Three-Person Meeting

After gathering Ye Feng's clothes and bringing them to the bedside, Shen Mengli handed them over to him.

"The clothes are all washed and clean now, Xiao Feng. You should put them on quickly."

"Alright."

Just as Ye Feng was about to take the shirt from Shen Mengli's hands, he noticed his coat was missing. Realizing this, Shen Mengli hurriedly explained.

"Xiao Feng, your coat was already torn beyond repair, so I disposed of it. I’m really sorry for not discussing it with you beforehand."

"I see."

Unaware that Shen Mengli had used his coat to fabricate evidence of his death, Ye Feng simply nodded and put on his shirt. Just as he was about to ask Shen Mengli to step out for a moment, a soft figure pressed against him.

"Mengli?"

"Didn’t you say earlier that it was inconvenient without a shirt on? Now that you’re dressed, I can hug you as much as I want~"

"So this is what you’ve been scheming all along."

"Of course! I... I’ve been thinking about you all this time~"

Ye Feng couldn’t help but poke Shen Mengli’s forehead in exasperation, but seeing how content she looked, he let her be. Coincidentally, there was something he wanted to discuss with her.

"By the way, Mengli, have you informed the headmistress since you’ve been staying here? When I spoke with her recently, she was really worried about your disappearance."

"I did consider letting her know I’m safe, but in a place like this, sending a message out is either too difficult or risks being discovered by others."

In truth, Shen Mengli had already discussed this with the headmistress back at the orphanage. The reason the headmistress hadn’t told Ye Feng about Shen Mengli’s planned disappearance was largely because she preferred the two of them to be together.

"I see... Still, I think we should let her know. What do you think?"

"Of course! I’d love to tell her I’m safe and that I’m with you, Xiao Feng. But for now, I think we should stay hidden. I don’t want those awful women to take you away from me again!"

As she spoke, Shen Mengli buried her face deeper into Ye Feng’s chest, as if afraid someone might snatch him away.

"Alright, you’re right. I just didn’t want the headmistress to worry. We’ll find a way to contact her once things settle down."

"Mhm! Xiao Feng is the best—I love you the most~"

"Ahem... Mengli, could you step out for a bit? I’d like to get dressed and move around."

Ye Feng awkwardly gestured to the pants beside him, hinting that she shouldn’t make this harder for him.

"Hmph... We’ve been living together for so long now. Why are you still so shy about these little things?"

"Well, it’s just not proper. Imagine if I were watching while you changed clothes—wouldn’t you feel..."

"I’d love that!"

"Love your head!"

Shen Mengli’s playful reply left Ye Feng at a loss. Finally, he resorted to pinching her soft cheeks between his fingers.

"Mmph... Nngh..."

Under Ye Feng’s relentless teasing, Shen Mengli eventually surrendered, and he finally released her.

"If you’d just admitted your mistake earlier, you wouldn’t have suffered like this. Now that you’ve lost, hurry up and step outside."

"Hmph!"

Rubbing her reddened cheeks, Shen Mengli shot him a glare before stomping out of the room, muttering under her breath.

"Fine, I’ll leave. Xiao Feng just loves bullying me."

"......"

Watching her adorable antics, even Ye Feng couldn’t help but chuckle. Quickly dressing in the clothes laid out by the bed, he carefully stood up.

Having not walked in a while, Ye Feng stumbled slightly but managed to steady himself. Just as he was adjusting to standing, a slender arm looped around his, and he turned to see Shen Mengli—who had just left—now back at his side.

"Mengli? You..."

"I told you to be careful! What if you’d fallen just now? Good thing I secretly—I mean, good thing I noticed in time!"

"Just ‘noticed in time,’ huh?"

"Same difference! The point is, your health is what matters!"

With that, Shen Mengli guided Ye Feng to a wooden chair, poured him a cup of hot water, and handed it to him.

"You’re all I care about, Xiao Feng. You can’t afford to get hurt. As long as you’re safe, nothing else matters."

"I know you mean well, Mengli. Look, I’m already recovering bit by bit."

"But you still shouldn’t push yourself like that! I promised I’d take good care of you."

Moving behind him, Shen Mengli gently rested his head against her stomach.

"From now on, no matter what you do, be careful, okay? I don’t want anything to happen to you. I just want us to be together, safe and sound."

Touched by her concern, Ye Feng nodded solemnly. After finishing the water, he extended a hand to her.

"Then I’ll leave it to you for now, Mengli."

Shen Mengli brightened instantly, gripping his hand tightly.

"Leave it to me!"

......

"Young Mistress, are you sure this is alright?"

Ah Fu watched Xie Yuyan—seated on the sofa in the manor’s hall, sipping coffee—with visible concern, whispering his doubts to Li Mucheng.

"Don’t worry, Ah Fu. Xie Yuyan may still have some shadows in her heart, but she’s sharper than anyone. She knows what’s most important right now and won’t act recklessly."

"Understood..."

Li Mucheng motioned for Ah Fu to withdraw, then walked over and sat across from Xie Yuyan.

"How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"

"I’ve sorted myself out. I’ll adjust soon enough."

Xie Yuyan pursed her lips, setting down her coffee cup before adding a few sugar cubes.

"Good. Yu Xin will be here shortly. Let’s keep any unnecessary conflicts at bay during our discussion, alright? The bigger picture comes first."

"I know. I’ll keep my emotions in check. After all the mistakes I’ve made, I won’t run from them."

"......"