"Mengli?"
Ye Feng gently patted Shen Mengli's back as she lay quietly in his arms.
"Mmm..."
Shen Mengli lazily nuzzled against Ye Feng's chest, reluctant to move, the blush on her cheeks still lingering. It was obvious what had just transpired between them.
"Xiao Feng."
"What is it, Mengli? Do you want to rest? I can carry you back to bed."
"No."
Shen Mengli whispered weakly into Ye Feng's ear.
"I just... wanted to tell you something."
"What is it that’s so mysterious?"
Ye Feng glanced at her curiously, only to find her soft eyes brimming with affection.
"I... I just wanted to say..."
Her ears flushed red as she shyly blinked, her long lashes shimmering faintly.
"I love you so much ♡"
"......"
Hearing the honeyed tone that could melt his very bones, Ye Feng took a deep breath.
"Mengli, do you know how badly this kind of talk shakes my resolve?"
Shen Mengli giggled in response, even blowing a teasing breath into his ear.
"That just means my purpose is to shake your resolve, Xiao Feng~"
"Cough..."
Seeing how utterly unrepentant she was, Ye Feng abandoned any thought of reasoning with her.
"Mengli, are you trying to make life difficult for me? How dare you provoke me like this!"
"Don’t be mad, Xiao Feng. Of course I want to live happily with you."
"Then rest properly! And take your hands out of my clothes!"
"Ehehe, you caught me~"
After another bout of affectionate teasing, Shen Mengli suddenly cupped Ye Feng’s face in her hands. Locking eyes with him, she spoke earnestly, "Xiao Feng, I don’t want to lose you again."
"You won’t. Didn’t I promise I’d always stay by your side? How could you lose me?"
"But... but..."
She bit her rosy lips, hesitating as if struggling to find the right words.
Though she was happy with Ye Feng, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something from her. No matter how subtly she probed, he always deflected the topic, unwilling to share.
Given her painful past, Shen Mengli had almost no sense of security—except when she was with Ye Feng. Yet now, this unspoken secret gnawed at her heart like an unsolvable knot. She could bear it no longer and mustered the courage to confront him, knowing that silence would only deepen the rift.
"But I want to know everything about you! I can’t stand seeing you look so troubled anymore!"
Clutching his collar desperately, she seemed terrified he might vanish.
"Mengli..."
Ye Feng remained silent for a long moment, simply holding her tight before finally speaking, each word deliberate.
"What if I told you... our meeting was arranged on purpose? How would you feel?"
"Arranged?"
The question caught Shen Mengli off guard, but she quickly realized this might be the key to the secrets he’d been keeping.
"Yes. As if no matter what, we were destined to meet—but the initiative was always mine."
Supporting her slender waist to keep her from slipping, Ye Feng’s gaze burned with resolve.
If he had chosen to spend his remaining time living as he wished, did that mean he could finally reveal the truth? But would she think he had been using her?
Torn between honesty and secrecy, Ye Feng chose the former. Shen Mengli deserved to know, even if it sounded unbelievable. The so-called "system" and "missions" no longer mattered to him—he was done with them.
"Xiao Feng, I might need time to understand. Can you explain it slowly? But don’t worry!"
Suddenly, she looped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to press a soft kiss to his lips.
"Mwah~"
"I want to hear everything while lying in your arms. Because no matter what happens, I’ll stay by your side."
"Mengli..."
Her words made his nose sting with emotion. Nodding slightly, he replied in a hoarse voice,
"Okay."
"Mm!"
......
"Beep beep."
Hearing her phone ring, Li Mucheng immediately answered. Su Yuxin’s voice came through.
"Mucheng, I’ve got an update from the search team along the riverbank. They found no trace of Ye Feng—no signs of him, no wild animals, not even footprints."
"Nothing...?"
"Right. Should I have them search again?"
"No need, Yuxin. If they found nothing, another sweep won’t help. I’ll ask Xie Yuyan—maybe she has ideas."
"Alright. Keep me posted. I know Ye Feng will be fine!"
"Okay."
After hanging up, Li Mucheng hurried to Xie Yuyan’s room. A brief knock later, the door opened to reveal Xie Yuyan’s face.
"What is it, Li... Mucheng? Any news?"
"Yes. Yuxin said..."
After relaying Su Yuxin’s report word for word, Xie Yuyan’s expression turned grave.
"Something’s wrong. I think I should investigate personally."
"Now? But it’s almost sunset. Shouldn’t we go together tomorrow?"
"No, time is critical. I’ll go alone. If even the search teams found nothing, I might return empty-handed too. This is just for my own peace of mind."
"But... I’m worried something might happen to you."
Xie Yuyan gave her a surprised look, then—uncharacteristically—smiled.
"Thank you, Mucheng. I appreciate the concern. I’ll contact you if anything comes up. And..."
"I will definitely bring Ye Feng back! Believe me!"
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.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
