Rescue

"Hope you can handle my moves next, darling~ I’ve been practicing hard lately."

As soon as Xie Yuyan finished speaking, she lunged at Ye Feng with lightning speed, her attacks precise and ruthless. Every slash of her dagger aimed for vital points that would incapacitate him.

Without his shield, Ye Feng could only retreat, dodging each of her strikes. Every time Xie Yuyan nearly grazed him, his quick reflexes and agility allowed him to evade at the last moment.

Yet Xie Yuyan’s aggression didn’t wane despite his evasions. To her, this was her final chance. If she couldn’t seize Ye Feng firmly in her grasp, the happiness she envisioned would vanish in an instant.

"Slice—"

A wound opened on Ye Feng’s arm, and Xie Yuyan’s frenzy only intensified.

"Hehe... Looks like I’m one step ahead, Ye Feng. I don’t want to hurt you any further. Why don’t you just behave and wait for my good news, hmm?"

"......"

Ye Feng’s lifeless eyes gave her the answer. Xie Yuyan sighed, shrugging helplessly.

"Still so stubborn, I see. If you refuse to yield, then this ends here."

She advanced step by step, while Ye Feng, blood dripping from his arm, staggered back. As the adrenaline faded, a searing pain shot through his wounded limb.

"Don’t worry, Ye Feng. I’ll take good care of you for the rest of your life. By then, we’ll be the most loving couple~"

The moment those words left her lips, her dagger flashed toward Ye Feng’s other wrist. But just then, a blinding light erupted from behind him, disrupting her control over the situation.

"Vroom!"

"Teacher! Get in the car!"

To Ye Feng’s surprise, Li Mucheng’s voice rang out from behind. The intense glare made it impossible to turn, but a slender hand gripped his collar, yanking him backward with all its might.

"No! Come back... Come back to me!"

Feeling Ye Feng slip further away, Xie Yuyan squinted and charged recklessly after him. Just as she closed the distance, Li Mucheng pulled Ye Feng into the car.

"Ah Fu! Drive, now!"

"Vroom!"

The engine roared, and the car sped away, vanishing from Xie Yuyan’s sight.

"......"

Left standing motionless at the alley’s end, Xie Yuyan showed no trace of regret or anger. Instead, she licked the blood from her dagger, her expression melting into intoxicated bliss.

"Useless. It’s all futile. If you want to make this game more interesting... then I’ll play along~"

Dark clouds loomed over Shucheng’s sky as her silhouette dissolved into the abyss of night.

"Mucheng... How did you—?"

Cradled in Li Mucheng’s arms, Ye Feng was still shaken. He knew—had she not arrived, Xie Yuyan’s dagger would have pierced his other wrist, sealing his fate.

"Just hang on, Teacher. We’re heading to the estate. The police and medics are already alerted. No one will hurt you anymore!"

Li Mucheng gave him a reassuring look before retrieving a first-aid kit from the backseat.

"Teacher, in case that woman poisoned the blade, let me disinfect it with alcohol, okay?"

"Y-Yeah... But Mucheng, why are you here? I told you on the phone—"

"Because I was worried about you!"

She unscrewed the alcohol bottle as she spoke.

"I knew it was risky, but you’re the most important person to me! I’d come no matter the cost—even if it meant death!"

"Mucheng..."

Her fierce words struck Ye Feng deeply. Her transformation was the last thing he’d expected.

"Alright, Teacher. This might sting, so bear with me."

She pressed an alcohol-soaked cloth to his wound. Despite bracing himself, the pain sent tremors through his body.

"Teacher..."

Li Mucheng shut her eyes, unable to watch, silently cursing herself for not arriving sooner. Just a little earlier, and he’d have been spared this agony.

"It’s fine, Mucheng. The pain’s nothing. I should be thanking you. But how did you find me?"

"Um... You probably already guessed. Back when I was immature, I... planted a tracker in the phone I gave you. That’s how..."

"......"

Noticing the tense silence, Li Mucheng hastily added, "But I’m not like that anymore! Please believe me!"

"Yeah... I get it. Let’s leave the past behind."

Ye Feng brushed it off, sensing the awkwardness. The pain in his arm had dulled to numbness.

"Could you bandage it for me, Mucheng?"

"O-Okay!"

Relieved he wasn’t holding her past against her, she hurriedly wrapped the wound.

"Teacher, why did Xie Yuyan suddenly attack you? Was it... because of the mask?"

"Huh? Mask? What mask?"

Ye Feng frowned, confused.

"Y-You know... your mask..."

Li Mucheng glanced at Ah Fu, then leaned in, whispering almost inaudibly.

"I mean... the Fox’s mask."