Until the Day the Agreement Is Terminated

"Go on up, don't keep the young mistress waiting."

Ah Fu, standing nearby, kept his gaze fixed in the distance as he muttered the words through the corner of his mouth to Ye Feng.

"You... are you sure it's really safe?"

Ye Feng hesitated, rooted to the spot, too afraid to step forward. After all, he had crossed Li Mucheng—showing up now would only invite trouble.

"Sorry, Ye Feng, but you don’t have a choice this time. The young mistress gave strict orders—you’re not leaving this place."

Ah Fu spoke flatly, like an emotionless robot. Li Mucheng must have used some terrifying method to turn him into this.

"And what if my safety is at risk? You do realize this is illegal confinement, right?"

Ah Fu shot Ye Feng a sidelong glance, knowing full well he was fishing for more information. But he’d already received one severe warning. According to Li Mucheng’s words last night, if it happened again, he’d be reduced to a beggar.

Though Ye Feng had once saved his life, duty was duty. Ah Fu served the Li family, and that meant obeying Li Mucheng’s orders unconditionally.

"Don’t waste your breath, Ye Feng. If you sweet-talk her, maybe the young mistress will calm down. The longer you drag this out, the worse it’ll get."

"Sweet-talk... Right. Got it. Thanks."

Ahem.

Finally catching a hint in Ah Fu’s words, Ye Feng took a deep breath and stepped into the apartment stairwell. With each heavy footstep, he reached Li Mucheng’s door.

Nervous, Ye Feng glanced down at the gift bag in his hand, then inhaled sharply and raised a hand to knock. But just as his hand hovered mid-air, the door suddenly swung open—revealing Li Mucheng, clad in a black lace-trimmed dress, staring at him in silence.

"Mu... Mucheng, good morning."

"......"

Li Mucheng’s icy demeanor was a far cry from her usual warmth, making it seem like they were strangers again—or worse, like they were back to their first awkward meeting.

"Mu... Mucheng?"

Ye Feng forced a smile and waved at her stiff expression.

"Come in."

Li Mucheng seemed unwilling to engage further, turning away and walking inside without another word.

Relieved that she’d at least let him in, Ye Feng exhaled. Maybe things between them weren’t completely unsalvageable.

Stepping inside, he turned to close the door behind him. Meanwhile, down at the apartment entrance, Ah Fu—as if receiving some signal—flipped open the safety button cover, glanced in the direction Ye Feng had gone, and sighed deeply.

"Tsk... Ye Feng, you’d better be careful."

With the press of the button, a rolling shutter door slowly descended, sealing off the apartment from the outside world. Ah Fu shook his head regretfully and walked away without looking back.

Inside, oblivious to what had just happened, Ye Feng trudged over to where Li Mucheng was dropping sugar cubes into the coffee machine.

"Uh..."

"Coffee or juice?"

"M... Me?"

"......"

Li Mucheng shot him a glare over her coffee cup before ignoring him entirely and walking to the living room sofa.

Oh no. She’s really mad.

Knowing he was at fault, Ye Feng awkwardly took a seat across from her. To break the tension, he tried starting a conversation.

"About what happened..."

"Did you have fun?"

"Huh? Wh... what?"

"Was it amusing to mess with me?"

Li Mucheng hadn’t once looked at him, instead swirling her coffee cup with downcast eyes, radiating disappointment.

"No! Absolutely not! I’d never even think that!"

Desperate to clear the misunderstanding, Ye Feng spoke firmly.

"Ha. You really think I’d believe you now? My trust must seem like worthless scrap paper to you."

"That’s not true! Mucheng, don’t think like that..."

"How was being someone else’s teacher? Did you enjoy it? Did the desserts suit your taste?"

Bombarded by her sharp words, Ye Feng felt suffocated. She hadn’t even given him a chance to explain—was he just here to be scolded?

"Must’ve been delicious, huh? Your mouth’s so glued shut you can’t even speak. Need me to pry it open with pliers?"

Her piercing gaze locked onto him—but just then, Ye Feng cut in.

"Mucheng, can you just listen to my explanation?"

"Explanation? At this point, do you really think your flimsy excuses mean anything?"

"......"

Even the meekest person had their limits. Ye Feng could feel his temper rising. But he knew anger wouldn’t solve anything. Just as he was at a loss, he noticed something—Li Mucheng, staring at her coffee, was actually watching him from the corner of her eye. And her fingers, pale from tension, betrayed her nerves. Which meant...

"I get it. Miss Li doesn’t want me around anymore, does she?"

"Huh? What kind of nonsense is that! If anything, I should be the one saying—"

"In that case, Miss Li should just cancel the contract."

"Wh... what?! Cancel the contract?!"

Li Mucheng’s trembling hands spilled a few drops of coffee onto the carpet beneath the table. The faint light in her eyes dimmed instantly, replaced by a hollow, unsettling stare.

"You... what did you say?"

"I said—"

Seeing her eerie transformation, Ye Feng quickly reconsidered pushing further and backtracked.

"I said, as your teacher, even if you hate me, I won’t break the contract!"

His tone shifted to firm conviction, as if she were the one violating their agreement.

"Eh?"

Li Mucheng, halfway out of her seat, froze. After a moment of processing, her expression cleared slightly.

"Mucheng, don’t you remember? The contract I signed clearly states that unless you terminate it, I remain your teacher."

Ye Feng pressed on, seizing the momentum.

"So, even if you despise me, I’ll stay by your side until the day the contract ends."