"Don't slander me!" Ye Jingchen retorted instinctively.
"You can say I lack ambition, but you can't say I'm cunning! How could someone as sincere as me be cunning?!"
"If you're being sincere, then who has been deceiving me all these years?" Xie Chang'an asked with a cold laugh.
"What did I lie to you about?" Ye Jingchen retorted confidently.
Xie Chang'an recalled the past and found that he really couldn't find any concrete evidence.
But that's the most contradictory part.
Not only him, but anyone in the Wenhua Hall would not believe that Ye Jingchen was an unambitious, unspirited, and mediocre person who only wanted to live a life of idleness and waiting for death.
He didn't believe Ye Jingchen's so-called "heart-to-heart talk," but subconsciously he felt that what Ye Jingchen said was true.
Seeing that Xie Chang'an had nothing to say, Ye Jingchen continued, "If we ignore my identity and the halo you've placed on me, if I were just an ordinary person, would you still like me?"
That's an excellent question.
Xie Chang'an tried to recall what he had said, but he couldn't imagine what the mediocre Ye Jingchen was like at all.
If Ye Jingchen were truly mediocre, there would be no way he could have discovered his secret!
If Ye Jingchen were truly mediocre, he wouldn't be qualified to work with him, let alone have a good rapport with him.
If Ye Jingchen is truly mediocre—
"How could an ordinary person possess such insight and vision that even I am ashamed of? And how could they have such a calm and composed temperament?"
"Experience leads to broad knowledge. By learning from history, one can understand the past and present, and naturally develop a broader perspective. The reason you think my knowledge and perspective are extraordinary is not because I am particularly remarkable, but because I stand on the shoulders of giants. If you could go to another time and space, you would find that there are many people like me; I am nothing special!"
"As for my calm personality—it's all because I'm self-aware. I know I'm not smart enough, so of course I have to be cautious—hide myself, work hard in secret, and then amaze everyone!"
Xie Chang'an looked at him like he was crazy, and after a long while he finally spoke: "I feel like you're mocking me."
"You're not just mocking me, you're mocking everyone!"
If Ye Jingchen's actions aren't considered smart, then what are they?
Ye Jingchen didn't argue with Xie Chang'an about whether he was being sarcastic or not. It had nothing to do with a person's intelligence; people of their generation did indeed have a cognitive advantage.
And he has another advantage.
This is the world of the book, and he has read this book, though only half of it.
This is part of the reason why he is so adept at handling things.
However, this secret was a bit cruel to Xie Chang'an and the others, so Ye Jingchen didn't plan to tell anyone.
"You haven't answered my question yet. If I were just an ordinary person, would you still like me?" he pressed.
"And what about you? What kind of answer do you want from me?" Xie Chang'an threw the question back at him.
Ye Jingchen thought for a moment and replied, "Logically speaking, I hope you answer 'no,' but emotionally, I hope you answer 'yes.'"
"Your question is meaningless. If you are mediocre, we will never cross paths, let alone like each other!"
“If I were worthless, you wouldn’t even look down on me!” Xie Chang’an said firmly.
Their feelings were inherently intertwined with self-interest; having value was a prerequisite for liking someone.
"That's hard to say. You were so cute when you were little. If you were just an ordinary cub, I would have loved you very much!" Ye Jingchen joked.
However, being cute is also a kind of value!
"Just like you did to that little madwoman?"
Xie Chang'an felt a pang of jealousy when he thought about how meticulously Ye Jingchen took care of the little madman.
"Unfortunately, I'm sorry to disappoint you!" he said with a sneer.
"I'm not too disappointed. You're great now, allowing me to realize my dream of lying down many years ahead of schedule!" Ye Jingchen said, gently touching Xie Chang'an's teacup with his own.
"So why did you bring those eunuchs?" Xie Chang'an asked, placing his teacup on the table.
"To make you understand that there are many people who can take care of me, anyone from the Eastern Palace would do, but what you can do for me, no one but you can do!"
That's a very nice sentence, but—
"Do you not like me at all, and are you only pretending to like me because I'm useful to you?" Xie Chang'an pointed out incisively.
"If you insist on thinking that way, then you're not wrong," Ye Jingchen readily admitted.
Then, adding fuel to the fire, he said, "I only like you because you're useful!"
Although he had expected it, Xie Chang'an was still quite angry at those words, and said defiantly, "Even if I like you, I don't care for this kind of affection that's given to me out of charity!"
"But I'm not pretending. I can't bring myself to sacrifice myself for Dayuan like that!" Ye Jingchen said slowly.
Xie Chang'an glared at Ye Jingchen, his face ashen. "You're teasing me again! Do you think I'll still believe you?"
"Believe it or not," Ye Jingchen said leisurely as he sipped his tea.
Xie Chang'an felt he should just walk away, but he was unwilling to do so.
"Then tell me, what do you like about me?"
If Ye Jingchen couldn't answer, he would definitely walk away and never like him again!
Liking someone and constantly trying to figure out what they're thinking is too tiring. He'd rather be like he was in his past life, living a solitary life and enjoying his leisure!
What do you like about Xie Chang'an?
Ye Jingchen looked Xie Chang'an up and down, "I like your face!"
"Superficial!" Xie Chang'an said coldly.
"I like his figure too." Ye Jingchen's eyes swept over Xie Chang'an's broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs before he continued.
"Disgusting!" Xie Chang'an wished he could cover his eyes.
"He looked really cool wielding the spear," Ye Jingchen recalled.
Xie Chang'an remained silent, thinking to himself, "You have good taste!"
"I feel very reassured working with you," Ye Jingchen added.
Xie Chang'an was beyond reproach on this point.
Having an ally like Ye Jingchen is indeed reassuring, because he has always made his sincerity public.
“Most importantly, I like to be a hands-off boss and not do anything, while you are very capable. How could I not like you?!” Ye Jingchen smiled at Xie Chang’an.
Looking at Ye Jingchen's sly smile, Xie Chang'an's mind was filled with the word "capable".
Ye Jingchen stopped there and didn't continue.
In fact, what touched him most about Xie Chang'an was that he was able to put aside his status and take care of him in every little detail of his life, and even when they had a disagreement, he would still put him first.
He could sense Xie Chang'an's affection for him and was willing to reciprocate Xie Chang'an's affection.
Sincerity begets sincerity.
However, Xie Chang'an had more important things to do now. He brought the eunuch over so that Xie Chang'an could focus on the battle against the Northern Barbarians, so naturally he wouldn't tell him these things.
What if he gets encouraged and goes even further?
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