“What did you just call me?”

Rosetti’s expression turned murderous in an instant, a chill glint in her eyes.

She pulled a staff from beneath her robes and aimed it at Lin Ge. Pale, icy magic began to gather around her.

“I-it’s Miss Rosetti, isn’t it? What a coincidence! I never thought I’d run into you here. We really are fated to meet, huh?”

Lin Ge gave an awkward little grin and rubbed his hands together.

There wasn’t much about him worth admiring. The only thing he had going for him was his thick skin.

An innocent smile, paired with a timely show of remorse.

People all had hearts, after all. Surely even the most fearsome vengeful ghost would choose to forgive him.

He believed that without a doubt.

And normally, that would’ve been true...

But even after Lin Ge said all that, the magic showed no sign of stopping.

Instead, she gave him a rare, kindly smile and said:

“Go on. Say one more thing. Make it sound good, and maybe I’ll forgive you.”

“Um... then how about... one day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of affection?”

“...”

“Guess that’s not gonna work...”

As soon as she finished speaking, Rosetti’s kindly smile vanished. She cracked her knuckles and strode toward Lin Ge, one steady step at a time.

Just as the wife’s “loving care” was about to reach him, a jumble of footsteps came in, along with the pure, childish babble of little kids...

At the sound, Rosetti raised an eyebrow and quickly stopped in her tracks.

Then the children from earlier came back in, bringing along the other kids from the orphanage whom Lin Ge hadn’t met yet.

Their curious eyes shining, they surrounded Lin Ge on all sides.

Then they pointed at him and said innocently:

“Is this Sister’s Pretty-Boy Brother? His face really is so pale!”

“Hey, you little brats! If you can’t talk properly, don’t go saying things like that!”

Pretty-Boy, Pretty-Boy... How many times did he have to tell them? Even if it was true, they didn’t have to be so blunt about it!

Lin Ge deliberately put on a mildly fierce expression and glared at the kids Meimei had just brought in.

Before he sat down for tea and a talk with these kids’ big sister, he’d have to give them a proper lesson first.

But...

“Wow, so this is the lazy good-for-nothing husband Sister’s always talking about! He’s pretty handsome, though.”

“And just like Sister Rosetti said, Pretty-Boy Brother’s face really is so pale. Sister wasn’t lying to us.”

“Pretty-Boy Brother, Pretty-Boy Brother, I heard you’re seeing two women at once. Is that true?”

“Pretty-Boy Brother...”

“Pretty-Boy Brother...”

...

They had Lin Ge completely surrounded.

They tugged at his sleeves, belt, and pant legs, shaking and shaking as one question after another came tumbling out.

They made Lin Ge’s head spin.

“Who let you all come out? Haven’t I told you not to come out when there’s a stranger here? How many times have I said it? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?”

A stern voice cut through the children’s commotion.

The kids had been buzzing with excitement a moment ago, but now they all fell silent and looked up at her timidly.

Rosetti stood there with one hand on her hip, a hint of anger showing on her fair face.

Faced with their furious big sister, the children lowered their heads. They pressed their lips together, fidgeted with their hands, and shuffled their little feet.

They were all afraid of Rosetti.

Seeing how frightened they looked, Rosetti couldn’t bring herself to keep scolding them.

She sighed softly, then said in a tone that left no room for argument:

“No games for any of you tonight. Go stand facing the wall and think about what you’ve done.”

“Awwww, why?”

At the news that they couldn’t play games, the children all drooped, utterly crestfallen.

To a child, nothing was sadder than being told they couldn’t play.

“Keep whining, and you won’t be allowed to play tomorrow, either.”

“Mm...”

Rosetti laid down the law even more firmly, and the children could only shut their mouths. The resentful looks in their little eyes were so pitiful that even Lin Ge couldn’t help wanting to put in a good word for them.

Unfortunately, sigh... he could barely keep himself out of trouble right now. How was he supposed to help them?

“Why are you here?”

Once the matter with the children was settled, it was only natural that Lin Ge was next.

Her plans might’ve been thrown off, but Rosetti still wasn’t about to give him a friendly look.

“Sister, I’m the one who brought him...”

When Lin Ge didn’t answer right away, Meimei hurriedly stepped in to speak for him.

“Haven’t I told you not to bring strangers home? Did you just ignore what I said? Meimei, don’t forget—you’re one of the older kids!”

With her brows tightly knit, Rosetti gave her a stern dressing-down.

Meimei lowered her head timidly, not daring to talk back.

All she could do was mumble softly:

“But Pretty-Boy Brother is Sister’s husband, isn’t he? He’s not an outsider.”

“Yeah, Pretty-Boy Brother really isn’t an outsider, is he?”

Hearing Meimei mumble that, the children finally realized it one by one.

Their big sister had told them not to casually bring “strangers” home, and not to come out when there was a “stranger” in the house. But Pretty-Boy Brother was her husband, which meant he was basically their brother-in-law. That definitely didn’t make him an outsider.

They’d been scolded for nothing!

With that thought, the children found their courage again and started talking back to Rosetti, all at once.

The kids kept chiming in with one perfectly reasonable point after another. Rosetti couldn’t think of a good explanation, and the stern look on her face began to crack...

But that wasn’t all.

“Exactly, honey! How could I be an outsider? That really hurts my feelings, sob.”

Rosetti: “?!”

“You?!”

Lin Ge reached across her voluminous robe and firmly gripped her slender waist, soft yet toned beneath the fabric. With a somewhat domineering tug, he pulled Rosetti into his arms, wearing a wicked grin.

She gripped her staff, her face darkening as her eyes flashed. She glared at him, eyes wide and furious.

Her silent glare carried a clear countdown: Let go, or don’t blame me for what happens next.

But Lin Ge only smiled and held her even tighter, without a trace of fear.

His eyes seemed to say:

Go on, hit me. I dare you. You wouldn’t hit me in front of the kids, would you?

Now Rosetti was really annoyed. She could put up with him playing pretend now and then, but how could she stand him taking advantage of her so openly?

But before Rosetti could say anything, Lin Ge suddenly had tears in his eyes. He sniffled, choked up, and started crying...

“Honey, I know I’m at fault. I’m uneducated, I can’t do anything, I’m a complete good-for-nothing, and I’ve embarrassed you. But calling me a stranger really hurts. Still... I’m a grown man. A real man sticks by his wife—like the saying goes, if you marry a chicken, follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, follow the dog. Since you don’t consider me one of your own anymore, I... might as well find a block of tofu and bash myself to death.”