Undercurrents

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

Seeing the strange smile on Su Yuxin’s face, Ye Feng immediately sensed that something was off.

“I... I want you to put this ring on my finger, Ye Feng. Would you do that for me?”

Su Yuxin’s cheeks flushed as she looked at him expectantly.

“Oh, that? Sure, no problem. But why don’t you just put it on yourself?”

“It’s not the same! The meaning behind it is different!”

Su Yuxin pouted.

“Since this ring is a gift from you, Ye Feng, you should be the one to put it on me. That’s what makes it complete.”

“Hmm... alright then. Hand it over, Yuxin.”

“Here~”

Thrilled that Ye Feng had agreed, Su Yuxin eagerly passed him the ring, then stretched out her delicate hand toward him.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Ye Feng.”

“Mhm...”

Ye Feng gently held Su Yuxin’s hand with one hand while carefully sliding the ring onto her finger with the other. Only after ensuring it wouldn’t slip off did he let go.

“All done. How does it feel, Yuxin?”

“Perfect... absolutely perfect!”

Su Yuxin raised her hand, admiring the ring with a satisfied smile. To her, it wasn’t just a gift—it felt like a token of love from Ye Feng.

She turned her hand back and forth, unable to contain her delight, before reluctantly lowering it and clinging to Ye Feng’s arm.

“Ye Feng, thank you for the gift. I love it.”

“I’m glad you like it. Well, it’s getting late—I should take you home now.”

“What? You’re already trying to get rid of me? You really do hate me, don’t you?”

“Of course not. I’m just worried about your safety. It’s late, and your father would be concerned too.”

“Hmm... really?”

“Of course. I just want to make sure you get home safely.”

“Hehe...”

Su Yuxin grinned, her heart warmed by Ye Feng’s sincerity.

“Actually, Ye Feng, you don’t have to. My chauffeur should be here by now. You have to teach Li Mucheng tomorrow, right? I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I’m already so happy just spending today with you.”

“Yuxin...”

“Come on, Ye Feng, just walk me to the car, okay? I want to stay with you for this last bit.”

Ye Feng smiled softly and nodded. “Alright.”

With that, the two made their way toward the roadside.

......

“Young Miss, the Master has been waiting for you.”

After a short while, a black car pulled up in front of them. The driver, a man in a suit, stepped out and opened the door.

“Alright, Yuxin. You’ve had a long day—go home and rest, okay?”

Ye Feng held the car door open, gesturing for Su Yuxin to get in, but she remained still, as if waiting for something.

“Yuxin? Is there something else?”

Puzzled by her lingering gaze, Ye Feng tilted his head.

“Ye Feng... thank you.”

In an instant, Su Yuxin rose onto her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and planted a soft kiss on his cheek before quickly slipping into the car without another word.

“......”

As the car roared away, Ye Feng touched his cheek, his emotions in turmoil.

Does this mean... she’s forgiven me?

“Ye Feng...”

Su Yuxin gazed at the ring on her finger, gently tracing it with her other hand. But despite everything, her heart felt heavy.

Because she had noticed something.

When Ye Feng had left the gift shop earlier, he hadn’t been carrying just one bag. From what she could tell, excluding hers, there had been three others. Were all those gifts for Li Mucheng... or was there someone else?

No... Today had been a breakthrough in their relationship. She couldn’t let anyone else get ahead of her. She needed to keep a close eye on Ye Feng’s every move—there had to be more clues.

“Haa...”

Ye Feng exhaled softly, then hailed a taxi, heading toward Hope Orphanage with the remaining gift bags in hand.

......

“Hmm~”

Li Mucheng hummed a cheerful tune in her room, her mood clearly bright. There was no doubt it was because Ye Feng would be coming over tomorrow.

“Ugh, this is so frustrating. To avoid raising suspicion, I can’t even use the herbs anymore. But just seeing him during lessons isn’t enough. And why does it feel like he’s slowly drifting further away?”

She set down the fox mask she’d been holding—one she had grown utterly obsessed with, just like everything else related to Ye Feng. Her mind wandered back to the time she’d played a prank on him while he slept, and she closed her eyes, lost in thought.

“He’s probably alone at home right now. Is he a shut-in? That’d be nice... If only I could move in with him. Then we could spend every day together~”

Beep beep.

Just as her imagination ran wild, her phone buzzed. She set the mask aside and lifted the phone to her ear.

“Young Miss, we’ve uncovered some information.”

Ah Fu’s voice came through, though it carried a hint of hesitation and unease.

“Oh? You’ve outdone yourself, Ah Fu. The others haven’t found a single lead in ages. Tell me—what did you learn about that dessert shop?”

“B-but, Young Miss... I think it’s better if we... drop this.”

Ah Fu’s stammering made it clear he’d rather not share what he’d discovered.

“Ah Fu, I want to know everything. And I suggest you think very carefully about your job before you decide to withhold anything.”

“F-forgive me, Young Miss! I’ll tell you everything!”

Ah Fu immediately caved, silently apologizing to Ye Feng in his heart.

Sorry, Ye Feng. It’s not that I don’t want to help you... I just don’t have a choice.

“After recent investigations, I found out that the shop has a VIP member they treat with special care.”

“Oh? Who is it?”

“Well... it’s someone you know, Young Miss.”

“Stop beating around the bush.”

“Yes! The member is... Young Miss Su...”