Timely Arrival of Ye Feng

"Ye Feng? Ye Feng!"

"Ah!"

Hearing Xie Yuyan call his name again, snapping him out of his thoughts, Ye Feng quickly raised his head and met her gaze.

"What is it, Yuyan? Is something wrong?"

"What did Su Yuxin say to you?"

Walking home with Xie Yuyan clinging to his arm, she asked suspiciously. But judging by Ye Feng's reaction, she was certain Su Yuxin had whispered something that unsettled him.

What could it be? A confession? Or something demeaning about me?

"Yuxin didn’t say much. She just mentioned wanting me to recover quickly so she could attend my classes again."

Ye Feng wasn’t foolish enough to tell Xie Yuyan that Su Yuxin had brought up topics about her. Revealing that would not only fracture the newly formed friendship between Xie Yuyan and Su Yuxin but also spark unnecessary friction—something Ye Feng wanted to avoid at all costs. So, he chose to bury the subject and deal with it himself.

"Is that really all...?"

Xie Yuyan studied Ye Feng’s expression, searching for any telltale signs, but found none. Reluctantly, she let it go. Still, Su Yuxin was undeniably skilled at playing mind games, a trait befitting someone from a prominent family. It was possible, as Ye Feng claimed, that nothing substantial had been exchanged—just a ploy to sow doubt in Xie Yuyan’s mind and create a rift between her and Ye Feng, leading to dire consequences.

But it was equally possible that Su Yuxin had indeed said something significant. Probing further risked conflict, leaving Xie Yuyan stuck between a rock and a hard place. In the end, she had no choice but to take Ye Feng at his word.

"Of course that’s all. Let’s drop it and head back to the apartment."

"Alright."

......

"Huff... huff..."

"Mengli, you should rest now. You’ve been at this for too long—your body won’t hold up."

At the Hope Orphanage, Shen Mengli kept her head down, eyes fixed on her feet as she paced back and forth in the garden. The headmistress watched with a pained expression, having tried repeatedly to stop Shen Mengli’s relentless rehabilitation exercises. But no matter what, Shen Mengli stubbornly pushed herself back up each time. Eventually, the headmistress could only stand by, keeping a worried eye on her.

"No! I can’t stop now! I have to stand on my own, walk like a normal person. If I don’t, it’ll be too late... Everything will be too late!"

Clenching her teeth, Shen Mengli ignored the searing pain in her overworked legs. She knew that if she didn’t keep pushing forward, Ye Feng would drift further and further away—and worst of all, the nightmare scenario from her visions might come true.

She refused to let that happen. All she wanted was for Ye Feng to be safe and happy, to return to the peaceful life they once shared...

Lost in thoughts of Ye Feng, Shen Mengli’s legs suddenly gave way, sending her tumbling toward a nearby pond.

"Mengli!"

The headmistress screamed, her face etched with terror.

At the last possible moment, a strong pair of arms caught Shen Mengli before she could fall. Stunned, Shen Mengli froze—because the warmth and familiarity of those arms could only belong to the person she longed for most.

"Y-Ye Feng...?"

Her pupils shrank in disbelief as she slowly turned her head, meeting Ye Feng’s silent gaze. Trembling, she barely dared to believe it wasn’t another hallucination. After all, now that Ye Feng was with Xie Yuyan, the chances of seeing him were practically zero.

Yet against all odds, here he was—standing right in front of her.

"Mengli..."

Seeing the anguish on Shen Mengli’s face, Ye Feng’s heart ached. If not for the sudden memory of their time by the sea flashing through his mind today, he might never have known about her self-destructive efforts to recover.

"Ye Feng..."

The moment she saw him, Shen Mengli seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon. Collapsing into his embrace, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Deep down, she never wanted to scheme or compete with those other women. But she knew better than anyone that if she wanted Ye Feng, she’d have to resort to underhanded tactics—just as Xie Yuyan had done to win his trust.

Yet now, face-to-face with Ye Feng, the guilt she’d suppressed came flooding out. A thousand words swirled in her mind, but all that escaped were choked sobs.

"Sniff... sniff..."

The headmistress, witnessing the scene, quietly retreated from the garden, leaving them to sort things out on their own. But before she left, she noticed the unmistakable concern in Ye Feng’s eyes as he held Shen Mengli.

"I’m sorry... Mengli... I came too late."

"Mmm..."

Gradually, the girl’s cries subsided in Ye Feng’s arms. Neither spoke, as if everything they needed to say was conveyed through that embrace.

"Mmm~"

After what felt like an eternity, Shen Mengli’s tears finally stopped, replaced by a rosy blush spreading across her round cheeks. Having spent so much time with her, Ye Feng immediately recognized the shift—her sorrow had melted into shyness.

"Feeling better, Mengli?"

"Yes... much better."

Reluctantly, Ye Feng helped her back into her wheelchair, then adopted a stern tone. "Now that you’re safe, I have to scold you!"

"Huh?"

Before Shen Mengli could even process being back in the wheelchair, Ye Feng launched into his lecture.

"Who told you to push yourself like this? Do you realize how dangerous it would’ve been if I hadn’t been here today? I’ve told you before—exercise is fine, but overdoing it only hurts you!"

"Mhm!"

Instead of being upset, Shen Mengli smiled softly, her eyes never leaving Ye Feng’s face. To her, his scolding was the sweetest form of care.