Shen Mengli's Concerns

"Me... Mengli?! Am I seeing things? Is this real?"

The director trembled as she reached out and clasped Shen Mengli's small hands tightly in her own. Years of exhausting work for the children's sake had left the director's hands wrinkled and calloused, yet Shen Mengli could still feel their warmth. It nearly brought her to tears, but with Ye Feng standing beside her, she didn’t want him to see her blushing like this.

"Yes, Mother Director."

The shadows in Shen Mengli’s heart had long since dissipated under Ye Feng’s care and support. Now, she faced her life with the perspective of someone whole again.

Holding the director’s aged hands, Shen Mengli’s eyes seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words, but in the end, she only said one thing: "I’ll hold onto everything I have this time. I won’t let it slip away again."

The director knew exactly what Shen Mengli meant. Once, she had a happy life and family—until that tragedy struck...

"Yes, I believe in you, child."

The director smiled faintly, her heart swelling with pride for Shen Mengli.

"Oh, Mr. Ye Feng, please allow me to thank you properly. No matter what, you must accept this gesture."

Before Ye Feng could refuse, the elderly director bowed deeply to him. Ye Feng quickly stepped forward to help her up, saying, "Director, you’re embarrassing me! How could I possibly deserve such a bow? Please, stand up."

But before he could fully lift the director, Shen Mengli followed suit and bowed to him as well.

"Mengli, you too? Get up!"

"Xiao Feng, just accept this from me and Mother Director. This is my gratitude—for the orphanage and for myself."

"You two... Alright, alright, I can feel your sincerity now. Please, stand up. Any more of this and I’ll lose years off my life!"

After finally helping the director up, the group made their way into the orphanage. The children were overjoyed to see Shen Mengli, especially Wenwen, who excitedly dragged her off to the garden.

Before they left, Ye Feng reminded Shen Mengli to be careful and not overexert herself if there wasn’t something sturdy to hold onto.

Meanwhile, the director led Ye Feng to her office.

"Mr. Ye Feng, the reason I brought you here is to return this card to you."

The director pulled a card tucked between the pages of a book from her drawer and handed it to him.

"I know this comes from your kindness, but I can’t accept such a large sum. You and Mengli have your own lives to build, and your previous donations haven’t even run out yet."

"Director, you’re mistaken."

Ye Feng crossed his arms, clearly unwilling to take the card back. His expression turned serious as he spoke.

"It’s precisely because of outstanding teachers like you that children like Mengli—and all the others here—were given a helping hand when they were most vulnerable. You’ve taught them to see the world with kindness. So I don’t want these children, or you, to ever worry about survival. Surely you don’t want them to wonder where their next meal is coming from?"

"......"

Ye Feng’s words struck a chord, and the director could no longer argue. She simply nodded in agreement.

Seizing the moment, Ye Feng pressed on. "So, Director, there’s no need to hesitate. I’ll take care of Mengli’s needs. Right now, the children need this support more. Please, keep the card."

"If you insist, Mr. Ye Feng, then I won’t refuse any longer."

The director’s eyes filled with resolve, as if she’d made up her mind.

"Thank you, Mr. Ye Feng."

......

"Big Sis, do you like Big Brother?"

Wenwen’s sudden question while they were admiring the garden startled Shen Mengli, who had been glancing toward the hallway. Flustered, she stammered, "Wenwen! What—what are you saying? You’re too young to be talking about 'liking' anyone! Be careful, or I’ll scold you!"

"Big Sis is lying!"

Wenwen stepped in front of Shen Mengli, her big, innocent eyes staring up at her.

"You’ve been distracted this whole time! You’ve looked at the hallway at least ten times! You definitely like Ye Feng!"

"Shh! Wenwen, keep your voice down! I’ll really get mad if you keep this up!"

Shen Mengli hadn’t expected a child to make her blush so hard. She glared at Wenwen in embarrassment.

"Hehe, Big Sis, your face is red."

"It’s just hot out!"

"Pfft..."

Watching Wenwen’s smug expression, Shen Mengli clenched her fists, barely holding back her frustration. Finally, she pulled Wenwen close and whispered, "Fine! I admit it—I really like Xiao Feng, okay?"

"Hehe."

Wenwen’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she grinned at Shen Mengli and winked.

"Big Brother, did you hear that? Big Sis said she really likes you!"

"B-Big Brother?!"

Shen Mengli froze, her entire body stiffening. Slowly, like a rusted machine, she turned her head to look behind her.

But there was no one there. Her face burned even hotter as she realized Wenwen had tricked her.

Turning back to Wenwen’s cheeky grin, Shen Mengli pinched her chubby little cheeks in mock anger.

"You little troublemaker! How dare you trick me? I’ll teach you a lesson!"

"Giggle… Sorry, Big Sis, I was wrong… Hehe…"

......

"What? Mengli, you’re not coming back today?"

After finishing his conversation with the director, Ye Feng had gone to the garden to take Shen Mengli home—only to hear she wasn’t leaving.

"That’s right."

Shen Mengli nodded slightly, her voice quiet.

"It’s… because I want to spend the day with Wenwen. It’s been so long, and she has so much to tell me. But don’t worry, Xiao Feng—you can come pick me up anytime you’re free."

"I see… Well, if that’s what you want, I’ll come get you tomorrow."

"Okay…"

Shen Mengli lowered her eyes, unable to meet Ye Feng’s gaze. The real reason she stayed was to confirm whether the visions in her hallucinations were real. And given Ye Feng’s skills, she knew she’d only be a burden if she went with him. Worse, she was certain that to that shadowy figure, she was the spark that would ignite everything. The safest choice was to wait here, quietly, while also working to regain her strength—to truly stand on her own.

Recommend Series

Poor Talent? I Bought a Year of Cultivation for One Dollar!

Poor Talent? I Bought a Year of Cultivation for One Dollar!

ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!

My Daily Cultivation Life with a Clumsy Female Disciple

My Daily Cultivation Life with a Clumsy Female Disciple

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...

Vanished for a Millennium, How Did My Dilapidated Sect Become a Sacred Site?

Vanished for a Millennium, How Did My Dilapidated Sect Become a Sacred Site?

ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!

Regretting After Being Forced into Marriage by a Yandere Tycoon

Regretting After Being Forced into Marriage by a Yandere Tycoon

ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】