"Xie Yuyan, you..."
Li Mucheng had imagined countless possibilities—perhaps Xie Yuyan would blame her for Ye Feng's despair, or resent her for recklessly shooting him and causing his fall from the cliff. Yet, she never expected Xie Yuyan to hold no grudge against her at all. Was this really the Xie Yuyan she knew?
"I actually knew... The moment my obsession with Ye Feng grew heavier, the distance between us slowly widened..."
Xie Yuyan returned to the corner where she had been sitting earlier. The occasional smile on her face suggested she was reminiscing about the past she had shared with Ye Feng.
"At first, being with Ye Feng was the most meaningful and happiest time of my life. But when I learned of your existence, in my eyes, you all became villains trying to steal my only happiness. To protect the life I had with him, I was willing to do anything—use any means—just to stay by his side."
"But did you ever consider how he felt?"
"Of course I did..."
Xie Yuyan let out a self-mocking laugh. Though her expression had been desolate earlier, it softened slightly at the mention of Ye Feng.
"Back then, I naively believed that if I removed the obstacles in our path without him knowing, his gaze would stay fixed on me alone. But as he grew closer to all of you, my heart grew frantic. Isn’t it laughable? A killer who remains unfazed during missions, yet panicked over something like this. Was it because Ye Feng was too captivating, or had his tenderness melted my heart?"
"That’s just how he is—gentle with everyone... No, wait. Only with us. Only with the few of us did he ever show that side of himself."
"Only with us?"
Li Mucheng’s words made Xie Yuyan frown for the first time. She had never considered the nature of Ye Feng’s relationships with the others. Back then, her only thought was to reclaim him, to eliminate those she saw as nuisances. She hadn’t spared a moment to reflect further.
But now, as she truly calmed down and thought about it, everything seemed both logical and absurdly strange.
"Tell me more."
"Mm..."
Seeing Xie Yuyan following her lead, Li Mucheng exhaled in relief before continuing.
"Have you ever noticed a pattern? Whenever Ye Feng spends time with one person, he eventually moves on to another—almost like a cycle."
"......"
Li Mucheng’s words stirred memories in Xie Yuyan—memories of the days she had lived with Ye Feng. Though she had felt his meticulous care, his tenderness had helped her rediscover herself. Yet, whenever she suggested settling down together, a flicker of hesitation would cross his face. It was subtle, but she had caught it every time.
"I... do feel that way."
"Then my guess isn’t wrong."
Receiving Xie Yuyan’s agreement, Li Mucheng nodded thoughtfully. Under Xie Yuyan’s lost gaze, she extended her hand.
"There’s so much we need to talk about, but since things have already come to this, there’s no need to rush. Let’s take care of ourselves first, then discuss everything properly, alright?"
Xie Yuyan avoided Li Mucheng’s outstretched hand. Just as Li Mucheng assumed she refused to cooperate, Xie Yuyan spoke again:
"If what happened on the cliff hadn’t occurred, maybe I would’ve set aside my pride and talked properly with you. But now... I’ve lost the right to be part of this. Ye Feng must despise me. He gave me a chance before, but I betrayed his trust, made it part of my scheme. Anyone would be utterly disappointed."
"How could that be? Xie Yuyan, think carefully! If Ye Feng truly hated you, he wouldn’t have risked his life to save you from that gunshot!"
Li Mucheng hadn’t wanted to bring it up, but to pull Xie Yuyan out of her despair, she had no choice but to reopen her own wounds.
"Don’t you remember what he said? He told me not to harm you, no matter what you’d done. That proves he still cares!"
"......"
Xie Yuyan’s pupils trembled. She buried her face between her knees, and if one listened closely, faint sobs could be heard.
Li Mucheng crouched down, gently placing a hand on Xie Yuyan’s knee.
"We all saw what happened on the cliff. Ye Feng knew his own condition better than anyone. So why did he still choose to protect you, even if it meant getting hurt? Because you’ve always mattered to him—no matter how much pain you caused."
As Li Mucheng spoke, she felt Xie Yuyan’s slender frame shudder uncontrollably, her cries growing louder.
"I’m sorry... I’m so sorry... I never meant for this... I just didn’t want to lose him."
"I thought the same way once. But you heard him too, didn’t you? Our extreme actions were like exploiting his feelings for us over and over. Anyone would grow weary. Maybe that’s why he chose to fall into the river—why he didn’t want to see us anymore."
"Ye Feng..."
Xie Yuyan’s fingers turned pale as she whispered his name again and again.
"I lost him... I lost him forever..."
"No, that’s not true."
Li Mucheng rejected her words, gripping Xie Yuyan’s cold hand tightly.
"If we atone, I believe he’ll forgive us."
"No... He might forgive you, but never me. I’ve already hurt him once before. There’s no way he’d forgive me again."
"Xie Yuyan, how can you know without trying? What good does crying in a corner do? You said yourself that Ye Feng is the most important person in your life. So why can’t you keep apologizing for his sake? Even if he rejects you, at least you’ll have acknowledged your mistakes."
"Ye Feng... someone important..."
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
