Chapter 22: Did You Say I Touched You?

Deep in the night, the world was silent.

The cold moonlight shone through the window into the living room, only to be absorbed by a ring hovering in mid-air. This was the ring that Hong Ming had broken, but as the moonlight gradually seeped into it, the cracked band began to mend itself. Slowly, the fissures vanished, and the entire ring took on a crystalline, translucent quality.

Xue An’s heart stirred. With a flick of his finger, he inscribed a miniature protective array onto the surface. A flash of white light shimmered, and the ring descended. This piece of jewelry, which had cost only a few dollars at a street stall, was now completely transformed; a faint red glow pulsed within the clear, transparent gemstone. It was the spiritual energy Xue An had infused into it.

The bedroom door creaked open. Fan Mengxue stepped out.

"Still awake?" Xue An asked softly.

Fan Mengxue shook her head. She walked over to Xue An, sat down with practiced ease, and rested her head gently on his shoulder. The room was so quiet that the soft, rhythmic breathing of the two little girls could be heard.

Suddenly, Xue An felt a chill on his shoulder. He looked down and saw that Fan Mengxue’s beautiful face was covered in tears. Xue An sighed and produced the newly refined ring.

"Happy birthday."

At this moment, Fan Mengxue was filled with a sense of grievance. She had endured so much hardship and pressure for the sake of Xue An, only to find that when they finally reunited, he already had children—twin daughters, no less. And that wasn't all. Throughout today’s class reunion, Xue An had barely acknowledged her. Could it be that he had grown distant because she had arrived with Hong Ming? But everything she did was for him!

Fan Mengxue had tossed and turned, unable to sleep, before quietly getting up to see what Xue An was doing. The appearance of this ring washed away more than half of her heartache.

"Do you like it?" Xue An smiled faintly.

Fan Mengxue let out a soft hum. After playing with the ring affectionately, she wore it with great care on the ring finger of her right hand. Seeing this, Xue An’s expression flickered, and he turned his gaze away.

"How have you been these past four years?" Xue An asked.

Fan Mengxue shook her head. "Not well."

After a moment of silence, Xue An asked, "How did you suddenly become a celebrity?"

Fan Mengxue sighed softly. "For many reasons, but the main one was that I wanted to become famous as quickly as possible. That way, even though you had disappeared, you would still be able to see me every time you turned on the television."

Xue An was silent for a while. "I’m sorry. These four years..."

Fan Mengxue suddenly kissed him on the lips. This sudden gesture left Xue An feeling at a loss. Three thousand years of cultivation had allowed him to witness countless grand and perilous events, yet he had never felt so flustered.

When the kiss ended, Fan Mengxue whispered in his ear, "Don't say sorry. The fact that you are still alive is the best explanation of all."

With that, she sat back on the sofa, stretched languidly, and rested her long legs on the coffee table without a hint of inhibition.

"What are you planning to do tomorrow?" she asked softly.

"No plans in particular."

"Then let's take Xiangxiang and Niannian out for the day!"

Xue An looked at the girl whose eyes seemed to hold the stars, and he nodded. Fan Mengxue rested her head on his shoulder and gradually drifted off to sleep. Before she fell into a slumber, she whispered, "She must be very beautiful, right?"

Xue An did not answer.

The next day, in front of a high school in Beijiang, Xue An looked up at the school gate. He was very familiar with this place, as it was where he had spent three years of his schooling. Fan Mengxue wore a hat and was in high spirits. Tang Xuan’er led Xue Xiang and Xue Nian, the five of them looking like a small tour group.

"Daddy, where is this?" Xue Xiang asked, looking at the gate with confusion.

Xue An smiled. "This place... this is where Daddy went to school."

"Is there anything good to eat inside?" Xue Nian always had food on her mind.

Xue An chuckled, while Xue Xiang unceremoniously pinched her sister’s chubby cheeks. "Eat, eat, eat! That's all you think about! Look how fat you’ve gotten!"

Xue Nian lowered her head, feeling wronged, and muttered under her breath, "Your face looks even rounder."

"Alright! Let's go!" Fan Mengxue said.

Xue An was surprised. "Aren't we going in?"

Fan Mengxue shook her head. "I only came here to see if this run-down school had been torn down yet. I’m not going to waste my time going inside!"

"Where are we going now, then?" Tang Xuan’er asked.

"Let's go ice skating! It’s been so long since I last skated!" Fan Mengxue said excitedly.

It was a natural skating rink. The lake, frozen solid by the bitter cold, was filled with people gliding across the surface. When Fan Mengxue was a student, she often came here.

"Daddy, they’re selling Peppa Pig over there!" Xue Xiang and Xue Nian’s eyes lit up.

"I’ll take them to buy some," Tang Xuan’er said.

"I’m going too! Xue An, you stay here and wait in line!" Fan Mengxue instructed.

The natural ice rink didn't require an entrance fee, but skates had to be rented. Xue An stood waiting in line. Just then, a woman casually cut in front of him. Xue An frowned slightly and tapped the woman on the shoulder.

"Hey."

The woman turned around impatiently. She was reasonably attractive, perhaps a seven out of ten, though her foundation was a centimeter thick, crumbling as she spoke. "What is it?"

"Wait in line," Xue An said coldly.

"So what if I cut in line? You’re a grown man, can’t you show some chivalry to us girls?" The woman spoke as if she were in the right.

Many people began to look their way. Xue An’s expression remained calm. "I told you to wait in line. Did you not hear me?"

The woman grew angry. Her eyes darted around, and she instantly shifted into a look of being wronged. "You’ve been sneaking around behind me for a while now, and when we were waiting in line, you were touching me! Are you a pervert?"

The gazes of the onlookers shifted, and many began to look at Xue An with disdain.

"He looks decent enough, why would he do something like that?"

"Yeah, this guy is really disgusting!"

The chatter made the woman feel triumphant, and she played up her pitiable expression even more. This was her tried-and-true tactic. Even on buses, if she didn't like the look of someone, she would use this trick, often leaving the victim unable to defend themselves.

Amidst the accusations, Xue An raised an eyebrow with a playful glint in his eyes. "Oh? You say I touched you?"

"Yes! Not only did you touch me, you’ve been following me!" The woman’s arrogance grew.

Xue An asked with a mocking smile, "Then tell me, where exactly did I touch you?"

"My waist!" the woman declared firmly.

However, just then, she met Xue An’s gaze—a look of condescending contempt that made her heart skip a beat.