"Wuu..."
Ye Feng hadn't expected that after his attempts to comfort her, Shen Mengli not only failed to stop crying but became even more heartbroken.
"Xiao Feng... Wuu... Waaah..."
Feeling his clothes dampened by her tears, Ye Feng let out a deep sigh. Nevertheless, he continued patting Shen Mengli's back and pulled her into his embrace, speaking in a gentle tone, "Don't cry anymore, Mengli. Haven’t you always wanted me to tell you the truth? If you keep crying, I might just change my mind."
"Mmm... No... Don’t!"
Shen Mengli frantically shook her head, clearly showing how much this matter meant to her. She was terrified that any carelessness might cause her to miss something important.
"I... I won’t cry anymore. Xiao Feng, please don’t hate me, okay?"
"Silly, how could I ever hate you?"
Ye Feng chuckled and lightly tapped Shen Mengli’s nose before finally checking the wound on her neck. Fortunately, she hadn’t hurt herself badly—just a small scratch that would heal in a few days.
"I know you acted this way because you care about me, but I just didn’t want you all dragged into this mess."
"I don’t care about any of that! You were the one who pulled me out of that bottomless abyss. Now it’s my turn to save you."
"......"
Seeing Shen Mengli’s stubborn determination, Ye Feng knew further arguments would be futile. The situation was already set in stone, and he suspected her sudden resolve must have something to do with the other girls.
"Let’s go eat. After we rest, I’ll tell you everything."
"You promised, Xiao Feng! No taking it back!"
With Ye Feng’s assurance, Shen Mengli gradually returned to her usual lively and adorable self. She immediately looped her arm through his and led him out of the bedroom.
"Mmm~ It smells so good~"
Leaning over the table where the freshly cooked dishes were laid out, Shen Mengli sniffed lightly, her face lighting up with delight.
"Come on, you didn’t act like this when the food was just ready, did you?"
Ye Feng knew full well she was trying to cheer him up, so he playfully rapped his knuckles against her head.
"Hehe~ Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little, but Xiao Feng’s cooking really is delicious~"
With that, Shen Mengli picked up Ye Feng’s bowl, filled it with rice, and handed it to him.
"It’s dinnertime now, Xiao Feng. Let’s eat~"
"Mm, you should eat too, Mengli."
Watching Shen Mengli pick up her chopsticks, Ye Feng’s earlier frustration faded. With the weight in his heart about to be revealed, he even felt somewhat lighter. Though he couldn’t predict how things would unfold once Shen Mengli learned his secret.
Just as Ye Feng zoned out, a pair of chopsticks placed a slice of meat into his bowl. When he looked up, he saw Shen Mengli smiling at him, the tip of her chopsticks still between her lips.
"Xiao Feng, stop thinking about unpleasant things. This is our time together, and I won’t let your mind wander anywhere else."
"Alright."
Ye Feng nodded, and the two enjoyed a pleasant dinner together.
......
"Yuyan, you’re not eating anymore?"
Li Mucheng glanced at the leftover food in Xie Yuyan’s bowl, then up at her slightly furrowed brows, and asked with concern.
"Yeah, sorry, Mucheng. The food is delicious, but I just don’t have much appetite."
Xie Yuyan apologized, her gaze drifting to her phone on the table. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable discomfort, as if something heavy was pressing on her chest.
"Yuyan, you should take a break these next few days. Didn’t Shen Mengli say she was resting too? Use this time to relax."
"Mucheng, thank you, but I—"
Before Xie Yuyan could finish, her phone suddenly rang. Both of them fell silent, their attention snapping to the device.
After a moment, Li Mucheng studied Xie Yuyan’s dazed expression and whispered, "Is it Shen Mengli?"
"Yeah..."
Xie Yuyan nodded faintly and picked up the phone, but she hesitated to answer.
"But Shen Mengli said she wouldn’t call me for a while. What if Ye Feng found out I secretly contacted her with this phone? If I answer, will he start hating me?"
So that’s it...
Without another thought, Li Mucheng stepped forward, snatched the phone from Xie Yuyan’s hand, and pressed the answer button.
"Mu—"
Xie Yuyan tried to speak, but Li Mucheng raised a finger to her lips, signaling silence.
She knew Li Mucheng was sacrificing herself for her sake, and the gratitude only deepened her regret for her past mistakes.
"Hello?"
Li Mucheng spoke first, waiting for Ye Feng’s voice. But the next second left her stunned—the voice on the other end was still Shen Mengli’s.
"Li Mucheng? Why are you answering?"
"I... I didn’t expect it to be you either. Never mind that—what’s the matter?"
"Yeah, I have something very important to tell you all. It’s about Xiao Feng."
Hearing the seriousness in Shen Mengli’s voice, laced with a hint of sorrow, Li Mucheng’s heart sank.
Had Shen Mengli discovered some critical secret about their teacher?
Not daring to pry further, Li Mucheng quickly replied, "Alright, what’s the plan?"
"I’ll come to the manor tomorrow. Gather everyone."
"Got it. What about the teacher—"
"Xiao Feng is fine for now. That’s all for today. I’ll hang up."
"Okay..."
Li Mucheng lowered the phone, her face blank, and met Xie Yuyan’s questioning gaze.
"What happened? What did Shen Mengli say?"
"She said... she has something important to tell us tomorrow and wants everyone there."
"Something important... Could it be...?"
"Yeah, it must be about the teacher! If even Shen Mengli is this tense, it can’t be anything simple."
"It seems the thing I feared most is finally happening..."
Though Xie Yuyan spoke these words, she felt a strange sense of relief—as if she’d anticipated this all along. Or perhaps she was just glad the call hadn’t come from Ye Feng.
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
mance] After transmigrating for eighteen years, Lin Qi lived as an utterly ordinary herbalist in the countryside. One day, he kindly brought home a sickly, beautiful girl covered in blood. They married in a flash and began their blissful, intimate life together. Right then, his long-delayed system finally activated. [Warning! Host detected in contact with the "Crimson Calamity," the world-ending witch!] Lin Qi looked at the adorable wife currently curled in his arms, who couldn't even open a jar lid and trembled at the sight of a mouse. Lin Qi: "System, are you insane? This is clearly just a weak and delicate sickly girl!" Thus, Lin Qi treated the system as a "Contrast System," where taking care of his wife made him stronger. Combing his wife's hair rewarded him with [Free Attribute Points]. Taking his wife out for sunshine rewarded him with [Forbidden Spell: Arcane Explosion]. Lin Qi: "This soft life tastes so good!" ... Yet, in the eyes of outsiders: The strongest Beastkin Assassin: "That man dissected a Beast King with a common skinning knife! That was a show of force towards the powerful!" The Holy Son of the Radiant Church: "I infiltrated his home as a tutor, but he had me babysit the children... He must have seen through my disguise!" The World-Ending Witch, Felucia: "I hid all the way in the countryside. How is it that the husband I married on a whim is stronger than I was at my peak?"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
