Animal-eared Girl Era: Start by Forming a Contract with an SSS-Class School Belle

"Not going out to help the poor today?" Xiao Ye asked.

Liu Huo wanted to make a good impression on his son-in-law, so he declared righteously,

"What helping the poor, honestly, I only visited those places once every few years. I only heard about those good deeds from others."

"We Beastmasters should guard the battle lines and slay monsters and demons!"

Xiao Ye's eyelid twitched, and he pointed at the bright sign above their heads,

"So, you only come here once every few years, too?"

[Maid Tavern]

Liu Huo put on a solemn face, "Of course, it's only because I ran into you, my young friend, that I felt interested in coming here this time."

Xiao Ye: …

*Yeah, right, you old fox, you're so damn shady!*

When the two of them walked inside, they found themselves in a dazzlingly luxurious hall. The floor beneath their feet sparkled with tens of thousands of 100-carat diamonds, and the walls were lined with frames full of fine liquors, their rich aroma filling the air.

In front of the reception desk stood two rows of beautiful girls in cool maid uniforms.

"Welcome, honored guests!"

To the sweet, pleasant chorus, Liu Huo slung an arm over Xiao Ye's shoulder and walked up to the reception desk.

"How may I help you, gentlemen…" The bald, fake-smiling lobby manager at the desk tried to ask.

Liu Huo cut him off, expertly flipping out a [Super VIP Card]. He shot the bald man a look and said,

"Give us a private room, and bring out the best booze you've got."

"And hey, we're here to drink, nothing shady!"

The bald manager had served over ten thousand customers; he instantly understood what the scruffy, white-haired man meant.

Coming to the Maid Tavern "just to drink"—and making a big point of being upright? That only meant he wanted the not-so-upright services.

"Leave it to me, satisfaction guaranteed!"

"Hey, you—take these two guests to the Super VIP lounge, and tell the ace maid squad to send in two of the prettiest girls."

Then, Liu Huo and Xiao Ye were shown to an elegant private room.

After they sat down, they could see lush green bamboo just outside the window; the fresh breeze wafting in caressed their cheeks, making them feel completely at ease.

On the other side of the room, a waitress played the zither. The clear, melodious notes soothed the restless soul.

"Heh heh! This time, old man wants to chat about the prettiest assistant, Liu Ya, okay, kid?"

Across the table from Xiao Ye, Liu Huo leaned against the window with a goofy grin, baring his big front teeth.

"Old man's buying; ask whatever you want," Xiao Ye replied.

Just then, there was a knock at the door—thunk thunk thunk!—and two stunningly attractive women in cool maid uniforms entered, each carrying a tray of drinks.

"Hello, honored guests! We're the ace maids of the Maid Tavern, and we'll be serving you for your entire drinking experience."

Both their faces lit up with smiles as radiant as flowers in full bloom.

They each walked to Xiao Ye's and Liu Huo's sides to attend them exclusively.

They set down the wine kettles, filled both men's cups, then held them to their lips with sweet smiles, "Master, please enjoy your drink."

Xiao Ye's mouth twitched, "Service is… this attentive?"

The ace maid explained, "Yes, however you'd like to drink, we'll make it happen."

Xiao Ye looked as if he had just found a whole new world, "Oh? There're services like that? What's your most popular drinking service?"

The ace maid smiled and said, "Yes, sir, our most popular is 'imported liquor.'"

Xiao Ye was baffled, eyeing the glass she held—was this booze really imported?

Apparently eager to clear Xiao Ye's doubts, the ace maid demonstrated. While Xiao Ye stared in confusion, she took a sip, then pouted her lips and leaned in towards his face.

"!!"

Xiao Ye shot out his hand, pushing her head back, exclaiming, "So that's what you meant by 'imported'!"

"Alright, I get it now. I'll drink myself—just pour for me, thanks."

Across the table, Liu Huo nodded in satisfaction as he watched the scene unfold. The canonical source for this content: M|V|L2EMPYR.

*Yep, my son-in-law is a decent guy—way better than me in that department.*

He had fallen in love with the place the first time he came, and then started coming in for imported liquor every day.

The ace maid by Liu Huo's side asked if he wanted the imported stuff, too.

Xiao Ye shot a look his way, and Liu Huo waved her off grandly, "No need! I don't want any maid service with my booze."

"I'm an upright gentleman! Never one to chase after girls. You think I'd be into this imported stuff?"

He really wanted to keep a good image in Xiao Ye's mind, so he held back this time—he'd come drink the imported stuff alone next time.

Xiao Ye's eyes flashed with surprise. *This regular at helping the poor had turned over a new leaf today? Getting righteous all of a sudden?*

*Yeah, right—never into girls? If I buy that, pigs might just fly up trees!*

The two beautiful ace maids looked at Liu Huo with admiration upon hearing that.

"Ahem, this is good wine," Liu Huo said, taking a healthy swig, and then asked, "We sure have fate, kid—running into each other at the school gate!"

"How about today we become sworn brothers, and you call me Godfather?"

Godfather?

Xiao Ye shook his head and got straight to the point, "Father-in-law, you're Liu Ya's father. I recognized you yesterday."

"So you don't have to hide it, and I wasn't lying either—I'm Liu Ya's husband."

"Pfft!" Liu Huo spit out his wine in shock, drenching the ace maid beside him.

"You realized it yesterday?"

*Damn, impressive!* Liu Huo hollered in his mind.

*So, his first impression was already set in his son-in-law's mind, back then?*

*Thinking of how, yesterday, he kept telling his son-in-law to do more charity work, to go help the poor more often—he felt embarrassed now.*

*What kind of father-in-law drags his son-in-law to a foot massage parlor, and even tells him to go often?*

"Yeah, you and Liu Ya look so much alike. If I couldn't tell, I'd have to be blind," Xiao Ye retorted.

"Uh!" Liu Huo rubbed his messy beard and hair, really surprised. Even with such a good disguise, he was recognized.

"Alright, now that we know each other, there's something I want to settle today while I'm out with you, Father-in-law."

Xiao Ye pushed aside the ace maid's offered cup and stared intently at Liu Huo.

At that, Liu Huo's face grew heavy, his tone solemn, "You want to know about Liu Ya's mother—how she died, right?"

Xiao Ye, "Exactly! That incident left Liu Ya with serious trauma. As her man, I need to know the truth."

Liu Huo: …

*Supposed to be asking my son-in-law stuff, but he ended up grilling me instead.*

"This story… actually starts a hundred and fifty years ago…" Liu Huo began slowly.

After listening, Xiao Ye frowned deeply. The whole thing even involved a Supreme.

Liu Huo and his wife had once served Patriarch Hong, the supreme head of the Hong family, tasked with protecting the family's heirs.

Back then, the heirs of the Hong family went out to play in the city, and were suddenly attacked by a Beast Tide.

Their job was to ensure the Hong family heirs' safety.

But the Beast Tide came too suddenly, and a Supreme Demon Beast appeared. To keep the heirs safe, Liu Huo led the guards in retreating, while his wife stayed behind to block the demon beast.

In the end, his wife sacrificed herself, and Liu Huo successfully brought the heirs back alive.

Xiao Ye asked, "The Hong family heirs? Who were they?"

Liu Huo glanced at the ace maids, then whispered, "Hong Tao, Hong Lie, and Hong Cai'Er!"