167: Good routine - 1

Jiang Ye blissfully felt the addition of the 'lucky echo compass' in his mental inventory and gave himself a silent thumbs-up.

Although the process of this operation was a bit abstract, the result was good—a total win with no losses!

He stole a glance at Ye Cheng in his arms, who was still trying to compose herself with a face that screamed "I want to kill someone but I need a moment," and smacked his lips.

"Brother Ye's Life Hack: Once you start losing face, make sure to lose it all at once; never leave any loose ends."

Since his image was already temporarily bankrupt, he might as well strike while the iron was hot and see what the next task was. If he could handle it, he'd finish it now to avoid having to build up the mood again next time.

With this "nothing left to lose" spirit, Jiang Ye refreshed the monthly task in his mind again.

[January 2026 Monthly Task: Skill Exchange Apprentice]

Task Content: Within 15 days, become an "apprentice" to a woman with a Charm value > 80 who possesses a "lifestyle skill" you completely lack (e.g., flower arrangement, baking, simple musical instruments, basic dance, etc.). You must complete at least one decent piece of work and receive the evaluation "you learned quite quickly/you are very talented" from your "master."

Task Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (Tests learning ability, patience, and the ability to "play along")

Task Description: Appreciating and learning from someone else's strengths is the highest form of praise. An elegant gentleman never minds lowering himself to be a clumsy but serious student for once.

Task Rewards:

A. [Quick Start] (Passive Skill): A small initial speed boost when learning various lifestyle skills or simple talents.

B. Cash Reward: 260,000 Yuan.

After reading the new task, Jiang Ye looked down at Ye Cheng in his arms and scratched his head.

His first wife's skill points were mainly invested in billiards and roasting people.

As for billiards, he had played quite a few times himself, so it certainly didn't count as "completely lacking," which failed the task requirement.

As for roasting people... Jiang Ye's own roasting attributes were already maxed out, okay!

Hmm... a passive skill that could improve himself definitely couldn't be passed up.

Forget it, same old rule—let's put it aside for now and see later if Lin Wanxing or Su Ning have any "skills" he can leech off of.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Ye cleared his throat.

Since he didn't need to do the task, it was time to end this farce! He, Jiang Ye, also cared about his dignity, alright!

He raised an eyebrow, and just as the smooth talk he'd prepared was about to come out, Ye Cheng stiffened in his arms. As if they shared a telepathic connection, she instantly predicted his move.

"Cheng... mmph mmph..."

Before Jiang Ye could get a single word out, she had already reached out, her fingers like an eagle's claw, accurately pinching his lips together.

Physical silence—highly effective.

"That's enough, Grandmaster Jiang!"

Ye Cheng glared at him in embarrassed annoyance, squeezing a sentence through her teeth: "Today's cringe levels have seriously exceeded the limit. If you do another round, I'm afraid my heart won't take it and I'll actually have to call 120! I'm begging you, stop your divine antics!"

Jiang Ye blinked his eyes. Looking at her "if you dare say one more word I'll take you down with me" expression, and then glancing at her other fist which was already quietly clenched, he very sensibly nodded and swallowed back the smooth talk at the tip of his tongue.

Only then did Ye Cheng breathe a small sigh of relief. She let go of his mouth and sighed with exhaustion:

"Let's go. Take me back to the dorm. I need to go back and lie flat right now, immediately, to recover some health and purify my soul that's been polluted by you."

Jiang Ye smiled sheepishly, put the troublemaking backpack back on, and followed Ye Cheng toward the dormitory area obediently.

On the way, to ease the atmosphere, he found a safe topic: "By the way, Cheng Cheng, when do you finish all your exams? It's already the 5th. Does your school always schedule exams this late?"

"Everything's done on the 12th."

Ye Cheng shot him a side-eye and said crossly, "What for? It's my exams, why are you in a hurry?"

"What else? Naturally, I'm waiting for you to finish your exams so you can come home and settle your debts!"

"You spend every day coming up with ways to annoy me, and you're still dreaming? Once my exams are over, I'm going back to my place in Shenbei to live!"

"Shenbei?"

Jiang Ye was stunned for a moment: "You haven't given up that apartment in Taian Building yet?"

Ye Cheng arched an eyebrow and didn't answer directly, which was as good as a confirmation.

"I see..."

Jiang Ye smacked his lips, intentionally putting on a look of regret: "Fine, fine. Anyway, those two at home haven't filled their progress bars yet. If you're there, they might really feel constrained. Besides, with you around, many of my tricks are hard to pull off. Without you, I'll have more room to operate."

Ye Cheng's face darkened, and her footsteps even faltered for a moment.

Jiang Ye glanced at her, feeling amused inside, and switched to an "I'm doing this for your own good" tone:

"But then again, Cheng Cheng, you are after all our family's 'first wife.' I think you still need to bond with the sisters as soon as possible; it'll make it easier for you to manage things in the future~"

Ye Cheng: "..."

To be fair, she didn't actually dislike Su Ning and Lin Wanxing. In fact, after a few interactions, she found they each had their own charms.

But... the smug and punchable look on this guy's face right now really made her hands itch!

Jiang Ye saw Ye Cheng's "kind" smile and glanced at the students gradually increasing around them, his heart skipping a beat.

If he got hit by a "bashful iron fist" in public, his dignity as a grown man would be completely gone!

He quickly took a step ahead, raising his hands in a defensive gesture and declaring with a serious tone:

"Student Ye Cheng! Mind your status! You are the Main Consort! You must be a model for the world! Resorting to violence over a few words only proves you are jealous, petty, unable to leave me, wanting to monopolize me, narrow-minded, unfit for great responsibility, lacking security..."

Hearing this string of labels comparable to the "Seven Deadly Sins" being pinned on her, the veins on Ye Cheng's temple throbbed.

She snorted coldly in her heart, but her face suddenly thawed like melting ice, blooming into a sweet smile as she grabbed Jiang Ye's arm again:

"Hubby, what are you saying? How could I be the type of person who's unreasonable and gets jealous for no reason? Let's go, let's go, we're almost there~"

"...?"

The sudden change caught Jiang Ye off guard. He hesitantly reached out to touch Ye Cheng's forehead:

"No fever... could it be a stroke?"

"..."

Ye Cheng gave him a coquettish roll of her eyes and slapped his hand away: "You're so annoying! What are you talking about?!"

Looking at her behaving so obediently, although Jiang Ye felt something was off, a sense of satisfaction from having his "first wife" rely on and obey him welled up, leaving him greatly comforted.

Ah!

It seems I really misunderstood Student Ye Cheng!

I didn't expect her to be so sensible and broad-minded!

With such a virtuous Empress presiding over the Inner Palace, managing the backyard for me and balancing various factions, why should I worry about the harem being unstable? Why should I worry about my great cause failing?

Heaven is truly on my side!

Jiang Ye gave a cheeky grin, in a great mood, and reached back to squeeze Ye Cheng's soft palm.