Su Yuxin's Counterattack

"Knock, knock, knock..."

When Li Mucheng awoke once more in the dimly lit room, the sound of soft knocking had already reached her ears.

"......"

Her vacant, lifeless eyes turned briefly toward the door before shifting away, as though she had no reaction to any disturbance.

"Mucheng."

To her surprise, Su Yuxin's voice came from outside the door. Li Mucheng's gaze flickered faintly, but the light in her eyes quickly dimmed again.

Hearing no response from inside, Su Yuxin clenched her fists and turned to Ah Fu behind her. "Open the door for me."

Ah Fu hesitated, his tone apologetic. "Forgive me, Miss Su, but without the master or the young lady's permission, I cannot obey your orders."

"You're still following orders at a time like this? Can't you see Mucheng's health is deteriorating day by day?"

Su Yuxin glared at him, displeased. When he remained unmoved, she reached into her pocket for her phone, intending to call Li Jing—but just then, the bedroom door suddenly swung open.

At the sound, Su Yuxin quickly turned back to face Li Mucheng. The woman before her was a far cry from the elegant, ethereal beauty she once knew.

Li Mucheng's clothes were disheveled, still the same outfit she had worn on the mountain that day. Her once fair skin was smudged with dried mud, and her soft, silky hair had become tangled and brittle.

"Mucheng... What happened to you?"

Su Yuxin stared in shock at the unrecognizable figure before her, disbelief written across her face.

"Yuxin, just go back. I’ll take responsibility for what happened to Teacher. There’s no need for you to come see me anymore."

Li Mucheng uttered these words calmly before turning to retreat into the bedroom. Just as she was about to close the door again, Su Yuxin suddenly wedged her foot in the doorway.

Noticing the action, Li Mucheng frowned slightly. Though she didn’t know the purpose of Su Yuxin’s visit, she knew it must be closely tied to Ye Feng. In the past, she might have been able to match wits with Su Yuxin, but now—she had indirectly become the one who caused Ye Feng’s death. How could she possibly remain composed? Ever since returning from the mountain, she had been drowning in regret and grief. She had promised to protect him, yet in the end, she had been the one to hurt him the most—just like before.

"Move your—"

Before Li Mucheng could finish, Su Yuxin cut her off. "Mucheng, let’s talk, okay?"

"Talk? What is there to say to a murderer like me? You all saw it with your own eyes—I’m the one who killed Teacher!"

Her eyes reddened instantly as she shouted, her usually composed demeanor shattering as she vented the darkness in her heart, as though self-condemnation was the only way to ease her pain.

"No—that’s not true, Mucheng!"

Faced with her agitation, Su Yuxin stepped forward, wanting to take Li Mucheng’s hand to calm her—but in an instant, Li Mucheng pulled out a fruit knife and pressed it against her own chest.

"Mucheng! What are you doing?!"

Su Yuxin froze in place, stunned by the extreme act. To avoid provoking her further, she maintained a safe distance.

"This... is just my atonement."

Li Mucheng tilted her head and let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. In her heart, it seemed that only death could absolve her guilt. As the blade inched closer to her heart, Su Yuxin urgently called out to stop her.

"Li Mucheng, have you lost your mind?! If Ye Feng saw you like this, what would he think?!"

"Te... Teacher?"

At the mention of Ye Feng’s name, Li Mucheng’s body trembled, and his face slowly surfaced in her mind.

Seeing that invoking Ye Feng had an effect, Su Yuxin seized the opportunity and pressed on. "Back then, Ye Feng risked everything to save you from those criminals in the manor—all so you wouldn’t come to harm. But if you kill yourself now, do you really think he would forgive you?"

"......"

Li Mucheng fell into deep reflection at Su Yuxin’s words. Ye Feng had rescued her from danger without hesitation. When she had fallen ill with fever, he had dragged her to the hospital. Even when she made mistakes, he had always forgiven her. Everything he had done was out of care and concern for her.

Watching her dazed expression, Su Yuxin seized the moment to stride forward and snatch the knife from Li Mucheng’s hand. Startled, Li Mucheng tried to resist—but Su Yuxin slapped her across the face.

Slap!

The sharp sound echoed through the room. Outside the door, Ah Fu, who had been watching nervously, quietly closed it. The butler behind him whispered, "Should we inform the master?"

Ah Fu shook his head slightly. "This is a matter between the young ladies. They’ll resolve it themselves."

......

As the slap landed, Li Mucheng’s cheek reddened and swelled almost instantly—but the strike also snapped her out of her near-hysterical state.

Su Yuxin pursed her lips, discreetly shaking out her stinging hand when Li Mucheng wasn’t looking.

Hmph! That evens the score.

Suppressing a smug grin, she quickly composed herself. After all, her purpose here wasn’t just to return that slap.

"Mucheng!"

She pressed her lips together, forcing down the slight curve at the corners of her mouth.

"Right now, Ye Feng’s fate is still unknown—and this is the critical time to search for him! If you keep wallowing like this, what if we miss the window to save him?"

"Search?"

Li Mucheng didn’t react angrily to the slap, standing still with her head lowered.

"According to reports from the mountain, they’ve searched the river downstream for an entire day and found no trace of Teacher. With his injuries so severe... do you really think there’s any hope?"

"No—Li Mucheng, you’re the one who gave up hope! If you truly wanted to find Ye Feng, you’d stop at nothing to track him down."

"......"

Her silence spoke volumes—Su Yuxin’s words had struck a chord. Just as she said, after what happened to Ye Feng, Li Mucheng had chosen to shut herself away, waiting passively for the final news.

"Li Mucheng, have you forgotten? The moment Ye Feng fell off that cliff, his eyes were on both of us. Have you forgotten what he said to you? He never blamed you—even as he disappeared, he was still comforting you! Is this how you repay him?"

"No... That’s not it..."