There's Still a Chance

"Creak."

The heavy sound of the manor gate echoed, followed by a petite figure rushing inside.

"Tap, tap, tap."

After receiving Li Mucheng's call, Su Yuxin didn’t even bother changing out of her pajamas. She dashed out of her house wearing a rabbit onesie, startling Su Wanli so much that he thought a burglar had broken in.

By the time Su Yuxin reached the hall, she saw Xie Yuyan and Li Mucheng sitting side by side on the sofa, their faces dark as storm clouds.

"Wh-what’s wrong? Mucheng, why did you call me here so late? Did something happen? Could it be… Ye Feng?"

Su Yuxin couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence, but a wave of sorrow crashed over her heart.

"No, Yuxin. The teacher is still alive," Li Mucheng stood up from the sofa and pulled Su Yuxin down to sit beside her.

"What?! Ye Feng is alive?!"

Su Yuxin hadn’t expected this news. In an instant, her grief turned to exhilaration, and she grabbed Li Mucheng’s arm tightly.

"Then let’s go find him! We’ll apologize—I’m sure he’ll forgive us!"

"Yuxin, it’s not that simple," Li Mucheng sighed. "This time, his disappearance wasn’t accidental. He left us on purpose."

"Huh? On purpose? How… how is that possible? Ye Feng would never abandon us! He even saved Xie Yuyan before!"

"Su Yuxin, look at this. Then you’ll understand."

Xie Yuyan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. She pulled out a carefully preserved handkerchief from her embrace and laid it flat on the coffee table.

"Th-this is…?"

Seeing Xie Yuyan’s solemn expression, Su Yuxin’s racing heart stilled. After hesitating for a moment, she unfolded the handkerchief.

Inside was a bullet casing, its edges stained with traces of dried blood.

"A bullet? Is this… the one from Ye Feng’s body?!"

Su Yuxin’s eyes widened in realization, and she turned to Xie Yuyan for confirmation.

"Yes."

Xie Yuyan gave a slight nod before continuing, "When I found this, I already had my suspicions. Ye Feng must have used some kind of recovery item to survive. And his decision to fall into the river… it was all planned."

"How could this be…?"

Su Yuxin stared at the bullet casing in disbelief, her breathing growing ragged.

"Does this mean… Ye Feng doesn’t want us anymore?"

"No… no way… He wouldn’t do that!"

"There must be a reason, right, Mucheng? Ye Feng would never abandon us!"

Li Mucheng pressed her lips together before pulling Su Yuxin into a hug.

"Yuxin, please calm down. At least we know he’s alive—that’s what matters most right now."

"But… but if Ye Feng doesn’t want me… doesn’t want us anymore…"

The thought of the person she longed for choosing to leave her sent a wave of despair crashing through her heart.

"Wah… I don’t want to lose Ye Feng… I can’t!"

"Yuxin, breaking down won’t solve anything."

Li Mucheng gently patted her back, though her tone sharpened.

"Right now, the teacher is still alive. That means we still have a chance. If we find him and apologize sincerely, I believe he’ll forgive us."

"St-still a chance…"

"Yes, still a chance!"

......

"Xiao Feng, about that ‘system’ you mentioned before… does it ever force you to do things?"

Dinner had just ended when Shen Mengli set down the chopsticks Ye Feng had handed her. She rose from her chair and slowly walked over to him before, to his surprise, settling onto his lap.

"Mengli, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"I just felt like asking."

Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, Ye Feng knew she wouldn’t eat another bite unless he answered properly. To keep her steady, he wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "It does force me sometimes, but not often. These days, it doesn’t assign tasks anymore, though there are still some important things left unfinished."

"Important things? Like what?"

"Even if I say they’re important, at this point, they don’t really matter anymore. Mengli, you could say it’s about my connection with all of you."

"Connection?"

Shen Mengli tilted her head, not quite understanding. Yet the way her fingers tightened on his shirt betrayed how much this topic weighed on her.

"Right. The system required me to form deep bonds with each of you. That’s why I had to move between you all the time."

Ye Feng let out a heavy sigh, his eyes clouded with an indescribable melancholy.

"But while interacting with you—with all of you—I always tried to make up for intruding on your lives. Yet somehow, it only made your obsession with me grow stronger. Eventually, I realized something crucial: my system panel has a ‘charm’ skill. I started wondering if that was the reason you all became like this."

Suddenly, Shen Mengli cupped his face in her small hands, her crimson eyes locking onto his as she whispered,

"Xiao Feng, haven’t you realized? Your so-called ‘charm’ comes from who you are inside."

"My… inside?"

"I remember what the headmistress told me. She said the way you treat others with kindness—that’s the real reason our feelings became so twisted. It’s because of the warmth you brought into our lives that we found something to hope for in this world. That’s why we’d do anything to keep you."

"But… how? Before I came into your lives, you were all—"

"—just waiting for something more."

Shen Mengli finished his sentence, pressing her nose lightly against his.

"Am I wrong? Think about it, Xiao Feng. Compare the before and after. The moment you stepped into our lives, everything changed."

"......"