After the proposal, the Valkyrie came to the door

PS: I took a look at Gretchen's new skin. It's okay except for the head. It seems like all of Gretchen's skins are going for a rebellious style, like a mafia boss and leather pants. Tsk tsk tsk, I suddenly feel like writing a side story where Gretchen makes a move on the captain who has been married to Ellie for many years.

Chapter 146 Kevin also wants to propose!

Sky City, Golden Courtyard.

Anliang hummed a popular magical girl idol song from over a decade ago, glanced at the gradually darkening sunset, and felt quite pleased.

It was another day when he was off work and heading home before the moon had even risen. This leisurely feeling was something he wasn't used to after working overtime so intensely recently.

"If Kevin knew that I could leave work on time every day with Seele's help, he would definitely be very envious!"

An Liang thought of Kevin, who was also a corporate slave, touched his chin, and then a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

He casually snapped a picture of the beautiful courtyard at sunset, posted it to the boys' group chat of Golden Courtyard, and then sent a message in a nonchalant tone.

[Anliang: I returned home early and found the courtyard bathed in the glow of the setting sun to be truly picturesque.]

[Kevin: @Anliang, you don't have to work overtime today?!]

Almost immediately, Kevin popped up in the group chat.

Sure enough, Kevin's ability to persevere through long hours of overtime shows he's a master at slacking off; working while simultaneously watching live streams and chatting is practically his standard practice.

An Liang raised an eyebrow and asked the question knowingly.

[Anliang: My workload hasn't been heavy lately, and I've been able to leave work on time every day. How about you?]

Kevin: ...

Kevin, who was working overtime, looked at the message on his phone and his face darkened.

They all work in the internet industry, so how could Anliang not know that overtime is the norm for programmers? This guy just wanted to take the opportunity to show off.

However, not long ago he was working overtime until 9 or 10 pm every day, just like her, but now she can go home before it gets dark...

Kevin sighed, feeling a complex mix of fear that his brother was suffering, and also fear that his brother was driving a Land Rover.

[Kevin: I'm still the same as always, but I'm different from you. Even if I leave work early, no one's home, so I might as well stay at the company and get some overtime pay.]

Anliang: Your situation is really...

Seeing Kevin's calm reply, Anliang, who had originally wanted to continue joking with him, fell silent and only sent the message after several seconds.

[Anliang: Kevin, are you really not considering getting a job closer to Mei?]

[Kevin: I have considered it, but I haven't found a suitable job there yet, and I'm not ready to live together. I'm a little worried that it might affect Mei's research...]

[Anliang: What preparations are needed for living together? You two have been dating for so many years, most people would be married by now... but you haven't even proposed to Mei, let alone lived together. In a way, that's a miracle.]

An Liang twitched the corner of his mouth, really wanting to complain.

He knew that Kevin had so many concerns because of the significant difference in status between him and Mei.

Kevin wanted to work harder to be worthy of Mei, but Mei was a typical science student and not as good at expressing her love as Alicia, so she had been passively waiting for Kevin... This resulted in the two dating for so many years, but neither of them took the initiative to take the final step.

[Qian Jie: Hesitating like that, what a nagging old woman!]

Perhaps speechless at Kevin and Mei's relationship, even the usually quiet butler, Master Qian, suddenly appeared in the group chat.

[Qian Jie: Look at An Liang, it only took him six months from dating to proposing. Some things don't need preparation!]

[Anliang: Haha, the speed of a proposal varies from person to person, but Qianjie was right about one thing: proposing is quite simple and doesn't require much preparation.]

Although they used to be mortal enemies...

But now that everyone is a member of Golden Courtyard, Anliang is still very willing to offer advice to his good brother on important life events.

[Anliang: All you need to do is buy the engagement ring, then find a suitable moment to give it to Mei. She's unlikely to refuse you anyway.]

[Kevin: Isn't this... a bit too hasty?]

[Anliang: There are also less hasty approaches, but do you have time for a meticulously planned proposal?]

Kevin looked at the messages in the group chat and raised his hand to scratch his white hair.

