The birthday party began.

"Big Sister, happy birthday!" Qian Xiao was the first to pull a present from his pocket. It wasn't any particularly expensive jewelry or gem, but a very cartoonish pink sticker of Yiyi's favorite anime character. Mao Dou and the other little girls also presented their gifts, which were mostly small accessories and clothes for Yiyi.

After receiving all the presents from her friends, Yiyi looked toward her dad, mom, and aunt. Though she didn't say a word, the anticipation in her eyes was obvious.

"Ahem, Yiyi," Ruan Lan coughed. "Auntie was going to make you an outfit, but... well, your dad shot down the idea mercilessly. Soooo..." She paused dramatically before pulling a book from behind her back like a magician. It was the character design collection for *Magical Girl Madoka Magica*.

She said seriously, "When you're done with it, you can give it to your mom. Double the happiness for the price of one!"

Ruan Tang was livid. If Xu Lai hadn't been constantly pulling his wife back and whispering, "Just let it go, let it go," a scene of sisterly bloodshed might have erupted.

Despite this, Yiyi happily accepted the gift. "Thank you, Auntie."

"You're welcome," Ruan Lan added regretfully. "Auntie actually wanted to give you the *Five-Year College Entrance Examination, Three-Year Simulation* question bank, too. But since you're still little, I'll have to wait about a decade to give it to you. Luckily, I can start giving you practice tests in a couple of years."

"..."

The children shivered, looking at Ruan Lan with pure terror. This auntie must be a Devil! How else could she be so cruel?

Sure enough, Yiyi was so "moved" she was on the verge of tears.

Ruan Tang shot her sister a glare before smiling at her daughter. "Yiyi, Mommy bought you a toy set. It's already in your room."

"Mwah!" Yiyi gave her mom a kiss on the cheek and chirped, "Thank you, Mommy!"

Ruan Tang's smile bloomed like a flower. She hugged her daughter, then looked at Xu Lai and asked, "What about your gift?"

"A video clip."

As Xu Lai spoke, Ruan Lan and the children looked puzzled, while Ruan Tang's pretty face flushed red with embarrassment. The others didn't know, but she knew exactly which video Xu Lai was talking about. She shot him a look burning with shame and anger, one that clearly said, 'If you dare show that, we're going down together.'

"Ahem," Xu Lai coughed. "Just kidding. I've prepared two gifts for my daughter. The first is a piece of clothing."

With a wave of his hand, a pure white child's dress appeared.

The dress was gorgeous. Yiyi's eyes instantly lit up. Not just her—Mao Dou, Yi Le, Mi Le, and the other children all stared in wonder. Even Ruan Tang's eyes glinted with amazement. As someone in the clothing business, she knew with a single glance that the fabric was incredibly precious, a rare material that had never circulated on the market. Ruan Tang reached out to touch it gently; it was exceedingly soft. Though it was plain white with no pattern, it seemed to be adorned with tiny stars, making it utterly beautiful.

"Daddy, Yiyi really likes this dress!"

Yiyi took the dress and scurried back to her room. A moment later, she came bouncing back downstairs. The already lively little girl now seemed even more enchanting.

"So beautiful..." Qian Xiao whispered, mesmerized. In his eyes, there was no one else but the girl whose smile brightened the entire night.

Oh no. My heart is racing!

"Brother-in-law, did you make this dress?" Ruan Lan's eyes darted about as an idea suddenly struck her. She remembered seeing him making a stunning piece of women's clothing the other day, and the material was identical to her niece's.

Which means... my brother-in-law is secretly making a dress for my sister, Ruan Tang!

Ruan Lan said excitedly, "My dearest brother-in-law, the most handsome and gentle brother-in-law in the world, do I get one too?"

Xu Lai cast a sidelong glance at her and remained silent.

Ruan Lan clapped her hands together and giggled. "You don't have to say it, I know you must have one for me. Thanks, Brother-in-law!"

Ruan Tang's gaze flickered, words unsaid on the tip of her tongue. She was truly amazed that Xu Lai could make clothes. She wanted to ask for one as well, but as a clothing designer herself, and still fuming over the 'drunken video' incident, she refused to bow her head to this infuriating man. She could only hope he would read her mind from her gaze.

However, Xu Lai met her eyes, then deliberately looked away, pretending he hadn't noticed.

Ruan Tang was absolutely furious. Fine, don't make me one! It's not like I care. She glared at Xu Lai, deciding in her heart that he would be sleeping on the floor tonight.

Silly girl, of course there's a dress for you, Xu Lai smiled wryly to himself. After all, the dress he'd made for Ruan Tang was a wedding gown. When the time came, she wouldn't have a choice but to wear it. It was a surprise he wasn't ready to reveal yet.

Noticing the tense look Aunt Ruan Tang was giving Uncle Xu, Qian Xiao deftly changed the subject. "Uncle Xu, what's the second gift?"

Xu Lai didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Yiyi, look outside. What do you see?"

"The night, and the starry sky."

Yiyi obediently looked out the window. The moon was beautiful tonight. The night sky was like a canvas twinkling with countless stars, and a river of stars stretched across the distant horizon.

"That's not just the starry sky," Xu Lai said, his hands clasped behind his back, his voice swelling with pride. "That's the territory your father has conquered for you. You will rule billions of star systems. You will be the Empress of the Immortal Domain!"

These billions were merely the star systems directly under the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction. Including the star systems governed by the Four Immortal Domains, the territory was truly boundless. On this day, her fifth birthday, Xu Lai had decided to hand the Heavenly Court over to her.

"..."

The room fell silent, everyone completely dumbfounded by Xu Lai's outrageously grand birthday gift.

After a long moment, Qian Xiao finally stammered, "Uncle Xu... we haven't even started eating or drinking yet. How are you already drunk?"

Ruan Lan blushed and facepalmed. "Brother-in-law, you're laying it on a bit thick in front of the kids, don't you think?"

"...Uh." Xu Lai glanced hesitantly at Ruan Tang, who nodded without a shred of sympathy. "It was a bit much."

"Alright then," Xu Lai said, ruffling Yiyi's hair with a smile. "Anyway, it's all yours, so you can't escape it. Let's eat cake!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" The children all nodded eagerly. They had been hungry for ages and were finally getting to eat.

SMACK!

As they were eating, a large piece of cake suddenly flew through the air and splattered right across Qian Xiao's face.

Kid Qian was dumbfounded.

Who am I? Where am I? Who hit me...?

That piece of cake was the fuse. The hyper-playful children erupted into a massive cake fight. Xu Yiyi had a wonderful time, gleefully flinging cake at her kindergarten classmates. Of course, she didn't escape getting hit herself.

The strange thing was, even though cake splattered against Xu Yiyi, it didn't dirty her clothes or her hair. She remained as clean as ever.

Facing Ruan Tang's puzzled look, Xu Lai couldn't very well say that the dress could withstand a full-force attack from an Emperor Realm expert, could he? As for anyone below the Quasi-Emperor Realm, they wouldn't have a chance of even piercing its defenses.

This wasn't just a dress. It was a defensive magical treasure—a true Emperor Artifact

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