Anomaly

"Are you enjoying the young mistress's adorable reaction?"

Liu Qingyue, standing behind Ji Qingyi, couldn't help but frown as she watched Su Cheng enthusiastically holding forth at the dining table.

The method Su Cheng had just employed wasn’t particularly clever—anyone with a bit of thought would realize he already knew the fried rice had been prepared by the young mistress.

But why wasn’t it clever?

Because swallowing the eggshells along with it would have been the most masterful choice!

The Su Cheng of the past would have undoubtedly done just that.

But now…

"He’s definitely reveling in the young mistress’s awkwardness?!"

At this thought, Liu Qingyue couldn’t help but sigh. She then met Su Cheng’s clear eyes again, though compared to before, they now seemed to conceal something unfathomable—deep, bottomless, like the vast expanse of stars, impossible to decipher.

"Or does he want the young mistress to realize his intentions?"

"Surely she should have noticed by now?"

Liu Qingyue mused silently, but the next moment, she tilted her head down and saw her young mistress nodding with apparent satisfaction, a faint smile playing on her lips as her gaze remained fixed on Su Cheng.

"I don’t remember the young mistress being this dense before?"

"Where has my brilliant young mistress gone?"

Liu Qingyue froze for a moment before a look of realization crossed her face. She understood that her mistress’s joy at receiving Su Cheng’s praise had reached unprecedented heights, temporarily dulling her intellect. She couldn’t help but click her tongue in amazement.

"Protagonist aura?"

Then again, the young mistress was, at heart, still a girl with her own desires—especially given her fiercely prideful nature.

Now, being praised in such an unconventional way by someone she cared about had given her immense satisfaction.

But unfortunately, this feeling was fleeting.

Once the young mistress regained her composure, she would inevitably notice the trickery. And when she did, the embarrassment and indignation would follow—and Su Cheng would likely bear the brunt of her wrath…

"Why would he knowingly…?"

"Could it be that Su Cheng’s goal is to deliberately provoke the young mistress?!"

A sudden flash of insight struck Liu Qingyue, sending a chill down her spine as her heart clenched.

If Su Cheng truly harbored such intentions, then he was terrifying. The young mistress’s earlier attempt to shift blame onto Liu Qingyue—a dark moment she’d rather forget—might drive her to extreme measures to make Su Cheng lose his memory!

Such a humiliating act…

She might even activate the "Cigarette Plan."

"What should I do now?"

The thought left Liu Qingyue feeling icy all over. As she watched the two of them chatting amiably, a sense of urgency rose in her chest.

She was torn—should she intervene and prevent the young mistress from falling into his trap?

There were plenty of ways to handle this.

But she suspected that if she could think of them, Su Cheng had likely already prepared countermeasures.

Otherwise, why would he act so out of character today, deliberately hiding his intentions to provoke the young mistress’s fury?

In the past, Su Cheng had always been the one protecting her.

Now, she wanted to decipher and confirm Su Cheng’s true thoughts, but her skills were on cooldown, leaving her unable to glean any information. Reluctantly, she gave up.

Su Cheng now possessed the ability for objective thinking. Judging by his recent actions, it was as if he was playing a game of "I predicted your prediction, and you predicted my prediction of your prediction."

So, the only option left for her was compromise—to abandon all predictions and stubbornness, reduce confrontational tactics, and shift toward cooperation and collaboration.

That was the best choice for now!

Liu Qingyue finally turned her gaze back to the dining table.

By now, the conversation between the two had ceased, and the previously cheerful atmosphere had come to an abrupt halt. The air was thick with uneasy silence, as if something explosive was about to erupt.