The Aboveboard Locator

"Mu Cheng, please listen to me first, alright? Let's get off the bed first—there must have been some misunderstanding in what I said earlier!"

After much coaxing from Ye Feng, Li Mucheng finally stepped off the bed, though she still wore a dazed expression. Ye Feng quickly explained, "Mu Cheng, what I meant earlier was for you to place a tracker on me or somewhere else. That way, even if something happens to me, you can still locate me through the tracker!"

"Ah... so that's what you meant..."

Realizing Ye Feng's intention, Li Mucheng's tone carried an inexplicable hint of disappointment, as if she had been eagerly anticipating the continuation of the earlier misunderstanding.

"So how did your little brain even jump to that kind of conclusion?"

Ye Feng poked her forehead lightly, relieved that he had managed to rein in his wandering thoughts. He had to admit—seeing Li Mucheng in such a delicate, vulnerable state had stirred something in him. But he’d stopped himself in time. Even now, the memory made his pulse quicken.

"Mmm... it’s all because Teacher kept saying such ambiguous things! In the end, this is entirely your fault!"

Blushing, Li Mucheng nuzzled against Ye Feng’s chest, seeking comfort in their closeness to ease the restless longing inside her.

"Who’s the one with a mind full of strange ideas here? Just look at what you were doing earlier—if I hadn’t stopped you in time—"

"Did you like it?"

Li Mucheng suddenly lifted her head, her deep eyes brimming with affection as she gazed at Ye Feng.

"Huh? Mu Cheng, what did you say?"

"I said..."

She looped her arms around his neck and sat up in his embrace, then leaned in close to his ear, her voice dripping with allure.

"Teacher... did you like it?"

"Pfft! Cough—!"

Even though he’d braced himself, Ye Feng choked on air at her words. It took him a moment to recover before he shot her a stern look.

"Alright, enough of that. Let’s go have breakfast and then take care of business."

"Hehe, I got it~"

......

"Who would’ve thought you’d move on so quickly, Ye Feng? You must be having a wonderful time with Li Mucheng, hm? So trusting that you’d even let her plant a tracker on you without hesitation~"

"How... utterly perfect~"

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit basement, Xie Yuyan stared at the stream of intelligence reports on her phone, her beautiful face pale enough to freeze water. Unbeknownst to Ye Feng, she had tampered with his belongings long ago—ensuring that even after he escaped her grasp, she could still monitor his every move in real time.

Over the past days, she had overheard countless intimate exchanges between Ye Feng and Li Mucheng. Though rage simmered in her chest, she knew better than to lose control now. A single misstep had cost her everything before—this was her last chance to claim Ye Feng for herself. She no longer cared how he saw her. By any means necessary, she would have him. Everything would be decided tomorrow...

"Ye Feng..."

Xie Yuyan whispered his name, her fingers tightening around the dagger at her waist......

"Here, Teacher. I’ve installed the monitor in your phone like you asked."

Li Mucheng handed Ye Feng’s phone back as she stepped into the manor. Of course, she wouldn’t admit that she’d already tampered with it long before.

"Thanks, Mu Cheng. Now you can rest easy, right?"

"I hope so. But I still don’t think you should go out right now. As long as Xie Yuyan is still at large, I can’t shake this unease."

"Don’t worry. Su Yuxin scheduled the outing for noon—when the crowds are thickest. If Xie Yuyan tries anything, she’ll have to dodge street cameras and undercover guards. There are even patrols around the amusement park. Mu Cheng, trust me on this."

"Fine..."

Not wanting to argue, Li Mucheng laced her fingers tightly with his.

"Teacher... can you promise me one small request?"

Another request? Feels like all I do these days is agree to demands...

Ye Feng sighed inwardly but nodded. "Sure. What is it? Don’t tell me you want to come along?"

"I’d love to... but if Su Yuxin found out, she’d find a way to get you alone again. That’s just how she is."

"Uh... Mu Cheng, you two still haven’t made up? I really wish you could go back to being close friends like before."

"Teacher, you know that’s impossible. Both she and I understand that..."

Seeing Li Mucheng’s resistance, Ye Feng dropped the subject. With a quiet sigh, he led her toward the manor gates.

"Teacher? Where are we...?"

Li Mucheng trailed after him without hesitation—wherever he went, she would follow.

"Mu Cheng, let’s visit that old tree for a while. For some reason, I suddenly feel like seeing it again."

Ye Feng squeezed her hand gently, offering a warm smile.

"Of course! I’ll go anywhere with you, Teacher."

"Thank you, Mu Cheng."

......

"Splash... splash..."

"How...?"

By the rushing stream deep in the woods, Shen Mengli stood frozen, her crimson eyes wide beneath the hood of her black cloak. Ever since arriving at the cabin, the prophetic dreams that once guided her had vanished. At first, she dismissed it as a fluke—but as nights passed without visions, dread coiled tighter in her chest. Now, she spent hours staring blankly at the water.

"It can’t be... The visions don’t lie! Everything they showed before came true, one way or another. Even if the path changed, the signs still appeared. So why now—when I need them most—have they abandoned me?!"

Her delicate brows furrowed in distress, every rustle of leaves setting her nerves on edge.

"Does this mean... everything I’ve done was for nothing?"