It's Up to Me to Decide

"Hehe~"

At this moment, Li Mucheng, having left her room with her hair disheveled and completely disregarding her usual dignified appearance, had surprisingly made her way into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Ye Feng. The sight left the maid responsible for meals utterly stunned.

The moment she spotted Li Mucheng, her mind went into overdrive.

I’m done for! The Li family is going to fire me! The young mistress is so hungry she’s cooking for herself—someone as incompetent as me will surely be thrown into the ocean, won’t I? I’m too young to die!!!

"Wuwuwu..."

Hearing the faint sound of sobbing, Li Mucheng turned her head in confusion to look at the maid. Their gazes met.

Under Li Mucheng’s intense stare, the already terrified maid took in her dark, deep, and indifferent eyes and immediately collapsed to her knees, covering her mouth to stifle her cries.

"I-I’m sorry, Young Mistress! I was wrong! I shouldn’t have been so lazy—please spare me! I’ll make sure breakfast is ready early next time!"

The maid, desperate to save herself, kept bowing in apology, leaving Li Mucheng utterly baffled. Blinking in confusion, she waited for the maid to finish before asking, "What... are you talking about?"

"Huh?"

Hearing no trace of anger in Li Mucheng’s voice, the maid froze on the spot. She wiped her slightly damp eyes and muttered, "Aren’t you scolding me for not preparing breakfast?"

"Breakfast? I never asked you to."

"Y-You didn’t?"

"Nope. I’m making it myself—for my teacher. Go attend to your own tasks."

Li Mucheng reached out and helped the maid up, then, under her astonished gaze, returned to the stove to continue cooking. The sight left the maid speechless.

Is... is this really the Young Mistress I know? That blissful smile—I’ve never seen her look like this before!

Wide-eyed, the maid stared at the scene in disbelief. She knew Li Mucheng had a teacher named Ye Feng, but she never imagined the young mistress would go so far as to discard her usual poise for him.

"Hm? Is there something else?"

Noticing the maid still standing there, Li Mucheng’s tone turned slightly impatient.

"N-No, nothing at all! Young Mistress, I’ll go clean right away!"

Quickly bowing, the maid fled the kitchen as if relieved of a great burden. Only then did Li Mucheng smile again, focusing entirely on the pot of congee before her.

......

Click.

Ye Feng, freshly washed and properly dressed, stepped out of his room. The unusual silence from Li Mucheng had begun to worry him, but even after reaching the living room, there was no sign of her.

"Mucheng?"

He called her name, hoping for a response, but only his own faint echo answered.

Strange, where is she?

Just as he began to wonder, the inviting aroma of food drifted from the kitchen. Following the scent, he spotted a slender figure intently watching over a pot.

"Mucheng?"

Seeing her with her hair down—completely unlike her usual composed self—Ye Feng tentatively called out. Hearing his voice, Li Mucheng immediately turned the flame under the congee to low before eagerly rushing toward him, arms outstretched.

Ye Feng swiftly raised his hands, pressing them against her shoulders to keep her at a safe distance.

"Mucheng, don’t... don’t do this, okay? I... think we should maintain some reasonable boundaries."

"Huh?"

Li Mucheng, who had been ready to throw herself into his arms for an energy boost, froze at his sudden resistance. Though her heart sank at his abrupt change in attitude, she didn’t lose control of her emotions as she might have before.

"Teacher, there must be a reason, right? Can you tell me what’s troubling you? Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding."

She clung tightly to Ye Feng’s arm, as if afraid he might vanish. Her trembling eyes bore into him, searching for any hint of what was wrong.

Sure enough, under her scrutiny, she noticed how he deliberately avoided her gaze whenever she stared at him. His hands on her shoulders were stiff, almost mechanical, as if acting out of some inner conflict rather than genuine intent.

Ye Feng had hoped his actions would discourage her, but instead, Li Mucheng stubbornly pushed forward, determined to close the distance between them.

"Mucheng?"

Surprised by her defiance, Ye Feng felt a pang of guilt at the resolve in her eyes. He quickly tried to explain.

"Mucheng, wait—let’s talk somewhere else first..."

"If you have something to say, Teacher, then do it while holding me. I don’t want us to be so distant."

"But Mucheng, I—"

His momentary hesitation was all she needed. Swiftly slipping past his hands, she threw herself into his embrace.

"Got you~"

She clung to him, fists gripping his collar, silently vowing not to let go no matter what he said next.

"Mucheng, please listen. Things between us now..."

"I don’t care about any of that! Whatever’s worrying you doesn’t matter to me. Without you, I’d be miserable—I won’t let you leave me. Just being like this is enough..."

Her voice was muffled against his chest.

"Sigh..."

With a resigned exhale, Ye Feng guided her to the living room sofa before speaking again.

"Mucheng, I didn’t mean to act this way. I just don’t know what lies ahead, and I don’t want you to suffer because of it."

Li Mucheng nestled her cheek against his shoulder, occasionally nuzzling him with warm, gentle presses.

"I love you, Teacher. Not even you can take that away from me. Now, explain—I’ll decide for myself what to think!"