We Need to Talk Again

"What's going on?"

Xie Yuyan and Li Mucheng arrived swiftly at the location Su Yuxin had mentioned. When the two reached the riverbank, they saw Su Yuxin kneeling on the ground, her usual composure completely abandoned as she clutched something tightly in her arms.

"Yuxin?"

Li Mucheng and Xie Yuyan exchanged glances before hurrying to Su Yuxin's side. The moment Li Mucheng saw Su Yuxin's swollen eyes and grief-stricken face, her heart clenched. Just earlier, Su Yuxin had been brimming with confidence—now, she looked like a completely different person. A foreboding sense of dread crept into Li Mucheng's chest.

Hearing her name, Su Yuxin slowly lifted her head. Only after recognizing Xie Yuyan and Li Mucheng did she reveal what she had been holding.

Li Mucheng had intended to help Su Yuxin up from the ground, but the moment she saw what Su Yuxin was holding, her pupils dilated in shock. Trembling, she took the bloodstained garment into her hands.

Beside her, Xie Yuyan's delicate brows furrowed, her fingers digging so hard into her palms they turned white.

"This... this is... Ye Feng's clothes."

Li Mucheng's breathing grew ragged at the sight of Ye Feng's garment, as if it were a grim confirmation of his fate. A crushing sense of helplessness spread through her body—all her efforts had vanished like bubbles, leaving nothing behind.

"Why... why is this happening? After everything I did... why couldn't I bring him back? Why...?"

Ignoring the blood and the metallic stench clinging to the fabric, Li Mucheng pulled Ye Feng's coat tightly against her chest, as if holding onto it could somehow steady her.

But deep down, she knew this was just her desperate attempt to feel his lingering presence in this world.

For Su Yuxin and Li Mucheng, the sight of Ye Feng's clothes was the final straw. In their hearts, they believed he was gone forever—that the man who had once treated them with such tenderness would never return.

"No... this can't be... it can't end like this."

Xie Yuyan murmured under her breath, her pale blue eyes fixed on the garment in Li Mucheng's arms.

The despair radiating from Su Yuxin and Li Mucheng pulled her into their shared grief, yet something in her refused to accept this outcome. She couldn't shake the feeling that, from the very beginning, an unseen force had been manipulating them—leading them down a path they now believed was inevitable.

No... there had to be a clue she was missing.

With that thought, Xie Yuyan stepped in front of Li Mucheng and held out her hand. It was clear she wanted Li Mucheng to hand over Ye Feng's clothes.

Fighting back tears, Li Mucheng hesitated—but when she saw the determination mixed with sorrow in Xie Yuyan's gaze, she relented.

Taking the garment, Xie Yuyan immediately inspected the damage. The bullet holes and slashes matched perfectly—this was undeniably Ye Feng's.

"It's real."

At Xie Yuyan's confirmation, the last flicker of hope in Li Mucheng's eyes died. This was proof that Ye Feng was truly gone—or worse, that if he did return, it would be in the worst possible way.

"Ugh..."

Su Yuxin, unable to hold back any longer, broke down into loud sobs. Li Mucheng wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and gently patting her back.

Strangely, the resentment Li Mucheng had once felt toward Su Yuxin had now transformed into pity—a shared sorrow between two kindred souls.

"Li Mucheng."

Just as Li Mucheng was about to help Su Yuxin up, Xie Yuyan spoke again.

"Wh-what is it?"

"Don't you think this is strange?"

"Strange? You mean the clothes?"

"Not just the clothes."

Xie Yuyan handed Ye Feng's garment to the still-weeping Su Yuxin, who muttered a tearful "thank you" before clutching it tightly. For now, letting her hold onto it seemed the only way to calm her.

"Li Mucheng, we need to talk."

"Talk? But we already discussed everything before..."

"This time is different. I'll tell you everything I know about Ye Feng—including what happened at the cliff."

A heavy silence fell.

At Xie Yuyan's words, the other two stiffened, then nodded in unison. Each of them had been keeping secrets about Ye Feng, hiding them for their own selfish reasons. But now that Xie Yuyan was stepping forward, they could no longer hold back.

"Let's go back for now. We'll leave the upstream search to the rescue team—I'll notify Ah Fu right away."

......

When Ye Feng slowly opened his eyes, he realized he had somehow fallen asleep.

"I... what happened?"

As he tried to sit up and recall the events before he lost consciousness, he noticed Shen Mengli lying beside him—her eyes brimming with tears.

"Meng... Mengli?"

Seeing her trembling lashes and the way her pupils shook, Ye Feng finally remembered what he had done to her before passing out.

Shen Mengli's teasing had been like fuel to the fire, igniting something deep within him. In the heat of the moment, he had lost all control, mercilessly ravaging her delicate form until exhaustion finally dragged him into slumber.

Even now, the warmth of her body lingered against his arm, and the most damning evidence lay scattered at the bedside—their discarded "battle attire."

This was bad...

"I... I'm sorry, Mengli. I swear, I didn’t mean to—"

"Ye Feng, are you joking?"

Shen Mengli's voice was weak, her ears still flushed red. Her body was utterly drained—proof of just how ruthless Ye Feng had been.

"You're a monster, Ye Feng... a heartless, devouring monster!"