Someone as outstanding as Mr. Ye Feng must have a girlfriend, right

"Thank you... Mr. Ye Feng..."

After calming down, Shen Mengli kept her head lowered, still too embarrassed to look at Ye Feng. For her, having him witness her in such a vulnerable state was deeply humiliating.

"It's alright. As long as everything has been resolved, that's what matters. But you mustn’t harbor such thoughts anymore, okay? For them, your safety and well-being are more than enough."

"Okay..."

Seeing Shen Mengli's hesitant demeanor, Ye Feng thought she might still be resisting internally, so he continued to explain, "Actually, I know you want to contribute to the institute in your own way, and you’ve already done so much."

"For example, when you were teaching Wenwen, you were like a caring older sister, guiding her on how to be a good person. And during meals, as the eldest sister, you took care of the younger children, allowing the director to have more time to rest. Aren’t these all ways you’ve helped them?"

"I... I’ve already figured it out, Mr. Ye Feng. I understand what you mean."

Shen Mengli raised her beautiful eyes and gazed deeply at Ye Feng, her tear-streaked face making her even more endearing.

"I just... just wanted to apologize to you, Mr. Ye Feng."

"Huh? Apologize? Why suddenly apologize?"

Ye Feng looked at Shen Mengli in confusion. In his eyes, she had merely been venting her emotions earlier—hardly something that warranted an apology.

"Because... because I said such harsh words to you, Mr. Ye Feng..."

"Harsh words?"

Ye Feng carefully reviewed their earlier conversation but couldn’t recall anything that had crossed a line.

"You mean when you told me to leave or something like that?"

"Yes..."

"Oh, that? That’s nothing. It was just you venting your emotions. I didn’t take it to heart at all."

"Even... even so! I still need to apologize to you, Mr. Ye Feng! No matter what, I said those words, and you must have thought of me as..."

"Alright, alright."

Just as Shen Mengli was halfway through her sentence, Ye Feng reached out and gently placed his hand on her head, stroking her smooth hair while speaking softly.

"You’re overthinking this, Shen Mengli. I never had such thoughts. How could I possibly hold it against someone as lovely and beautiful as you?"

"Lovely... beautiful..."

Shen Mengli repeated Ye Feng’s words, her eyes blinking rapidly.

Is... is Mr. Ye Feng complimenting me? He must be! But how could someone like me, with all my flaws, ever match those words? He’s surely just trying to comfort me.

Yes, that must be it!

"That’s right. To be honest, when I first saw you, I was stunned. I thought a fairy had descended to the mortal world."

Ye Feng wasn’t lying. Shen Mengli’s beauty was like a painting, and anyone who saw her delicate appearance would find her stunning.

"A fairy?"

!!!!!

Mr. Ye Feng... he’s not just saying this to humor me!

After confirming that Ye Feng’s words were genuine, Shen Mengli, who had just calmed down, suddenly became flustered again. Her pale cheeks flushed red, and in just a few breaths, her face was completely crimson.

"Ah..."

"Shen Mengli, are you okay?"

"Ah!"

Shen Mengli could feel her face burning, but with no way to retreat or hide, she could only cover her face with her hands like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

"Please... Mr. Ye Feng, don’t look at me... please..."

"Ah... sorry, sorry."

Only then did Ye Feng realize that Shen Mengli was embarrassed. He had never seen her like this before, so he quickly stood up from the wheelchair and carefully placed his hands on the backrest, asking softly,

"Would you like to go to the fountain to calm down a bit?"

"Please... thank you..."

......

"Phew..."

Shen Mengli stared at the fountain in front of her. With Ye Feng out of sight, she gradually began to relax, though her body remained stiff, knowing he was still behind her.

"Mr. Ye Feng, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, go ahead."

"Well... someone as outstanding as you must have a girlfriend, right?"

"A girlfriend?"

When Shen Mengli asked this, the first person who came to Ye Feng’s mind was Xie Yuyan. The reason for this was the indescribable experiences they had shared, though he was unaware of them at the time. He wondered how Xie Yuyan was doing now.

"I suppose I do."

Ye Feng wasn’t entirely sure how to define his relationship with Xie Yuyan. It was like a tangled ball of yarn, with the knots only getting tighter the more he tried to unravel them.

"You suppose? That’s a strange way to answer, Mr. Ye Feng."

"Ah... it’s complicated, really. The situation is a bit messy."

"I see..."

Shen Mengli noticed the troubled look on Ye Feng’s face, and for some reason, his answer left her feeling unsettled. The stuffed bear in her hands suddenly felt uncomfortable to hold.

"Who is this lucky lady? I’d love to meet her. To have someone as wonderful as you, Mr. Ye Feng."

"No, no, you’re giving me too much credit. As for her... I’m not sure where she is now. Maybe she’ll come back someday."

Huh? Maybe she’ll come back?

Does that mean she left Mr. Ye Feng? How could that be? Who would ever want to leave someone as kind as him? Could it be that Mr. Ye Feng is one of those naive, pure-hearted boys who got played by a heartless woman?

Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!

The usually calm Shen Mengli, after a whirlwind of thoughts, seemed like a completely different person. She suddenly turned around and stared intently at Ye Feng.

Facing her dazzling gaze, Ye Feng couldn’t help but shiver.

"What’s... what’s wrong, Shen Mengli? You look like you have something to say."

"Mr. Ye Feng, I..."

"Sister!"

Just as Shen Mengli was clutching her stuffed bear, about to speak, a young voice called out from the garden. It was Wenwen, who had just arrived.

Hearing Wenwen’s voice, Shen Mengli immediately stopped herself. She turned away and took a deep breath.

Phew... thank goodness... I didn’t say it. Why do I always get so flustered around Mr. Ye Feng? What’s wrong with me?