Actually, he had considered proposing like Anliang on May 20th, but unfortunately neither he nor Mei were available that day, so the proposal plan fell through.

Now his good buddies in the group are all urging him to propose soon, and Anliang is even sharing his proposal experience...

This made Kevin's heart flutter with desire.

Perhaps it's time to take that step. Otherwise, how awkward would it be if Anliang and Alicia got married and had children while he still hadn't proposed to Mei?

Thinking of this, Kevin typed on his phone.

[Kevin: @Anliang, let's talk in detail later. After I finish my current project, I can take a long vacation and should have time to plan something carefully.]

[Qian Jie: Hehe, have you made up your mind? Not bad!]

[Su: I just finished surgery and found out you're planning to propose, Kevin. Let me know if you need anything.]

Anliang: Okay, I'll definitely help you out then.

Aside from Kosmo, who is still in school and can't use a cell phone, the boys at Golden Courtyard all expressed their willingness to help Kevin.

"It seems I'm not the only one who's worried about Kevin and Mei."

An Liang's lips curled up slightly. He never thought that one day he would teach the Lord of the World Serpent how to propose marriage. It was a truly wonderful feeling.

However, Kevin certainly didn't choose the wrong person.

There are probably not many people in the world who have proposed more times than Anliang. With him as Kevin's strategist, Mei is guaranteed to experience a romantic proposal that she will never forget.

"Since you've helped me this much, it wouldn't be right for Kevin not to give a big red envelope when I marry Alicia!"

Anliang joked, chatted for a few more minutes in the group, and then put away his phone.

Looking up at the sky, he saw that the dark red sun had slowly descended from the horizon, indicating that he had been wandering around the Golden Courtyard villa for at least ten minutes in order to chat with Kevin.

While this was partly due to the considerable size of the Golden Courtyard, he did indeed walk rather slowly because he was distracted by chatting.

"I just wanted to brag to Kevin, but we ended up talking about marriage... Should I tell Alicia about this?"

"Let's forget about it. With Alicia's gossipy nature, if she finds out, Mei will probably find out too, and Kevin's proposal won't be as surprising then."

Anliang pondered for a moment, then slowly walked to his front door.

Alright, Kevin can think about the proposal when he has time. As for now, let him see how Alicia and Fu Hua Xiaoshi are doing at home today!

P.S.: I'm having some writer's block, so here's a slice-of-life segment, which also serves as some setup for the main storyline later on. Since the protagonist is a transmigrator, Kevin and Sue will have to be his support team. And in crucial moments, you rely on your brothers; if the captain unfortunately suffers ultimate humiliation, maybe Kevin will have to step in and pull some strings, hehehe.

Chapter 147 A Fu beat up Xiao Shi?

"Awooooooo—!!"

Open the front door and step through the entryway.

What Anliang heard first was not Alicia's welcome, but a series of screams that were as dramatic and varied as those of Tom the cat.

Wait, that sounds like Xiao Shi's voice?

Anliang instantly recognized the source of the scream, and his eyelids twitched involuntarily.

Is this brat up to some crazy thing, like sawing a tree in his crotch? Or did he accidentally mess things up and get whipped like a top by Fu Hua with a copper-headed leather belt?!

With Alicia watching, even if Fu Hua wanted to teach Xiao Shi a lesson, it wouldn't escalate to the point of physical violence...

An Liang had several guesses in his mind, but then he shook his head and rejected them one by one.

Instead of guessing, let's just go and see for ourselves.

"If it really is Xiaoshi who is being beaten, then I can help her out depending on the situation, or hand Fu Hua a clothes hanger."

Seemingly recalling his past experiences of raising mischievous children with Fu Hua in reincarnation, An Liang's lips curled slightly, and with a touch of the carefree and unreliable attitude of an old father, he slowly walked forward.

A few steps later, the living room came into view.

Contrary to his expectations that A Fu would beat Xiao Shi to a pulp, Xiao Shi, who had been screaming in pain, was now lying on the sofa with an expression that showed both pain and pleasure on his face. Fu Hua was pressing his hands on the muscles and acupoints on Xiao Shi's back, kneading and massaging them with practiced ease.

