Dugu Yan: Lin Yan Was Truly Beaten to It!

Not long after.

At the gates of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Dugu Bo had originally intended to head to the main city's commercial district to search for the two of them, but while passing by the Heaven Dou Academy, he sensed his granddaughter's aura from below.

He descended to the ground and followed the aura to find Dugu Yan huddled in a corner, hugging her knees and secretly wiping away tears.

"Yan'er? Why are you here?"

"Didn't I tell you to bring that brat home for me to see?"

"Where is that boy? Did he reject you?"

Seeing his granddaughter in such a pitiful state, Dugu Bo was incredibly shocked.

What was going on? Why would a perfectly fine person be sitting here secretly wiping away tears?

"Grandpa..."

"Wuu wuu wuu~"

Upon seeing Dugu Bo, the young girl burst into loud sobs.

She intended to throw herself into Dugu Bo's arms, but because her legs had fallen asleep, she stumbled and nearly fell.

Dugu Bo hurriedly stepped forward to steady her, using his spirit power to check Dugu Yan's physical condition.

"What on earth is going on? Where is that brat? Why are you here all by yourself?"

Dugu Yan lifted her snow-white neck, her face full of grievance.

"Grandpa, Lin Yan really was snatched up by someone else first! Wuu wuu wuu~"

"What?"

Over the next ten minutes, Dugu Yan recounted everything that had happened at noon to Dugu Bo in complete detail.

Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo was incensed, yet his face was also filled with frustration at her lack of resolve.

He looked at the precious granddaughter he had doted on since she was small, and he was truly furious.

"It makes me so angry! Where did that arrogant spirit of yours go?"

"If she took him away, you should have just snatched him back!"

Facing the interrogation, Dugu Yan said nothing, merely wiping her small face and tears in a miserable, sorrowful state.

Such a scene left Dugu Bo speechless.

He had not expected that once Lin Yan displayed his talent and strength, he would become so popular.

He also had not expected that a joking remark he made a few days ago would actually come true.

This boy had truly been snatched up by someone else, and by the Ye Family, who had been benefactors to him and his granddaughter, no less.

That was right; the Ye Family had been benefactors to his grandfather-granddaughter pair.

Every time Dugu Bo's poison flared up, he would go to Ye Rou'er for treatment. Although she could not completely resolve the poison of his martial spirit, she could alleviate most of the symptoms.

One could even say that he owed his survival to this day to Ye Rou'er!

However...

"The Ye Family has passed down the Nine Heart Begonia for generations. What they need most are Battle Spirit Masters, especially those with good talent and strong power."

"You let Ye Lingling take that brat away without even considering whether you would have a chance in the future?"

Dugu Bo looked at Dugu Yan with complex eyes.

Dugu Yan raised her gaze, still wearing that pitiful little expression.

"But Lingling is my best friend!"

"She is the only friend I have at school, the only one who isn't afraid of my martial spirit."

"..."

This answer left Dugu Bo in a dilemma once again.

On one side was his granddaughter's future happiness, and on the other was his own savior. How was he supposed to choose?

Should he act like a treacherous villain and snatch Lin Yan back?

Or should he allow the Ye Family to recruit Lin Yan, thereby leaving his own granddaughter to continue suffering?

Twilight shrouded the earth.

This question only tangled in Dugu Bo's heart for less than half a minute before he made his decision.

"Forget about friends or whatever! Come on! Grandpa will help you snatch him back."

Dugu Bo pulled Dugu Yan up, intending to fly toward the Ye Mansion, but Dugu Yan resisted.

"No!"

"Auntie Ye has always been so good to me; I don't want to do something like this."

Are you kidding? Relying on her grandfather being a Title Douluo to forcibly snatch her best friend's intended boyfriend—how could she, Dugu Yan, ever do such a thing?

"Then you don't want that brat anymore?"

Dugu Bo's gaze was scorching, his eyes locked firmly onto Dugu Yan.

Dugu Yan:

"I... I~"

The young girl stammered for a long time without managing to get any words out.

Seeing her like this, Dugu Bo pulled her straight up.

"What a coward! You're infuriating me!"

"Listen to me, go and snatch Lin Yan back!"

"No, Grandfather!"

On the other side, at the Ye Mansion.

At this moment, everyone was sitting around a bonfire chatting, each holding iron skewers threaded with spirit beast meat, constantly turning and adjusting the angles to roast them.

"Little Yan, how is Auntie Ye's cooking? Was the lunch I made today to your taste?"

Ye Rou'er smiled gently, and paired with her beautiful eyes and brows, it was easy for one to feel a sense of closeness to her.

Lin Yan grinned, revealing a sincere smile.

"Auntie Ye's cooking is amazing. This is the best meal I've ever had in my life."

Lin Yan wasn't just flattering her; today's lunch was indeed the best meal he had ever eaten.

He had been an orphan before, and just being able to eat his fill every day was good enough. Later, when he arrived at Shrek Academy, the academy cafeteria didn't have anything particularly good.

Even when he reached the Crown Prince's Mansion, the meals prepared by the servants were merely standard.

How could they compare to the table full of dishes Ye Rou'er had prepared with such care this afternoon?

By the bonfire, Ye Rou'er looked at Lin Yan's smiling face, then glanced at her own daughter nearby.

"As long as you like it, as long as you like it!"

"You aren't very old, and you don't have any relatives around. In the future, when you're on break, just come to the Ye Mansion with your sister Lingling. Whatever you want to eat, Auntie Ye will make it for you, alright?"

For a child like Lin Yan, Ye Rou'er naturally coaxed him as if he were a little kid.

Lin Yan answered obediently:

"Okay!"

The grease from the roasting meat dripped onto the bonfire, sending up tiny sparks.

Ye Lingling looked at Lin Yan's obedient, cute, and youthful face illuminated by the firelight, and thought to herself.

Who wouldn't love such a handsome and powerful little brother that you can raise yourself?

He's simply not on the same level as those wine-and-dine bags of trash among the nobles.

I'm so looking forward to seeing what he'll be like when he grows up!

Thinking this, the young girl's lips curled up involuntarily.

"Here, sister's is done, you eat this one."

Ye Lingling handed the roasted meat in her hand to Lin Yan, taking the opportunity to move a little closer to him.

The two were practically pressed against each other.

Reflected in the firelight, it was nothing short of warm and romantic.

However, just as Lin Yan was about to take the meat...

A streak of emerald-green light descended from the sky, bypassing the main gate and landing directly in the courtyard of the Ye Mansion.

A tyrannical spirit pressure blew out the bonfire, sending charcoal and sparks flying everywhere, instantly turning the warm scene into a mess.

Everyone scrambled to their feet at the same time, and Ye Lingling even pulled Lin Yan into her arms to protect him.

"Your Excellency Poison Douluo?"

Ye Rou'er's delicate brows furrowed. Seeing that the visitor was Dugu Bo, the vigilance in her heart eased slightly.

Dugu Bo had been on good terms with her for years; he was no enemy.

She figured that he probably hadn't intended to cause such a commotion.

Thinking of this, Ye Rou'er offered a symbolic bow to Dugu Bo.

"I was unaware of Your Excellency's arrival; this concubine has been impolite."

At this moment, Ye Lingling also shed the tension on her face and turned to look at Dugu Yan in confusion.

"Yan Yan, why are you here?"

"Are you feeling unwell again?"