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...”
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
