The Reason for the Dispute Between Two People

"Mm..."

Li Mucheng gradually woke up in bed. The first thing she did upon opening her beautiful eyes was to search the room for Ye Feng's figure. Sure enough, she found him sitting worriedly on a chair by the bedside.

"Mu Cheng, you're awake."

"Teacher..."

Li Mucheng propped herself up slowly, one hand pressing against her forehead as she swayed slightly from dizziness.

"Mu Cheng, lie back down!"

Seeing her like this, Ye Feng couldn't let her get up. He reached out, pressing both hands on her shoulders to guide her back onto the bed.

"Your physical condition isn't stable yet. Getting up so suddenly could be dangerous."

"Teacher..."

Li Mucheng lay on the bed, her expression complicated as she looked at Ye Feng. Taking a deep breath as if steeling herself, she asked,

"What did the doctors say? Do I have a serious illness?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Your health is perfectly fine. You just fainted from exhaustion. Speaking of which, how did you overexert yourself? Have you been thinking about something lately?"

"Yes... Every night, I can't sleep. Being alone in this empty place makes me feel uneasy."

"That makes sense. Even though this is a high-end apartment, it's still a far cry from the estate."

Ye Feng nodded in agreement, finding her reasoning sound. Though if it were him, he'd probably adore this place—he loved quiet, undisturbed environments.

"Maybe that's why... I'm sorry, Teacher... It seems today's lesson will have to be canceled again."

"It's fine. Your health comes first. If you feel unsettled in this apartment, why not invite your friends over occasionally?"

Ye Feng suddenly steered the conversation toward friends. On one hand, he wanted to understand why the relationship between Li Mucheng and Su Yuxin had deteriorated so much. On the other, he thought that if he could help mend their friendship, it might be a way to make it up to Li Mucheng.

A close friend was a meaningful part of life, just like how he and Shen Mengli were confidants.

If it were Mengli, she'd probably think the same way.

......

"Xiao Feng... When can I drop the label of 'friend'? I don’t want to keep being called just a friend forever. If this goes on too long, I might even get used to it."

Shen Mengli lowered her gaze to the stuffed bear in her arms, her emotions in turmoil. Every time Ye Feng left her side, it meant his feelings for those outsiders grew a little stronger. If this continued, one day something irreversible might happen, and she wouldn’t even have a place to cry.

The thought of an unknown woman wrapping her arm around Ye Feng’s, smirking at her mockingly, made Shen Mengli clench her fists tighter.

"No! I have to find a way to deepen our bond quickly."

Her finger hovered over the "Favorites" tab on Ye Feng’s phone, then tapped decisively.

"Huh... What’s this...?"

Staring at the browser filled with bookmarked novels, Shen Mengli froze mid-air.

"Wha—what?! Are novels really Xiao Feng’s only favorite thing? H-he’s so boring!"

Pouting, she squeezed her fists in frustration, clearly having misunderstood something. She redirected her embarrassment into blaming Ye Feng.

Only after pummeling the poor stuffed bear until it toppled over did she finally stop her rapid-fire punches.

"Phew... Calm down, calm down. That blockhead Xiao Feng is like a dense log. If I don’t drill some sense into him, nothing will change."

Just as she was about to close the browser and search for other clues, she stumbled upon a photo uploaded to his personal space.

"Hmm? What’s this?"

Her eyes widened like she’d struck gold as she stared at the discovery.

The moment her slender finger tapped the album, the image inside left her stunned.

It was a photo of her—herself—taken in the pavilion of the orphanage, sulking because Ye Feng hadn’t visited.

"This... This is..."

"My photo!"

Shen Mengli blinked in disbelief, her heart suddenly ablaze with excitement.

"Mm... Mm..."

She hugged the bear tightly, too overwhelmed to speak. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and her legs trembled involuntarily.

"Is... is this real? Xiao Feng actually took a secret photo of me... This is... so embarrassing..."

Flustered, she fanned her burning face with one hand, trying to cool down.

But the thought of Ye Feng sneaking a picture of her made her pulse race, an inexplicable heat surging through her body.

"Mmm~ I want... I want to see Xiao Feng right now..."

......

"Teacher, are you talking about Su Yuxin?"

The faint smile on Li Mucheng’s face instantly stiffened, though she managed to maintain her composure in front of Ye Feng.

"Yes. Mu Cheng, I didn’t bring this up lightly. When I was tutoring Su Yuxin, she told me you were her best friend."

"Right. Her former best friend."

Li Mucheng let out a cold laugh, which Ye Feng didn’t miss.

"Mu Cheng, can you tell me what happened between you two?"

"Teacher, do you really not know, or are you pretending?"

Li Mucheng frowned, clearly reluctant to answer.

"Mu Cheng, I genuinely don’t know. By the time I started tutoring both of you, neither of you would mention the other. I’m asking because I want to help."

Ye Feng nodded firmly.

"Friends are incredibly important in life. You shouldn’t lose a close friend over some trivial dispute."

"Teacher..."

Hearing his words, Li Mucheng realized Ye Feng truly didn’t know the real reason for their fallout. It seemed Su Yuxin hadn’t told him either.

"Actually... The main reason Su Yuxin and I became like this is..."

She trailed off, her gaze lingering on Ye Feng.

"......"