No One Else But You

"Shen Mengli..."

"You can leave now. There's nothing left to discuss between us."

Faced with Shen Mengli's aggressive demeanor, Xie Yuyan knew it was impossible to resolve things calmly. Her eyes dimmed visibly with despair.

Of course... I’m the least deserving of forgiveness...

......

"Wah... Why? Why did it have to end like this?"

Su Yuxin crouched beneath a large tree not far from the wooden cabin, wiping away her tears as quiet sobs escaped her. Fat teardrops rolled down her cheeks, staining her clothes. The girl who usually cared so much about her appearance now seemed to have abandoned all such concerns—as if losing Ye Feng outweighed everything else.

Just then, a small hand gently rested on Su Yuxin’s shoulder. Feeling the warmth from that touch, she turned her head.

"Mucheng..."

"Yuxin, why did you run off like that? I couldn’t even stop you."

Li Mucheng knelt down, pulling an embroidered handkerchief from her pocket to dab away Su Yuxin’s tears, her voice soft and comforting.

"I’m sorry, Mucheng... I just—I can’t bear the pain of losing Brother Ye Feng. I don’t want to let him go, but the things he said today... they hurt so much..."

"There were so many times I thought about just taking Brother Ye Feng away by force. Those thoughts came out of nowhere, and that’s why I ran. I was afraid... afraid I’d make another mistake if I stayed."

"It’s alright, Yuxin. We’ve done all we can."

Li Mucheng pulled Su Yuxin close, letting her lean against her shoulder.

"It’s only natural that Teacher still resists us right now. Him returning to the city is just a compromise on his part."

"That’s exactly why I said it’s too late..."

"Don’t think like that. The fact that Teacher is willing to see us at all means he still has feelings for us. If we just keep trying, we can win back his affection."

"But don’t you think this is all absurd, Mucheng? All of us have our own selfish desires when it comes to Brother Ye Feng."

"That’s only because you haven’t learned to accept it yet."

Li Mucheng spoke calmly.

"Yuxin, ask yourself honestly—do you truly love Teacher?"

"Of course! Brother Ye Feng is the person I love most!"

Su Yuxin answered without hesitation.

"Then if you’ve disappointed the person you love most, shouldn’t you try to make it right?"

"W-Well... yes."

"And even if the path to making amends is difficult, shouldn’t we keep going?"

"...Yes."

"Then that’s all there is to it. Teacher is someone we all want to make things right with. The only thing we can do is ensure we don’t lose him while earning his forgiveness. Because we’re the ones who gave up our place to Shen Mengli."

"It was me..."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Just then, the two heard light footsteps approaching from behind. Turning, they were surprised to see that the person walking toward them wasn’t Xie Yuyan—but Ye Feng.

"Teacher?"

"Brother Ye Feng?"

"Yuxin, Mucheng... hello."

Ye Feng nodded slightly in greeting before crouching down in front of them.

"Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"

"N-No! Brother Ye Feng, I’m fine!"

Su Yuxin immediately wiped away her tears and stood up straight beside Li Mucheng, not daring to bring up trivial matters now that he was here.

"Brother Ye Feng, did you come back because there’s something else you wanted to say?"

"It’s not so much about having more to say... I just wanted to talk with you both after so long apart."

"Of course, Teacher. What did you want to discuss?"

"Well..."

Ye Feng sighed before explaining.

"My actions may have been too extreme, but I had to do it to protect Mengli."

"I... I understand, Teacher. It’s just... I can’t help feeling resentful."

Hearing the bitterness in Li Mucheng’s voice, Ye Feng knew she was referring to the time they had spent together before.

"I was trying so hard to close the distance between us, Teacher. But because of what happened, everything fell apart... and you left me behind."

"I’m sorry, Mucheng. Everything happened too fast."

"But don’t worry, Teacher! I’ll guide Yuxin and Yuyan properly from now on. We won’t disturb your life with Mengli anymore."

"Mucheng, that’s not what I meant. You’ve misunderstood."

"Then... are you saying you’ll still stay with us? But wouldn’t that make Mengli unhappy? Even though I’ve tried my best to suppress my feelings for you, Teacher, it’s just... so painful. You’d already accepted me before..."

"Mucheng... I truly am sorry."

"No, Teacher, you’re not the one at fault. After hearing about the mission today, I’m even angrier about that. It’s the reason you became like this. If it didn’t exist, wouldn’t you be happier? Even if it meant I never got to know you, I wouldn’t want you to exhaust yourself for our sake."

"Mucheng, please don’t say things like that. The one who’s truly at fault is me, not any of you! Don’t carry the weight of this sin yourselves. I’m the one who failed you."

"But a mistake is a mistake, Teacher. Didn’t you always tell us to face setbacks bravely? Though you forgot one thing—we’ll never give up. As long as you’re here, no matter how long it takes, I’ll keep coming back until the day you accept me."

"Mucheng... why must you torture yourself like this?"

"Teacher... may I ask one small favor of you?"

"What is it?"

"I... I want to hug you."

"H-Hug me? But why...?"

"Because I want to shatter all these damned restraints once and for all."

Without waiting for a reply, Li Mucheng wrapped her arms around Ye Feng, her gaze hazy as she savored his presence.

"Teacher, I want to help you. No matter the cost, I’m willing to pay it!"

"Mucheng?"

Still holding him tightly, she continued, "You chose to forgive and compensate us, Teacher. So why can’t we do the same for you? Isn’t that the same logic?"

"That’s sophistry, Mucheng!"

"It’s not sophistry, Teacher. I’m just negotiating with you."

Knowing when to stop, Li Mucheng finally released him and gently pushed Su Yuxin forward instead.

"My heart belongs to you alone, Teacher. There’s no room for anyone else."