"Is that so? That's just... wonderful!"
Hearing Ye Feng's words, Xie Yuyan didn't feel fear—instead, her voice grew even more excited. Toying with the dagger in her hand, she eagerly continued,
"Then let's... begin, shall we? My dear... Ye Feng~"
Before her words fully faded, Xie Yuyan's gaze sharpened in an instant. Her movements were swift and agile, closing the distance between them almost immediately.
So fast!
Fortunately, Ye Feng's reflexes were sharp. The moment Xie Yuyan moved, he lowered his center of gravity, bracing himself for her attack. He knew Xie Yuyan's strikes disregarded defense entirely. To exploit her openings, he’d have to abandon defense as well. It would come down to who collapsed first in this brutal clash.
Xie Yuyan’s relentless assault came at him without pause, but this time, Ye Feng didn’t retreat. If she refused to talk, force was his only option.
In one exchange, the tip of Xie Yuyan’s blade grazed Ye Feng’s abdomen. Gritting through the pain, he seized the dagger, his palm sliced open but refusing to let go.
With sheer strength, Ye Feng finally wrested the weapon from her grip. Just as he thought it was over, Xie Yuyan’s free hand darted to her waist—she’d come prepared.
Ye Feng couldn’t let her draw another blade. Pinning her wrist, he slammed her against the wall, pressing the stolen knife to her throat.
"Don’t move! You’ve lost! Xie Yuyan, can you calm down now?"
"Hehe~"
Xie Yuyan didn’t resent her defeat. Instead, she giggled, her gaze drifting to Ye Feng’s bleeding hand. Ignoring the blade at her neck, she licked the blood from her lips, savoring it under his stunned glare.
"Xie Yuyan, you’re insane!"
Ye Feng recoiled, horrified by her ecstatic expression. He’d never imagined this monstrous side of her.
After relishing his blood, her murky eyes gleamed as she purred, "What a shame... such delicious nourishment wasted~"
"Congrats on winning, Ye Feng. Will you kill me now? Then you can frolic with your little sweetheart all night~"
"Xie Yuyan, what nonsense are you spouting? Let me finish!"
"Finish? Did you wait for me? You broke our promise! Only I... only I kept waiting..."
"I was just keeping my vow. I told you... if Ye Feng betrayed our pact... I’d kill you myself! Hehehe~"
Her chilling laughter held no remorse—no desire to reason. Ye Feng was at a loss.
"Kill me, Ye Feng~ If you don’t, I’ll kill you~ Want to be with that thieving fox? Then you have to kill me~"
"Xie Yuyan, you—"
His distraction was her opening. She seized his arm, guiding the blade toward her own heart.
"Kill me! Do it!"
Her dark eyes flashed, her tone no longer furious but pleading, desperate for release. As the dagger neared her chest, Ye Feng twisted free, redirecting it—only for the blade to plunge into his own.
Thud.
[Ding. Host in critical condition. Auto-use of substitute puppet activated to negate fatal damage.]
The system’s voice barely registered as his vision blurred.
......
As consciousness faded, the system chimed again—unheard this time.
[Unlocked Exploration Character: Crimson Rose]
[Exploration Progress: 10%]
[Congratulations on evading a story mission. Rewards sent to task log.]
......
"Wh...what? Why?"
Xie Yuyan’s haze shattered. Seeing Ye Feng’s bloodied chest, her mind reeled as if struck.
"Xie Yuyan... next time... don’t do this..."
Ye Feng’s weak voice snapped her back.
"Didn’t I promise? I’d stay with you. I didn’t forget... We still have cake to eat..."
His strength failed, and he collapsed into her arms. At his final words, Xie Yuyan froze, thunderstruck.
"Cake...? You... remembered?"
"NO!!!!"
......
"Xiao Feng..."
At the orphanage, Shen Mengli leaned against a pavilion pillar, rehabilitating her legs. Yet her mind wandered to Ye Feng, her gaze drifting homeward.
"Why... why does my heart ache so much...?"
......
"Ugh..."
Time blurred before Ye Feng’s eyes fluttered open. His body felt shattered, immobile. Bandages wrapped his chest—he was in his own bed.
"What happened...?"
Memories flooded back. He’d passed out in Xie Yuyan’s arms. Yet he’d survived?
As he pieced it together, a rustling sound came from the corner. Turning, he spotted Xie Yuyan curled against the wall, only her guilty eyes visible, locked onto him.
"Xie Yuyan?"
"......"
At his call, she trembled, burying her face in her knees.
"Xie Yu—"
"Don’t... don’t say my name... I don’t deserve it..."
Ye Feng was baffled. Was this the same terrifying Xie Yuyan from before?
le for a sister-in-law. But Xu Mu couldn’t bring himself to rejoice. The reason? He had transmigrated into the brainless villain of a novel—one who abused his wife, forced the Dragon King’s sister to live in a doghouse, and ended up having his ashes scattered upon the Dragon King’s return. Fortunately, Xu Mu awakened the "Justice System," and he was determined to rewrite his doomed fate. A wife should be cherished, and of course, his sister-in-law deserved to sleep in the villa’s cozy bed. When the Dragon King finally returned, he was greeted by a loving and harmonious family. Xu Mu soon realized that aside from the Dragon King, countless other protagonists began emerging—all targeting him—forcing him to fight back. You have a few breathtakingly beautiful senior sisters? Sorry, but they’re my senior sisters now. You’re a retired soldier king searching for your first love? Too bad—your "white moonlight" already sees me as hers. …
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...
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!
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…