South-to-North Water Diversion

"Xiao Feng, that's not what I meant..."

Shen Mengli leaned against Ye Feng's shoulder, finding solace only after inhaling his familiar scent.

"I don't know why, but I can't shake this worry. It feels like this happiness might just... disappear."

"You're overthinking it, Mengli. Everything’s going well, isn’t it?"

Ye Feng comforted her, though he couldn’t understand why she’d been so unsettled lately. Perhaps the emptiness of the mountain woods was getting to her.

"Mengli."

Ye Feng picked up her bowl and gently brought it to her lips.

"You have to eat breakfast, even if you’re not hungry. Understand?"

Shen Mengli didn’t protest—how could she, when Ye Feng was feeding her himself? Even without an appetite, she’d drink every last drop.

"Okay, but I want Xiao Feng to feed me~"

Ye Feng indulged her childish whim, assuming it was just one of her playful moods.

"Haa..."

After testing the temperature of the corn soup, he carefully tilted the bowl toward her mouth.

"It’s just right. Drink it while it’s warm."

"Mmm~ Thank you, Xiao Feng~"

Under his care, Shen Mengli finally smiled, taking small, delicate sips.

"How’s the taste?"

"Mmm..."

After swallowing a mouthful, she nodded emphatically.

"It’s delicious! The sweetness of the corn and the rich broth are so comforting."

"Good. As long as you’re eating, that’s what matters."

"But Xiao Feng, I think this soup is missing something..."

Just as Ye Feng was about to hand her the bowl, Shen Mengli’s sudden remark caught him off guard.

"Missing something? That can’t be. I added salt and MSG."

"It’s true! If you don’t believe me, try it yourself~"

Skeptical but curious, Ye Feng turned to reach for his own bowl—only for a small hand to seize his chin. Before he could react, warm lips pressed against his.

"Me—Mm?!"

Shen Mengli, cheeks flushed, turned her face away and murmured,

"Now it tastes just right."

Her bold move left Ye Feng stunned, cheeks puffed in protest. With no other choice, he swallowed the soup in his mouth.

Thump!

A familiar sound echoed as Ye Feng flicked Shen Mengli’s forehead, restoring quiet to the wooden cabin.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

Ye Feng’s tone was stern as Shen Mengli buried her face in his chest.

"Wuu... I just wanted a kiss from Xiao Feng..."

"Don’t try that trick on me! I’m not falling for it. Finish your soup right now!"

With that, he lifted her and placed her back in her seat before returning to his own breakfast.

"Xiao Feng is so heartless! You said you loved me this morning, and now you’re a cold, unfeeling man!"

"Mengli, that’s quite the leap..."

Ye Feng’s expression darkened as he stuffed a piece of corn into her mouth.

"Can’t even keep your mouth shut while eating, huh?"

"Mmm..."

......

"After today’s events, Mucheng and Yuxin, I’m sure you both understand. We now know for certain that Ye Feng is alive—but Shen Mengli is hiding him."

"That witch... I never thought it’d be her!"

Su Yuxin gritted her teeth, seething with anger.

"She’s been scheming all along, doing something so despicable! How shameless!"

"Yuxin, I get how you feel, but we can’t let Shen Mengli cloud our judgment."

Li Mucheng gently placed a hand over Su Yuxin’s, soothing her.

"But I just can’t swallow this anger!"

Su Yuxin pouted, her voice small. Among the four of them, her relationship with Ye Feng had progressed the slowest—how could she not feel bitter?

Li Mucheng saw right through her. "Don’t worry, Yuxin. Once we find our teacher, I’ll make sure he understands everything."

"Okay... I just hope Ye Feng won’t hate me."

"Yuyan, let’s continue."

"Right."

Xie Yuyan remained composed, her focus solely on locating Ye Feng.

Now repentant, she longed to apologize to him directly—but Shen Mengli’s sudden interference left her heart in turmoil.

Ye Feng, did you really fake your death just to be with Shen Mengli? If you’re so ruthless, why did you save me? I’m so torn...

"Yuyan?"

Li Mucheng’s voice snapped her back to reality.

Ahem. "Let’s pick up where we left off. Even if we don’t know whether Shen Mengli and Ye Feng are colluding, we should prepare for the worst-case scenario."

"My theory is that Shen Mengli and Ye Feng struck a deal—using this scheme to be together. But I refuse to believe Ye Feng would do this..."

Xie Yuyan nodded to herself, as if reaffirming her own words.

"So we’ll uncover the truth ourselves. For now, our priority is pinpointing their hideout in the mountains."

"But how? If we stake out the village, someone as meticulous as her would notice."

"Exactly. That’s why we need a flawless plan. Capturing Shen Mengli alone won’t work—she’d never reveal Ye Feng’s whereabouts."

Xie Yuyan’s voice hardened.

"We can’t launch a large-scale search. I’ll go alone."

"Wait—alone?!"

Li Mucheng was baffled. One moment, Xie Yuyan warned against alerting Shen Mengli; the next, she proposed a solo mission.

"Yuyan, are you sure? The mountain range is vast. Finding their cabin won’t be easy."

"Don’t worry. According to the butcher, Shen Mengli last bought supplies three days ago. Unless there are wild beasts, tracking their trail should be possible."

"Alright... What can we do to help?"

"Monitor the village discreetly. Even though the villagers have aided us, we can’t afford to trust anyone blindly."