Obtaining Ye Feng's Agreement

"A fox mask? Mucheng, are you referring to..."

Ye Feng trailed off mid-sentence, glancing briefly at Ah Fu, who was focused on driving, before pointing at himself with his other hand.

"Mmm... It's something equally important to me, but that woman actually stole it."

Li Mucheng clenched her teeth, her tone dripping with barely restrained fury. Yet she made an effort to suppress her anger, unwilling to let Ye Feng see her like this.

"How could...? Mucheng, how did you find out?"

Seeing Ye Feng's puzzled expression, Li Mucheng hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell him about Xie Yuyan barging into her room and taking the mask. After all, the fire had already been lit—why not let it burn brighter?

"Teacher... Since you don’t know, then please take a look at this."

With that, Li Mucheng pulled out her phone from her pocket and placed it in front of Ye Feng.

"Look? Mucheng, what do you mean—"

Before Ye Feng could finish asking, Li Mucheng played a video on her phone—a recording of Xie Yuyan storming into her room days earlier.

"......"

As the footage ended, Ye Feng’s expression darkened. Noticing this, Li Mucheng quietly tucked her phone away.

"Teacher, I don’t mean anything by it. I just don’t understand why Xie Yuyan would do this. It’s not like I have... anything left to hold onto anymore..."

"Mucheng, this isn’t your fault."

Ye Feng sighed heavily.

"I’m the one who caused this situation. All the blame lies with me."

"That’s not true! Teacher, you’re not at fault at all!"

"Mucheng, you don’t understand... It’s all just... sigh."

Seeing Ye Feng hesitate, Li Mucheng felt a pang of confusion and disappointment. If only she hadn’t acted so recklessly before, maybe he would trust her now. I had such a good chance, and I ruined it myself. I’m such an idiot...

Lowering her gaze to the blood-soaked bandage on Ye Feng’s arm, she bit her lip, lost in thought, before looking up at Ah Fu. "Ah Fu, how much longer until we reach the estate?"

"About five minutes. As per your instructions, the medical team is already waiting at the entrance."

"Good."

Li Mucheng nodded calmly, ignoring the blood staining Ye Feng’s arm as she gently placed her hand over the bandage.

"Teacher, just hold on a little longer. We’ll be somewhere safe soon."

Hearing her voice, warmth bloomed in Ye Feng’s chest. Initially, he had only been concerned about protecting his two students—yet here was Li Mucheng, rescuing him in his moment of crisis.

"Mucheng... Thank you. I never expected you to—"

Before he could finish, a slender finger lightly pressed against his lips.

"Teacher, there’s no need for thanks. I’m only atoning for my sins."

"Sins?"

"Yes... I still remember everything I did to you before. Even though you forgave me, the scars remain. I just want you to know that I’m trying my best."

"Mucheng, you’ve grown up."

"I’m not a child anymore!"

Their lighthearted exchange eased the earlier tension. Just as Ye Feng was lost in thought, the car arrived at its destination.

Beep beep.

At the sound of the horn, the medical team swarmed the vehicle, lifting Ye Feng onto a stretcher.

"Uh..."

Ye Feng glanced around at the white-coated doctors, suddenly breaking into a cold sweat. Anyone would think he was on death’s doorstep.

"Mucheng, isn’t this a bit excessive? This seems a little much..."

"Teacher, it’s precisely because you’re so careless that you ended up like this!"

Stepping out of the car, Li Mucheng ignored his protests, pressing both hands on his shoulders to keep him lying flat.

"What if that woman poisoned the blade? What if it damaged the nerves in your arm? Every possible risk has to be eliminated! I won’t let you suffer even the slightest harm!"

Her firm tone left no room for argument. Defeated, Ye Feng obediently let himself be wheeled into the estate...

......

"Brother Ye Feng..."

Su Yuxin stared at her phone, anxiety gnawing at her as the call remained unanswered. Alone in the house, she couldn’t understand why Ye Feng had suddenly told her to hide—or why his phone was going straight to voicemail.

Ring ring.

The sudden chime snapped her out of her daze. Her eyes widened with hope—only to furrow again when she saw an unfamiliar number.

Wait, what if it’s Ye Feng calling from another phone?

Without hesitation, she answered and slowly raised the phone to her ear.

"H-Hello?"

"Su Yuxin, is it?"

The voice on the other end wasn’t Ye Feng’s. Instead, it was cold, detached—a woman’s voice. Su Yuxin immediately recognized it as the woman who had been staying at Ye Feng’s place.

"Xie Yuyan? Why are you calling?!"

"Heh..."

A chilling laugh crackled through the line before Xie Yuyan spoke again.

"Care to talk? Perhaps we can come to an agreement."

"An agreement? Don’t even think about it! I won’t make any deals with you!"

Su Yuxin was about to hang up when Xie Yuyan’s next words froze her in place.

"Oh? Not even if it’s the only way for both of us to have Ye Feng?"

"What did you just say?!"

......

"Miss Li, after thorough examination by our specialists, we’ve confirmed that Mr. Ye Feng has no serious injuries beyond muscle damage in his arm. With proper rest, he’ll make a full recovery."

An elderly doctor handed Li Mucheng the medical report as she exhaled in relief.

"Good... That’s good."