Lily's jaw dropped. "Has this world offended the heavens in any way? Why is something like this happening?" she thought, and suddenly another boom resonated, shaking the entire house again. "Don't tell me this house is going to collapse!" she exclaimed.
"Calm down, beauty! I will surely protect you!" Liam declared, immediately pulling her into his embrace.
"Angel, we will definitely protect you with our lives!" Malika and Art echoed together, wrapping their arms around Lily as well.
Lily's brow knitted. "Don't just focus on protecting me, okay? You guys should protect yourselves as well," she replied.
"No... you are our treasure; we will definitely protect you with our lives," Malik affirmed.
"I'm not seeking your opinion; I am—" Before she could complete her statement, another boom echoed, and the house shook again, sending everyone tumbling in one direction.
"It... it's all over now. This is how my life will end. Now I regret not going back to the past; at least if I were trapped in the past, I would still be alive," Lily thought.
"The house will collapse soon," Art murmured through gritted teeth. "I will take all the snow strikes that will attack the house. Malik, Liam, please protect Angel well," he instructed.
Before Liam or Malik could respond, Lily suddenly freed herself from Liam's embrace and grabbed Art's hands. "You want to take the snow strike all by yourself? Are you so eager to make me a widow?" she exclaimed, her eyes already red from holding back tears.
"Angel..."
"Don't 'Angel' me!" Lily interrupted loudly, cutting off Art's statement. "You are very wicked! I thought you couldn't bear the thought of leaving me, yet you want to throw away your life!" She hit his chest to vent her anger, her tears breaking free and rushing down like rain.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry! Please don't be angry," Art pleaded, unable to bear the sight of Lily crying. "Please don't be angry anymore," he repeated, wrapping her in an embrace.
"If this is the end, it would be better for us to die together. I can't let you leave me behind. Though I'll have others to accompany me, losing one will be my endless regret. I can't bear to part with any of you," she thought, closing her eyes as hot tears escaped, splattering against the ground.
Malik and Liam witnessed this scene and quickly joined in.
"Beauty, don't worry; nothing will happen to you," Liam reassured.
"Nothing will happen to me... but what about you?" Lily thought, more tears spilling from her eyes.
Outside, enormous snowballs rained furiously from the sky, crashing into the ground and causing cracks on the already snow-covered earth. Among the falling snowballs was a gigantic, snow-white sphere that resembled a massive version of the earth, plummeting relentlessly toward Lily's house. Its speed was even faster than that of a shot arrow, clearly aiming to destroy the house completely. As it approached, its velocity increased, and just as it reached its destination and was about to collide, a sudden web materialized, ensnaring it and forcefully dragging the snowball away, causing it to hit the ground with a loud boom.
At the same moment, a gigantic anaconda tail wrapped around the house, stabilizing it and preventing it from collapsing.
The heavy barrage of snowballs continued for quite some time, while two beasts—one using the web to protect the anaconda and the house, and the other ensuring the house remained steady—managed to prevent it from falling apart. Eventually, the heavy rain of snowballs ceased, and the sky cleared up, signaling the swift end of winter.
Inside the house, Lily and her husbands, who were prepared for the worst, soon realized that nothing had happened to them. They all separated and rejoiced.
"We are still alive!" Lily exclaimed happily, jumping up and down like a playful little cat.
"I knew beauty had good luck and that nothing would happen to you!" Liam declared, lifting Lily into the air and twirling her around to express his joy.
Lily chuckled, just about to begin her fun when suddenly her heart started pounding faster, and a particular name slipped from her lips.
"Angus!" she exclaimed. "Liam... put me down! I want to go outside!" she urged, excitement visibly lighting up her beautiful face.
Liam hesitated for a moment before obligingly placing Lily down.
Gaining her freedom, Lily dashed outside at the fastest speed, barefoot. She looked around but found no one.
Art and the others also emerged.
Lily continued scanning the area, desperate to find Angus. "Angus! Angus, I know you are back already! Will you keep hiding?" she shouted, and just as she finished her sentence, she noticed a disturbance behind her, making her look back only to find the house collapsing.
