"No Simps Allowed! You, Come Here!"

"Yanzi."

Yu Tianheng finally spoke.

His voice was so heavy it sounded as if it had been squeezed from the deepest part of his chest.

Every word carried an irrepressible tremor.

"Don't you know that I love you?"

"I've pursued you for so long; the entire academy knows how I feel about you."

"Why won't you respond to me?"

"Why would you rather get engaged to some kid who popped out of nowhere than give me a chance?"

Dugu Yan rolled her eyes.

Why on earth should I give you a chance?

Just because you pursue me, I have to agree?

What kind of bandit logic is that?

Just as Dugu Yan was about to retort, a hand gently pressed onto her shoulder.

Ye Qing had arrived at her side at some point.

He stood slightly in front of her, shielding half of her body behind him.

"Yu Tianheng, is it?"

Ye Qing's tone was casual, a smile still hanging on the corners of his lips.

But that smile was as cold as the reflection on a blade's edge.

"Yanzi has mentioned you to me."

"She said there was a guy named Yu Tianheng at the academy who pestered her every day, sending flowers and harassing her in all sorts of ways, making her incredibly annoyed."

"So, it was you all along."

Harassment!

The word seared into Yu Tianheng's heart like a red-hot branding iron.

Never in his life had anyone used such a term to describe him.

"Yanzi."

Yu Tianheng's voice was as dry as if it had been sanded down.

"Is what he said... true?"

Dugu Yan finally shifted her gaze from Ye Qing and landed it on Yu Tianheng's face.

Her expression returned to its usual indifference, perhaps even a few degrees colder than before.

"It's true."

She said, "He is my fiancé. Got a problem with that?"

With just those few words, she cleanly and ruthlessly crushed his last shred of fantasy.

Yu Tianheng's fingers trembled slightly.

Blue electric arcs spilled uncontrollably from between his knuckles, emitting a faint crackling sound in the air.

He stared fixedly at Ye Qing.

As if he wanted to burn a hole through this suddenly appeared "fiancé" with his gaze alone.

"What right do you have?"

Yu Tianheng's voice was low and repressed, every word squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Because I'm handsome." Ye Qing didn't change his expression.

The entire scene fell into dead silence once more.

Yu Feng's jaw nearly hit the floor.

Osler's mouth twitched uncontrollably; this was a disaster!

The brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo exchanged a look, both wearing expressions that clearly asked, "Is this guy insane?"

Ye Lingling's eye twitched.

She finally understood why Dugu Yan had fallen for him.

This temperament of dancing on a minefield while remaining completely calm—it was a perfect match for Yanzi.

Yu Tianheng was so choked by that response he nearly lost his breath.

He had prepared for every possible answer.

Strength.

Background.

Family background.

Talent.

But he never expected the other party's answer to be—looking handsome.

What kind of logic was this?

"Ahem."

Teacher Qin Ming finally couldn't help but cough, yet he still had no intention of intervening.

He even took half a step back.

As a team leader, it wasn't his place to get involved in the romantic affairs of young people.

Besides—

He also wanted to see what kind of ability this young man recommended by His Excellency Dugu Bo truly possessed.

"I'm not joking."

Ye Qing shrugged and tilted his head to look at Dugu Yan: "Right, Yanzi?"

Dugu Yan rolled her eyes.

But that eye-roll lacked any lethality, and the curve at the corners of her mouth couldn't be suppressed no matter how hard she tried: "Stop showing off."

"Hiss!"

Everyone was stunned.

Dugu Yan was acting coquettishly!

The Dugu Yan who usually kept a cold face, defied everyone, and even dared to talk back to teachers was actually acting coquettishly!

And so naturally!

So sweetly!

The expression on Yu Tianheng's face looked as if someone had pressed the pause button.

His anger froze.

His unwillingness froze.

Then, it slowly shattered into some kind of indescribable emptiness.

He had never seen Dugu Yan show such an expression.

In front of him, Dugu Yan was always cold, impatient, and kept people at a distance.

But now, She was showing a softness he had never seen before to another man.

"Impossible... This is impossible..."

Yu Tianheng muttered to himself, as if trying to comfort himself.

"What's impossible about it?"

Ye Qing said irritably: "Yanzi can like whoever she wants and be with whoever she wants."

"This matter isn't for you to approve."

"Just because you pursue her, she has to agree?"

"Do you think you're an emperor, and everyone on the continent has to obey your whims just because you open your mouth?"

"Ever heard the saying that simps don't end well?"

As Ye Qing spoke, his arm naturally wrapped around Dugu Yan's waist.

He pulled her gently toward his side.

Dugu Yan didn't resist at all.

She even turned slightly to make herself lean more comfortably.

This action was like a knife, piercing directly through Yu Tianheng's final line of defense.

Yu Tianheng's gaze was nailed to the hand Ye Qing had wrapped around Dugu Yan's waist.

The fingers of that hand were long and well-defined, resting casually against her side.

