"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~"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
