The Familiar Formula

"So~~ that's~~ why!"

Shen Mengli stroked Ye Feng's cheek and smiled with her eyes narrowed.

"The so-called system mission was just an opportunity for you to meet us. But the real reason we developed feelings for you lies in how you treated us."

"Mengli... I..."

"Alright, Xiao Feng, let's hurry up and get ready for dinner. Talking for so long has made me hungry."

"Okay..."

Seeing that Shen Mengli didn’t want to bring up the matter of the system inside him again, Ye Feng also kept silent. But after hearing her words, his perspective on the system—and even his own heart—had subtly shifted.

"Huh?"

Just as Ye Feng turned his attention to the dining table, he noticed Shen Mengli picking up his bowl and chopsticks instead. The action caught him off guard, and he quickly reminded her.

"Mengli, those are my..."

"I know."

Shen Mengli answered first.

"If you know, then why..."

"I’m helping you serve food! Don’t think I haven’t noticed—you always save the best dishes for me! If you don’t eat properly, I won’t either!"

With that, she picked up a piece of spare ribs they had bought from the village and placed it into Ye Feng’s bowl. Then, she hopped off his lap and handed the bowl to him.

"Alright, you have to finish every last bite, got it?"

"Got it."

Ye Feng took the bowl with a smile and gave her a grateful look.

"Mengli, you should eat too. After talking for so long, the food might be getting cold."

"Mhm!"

......

"Right now, the only information we have is that our teacher is still alive. We know nothing about his current location or living conditions. But at least we can confirm he’s somewhere in these mountains."

Li Mucheng unfolded a topographic map and spread it across the tea table, pointing to a specific area.

"The spot I’m pointing at is where Yuyan found the bullet casing. So my suggestion is to search outward in a circular pattern from this point. What do you all think?"

"I... I think your idea is great, Mucheng! Even though the search area will expand as we move outward, it’s the best approach we have right now."

Having steadied her emotions, Su Yuxin knew she wasn’t as skilled as the other two when it came to strategizing, so she did her best to contribute.

"If needed... I could ask my father to lease this entire mountain area and have every single tree cut down. That way, we might be able to find Brother Ye Feng."

"Su Yuxin, that’s way too extreme. And it might make Ye Feng resent us even more."

Xie Yuyan immediately shook her head to reject the suggestion. Just as she was about to propose her own plan, she caught sight of Su Yuxin lowering her head dejectedly, as if blaming herself for not being able to help in the search for Ye Feng.

The old Xie Yuyan would’ve ignored her without a second thought. But for some reason, she found herself adding, "Yuxin, I understand your intentions. But remember, Ye Feng’s current emotional state means he doesn’t want to see us. Doing this would only address the symptom, not the root cause. Our ultimate goal is to earn his forgiveness, understand?"

"Mm..."

Su Yuxin hadn’t expected Xie Yuyan—someone usually so aloof—to comfort her. The surprise momentarily made her forget her sadness, and she widened her eyes in astonishment.

"I... I just don’t want our teamwork to fall apart."

Feeling Su Yuxin’s gaze on her, Xie Yuyan desperately tried to explain her words. But no matter how she phrased it, her reasoning sounded weak.

"Pfft..."

Seeing Xie Yuyan’s flustered state, Su Yuxin couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh.

"Thank you, Yuyan. Can I call you that?"

"......"

For some reason, when Xie Yuyan saw Su Yuxin’s smile, the corners of her own lips curled up slightly.

"Y-Yeah, sure."

Clearing her throat in embarrassment, Xie Yuyan forcefully redirected her attention to the map, completely unaware of the warmth and amusement in Li Mucheng’s eyes as she watched them.

"Ahem. Now, let’s take a closer look at the topographic map Mucheng brought. First, while Mucheng’s approach to searching for Ye Feng is logical, it’s too slow and risks alerting him prematurely."

"Then what should we do?"

Su Yuxin asked eagerly, as if she could already see the answer in Xie Yuyan’s demeanor.

"Ye Feng is human, which means he has basic needs—like three meals a day!"

"Three meals a day..."

Following Xie Yuyan’s hint, Su Yuxin immediately made the connection.

"Brother Ye Feng needs to find food too, so we should focus on places where food is available—like farmlands, vegetable gardens, or small towns. That’s where we might find clues!"

"Yuxin, you’re quite sharp. You caught on fast."

Xie Yuyan gave her an approving glance before tapping the map.

"According to this, the left side of the river is all rocky mountains—completely uninhabitable. So we’ll focus on the right side and investigate the areas Yuxin mentioned. Eventually, we’ll find what we’re looking for."

"I understand. I’ll arrange for people right away."

"Me too! I’ll help as well!"

Li Mucheng and Su Yuxin responded one after another.

"Good. Then I’ll leave that to you two. Meanwhile, I’ll personally search areas with signs of life. We’ll keep each other updated. Our goal is the same—to bring Ye Feng back."

......

"Achoo!"

Ye Feng rubbed his nose and glanced out the window at the night sky, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

"Xiao Feng, are you okay? Are you cold?"

Shen Mengli, who had just finished washing the dishes, walked in and looked at him worriedly. She then rushed over and threw herself into his arms, trying to gauge his temperature through the embrace.

"I’m fine, Mengli. Just a random sneeze."

Ye Feng chuckled and patted her head.

"You should worry about yourself more. I’m as sturdy as they come."

"Tch... Xiao Feng, always acting tough."

"Mengli, you’ve gotten bold, talking to me like that?"

Hearing her teasing tone, Ye Feng flicked her forehead with a familiar light snap.

"Eep~"

Same move, same reaction.