Li Mucheng's Scheme

"Tch..."

Xie Yuyan let out a cold snort as she flicked a pebble from her hand, striking Li Mucheng’s knee with pinpoint accuracy. Li Mucheng gasped in pain, dropping to one knee.

"I’d advise you to drop this foolish idea. I don’t want to hurt you. Ye Feng was never yours to begin with. Wouldn’t it be better to just live peacefully?"

"Give... give it back! Return what belongs to Teacher... to me!"

"Ugh..."

Seeing Li Mucheng’s stubborn refusal to back down, Xie Yuyan’s frustration deepened. She had come today with two goals: to avenge Ye Feng—no one who dared lay a hand on her man would go unpunished—and to test whether she could convince Li Mucheng to give up. But now, it seemed her plan had failed.

Time was running short. Ye Feng would probably wake soon.

With that thought, Xie Yuyan shot Li Mucheng a disdainful glare, her voice dripping with pity. "Not that it matters anymore. Ye Feng has already lost all trust in you. Just stay here and play the pampered young miss."

With that, she leaped out the window, vanishing into the inky darkness beyond.

"Xie... Yu... yan!"

Li Mucheng clenched her teeth as she watched Xie Yuyan disappear, her hatred for the woman now at its peak.

She knew exactly what Xie Yuyan was trying to do—intimidate her, provoke her into making a mistake. Fortunately, Li Jing’s earlier advice had grounded her. Otherwise, she might have fallen right into Xie Yuyan’s trap, driving Ye Feng further away.

A cool breeze rustled the curtains by the window, snapping Li Mucheng out of her thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, she calmly walked over and shut the open window. Her expression remained composed, as if Xie Yuyan’s taunts had no effect on her at all.

"Hmph... Since you’re the one digging your own grave, Xie Yuyan, don’t blame me for what comes next."

With a cold smirk, Li Mucheng pulled out her phone and tapped the screen, opening an app. Moments later, the live feed of a room appeared on her display.

"I originally set this up to capture some sweet moments with Teacher... Who knew it’d come in handy like this? How convenient~"

"If I use this recording as evidence... Teacher will surely start doubting that woman, won’t he~?"

She then yanked the bedsheet Xie Yuyan had sat on and threw it to the floor, fists clenched tight as she muttered under her breath.

"Just wait, Xie Yuyan. Your downfall is coming."

......

"Rustle... rustle..."

The faint sound of movement gradually roused Ye Feng from sleep. Blinking groggily, the first thing he saw was Xie Yuyan’s face hovering inches from his own.

"Hmm... Xie Yuyan? Did you just go out?"

"Sorry, Ye Feng. I just got up to use the bathroom. Did I wake you?"

Xie Yuyan answered without missing a beat, her expression unreadable as she carefully nestled back into Ye Feng’s arms.

"It’s fine."

Still half-asleep, Ye Feng glanced at the dark sky outside and, realizing it was still the middle of the night, closed his eyes again. But before he could drift off, Xie Yuyan suddenly tightened her embrace, burying her face against his chest.

"Ye Feng, is this okay? I won’t bother you like this, right?"

"It’s not a bother, but... are you sure you can breathe like that?"

"Of course... Because you’re my air, Ye Feng~"

"Cough... Stop messing around. Let’s just sleep."

Unpleasant memories flickered through Ye Feng’s mind. Though his body had recovered from the ordeal, the energy he’d lost couldn’t be replenished so easily. Every time he thought to refuse, Xie Yuyan seemed to exude an irresistible allure, pulling him deeper into her grasp until he surrendered completely...

"Hehe~ Goodnight, Ye Feng~"

"Goodnight, Yuyan."

......

"Ugh..."

Meanwhile, in the orphanage, Shen Mengli stirred awake, her brows furrowed. After experiencing countless illusions, her mental resilience had grown stronger—yet her expression suggested another haunting dream.

"Honestly... I should’ve made my move sooner. These women have no shame! Not an ounce of dignity!"

Her first act upon waking was to vent about the dream, her small fists clenched in frustration.

"It should’ve been me with Xiao Feng... I’d do anything for him! Ugh..."

The intrusive thoughts swirled relentlessly in her mind, like a persistent demon she couldn’t shake.

"No... no more... I can’t sleep like this!"

Suddenly, an idea seemed to strike her. Her tense expression softened as she bit her dry lip and quietly slipped back under the covers.

"I... I didn’t want this. It’s... it’s Xiao Feng’s fault! Yes! All his fault!"

With that, she grabbed the stuffed bear from her pillow, hugging it tightly as she whispered Ye Feng’s name, her consciousness slowly fading...

The next morning, when Ye Feng woke, his first instinct was to glance beside him for Xie Yuyan. But the spot next to him was empty.

Xie Yuyan? Did she go to make breakfast again? I’ve told her not to bother...

Just as he sat up, a sudden weight pressed against his chest. Before he could react, Xie Yuyan’s face popped up from under the blanket, now nestled in his arms.

"!!!!"

"Xie Yuyan?!"

"Mhm!"

A moment later, a head emerged from the covers—Xie Yuyan, cheeks flushed, grinning sheepishly at him.

"Good morning, Ye Feng~"

"What were you doing hiding under there?!"

Ye Feng stared at her in disbelief. If she hadn’t lunged at him, he’d have never noticed her there.

"Huh? You’re hungry? I’ll go make my special love breakfast right—Ow! Ye Feng, why’d you hit me?!"