Can't Go Back Anymore

With a dark silhouette slipping into the orphanage garden, Xie Yuyan moved without hesitation toward Shen Mengli's room.

"Shen Mengli... I've warned you time and again to stay away from Ye Feng, so why won’t you listen? I’ve given you everything you deserve, yet you still refuse to let go. Did you really think my warnings were empty words? Now that Ye Feng knows what I’ve done to him, there’s no turning back. But it’s not too late—as long as I eliminate you and those other two women, I can take Ye Feng far away. Time will erase everything... All I need is to have him."

Xie Yuyan’s actions were nothing short of reckless desperation. From the beginning, she had resented Shen Mengli and the others, but a series of unexpected events had only deepened the cracks in her heart. After returning from the Dark Pavilion organization, she had entertained such thoughts multiple times, but back then, she still held onto a sliver of hope—that once she won Ye Feng’s heart, those vixens would back down. But she was wrong. She had been naive.

These women were just as relentless in their obsession with Ye Feng as she was. Getting them to give up on him was impossible. Among them was Shen Mengli, who had played the weakling from the start, using her frail, broken body to bind Ye Feng to her side while the others fought among themselves, thinking she was no threat. What a cunning plan...

But now, Xie Yuyan wouldn’t be fooled by that pitiful act anymore—not by Shen Mengli, nor by any of them. The only way to end this quickly was the simplest solution. If not for Ye Feng’s words snapping her out of it, she might still be wasting time playing their games.

Tap. Tap.

Xie Yuyan, dagger in hand, stepped softly to Shen Mengli’s door and pushed it open without a sound.

"Mengli, dear, I’ve come to visit~"

......

"How could this be?!"

Ye Feng stared at the video replaying on his phone—a slender figure holding a dagger, standing before Shen Mengli. He recognized that figure instantly: Xie Yuyan. But why would she sneak into the orphanage? And what infuriated him most was that she had threatened a defenseless, physically disabled girl with a blade!

This act of hers struck a devastating blow to the love and trust Ye Feng had placed in Xie Yuyan. For the first time, he wondered if she had approached him with this very intention from the start.

Outwardly obedient and gentle, yet secretly capable of such cruelty. He never imagined that the woman who cooked for him daily and shared tender moments with him could do something like this. The betrayal cut deep.

"Xie Yuyan... Why...?"

He gritted his teeth, forcing the words out one by one. As the effects of the sedative in his system faded, he pocketed his phone, threw on his coat, and rushed toward the door.

Just as he was about to step out, his body froze. He turned back, casting one last glance at the warm, familiar room. In the past, he would have believed this was the life he truly wanted. But now, he realized how wrong he had been—how utterly deceived he had been, living in a world of lies and pretense.

"No, I can’t hesitate any longer. Mengli must be in danger. I have to save her! There’s still time... All thanks to the System’s skill..."

With that thought, he cast aside the last lingering shred of doubt about Xie Yuyan and sprinted toward the orphanage at full speed.

......

"Mengli, dear, after all the care I’ve shown you, won’t you at least greet me properly?"

Xie Yuyan stepped into the room with a mocking smile, already picturing Shen Mengli’s terrified face begging for mercy. Soon, she would make her pay for daring to covet Ye Feng.

"Oh?"

Her brow arched as she noticed the lump under the blanket, her icy blue eyes locked onto the slightest movement beneath it.

"Are you playing dumb, Mengli? Or have you finally realized your mistake?"

She drew closer, step by step, yet the figure beneath the blanket remained perfectly still.

"Tch. I thought tonight would be memorable. How dull."

With a flick of her wrist, she twirled the dagger and approached the bed. The dim lighting made it hard to see clearly, but she could just make out the shape of Shen Mengli’s head.

"Well, I won’t waste any more time on you. But don’t worry, Mengli—you won’t be lonely for long. I’ll send those two friends of yours to keep you company soon enough~"

In one swift motion, she brought the dagger down. A flash of silver—

Thud.

The blade plunged deep into the blanket.

......

Riiip.

The sound of tearing fabric made Xie Yuyan’s eyes widen. As an assassin, she knew the sound of a blade sinking into flesh all too well. But this time, there was nothing—just the shredding of cloth. A cold dread gripped her.

She yanked the blanket aside.

No wounded Shen Mengli. Only a pile of pillows, their stuffing bursting out like mocking laughter.

"Impossible... How could she have known? No... This can’t be happening! There must be a mistake!"

Her heart, already numb, shattered completely at the sight. This wasn’t just evasion—it was proof that Shen Mengli was no ordinary opponent. Her foresight meant Xie Yuyan had already lost.

Perhaps from the very beginning, Shen Mengli had been waiting—waiting for her to slip up.

Xie Yuyan never imagined she would be the one to destroy her own happiness with Ye Feng. The moment she made her move, she knew there was no undoing it. Once you set foot on this path, there was no turning back. Now, her only choice was to keep going—no matter how dark the road ahead.

This was the first time she had ever failed a mission.

There was... no going back.