu Mu and Ye Tong went back to the sofa to chat.
Before long, Ye Yu came over with a bowl of tomato-and-egg noodles.
"Brother-in-law, for you!"
She set the bowl and chopsticks in front of him and sat nearby, watching him with big watery eyes.
Xu Mu looked down at the noodles—at least they looked good. He sipped the broth first and immediately made a pained face.
So sour!
"Brother-in-law, how is it?" Ye Yu asked, excited. "The essence of my noodles is all in the soup!"
"Tasty. A bit sour—but it really whets the appetite," Xu Mu said, not wanting to dampen her enthusiasm, offering a little encouragement.
[Favorability +15]
Ye Yu beamed. "If you like it, eat more. I'll make it for you every day from now on."
Only then did she realize how that sounded—like a confession. Her cheeks flushed scarlet.
Ye Tong's Favorability rose above her head as well.
"Okay," Xu Mu nodded. Aside from the sourness, it wasn't inedible. He dug in, and in no time polished off the bowl.
"I'll wash the dishes," Ye Tong smiled, taking the bowl to the kitchen.
"Wife, come to the bedroom for a meeting after you're done," Xu Mu said, heading upstairs first.
Ye Tong's face turned pink. She shot a furtive glance at Ye Yu. This naughty man… Ye Yu isn't a kid anymore, and he still says things like that in front of her.
Ye Yu followed Ye Tong to the kitchen, planning to pull her to sleep in her room tonight. Then she noticed Ye Tong take a small sip of the leftover soup from Xu Mu's bowl—
—and immediately make the same pained face.
"What's wrong, Sis?" Ye Yu asked.
"It's fine, it's fine," Ye Tong said, carrying the bowl to the sink—only for Ye Yu to snatch it away. She took a small sip herself, then stuck out her tongue.
"So sour! I forgot tomatoes are sour too—I shouldn't have added so much vinegar," Ye Yu muttered, lowering her head. "Brother-in-law is something else… it was obviously bad, but he still finished the whole bowl."
"Because you made it," Ye Tong smiled.
[Favorability +20]
Ye Yu's cheeks went rosy. She quickly set the bowl down and ran upstairs.
After washing the dishes, Ye Tong returned to the bedroom. Xu Mu was already under the covers. She did a quick wash and slipped in beside him.
"Honey, you moved Xiao Yu so much today. That bowl of noodles must've been hard to swallow, right?" she said softly, holding his hand.
"It was fine. I'm not picky. She'll get better with time—you know the saying?" Xu Mu whispered in her ear. "Good things come after many practice'."
Ye Tong's face flamed. Looked like she was about to enjoy good things again.
—
Early the next morning.
As usual, Xu Mu woke up bright and early.
With the Marriage Tournament tomorrow, he couldn't afford to idle today.
Ye Yu also got up early—she and her best friend had decided to go get their driver's licenses together.
Xu Mu didn't object. With a Fate Level of 9, Ye Yu might encounter some fortuitous chances; she should be out and about.
Ye Tong headed to work, leaving Xu Mu alone at home.
Just then his phone rang—it was a message from the Hundred Ghosts Parade app.
The official customer service wrote: "Hello, Mr. Lin. We reviewed your chat with Mr. Black Robe. After you two arranged to meet yesterday, Mr. Black Robe went out of contact."
Xu Mu replied at once: "You're not suspecting me, are you? He's an assassin—of course there are risks. I paid every cent."
The reply came: "We don't suspect you. We're simply informing you that Mr. Black Robe is likely dead. The contract is terminated."
Xu Mu typed: "Then per the contract, I get a refund, right?"
"That's correct. We're a legitimate platform—we'll refund 10%. Please proceed with face verification."
As soon as the message arrived, a system prompt popped up, asking for camera permission for face ID.
Xu Mu was a bit surprised. Where was he supposed to find Lin Yang's face now?
He hit "Deny."
About thirty seconds later, the app requested face verification again.
Xu Mu shook his head, watched the countdown finish, and then another message popped:
"Account has been banned."
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have asked for the refund. Maybe I could've used it a bit longer," he muttered helplessly.
—
With nothing pressing to do, Xu Mu drove to see Chen Xuan—he hadn't told him yet that the Marriage Tournament would be tomorrow.
Parking outside, he swept the area with his senses.
Zhou Xia really had nerves of steel. Even with her cover blown, she'd dared come back—currently sleeping in her bedroom.
Xu Mu pushed open Chen Xuan's door and found him with his woven sack slung over his back, about to head out.
"Brother Mu, you're here," Chen Xuan grinned. "I was just going to the back mountain to train."
"Jiang Huihui's Marriage Tournament date is set—tomorrow," Xu Mu said.
"So soon? I'll do my best," Chen Xuan answered, then suddenly turned. "Brother Mu, someone just released qi behind the house."
"I sensed it too," Xu Mu said.
A narrow-eyed man had jumped over the wall into the yard behind Zhou Xia's place. He opened the back door to the house, went into the living room, and sat on the sofa.
Xu Mu thought for a moment. Barring surprises, he was likely a member of the Yin–Yang Sect—here to deliver an assignment.
He was very curious about the relationship between the Yin–Yang Sect's sect master and Ye Chen.
If they were allies, Xu Mu's hands would be tied.
But if they were enemies, he could lend the Yin–Yang Sect a well-timed assist.
"Old Chen, I want to stay and keep watch. If you want to go train on the back mountain, go ahead," Xu Mu said, settling in—he could not only see the scene, but also hear their voices.