Chapter 83 'Cold Dog' Yan Dinghan

The banquet today ended well before noon. The Guai villagers left the village chief's courtyard in twos and threes, chatting and laughing as they gradually dissipated into the depths of the small alleys.

By the time the last villager's figure disappeared at the gate, the courtyard, which had been noisy, chaotic, and littered with dishes, was instantly refreshed.

The scattered cups and plates were cleaned up, and the wine stains and debris on the ground vanished without a trace, as if this lively wedding banquet had never been held, revealing a somewhat eerie tidiness.

The two walked out of the village chief's house, and the village's vegetable market had already returned to its usual bustle. Cries of hawking and bargaining rose one after another; the Guai merchants were enthusiastically shouting, showcasing their 'goods,' while the passing Guai villagers and Card Masters were endless.

Luo Yuerou scanned the passing Guai villagers with curiosity, her eyes filled with confusion. She turned her head to look at Gu Ye and posed a rather bizarre question:

'Gu Ye, I see that these Guai Monsters also seem to need to eat food. Tell me, if they can't sell these things and can't find food themselves, will they starve to death?'

Hearing this sudden question from Luo Yuerou, Gu Ye was slightly taken aback. He subconsciously stopped his footsteps, thought carefully for a moment, and finally shook his head gently, his tone carrying a trace of uncertain hesitation:

'I don't know... logically speaking, Guai Monsters aren't living beings, so they shouldn't starve to death, but I can't say for sure what the specific situation is.'

The two continued walking toward the small house they had been staying in. Along the way, Gu Ye kept feeling that the Card Masters around them were acting a bit strange.

Their eyes were always glancing at them intentionally or unintentionally, carrying a bit of inquiry, vigilance, and a trace of imperceptible greed, as if they were hiding some rare treasure on them.

Gu Ye quietly tugged on Luo Yuerou's sleeve, signaling her to be careful. Luo Yuerou understood immediately, quietly reining in her aura and keeping a vigilant watch on her surroundings.

Just as they walked into a secluded alley, three figures suddenly darted out from the corner of the alley entrance, blocking their path.

The three looked young, with immature faces and a hint of greenness between their brows. Judging by their appearance, they should be Examinees from some federation, not members of the Evil God Cult.

The Examinee standing at the very front was tall with a straight posture and sharp eyes. When his gaze swept over Gu Ye, a flash of bright light instantly burst in his eyes, his footsteps paused slightly, and his expression became somewhat excited.

A short Examinee behind him peeked and pried while sizing up Gu Ye and Luo Yuerou, his face showing a restless eagerness to try.

He was casually holding a broom handle he had picked up from a villager's house, and said urgently to the tall Examinee in front:

'Boss, is this the person you're looking for? Should we just take him on? My hands have been itching for a fight!'

Upon hearing this, Luo Yuerou's face darkened slightly. Her body tensed up instantly, and she looked at the three people in front of her with a guarded expression.

'Slap!'

A crisp slapping sound rang out suddenly. The tall Examinee standing at the front slammed his palm onto the back of the short Examinee's head with considerable force, causing the short Examinee to stumble. The tall Examinee looked furious and scolded in a low voice:

'Did you get water in your brain? When did I ever say we were here to ambush someone? Do you know who he is?'

The short Examinee covered the back of his head, looking aggrieved, and replied weakly while rubbing his head:

'I... I don't know, Boss, you didn't say.'

Gu Ye and Luo Yuerou stood in place, looking at each other, watching this scene with confusion.

The actions of these three were truly too bizarre; it didn't look like they were here to pick a fight, but rather to find someone. Yet, they didn't know these three strange Examinees at all.

Just as the two were puzzled, the tall Examinee took a deep breath. The anger on his face instantly dissipated, replaced by excitement and pride. He shouted at Gu Ye in an excited tone: 'He... he is my brother-in-law!'

'Brother-in-law?'

'Brother-in-law?'

