Chapter 1418: Chapter 1418: The Show Begins (2)

For the next week, Ye Shiqing stayed overnight at Qingmu Garden every day, all in an effort to break down Qiao Qiao’s emotional defenses.

Qiao Qiao finally couldn’t stand Ye Shiqing’s obsessive clinging and simply decided not to return to Qingmu Garden to live.

As for Ye Qilan, he met with Du Qingyu daily. Initially, he had thought Du Qingyu would throw herself into his arms quickly, but on the contrary, Du Qingyu maintained her distance with measured restraint, never taking any excessive actions. This frustrated Ye Qilan and tested his patience.

Both Ye Qilan and Su Hongxing felt that there was something off about Du Qingyu. If Du Qingyu could keep herself this composed, it meant she was a woman of deep strategy.

“Honey, I don’t want to keep sparring with Du Qingyu anymore. I’m planning to end the operation,” Ye Qilan said, pulling Su Hongxing to stroll in the Apricot Forest on a Sunday night, revealing his decision.

Su Hongxing hadn’t expected Ye Qilan to make such a proposal. “Why?”

If the operation halted now, wouldn’t that mean he wasted his captivating charm for nothing?

“I just feel like I’m chasing a lost cause. The worst part is having to put on a show for Du Qingyu—it’s exhausting,” Ye Qilan said, his complaint tinged with grievance.

Su Hongxing responded with annoyed sarcasm, “No matter what, Du Qingyu is still a beauty. Don’t you think this should be a pleasant task for you?”

“In my eyes, Du Qingyu is an ugly hag, and not just any hag—she’s a filthy and venomous one,” Ye Qilan said, his expression unflinchingly serious. “After seeing Su Hongxing, every other woman looks like dung to me!”

Since encountering Su Hongxing, no other woman could even qualify as a woman in his mind. For him to act for anyone else felt almost unbearable, and he wasn’t exaggerating nor being melodramatic.

Su Hongxing chuckled. “Alright, alright, I get it—you’re loyal and devoted, okay? But I don’t approve of you chickening out now.”

Saying this, she fell into a thoughtful silence, her mind quickly calculating.

Ye Qilan understood Su Hongxing well enough; seeing her expression, he knew she was seriously considering something and chose not to interrupt her.

Honestly, just standing beside her like this, even if she said nothing, watching her vibrant facial expressions alone was a source of amusement.

“Ye Qilan, do you think there’s a chance our plan has been exposed to Du Qingyu?” Su Hongxing suddenly voiced the idea. After all, it wasn’t impossible.

Judging from Du Qingyu’s years of quietly biding her time and honing her strengths, it was evident that she wasn’t just strategic but also remarkably composed. Dealing with someone like her wouldn’t be an easy task.

“Impossible! Our plan is only known to you and me. You just told me yesterday that even Qiao Qiao hasn’t figured out I’m deliberately approaching Du Qingyu. Given that, how could she possibly guess our plan?” Pausing for a moment, Ye Qilan added confidently, “Our beauty trap plan is flawless!”

Ye Qilan was certain Du Qingyu harbored feelings for him, truly convinced about this point. Precisely because of this, employing the so-called beauty trap against Du Qingyu seemed like the most straightforward and effective method.

No matter how clever a woman is, she often loses her rationality when faced with matters of the heart. Thus, starting with Du Qingyu felt like the smartest move, yet it had yielded no tangible results.

At times, he even wondered if he was being narcissistic—perhaps Du Qingyu wasn’t all that interested in him.

“There’s no absolute certainty in life. You died once and still came back to life, even bringing a partner along. So, even if Du Qingyu has seen through our plan and refuses to take your bait, it’s not exactly a disaster.” Su Hongxing smiled faintly. “Don’t make the mistake of arrogance and conceit again. If you underestimated Du Qingyu from the very start, then our plan could never succeed.”