"Can't... give up halfway..."
Ye Feng repeated the words Li Mucheng had spoken to him, the faint, pleasant fragrance of her lingering around him, calming his restless heart.
Sensing that Ye Feng's condition had slightly improved, Li Mucheng loosened her embrace. On one hand, she didn’t want to embarrass him in front of others, and on the other, since he was gradually stabilizing under her comfort, there was no need to hold on any longer.
"......"
Across the sofa, the headmistress showed little reaction to the scene, only pausing briefly before focusing intently on their interaction. Strangely, her worry over Shen Mengli’s disappearance seemed to fade for a moment.
"Are you feeling better, Teacher?" Li Mucheng whispered into Ye Feng’s ear. As expected, after a moment, he nodded slightly in response.
"I-I’m sorry for losing composure at such a critical moment. Headmistress, my apologies!"
"It’s alright, Mr. Ye Feng. If anything, I was more concerned about your well-being."
The headmistress waved her hand dismissively before continuing, "But I hope you won’t worry too much. Mengli is a strong girl, and after everything she’s been through, I’m sure we’ll find her one day!"
"Right... No matter how many obstacles there are, as long as we face them one by one, we’ll eventually see the light of dawn."
Ye Feng clenched his fists, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"I’ll bring Mengli back, Headmistress. You can count on me."
"Seeing you so motivated, Mr. Ye Feng, makes this visit worthwhile."
The headmistress smiled and nodded in admiration. "For Mengli to have met someone as responsible and kind-hearted as you—it must be a blessing earned over three lifetimes."
"I... I’ll help too!"
At that moment, neither of them expected Li Mucheng, sitting beside Ye Feng, to speak up.
"M-Miss Li?"
The headmistress stared at her in disbelief. The Li Mucheng before her today was nothing like the person Shen Mengli had described.
After all, Li Mucheng had done terrible things to Ye Feng in the past. Yet now, the headmistress saw only a gentle, delicate young woman.
"Headmistress, I don’t know if Mengli ever mentioned me to you. But I want to say that under Teacher’s guidance, I’ve stopped being the kind of person who would do anything to achieve my goals..."
Li Mucheng tightly grasped Ye Feng’s hand, as if drawing courage from his warmth.
"I’ll always stand behind Teacher and support him. So... I’ll do my part to find Mengli too."
"Mucheng..."
Ye Feng turned to look at her smiling face, emotions swirling in his heart. Words stuck in his throat, leaving him speechless.
"I see... Well, this is unexpected."
The elderly headmistress nodded thoughtfully, her gaze at Ye Feng now tinged with amusement.
"Mr. Ye Feng, you continue to surprise me."
"Eh? Headmistress, I don’t quite follow..."
Ye Feng blinked in confusion at her cryptic words.
"My apologies, Mr. Ye Feng. I misjudged the situation. Perhaps it’s all due to your personal charm—I never anticipated this outcome."
"Headmistress, what are you talking about? What misjudgment? What charm? I’m completely lost."
Ye Feng had no idea how to respond to her sudden apology. One moment they were discussing Shen Mengli, and the next, the topic had shifted to him.
"Well, it’s getting late. I should return to the orphanage to tend to the children. I hope you find Mengli soon, Mr. Ye Feng. I’m very worried about her."
"O-of course."
As the headmistress rose from the sofa to leave, Ye Feng stood as well, intending to escort her out—only for Li Mucheng to pull him back down.
"Mucheng? What’s the matter?"
"Teacher, you should rest here. I’ll see the headmistress out."
"Are you sure?"
"Don’t worry. Besides, there are a few things I’d like to discuss with her."
Li Mucheng gave him a reassuring look before turning to the headmistress.
"Shall we go, Headmistress?"
"Of course. Mr. Ye Feng, I’ll take my leave now."
"Alright..."
Ye Feng watched as the two slowly exited the hall before finally withdrawing his gaze. Yet his mind lingered on the headmistress’s earlier words.
"What did she mean by that...?"
Meanwhile, Li Mucheng and the headmistress walked side by side toward the exit.
"Miss Li, you can stop here. I see my driver waiting."
Just then, Li Mucheng spoke up.
"Headmistress, the reason you apologized to Teacher earlier... it was because of us, wasn’t it?"
"My, you’re quite sharp. Just a hint, and you understood."
The headmistress didn’t nod, but her words confirmed Li Mucheng’s assumption.
"At first, I thought Mr. Ye Feng’s kindness would lead to his downfall—and in a way, I wasn’t wrong. But seeing you today made me realize my mistake. His kindness isn’t a spark that ignites danger, but rather..."
"A remedy that heals us."
Li Mucheng finished the sentence, as if she already knew what the headmistress would say.
"Precisely. It’s because of Mr. Ye Feng’s kindness that you’ve changed, isn’t it?"
"Yes... Looking back now, I understand that just being by Teacher’s side is enough for me. This happiness is far greater than anything I had before."
"But is that truly alright? You know you’re not the only one who loves Mr. Ye Feng."
"Just staying with him is enough. Besides, I can feel it—his heart is with me too. Why would I ruin this love over something like that?"
"......"
The headmistress said nothing more, simply nodding at Li Mucheng before turning and leaving the estate.
......
"Teacher?"
When Li Mucheng returned to the hall, she found Ye Feng standing by the window, admiring the view. At the sound of her voice, he spoke calmly, "You’re back, Mucheng."
"Mhm."
Without another word, she slowly walked over and threw herself into his arms. Only in this moment did her heart feel truly purified, warmed by his presence.
"I’m home~"
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
invincible power, Gu Changge transmigrates into a fantasy world, bound to a sign-in system that grants him cultivation rewards and various peerless treasures daily. While others struggle desperately to break through their cultivation realms, he has long since reached the pinnacle of the Great Dao, becoming a reclusive Emperor whose true strength even he himself cannot fathom. Originally planning to lie low and retire peacefully on Purple Bamboo Peak, the system suddenly issues a new task — take on disciples. With no other choice, Gu Changge casually picks up a few disciples: The eldest disciple, born with a War God Constitution, is thrown a copy of "War God Stratagems" by him, and ends up conquering the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, becoming a peerless War God who sweeps across the cosmos. The second disciple, possessing a Chaos Sword Body, can break all techniques with a single sword, his swordsmanship unmatched throughout history. He points his sword at the heavens: "My master said, the sword and the man stand together. If the sword perishes... my master will give me another one." The third disciple, a reborn Empress who returns to her throne, her elegance and grace overshadowing all beings. And without anyone noticing, his own sect, the Qingxuan Sect, has become the number one sect on the continent. Looking at these unbelievably formidable disciples, Gu Changge, holding the "Primordial Purple Qi" he just signed in for, falls into deep thought: — Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful retirement? How did I become the ultimate master?!
