267: Chapter 267 2/3 ➜ 1/3 - 1

After dinner, Ye Cheng and Lin Wanxing each returned to their rooms, leaving only Su Ning in the living room, who was in charge of this week's housework, humming a song while tidying up the dishes.

Jiang Ye, having eaten and drunk his fill, leaned back on the sofa with his legs crossed, seemingly scrolling through his phone, but in reality, his gaze was fixed on Su Ning.

Comrade Ye Cheng had made a good start, successfully breaking the ice with a Bare Leg Artifact. No doubt the seeds of his "special hobby" had already been deeply planted in the minds of Su Ning and Lin Wanxing.

Next came the careful irrigation, waiting for the flowers to bloom.

On Coach Lin's side, the difficulty level was undoubtedly hellish.

She was thin-skinned and highly guarded; there was basically no chance with a third person present. He would likely have to wait until the two of them were alone to have an opportunity to make a move.

Thus, the primary target at hand was naturally the drama queen—Su Ning—who was set to fly back to Shijiazhuang the day after tomorrow.

Time was tight, and the task was heavy; he had to settle it quickly!

Soon, Su Ning finished tidying the kitchen, put the dishes away, and washed and hung the rag to dry.

She wiped her hands and subconsciously glanced at the young man on the sofa who seemed to be lost in thought, scratching her head in confusion.

Hmm...

Why did it feel like there was a chill on the back of her neck...

Unable to figure out why, she went back to her room to get a change of clothes and, shuffling in her slippers, walked "patter-patter" toward the public bathroom, preparing to shower.

The opportunity had come!

Jiang Ye's heart stirred. Once Su Ning's figure disappeared behind the bathroom door, he immediately crept to the door, pressed his ear against the panel, held his breath, and waited for the sound of running water that would signal the "start of the operation."

As an elegant gentleman, he naturally needed a complete and meticulous plan before taking action.

And as a tactical master among gentlemen, Jiang Ye had prepared both Plan A and Plan B to ensure nothing would go wrong.

Plan A: Create a "necessity" and lure the target in.

Core idea: Make her realize she's missing a key item while showering, forcing her to ask for help.

Girls' bath products varied by preference—different brands of body wash and body lotion—and towels and bath towels were personal items. These targets were too obvious, and tampering with them would easily lead to exposure.

But there were two things commonly kept in the public area: one was the Bath Lily, and the other was the Pumice Stone.

Among them, the Bath Lily was an essential tool for creating lather while bathing, making it indispensable.

As early as when he was "conceiving" the plan in the afternoon, Jiang Ye had taken precautions and secretly hidden the bath lilies in both public bathrooms.

When Su Ning started her shower, got all wet, and poured out the body wash only to find no Bath Lily, he could "happen" to pass by the door, claim the Bath Lily had fallen apart and the new ones hadn't arrived yet, and "kindly" offer the one from the other bathroom.

But in reality, what he would hand in would be a brand-new Bath Lily.

As long as Su Ning used it for the "first time," he could then use the excuse that "someone else needs to use it" to hint that she should return the used Bath Lily to him, easily completing the task.

Perfect!

Plan B: Wait for the opportunity and snatch it.

As everyone knows, when girls shower, it's a high-frequency period for "equipment" drops.

Whether it's a hairpin or hair tie taken off casually, or undergarments taken off to be washed and temporarily placed in the laundry basket, there was plenty of room for operation.

According to the task description, as long as the state of "temporarily kept by you" was achieved, the task would be considered successful.

He could completely use the excuse of wanting to do laundry himself and suggest washing Su Ning's clothes together, thereby reasonably gaining "temporary custody" of the clothes she took off and completing the task.

Jiang Ye recalculated every detail of the plan in his mind once more, feeling that his strategy was flawless and victory was certain.

Soon, the sound of "splashing" water came from the bathroom.

After waiting another five or six minutes, feeling that Su Ning inside was already soaked and in the awkward position of "wanting to lather up but having no Bath Lily," Jiang Ye acted.

He quickly returned to the master bedroom and closed the door forcefully to create the illusion that he had just come out. Then, he walked briskly to the public bathroom door where Su Ning was and gave a light cough:

"Eh? Xiao Su, are you showering?"

The water sound inside paused for a moment, and Su Ning's slightly confused voice came through: "Yeah, what's up, Big Brother?"

Jiang Ye continued to push forward with the plan: "Don't you feel like you're missing something? In the bathroom... is there a Bath Lily?"

"Huh?"

Su Ning was stunned for a moment. A few seconds later, she said in wonder, "Eh? It really seems like there isn't one. Where did the Bath Lily go?"

"Look at you, not checking before you wash. I saw that Bath Lily fell apart this morning, so I threw it away. The new ones haven't arrived yet."

"Oh! Big Brother, why didn't you say so earlier! Who specifically checks if the Bath Lily is there before showering!"

"Didn't I say you're just careless?"

Jiang Ye took out the new Bath Lily he had prepared and held it in his hand. "Alright, alright, stop shouting. How about this, pull the shower curtain tight, and I'll open the door a crack to toss the Bath Lily from the other bathroom in for you as an emergency measure."

Saying that, he reached out and grabbed the doorknob, waiting for her to nod so he could start the "open door and toss the lily" operation.

But the drama queen inside was silent for two seconds before suddenly bursting out laughing:

"Hee hee, Big Brother... honestly, are you trying to take the chance to peek and take advantage of me?"

"Peek my foot! This is pure neighborly assistance!"

Three black lines instantly appeared on Jiang Ye's forehead. "Are you going to use it or not? Cheng Cheng and Wanxing might want to shower later too; they can't possibly use mine, can they? How inconvenient!"

"Oh, Big Brother, if you're not trying to take advantage, then forget it~ It's such a hassle to pass it back and forth. I can do without the Bath Lily, it's fine!"

"Hmm? No Bath Lily? Then what will you do about the body wash?"

"Use my hands, it's the same."

"Can you get a lather with just your hands? Don't worry, I promise not to peek, just be quick!"

"Don't worry, don't worry, Big Brother, stop fussing over me. I have my own way~"

"???"

Three giant question marks appeared over Jiang Ye's head.

Has a way?

Has a way to shower, or a way to get body wash to lather without a Bath Lily? Some kind of hand-lathering divine skill?

He hesitated for a moment, making one last effort: "Really don't need it? It's no trouble, they probably won't come to shower for a while."

Su Ning's voice paused, filled with deep suspicion:

"Big Brother... you're acting strange~ So persistent about giving me a Bath Lily? You really aren't trying to take advantage of me? If you really want to see... just say so, I might consider it..."

"..."

Jiang Ye looked down at the ill-fated Bath Lily in his hand and sighed speechlessly.

The "proactive" and "non-intentional" requirements of this damn task really cranked the difficulty to the max.

Since Su Ning didn't take the initiative to ask, even if he stuffed the Bath Lily in, the system wouldn't recognize it.

Fine, Plan A is declared a failure.