To the Village

Under Li Mucheng's notice, Su Yuxin also arrived at the manor as quickly as possible, and the two of them boarded the car heading to the village together.

"Mu... Mucheng..."

On the way to the village, the usually restless Su Yuxin suddenly grew quiet, her hands lightly resting on her thighs, fidgeting nervously.

"You... Do you think if we really see Brother Ye Feng, he’ll actually forgive us?"

"Of course not."

Li Mucheng replied calmly, as if she had already settled the matter in her heart.

"H-how could that be?!"

Su Yuxin clearly hadn’t expected Li Mucheng to answer so decisively, and the hope in her heart shattered instantly.

"Then... what should we do...?"

"Yuxin, you’re already thinking too far ahead. Right now, we should focus on the present."

As she spoke, Li Mucheng took one of Su Yuxin’s hands in hers. She didn’t know why, but after spending time with Ye Feng, her heart had unexpectedly opened up. Even the rivalry she once felt now seemed like a foolish thing in hindsight.

During the time she was fighting for Ye Feng’s affection, Li Mucheng had always prioritized her own feelings. She desperately wanted to have Ye Feng to fill the void of security in her heart—perhaps she believed that as long as she had him, everything else would naturally fall into place.

But she had forgotten one thing: Ye Feng, though gentle and considerate toward her, was also a living, breathing person!

In her selfish pursuit, she had completely ignored Ye Feng’s feelings, forcing her obsessive love onto him. This had deeply hurt the very person who had once treated her with such tenderness—something Li Mucheng only realized in hindsight. Now, not only did she need to prove to Ye Feng that she had changed, but she also had to ensure those around her shared the same mindset. Only then would Ye Feng believe in her again.

"It’ll take our combined efforts to make him accept us again. So right now, there’s no need to think so far ahead. Our goal is to find him first, understand?"

"O-okay... I understand. I’m just a little scared, that’s all."

"Making mistakes isn’t the problem. What’s truly frightening is lacking the courage to apologize, got it? We know his personality better than anyone. As long as we sincerely prove that we’ve changed, I believe he’ll forgive us."

"Mm!"

Su Yuxin nodded firmly, her twin pigtails bouncing cheerfully.

"Then when we find him, I’ll stick to Brother Ye Feng like glue! I’ll never cause him trouble again!"

"Good..."

As time passed, the car finally arrived at a small village nestled along the mountain road.

Since very few outsiders visited the village, and most traffic consisted of locals coming and going, the road conditions were terrible. Even the usually skilled driver was sweating profusely by the time they reached their destination.

The moment they stepped out of the car, they spotted Xie Yuyan standing at the village entrance, accompanied by an elderly man with white hair and a cane.

"Yuyan!"

The instant Su Yuxin saw Xie Yuyan, she excitedly waved at her. Xie Yuyan raised her hand slightly in response but, remembering her usual reserved demeanor, quickly lowered it again.

"You’re here."

Xie Yuyan gave a slight nod to the two latecomers before shifting her gaze to the elderly man beside her.

"This is the village chief. He said he’d help us."

"Greetings, guests. I’m the chief of this village. This young lady has already explained her purpose for coming. We’ll do our best to assist you—after all, it concerns a lost family member of yours."

"Lost...?"

"Family member?"

Su Yuxin and Li Mucheng murmured in unison, confused until they caught Xie Yuyan’s meaningful glance and immediately understood.

"Y-yes! Thank you, Grandpa Chief!"

"Don’t worry, I know these mountains like the back of my hand. If there’s any information you need, I can probably answer most of it."

"Really?! Grandpa Chief, you’re amazing!"

Su Yuxin’s sugar-coated praise made the old chief’s mustache curl upward in delight.

"Please, come inside, guests. It’s rare for unfamiliar faces to visit our village."

Following the chief’s lead, the three arrived at a sunlit courtyard. Along the way, the middle-aged and elderly villagers greeted them with warm smiles, the rustic charm of rural life enveloping them.

"Wow... This kind of life is so peaceful. It’s completely different from the city!"

Su Yuxin blinked her lively eyes. As a city-born young lady, she had never seen so many novel things before. To further ease the chief’s guard, she made sure to maintain her innocent, adorable demeanor.

"Alright, please take a seat and rest for a while. This old man will go inside and brew some tea."

"No need, Chief!"

Seeing the chief about to head inside, Li Mucheng quickly stopped him and explained,

"We truly appreciate your kindness, but we’re very anxious to find our family member. Could you please help us right away?"

"I see... Understood."

The chief nodded and settled onto a wooden chair.

"Can you describe what this person looks like?"

Finally, the meticulous Xie Yuyan provided a detailed description of Ye Feng’s appearance. However, the chief frowned and shook his head.

"I’m sorry, young ladies, but I haven’t seen anyone matching that description."

"N-not at all?!"

The three of them exchanged bewildered glances. Could it be that the outsider who had come to the village wasn’t Ye Feng after all?

"H-how could this be... Maybe it wasn’t Brother Ye Feng?"

Su Yuxin’s mood plummeted like a rollercoaster, her face paling.

"No... There must be more to this! We can’t overlook any clues!"

Xie Yuyan said sternly before bringing up the butcher shop owner.

"Chief, does the butcher who sells meat in your village live here?"

"Oh? Are you referring to Erniu? That boy has always sold fresh meat in our village. He should be on his way back by now."

"Yes, we have some questions for this Erniu. Would you allow us to speak with him?"

"Of course! Whatever helps you, we’re happy to do."

The chief’s kind smile remained unchanged.

Moved by the chief’s sincerity, the three couldn’t help but feel grateful.

"Thank you, Chief! (Thank you, Grandpa Chief!)"