“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...”
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
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.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
