His feelings for her were never concealed; when he loved, he loved.
He loved her openly, straightforwardly, generously, for all to know.
Tang Xiaomin thought Yan Jue had been influenced too much by online toxic self-help content, leading to this sudden, inexplicable behavior.
"I'm telling you, toxic self-help content is harmful; you shouldn't constantly browse such things."
Tang Xiaomin thought he was engrossed in his phone, and Yan Jue seized the opportunity to change the subject.
"I'm playing on my phone because I'm too bored."
"If you could always stay with me like this, toxic self-help content would never have a chance to harm me."
Changing the subject, Tang Xiaomin indeed stopped dwelling on it and chatted with him aimlessly about trivial matters.
It was already past midnight when she couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep in his arms.
Lu Xing, with a solemn expression, ascended to the top floor to report to Yan Jue.
"Mr. Yan, Ye Fengxing has issued a challenge. He wants you to hand over Miss Tang. He said... he would destroy the entire Demon City. His memory seems to have returned, and he fears death not at all."
"If he dies, we might face even more trouble."
In the past, Yan Jue couldn't do anything about Ye Fengxing, so out of desperation, he threw Ye Fengxing into reincarnation, which brought peace for these years.
If Ye Fengxing died, he would regain his identity as the Yama King of the Underworld.
Yan Jue was approaching a great tribulation, and his sense of crisis stemmed from Ye Fengxing.
"Have you completed the tasks I assigned you?"
At the mention of this, Lu Xing's expression grew grave.
"Mr. Yan, the legions of the undead have been gradually transferred to the Demon City or to branch companies in surrounding cities. The Underworld is now largely empty, except for the essential staff in its original departments."
Hell is empty, and the devils are in the human world.
Who knows how many devils have infiltrated the Demon City now.
They strictly adhere to discipline, living ordinary lives, indistinguishable from normal people.
The only commonality is their predilection for nocturnal activities.
If you see groups of people swaggering on the streets at night, do not provoke them; one can't tell if they are human or ghost.
Upon hearing this, a wicked smile played on Yan Jue's lips.
"Hmph, I will not hand over the empire I built to him. He couldn't defeat me before, and he cannot now."
Yan Jue had transformed the Underworld into a unrecognizable state, embracing artificial intelligence for everything. The ruler's role was now minimal.
Even if Ye Fengxing returned to the Underworld, he would be alone and powerless, and no one would heed him.
Then, he could lead his legions of the undead to fight back.
He could throw the Yama King into reincarnation once, and he could do it a second time, and countless more.
"Mr. Yan, regarding your great tribulation, should we inform Miss Tang? Before that, if she could accompany you with peace of mind..."
"No need."
Yan Jue looked at the sleeping figure in his arms; how could he bear to see her worried?
He couldn't bear for her to experience anything that would make her unhappy.
"Yes."
"Also, if I don't make it through, the Xianfu Group will be handed over to her, and the legions of the undead will also obey her command."
"She suffered too much injustice from her family before. In the future, if anyone bullies her, remember to help her fight back and don't let her suffer any grievances."
Yan Jue gave instructions to Lu Xing as if he were arranging his final affairs.
Lu Xing's voice trembled.
"Mr. Yan, you will surely overcome this. Miss Tang has already agreed to marry you after graduation. You absolutely cannot break your promise."
"Regarding not letting her suffer grievances, you should do that yourself."
Yan Jue also wished he could, but a tribulation, as it is called, is not something that can be easily resolved.
"Just do as I've instructed you."
Though it was summer, the night breeze was cool.
Unconsciously, it had turned Lu Xing's nose red. He was so choked up he couldn't utter a word.
Yan Jue hugged Tang Xiaomin tighter, his eyes filled with adoration as he gazed at her palm-sized face.
He could never see enough of her; after all these years, he never grew tired of it.
Every time he looked at her, his heart still fluttered.
The next day.
Tang Xiaomin awoke to find herself wrapped in a warm and familiar embrace.
Glancing at the unfamiliar surroundings, Tang Xiaomin felt a pang of regret, murmuring in his arms.
"Ms. Zhang told Tang Yu that girls should be reserved. It's not good to be with a man before marriage."
"Then let's get married, today."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yan Jue regretted them.
It wasn't that he didn't want to get married, but what if he couldn't survive? Tang Xiaomin would be a widow.
How pitiful she would be then.
"Look at you, you're at it again. We already agreed to wait until I graduate, there are still three years left. What's the rush? Are you afraid I'll run away?"
"Wherever you run, I will chase. You can't escape."
Tang Xiaomin giggled and turned over. She checked the time and hit her own head fiercely.
"Oh no, oh no, I'm going to be late for school. Why didn't you wake me up?"
She hit herself too hard, making a loud *snap*.
Yan Jue tenderly rubbed her head, telling her.
"Today is Sunday, you don't have to go to school."
"Don't hit your head like that next time. When you hit your head, it hurts my heart."
Tang Xiaomin breathed a sigh of relief and immediately flopped back onto the bed.
"You scared me to death. Since it's the weekend, I'll go back to sleep."
In the afternoon, Yan Jue suddenly wanted to go shopping, so Tang Xiaomin spent the entire day alone with him again.
Upon their return in the evening.
Zhang Meiyu claimed to have something to do and couldn't go to the hospital to deliver food to Tang Xu, so she assigned this arduous task to Tang Xiaomin. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Do you really have something to do?" Tang Xiaomin asked suspiciously.
Her question indicated that she had already seen through Zhang Meiyu's ulterior motives.
Zhang Meiyu's eyes flickered, but she still stubbornly insisted.
"Mom really has something to do. You can drive, so please go for me. It won't take long."
Faced with Tang Xiaomin's piercing gaze, Zhang Meiyu's voice grew softer, and she dared not look at Tang Xiaomin.
After a long silence, Tang Xiaomin picked up the thermos prepared by Zhang Meiyu and left.
She knew Zhang Meiyu was doing this intentionally, hoping she would deliver food to Tang Xu and perhaps resolve their issues.
As a mother, she naturally didn't want her children to be at odds.
Tang Xiaomin didn't expose her; she simply treated it as running an errand for Zhang Meiyu.
However, when she arrived at the hospital, she found that Tang Yu was not there.
She immediately called Tang Yu.
"Didn't I tell you to stay at the hospital to care for him? Where did you go?"
"Uh... I'm out, I have something to do. I already told Tang Xu when I left. I'll be back within two hours."
Tang Xiaomin faintly heard Wang Na's voice on the phone and immediately understood that Tang Yu had gone out for a date again.
She couldn't say much on the phone.
After hanging up, looking at Tang Xu, who was bandaged like a mummy, Tang Xiaomin was at a loss.
How was he supposed to eat in this condition?
As they stared at each other, a flicker of anticipation appeared in Tang Xu's eyes.