"Are you really not coming to the institute, Mengli? Will you be alright at home alone?"
After breakfast, Ye Feng gazed worriedly at Shen Mengli, who sat on the sofa hugging a teddy bear as she looked back at him.
Honestly, he still had his doubts about leaving her alone. If anything were to happen, he’d be consumed with guilt.
"I’ll be fine, really. You’ve already asked me ten times, Xiao Feng."
Rather than finding Ye Feng’s nagging annoying, Shen Mengli felt touched by his concern. Being cared for so deeply by him filled her with nothing but joy.
"Besides, I have you here with me, don’t I?"
She raised the stuffed bear in her hands and made it wave at Ye Feng.
"W-Well… alright then. But take this, Mengli."
Ye Feng handed her the phone Li Mucheng had given him, which he fetched from the bedside table in his room.
"I mentioned this to you yesterday—it has my number saved. Call me right away if anything happens, okay?"
"Mhm. Come back soon, Xiao Feng."
Shen Mengli took the phone and placed it beside her, her eyes never leaving Ye Feng.
"I will."
Just as he was about to step out, Shen Mengli suddenly called out to him.
"Xiao Feng, there’s one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Come closer."
Though puzzled, Ye Feng obeyed, crouching down to her level. Without warning, Shen Mengli wrapped her arms around him and whispered softly into his ear, her voice barely audible:
"Be safe. I’ll miss you."
"Mengli…"
The warmth of her voice lingered in his ears, and it took him a moment to snap out of his daze after she let go.
"I’m heading out now…"
"Mhm."
Noticing the faint pink tinge on Ye Feng’s ears, Shen Mengli secretly smiled to herself.
Xiao Feng’s blushing…
---
"Ye Feng gege~!"
After taking a taxi to the apartment complex where Su Yuxin lived, Ye Feng was just about to enter through the main gate when a sweet voice called out from behind him.
Turning around, he was surprised to see Su Yuxin holding two ice cream cones, hurrying toward him.
"Yuxin…? Why are you—"
"No time to explain, Ye Feng gege! Catch!"
She rushed over, her hands clutching the melting ice cream. By the looks of it, time had not been kind—the treats were already dripping down her fingers.
"Quick! Hurry! It’s about to fall!"
"Stop moving around, Yuxin! Just hand it to me!"
By the time Ye Feng managed to take the ice cream, it was too late. The strawberry-flavored treat had already dripped onto the back of his hand.
"......"
The cold, sticky sensation made him inwardly groan. He knew all too well that wiping it off with a napkin wouldn’t be enough—without water, it’d just leave his hands annoyingly sticky.
To prevent further mess, he took a big bite of the remaining ice cream before turning back to Su Yuxin, who was staring intently at his hand.
"Yuxin, ni you zhi ma?" he mumbled through the mouthful.
Su Yuxin tilted her head, processing his words before her eyes lit up with realization.
"Gege, are you asking if I have a boyfriend? I don’t, you know… Ow!"
She rubbed her forehead where Ye Feng had flicked her, pouting in protest.
"Why’d you hit me? I answered honestly! I said I don’t have a boyfriend!"
Her voice carried louder than intended, and Ye Feng panicked. They were standing right at the entrance of her apartment complex, with people coming and going. If word got back to that family—or worse, Su Wanli—he’d be as good as dead tomorrow.
"Gulp—"
Forcing down the icy lump in his throat, he swallowed hard before clarifying,
"Yuxin, what are you saying?! I asked if you had tissues! How did that turn into boyfriend?!"
"Ohhh~!"
Su Yuxin nodded, feigning sudden understanding—though the sly glint in her half-lidded eyes suggested she’d heard him just fine the first time.
"So that’s what you meant! Sorry, gege~ I don’t have any tissues either~"
"Then… what about my hand—"
Before he could finish, Su Yuxin grabbed his sticky hand and cut him off.
"My bad, Ye Feng gege. Since this was my fault, it’s only right that I fix it."
"Yuxin, what are you—? Why are you holding my—?"
Confused, Ye Feng watched as her expression turned oddly determined—like a protagonist in a movie about to make a heroic sacrifice.
Then, without warning, she leaned in.
"Y-Yuxin…?"
Before he could react, Su Yuxin’s lips parted—and she lunged straight for the ice cream on his hand.
Wait—wait! Is she about to—?!
By the time he realized her intentions, it was too late. His hand was already clean.
"Mmm~!"
She pulled back, flicking her golden twin tails with a satisfied smack of her lips before beaming up at him, clearly waiting for praise.
"There! I’ve apologized properly, gege. Now you have to forgive me~"
"Yuxin, you—"
"Aha! No lectures, okay? I already said sorry~!"
She hurriedly cut him off, not daring to let him speak. Truthfully, even she was surprised by her own boldness. But in that impulsive moment, an inexplicable thrill had surged through her.
Ye Feng gege’s scent… I love it…
"Come on, let’s hurry to class!"
Grabbing his arm, she tugged him toward the apartment, her face burning red. To cool herself down, she took small, hurried bites of her remaining ice cream.
"......"
Seeing how nonchalant she acted, Ye Feng could only sigh and follow along, eating his own ice cream with resigned amusement.
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
