The Fainted Shen Mengli

Ye Feng clearly hadn't noticed anything unusual about Li Mucheng's physical condition. He walked over and sat down on the edge of her bed, only for Li Mucheng to shudder as if startled by his proximity, her gaze toward him tinged with fear.

"T-teacher... if there's nothing else, you should leave now! I... I've already forgiven you today. Can we talk tomorrow instead?"

"Mucheng, are you sure you're okay? You seem off to me."

"I-I'm fine! Teacher, please go. I just want to get some rest."

There was an urgency in Li Mucheng's tone. Seeing that she was practically kicking him out, Ye Feng shrugged helplessly and stood up from the bed. All in all, despite the unexpected events of the day, things had been resolved peacefully, and Li Mucheng's attitude had softened considerably—though her behavior was admittedly a little strange.

"Alright then... Take care of yourself, Mucheng."

Ye Feng took a deep breath and bid her farewell before turning to leave the guest room.

"Mhm, goodbye, teacher."

Li Mucheng pulled the covers up, leaving only her eyes exposed. Only after Ye Feng's figure disappeared from sight did she collapse weakly onto the bed. Then, she took out her phone, pressed a button, lifted her pillow, and held up a torn piece of fabric, a satisfied smile curling at her lips.

"Su Yuxin... How can you possibly compete with me? I've already tasted teacher's essence—it was delicious. Someone two-faced like you is destined to lose. Should I even tell you what happened today~?"

Clearly, Li Mucheng was in high spirits. The anger she had bottled up had completely dissipated over the course of the day spent with Ye Feng. In a way, Ye Feng was a unique remedy for her...

"Ah! This symbolic fabric needs to be preserved immediately! That way, I can relive today's wonderful memories anytime I want."

With renewed energy, Li Mucheng pushed herself up despite her frail appearance. Though unsteady, she managed to get out of bed and, leaning against the wall, limped out of the living room...

Beep beep beep

Meanwhile, the automatic gate at the back of the apartment building slid open in response to a sensor. Ah Fu, who had been standing outside the building worrying about Ye Feng, finally let out a sigh of relief.

Looks like the young mistress has calmed down. I wonder how Ye Feng managed to placate her. Then again, he’s probably the only one who can make her listen.

Just then, Ye Feng emerged. For some reason, as he had approached the door earlier, he thought he’d heard a strange noise. But seeing Ah Fu distracted him from dwelling on it.

"Ah Fu."

"Ye Feng, you’re out. Congratulations."

"Why does it sound like you expected me to be in trouble? Can’t you wish me well for once?"

Ye Feng shot Ah Fu an annoyed glare before continuing forward.

"So, the young mistress isn’t angry anymore?"

"Shouldn’t be. Mucheng found out about the Su family’s young mistress. I had no choice but to explain."

Ye Feng let out a heavy sigh.

"Don’t even mention it. You should’ve seen her expression yesterday—it was terrifying. I was afraid your blood would end up splattered on me."

"Cut it out. Anyway, I’ll head off now. For some reason, my whole body feels sore."

"Alright, take care on your way back."

As Ye Feng disappeared from view, Ah Fu couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.

"Strange... Ye Feng looks even paler than he did this morning, though his spirits seem better."

"Probably got scared by the young mistress too."

......

Click clack

The moment Ye Feng opened the door and stepped into the living room, he frowned at the pitch-black interior.

It wasn’t the first time Shen Mengli had been home alone, but she hadn’t even turned on the lights. Even if she’d been asleep, she shouldn’t have slept this long.

A sense of unease crept over him as he walked further inside. As soon as he reached the living room, he saw Shen Mengli collapsed on the floor, unconscious, her wheelchair overturned nearby.

"Mengli!"

Ye Feng’s heart lurched as he shouted her name. He quickly crouched down, scooped her up, and carried her toward the bedroom.

......

"Mmm..."

As dusk settled, Shen Mengli, who had been unconscious for a long time, gradually stirred awake. Her crimson eyes blinked blearily as she took in her surroundings, momentarily disoriented.

"What... happened?"

Still groggy, she propped herself up on the mattress. Aside from a dull headache, her chest felt strangely heavy, as if something were pressing down on it.

"I remember suddenly passing out... but why am I in bed?"

Just as she murmured to herself, footsteps echoed from the living room. Puzzled, she turned her gaze toward the doorway.

Ye Feng’s figure appeared before her. Seeing the worry etched on his face, Shen Mengli blinked at him in confusion.

"Xiao Feng? When did you get back?"

"Mengli, you’re awake."

Relieved to see her conscious and seemingly fine, Ye Feng let out a quiet sigh. He walked over and sat beside her, then reached out to brush her bangs aside and press the back of his hand against her forehead.

The warmth of his touch made Shen Mengli’s cheeks flush slightly.

"No sign of a fever."

Assured that she hadn’t fainted due to illness, Ye Feng lowered his hand and looked at her gently. "Mengli, do you feel any discomfort anywhere else?"

"No."

Shen Mengli shook her head. His attentiveness warmed her heart, and she couldn’t help but feel that Ye Feng was growing more concerned for her by the day. She looked up at him and asked,

"Xiao Feng, did I faint?"

"Yes. When I came home, I found you on the floor. Can you tell me what happened? How did you end up like this?"

"Well... I’m not entirely sure."

Shen Mengli tilted her head slightly, trying to recall the events of the afternoon.

"I remember using a fruit knife to cut some bread, but then I spaced out and accidentally cut my finger. When I saw the blood, I tried to grab a tissue, but suddenly... it felt like something important had been ripped away from me. The pain was unbearable, and then... I blacked out."

"Bleeding... fainting..."

Ye Feng pondered her explanation for a moment.

"Mengli, could it be... you have a fear of blood?"