"It's... it's her!"
Just as Su Yuxin uttered these words in shock, Li Mucheng quickly pulled her back, placing a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture. Su Yuxin nodded in realization.
"So, sir, do you know which village she came from? Or which direction she went when she left?"
"I’m not sure about that. But the young lady bought quite a lot—she probably couldn’t carry it far. She must live somewhere nearby."
"Got it! Thank you, sir. We’ll make sure to repay you generously once we find her."
"N-no need! I just wanted to help. I didn’t say this for any reward."
The man waved his hands dismissively, refusing Xie Yuyan’s offer. Little did he know that one day, his village would become a tourist development zone, and his business would flourish—but that’s a story for another time.
After thanking the man, the three quickly left the village. Only when they were back in the car did Li Mucheng turn to Xie Yuyan and ask, "Yuyan, since we’ve confirmed Shen Mengli’s appearance, why are we leaving now?"
Su Yuxin nodded in agreement. "Right! I never expected Shen Mengli to show up here. There’s no way Brother Ye Feng doesn’t have some secret connection with her! And wasn’t she disabled? How could she possibly—"
The thought made Su Yuxin’s anxiety spike. Aside from her, both Li Mucheng and Xie Yuyan had interacted with Ye Feng before. Though Shen Mengli’s current condition was unclear, Su Yuxin felt like a panicked ant on a hot stove, her words stumbling out unevenly.
"None of us saw this coming. Was her wheelchair just an act all along? But how did she end up with our teacher?"
"Let’s not dwell on that for now."
Xie Yuyan’s calm voice cut through the tension, though even her thoughts were disrupted by Shen Mengli’s sudden reappearance. She recalled the day she had gone to the orphanage intending to confront Shen Mengli—only to find her already gone. Even when Ye Feng later searched for her, she remained missing. And now, out of nowhere, she had resurfaced. It was beyond unexpected.
"What we need now is to organize the information we have. We can’t let sudden developments throw us off balance."
Xie Yuyan continued, "Mucheng, arrange for people to discreetly monitor the village. If Shen Mengli appears again, notify us immediately."
"Got it!"
"Yuxin, can you book us lodging as close to the mountains as possible? We need a base where we can move quickly if needed."
"Consider it done."
Watching the other two spring into action, Xie Yuyan finally regained her composure. Yet Shen Mengli’s face kept flashing in her mind, fueling her growing irritation.
Why… Ye Feng, why are you with Shen Mengli? Was everything you did for her sake? Or was this all part of some prearranged plan?
For that woman, you’d sacrifice everything—even fake your own death to escape us?
Just… why?
Once the others had finished their tasks, Xie Yuyan turned to them.
"Mucheng, Yuxin, how much do you really know about Shen Mengli?"
"Shen Mengli? Hmm… not much. I barely interacted with her. It was like she deliberately avoided us. The few times we met, she outright said her feelings for Ye Feng were impossible—that her disability meant she could never have happiness."
"But now she’s standing on her own!"
Su Yuxin pouted angrily, her initial worry for Ye Feng now morphing into resentment toward Shen Mengli.
"That witch! She’s been secretly building a relationship with Brother Ye Feng behind my back! Just thinking about her smug face makes me furious!"
"Calm down, Yuxin. What’s done is done. But remember, our main goal isn’t to fight Shen Mengli—it’s to bring our teacher back!"
"Mucheng, you say that, but… do you really think he’ll come back to us now?"
Su Yuxin lowered her head dejectedly.
"Whether or not she faked her condition, Brother Ye Feng is clearly on her side. She’s probably poisoned his mind against us already."
"There’s nothing we can do about that. We’re the ones who disappointed him first."
Li Mucheng forced a bitter smile but quickly steeled herself.
"It’s fine. We just need to stay focused. We’re not here to argue with Shen Mengli or hurt our teacher again. We’re here to turn his disappointment into forgiveness—that’s all."
"Right! We’ll make Brother Ye Feng forgive us!"
"Then it seems we need another meeting. And this one will likely be our last."
Xie Yuyan spoke without emotion, as if untouched by everything unfolding around her.
"Let’s discuss further once we’re settled near the mountains."
......
"Gulp…"
After taking a big sip of corn soup, Ye Feng glanced at Shen Mengli, who sat motionless, propping her chin on one hand as she stared into her bowl.
"Mengli, what’s wrong? Not hungry?"
"Hungry…"
Shen Mengli murmured, glancing at him before biting her dry lips.
"Xiao Feng, I don’t know why, but I feel uneasy."
"What’s bothering you?"
Ye Feng set his bowl down and immediately moved to her side.
"Are you feeling unwell? I’ll be more careful next time."
"No… Xiao Feng, it’s not your fault. I don’t want you to hold back."
Pouting, Shen Mengli stretched out her arms like a kitten begging for affection.
"Hug~"
"Alright, alright."
With a fond chuckle, Ye Feng scooped her up from her seat and settled her onto his lap.
"Now, tell me—what’s troubling my Mengli?"
"Hmm…"
Clutching his arm, Shen Mengli confessed her unease.
"Xiao Feng, my heart feels empty somehow. Like… you’re going to disappear from my side."
Disappear? Is she still hung up on what I mentioned last night? I shouldn’t have brought it up—now it’s weighing on her.
"You’re overthinking it, Mengli. How could I disappear? I’m right here with you every day, aren’t I?"
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.
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!
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."
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
