Old Silver Strip

Xie Xie sprawled across the sofa in Tang Wulin's home, his face filled with philosophical contemplation—a philosophy concerning whether he had come to tease a dog or become canned dog food.

"Over a hundred pounds of meat..." he muttered, tugging at the tassels on a throw pillow. "Gu Yue really dared to say it, Yue Zhengyu was really hungry, and that German Shepherd really dared to stare... Those amber eyes looked like they were studying an all-you-can-eat buffet."

Tang Wulin brought the warmed dishes to the coffee table. His hand trembled at those words, and he nearly lost his grip on the chopsticks. "You left something out. I still have Gu Yue's chat record saved. When Yue Zhengyu replied with that 'okay,' I got chills down my back. And you—first you failed at teasing a cat, then you went to tease a dog, and then you nearly became dog food. Next time, are you going to find Yuanen and see who can take more hits?"

Xie Xie suddenly sat up. His bandage had long since disappeared somewhere, though the pale mark from the cat scratch on the back of his hand still faintly showed. "I refuse to accept this!" he shouted with full force, hurling the pillow back onto the sofa. "Why is Ye Xinglan's cat an emperor? Why is Yue Zhengyu's dog a living father? What happened to my dignity, Xie Xie's dignity, earned through a month of sweeping floors? I have Twin Martial Souls, I'm an agility attack type, and I'm from Shrek Inner Court!"

Gu Yue lifted her gaze from her phone screen and gave him a calm glance. "Dignity is swept out, not argued out."

"But her cat scratched me!" Xie Xie pointed at the back of his hand. "Gu Yue, you were there too. That