Gu Ye, Luo Yuerou, and the two short Examinees all froze at the same time, looking at the tall Examinee in the middle with dumbfounded expressions.

Yan Dinghan looked smug, his chest puffed out straight, as if being able to acknowledge Gu Ye as this 'brother-in-law' was an incredibly glorious thing.

Gu Ye was the first to react. He waved his hand helplessly, his tone carrying a mix of laughter and tears:

'Who are you? I don't know you at all. You can't just say things like that; if it gets out, it'll be a huge misunderstanding.'

Hearing Gu Ye's words, the heart that had been in Luo Yuerou's throat instantly dropped, and her tensed nerves completely relaxed.

But hearing Yan Dinghan call Gu Ye 'brother-in-law,' a strange, sour jealousy inexplicably rose in her heart. She couldn't help but step forward, look at Yan Dinghan, and say in a somewhat defiant tone:

'Exactly! Gu Ye doesn't even know you, so what right do you have to go around calling him brother-in-law?'

Yan Dinghan chuckled, not minding their rebuttal at all. He still wore an excited smile on his face and said mysteriously:

'Brother-in-law, you might not know me, but I know everything about you! And I guarantee that if I say one person's name, you will definitely know her!'

'Who!'

'Yan Shuangling!'

Upon hearing this name, Gu Ye was stunned and asked suspiciously: 'So what are you to her?'

'I am her younger brother.' Yan Dinghan said with a proud face, as if Gu Ye really were his brother-in-law.

Gu Ye stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly blurted out: 'Cold Dog?'

Upon hearing this, Yan Dinghan's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. The corners of his mouth twitched violently, and his eyes were full of helplessness and embarrassment.

He never expected that his sister would actually tell Gu Ye about this nickname!

Seeing his bad expression, Gu Ye smiled awkwardly:

'Sorry, I've always heard your sister mention this moniker, but she never told us your name.'

Hearing Gu Ye's words, Yan Dinghan's face turned even darker, and he spoke sullenly:

'Brother-in-law, my name is Yan Dinghan. Just call me that. Don't listen to that 'Cold Dog' title my sister says; that's all in the past.'

Hearing the title 'Cold Dog' made Yan Dinghan feel nauseous. He felt that he must have been possessed by a monster at the time; otherwise, as the dignified young master of the Yan Family, how could he have chased after a commoner class beauty in middle school, and failed to catch her at that?

He was kept on a string by that class beauty, like a simp, sending her gifts, money, and so on every day.

In the end, Yan Dinghan's business was found out by his sister, Yan Shuangling, who told their parents. He was hung up and beaten by his parents for three days and three nights, and then they used their connections to make that class beauty transfer schools.

Perhaps because he had grown up, it not only diluted Yan Dinghan's longing for the class beauty but also made him wake up to reality.

Because of this, Yan Shuangling mocked him for three years and even gave him the nickname 'Cold Dog' to tease his lost first love.

Later, Yan Dinghan investigated the whereabouts of the class beauty, but she seemed to have disappeared; her whole family vanished without a trace of information.

'Fine! And don't call me brother-in-law; I'm not your brother-in-law. Yan Shuangling and I are just ordinary friends.'

'Exactly, don't call him that.' Luo Yuerou stood on the side and chimed in.

Hearing this, Gu Ye couldn't help but turn his head to look at Luo Yuerou with a strange expression, feeling that she was acting so weird right now.

Luo Yuerou noticed Gu Ye's gaze and couldn't help but let her eyes drift to another place.

Luo Yuerou actually had a severe case of being a lookist and a psychological tendency to admire the strong. When she first saw Gu Ye, she was attracted by his appearance, and not only did Gu Ye defeat her, but he also saved her in the process.

That was why she had the idea to tease Gu Ye when he saw a large expanse of her skin.

With layers of buffs stacked up, Luo Yuerou had long since secretly fallen for Gu Ye.