Douluo: Danheng just want to avoid trouble, Gu Yuena Pursues.

Gu Yuena, unwilling to accept that her carefully crafted dishes were inedible, frequently experimented in secret. As a result, the household's food supplies were wasted, and even the vegetables in the garden weren't spared.

Thus, she had no choice but to take Zhu Zhuqing to the market for more groceries.

Meanwhile, Dan Heng finally had a rare moment of solitude.

His guidance had been effective—Zhu Zhuqing had already leveled up once.

As long as she followed the training plan step by step, progress would continue.

And for him, life had smoothly returned to its previous tranquility, working at the library on a regular schedule.

Everything seemed back on track...

Rustle, rustle, rustle…

A series of footsteps approached.

Dan Heng sat up from his lounge chair. These footsteps and aura didn't belong to Gu Yuena or Zhu Zhuqing—they came from an unfamiliar woman.

At the entrance of the courtyard stood a stunningly long-legged, voluptuous woman with jet-black hair cascading like a waterfall. Her expression carried an unmistakable look of… disgust.

Yes, disgust.

Dan Heng could clearly sense the hostility from this woman.

Even though, to his knowledge, they had never met before.

"You are…?" Dan Heng asked.

The woman lifted her fair, slender neck, her face radiating a cold arrogance. "I am your wife's… distant cousin!"

"Hm?" Dan Heng was slightly taken aback. Gu Yuena was undoubtedly a peerless beauty, so having such an attractive cousin wasn't entirely surprising.

However, based on their appearances, this "cousin" actually looked older than Gu Yuena…

"Please, come in."

Although Gu Yuena was merely his "convenient wife" in a fake marriage, it wouldn't be proper to neglect her relatives.

Ziji made a soft sound of acknowledgment and followed Dan Heng inside. Watching his profile, she sneered inwardly.

This lecher really knows how to put on an act!

Pretending to be some young man when he's actually an old monster…

Seizing our Lord's beauty and playing this fake-marriage game—clearly indulging in his own perverse fantasies! This guy must be secretly smug right now, pretending to be indifferent just to leave a good impression?

Hah! You can't fool the sharp-minded Ziji!

Since you like to act, I'll play along! And while I'm at it, I'll make you suffer for what you did to our Lord!

Ziji sat in the living room, taking the tea that Dan Heng handed her. She took a sip and immediately frowned in dissatisfaction.

"This tea is too hot."

Dan Heng, still flipping through his book, replied casually, "Then just wait for it to cool."

It wasn't that Dan Heng was particularly fond of reading—this was merely a long-standing habit. But compared to interacting with an obviously hostile "relative," immersing himself in a book was far less tedious.

Ziji furrowed her brows, puzzled by his indifference. Shouldn't this guy be coming over to blow on the tea for me?

Then, when she "accidentally" spilled it on him, she could pretend to be flustered, apologize sweetly, and make this pervert secretly delighted, thinking he had gotten lucky.

But why is he treating me so coldly?

"Ahem, this tea is too hot. Brother-in-law, aren't you going to blow on it for me?" Ziji prodded, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, showing a hint of displeasure.

"The tea will cool down soon. Just wait."

Dan Heng glanced at her, beginning to suspect that this so-called distant cousin might not be very bright.

Putting aside the fact that the tea wasn't even that hot—did she really need him to blow on it?

Couldn't she do it herself?

Or is she just… not very smart?

Ziji clenched her teeth. Something about Dan Heng's gaze felt off, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Seeing that he truly had no intention of catering to her, she snorted in annoyance.

"I heard my cousin married an excellent husband. But now that I see you, I wonder if you even know how to cherish a woman!"

Ziji mumbled in a voice just loud enough for Dan Heng to hear.

Dan Heng heard but didn't bother responding.

After being hunted down by Blades countless times, he understood a simple truth—some people would hold onto their preconceptions no matter what he said.

So why waste his breath?

Seeing that he still wasn't reacting, Ziji changed tactics. She spotted a plate of chilled yangmei (waxberries) on the table and picked it up.

"If you had something refreshing like this, why didn't you offer it to me right away? Are you that stingy?"

She shot Dan Heng a scornful look.

Dan Heng glanced at the plate and sighed slightly.

That's another one of Gu Yuena's culinary "masterpieces."

Normally, all she needed to do was clean and chill the waxberries. They were already delicious on their own.

But, of course, Gu Yuena had insisted on adding her own "creative touch"...

Ziji popped a berry into her mouth.

The next second, she spat it out violently.

Her face twisted in fury as she glared at Dan Heng. "What the hell is this? Frozen goat dung?! How did you even make something this disgusting? Why didn't you just throw it away?!"

She had never tasted something so awful in her life!

Dan Heng responded nonchalantly, "Gu Yuena made it."

Ziji had been about to slam the plate onto the table in anger. But upon hearing this, she hesitated—then quickly composed herself, her tone shifting.

"…Actually, this has a rather unique flavor."

Dan Heng pointed at the waxberry she had just spit onto the floor.

"…"

Ziji's expression stiffened. Does this guy have to be so blunt?!

But since it was something her Lord had made, she had to show it the utmost respect.

How could she let it be wasted on the floor?

Gritting her teeth, Ziji picked it up and put it back into her mouth, swallowing it whole.

Dan Heng looked at her, mildly bewildered.

This woman… doesn't seem very clean.

She just ate something off the floor.

Sure, the floor was spotless, but still…

"What's with that look?!" Ziji snapped, catching his gaze.

"This was personally made by my cousin. Why was it just sitting here? It's obviously delicious—why are you acting so dismissive?!"

Hands on her hips, she did her best to suppress the urge to gag.

"If you like it so much, feel free to have the whole plate." Dan Heng gestured toward the untouched waxberries.

Perfect—since Ziji was claiming to love them, she could finish the entire thing. That way, they wouldn't go to waste.

"…"

Ziji stared at the waxberries like they were spewing dark smoke.

"Don't be shy," Dan Heng added, his expression unreadable.

"…"

Ziji fell silent.

She hadn't expected to be backed into a corner like this.

If she refused, wouldn't that imply that she actually found their Lord's cooking disgusting?

Wouldn't that mean letting their Lord lose face in front of this shameless lecher?

"…Fine! I'll eat them! Every last one!"

Ziji clenched her jaw, picked up the plate, and tilted it toward her mouth.

Somehow, she managed to swallow every single waxberry.

Dan Heng chuckled softly. Well, at least they didn't go to waste.

Mission accomplished.

(End of Chapter)