Shen Mengli kept nodding her head, yet her body unconsciously leaned into Ye Feng's embrace. No matter how much Ye Feng tried to step back, Shen Mengli refused to let go of her arms wrapped around him.
"Mengli... if you keep holding on like this, you'll end up falling to the ground."
Ye Feng spoke with slight embarrassment. He knew there were still a few days before they would part, but he hadn’t expected Shen Mengli to be so clingy.
"I... I understand."
Hearing the hint of reluctance in Ye Feng's tone, Shen Mengli finally obediently released her hands.
Noticing Shen Mengli’s timid demeanor—as if afraid he might get angry and leave on the spot—Ye Feng immediately began pushing her wheelchair through the garden for a stroll.
"Mengli, have you been doing well at the welfare center lately?"
"Mm, Mother Director and all the children there take good care of me. Ye Feng, you don’t need to worry about me. Look, I can even stand up and walk slowly now. That just proves I’m living well here."
"......"
Gazing at the back of Shen Mengli’s head, Ye Feng didn’t need to see her face to guess the truth. The way she tightly clutched her stuffed bear told him everything.
"Mengli, come back with me."
"......"
Shen Mengli froze at his words. She truly hadn’t expected Ye Feng to say something like this. Now that Xie Yuyan was living with him, her original plan had failed. She thought she would have to stay hidden at the welfare center, waiting for the right moment to reappear.
Yet Ye Feng had still said those words to her—just like before, when he promised never to abandon her.
"Xiao Feng..."
"Come back with me, okay? Even though my injuries aren’t fully healed yet, I’m capable of taking care of you now. Just say the word, and I’ll take you home right away."
"Home... huh..."
At the mention of "home," Shen Mengli’s eyes brightened momentarily before dimming again. She knew all too well that as long as Xie Yuyan remained by Ye Feng’s side, she wouldn’t be able to get any closer to him.
"It’s... it’s better not, Xiao Feng. I’d rather stay at the welfare center until I recover completely before coming to see you. I don’t want to become a burden to you."
"You can recover just as well at home. In fact, it’d be even safer there."
"The space at home is too small... I... I wouldn’t have anywhere to stay."
"That’s not a problem. The new place is already prepared. All you have to do is nod, and I’ll—"
"That’s enough, Xiao Feng... really, it’s enough..."
Shen Mengli’s voice broke as she cut him off, her pale fingers resting on her lap as she lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze.
"You’ve already done so much for me..."
"Mengli..."
Drip, drip.
A few crystal-clear teardrops fell onto the back of her hand. Realizing this, Shen Mengli quickly wiped them away and forced a smile. "Sorry... just some dust in my eyes..."
"......"
The sight struck Ye Feng’s heart like a hammer. He didn’t understand why Shen Mengli was so unwilling to return home with him. Was she worried about being a burden? Or was it because of Xie Yuyan’s presence?
But one thing was certain—no opinion or person could change his resolve.
He would take care of Shen Mengli!
That was his promise. Their promise.
"Let’s go!"
Just as Shen Mengli thought Ye Feng might sigh in resignation or walk away frustrated, she suddenly felt herself being lifted into the air. Before she could react, Ye Feng had already scooped her up and was striding toward the welfare center’s exit.
"X-Xiao Feng?!"
Panicked, Shen Mengli called out to him, but no matter how much she pleaded, Ye Feng didn’t respond. He kept moving forward without hesitation.
"No... no, Xiao Feng! Please, don’t do this!"
"I’m your legal guardian now, Mengli. You don’t have the right to refuse me."
"Xiao Feng, I’m begging you—put me down! I really don’t want to go back!"
"Don’t worry, Mengli. I’ll explain everything to Yuyan. I’m sure she’ll understand."
"Yuyan... you’re already that close, huh..."
There was no way Shen Mengli would willingly return home. First, Xie Yuyan’s watchful eyes would leave her with no freedom to act. Even the slightest move might alert that sharp woman. Second, Xie Yuyan was her enemy—walking into her territory would be like a lamb stepping into a tiger’s den.
But most importantly, she needed to stay away from Ye Feng. Only then could she reappear when he needed her most—like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline. That was how she would prove her worth.
"Ye Feng!"
Shen Mengli suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. The gesture made Ye Feng stop in his tracks.
"Mengli, you—"
"I know about you and Xie Yuyan."
She stated it bluntly, her arms still clinging to him.
"But... what does that have to do with us going home?"
"My feelings for you... you must’ve realized them that day by the sea, right?"
"......"
"That’s why I don’t want to go back."
In the end, Shen Mengli chose to lay her heart bare. Right now, she needed to earn Ye Feng’s trust—by speaking nothing but the truth. Because trust was the key to securing him in the future.
"But... Mengli, you—"
"I won’t let my selfish desires put you in an awkward position or cause unnecessary conflict."
She withdrew her hands, interlacing her fingers tightly.
"I’ll just silently wish for you to find the life that’s truly yours. Back when we were together, I could tell you were lost, drifting forward without direction. But now... I see..."
I see that your eyes no longer hold my reflection...
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
u serious?" Chen Feng watched helplessly as his painstakingly trained disciple, fresh off a championship victory, publicly abandoned him. "You had your chance, but you didn’t appreciate it. Now, face the consequences of your choice!" Chen Feng possessed the "Master System," a treasure trove of supreme martial arts techniques, capable of molding ordinary individuals into peerless prodigies. "Legs like yours? A shame not to train in the Crippling Kick." "Ever heard of a palm strike that descends from the heavens?" "Auntie! I see extraordinary bone structure in you—a martial arts prodigy, one in ten thousand." The once-defiant senior disciple, now watching her juniors rise to fame one after another, dominating the internet, was consumed by endless regret.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
