Those Who Cannot Seize Opportunities Are Losers

“Is this... really a cafeteria?”

When Ye Feng and Li Mucheng arrived at a lavishly decorated hall, Ye Feng was stunned by the dishes under the insulated covers, which were comparable to those in high-end restaurants. Anyone who didn’t know better would think they were dining at a fancy restaurant.

“Hehe, Teacher, just pick whatever you like. These dishes are all prepared by top chefs,” Li Mucheng said with a smile, handing a tray to Ye Feng, who was still in a daze. She was quite pleased with his surprised reaction.

As long as she could pull Ye Feng into her comfort zone, he would no longer feel at ease in his old circle. This was one of the ways she planned to keep him close.

“Thank you, Mucheng. I’ll just have some light dishes,” Ye Feng replied, picking a few simple home-style dishes. He then noticed Li Mucheng standing there with an empty tray, staring at him.

“What’s wrong, Mucheng? Why haven’t you picked anything?”

Li Mucheng secretly memorized the dishes on Ye Feng’s tray before pretending to snap out of her thoughts. “Oh, it’s nothing, Teacher. I was just thinking about something. Why don’t you go ahead and find a seat? I’ll join you soon.”

“Alright.”

As soon as Ye Feng sat down, he saw Li Mucheng approaching with a bowl of seafood wonton soup.

“Huh? Mucheng, aren’t you having rice?” Ye Feng asked, puzzled, as he took a bite of eggplant and noticed Li Mucheng’s empty tray had turned into a bowl of wontons.

“I suddenly felt like having something with noodles, so I ordered some seafood wontons. But there aren’t many vegetables in it. Teacher, can I grab a few bites from your plate?”

“Oh, Mucheng, you’re really something! You’re eyeing the food on my plate instead of getting fresh servings from over there?”

“I’m just worried I might take too much and waste food. Besides, I’ll only take a few bites. You don’t mind, do you, Teacher?”

“Fine, Mucheng, you go ahead and take what you want. Whatever’s left will be mine.”

“Hmph...”

Li Mucheng let out a soft huff, admitting defeat as her plan was exposed. She lowered her head and focused on eating her wontons.

“You really are something, kid. I wonder what goes on in your mind all day,” Ye Feng said, gently tapping Li Mucheng’s forehead with his finger. Just as he was about to take a bite of braised beef, Li Mucheng suddenly stood up from her seat, leaned over, and bit the beef right off his chopsticks.

!!!!

Ye Feng was speechless as he watched Li Mucheng firmly clamp down on his chopsticks. What was going on? He was just trying to eat, and now it felt like he’d caught a fish!

“Mmm...”

After biting off the beef, Li Mucheng chewed it exaggeratedly in front of Ye Feng, as if expressing her dissatisfaction with his earlier comment. Ye Feng didn’t know what to say, but just as he was about to wipe his chopsticks, Li Mucheng stopped him.

“Teacher!”

Li Mucheng pouted, clearly hurt by Ye Feng’s action.

“Are you really that disgusted by me?”

“No... Mucheng, you’ve got it all wrong. That’s not what I meant.”

“Then why did you do that?”

“I was just thinking about you, Mucheng. You’re a girl, and a beautiful one at that. If someone saw something like this, it wouldn’t look good.”

Ye Feng hadn’t expected Li Mucheng to react so strongly and quickly tried to explain. He wasn’t disgusted by her, but as her teacher, he felt it was inappropriate to have such intimate interactions. That’s why he had been deliberately keeping his distance.

“Hmph... don’t think that just because you complimented me, I’ll let this slide.”

Hearing Ye Feng’s praise, Li Mucheng’s anger subsided significantly. After all, who could resist being complimented by the person they liked? It all made sense now.

The teacher must be feeling embarrassed. Really... I wouldn’t have minded. Even if he wanted to use me like a pair of chopsticks...

Well, that wouldn’t be so bad~

As Li Mucheng lowered her head, covering her face, Ye Feng had no idea what was going through her mind. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly wiped his chopsticks with a tissue and continued eating his meal in silence.

......

After finishing their meal, Li Mucheng bid Ye Feng farewell and returned to her room. Seeing her leave, Ye Feng breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since he had rescued Li Mucheng from those mercenaries, her attitude toward him had changed. She seemed to be intentionally trying to get closer to him.

Could it be that saving her from the mercenaries had given her the wrong impression, like in those hero-saves-the-damsel stories? That must be it.

No! I need to find a way to correct Mucheng’s feelings. Otherwise, she’ll only become bolder as time goes on.

With these thoughts in mind, Ye Feng returned to his hospital room. At the same time, he didn’t forget to call Xie Yuyan again, but there was still no answer. This only deepened his worry.

Could something really have happened to Xie Yuyan? Maybe I should go back and check on her now. My body should be recovered enough.

Just as Ye Feng was about to get up and leave the hospital bed, he suddenly felt dizzy. The sensation felt oddly familiar.

Ugh... what’s going on? Why am I having trouble walking? Could that capsule still have some lingering side effects?

Relying on his willpower, Ye Feng slowly made his way back to the bed. After a few unsteady steps, he collapsed onto the mattress. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, and within moments, he was fast asleep, his breathing steady and even.

......

“Hmm...”

Li Mucheng slowly woke up in her room. As soon as she regained consciousness, she glanced at the clock on the wall.

“Five minutes... It seems even this small dose is quite effective. Just a little nibble on his chopsticks, and I lost five minutes. But this was necessary to eliminate any suspicion. I had no choice.”

Li Mucheng pulled out her phone and looked at a message she had received before the meal. It read, “The rice has been specially treated. Do not eat it.” After deleting the message, she adjusted her hair and clothes and headed toward Ye Feng’s room.

Teacher... I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do this... But after our interaction at lunch, I couldn’t help but crave being close to you all the time. Now that your recovery is almost complete, I have to seize this opportunity. Just like you once said:

Those who fail to seize opportunities are the ones who lose.