The Second Meeting

Hearing Shen Mengli's words, Ye Feng clearly understood what she wanted.

"Mengli, I can help you with this, but wouldn't it be inappropriate to do it now? After all, you're still lying in bed—your health should come first."

"It's... it's fine..."

Shen Mengli nodded earnestly, using her arms to shift herself on the bed, quickly clearing a small area. Soon, a faint blush appeared on the bedsheet.

"Ahem..."

Ye Feng blinked rapidly, trying to mask his flustered state. To quickly fulfill Shen Mengli's request, he wasted no time in picking up the sewing scissors, giving her a slight nod before carefully cutting out the proof from the bedsheet.

"Thank you, Xiao Feng. Could you please keep it safe for me? I feel like this is the most meaningful moment of my entire life."

"Of course."

Ye Feng didn’t feel uncomfortable about the bedsheet—he understood exactly what Shen Mengli was thinking.

After tidying up, Ye Feng carefully wrapped the keepsake and placed it in the bedside drawer, while Shen Mengli silently watched everything unfold.

"Xiao Feng... don’t you find it disgusting?"

"Disgusting? Disgusting how?"

"This kind of... unclean thing... Ugh!"

Before Shen Mengli could finish, Ye Feng flicked her forehead lightly.

"Mengli, don’t say things like that. This isn’t anything unclean. If you keep overthinking, I’ll flick your head again, got it?"

"Hehe~"

Shen Mengli giggled foolishly before tears of emotion welled up in her eyes. Startled, Ye Feng quickly sat by the bed and took her outstretched hand.

"Xiao Feng... I’m really... so happy."

"Happiness should be a good thing, Mengli. Don’t cry. Shouldn’t we be celebrating something so wonderful?"

"I... I know, but I just can’t help it."

Under Ye Feng’s gentle reassurance, Shen Mengli eventually drifted into sleep. The exhaustion from earlier had left her mentally drained, and now that the excitement had faded, drowsiness took over.

Wanting to make amends, Ye Feng headed to the kitchen to prepare a nourishing meal for Shen Mengli, hoping to help her recover.

......

The three of them sat on the sofa as usual, but the atmosphere this time was far more solemn.

"Since I was the one who brought this up, I’ll go first."

Xie Yuyan spoke with a despondent expression.

"I originally intended to keep Ye Feng’s secret buried forever, but now that things have gone this far, there’s no turning back. I’ll tell you everything I know. You might find it absurd, or even doubt my words, but I swear everything I say is the truth."

After taking a sip of coffee, Xie Yuyan began recounting everything she knew about Ye Feng.

"The day I met Ye Feng, I was being chased by a group of people. He appeared out of nowhere, as if he had expected it all along. And then... he forcibly took me back to his room."

"Took you?"

"Took you?!"

Before Xie Yuyan could finish, Su Yuxin and Li Mucheng exclaimed in unison. The three of them exchanged glances, as if they all had some understanding of the word "took."

"It seems today’s discussion will uncover quite a few shocking things."

A flicker of suspicion crossed Xie Yuyan’s eyes—apparently, she wasn’t the only one who had experienced something like this.

"Xie Yuyan, go on..."

Li Mucheng held back Su Yuxin, who seemed eager to speak, with a glance that told her to stay silent.

"Alright. After that, Ye Feng and I lived together. Then, on the day Li Mucheng was captured, I saw Ye Feng fighting mercenaries in the manor. Just when things looked dire, a pill suddenly appeared in his hand. After swallowing it, not only did his wounds heal, but he also did things no ordinary person could."

"Such a thing really happened..."

"Yes. That was when I decided to investigate Ye Feng. But everything escalated too quickly, and I lost my rationality, leading to the mess we’re in now."

Xie Yuyan let out a self-deprecating laugh, her once-bright eyes now clouded with memories of Ye Feng.

"So, I assumed the incident at the cliff was also something Ye Feng had prepared for. But I never expected..."

"That’s enough, Xie Yuyan. You’ve already done well by telling us this much."

Li Mucheng gently placed a hand over Xie Yuyan’s, trying to comfort her.

"Actually, I was also ‘taken’ by Teacher back then. Yuxin must know about it too. And the mask you took that day was also left behind by him."

"But the way Teacher acted that day felt... purely intentional, as if he took me specifically for that purpose. Do you two feel the same?"

Li Mucheng voiced her thoughts, as if reliving the events vividly.

"Right... Brother Ye Feng also took me once. But when I talked to him, his reason was simply that he came to take me. Nothing more."

Su Yuxin, unable to hold back any longer, spoke up, her hands resting lightly on her knees as she lowered her head.

"And at that time, Brother Ye Feng didn’t seem well. He gave off a feeling of being on the verge of collapse."

"On the verge of collapse?"

Xie Yuyan caught onto Su Yuxin’s words, turning her gaze toward her.

"Su Yuxin, could you elaborate on what exactly happened that day?"

"Okay..."

Su Yuxin didn’t hesitate—she knew this conversation was crucial to finding Ye Feng. She recounted everything that had happened between them that day.

"After that incident, Brother Ye Feng vaguely mentioned many things to me. From his words, I could sense his exhaustion and helplessness."

"......"

After Su Yuxin finished speaking, Li Mucheng’s mind began piecing together clearer clues. Just as she was about to ask Xie Yuyan for her thoughts, she noticed Xie Yuyan suddenly stand up from the sofa. After pacing back and forth a few times, Xie Yuyan abruptly raised her head.

"I think I have a vague direction now. Based on your experiences, let’s see if my theory makes sense."

"Alright."

The two responded in unison. Unconsciously, the three of them had begun developing a strange sense of tacit understanding.

......

"Mmph!!"

Seeing Shen Mengli mumbling with her mouth full, Ye Feng frowned and shot her a displeased look.

"Mengli, finish your food before speaking. Otherwise, you might choke."

"Mmm..."

Shen Mengli nodded pitifully, then picked up another half-ear of corn and placed it in her bowl.

It seemed that after the earlier warm-up, even Shen Mengli, who usually had a bird-like appetite, was starving.