Return Trip

By afternoon, Ye Feng finally walked in from outside the firewood shed. Seeing Shen Mengli still lying on the bed, appearing to be fast asleep, he broke into a slight sweat.

Oh no... It seems last night really went too far. Look what I’ve done to Mengli.

Still, after so long, it was time to wake her up. Any later, and others might start suspecting something. Plus, it wouldn’t be convenient for walking or climbing the mountain.

Ye Feng set down the dried clothes he was carrying and slowly approached the bed.

"Mengli? Mengli?"

He called her name softly, but the only response was silence.

Is she still asleep?

"Mengli, it’s time. We should get going now."

To rouse her, Ye Feng reached out and gently shook her shoulder, raising his voice slightly.

"Mmm..."

At his touch, Shen Mengli’s eyelids fluttered faintly. But instead of waking, she rolled over, turning her back to him—clearly annoyed by the disturbance.

"Mengli, time to wake up. If you sleep any longer, we’ll be late."

Seeing her resistance, Ye Feng leaned in closer, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered,

"If you don’t get up now... we might just have another deeply memorable conversation tonight."

"N-no... don’t~"

At that, Shen Mengli instinctively mumbled in protest, her lashes trembling before her eyes blinked open.

"Begging won’t help, Mengli. If you don’t wake up now, I will take action."

"Nooo!"

Ye Feng’s devilish murmurs startled her fully awake, all drowsiness vanishing in an instant. Her wide eyes flew open, locking onto him.

"Ugh... Xiao... Xiao Feng..."

"Whew, you’re finally awake."

Ye Feng exhaled in relief, gently stroking her hair. After giving her a meaningful look, he added,

"We should head out soon. If you’re still tired, we can rest more when we get back, alright?"

"I-it’s already this late?"

Shen Mengli turned in disbelief toward the window, where the sun was already hinting at its descent.

"I slept that long? H-how...?"

"Well... what happened today is partly my fault. I wanted to let you rest longer, but I didn’t expect it to drag on till afternoon..."

"I-it’s fine, Xiao Feng. I know you were just looking out for me."

Rather than blaming him, Shen Mengli took the responsibility upon herself.

"Mostly, it’s because I thought I could handle it... so I pushed you too hard."

"Alright, I know you just want our future to be happier. But overdoing it will hurt you. I don’t want anything bad happening to you, understand?"

With Ye Feng’s understanding, Shen Mengli couldn’t argue further. Instead, his worried expression told her just how precious she was to him—so maybe now was the time for a little selfish request.

"Okay... but Xiao Feng, I still feel so weak. Probably because last night..."

"Got it. I’ll take care of that."

Ye Feng cut her off awkwardly, helping her sit up slowly.

"How do you feel now? Any discomfort? Tell me right away if something’s wrong."

"O-okay, I will."

"Good. Then let’s get ready and head back, alright?"

"Mm. I can’t believe we’re finally going home after all this time."

A hint of anticipation laced her voice, as if memories of their shared moments were already flooding her mind.

"Yeah... home..."

......

"Still no word from them?"

Li Mucheng sat in her room, listening to the report that the car reserved for Ye Feng at the mountain pass remained untouched. Anxiety gnawed at her, but she soothed herself with the belief that Ye Feng wouldn’t break his promise—easing her restless heart, if only slightly.

Su Yuxin, however, was far less patient. From morning greetings to repeated midday inquiries, and now tearful phone pleas, she’d cycled through every stage of agitation.

Thankfully, Li Mucheng’s authority still held sway over her, quashing any impulsive plans to drag Ye Feng back by force.

"Sigh... I wonder how Xie Yuyan is doing? She left yesterday and hasn’t made a peep since. Something about this just feels... off."

Knock knock.

Just as Li Mucheng’s worries deepened, a maid’s voice sounded at her door.

"Young Miss, a guest has arrived."

"A guest? Xie Yuyan, perhaps...?"

Making a quick guess, Li Mucheng hurriedly straightened her appearance and stepped out.

Her gaze landed on a familiar, elegant figure seated on the sofa, a maid pouring tea beside her.

"Yuyan, you’re here."

"Mucheng."

Xie Yuyan nodded at her. Though her expression was calm, her composed demeanor suggested everything was under control.

"How’d it go? Did you settle things with your room?"

"Yes. Though I hadn’t been there in a while, the key Ye Feng gave me worked fine. I just need to discuss the details with him when he arrives."

"That’s good. But Yuyan, it’s already so late, and there’s still no sign of him. What should we do?"

"Wait."

Xie Yuyan answered without hesitation, her tone firm.

Seeing Li Mucheng’s conflicted silence, she elaborated.

"When Shen Mengli spoke to me earlier, I could tell how seriously she took this. She knows the goal is to help Ye Feng with that method. So no matter what, she will bring him back."

"O-okay... if you say so..."

Before Li Mucheng could finish, her phone buzzed. Checking the caller ID, she saw it was the team monitoring the mountain route.

"Young Miss, Ye Feng and a young woman have boarded the car. They’re on their way back now."

A relieved sigh escaped her.

"Finally... thank goodness."