"Drip, drip..."
As Ye Feng stepped out of the shower, he toweled off his damp hair and made his way toward the bedroom.
Now that Shen Mengli's health issues had been resolved, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Though the side effects of that pill remained unknown, for now, as long as nothing went wrong, it was a good sign.
"Hmm, life has been relatively peaceful lately. But for some reason, the progress bars in the catalog are all stuck at 99%. Is it like a game where certain conditions need to be unlocked first? The bars below are uneven—some high, some low. And what exactly is this 'exploration value'? After all this time, there's been no movement at all. It's like groping through the dark."
After pondering for a while, Ye Feng still couldn't find any clues. He glanced at the blanket-covered figure facing away from him and sighed in relief.
It seemed Mengli was already asleep. At least this time, he wouldn't have to deal with another awkward situation like last time.
The thought made Ye Feng feel drowsy. Tomorrow, he still had a full day of tutoring Li Mucheng—there was practically no time to rest.
He pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. Just as he was about to close his eyes, Shen Mengli's voice suddenly spoke up behind him.
"Xiao Feng..."
"Huh? Mengli, you're still awake? Did I disturb you?"
Ye Feng turned over and met a pair of crimson eyes staring back at him, realizing she had turned to face him.
"No, it's not that you disturbed me. I was waiting for you to come back."
In the darkness, neither could see the other's expression, leaving only tone to convey emotion.
"Mengli, I told you there's no need to wait for me. You should just sleep when it's time..."
"Xiao Feng."
Shen Mengli abruptly cut him off, then hesitated before continuing.
"I... I don't know why, but I still feel cold."
"What? Still cold? That shouldn't be..."
Ye Feng frowned and lifted the blanket, checking the room temperature before speaking again.
"Mengli, is it the side effects acting up again?"
"Mmm... probably..."
After answering, Shen Mengli's gaze drifted away briefly before snapping back.
"Xiao... Xiao Feng, can you help me?"
"How can I help? Do you want me to give you my blanket?"
"Huh?"
"Like this."
Without waiting for an explanation, Ye Feng quickly pulled his own blanket over and draped it over her, making sure no drafts could get in before nodding in satisfaction.
"Better? Warmer now?"
W-warmer? I'm practically sweating...
Of course, Shen Mengli couldn't say that out loud. Her real intention was simply to share the same blanket with him.
"But Xiao Feng, what about you? You'll catch a cold like this!"
Shen Mengli sounded genuinely worried.
"Maybe you should just..."
"It's fine, Mengli. I'm tough. Besides, I don't feel that cold. This is enough. More importantly, are you still cold? Do you need me to layer more clothes on you?"
"N-no, that's not necessary."
Shen Mengli fanned herself, her breath coming out in short, heated puffs as if she were about to suffocate.
"Alright then. Goodnight, Mengli. Call me if you need anything."
"Xiao Feng..."
"Yeah?"
"I... I'm still cold..."
Her voice was so weak it sounded like she was on the verge of collapse.
"What?! Still? Hang on, I'll grab some extra clothes..."
Just as Ye Feng moved to get up, a small hand tugged at his sleeve. Shen Mengli exhaled shakily and murmured,
"Xiao Feng... I think... what we did earlier would work better. Extra clothes won't help."
"Earlier?"
Ye Feng replayed the day's events in his mind before it finally clicked.
"You mean... hugging?"
"Mmm..."
Shen Mengli nodded, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"No! Absolutely not!"
Ye Feng rejected the idea outright.
"Normally, maybe, but Mengli, we're in bed! That’s just... too much. It wouldn’t be right."
"O-okay... I'm sorry, Xiao Feng. I shouldn’t have asked."
Her voice dropped, dejected, before she turned away with visible effort, her body trembling violently as if freezing.
"Mengli..."
Ye Feng hesitated, watching her shiver uncontrollably. The side effects seemed to be worsening, and here he was, refusing to help when she needed him most—after promising to protect her.
But Mengli was still a girl. Wouldn’t this kind of contact be...
"Ugh..."
A soft whimper snapped him out of his thoughts. Shen Mengli sounded like she was truly suffering. Ye Feng could no longer hold back.
"Mengli, I thought about it. Maybe if we keep some distance, it’d be okay."
Silence lingered before she finally replied,
"But I’d just be causing trouble for you."
"It’s no trouble. I promised to take care of you. If I let you suffer like this, I’d be breaking that promise. As long as we’re careful, it should be fine."
"Then... alright."
By now, Shen Mengli felt like a roasted duck—her face burning, her skin steaming. If Ye Feng hadn’t relented, she might have passed out from the heat.
"Then... forgive my rudeness."
"Mmm..."
Ye Feng nervously lifted his blanket, pausing only when his hand brushed against hers.
This... This is the only way. For Mengli’s sake.
Steeling himself, he pulled the covers aside—just as Shen Mengli suddenly turned and faced him.
"Mengli? You’re turning—"
"Thud."
With a relieved sigh, she threw her arms around him, clinging tightly despite the sweat dampening her skin. She wouldn’t let go.
At least not until morning.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
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…
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
