Chapter Eighty-Eight: Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law

Night had slowly drawn its curtain, and along both sides of the streets, multicolored neon lights were beginning to glitter. The cool evening breeze of early summer carried a refreshing touch, a trace of ease, and the whole city seemed dazzlingly prosperous and dreamlike.

In a luxurious English-style villa on the outskirts of North City, Lu Buyu sat on the sofa smoking cigarette after cigarette. The cigarettes were an expensive brand, but after only a few drags he would snuff them out and light another. Thick smoke swirled across his face, veiling the storm-dark expression that had settled there.

In front of him stood four burly men with their heads bowed. These were the very men he had sent out that afternoon to teach Xue Tianai a lesson, led by the bald one.

Originally, Lu Buyu had intended for them to beat Xue Tianai mercilessly, drag him back to the villa, and then finish him off himself, so that that pathetic nobody would learn what happened to any man who dared covet a woman chosen by Lu the Young Master.

But reality had slapped him hard across the face. The four men he sent out had come back battered and humiliated.

An insult. A grave insult. Lu Buyu felt he had lost all face. In the morning, he had been eager and prepared, only to be struck hard by the woman he admired; now he had been slapped in the face again by a man he had always looked down upon.

At this point, Lu Buyu had completely taken a hatred for Xue Tianai. At first, he had only wanted to break Xue Tianai’s legs and torment him a little. But now, Lu Buyu wanted Xue Tianai dead.

“You useless trash! Every one of you is trash! I don’t even know what my father keeps you lot of freeloaders for! Four of you couldn’t even handle one man and got beaten into that state! And you still brag about how incredible you are? So this is how incredible you are, is it?”

Unable to swallow his anger, Lu Buyu could only vent it on the four burly men.

“Young Master Lu, the main thing is that this man called Xue Tianai is simply too terrifying! I’ve never seen such ghostlike skill in my life. He is definitely stronger than Elder Huang!” the bald man said, raising his head.

“That’s right, that’s right, Young Master Lu, that man really was too terrifying!” the crew-cut man echoed.

“Bullshit! You’re all talking bullshit! One measly trash like that, one pathetic nobody, and you couldn’t even deal with him, and you still have the nerve to come see me!” Lu Buyu roared, his face twisted with ferocity.

“Young Master Lu, let’s just give up. After all, that man called Xue Tianai has such skill, and on top of that he managed to win over Ye Hai’s heart. I feel this person is absolutely not as simple as he looks. I think someone like that is better left alone.”

The bald man had personally witnessed Xue Tianai’s terror. At the very least, no one in the entire Azure Sky Alliance would be his match. He truly did not want the alliance to provoke such a being.

“What do you mean? Are you teaching me what to do? Get lost. All four of you, get the hell out! Don’t let me see any of your faces again! If my father were in North City right now, I would have him throw the lot of you out!” Hearing that Xue Tianai had won over Ye Hai’s heart reopened an old wound, and Lu Buyu grew even more furious. He sprang up from the sofa and pointed at the four men, shouting.

“Young Master...” The crew-cut youth among the four hesitated.

“I told you to get out. Did you not hear me?” Lu Buyu suddenly reached behind the sofa cushion and pulled out a pistol, aiming it at the four men. “If you don’t leave now, do you believe I won’t shoot you dead, you sons of bitches?”

Being aimed at with a gun, the four men were clearly shaken. A gun was no joke; it was a thing that could take a life in an instant.

At last, too afraid to stay any longer, the four burly men fled the room in a hurry. They feared that if the young master truly grew displeased, he might really put a bullet through them. As for whether Lu Buyu insisted on fighting Xue Tianai, then let him go ahead and fight; right now, preserving their own lives was the more important matter.

No sooner had the four left than Lu Buyu’s expression became even more hideous and twisted. He clicked off the safety and fired the entire magazine into the soft sofa with sharp, deafening reports before finally feeling, somewhat, as though his rage had been spent.

Lu Buyu went to the window in the room. The glass reflected his distorted, savage face with cruel clarity as he clenched his teeth and said through them, “Xue Tianai, just you wait. I, Lu Buyu, will never let you go.”

Meanwhile, in the Hongyang Villas, Villa Three, Xue Tianai was completely unaware that Lu Buyu had taken a fierce hatred toward him. Even if he had known, he would not have cared much; to him, Lu Buyu was nothing more than a clown, unworthy of mention.

Because Qin Anan had come over, Xue Tianai had prepared a table laden with dishes: cola chicken wings, spicy tripe stew, sweet and sour ribs, boiled cabbage, a perfectly balanced spread of meat and vegetables. The aroma, color, and taste were all superb.

The three of them naturally ate with great appetite and enjoyed themselves immensely. But there was one thing giving Xue Tianai quite a headache: his little sister-in-law was like a little enchantress, and not just any enchantress, but an especially clingy one.

“Brother-in-law, brother-in-law! How can your cooking be this delicious? This is not just five-star quality, it’s practically six-star quality!” Qin Anan said indistinctly, a piece of sweet and sour rib stuffed into her mouth as she gazed brightly at Xue Tianai beside her.

“Uh, that’s because I worked as a cook for a month before, and that’s when I learned to cook,” Xue Tianai answered truthfully.

