Ye Feng, You Are Mine

"Is this... for me?"

Xie Yuyan stared at the neatly arranged items in the cabinet, not a speck of dust in sight. Her delicate hand flew to her lips in shock as a wave of regret slowly filled her heart.

"Of course. These are all gifts left for you, and... well, they’re also my promises to you."

Ye Feng pursed his lips, carefully observing Xie Yuyan’s expression. He wasn’t sure if she’d like the pendant he’d bought for her, and a hint of worry crept in. Her icy demeanor made him think the gift might not be to her taste. But since he’d already bought it, he had no choice but to press on.

"Xie Yuyan, why don’t you open it and see? It might not be perfect, but I didn’t know what you’d like... so I just went with my gut."

Xie Yuyan ignored his words, instead cradling the exquisite gift box in her hands. She admired it for a moment, wiped her palms on her clothes, and then finally opened it.

Inside lay a pendant adorned with a pale blue gemstone. The flawless jewel sparkled like Xie Yuyan’s mesmerizing eyes. Even in the dim light of the room, the gem emitted a soft glow, like the only ray of hope in the darkness.

Ye Feng watched as Xie Yuyan seemed to freeze, his last shred of hope crumbling. Clearly, she wasn’t just unimpressed—she was stunned. In her eyes, this gift must have felt like an insult.

"I-I’m sorry, Xie Yuyan. I should’ve discussed it with you first. If you don’t like it—"

"I love it."

"Huh?"

Ye Feng’s words caught in his throat as Xie Yuyan finally spoke.

"I said... I love this gift."

She reached into the box, lifting the pendant and clutching it tightly in her palm before turning to face Ye Feng with a radiant smile.

"Thank you, Ye Feng. I... I really, really love it."

Lying on the bed, Ye Feng was momentarily dazed by her sudden, dazzling smile. Her delicate features and the curve of her lips left him speechless. After a pause, he stammered, "R-Really? I’m glad... I’m so glad you like it."

"I’ll treasure it forever. I won’t let anything happen to it."

"It’s not that serious! Xie Yuyan, try it on—I bet it’ll look amazing on you."

"If you say so, then I will."

Xie Yuyan nodded gently, carefully placing the gift box back in the cabinet before unfastening the chain of the pendant. She swept her hair aside and fastened the necklace around her neck.

The pendant suited her perfectly. The moment she put it on, her entire aura became even more enchanting, like a rare and exquisite rose exuding an intoxicating fragrance—a visual feast for Ye Feng.

"H-How do I look?"

Under Ye Feng’s unwavering gaze, Xie Yuyan grew shy, lowering her head slightly and biting her lip as she asked.

"Ah! Beautiful! Of course you look beautiful!"

Realizing he’d been staring, Ye Feng scratched his head awkwardly. It wasn’t proper to gawk at her like that—what if she thought he was a creep?

"Mmm... As long as you like it, Ye Feng."

His praise sent a wave of sweetness through her heart, like honey melting on her tongue. She lifted a hand to gently touch the pendant at her neck, her smile widening.

The atmosphere grew subtly tense, and silence lingered between them. Finally, Xie Yuyan broke it.

"Ye Feng... Besides the phone you bought me, I also saw a set of keys in the cabinet. What do they open?"

"Oh, those keys!"

Ye Feng perked up at the question.

"Remember how I promised you a safe place to stay?"

"This place is already safe enough..."

Xie Yuyan muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing! Go on, Ye Feng."

"Right. My original plan was to buy you a place of your own—somewhere you could call home and hide from your organization’s pursuit. After I got the bonus from Li Corporation, I bought an apartment for you. But since you weren’t around, the property was registered under my name. Now that you’re back, I can transfer it to you."

"An apartment? You mean... you bought me a home?"

"Yeah. After all, it was our promise."

"......"

Xie Yuyan’s heart swelled with happiness at first—Ye Feng had gone to such lengths for her. But then a thought struck her: Why was he transferring the ownership to her? To her, home wasn’t a place—it was wherever Ye Feng was.

"Then... what about you?"

She zeroed in on the key question.

"Me? I’ll stay here, of course. That place is for you, so—"

"No!"

Before he could finish, Xie Yuyan cut him off sharply, her usual softness replaced by urgency.

"I don’t want to be apart from you!"

"Xie Yuyan..."

"I don’t want an empty house! Or just a safe place to stay! What I want is a life—a life with you, Ye Feng. That’s the home I want..."

"......"

She laid her heart bare, locking eyes with him with unwavering resolve. No matter what, she wouldn’t back down.

"What’s so great about me?"

Ye Feng chuckled self-deprecatingly, caught off guard by her sudden outburst. He averted his gaze, eventually closing his eyes altogether.

"Someone like me... isn’t worth sticking around for."

"Don’t... don’t push me away! Ye Feng, you’re mine!"

His words sent a sharp pang through her chest, as if an unseen force took over her body. Before she knew it, she had rushed to his side.

Feeling her approach, Ye Feng’s eyes flew open—but before he could ask what she was doing, a delicate figure collapsed into his arms, and a pair of lips, tinged with the metallic tang of blood, pressed against his...