Would you like some soup

"Mm..."

Su Yuxin stared intently through the telescope at the village below, her prolonged focus beginning to wear her down.

Li Mucheng, standing beside her, noticed her exhaustion and gently patted her shoulder.

"Yuxin, why don’t you take a break? I’ll handle the observation for now."

"N-no, Mucheng, I can manage this much. Please let me do what I can."

Li Mucheng didn’t press further, smiling instead as she nodded. "You haven’t changed at all, Yuxin. If you insist, I won’t stop you. But if you feel unwell, promise you’ll call for me, okay?"

"Mm, thank you, Mucheng."

"Don’t mention it. We’re friends, aren’t we?"

Li Mucheng’s warm smile was genuine, and it brought Su Yuxin real comfort.

"Mucheng..."

"Now’s not the time for chatting, Yuxin. We can talk later when we have time, alright?"

"Okay."

Just as Li Mucheng checked her phone for updates from Xie Yuyan, Su Yuxin spoke up again.

"M-Mucheng..."

"What is it, Yuxin? I’m here."

"I... I wanted to ask you something. Is that okay?"

"Mm..."

Li Mucheng glanced at Su Yuxin’s reddened eyes and reluctantly agreed despite her initial hesitation.

"Go ahead, Yuxin. But keep your focus on the telescope, alright?"

"O-okay. I’m just glad you’re willing to answer."

"So, what did you want to ask?"

"How... how did you change your mindset like this? Doesn’t it hurt to let go?"

"Change my mindset? You mean why I brought you and Xie Yuyan into this?"

"Yes! Your perspective is completely different now. I want to know what made you change so much."

"The answer is simple: because of Teacher."

"Because of Brother Ye Feng? B-but how? You were so devoted to him. Why choose this path now?"

"Because I was wrong before—and I hurt him!"

Li Mucheng didn’t shy away from her answer, knowing it might profoundly affect Su Yuxin. She pressed on without pause.

"Think about it, Yuxin. Teacher didn’t just give me a second chance—he gave Xie Yuyan two. That proves how much he cares about us. He never wanted this conflict between us, but we were too selfish to see it."

"Our endless fighting wore him down completely. Whether it was his plans with Shen Mengli or him giving up on us, our actions caused him so much pain. I don’t want to hurt him anymore. I just want to be there for him, quietly. That’s enough for me."

When Su Yuxin fell silent, Li Mucheng didn’t push further. Instead, she took Su Yuxin’s hand and held it gently.

"So... Yuxin, let’s let go of everything, for Teacher’s sake. We both love him, don’t we?"

"......"

Su Yuxin bit her lip, unsure how to respond. She didn’t want Ye Feng to lose faith in her either, but letting go completely wasn’t something she could do so easily. Still, for his sake, she was willing to try—even if it meant abandoning her obsession.

"Mucheng... I don’t know if I can do it. But... if it’s for Brother Ye Feng, I... I’ll try my best!"

"Thank you, Yuxin."

Just as Li Mucheng felt relieved by Su Yuxin’s resolve, Su Yuxin suddenly gasped. "M-Mucheng! Something’s happening!"

"What?!"

Li Mucheng hadn’t expected developments so soon. To confirm, she took the telescope from Su Yuxin and focused on the village entrance—only to spot a familiar figure stepping inside. There was no mistaking who it was.

"What now? Do we move?"

Su Yuxin’s brows furrowed, her clenched fists betraying her frustration. The softness from earlier was gone.

"It’s really her! Xie Yuyan was right. Shen Mengli must be here to buy ingredients. That means the villagers don’t know who she is."

"She’s the one who stole Brother Ye Feng! Mucheng, let’s capture her now! Then we’ll find out where he is!"

Su Yuxin stamped her foot impatiently, as if afraid Shen Mengli might vanish any second. But Li Mucheng shook her head firmly—now was the time for calm, not haste.

"Not yet, Yuxin. We have the advantage of surprise. Let me discuss this with Xie Yuyan first. Keep watching Shen Mengli and tell me immediately if anything changes."

"Got it!"

"Beep... beep... beep..."

Li Mucheng froze when Xie Yuyan didn’t answer her radio call. Only Su Yuxin’s voice snapped her back to reality.

"X-Xie Yuyan... isn’t responding."

"How?!"

......

"Hm?"

When the shadow at the door remained still and no reply came from Shen Mengli, Ye Feng glanced up—only to freeze the moment light revealed the figure’s silhouette.

The shadow was taller and more slender than Shen Mengli’s, and most tellingly, it had unmistakably short hair.

"So you found me after all."

Ye Feng chuckled ruefully, as if resigning himself, before turning to face the door. Just as he expected, Xie Yuyan stood there, her gaze unreadable.

"Ye Feng..."

"Hungry? There’s some corn soup. Though it’s nowhere near as good as your cooking."

Xie Yuyan followed his gesture to a steaming pot nearby.

"I..."

"Have some. You look exhausted."

Ye Feng cut her off, his tone carrying an odd sense of relief—almost like surrender.

"Alright... I’ll have some."

Recommend Series

No Attacking? I Rely on Passive Skills to Slaughter All Races

No Attacking? I Rely on Passive Skills to Slaughter All Races

with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!

Becoming the Emperor in a Female-Oriented Novel, and You Want Me to Kneel and Apologize?

Becoming the Emperor in a Female-Oriented Novel, and You Want Me to Kneel and Apologize?

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!

Villain: Agree to Break Off the Engagement at the Start, the Heroine Breaks Down!

Villain: Agree to Break Off the Engagement at the Start, the Heroine Breaks Down!

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."

The Creepy Love Game with Everyone Being Yandere

The Creepy Love Game with Everyone Being Yandere

] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.