The posture was so relaxed it seemed like a matter of course.

It was like a silent declaration.

A buzzing sound rose from the depths of Yu Tianheng's ears.

Blood was pumped from the depths of his heart by some extreme anger, rushing straight to the top of his head along his blood vessels, striking dense drumbeats against the back of his eardrums.

"Let go."

The voice was squeezed out from the depths of his throat, carrying a tremor he didn't even notice himself.

Ye Qing tilted his head, his expression as if he were listening to a joke that wasn't very funny.

"What?"

"I told you to let go! Get away from Yanzi!!"

This roar was infused with Soul Power.

The few small trees beside the training ground rustled, their leaves shivering as several unknown birds were startled into flight.

Yu Feng subconsciously took half a step back.

Osler's brow furrowed even tighter, and the brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo both shrank their necks.

However, Ye Qing did not let go.

His fingertips even lightly brushed against the side of Dugu Yan's waist.

The movement was extremely light and fast, so fast that others could barely see it.

But to Dugu Yan, that touch was no different from a faint electric current striking her spine.

Her entire body stiffened abruptly, and a flash of shyness crossed her emerald-green eyes.

Ye Qing's arm even had enough slack to pull her closer, his chin resting casually against the top of her head.

The posture was so languid it was infuriating.

Dugu Yan was both angry and shy, the tips of her ears red enough to drip blood, wanting to lash out but unable to muster the strength.

She was all too familiar with this feeling.

Every time Ye Qing wore that "I'm just being a rascal, what can you do about it?" expression, she found herself completely helpless against him.

Yet, this bastard even lowered his head to glance at her, the curve of his lips filled with the smugness of someone who had gotten his way.

Dugu Yan glared at him fiercely, squeezing out a few words that only the two of them could hear.

"Wait, until, we, get, back, to, deal, with, you."

"Alright."

Ye Qing's voice was also kept extremely low, his black eyes filled with laughter.

"It's not yet decided who will be dealing with whom."

Then, he raised his head to look at Yu Tianheng.

"Who do you think you are?"

Ye Qing's tone was flat, as if stating a fact that no one cared about.

"I'm holding my own fiancée; is it really an outsider's place to interfere?"

The word "outsider" nailed itself into Yu Tianheng's chest.

His fists let out a series of crackling sounds, blue electric arcs dancing wildly between his fingers, scorching a small patch of the training ground floor.

"Fiancée?"

Yu Tianheng's voice was as hoarse as if it had been sanded down.

He suddenly raised his hand, the electric arcs still swirling around the finger he pointed at Ye Qing.

"By what right do you call Yanzi your fiancée?"

"What qualifications do you have to stand by her side?"

His breathing became rapid, his chest heaving violently.

"Yanzi is the granddaughter of a Title Douluo, a heaven-sent prodigy!"

"Her talent, her family background, everything about her—you, some wild boy who popped out of nowhere, how could you possibly be worthy of her?!"

"I, Yu Tianheng, a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, my grandfather is also a Title Douluo!"

"In terms of family, talent, and strength, in what way am I inferior to you?!"

"Yanzi and I are a match made in heaven!"

By the time he reached the last sentence, his voice was nearly a roar.

Blue lightning exploded around his body, causing his hair to stand slightly on end.

Yu Feng secretly tugged at Osler's sleeve, lowering his voice: "Do you agree with the captain's statement?"

Osler remained expressionless: "Shut up."

Even though he also felt this logic was far too overbearing.

Hearing this.

Ye Qing did not refute, did not argue, and did not even give Yu Tianheng the time of day.

He turned his head to look at Dugu Yan in his arms, the smile on his face warm enough to melt anyone.

"Yanzi, tell him, who do you like?"

Dugu Yan raised her eyes.

Those emerald-green eyes reflected the face of Ye Qing.

Then she glanced at Yu Tianheng.

That glance was extremely brief, so short that it ended before Yu Tianheng could read any emotion from it.

She did not speak.

Instead, she stood on her tiptoes and took the initiative to press a light kiss onto Ye Qing's cheek.

The sound of their lips touching was excessively clear in the quiet training ground.

After that kiss, the tips of Dugu Yan's ears turned red enough to ignite.

Yet, she still forced herself to lift her chin, declaring in a tone that sounded perfectly natural.

"Of course it's you."

Four words.

Crisp and decisive.

Resonant and forceful.

Ye Lingling gently covered her mouth.

A layer of irrepressible, doting amusement welled up in her sapphire-like eyes.

She had known since last night.

But seeing the scene of Yanzi taking the initiative to kiss someone with her own eyes still carried an impact far beyond her expectations.

Yu Feng's mouth hung open in an 'O' shape.

Osler remained silent for two seconds before squeezing four words through his teeth: "Cruel and heart-wrenching..."

Yu Tianheng's brain completely crashed the moment those four words landed.

Dugu Yan had kissed him.

Right in front of everyone!

