Why is it not following my thoughts at all

"Oh... I... I see."

It took a while before Xie Yuyan's voice finally came through the phone. Clearly, Shen Mengli's words had left her feeling quite frustrated. Yet, there was nothing she could do—she had no right to voice her dissatisfaction at the moment. Simply being able to stay by Ye Feng's side was already the best outcome she could hope for.

"Mhm, so I might not be able to come over these next few days. I’ll still help you with matters concerning Xiao Feng, but I have one condition."

"A condition? No problem, Shen Mengli, go ahead and say it."

"That is, no matter the outcome, I won’t leave Xiao Feng! And don’t even think about scheming against him like before. If anything happens to him, I’ll take him somewhere far away—somewhere none of you can ever reach."

"......"

After Shen Mengli finished speaking, the other end of the line fell silent except for Xie Yuyan’s heavy breathing.

Shen Mengli thought her tone might have been too harsh, so she softened it slightly.

"But I’m just giving a fair warning. I know you’ve already started to change."

"Mhm, I agree to your terms. Is there anything else you’d like to add?"

"N-no, that’s all."

Shen Mengli hadn’t expected Xie Yuyan to agree so readily. She had just said some rather blunt things, yet Xie Yuyan remained eerily calm.

"Then it’s settled. Also, I’d appreciate it if you kept this call between us. That way, Ye Feng won’t have any unnecessary suspicions."

"Mm, I... I understand."

"Good. Then we’ll see each other in a few days."

Beep beep beep—

Only when the dial tone sounded did Shen Mengli snap out of her thoughts. She glanced at her phone, then deleted the call log before placing it back in the nightstand drawer.

"I really don’t want to do this... Xiao Feng is already mine alone, but to uncover the truth he’s hiding, I have no choice but to work with them... How annoying."

Meanwhile, at Li Mucheng’s estate, Xie Yuyan set down the phone. Seeing Li Mucheng’s concerned expression, she calmly recounted her conversation with Shen Mengli, including the conditions laid out.

"So? Can we accept Shen Mengli’s terms?"

"For now, it seems fine. But I think her wariness toward us hasn’t faded..."

"Well, that’s only natural. Anyone in her position would feel the same."

"Should we inform Su Yuxin beforehand? She said she couldn’t come today due to family matters."

"Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her. For now, Yuyan, just rest here."

"Okay."

......

"Whew... I didn’t expect to buy so much."

After finishing his shopping, Ye Feng carried the bags to his doorstep. Just as he was about to take out his keys, a loud thud came from inside the house.

"Huh? Wh-what was that? Did something happen to Mengli?!"

The thought sent a jolt of panic through him. Without another moment’s hesitation, he fumbled for his keys and flung the door open.

"Mengli! Mengli, are you okay?!"

Dropping the shopping bags, Ye Feng rushed inside—only to find the living room empty.

"Mengli? Mengli, don’t scare me like this! Where are you?"

Frantically scanning the room, he searched for any trace of her. But whether it was the kitchen, the living room, or even the bedroom, there was no sign of Shen Mengli. A sinking feeling settled in his chest. Just as he tried to recall where the sound had come from, a soft, weak voice called out from the bathroom.

"X-Xiao Feng... I’m here..."

"Mengli?!"

Hearing the fragility in her voice, Ye Feng bolted straight for the bathroom, certain something terrible had happened.

"......"

But the moment he burst in, he was met with an entirely unexpected sight.

"Ugh... Xiao Feng..."

Shen Mengli was curled up, her face flushed with embarrassment, her wide, glistening eyes locked onto him. From the way her clothes clung to her damp skin, it was clear her only emotion was sheer shyness.

"Gulp..."

Ye Feng blinked, his gaze unwavering, before realizing the implications of his reckless intrusion. He immediately stammered out an apology.

"I-I’m sorry, Mengli! I didn’t expect this! I just heard a noise and got worried—I didn’t mean to barge in like this!"

"I-It’s okay, Xiao Feng... I was just about to take a bath, but my clothes fell and got wet... That’s why I made a sound..."

"Oh... I see. As long as you’re alright, I’ll just..."

"Xiao Feng, wait!"

Before he could leave, Shen Mengli suddenly flung her arms around him from behind, pressing her damp body against his back. The water from her skin seeped into his clothes, and within moments, his shirt was thoroughly soaked.

"Mengli, what are you doing?! My clothes are drenched! And aren’t you afraid of catching a cold? Let go!"

"Too late, Xiao Feng~ You’ve already been thoroughly tainted by me! There’s no escaping now~"

"Where did you learn to talk like that?!"

Ye Feng sighed in exasperation, then remembered the groceries still outside. Wriggling free, he hurriedly explained while steadfastly avoiding looking back.

But Shen Mengli simply let him go, knowing he’d return. Before he left, she had sneakily smeared a bit of soap suds on his back—if he wanted to clean it off, he’d have to come back to the bathroom. And that’s when she’d spring her little prank on him~

Just as she grinned at the thought, the bathroom door swung open again. Shen Mengli instantly tensed, ready to "capture" him. But instead of Ye Feng, a bundle of clothes flew in and smacked her square in the face.

"Huh? Wh-what’s this...?"

Before she could react, Ye Feng’s voice rang out from the hallway.

"Mengli, I need to start cooking. Since you’re the one who got my clothes dirty, you can wash them for me. Clean up your own mess, got it?"

"Wha—?! That’s not how this was supposed to go!"