The Little Girl Who Stole the Doll

“Is... is that so? What a coincidence...”

Ye Feng chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, unsure of what to say.

“Teacher, why are you here? Isn’t this a real estate office? Are you thinking of buying a house?”

Li Mucheng knew her excuse was a bit weak, so she quickly changed the subject. Seeing the real estate office behind Ye Feng, she curiously asked.

“Ah... I was just passing by to take a look. The place I’ve been renting isn’t very convenient, so I thought I’d see if I could find something more cost-effective.”

“I see... Teacher, actually, you don’t need to worry about housing. If you don’t mind, you could stay at my... nearby apartment. Don’t worry about the cost, I’ll have my father arrange it for you~”

Li Mucheng paused mid-sentence, realizing her intentions might be a bit too obvious, and quickly corrected herself.

“No, no! Mucheng, please don’t do that!”

Ye Feng immediately waved his hands, refusing Li Mucheng’s offer.

“Why... why not? Didn’t I come up with a good solution for you? Why are you rejecting my suggestion?”

Li Mucheng’s face turned pale, and the smile she had when she first saw Ye Feng disappeared. Her dark eyes stared intently at him.

“Mucheng, listen to me first, okay? I really appreciate your kindness, but I want to rely on myself to live a good life. I understand that you’re thinking of me, but I have my own principles. You’ll understand, right?”

Ye Feng sensed something off in Li Mucheng’s tone, like spotting a spark on a fuse, and quickly extinguished it. With someone like Li Mucheng, whose emotions could be unstable, it was important to respond promptly to avoid misunderstandings.

“I see... I understand.”

After hearing Ye Feng’s words, Li Mucheng didn’t push further. She knew what Ye Feng meant by his principles—his dignity. While her offer was well-intentioned, such special treatment would only make him uncomfortable, so she decided to let it go.

In truth, Li Mucheng’s only wish was to spend more time with Ye Feng. But if she said that outright, Ye Feng would likely reject her even more firmly, probably because of her status.

Ugh... I really want to live under the same roof as Teacher, but there’s no need to rush. Right now, I’m the only woman by his side. As long as I keep him close, he’ll eventually get used to my presence. If I just wait patiently, victory will be mine~

“Oh, by the way, Teacher, don’t forget to come to class this week. I’ll be waiting for you at home.”

“Class... but isn’t the estate still...”

“Even though the practical lessons are on hold, it’s still a good idea to brush up on some theory, right? You’ll come, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll send you the address on your phone.”

“Sure, no problem. Well, Mucheng, I should get going now. I need to pick up some groceries.”

“Ah... alright then.”

Li Mucheng really wanted to follow Ye Feng home and try his homemade dinner, but she was already on edge after today’s “coincidental” meeting. If she pushed too hard, it might only upset Ye Feng, which wasn’t her goal.

“Take care on your way, Teacher. See you this weekend~”

“Yeah, see you, Mucheng.”

Just as Ye Feng turned to leave, Li Mucheng called out to him.

“Oh, Teacher! I have a question for you.”

“A question? What is it?”

“Do you like sweets? I was thinking of preparing some for you when you come over this weekend.”

“No need for that, I’m not really into overly sweet things.”

“Oh, I see... alright then...”

After watching Ye Feng disappear from view, Li Mucheng returned to the roadside, got into her car, and her expression turned serious.

If Teacher doesn’t like sweet things, why did he go to a dessert shop? I’ll have to look into this more carefully...

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Miss.”

......

As Ye Feng walked home, he received the apartment address Li Mucheng had sent to his phone. After exchanging a few more messages, he ended the call.

“Stop her! Thief!”

Just as Ye Feng put his phone away, he heard someone shouting up ahead. Following the sound, he saw a grubby little girl clutching a stuffed doll, running toward him.

The passersby simply watched with curiosity, as no one wanted to get involved with a dirty little kid. It was more entertaining to just stand by and watch.

Seeing the girl on the verge of tears, Ye Feng stepped in front of her and stopped her. The girl bumped into his leg and looked up at him. When she saw his face, her lips trembled as she said, “Big brother... I... I’m sorry.”

“Why did you steal?”

Ye Feng asked calmly.

“Because... because I wanted to give this to Sister Shen for her birthday... but... but I don’t have any money...”

The girl’s voice grew quieter as she spoke, and from her weak tone and downcast eyes, it was clear she knew what she’d done was wrong. But why had she done it?

“You little brat! Why’d you stop running?”

At that moment, the shopkeeper caught up, his face red with anger. He glared at the girl, looking like he was about to grab her and give her a piece of his mind.

Just then, Ye Feng casually placed his hand on the girl’s head and said gently, “So this is what you wanted? No wonder you ran off like that. Just remember not to do this again, okay? You don’t want people misunderstanding you.”

“Huh?”

The girl looked up in surprise. She hadn’t expected this stranger to help her. She thought she’d be scolded or even hit.

“Big brother, you...”

“But you were still in the wrong this time. Apologize to this uncle, and don’t ever do something like this again, understand?”

Ye Feng didn’t mind the dirt on the girl’s clothes, gently stroking her dry hair. His tone carried a hint of authority, which quickly defused the shopkeeper’s anger.

“What’s this? I thought she was a thief.”