168: Good strategy - 2

The two continued walking side by side, and for a moment, the atmosphere seemed exceptionally "harmonious."

After chatting about school gossip for a bit more, Ye Cheng seemed to suddenly think of something and asked casually,

"By the way, Hubby, speaking of which... have you really not caught that little streamer and Coach Lin yet?"

"Yeah, not yet."

Jiang Ye's mind was still imagining his future "harmonious" harem life, so he answered absentmindedly:

"No rush. In matters of the heart, both parties have to feel it's right and be comfortable together before they can be a couple. Otherwise, it's better to just forget it."

Ye Cheng let out an "oh" and nodded, her tone carrying a hint of approval. "Hubby, you're so thoughtful. It seems that when it comes to relationships, you're indeed much better and more mature than that Gu Yanchen."

Hearing this praise, especially since it put down his "love rival" from earlier, Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes in satisfaction:

"That's for sure! That kid looks incredibly flashy at first glance; how could he compare to me? I'm so serious and responsible when it comes to feelings!"

"Mhm, Hubby is the best."

Ye Cheng echoed him obediently, then lightly changed the subject. "But... then again, this Gu Yanchen isn't entirely useless. At least in one aspect, he really is better than you."

"...?"

Alarm bells immediately started ringing in Jiang Ye's heart!

This classic rhetorical structure of "praising before criticizing" and "playing hard to get" usually only had two possibilities:

Option A: Ye Cheng had gone stupid.

Option B: There's a damn scheme here!

Given Ye Cheng's IQ and her performance just now, the answer was obvious.

Jiang Ye snorted coldly in his heart.

Heh, woman, trying to scheme against me?

I was practically raised on schemes!

He immediately activated his Expression Management skills, gave a light chuckle, and said nonchalantly:

"Hey, nobody's perfect! It's normal for him to be better than me in one area. After all, a man as close to perfect as I am is rare in this world; we have to allow ordinary people to have one or two shining points! We should be inclusive and know how to appreciate others!"

This "broad-minded" speech could be said to have directly filled the pit Ye Cheng might have dug with soil.

As Jiang Ye spoke, he closely observed her reaction out of the corner of his eye, ready to deal with her next move at any moment.

To his surprise, Ye Cheng blinked her large eyes, a look of admiration appearing on her face. She hugged his arm tightly and smiled sweetly:

"Hubby~ You're so open-minded! Your attitude is great! I really didn't misjudge you!"

Jiang Ye: "???"

Now he was truly a bit dazed.

He stole a glance at Ye Cheng's expression. She was beaming, her eyes clear, showing no sign that her plot had been exposed. Instead, she seemed to be genuinely praising him.

This reaction isn't right?!

According to the routine, shouldn't she have immediately countered with "exactly how is Gu Yanchen better" to checkmate him?

Why wasn't she following the script? Was it just over like that?

What was this soft response? A feint?

But looking at her expression, it didn't seem like she was just trying to annoy him... Could it be... she really just said it casually, and he was overthinking it with too much internal drama?

But... that's not right!

Given Ye Cheng's personality and EQ, how could she admit someone else was better than her man? Especially that Gu Yanchen, whom she had just publicly rebuffed!

The most critical thing was... No! Exactly what part of that flashy guy is better than me?! Finish your damn sentence!

With a head full of question marks, Jiang Ye continued walking with Ye Cheng, the phrase "Gu Yanchen is better than you in one aspect" echoing repeatedly in his mind.

Beside him, Ye Cheng caught the various changes in his expression out of the corner of her eye—sometimes confused, sometimes indignant, sometimes conflicted. She almost couldn't hold back her laughter and had to press her lips together tightly to maintain her serious... no, her gentle expression.

Seeing that they were almost at the dormitory building, Jiang Ye's curiosity and indignation finally triumphed over his reason and vigilance.

"Cough... Um... Cheng Cheng, I suddenly remembered, you said earlier... Gu Yanchen is better than me in one aspect?"

He tried to make his tone sound purely curious, without any emotion:

"Let's just discuss this purely for academic purposes! Nobody's perfect, right? Knowing one's shortcomings is the only way to improve and seek progress, right? So... I humbly ask, in what specific area... do you think he's just a little bit better than me?"

Ye Cheng blinked, showing a surprised expression that said, "You're actually still thinking about that?" before saying nonchalantly:

"It's actually no big deal, it's just... I think his taste is a bit better than yours."

"Taste?"

Jiang Ye was stunned. He hadn't expected such a trivial answer at all, and his vigilance mostly dissipated:

"Taste... how can you tell? How is his taste better than mine?"

Ye Cheng turned her head and explained with a smile, "It's simple. The girl he's chasing is prettier than the girls you're chasing."

When Jiang Ye heard it was about this, he immediately relaxed. His sense of superiority surged, and he even felt like laughing:

"The one he's chasing is prettier than the ones I am? You've got to be kidding me! It's not like you haven't seen Su Ning and Lin Wanxing!"

He became more and more smug as he spoke, giving a thumbs-up and grinning. "The ones I, Jiang Ye, chase are all top-tier! What does Gu Yanchen have to compare?"

Watching his cocky behavior, the corners of Ye Cheng's mouth curled up slightly, and she silently stopped walking.

She also slowly extended a finger, waved it in front of Jiang Ye, and then slowly and lightly pointed it at her own smiling face.

At the same time, she spoke softly, her voice carrying a hint of playfulness: "The one he's chasing is this one."

Jiang Ye: "...!!!"

Holy crap! It really was a scheme!

I was careless! I didn't dodge! I got played by this woman!

His expression froze instantly, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably. Subconsciously, he wanted to push away Ye Cheng, who was clinging to him and smiling with "ill intent."

But she seemed to have anticipated it and hugged his arm even tighter.

"Now..."

Ye Cheng's voice drifted over. "Can This Palace finally fly into a rage with perfect justification?"

"Holy crap! You damn well schemed against me!"

Jiang Ye's scalp tingled. "Wait, wait, wait! Ye Cheng, stay calm. Let me explain my point from earlier in detail. I can explain!"

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

The sweet smile on Ye Cheng's face vanished instantly, replaced by a "ferocious" expression as she prepared to settle both old and new scores:

"Dammit! I'll teach you to come here just to annoy me! I'll teach you to embarrass me with that photo frame! I'll teach you to be so smug! You think they're prettier than me?! I'll beat you to death, you nuisance!"

"Ow! Stop hitting me! So many students are watching! Give me some face!"

Her small fists fell like raindrops. Although the force wasn't heavy, Jiang Ye still felt unprecedented "social death" pressure under the female dormitory building where people were coming and going. He could only dodge while begging for mercy, making for a quite "tragic" scene.