I Really Want to Return to Your Side Soon

"Phew~"

In a remote alley somewhere, two plainly dressed men stood by a foul-smelling trash bin, chatting casually.

"Hey man, things have been pretty tense lately. We need to be extra careful."

"You mean the traitor from the Dark Palace?"

"Exactly. She’s already taken out several of our bases. Even the special task force sent to capture her was wiped out."

"Yeah, I heard. The boss has ordered that she be killed on sight. The problem is, she’s the top-ranked assassin on our hit list."

"Right. Just hearing her codename sends chills down my spine—Cold Snake. You never know when she’ll strike. By the time you realize it, you’re already dead."

"Alright, alright, stop talking about her. I’m getting scared just listening. Thank goodness our base is newly established and well-hidden. Otherwise, I’d have run off by now."

"Who wouldn’t? Even if the Dark Palace offered a huge reward, I wouldn’t take the job."

The man shivered as he spoke, pulling his gaze away from the overcast sky.

"Alright, we’ve been out long enough. Let’s head back..."

Before he could finish, his voice abruptly cut off. His expression turned grim as he stared at his teammate, who stood with his back to him. Though he wasn’t as skilled as the elites on the assassin rankings, being a member of the Dark Palace meant he was no amateur.

Something was wrong.

Seeing his teammate standing completely still, the man’s expression grew more serious. Just as he was about to pull out his pistol, his teammate suddenly turned around with a grin.

"Haha, look at you, scared out of your wits!"

"You’ve got some nerve!"

Realizing it was a prank, the man angrily punched his teammate, his face twisted in fury as if he wanted to kill him.

"Look at you, all scared. And here I thought you were a real member of the Dark Palace."

The teammate rubbed his shoulder, chuckling.

"Screw you. I’m done with you."

Annoyed at being tricked, the man turned around and headed back to the base. But just then, he felt a chill run down his back, like a gust of wind had passed by.

"Listen, stop messing around and just follow me back to the base."

The man didn’t even look back, assuming the disturbance was just his teammate’s doing again.

Just as he was about to twist the doorknob to enter the base, he heard a heavy thud behind him. His body froze as his eyes caught sight of a slender figure standing behind him, illuminated by the light from the doorway.

"Rip..."

......

About ten minutes later, a shadowy figure emerged from the depths of the alley.

"Hmm~"

A seductive voice softly escaped from beneath the black cloak.

"Let me see~"

The figure held up a sheet of paper stained with dried blood, examining it under the light.

"Tsk... There are still so many bases left. That old hag really should’ve just gathered everyone back. It’s such a waste of time running around like this. With all this extra time, I could’ve spent more moments getting close to Ye Feng~"

As Xie Yuyan spoke, she seemed to drift into a pleasant daydream, humming happily to herself.

"After experiencing it once, it’s like my body has become addicted to Ye Feng, craving him more and more. Is this what love feels like? I just want to hurry back to his side..."

After composing herself, Xie Yuyan stretched lazily and slowly walked out of the alley.

......

"Here’s your skewers, sir."

The barbecue shop owner placed a plate of skewers in front of Ye Feng, who thanked him before the owner hurried back into the shop.

"Phew..."

Ye Feng picked up one of the skewers and blew on it. The aroma of the marinated meat, enhanced by the charcoal grill, was irresistible. Unable to resist, Ye Feng took a big bite of the sizzling, juicy meat and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Ah... It’s nice to indulge once in a while."

Just then, his phone rang. When he pulled it out, he saw it was Li Mucheng calling.

"Mucheng? Why’s she calling me at this hour?"

After answering the call, Li Mucheng’s voice came through.

"Good evening, teacher~"

"Good evening, Mucheng. What’s up? Calling so late?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to check if you’ve made it home yet. After what happened today, I felt like you weren’t in the best state, so I was worried about you."

Ye Feng felt a warmth in his heart. He hadn’t expected his student to still be concerned about him.

"Is that so? Don’t worry, Mucheng. I’m fine now."

"Really? That’s good to hear. As long as you’re healthy, I’m relieved. But are you outside right now? I hear... a lot of noise in the background."

"Oh, that. I’m just downstairs having some barbecue."

"Barbecue? I see..."

Does the teacher like barbecue? Maybe I should have a whole roasted lamb prepared for lunch tomorrow.

"Got it. I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll hang up now."

"Alright. I’ll be there on time tomorrow."

"Okay, I’ll be waiting for you at home~"

"Beep... Beep..."

After hanging up, Ye Feng focused on enjoying the skewers on his plate. Meanwhile, Li Mucheng, sitting at home, relaxed her furrowed brows.

"Phew... So the teacher was just eating downstairs. I was worried something had happened when he didn’t move for so long. This tracker’s limitations are too big. I’ll have to find a better one..."

......

"No... Don’t... Don’t leave me alone..."

In the dormitory late at night, Shen Mengli trembled as she muttered in her sleep, seemingly trapped in a terrifying nightmare.

After a while, a figure approached Shen Mengli’s bedside, pulling the blanket up to her chest and sighing softly.

"Poor child..."

Only when Shen Mengli’s trembling subsided did the old dean quietly return to her own room.