A More Intimate Form of Address

"Big sister~"

Wenwen ran over to Shen Mengli, her sudden appearance startling Shen Mengli.

"Wenwen?! What are you doing here? Did you enjoy the desserts today?"

"Yes! The pastries were delicious. I even brought one for you~"

Wenwen said as she pulled out a bag of jujube cake from her pocket.

"Thank you, Wenwen."

Shen Mengli took the cake from Wenwen’s hands. The bag still carried a bit of warmth, which touched Shen Mengli deeply.

Thank goodness... Thank goodness Mr. Ye Feng stopped me from doing something foolish, otherwise...

Standing nearby, Ye Feng watched the heartwarming scene with a faint smile. At that moment, he felt that everything he had done was meaningful, and he didn’t even think about the system tasks he had been preoccupied with.

"Huh?"

At that moment, Wenwen leaned on Shen Mengli’s lap and looked at the teddy bear at eye level with a puzzled expression. It seemed she had noticed something, as she pointed to the teddy bear’s black button eyes and said,

"Big sister, why are there water droplets on the teddy bear? Did the teddy bear cry?"

"Ah! R-really? You must be mistaken, Wenwen. How could a teddy bear cry?"

Shen Mengli seemed to be a terrible liar, as she unconsciously reached out and tightly gripped Ye Feng’s sleeve while saying this. She looked at him with her deep eyes, as if, in her subconscious, Ye Feng had already become someone she could trust. Though she hadn’t realized it yet.

Feeling his sleeve being tugged, Ye Feng turned his gaze away from the hallway and looked down to find Shen Mengli staring at him with pleading eyes, like a white kitten acting coquettish.

"Ah! W-what’s wrong?"

"Mr. Ye Feng, Wenwen is asking why there are water droplets on the teddy bear."

Shen Mengli slightly furrowed her brows, as if reminding Ye Feng not to reveal her embarrassing secret.

"Oh, that..."

Ye Feng turned to look at Wenwen, who was staring at him with wide eyes. He struggled to come up with a reason to brush it off, and after a long pause, he finally said,

"That’s because... your big sister saw the jujube cake you brought and drooled because she wanted to eat it so badly!"

"Huh?"

Hearing Ye Feng’s explanation, Shen Mengli was momentarily stunned. She clearly hadn’t expected him to say something like that. After collecting her thoughts, she suddenly realized that Ye Feng’s explanation seemed to be slandering her. This made the usually quiet Shen Mengli burst out in anger, tugging at Ye Feng’s sleeve repeatedly.

"Mr.! Ye! Feng! What are you saying?! Why would I drool over a cake?!"

"W-wait, Miss Shen, be gentle! You’re going to stretch out my clothes!"

Ye Feng held onto his clothes with both hands to prevent Shen Mengli from stretching them out, while Shen Mengli kept her head down, stubbornly gripping his sleeve. The scene looked like a couple playfully bickering.

"My, my, I didn’t realize Mr. Ye Feng and Mengli were already so close?"

Just then, the director’s voice suddenly came from a distance, and the two froze in their tracks.

"......"

"......"

"Director Mommy~"

Wenwen, being more carefree, didn’t notice anything unusual. To her, Shen Mengli was just playing with Ye Feng, so she didn’t pay much attention. But when the director appeared, she happily skipped over to her.

"Did you have fun, Wenwen?"

"Yes~"

The director patted Wenwen’s head with a kind expression and gave Ye Feng and Shen Mengli an encouraging look before taking Wenwen’s hand and leaving.

"Wenwen, it’s time for class. Let’s come back to play with your big sister after class, okay?"

"Okay~"

As the director and Wenwen disappeared down the hallway, the two stiffened figures slowly regained their composure.

Shen Mengli slightly raised her head to look at Ye Feng, just as Ye Feng also looked down. Their eyes met.

"U-um... Miss Shen, could you let go of my sleeve? If you keep tugging, my clothes are going to tear."

"Mr. Ye Feng, it’s all your fault! Why did you say something so weird?!"

Shen Mengli finally let go of Ye Feng’s sleeve. But now, with the director’s knowing look, no matter how much she tried to explain, it would probably only make things worse.

"W-well, I didn’t expect the director to show up at that moment. Besides, didn’t you ask me to help you out?"

"W-well, yes, but your explanation..."

Shen Mengli suddenly stopped talking, shook her head, and then a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, something she didn’t even seem to realize.

"Th-thank you, Mr. Ye Feng."

In the end, Shen Mengli’s words ended with gratitude, but this time her tone was much lighter, unlike her usual calm demeanor.

"No problem."

"Mm..."

After their conversation, the surroundings fell silent. Finally, Ye Feng was the first to speak.

"Miss Shen, would you like to take a walk in the garden?"

"O-okay... Thank you, Mr. Ye Feng."

"Gurgle, gurgle"

Although the orphanage’s garden wasn’t very large, Ye Feng pushed Shen Mengli around for several laps until Shen Mengli, seemingly worried about tiring Ye Feng, finally signaled to stop.

Though the two walked in silence, Shen Mengli never let go of the teddy bear the entire time.

"Miss Shen."

After pushing Shen Mengli to the pavilion, Ye Feng sat down on the bench, facing her directly.

"Mr. Ye Feng, is there something else you want to tell me?"

"If you have any worries, you can share them with me. We’re friends now, right?"

"Friends..."

Shen Mengli looked at Ye Feng’s earnest expression and could sense a different kind of care in his words. After a moment, she nodded gently.

"Alright, I understand. If it’s as Mr. Ye Feng says, then isn’t addressing each other so formally a bit too distant?"

"True. How would you like me to address you?"

"Mengli."

Shen Mengli slightly lowered her gaze and reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Call me Mengli."