"Phew... it's finally over."
Ye Feng slowly removed his mask and threw both his outer clothing and the mask into the sewer.
Gazing at the cavern Su Yuxin had fled from, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
"I need to leave quickly... now there’s one more person I owe an apology to."
......
"Ring-ring~"
The sound of a phone ringing echoed as Ye Feng, standing not far from the mall, answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Sniff... sniff..."
"Yu... Yuxin! What’s wrong?"
"Ye... Ye Feng, can you come find me? I don’t even know where I am right now."
Su Yuxin’s sobbing voice came through the phone, each cry like a knife twisting in Ye Feng’s heart.
"Alright, Yuxin, send me your location. I’ll be right there."
Just as Ye Feng was about to hang up and head out, Su Yuxin hastily spoke again.
"No! Don’t hang up, Ye Feng... please..."
Her voice trembled with fear, barely holding back another wave of tears.
"...Okay."
Ye Feng simply uttered a quiet agreement before falling silent. The weight of guilt grew heavier with each girl he had harmed, taking a toll on his spirit.
After a few minutes, following the address Su Yuxin had sent, Ye Feng stepped into a secluded alleyway. Yet, after scanning the area, he couldn’t spot her. He pressed the phone to his lips and called out softly.
"Yuxin, I’m here. You can come out now."
"Ye... Ye Feng... I’m behind you..."
Hearing her shaky voice, Ye Feng turned and saw Su Yuxin hiding inside a cardboard box, a few strands of her golden hair peeking out.
"Yuxin!"
He rushed over and, upon reaching the box, found her curled up inside, knees pressed to her chest, trembling uncontrollably.
"Yuxin, it’s alright now."
"Ye... Ye Feng..."
The moment she saw him, Su Yuxin scrambled to her feet and threw herself into his arms, bursting into loud, heart-wrenching sobs.
"Waaah... Ye Feng... I was so scared! I thought I’d never see you again... sniff..."
Holding her close, Ye Feng’s heart ached even more. Each tear she shed felt like another wound carved into his conscience.
How could he call himself her protector when he was the one who had terrified her like this? He was a failure.
"I’m sorry... I’m so sorry, Yuxin..."
As time passed, her crying gradually quieted.
"Ye... Ye Feng, why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong..."
Su Yuxin wiped her tears and looked up at him with curious, red-rimmed eyes.
"Because..."
Ye Feng hesitated, but in the end, he chose honesty. The guilt was eating him alive. Even if his intentions were to make amends, the damage was already done. If this left scars on her heart, he would never forgive himself.
Better to confess everything. Even if she hated him, even if she never wanted to see him again—at least the truth would be out.
"Because the one who hurt you... was me."
The words finally left his lips. He lowered his head, bracing himself for the fallout.
"...Huh?"
Su Yuxin froze, stunned into silence.
"Ye Feng, what did you just say? I... I think I misheard."
"I said I was the one who kidnapped you. I planned the whole thing."
"Wh... what? That’s not funny, Ye Feng! I know you’re just trying to make me feel better—"
"It’s the truth. I’m the reason you suffered like this."
"Stop joking! This isn’t something to laugh about!"
Su Yuxin frowned, staring at him with disbelief. But when she saw Ye Feng’s closed eyes, his expression resigned as if waiting for punishment, her breath hitched.
"The rabbit mask. The sewer. It was all me."
At those words, Su Yuxin’s face went pale. The alley fell into an oppressive silence.
"...Liar. Why... why would you...?"
Her voice was barely a whisper, her eyes begging for an explanation.
"Why would you do this, Ye Feng? Did I... do something to make you hate me?"
Hearing her fragile voice, Ye Feng opened his eyes and met her gaze.
"Yuxin, I’m sorry."
"No! Don’t apologize! I don’t want apologies—I want the truth! Why did you do this? Why?"
She kept repeating the question, desperate for an answer. She was terrified—terrified that every moment they’d shared had been a lie.
"I’m sorry, Yuxin. There are things I can’t tell you."
"Can’t tell... even me?"
"......"
His silence was answer enough.
"...So, from the very beginning, you planned all this?"
The light in Su Yuxin’s emerald-green eyes dimmed, the warmth in them replaced by hollow despair.
"Yes."
"...Liar. None of this is real..."
She shook her head, unable to process the betrayal. It was as if a beautiful dream had shattered, leaving only cold, harsh reality.
Just as her eyes darkened completely, a sudden realization struck her—a single glimmer of hope in the night sky.
"Then... why did you tell me the truth? If you’d just pretended, I’d never have known..."
"Because... I couldn’t bear to let someone as kind as you suffer because of me."
At those words, a flicker of life returned to her gaze.
"So... you let me escape on purpose?"
"...Yes."
"But why go this far?"
"I’m sorry."
Seeing his refusal to elaborate, Su Yuxin sensed something deeper.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to explain—
He couldn’t.
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
. 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!"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
