"Ah."
Ye Feng let out a heavy sigh, his throat feeling slightly parched. He lifted the blanket and got out of bed.
As the faint sound of footsteps gradually faded from the bedroom, Shen Mengli, who had been feigning sleep with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them...
"Gulp... gulp... hah."
After finishing the cold water he had just poured, Ye Feng stepped onto the balcony. The cool night breeze washed over him, easing the melancholy in his heart.
Being bound by this system was no way to live—he needed to hurry and complete tasks to earn more life time. Even though he currently had over half a year’s worth, it still wasn’t enough for him.
Now, aside from Yu Xin, he had unlocked the profiles of everyone else. Earlier, Ye Feng had taken the time to check Shen Mengli’s profile display. Like Xie Yuyan and Li Mucheng, hers also showed two separate progress bars.
However, while the other two had consistently received progress rewards, Shen Mengli’s progress had already reached an astonishing 99% upon unlocking—yet the system hadn’t given any rewards this time. Unless… had the system bundled the rewards when he completed the "Kidnap Shen Mengli" mission?
But aside from life time, the only other reward was that Bone Marrow Restoration Pill. Thinking about it now, he had really gotten the short end of the stick.
Sigh, life was getting harder by the day. Tomorrow, he had to go out with Yu Xin, and who knew what would—
Wait! Outing!
Ye Feng latched onto this keyword, and a perfect plan to "kidnap" Su Yuxin began forming in his mind.
If the system’s kidnapping criteria required the victim not to realize who he was for it to count as a success… then all he had to do was separate from Su Yuxin during their outing, tie her up, and then "accidentally" reveal himself so she could escape safely!
With the initial idea in place, Ye Feng gradually refined it into a foolproof kidnapping plan.
Sorry, Yu Xin… I’ll make it up to you later…
The thought of subjecting the sweet and well-behaved Su Yuxin to such treatment made Ye Feng’s conscience twinge. But in the end, he clenched his teeth and steeled himself.
Hopefully, everything would go smoothly.
After closing the balcony door, Ye Feng returned to his bedroom. When he pulled the blanket over himself, he suddenly noticed how unusually warm it was.
"Huh?"
Just as he was puzzling over it, a small hand reached around his waist from behind and clung tightly to him.
Since Ye Feng was wearing a short-sleeved shirt to sleep, he could clearly feel the warmth of that hand—and the soft, supple body pressing against his back.
It was like a wobbly pudding, swaying gently with the motion of a spoon.
"Mengli..."
"..."
"Mengli?"
"Hehe… Mr. Teddy..."
"Mr. Teddy?"
Ye Feng froze at the drowsy murmur from behind him. He gently pried Shen Mengli’s hand away to make room to turn over and see what was going on.
When he did, he found Shen Mengli lying under his blanket, eyes shut, fast asleep. The teddy bear she had been holding had somehow ended up on the floor.
"Did she get confused in her sleep…?"
Ye Feng got out of bed, picked up the teddy bear, and tucked it back into Shen Mengli’s arms. He then pulled the blanket over her properly before finally lying back down and closing his eyes.
Only then did Shen Mengli quietly slip the teddy bear under the covers.
......
"I’m sorry for the trouble, Director."
"Ye Feng, what are you talking about? I’m just grateful you brought Mengli back. Besides, you’re already a familiar face to the children here. You’re always welcome."
"Thank you… I’ll be back by evening."
"Of course. Mengli, aren’t you going to say goodbye to Ye Feng?"
The director looked down at Shen Mengli, who sat in her wheelchair. Suddenly, Shen Mengli reached out and grasped Ye Feng’s hand tightly, staring straight at him.
"Xiao Feng… be careful on your way."
"Mm, Mengli, be good, okay?"
"Okay."
......
After their simple farewell, Ye Feng left through the gate. Shen Mengli watched his retreating figure until he disappeared from sight before finally lowering her gaze.
"Alright, Mengli, let’s head inside now."
"Okay, Mom Director."
Along the way, they exchanged greetings with some of the children—even Wenwen, who was heading to class. Eventually, the director wheeled Shen Mengli to her favorite spot in the orphanage: the depths of the garden.
"Back here again…"
As Shen Mengli took in the familiar surroundings, a wave of nostalgia washed over her. Strangely, the place she had once loved no longer felt as perfect as before. If not for Ye Feng’s special circumstances, she would have much rather stayed at his house.
Even without the beauty of the garden, being at home with him felt far more comforting.
"Mengli… how have you been lately?"
The director sat down beside the pavilion, her voice warm with concern for the child she cherished most.
"Thank you for asking, Mom Director. Xiao Feng has been taking really good care of me. But…"
"But what?"
"But it’s always been him looking after me. I can’t do anything to help him, and it makes me feel so guilty just watching."
Seeing Shen Mengli’s downcast expression, the director quickly understood how things had been for her at Ye Feng’s home. Clearly, his meticulous care had left Shen Mengli feeling flustered and indebted.
"Mengli, you need to understand—Ye Feng didn’t choose you because he expected anything in return. He just wanted you to have a better life."
"I know that… but I still want to do something for him."
"Hehe… it seems you’ve grown up, Mengli."
The director smiled, recognizing the hints of something deeper in Shen Mengli’s expression.
"So, how does it feel? That flutter in your heart?"
"Huh? W-what flutter?! Mom Director, don’t say nonsense…"
Though she denied it, the way Shen Mengli clutched her teddy bear gave her away—she just didn’t dare admit it outright.
"Mengli, did you really think I wouldn’t notice? From what I can tell, Ye Feng holds very special feelings for you too."
"R-really?!"
At those words, Shen Mengli immediately dropped her act. She pushed her wheelchair closer, eyes wide with hope.
"Mom Director, please, tell me more~"
ial death, also known as "shè sǐ" in Chinese, generally refers to... well, never mind, it's not important. My name is Ye Cheng, and I'm about to experience social death firsthand. ... 【Host, your mission is to confess your love to the young lady of the Dongfang family, the current student council president, in a way that will be unforgettable for everyone at the freshman ceremony!】 【Host, assist the girl with a sprained ankle in front of you to reach the infirmary, and fulfill the wicked thoughts in your heart!】 【Host, act on your desires and punish the arrogant young lady before you mercilessly!】 【Host, follow your instincts—abandon shameful surrender, begging, or groveling, and ruthlessly criticize the domineering, ill-mannered young lady in front of you!】 【Host...】 Ye Cheng: "Here, here, you take this host role—I quit!" Wait, why is the girl with a sprained ankle the daughter of a mafia boss? And what kind of punishment method is this for the arrogant young lady? Also, who the heck said anything about wicked thoughts in my heart? Come out here, let’s settle this one-on-one!!! ... The haughty student council president, the scheming mafia princess, the fragile yandere young lady, the airheaded maid-in-waiting, the mixed-blood loli/...
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
