"Xiao Feng..."
In the dead of night, Shen Mengli, who had been sound asleep, suddenly opened her eyes, clutching her pounding chest as she gasped for breath. She had slipped into another illusion—one eerily identical to yesterday's. Once again, Ye Feng collapsed before her...
Though a part of her subconscious recognized the familiarity of the scene, the illusion remained painfully vivid.
As Shen Mengli steadied her breathing, the unease in her heart gradually subsided. Slowly, she turned halfway and cast her gaze toward Ye Feng, who lay sleeping on the other bed. He was facing her, eyes closed in peaceful rest. Shen Mengli bit her lip, hesitating over something unspoken.
I... I just want to be by Xiao Feng's side...
I... I can't bear to be apart from him anymore...
If I sneak over quietly without waking him, wouldn’t that be fine? I’ll just slip back before morning, and no one will ever know!
With that thought, Shen Mengli immediately sprang into action. She could no longer endure the days of being unable to cling to Ye Feng.
Outside, the soft patter of rain seemed to conspire in her favor, providing the perfect cover. Seizing the opportunity, she threw off her blanket and quietly slid her legs out from the warmth of her bed.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Shen Mengli kept a vigilant watch on Ye Feng’s every movement. At the slightest stir from him, she would freeze instantly. Yet, despite her caution, her heart raced wildly. This was the first time she had ever dared to do something like this. Strangely, though, the thrill of acting without Ye Feng’s knowledge filled her with an inexplicable delight—one that only grew more addictive the longer she indulged in it.
Tap.
The moment her bare feet touched the icy floor, she shivered violently but quickly adjusted. Drawing on the strength she’d regained during her recovery, she gripped the edge of the bed, struggling to stand.
Hang in there! Even if I have to crawl inch by inch, it’ll be worth it as long as I reach Xiao Feng...
The chill from the exposed air and the damp weather outside had long since seeped into her bones, making her tremble uncontrollably. But the thought of nestling into Ye Feng’s embrace drowned out any discomfort.
If I just use the bedside table to pull myself up, it should be fine, right? Come on, Shen Mengli—you can do this!
Clenching her fists, she braced her hands against the nightstand and pushed herself up. But her legs, unaccustomed to bearing such weight, wobbled violently. Just as she lost her grip and began toppling toward the floor—
Thud.
A strong hand suddenly seized her arm.
"Mm...!"
Shen Mengli had already resigned herself to crashing onto the floor and waking Ye Feng, squeezing her eyes shut in defeat.
I... I really can’t do anything right, can I...?
"Are you okay?"
A familiar voice murmured beside her ear. Her eyes flew open in shock, locking onto Ye Feng, who had sat up in bed and was now staring at her with a mix of concern and exasperation.
"X-Xiao Feng? You... you...?"
She hadn’t expected him to catch her—let alone wake up at all. Stunned, she stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"Mengli, you..."
Ye Feng sighed, swinging his legs off the bed and scooping her up into his arms. The moment he felt the chill radiating from her body, he realized she must have been sitting by the edge for a long time.
"Xiao Feng..."
Shen Mengli clutched the front of his shirt, her face flushing scarlet. In a voice barely above a whisper, she asked,
"Did... did you know all along?"
"Of course I did."
Ye Feng shot her an unimpressed look as he carried her to his bed, tucking her under the covers with practiced ease.
"I saw you the second you got up. Honestly, what am I going to do with you?"
"I’m sorry... I caused you trouble again..."
Shen Mengli pulled the blanket up to her nose, peering at him with only her eyes visible.
"Then, care to explain why you did this? If I hadn’t woken up in time, what if you’d fallen? You need to take better care of yourself."
"Sorry... Don’t be mad, Xiao Feng."
Her pitiful tone softened Ye Feng’s resolve, and his voice gentled.
"Fine. But at least tell me why you came over so suddenly."
"Because I had another nightmare."
"A nightmare?"
Ye Feng turned to glance at the rain outside, then nodded slowly.
"I see. But next time, talk to me first, okay?"
"Okay. Then... can I ask for one more tiny indulgence?"
Shen Mengli batted her lashes, deploying the full force of her pleading gaze. Ye Feng inhaled deeply before finally relenting.
"Fine. But we’re keeping the blanket between us—just like we did back home."
"Mm... alright~"
A sly glint flickered in her eyes. She knew all she had to do was lure Ye Feng into bed. Once there, his gentle nature would ensure she’d get her way eventually.
Rustle. Rustle.
After Ye Feng climbed in with his own blanket, they exchanged quiet goodnights. But within moments, he felt a warm presence press against his back.
"Mengli. Breaking the rules already?"
"Sorry, Xiao Feng~ Next time, I promise~"
She wrapped her arms around his waist, molding herself against him as if trying to merge into his very being. A smug smile curled her lips as she nuzzled closer.
Ye Feng swallowed hard. The pressure of her clinging so tightly was impossible to ignore. Resigned, he rolled over to face her. Awkward as it was, it beat the alternative.
"Hehe~"
Shen Mengli giggled softly at the sight of Ye Feng squeezing his eyes shut, pretending to be asleep.
"Laugh all you want. Now go to sleep."
He cracked one eye open to mutter the command.
"Okay~"
With that, she leaned in, brushed a featherlight kiss against his cheek, then burrowed into his chest, finally still.
"......"
Ye Feng waited until he was certain she wouldn’t pull another stunt before relaxing. Breathing in the faint scent of her hair, he, too, drifted off.
Outside, the rain tapered off as they slept, and the shared warmth of the blankets gradually chased away the cold that had clung to Shen Mengli earlier. That night, for the first time in a long while, no illusions haunted her dreams...
ave】 Shen Qingling was a man with peerless looks, a cunning mind, and the ability to play both the aloof noble and the innocent sweetheart—a master of seduction who could outplay any player. But after an untimely death, he found himself bound to a system and transmigrated into the tragic "true young master" of a melodramatic novel. In the original story, his childhood sweetheart treated him as a backup plan, his fiancée swore to break off their engagement for the sake of the "fake young master," and his own sister saw him as the family's disgrace. He was nothing more than a rat everyone wanted to stomp on. System 077: "Your mission is to change the original fate and conquer the goddesses." Shen Qingling: "Thanks for the invite. If seduction had tiers, I’d be max level." His childhood sweetheart knelt, begging for forgiveness: "Qingling, I was wrong. Please give me another chance." His ex-fiancée refused to marry anyone else: "Shen Qingling, I was blind before. In this life, I’ll marry no one but you." A yandere CEO went mad for love: "Shen Qingling, you can only like me. I’ll stop at nothing to make you mine!" His green-tea sister clung to him daily: "Brother, look at me, won’t you? I’m more obedient than them—I love you the most~" At first, they scorned and trampled on him. Later, they burned themselves like moths to a flame, all for his sake. His looks were his weapon, his sweet words the bait—heroines obsessed over him, villains turned to madness for him. Shen Qingling became a true male siren, igniting battlefield after battlefield of women fighting for his affection. Years later, when System 077—now one of the elites—was asked how to become as outstanding as it, it lazily exhaled a smoke ring and replied: "Just know how to cheer ‘666’ at the right time."
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…
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
