Instantly, Yu Yun's 'green tea' instincts flared up, and she quickly responded with a smile.

"Oh my, Sister Fei, you're too polite! That was nothing! We're all Brother's good friends, and we all want what's best for him. I won't hold onto such a tiny bit of unpleasantness! I should be thanking you for introducing Sister-in-Law to Brother. Sister Fei, you're truly magnanimous!"

Facing Yu Yun's thumbs-up and her saccharine, fake smile, the corners of Chen Yanfei's eyes twitched, and she almost lost her composure.

But the Boss was the Boss, after all. She merely nodded without doing anything superfluous.

That was enough; the current intensity was just right.

After exchanging a few veiled barbs, the two "peacefully" backed off.

Han Lie watched in awe. To think I've gained this psychological advantage—it's nothing short of a miracle. I have those coincidences to thank. If the situation had started differently... Someone like you, with your clueless, straightforward thinking, still wants to control Chen Yanfei and Xi Luting?! Dream on!

Thinking of Xi Luting, Han Lie decisively raised the stakes again, aiming to knock her out with one blow, giving her no chance to recover.

His expression stern and his gaze profound, he stared at her and said, "Take Yu Yun back with you. All this 'tea' is giving me a headache. Today's incident is a one-time thing. If there's a next time... don't say I didn't warn you!"

Yes, yes, whatever you say!

"Mhm, I got it!" Xi Luting replied, nodding obediently.

Xi Luting secretly rolled her eyes, then locked an arm around Yu Yun, turned, and dragged her away, not wanting to stay a moment longer.

She was indeed angry, truly hating that dog-man for being so ruthless, but she didn't dare to vent her anger.

If Yu Yun weren't here, just see if I wouldn't fight you to the death!

Despite her inner raging, she slipped away faster than anyone.

Yu Yun cried out, "HEY! HEY! HEY!" several times as she was dragged away, staggering.

She wanted to stir up more trouble with a few more 'green tea' remarks to further annoy Chen Yanfei, but she couldn't withstand Xi Luting's strength.

What's even more depressing is... Damn it, you can't beat Brother Lie, so you take it out on me?! OUCH! FUCK! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!

...

With Yu Yun, who was relatively more troublesome and chaotic, forcibly dragged away by Xi Luting, Brother Lie finally breathed a huge sigh of relief.

He'd won the gamble! That really wasn't easy...

Han Lie admittedly wasn't great at controlling situations, nor was he skilled at placating women, but his rudimentary understanding of psychology had still paid off tremendously.

Chen Yanfei was soft-hearted and reasonable; she could be moved by emotion.

Xi Luting was headstrong but had a significant weakness; she could be suppressed by force.

Yu Yun's presence amplified Han Lie's threat, preventing 'Little Cucumber' Xi Luting from flying off the handle.

And Xi Luting's physical strength could, in turn, restrain Yu Yun, ultimately meaning Han Lie didn't need to deal with 'Big Naiyun' himself.

The only uncontrollable factor was Ding Xiang; scaring her off was the solution.

If he had misjudged her character and couldn't scare her off, Han Lie had a backup plan.

Plan B: If Ding Xiang (Little Xiangxiang) showed even a hint of hesitation, that dog-man Han Lie would actually dare to confirm their relationship on the spot and then drag her away directly. We'll be off to enjoy our private world, you all can keep exploding! Of course, that wouldn't actually happen, but using her escape to resolve the situation wasn't a big deal. At worst, he'd just have to clean up the mess slowly afterward!

Han Lie's plan definitely had flaws, but his overall strategy was highly commendable.

This was what they called 'snatching life from the jaws of death'! The moment he confessed was the instant he came closest to oblivion.

However, Chen Yanfei was a smart woman. Precisely because she was so smart, it was almost impossible for her to turn on him on the spot.

Han Lie had truly nailed her personality.

After achieving a difficult but spectacular turnaround, Brother Lie finally reached his harvest time.

The system chimed incessantly.

[You somehow scraped a win in a battle that could be called a dead end! Your Instigation skill experience +10,010]

[...Your Bluffing skill experience +52,088]

[...Your Acting skill experience...]

Holy cow!

Even the Instigation skill, which gained the least, increased by a five-digit experience amount!

The skill that increased the most, Dragging, was rapidly approaching Level 4.

Moreover, the experience points were merely superficial. In essence, Han Lie had undergone an exceptionally rare and comprehensive test, leading to immense improvements in all aspects.

His greatest insight was... when facing women, you absolutely must not cower! You can be humble, speak softly, and coax them, but your inner core must not be weak, and your mentality must not be fearful. Otherwise, they'll genuinely dare to walk all over you and disrespect you! Once you have the right attitude, you can figure out the specific methods slowly. No matter how direct or clumsy you are, over time, you can always work out a correct way to interact. Han Lie felt that if a similar situation arose next time, he would definitely be able to handle it with ease. This, too, was a form of growth and progress...

However, there was still one final hurdle to overcome.

Watching Xi Luting drag Yu Yun into the distance, Chen Yanfei suddenly spoke, "Do you really like Ding Xiang?"

"Who wouldn't like her personality?" Han Lie shrugged, not answering directly.

Chen Yanfei fell silent for a moment, then said with a hint of pique, "I won't help."

"But you won't cause trouble either." Han Lie turned his head, looking at her with a smile in his eyes. "Right?"

Chen Yanfei puffed her cheeks and glared back. After a moment, she suddenly burst out laughing.

"Go on, try it then!"

The two walked side by side towards the campus gate, in the direction the Ding siblings had taken.

After walking for a while, Chen Yanfei gradually relaxed. Her smile bloomed naturally, and her questions were no longer prickly.

"Do you find my personality that disagreeable? Do you think I'm too assertive?"

"Disagreeable isn't really the word." Han Lie shook his head, his voice softening. "It's just that... there are too many good people who fall in love with another good person, only to find that love exhausting. If you don't want to be that tired, then either you don't love, or you become a ruthless person."

"How does one become ruthless?"

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