Making Up for Mistakes

"Ye Feng."

Xie Yuyan pressed her hands against Ye Feng's shoulders, straightening her slender waist as she knelt on the mattress, gazing at him with deep affection. The atmosphere in the room grew subtly charged as the two remained in close proximity.

By now, Ye Feng was already entranced by Xie Yuyan's alluring aura, barely managing to steady himself by taking deep breaths of fresh air.

Seeing him in this state, Xie Yuyan felt a thrill of excitement. After all, in this moment, she could push things a little further without any resistance. But considering Ye Feng's injuries and the fact that this was a crucial time to nurture their bond, she knew she had to take things slow. Only by gradually easing him into it would he lower his guard—and perhaps one day, he might even confide in her the secrets he kept buried in his heart.

With that in mind, Xie Yuyan gently cradled Ye Feng's head and rested it on her lap, using her delicate fingers to wipe the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Xie Yuyan?"

Meanwhile, Ye Feng gradually regained his breath and consciousness. As his awareness returned, he looked up at Xie Yuyan with a questioning expression.

"Oh, Ye Feng, you're awake! Did you just faint? I called your name several times, but you didn’t respond."

Hearing this, Ye Feng couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration. Just moments ago, Xie Yuyan’s exaggerated expressions had nearly devoured him whole—yet now, she acted as if nothing had happened.

"It’s all because of you, Xie Yuyan..."

"Hmm? Because of me?"

Xie Yuyan blinked innocently, tilting her head with an expression of pure confusion.

"I’ve been diligently taking care of you while you were unconscious, you know. If you’re going to accuse me like this, I might just get upset!"

"Wait, now I’m the bad guy? You’re the one who—"

Ye Feng abruptly stopped mid-sentence. Upon reflection, he realized that this entire situation had spiraled out of control because of his own strange reaction.

"Oh?"

Noticing his hesitation, Xie Yuyan’s lips curled into a faint smile, as if she knew he had just recognized himself as the true culprit behind this little farce.

"What’s wrong, Ye Feng? Are you saying I’m the villain here? Or have you had a sudden epiphany?"

"No, no, that’s not what I meant."

Ye Feng quickly caught himself before falling into the trap Xie Yuyan had laid. From the moment he tried to defend himself, she had been skillfully guiding him toward this very conclusion. Fortunately, he saw through it just in time.

"Xie Yuyan, you did this on purpose, didn’t you?"

"Hehe, you’re as sharp as ever, Ye Feng. I was so close to succeeding."

"Alright, enough joking around."

With that, Ye Feng sat up from Xie Yuyan’s lap, though she immediately placed her hands on his back to support him, mindful of the injury on his abdomen.

"Ye Feng, it’s time to change your bandages. Let me do it for you."

"N-no need, Xie Yuyan. I’m perfectly capable of handling something this simple on my own."

"Absolutely not!"

Xie Yuyan instantly shut down his refusal. This was a rare opportunity she couldn’t afford to miss—no way was she letting it slip away.

"Xie Yuyan, this involves personal pri—"

Just as Ye Feng turned to leave, his face nearly collided with Xie Yuyan’s, who was now staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

The sudden intensity startled him. He knew exactly what that look meant—Xie Yuyan would stop at nothing to get her way, and right now, her goal was to tend to his wound.

"Ye Feng, don’t even think about refusing! Your injury happened because of me. If I can’t even make sure it heals properly, I’ll never forgive myself! So just... let me make it right."

"Something about this feels off..."

"Off? Nonsense! Just sit tight—I’ll be right back!"

Without giving him a chance to react, Xie Yuyan swiftly retrieved the first-aid kit, her movements as quick and precise as a trained assassin’s.

"Xie Yuyan, is this really necessary...?"

"Absolutely! Completely necessary!"

She slapped her hands on the kit with determination, as if this were a matter of life and death. Then, she pulled out the gauze and medical supplies, advancing toward Ye Feng step by step.

The mischievous glint in her eyes made Ye Feng’s instincts flare. This wasn’t about guilt at all—she was practically salivating at the chance to have her way with him!

Thinking fast, Ye Feng suddenly stood up from the bed. "Actually, Xie Yuyan, I need to use the bathroom first. We can do the bandages later, okay?"

"No need for that! This won’t take long at all. Just sit still—I’ll have you patched up in no time."

Xie Yuyan pushed him back down, then uncapped the medicine bottle, seizing the moment while Ye Feng was still formulating his next excuse.

"Xie Yuyan, you—"

Though he tried to resist, Ye Feng was a step too slow—partly because he didn’t want to aggravate his injury. In the end, he had no choice but to resign himself to her whims, like a lab rat under observation.

To his surprise, however, Xie Yuyan didn’t take advantage of the situation. Instead, she carefully removed the old bandages, inspected the wound for infection, and applied fresh gauze with meticulous attention.

Watching her, Ye Feng realized he had misjudged her intentions. A pang of guilt settled in his chest.

"Tsk—"

After snipping off the last strip of gauze, Xie Yuyan straightened up and noticed the conflicted look on Ye Feng’s face.

"What’s wrong, Ye Feng? Does the wound hurt? I made sure to handle it gently."

"N-no, it’s not about the bandages."

Ye Feng hesitated, then slowly pushed himself up, bracing his hands against the mattress.

"I just wanted to say... thank you, Xie Yuyan."

"Ye Feng, you’re such an idiot. Who thanks the person who hurt them?"

Her expression dimmed slightly as she spoke. After a long silence, she sat down beside him, staring at her hands as she murmured,

"I just... really wanted to make up for what I did to you."