"Hey! Mengli, are you sure you're cold? Why does it feel like you're so warm you're sweating?"
The moment Shen Mengli hugged him, a wave of heat surged toward Ye Feng.
Shen Mengli's embrace paused briefly before she stammered, "N-no... I'm not warm at all..."
"But this sweat..."
"It's cold sweat!"
She cut Ye Feng off, then unceremoniously burrowed deeper into his arms.
"Now it's much cozier."
Though Shen Mengli was glistening with sweat, Ye Feng didn’t catch even a hint of unpleasant odor—instead, there was a faint, delicate fragrance.
Was this the special constitution of a beautiful girl? Or... was it because of that pill?
As Ye Feng pondered, Shen Mengli adjusted herself into a comfortable position and settled down.
"Xiao Feng... you wouldn’t dislike me if I smelled, would you?"
"Huh? Of course not! You smell... I mean, no, there’s no issue at all."
Ye Feng nearly blurted out that she smelled lovely but caught himself, realizing it might sound inappropriate. He quickly corrected his words.
"Mmm... as long as it’s fine."
Shen Mengli had clearly heard the word "lovely." Reassured that he didn’t mind, she shifted slightly against him.
"Alright, Mengli, if you keep this up, you’ll push me right off the bed..."
"Mmm... so warm..."
"......"
"Xiao Feng, what time will you be back tomorrow?"
Just as the atmosphere grew quiet, Shen Mengli abruptly changed the subject.
"Probably around the same time as today. Why, is something up?"
"Just... there’s a small favor I’d like to ask."
Her murmur brushed against Ye Feng’s ear, her warm breath tickling his neck—close enough to send a stiffening shiver down his spine.
"Sure, just tell me what you need."
"I... I want to be able to reach you when you’re not home. It’d make me feel better."
"I see..."
Ye Feng nodded. The memory of Shen Mengli’s fall earlier had shaken him badly. Maybe it was time to get her a phone so she could contact him.
Wait—speaking of phones... didn’t he have two? He could just give her one of them!
"Mengli, I’ve got an idea."
"Eh? That was fast!"
"Yeah."
He explained the situation.
"One of my students gave me a phone for tutoring sessions. I usually only carry it when I’m teaching, otherwise it just sits at home. You could use that one to call me."
"But what about your own phone?"
"Mine’s pretty old, and I’m used to it, so..."
"I want yours."
Shen Mengli’s sudden request caught him off guard. He’d assumed she’d prefer the newer one, but here she was insisting on his old device. Flustered, he tried to dissuade her.
"But mine might be inconvenient for you..."
"It’s fine."
She nuzzled against his chest, her voice soft.
"I just need it to contact you. That’s all."
"W-well... alright."
Seeing her determination, Ye Feng relented, gently patting her head.
"It’s getting late. Time to sleep."
"Mmm. Goodnight, Xiao Feng."
"Goodnight, Meng—"
Before he could finish, Shen Mengli suddenly leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before retreating again.
"Th-that’s a goodnight kiss. I read about it in a fairy tale when I was little."
"Y-you really don’t have to do that."
Ye Feng’s lips pressed into a thin line, equal parts flustered and bewildered. Lately, Shen Mengli had been getting... awfully close.
"Goodnight."
She neither agreed nor refused, simply uttering the word before falling silent—though her arms tightened around him.
"...Yeah."
After a long stretch of stillness, Ye Feng finally exhaled, staring at the ceiling. With her curled against him, his heart refused to calm, leaving him frozen in place as if spellbound.
Slowly, exhaustion pulled him under, and his arms unconsciously wrapped tighter around Shen Mengli.
Everything was peaceful... serene...
"Mmm..."
A sliver of sunlight slipped through the curtains, rousing Ye Feng. His eyelids fluttered open—only to meet Shen Mengli’s gaze, already awake and watching him. The sight jolted him fully alert.
"M-Mengli? You’re up too?"
"Mmm, just woke up. Guess we’re in sync, huh?"
She giggled behind her hand, though in truth, she’d been awake since before dawn, quietly admiring his sleeping face until now.
Xiao Feng... I’ll always be watching over you. Always...
"Haha, well... time for breakfast. Mind letting go?"
"Sure."
Obediently, Shen Mengli released him. She knew not to push her luck—too much mischief would only make him wary. A little compliance now would pave the way for deeper affection later.
"Good morning, Xiao Feng."
"Morning, Mengli."
Ye Feng slid out of bed, surprised by the pang of reluctance he felt when she released him so easily. The strange emotion only tangled his feelings further.
"Something wrong, Xiao Feng?"
Her concerned voice snapped him out of his daze. He stood abruptly.
"Nothing! Just... wanted to check if you’re still feeling any side effects. Any discomfort left?"
"Oh, that..."
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. Clearly, she planned to milk this "side effect" for all it was worth.
"Not at the moment~"
iving with nine beautiful women. [Ding! Welcome back to the Joyous Sect, Host…] Lin Yu: ??? I’m clearly in a shared rental, but you’re saying I’m in the Joyous Sect? Watering plants is now [Tending to Spiritual Flora]? Cooking becomes [Researching Elixirs]? Making the bed turns into [Setting Up Formations]? A gentle and innocent auntie, twin classmates, a mysterious hacker girl on leave, a severely socially anxious artist, an elementary school Chinese teacher, a community hospital nurse, a pet shop owner, an antique clock restorer… This system… is kinda interesting.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
wed him to see the innate talent, destiny, and future of those he invested in. The greater the destiny of his target, the richer the rewards he would reap. Then he discovered that the aloof girl next door, his childhood sweetheart, possessed the highest-grade crimson destiny—a future destined to reign supreme as the Empress of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Lately, she seemed troubled, pondering how to unlock her sealed meridians and unleash her talents ahead of time... — — — My name is Ying Bing, one of the Nine Heavenly Sovereigns, titled the Phoenix Empress, reigning invincibly over the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. I have been reborn and bound to a Peerless Genius System, where ranking first among my peers grants me rewards. [Would you like to activate the Punishment Mechanism?] [Upon activation, rewards will increase, but after the rankings are announced, you must carry out the "Punishment of the Defeated" on the top-ranked individual.] Ying Bing: "I can’t very well punish myself, can I?" — — — Years later. Ying Bing: "Can’t you let me win just once?" Li Mo: "First, call me 'husband' properly—I didn’t hear it clearly last time."