"Ouch, old man, you're too strong! My bones feel like they're going to fall apart!"

"It's not that exaggerated. Besides, didn't you just say that you were having a hard time and told me to put in some effort so I wouldn't look like I hadn't eaten enough?"

Fu Hua said calmly, his hands moving without stopping, his strength heavy and deep.

Xiao Shi gasped in shock and said through gritted teeth.

"I... I feel less tired now. Old man, you can take it easy and don't overexert yourself."

"Don't worry, I can massage you with this level of strength all day long."

As Fu Hua spoke, he grabbed Xiao Shi's shoulders and pressed down on the trapezius muscles at the back of her neck. "Your shoulders are very stiff. It seems that your recent travels have caused you a lot of fatigue. No wonder it hurts when you press them. I guess you need to increase the intensity of the massage."

"What? An old relic? Wait a minute—"

Xiao Shi's eyes widened, and his words were cut short by a loud, pitiful scream.

Having witnessed all of this, An Liang suppressed his astonishment and said with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"So, you were getting a massage originally?"

"Oh, Anliang, you're back~?"

Alicia, who was standing to the side watching, turned her head and spotted her fiancé. Her beautiful pink and blue eyes curved into crescents.

"Fu Hua and Xiao Shi are obviously getting massages, what else do you think they're doing?"

"Uh, I thought they were...practicing martial arts."

An Liang coughed lightly, fully demonstrating what the art of language truly means.

If Xiaoshi knew that she thought she was being beaten, that brat would definitely get angry, so it's better to be tactful.

"Speaking of which, how did Xiaoshi end up getting massages? I don't think there's anything wrong with her body."

"Oh, it's because Alicia wanted to learn some massage techniques from me."

Fu Hua heard An Liang's question and, while gradually increasing the speed of the massage, still managed to answer with steady breathing.

The source of Xiao Shi's screams was none other than the pink fairy lady; this was truly unexpected...

Anliang stroked his chin and glanced at Alicia with some surprise.

"I was just curious about Chinese martial arts, and then Hua told me that martial arts are not uncommon. Many things in daily life originate from martial arts, and massage techniques are one of them."

Alicia tilted her head and explained with an innocent expression.

“I thought massage was relatively simple and could help you when you’re tired, so I asked Hua to teach me a few techniques. Then Xiao Shi said she hadn’t had a massage in a long time and volunteered to be the teaching material.”

"But I didn't expect that Xiao Shi would feel Fu Hua's strength was too weak halfway through the massage, and that's how it ended up like this..."

Good heavens, it has to be Xiao Shi who knows how to court death.

Anliang looked down at Xiaoshi, whose expression was twitching, with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Even if it were him, if he dared to ask a massage therapist outside if he hadn't eaten, he would be skinned alive from the massage, let alone if the massage therapist was Fu Hua.

"The old-fashioned guy wasn't using much force at first, I'm just telling the truth, ouch—"

Xiao Shi stubbornly stuck out her neck, her mouth as hard as Mebius's, before she immediately begged for mercy under Fu Hua's touch: "However, the old antique is going a bit too far now, Sister Ai Li, don't follow his example."

"Even if Ellie wanted to learn this, she couldn't. She doesn't have your sister's strength."

An Liang chuckled and didn't stop Fu Hua from continuing to massage Xiao Shi.

He could tell that Fu Hua was very measured in her approach. Although Xiao Shi was crying out in pain, it was actually a sign of the massage's effectiveness. Once the pain subsided, the muscles and bones would relax properly, which would be beneficial to the body in every way.

Alicia, who was standing next to Fu Hua and studying, was a little unhappy. She raised her fair arm and showed off her biceps to An Liang.

"Miss Pink Fairy has muscles too, so don't underestimate me!"

The young girl is someone who has traveled the world at such a young age. Her long travel career has made her quite strong for a woman, and she can easily lift suitcases weighing dozens of kilograms.

However, such power was still too weak for Anliang.

However, Anliang did not voice his thoughts. He simply smiled and gestured for Alicia to enter.

"Since you're so confident, why don't you try it on me?"

"Eh, now?!"