The Secret Spilled in Confession

"Ugh..."

On the other end of the phone, Shen Mengli hung up and carefully placed Xie Yuyan's phone back into the bedside drawer. Her disheveled hair made it clear how agitated she was, and her usually fair face had darkened, as if weighed down by sorrow.

"Xiao Feng..."

Shen Mengli murmured Ye Feng's name as she gazed at the empty living room, her eyes filled with deep concern for him.

"Why... why does it have to be like this..."

......

"Huh? R-Really?"

"Yes. Though I don’t know why Shen Mengli suddenly reached out to us, something must have happened."

Li Mucheng replied calmly before Su Yuxin's voice came through the phone.

"Alright... I understand. I’ll come early tomorrow. But Mucheng, be careful—don’t take Shen Mengli’s words at face value. I don’t hate her now, but for Ye Feng’s sake, we can’t afford to be careless."

"Don’t worry, Yuxin. I know what I’m doing."

"Good! I’ll get ready on my end too. See you tomorrow."

As the call ended, Li Mucheng let out a sigh.

"Did Su Yuxin say something upsetting?"

Xie Yuyan, seated on the sofa, turned her gaze from the moonlight outside and looked at Li Mucheng.

"No, it’s just... I feel uneasy about Shen Mengli suddenly contacting us. I’m worried something might have happened to Teacher."

"But no matter what happens, we’ll face whatever secret Ye Feng is hiding, right? As long as we can make him trust us, I believe everything will work out."

Xie Yuyan’s words were like a soothing balm to Li Mucheng.

"Yes! No matter what, I’ll make sure Teacher knows we have the strength to help him!"

"That’s the spirit."

Xie Yuyan gave Li Mucheng an approving glance before gracefully rising and heading toward the guest room.

"Then we’ll find out the truth tomorrow. Get some rest tonight."

"Okay, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

......

Click.

The door opened, and Ye Feng stepped inside, holding a box of cake. As soon as he entered the living room, he spotted Shen Mengli sitting alone on the sofa, silent and still.

"Mengli, I got the cake you wanted. Please don’t cry anymore, okay?"

"Xiao Feng..."

Hearing his voice, Shen Mengli slowly lifted her head. The emptiness in her eyes vanished the moment she saw him, and she immediately threw herself into his arms.

Feeling the warmth of Ye Feng’s embrace, the turmoil in her heart gradually settled.

But the secret he had just revealed to her left her utterly devastated.

......

"Xiao Feng, tell me. I’m ready!"

After dinner, Shen Mengli tightly held Ye Feng’s hand, her tone firm, as if prepared for whatever he might say.

"Alright..."

Ye Feng let her lean against his shoulder, gathering his thoughts before finally speaking.

"The reason I didn’t tell you this secret before is because it involves both you and me—and others too."

"U-Us? You mean... the others as well?" Shen Mengli gasped.

"Yes. Mengli, do you remember what I told you about the concept of 'life time'?"

"Yes! You said the missions assigned by the system were all to earn more 'life time'—that you had no choice but to complete them."

Shen Mengli recalled every word he had ever said about it. After all, this concerned Ye Feng—how could she forget?

"Right. Running around, doing all these things... just to survive. I’ve done so much I never wanted to do, all for this damned countdown. And in the end, the punishment is mine to bear."

"Don’t say that!"

The moment Ye Feng spoke self-deprecatingly, Shen Mengli reacted as if the words had struck her instead. She immediately pressed her hand over his mouth, glaring at him fiercely.

"I won’t let you talk about yourself like that, or I’ll get mad!"

"Fine, fine. I can’t even criticize myself now?"

"No! Xiao Feng is the best—always the best in my heart!"

Her words slowly eased the bitterness in Ye Feng’s heart.

"Am I really that great? I don’t feel like it."

"That’s because you’re always giving, never letting yourself receive the same kindness in return. The way you are... any girl would fall for you."

Her voice grew softer, barely audible by the end.

"What was that, Mengli?"

"Nothing! Don’t change the subject! Keep talking!"

"......"

Ye Feng sighed at her stubborn expression before continuing.

"But one day, I unlocked a new mission—one with a reward I wanted more than anything."

"The thing you wanted most?"

Shen Mengli didn’t rush him, instead carefully considering his words. She couldn’t assume everything he told her was the full truth—not just for her own judgment, but for his sake too.

"Xiao Feng, do you mean... the life you’ve always wanted?"

"No... that’s just a dream. The system’s reward was to completely erase this 'life time' countdown. If I complete the mission, all my worries would disappear."

"Then... isn’t that a good thing? Why wouldn’t you want to do it?"

The thought excited her. If Ye Feng succeeded, they could finally be together without the system’s chains holding him back.

"Because the condition to complete it... is something I refuse to do."

"Refuse? Is... is the condition too harsh?"

Ye Feng shook his head. "It’s not about difficulty. To fulfill it, I’d have to make all of you... fall in love with me. By any means necessary."

His voice was heavy with guilt.