That had been back when he was with the Wolf Pack. In order to deal with a very cunning organization, they had rented a restaurant directly across from one of the organization’s hidden strongholds and camped there for an entire month. After the month spent wiping out that organization, Xue Tianai had unexpectedly also gained an understanding of cooking.

“Wow, brother-in-law, as a young master of the Xue family, you even went to be a cook? So down-to-earth!” Qin Anan exclaimed sincerely, then continued asking.

“Brother-in-law, why were you dressed like that when you were cooking just now? I mean, why the glasses and the little ponytail?”

“Because it’s become a habit... Ever since the first time I started learning to cook, I’ve had that look...” Back when Xue Tianai had been lurking in place, that had been the disguise he used, and so he had grown accustomed to it.

“Brother-in-law, you must be really rich, right? My college living expenses are going to depend on you from now on!” Qin Anan said on, inching ever closer to Xue Tianai.

“Anan! Isn’t your monthly allowance of fifty thousand not enough for you? How much more do you want?” Qin Mengxue could not help but chide her then.

One must know that fifty thousand a month was already an amount countless people would not dare even imagine, yet this little girl was still dissatisfied. She was only a university student, and already this extravagant—what an absurdity.

“How much living expense I get isn’t important. What matters is that I need my brother-in-law to back me up! And my brother-in-law is so generous—he definitely won’t mind something as small as living expenses!” Qin Anan was practically about to cling onto Xue Tianai, her tone pitiful.

“Brother-in-law, half my bottom already belongs to you. You can’t ignore me. Whoever bullies me in the future, you have to help me teach them a proper lesson!”

Damn it. If I’d known this little demon girl would be so hard to deal with, I wouldn’t have teased her just now. Ever since the three of them sat down at the table to eat, Qin Anan had started by complaining that Xue Tianai had frightened her, and then used that as an opening to launch a barrage of questions at him. But in the end, the whole point of her questions came down to one thing.

I’m your sister-in-law, half my bottom is already yours, yet you pretended to be a lecher and scared me. I’m not having it, so as compensation, since you’re the young master of the Xue family, you have to protect me from now on.

“Yes, yes, yes. From now on, if anyone dares bully Anan, I’ll be the first to object. I promise I’ll handle them so thoroughly they’ll be calling you granny,” Xue Tianai promised helplessly. After all, she was his little sister-in-law, and such a beautiful one at that. Protecting her was only right.

“I knew brother-in-law was the best!” Qin Anan set down her bowl and chopsticks, hooked her arm around Xue Tianai’s and acted coquettishly. “But don’t make them call me granny. That would make me sound too old. Just beat them until they call me big sister!”

“Anan, how are you so full of wicked ideas now? You want your brother-in-law to give you money and help you deal with other people—should I just give you your brother-in-law to be your husband instead?” Qin Mengxue teased.

What was wrong with this cousin of hers? She had surrendered so quickly! At first she had been shouting about catching thieves and lechers, and now look at her, calling out brother-in-law this and brother-in-law that without stopping.

“That won’t do, sis. You’re the one who’s supposed to give brother-in-law your whole bottom. As his little sister-in-law, I only need half a bottom. How could I possibly snatch him from you?” Qin Anan refused with a solemn face.

“You little brat, what are you saying? How can you say something so shameless so easily?” Hearing this, Qin Mengxue could not help but blush. Though she and Xue Tianai were indeed husband and wife, they had not yet done that sort of thing.

“Hee hee hee.” Qin Anan giggled, then turned back to Xue Tianai. “Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, tomorrow happens to be the weekend. Take me out to dinner.”

“Aren’t your brother-in-law’s cooking good enough? You still want to eat out?” Qin Mengxue cut in again.

“Of course it’s very good. It’s the best food I’ve ever eaten. But brother-in-law cooking personally and treating me to a meal are two different things; the nature of it is different!” Qin Anan said, wagging a pretty index finger.

“All right, tomorrow I’ll definitely take Anan to eat at one of the most famous restaurants in the world,” Xue Tianai said after a moment’s thought, then smiled wickedly.

“Xue Tianai, don’t spoil her too much. She’s still just a university student!”

“No problem, it’s just one meal. Besides, I only have one little sister-in-law. How could I not treat her well?” Xue Tianai winked at Qin Mengxue, a meaningful smile curving at his lips.

Seeing that look, Qin Mengxue immediately understood. This fellow seemed to have thought of some wicked scheme again. Still, if that scheme could cure Anan of her extravagant habits, then it might not be a bad thing after all.

So, on the surface, Qin Mengxue put on a helpless expression and nodded. “Fine. Anyway, I was originally planning to drag you out shopping tomorrow and buy you two suits you can actually wear. By the time we get back, it’ll probably already be night, so there won’t be time to cook. In that case, you can just treat Anan to dinner.”

“Yes! Brother-in-law and sis are the best! I love you both to death!” Seeing that Qin Mengxue had agreed too, Qin Anan could not help but cheer.

“Brother-in-law, you promised just now. Tomorrow you’re taking me to eat at one of the world’s most famous restaurants, remember? No backing out!”

“Mhm, yes, that’s right. Don’t worry, it really is a world-famous restaurant,” Xue Tianai said with a smile, looking at Qin Anan.

Thanks to book friend 58823470 for the tip! Your support is my greatest motivation. As long as even one person is still reading this book, I will write it to the very end.