After briefly recounting to Xie Yuyan how she and Ye Feng had first met, Li Mucheng finally managed a faint smile.
However, she naturally left out the part about Ye Feng kidnapping her—though even now, she still had many unanswered questions about it.
For instance, why had Ye Feng kidnapped her in the first place? His motives seemed almost arbitrary, as if he’d done it purely for the sake of it, which left Li Mucheng deeply puzzled.
But after the incident at the cliff, the pieces of Ye Feng’s abduction of her seemed to fall into place in her mind, as if connected by some unseen thread.
Xie Yuyan, observing carefully, caught a fleeting clarity in Li Mucheng’s eyes before it was quickly concealed.
"Xie Yuyan, surely you can trust me now? I genuinely want to work with you to find our teacher. I’ve always believed he’ll be alright!"
"I feel the same way... but I’m terrified. Terrified of facing the truth, terrified that Ye Feng might really be gone forever."
"But don’t we have to face it eventually? You don’t want this shadow hanging over you forever, do you?"
"I hope so... I just don’t know what to do anymore."
Xie Yuyan’s tone was laced with self-reproach. She knew all too well that she was the primary culprit behind the cliff incident. Expecting a victim to forgive the perpetrator? What a cruel joke.
"Ding-dong."
Just as their conversation lapsed into silence, a crisp chime echoed from the manor’s front gate. As the door swung open, Su Yuxin strode in briskly, dressed in athletic wear.
"Mucheng, I went back to the mountains today—"
The moment Su Yuxin reached the sofa, she spotted Xie Yuyan sitting beside her. Instantly, her expression twisted with disgust, her teeth clenched as she glared daggers at Xie Yuxin.
"Xie Yuyan! You’re the one who hurt Brother Ye Feng! How dare you show your face here!"
Hearing Su Yuxin’s furious words, Xie Yuyan bowed her head in remorse. "I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have done what I did."
"Sorry doesn’t change anything! Brother Ye Feng is missing because of you! If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have left us like this!"
"......"
"Yuxin, enough. Arguing won’t solve anything."
Only when Li Mucheng intervened did Su Yuxin let out a cold huff and sit down beside her.
Li Mucheng knew Su Yuxin’s hostility toward Xie Yuyan wouldn’t fade anytime soon. Still, given the gravity of Xie Yuyan’s actions, she chose to step in at the critical moment.
"Alright, since you’re back, Yuxin, tell us what you found today."
"Mm..."
Su Yuxin pursed her lips, first shooting Xie Yuyan a wary glance before casting a questioning look at Li Mucheng.
"It’s fine, Yuxin. Xie Yuyan is on our side now. I believe she’ll work with us to find our teacher."
"Hmph... Who knows if she’ll just use me again like before?"
"Yuxin, right now our focus should be—"
Before Li Mucheng could finish, Xie Yuyan suddenly stood up from the sofa, drawing both Li Mucheng and Su Yuxin’s attention.
"Xie Yuyan, you—"
"I’m sorry!"
Xie Yuyan bowed deeply to Su Yuxin, her light blue eyes calm and unwavering.
"Eh?!"
Su Yuxin was the most startled by this gesture. She never expected the usually arrogant Xie Yuyan to apologize to her. After all, Xie Yuyan had always acted as though no one but Ye Feng mattered to her. This complete reversal left Su Yuxin momentarily speechless.
Thankfully, Li Mucheng reacted quickly, nudging Su Yuxin with her elbow to snap her out of it.
"So, Yuxin? What do you think?"
"Ugh..."
Su Yuxin’s face flushed red. With a huff, she stood up as well, stomping her foot in frustration.
"F-fine! I’ll let it go! Just stop with that cold expression, okay? I... I was just mad you tricked me. If you’re really sorry, then I won’t say anything more."
Hesitantly, Su Yuxin stepped forward and helped Xie Yuyan straighten up. Looking up at the taller girl, she extended her hand.
"Let’s work together to bring Brother Ye Feng back."
Seeing Su Yuxin’s earnestness, Xie Yuyan couldn’t help but smile slightly. For someone who had always been a loner, having two allies—even temporarily—felt surprisingly nice.
"Alright. Thank you for giving me this chance."
"You should thank Mucheng, not me."
Su Yuxin quickly retreated to her seat, and Li Mucheng gave a nod, signaling the start of their first official meeting.
"Ahem..."
As the first to speak, Su Yuxin cleared her throat before addressing the group calmly.
"Today, I checked the woods below the cliff. The river’s current is still strong. Based on the search reports from the past few days, the only viable leads would be in areas where the water flows slower. If Brother Ye Feng lost consciousness in the river, those are the most likely spots to find him."
"That makes sense. I’ll direct the search teams to focus on the calmer stretches you mentioned."
Li Mucheng then turned to Xie Yuyan, who seemed deep in thought.
"Xie Yuyan, do you think we’ve missed anything?"
"......"
Xie Yuyan closed her eyes, weighing the possibilities, before speaking.
"Your approach isn’t wrong, but the efficiency is too low. I suggest splitting into two teams—skip the upstream and position one team at each of the calmer sections downstream. Then, place another team at the river’s endpoint. Have both teams converge toward the middle. That way, we cover more ground without missing anything from the past few days, and we’ll find Ye Feng faster."
Li Mucheng nodded thoughtfully, exchanging a glance with Su Yuxin before assigning the teams accordingly.
It seemed her instincts were right—as long as the three of them worked together, they could find a way forward.
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