That Dugu Yan, who couldn't even be bothered to give others a proper look, had stood on her tiptoes to take the initiative to kiss a man.

Rage exploded in Yu Tianheng's chest.

"Damn it—!!!"

This roar was infused with far more Soul Power than before.

Blue lightning spread wildly from beneath his feet, tearing several charred cracks into the ground.

The training equipment closest to him was struck by the electric arcs, emitting a sizzling sound.

"Ye Qing! Fight me!!"

His voice became sharp and piercing due to his extreme agitation, but that sense of desperate, cut-throat ruthlessness had never been clearer.

"I want Yanzi to see with her own eyes who is the man more worthy of her!"

"If you lose, disappear from Yanzi's side! You are never allowed to tarnish her reputation with the word 'fiancé' ever again!"

"And you are forbidden from pestering her any further!!!"

The three declarations grew louder one after another, finally turning into a hoarse roar.

Lightning exploded around his body, reflecting his pupils into a nearly white, bright blue.

His face, which was originally quite handsome, was now twisted with anger and resentment, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

"If you're a man, accept this duel."

"Stop hiding behind a woman and engaging in such underhanded schemes!"

Yu Feng didn't even dare to breathe loudly; he shrank toward Teacher Qin Ming and asked in a hushed voice, "Teacher Qin Ming, aren't you going to stop them?"

Qin Ming pushed up the bridge of his glasses.

The lenses reflected a patch of ambiguous white light, completely obscuring the expression in his eyes.

"This is a matter of their personal feelings, and as the team leader, it is not appropriate for me to intervene."

The excuse was high-sounding, and his tone was strictly professional.

But Yu Feng clearly saw that Teacher Qin Ming's motion of pushing his glasses was at least twice as slow as usual, and after pushing them, he leaned his head slightly forward.

That was the posture he only displayed whenever he watched an exciting soul battle.

"Teacher Qin Ming."

Yu Feng's expression turned into a strange look of having seen through everything: "You actually just want to watch the show, right?"

"Ahem."

Qin Ming coughed dryly and turned his head away, pretending not to hear.

But he did not deny it.

In fact, he really wanted to see just how much genuine ability this youth, who had pulled strings with His Excellency Dugu Bo, actually possessed.

Yu Feng slumped his face and returned to Osler's side.

"It's over. Even the teacher has started eating melons. Is the Imperial Fighting Team finished?"

The tone was full of doubt about life.

Osler and the other two did not answer.

His gaze fell on Ye Qing, his brows slightly furrowed, and a trace of imperceptible expectation flashed in his eyes.

At the same time, Dugu Yan grabbed the corner of Ye Qing's clothes.

"Ye Qing, you don't need to pay attention to him."

"His words aren't worth caring about at all, we—"

She stopped halfway through her sentence.

Because Ye Qing looked down at her.

The warmth in those eyes was exactly the same as before.

But beneath this layer of warmth, she saw something else, like the cold light before a blade was unsheathed, just like when he killed the three thugs last night.

Ye Qing raised his hand and gently rubbed the top of her head.

Then he released his arm from around her waist, turned around, and faced Yu Tianheng directly.

"Yu Tianheng."

"You said a lot just now."

"Family background, talent, a Title Douluo grandfather, and the 'match made in heaven' you keep talking about."

"You spoke very passionately, to the point where you even believed it yourself."

"But there is one problem that needs to be corrected."

He took a step forward.

The oppressive force of his aura caused the lightning around Yu Tianheng to involuntarily weaken for a moment.

"Yanzi, she is a person."

"She is not anyone's trophy, nor is she an object whose ownership can be decided by a duel."

"She has the right to decide who she likes for herself."

Standing behind him, Dugu Yan looked at the back blocking her, her heart suddenly filled with something scorching.

She subconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes.

Ye Qing's gaze remained locked on Yu Tianheng from beginning to end.

That look could not be called contemptuous, but it was definitely not polite.

"So, I do not accept your bet."

"Yanzi's feelings are not a wager, and neither you nor I have the right to use her as a bargaining chip."

"You!"

Yu Tianheng's face flushed red with shame and anger.

The humiliation of being rejected, the unwillingness to be refuted in public, and the impotent rage defined by the four words "you are not qualified."

All these emotions churned together in his chest.

"So you're going to run?"

"I didn't say I was running."

Ye Qing interrupted him.

The coldness in his black eyes was suddenly replaced by something much hotter.

"I don't accept the bet."

"But the duel, I accept."

"No bet is needed, because it's unnecessary."

"I just purely want to teach a simp who hasn't recognized his own place a lesson."

He slowly raised his right hand.

His palm faced upward, and his index finger curled slightly.

That gesture was arrogant to the extreme, provocative to the extreme.

The corners of Ye Qing's mouth curled into an arc.

The confidence and pride in that smile made him seem, in that instant, to be standing higher than anyone else.

"Come here!"

On the training ground, the wind suddenly stopped.