You must be Shen Mengli, right

"All of this is for you, Ye Feng."

Xie Yuyan didn’t stop hugging Ye Feng just because he spoke. Instead, she gently rested her chin on his shoulder, her expression one of contentment as she said, "I’m just trying to lighten your burden. They say a loving hug can solve most problems, you know~"

"O-okay… I’m actually fine now."

Ye Feng’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he awkwardly pulled himself out of Xie Yuyan’s embrace.

"Thank you, Yuyan. If it weren’t for you… I might’ve already…"

"Ye Feng, don’t say things like that~"

Xie Yuyan cut him off without hesitation.

"If you hadn’t saved me back then, I would’ve disappeared from this world long ago. So it’s like fate brought us together, don’t you think?"

"Yeah…"

Hearing her words, Ye Feng recalled the moment he had saved Xie Yuyan, and his heart felt a little more at ease.

"By the way, Yuyan, how did you find my location?"

"Ah… about that…"

Xie Yuyan hesitated for a moment before explaining helplessly,

"It’s all thanks to our dear Yuxin."

"Yuxin? You mean Su Yuxin?"

"That’s right. It was because of Yuxin that I was able to locate you."

"But… how did you even meet Yuxin in the first place?"

Ye Feng felt completely lost, and looking back now, it all seemed surreal.

"If you want to hear the story, I’ll tell you—but it’s really rude to talk to me with your back turned like this! So…"

With that, Xie Yuyan gently placed her hands on Ye Feng’s temples and guided his head to rest on her lap.

"Xie Yuyan?"

"Shh~"

She pressed a finger lightly against his lips, her voice soft as she began massaging his temples.

"The reason I met Yuxin today is because she came looking for you."

"Looking for me?"

Ye Feng was initially flustered, but Xie Yuyan’s massage was so soothing that he quickly relaxed into it.

"Mm. At first, I thought it was you returning home. But when I opened the door, I saw a cute girl standing there—turns out it was your other student, Su Yuxin. I was confused at first—weren’t you supposed to be looking for her? So why was she at our doorstep? That’s when I realized something was wrong. After asking her, I found out Li Mucheng never even went to see her."

"Then…"

"Later, we were able to find your location because of Yuxin’s help. With her family’s resources, tracking down Li Mucheng’s whereabouts was easy. Plus, we had someone else assisting us."

"Someone else? Who?"

"Someone named Ah Fu… While we were preparing to leave, your phone on the living room cabinet received a message—it seemed like he secretly sent it to you. But you didn’t take that phone with you."

"Ah Fu… I never expected him to…"

Ye Feng nodded thoughtfully, finally understanding the full picture. A mix of emotions swirled in his chest—gratitude for surviving the ordeal, and relief.

"Alright, let’s stop talking about this~ Dwelling on unpleasant things isn’t good."

Though Xie Yuyan said that, the truth was she simply didn’t want to mention Su Yuxin anymore. From their conversation earlier, she could tell Yuxin was just as possessive as the others. Why did Ye Feng always attract people who wanted to claim him for themselves? It was frustrating. One was already enough.

"Fine. But what about Li Mucheng—"

"Ye~ Feng~!!"

Xie Yuyan clearly didn’t want to hear that name from him. She pinched his ear lightly, pouting.

"I don’t want to hear her name from your lips! What she did to you is unforgivable!"

"Alright… I won’t mention her then."

"And one more thing!"

Xie Yuyan decisively cut off any further discussion about Li Mucheng—partly because she couldn’t stand what Li Mucheng had done to Ye Feng. (Honestly, she hadn’t even gotten to do those things herself yet!)

On the other hand, as a rival, Li Mucheng’s mistake had created a huge rift between her and Ye Feng. But given Li Mucheng’s family’s influence, the best course of action was to make sure Ye Feng completely severed ties with her.

"Ye Feng, promise me you’ll tell me if you ever face something you can’t handle, okay? I don’t… I don’t want to lose you…"

"Yuyan."

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Ye Feng felt a warmth in his chest. He took her hand and held it tightly, smiling softly.

"I understand."

"Mm!"

Xie Yuyan smiled back, then whispered shyly in his ear,

"Sorry, Ye Feng… Am I being too controlling? You must think I’m such a nag, right?"

"Not at all. You’re always thinking of me—how could I ever dislike you? If anything, I should be thanking you."

"Hehe, you’re the best, Ye Feng~"

——

"Hee~"

Shen Mengli stretched her arms out, swaying slightly as she stood on her own for the first time without any support. Her focused gaze showed just how seriously she took this—if she succeeded, it meant she could do so much more.

After a few unsteady moments, she slowly lowered her arms and finally stood firmly on the ground.

"I… I did it!"

She let out a long breath, the weight in her heart finally lifting. All her efforts hadn’t been in vain. Secretly, she felt like she’d taken one step closer to Ye Feng.

Just then, she heard hurried footsteps in the hallway. At this time of day, all the children should be in class—there shouldn’t be anyone wandering around.

Thinking quickly, Shen Mengli grabbed her wheelchair and sat back down. Sure enough, a moment later, an unfamiliar figure approached. As the blurry silhouette drew closer, she finally got a clear look at the person.

"You’re Shen Mengli, right?"

"Yes. And you are?"

"Su Yuxin."