Ah Fu's Observation

"Beep beep—"

Just as Ye Feng finished his preparations and stepped out of the manor, the sharp sound of a car horn reached his ears. Turning toward the noise, he saw a sedan parked right in front of him.

As the car window rolled down, Ah Fu's face appeared from the driver's seat.

"Get in, Ye Feng. Following the young lady's orders, I'm taking you to the amusement park."

"Ah Fu? Why you?"

"What? Now that your relationship with the young lady has improved, you’re looking down on me?" Ah Fu joked.

"Of course not. I just meant—shouldn’t you be protecting Mu Cheng right now? Aren’t you supposed to be her head bodyguard?"

"Ah, it’s a long story. Get in first, Ye Feng. We’ll talk on the way."

"Alright."

Ye Feng knew he had to hurry. The sooner he fulfilled his promise with Su Yuxin, the sooner he could return—ensuring both his safety and preventing Xie Yuyan from targeting Su Yuxin.

It had been a while since Xie Yuyan last showed herself around him. Today’s outing was no time to let his guard down.

Once Ye Feng got in, Ah Fu started the engine and drove off, striking up a conversation as they moved.

"Ye Feng, do you know why the young lady specifically sent me to escort you today?"

"Uh... because... Mu Cheng’s worried about me?"

"Exactly. Right now, the young lady values you more than anything. Even I was specially assigned to protect you."

Ah Fu shrugged helplessly from the driver’s seat, his tone laced with self-deprecation.

"But with my mediocre skills, I doubt I’d be much help to someone like you. The young lady probably knows that too. In the end, she just wants peace of mind."

"I get that..."

Ye Feng’s gaze drifted to the blue sky outside the window. For some reason, Ah Fu’s words filled him with warmth.

"Mu Cheng has changed so much. From cold and aloof to thoughtful and gentle—I never expected her to transform this quickly."

"And that’s all because of you, Ye Feng."

"Huh? Because of me? What do you mean?"

Ah Fu glanced at him through the rearview mirror, realizing he wasn’t joking.

"You don’t actually think the young lady had some sudden epiphany and corrected her mistakes on her own, do you?"

"Wasn’t it? If Mu Cheng hadn’t realized her faults herself, how could she have become so mature?"

"It was you, Ye Feng!"

Ah Fu shook his head but kept his eyes on the road.

"I’ve served the young lady for years—I know her personality better than anyone. If she could’ve changed without anyone’s influence, why didn’t she when the master was around? Why didn’t she adjust her behavior before? There’s always a reason."

Ah Fu’s analysis was thorough. Ye Feng mulled it over and found it made sense—yet he couldn’t recall doing anything particularly impactful. At most, he’d just accompanied Li Mucheng and tutored her.

"Ever since the madam passed, the young lady has been closed off to outsiders, often keeping to herself. That’s why she always seemed unapproachable."

"But after you came along, everything changed. Haven’t you noticed? Once she warmed up to you, she was always the one initiating conversations."

Ye Feng’s mind flashed with memories that matched Ah Fu’s explanation. He nodded slowly.

"You’re right about that."

"Then doesn’t that mean you were the one who changed her? The young lady now is so different that even the master found it hard to believe. If not for the fact that you live together, he would’ve rushed back from the company long ago."

"Ah... you mean President Li Jing..."

Ye Feng nodded thoughtfully—then froze, his eyes widening in shock as he stared at Ah Fu.

"Y-You... what did you just say?! P-President Li?!"

"Yeah? Didn’t you know? The young lady never told you?"

Ah Fu raised an eyebrow in confusion before realizing he might’ve said too much. He quickly backtracked.

"Ah! Maybe I remembered wrong. My memory’s been terrible lately..."

"Ah Fu, just tell me everything. It’s not like a little more matters now."

"W-Well... it’s nothing major. The master has known about you since the day you moved in with the young lady."

"Cough! Cough—!"

Ye Feng had expected Ah Fu to say Li Jing had given him some directive. Instead, he learned that from the moment he stepped into the manor, his every move had been under Li Jing’s surveillance. Which meant... last night’s incident...

Oh no. It felt like a shark was circling, waiting for him—the bait—to jump right into its jaws.

Ye Feng’s face twitched. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

"So... what did President Li say?"

"Hmm... I think he was quite pleased."

"Pleased, huh... Wait, pleased?!"

Ye Feng had already been mentally planning an escape route. But Ah Fu’s answer left him stunned. He never imagined Li Jing would react this way—so much so that he wondered if it was some kind of trap.

By status, he was just a tutor at best. Without that role, he was just an ordinary person. How could Li Jing, the head of the Li Family, allow a nobody to grow so close to his daughter? It was practically a challenge to his authority.

Yet Ah Fu’s response left Ye Feng utterly baffled. He couldn’t decipher Li Jing’s intentions. And Ah Fu had no reason to lie.

"But... why? How could President Li possibly..."

"Because the master cares deeply about the young lady."

"......"

Ye Feng fell silent. Something about that statement felt off. If Li Jing truly cared, wouldn’t he have intervened when Ye Feng got close to Li Mucheng? Yet the opposite happened—Li Jing never once stopped him or even visited. Was he silently approving of their relationship? Or did he simply have no objections to Ye Feng?