As Ye Feng was about to put the disinfectant tablet into his mouth, Shen Mengli leaned forward and grabbed his arm.
“No! Mr. Ye Feng, you can’t eat that!”
“Oh? So you’re saying you can eat this tablet, Miss Shen? Isn’t this supposed to be medicine for treating illnesses?”
Ye Feng clenched the tablet tightly in his hand, unmoved no matter how hard Shen Mengli tried to pry his fingers open.
“No... This medicine is specifically for certain symptoms. If you take it randomly, Mr. Ye Feng, it could...”
“How long are you going to keep hiding the truth?”
Ye Feng laid his cards on the table. He had sensed something unusual the moment Shen Mengli took out the white tablet, and he was glad he had arrived in time to prevent a disaster.
“Mr. Ye Feng, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Seeing that Ye Feng wouldn’t let go, Shen Mengli withdrew her hand.
Ye Feng opened his palm and brought the tablet close to his nose, giving it a slight sniff. As a pungent odor wafted out, he realized that the so-called medicine Shen Mengli had mentioned was no cold remedy—it was clearly a disinfectant tablet. If ingested, it could at the very least cause discomfort, and at worst, pose a serious threat to one’s life.
“Miss Shen, are you still going to play dumb? You must have prepared this in advance, didn’t you?”
“......”
Shen Mengli showed no reaction to having her intentions exposed by Ye Feng, maintaining her calm and indifferent demeanor.
“Aren’t you going to explain yourself?”
Ye Feng tucked the disinfectant tablet into his pocket and slowly walked up to Shen Mengli, staring intently at her.
Feeling the weight of Ye Feng’s serious gaze, Shen Mengli turned her head away and tried to wheel her chair to leave, but Ye Feng stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
“Mr. Ye Feng, could you please stop trying to control my thoughts? What I choose to do is my own right.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Mr. Ye Feng, please move aside. I don’t want to answer your questions.”
Shen Mengli lowered her head, her snow-white hair cascading down her pale cheeks. Though her tone remained unchanged, there was a hint of impatience in her voice.
“Miss Shen, could you calm down for a moment and listen to what I have to say...”
“Go away! I told you to go away!”
Shen Mengli suddenly shouted at Ye Feng, her face instantly changing. Her trembling crimson eyes and body reflected her unstable emotions.
“......”
Ye Feng furrowed his brows tightly. From Shen Mengli’s current state, it was clear she had willingly trapped herself in a dead end. Changing her mindset now would be no easy task.
“Don’t worry about me... Please... Just leave me alone...”
Realizing her emotions had gotten the better of her, Shen Mengli immediately pushed her chair to leave. But just as she and Ye Feng passed each other, she didn’t expect him to grab the back of her chair from behind.
“Mr. Ye Feng... Please let go...”
“Do you... hate your life right now?”
“Of course... Every day is torture for me. I wish I could end my life right now.”
“Then why haven’t you done it before?”
“Because I’m fed up with this life. To me, this isn’t living—it’s just existing as a burden to others every day.”
“But that’s not what you really think, is it?”
“Hmph... Does Mr. Ye Feng enjoy imposing his thoughts on others?”
Ye Feng didn’t bother to explain in the face of Shen Mengli’s retort. Instead, he turned her chair around and crouched down to meet her gaze.
“You actually love this place, don’t you?”
“This place? I lost my home long ago. How could I...”
“Whether it’s Wenwen, the director, or the other children at the institute, you care about them deeply, don’t you? In your heart, they’re like family, aren’t they? The reason you’ve been hesitating is because you don’t want to leave them, right?”
“Nonsense.”
“Then why are you still clutching that teddy bear in your hand?”
“......”
Ye Feng’s words struck a chord, leaving Shen Mengli with no room for rebuttal.
After all, she couldn’t very well say she hated the teddy bear Wenwen had given her.
Seeing that Shen Mengli’s resistance had softened, Ye Feng adopted a gentler tone. Through his interactions with the girls, he had learned some skills in comforting others.
In a calm and soothing voice, Ye Feng said, “Miss Shen, you need to understand that if you take such an extreme measure, how do you think Wenwen and the director would feel? By doing this, you’d only be transferring your pain onto them. Do you really want them to live with the same agony of losing someone they love?”
“No... That’s not what I want... I just don’t want to be a burden anymore...”
Shen Mengli shook her head, trying to explain her actions.
“If I were gone, the director wouldn’t have to work so hard, and Wenwen wouldn’t have to steal toys just to make me happy! I’m the problem...”
“The director works hard because she has you by her side. Wenwen steals toys because she cares about you. In their hearts, you’re already an irreplaceable part of their lives. Do you want them to become... the next you?”
“The next me...”
Shen Mengli froze in her chair, her gaze growing distant. Upon closer inspection, tears had already welled up in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks.
“I’m... sorry... I’m so sorry...”
Tears dripped one by one onto Shen Mengli’s black dress as she murmured apologies. Ye Feng didn’t stop her, simply standing by quietly, waiting for her negative emotions to gradually dissipate.
This child had been holding it in for far too long. It was time for her to let it all out.
As Shen Mengli’s sobs grew quieter, her emotions finally settled.
“Feeling better now?”
Ye Feng took a pack of tissues from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to Shen Mengli.
“Th... thank you...”
Shen Mengli took the tissue and first wiped the tears from the teddy bear and her dress.
The teddy bear was a gift from Wenwen, and the black dress was from the director, who was like a mother to her.
“They mean a lot to you, don’t they? That’s why you should cherish them even more.”
“Yes...”
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