Everyone's jaws dropped speechlessly as they watched the house fall.
"This is..." Lily started, but she didn't know what to say anymore.
"Angel!" a magnetic voice called, stunning Lily.
Slowly turning around, she saw a peerlessly handsome man in a snow-white shirt and long white pants standing a few miles away from her. His hair was long, styled in an ancient Chinese fashion, and crimson in color, matching the hue of his deep and cold crimson eyes that scared people away. Around his neck hung a graceful pendant that added to his charm, making him look even more captivating and cool, with his left hand casually tucked into his pant pocket.
"Angus!" Lily exclaimed and ran toward him, bouncing on him with her legs wrapped around his waist.
She hugged him tightly, her arms clasped around his neck. If not for her delicate frame and Angus's strength, she would have suffocated him with the intensity of her embrace.
"I miss you so much!" she confessed in a murmur.
A beautiful smile crept onto Angus's face as he hugged her back. "I miss you as well," he replied.
The warm atmosphere lingered for quite some time until Liam couldn't take it any longer. He stepped forward and separated them.
Lily chuckled, not minding Liam's intervention, her gaze fixated on Angus. It was only now that she noticed his modern attire. "Angus, you... you... when did you learn this modern male fashion?" she asked, her eyes widening in shock.
Angus chuckled and lifted Lily up. "My wife is brilliant and knows many things. Of course I learned from you. My wife is not only beautiful but also intelligent," he praised.
Lily was stunned; her mouth dropped open wider as she blinked repeatedly. "You... you can even use modern words? Language? And styles?" She covered her mouth in disbelief. "Angus, are you possessed?" she questioned.
Angus chuckled and kissed Lily's cheek. "I learned everything from you," he admitted.
"Goodness! This is just so... you are a trillionaire if you were in my world! You're just too talented!" Lily screamed inwardly and couldn't help but give Angus a kiss as a reward.
Angus was about to say something, but suddenly his brows knitted together, and he took another look at Lily's face. "Angel, you accepted a mate? He's from the spider tribe?" he asked, recalling the web that protected him while he tried to stabilize the house.
Lily rubbed her nose awkwardly. "Why am I suddenly feeling like I cheated on my husband after he traveled? That's quite not cool," she thought, coughing lightly. "Um...I... it's not what you think," she stammered.
Angus raised an eyebrow, a simple expression that made him look even more handsome, taking Lily's breath away. She found it hard to breathe steadily under his gaze.
"Angus..." she softly called. After saying his name, she wasn't sure what to say next.
On the other side, Liam glared at Lily and Angus, gritting his teeth together. Jealousy was written all over his face, and his fists were clenched, as if ready to strike anyone who threatened what he considered his. "This guy is back! Now Beauty will focus on him!" he seethed inwardly, with anger swelling as he witnessed the intimate interactions between Lily and Angus. His gaze was fixed on Angus, filled with a murderous intent. "I will surely deal with you!" he could only vent his frustration inwardly.
Angus clearly sensed Liam's hostile gaze but chose to ignore it, focusing all his attention on Lily, who appeared too nervous to explain things to him.
"Angus, you... you look even more handsome after changing your skin, you are just too cool in this modern dress," Lily said, her face lighting up with a beautiful smile, like a little princess. That smile of hers made her the most rare treasure in the world; she was just too beautiful to ignore.
"And you look even more exquisite. Those webbed eyes petals make you more beautiful," he replied, emphasizing "webbed eyes petals" with a strange expression on his face.
Lily almost choked. "Damn it, I thought you had advanced your understanding! I was trying to change the topic, husband!, why are you still on it?" she thought, forcing a smile on her face. "Um... actually... it's like this. I was trying to teach my mother-in-law a lesson. I didn't expect to run into Webby. He became my husband, but since then, I haven't really seen him. All I've stated is the truth—no lie, I swear," she elaborated, blinking repeatedly as her eyes locked with Angus's gaze, trying to determine his thoughts.