The Sudden Arrival of Ye Feng

"Xie Yuyan, deep down, you feel the same way, don’t you?"

As Shen Mengli suddenly redirected the conversation toward her, Xie Yuyan didn’t try to deflect or make excuses. Instead, she nodded slightly and admitted, "You’re right, Shen Mengli. At heart, probably everyone wants to be with Ye Feng. But knowing it’s impossible, we can only bury those feelings."

"That’s why, aside from Li Mucheng, the three of us haven’t made any progress."

Shen Mengli pointed it out bluntly, casting a glance at Su Yuxin, who remained silent.

Su Yuxin understood the meaning behind Shen Mengli’s look and lowered her head, muttering under her breath, "I... I’m frustrated too. You’ve all had your own happy moments with Brother Ye Feng, but I’ve had nothing... Anyone would feel this way, wouldn’t they?"

Perhaps sensing the agitation in Su Yuxin’s tone and expression, Li Mucheng quickly stepped forward to defuse the tension, gently taking Su Yuxin’s arm. "Alright, Yuxin, I get how you feel. If something’s bothering you, you can talk to me."

Realizing her tone had been too sharp, Su Yuxin pressed her lips together and gave the others an apologetic look.

"S-sorry, I got a little too worked up. If there’s nothing else, I think I’ll go out for a walk."

"Yuxin?"

Li Mucheng reached out to stop her, but Su Yuxin’s next words made her pause.

"It’s fine, Mucheng. I just suddenly feel like getting some fresh air—my chest feels a little tight for some reason. If anything important comes up, I’ll be nearby in the garden. Just call for me."

Seeing how determined Su Yuxin was, Li Mucheng didn’t press further, only reminding her to be careful before letting her go.

Only after Su Yuxin’s figure disappeared from the living room did Li Mucheng finally look away.

"Sorry, Yuxin’s personality might come across as a bit..."

"It’s fine."

To her surprise, Shen Mengli and Xie Yuyan spoke in unison, as if they completely understood Su Yuxin’s reaction.

"Now that you’ve learned the last of Ye Feng’s secrets, what are your thoughts? Or do you have any better ideas?"

Pushed by time, Shen Mengli didn’t want to wait any longer. If Ye Feng arrived at the estate and found her with the other girls, he might be hurt by her actions. So she had to leave before he showed up.

Xie Yuyan seemed to pick up on Shen Mengli’s concern and wasted no time in offering her suggestion.

"Since we’ve only just learned about this, making a decision right away isn’t realistic. But the fact that Shen Mengli is willing to work with us is already a good start. Let’s end today’s discussion here—we can always contact Shen Mengli later if needed."

"I agree."

Shen Mengli nodded in agreement, quickly standing up from the couch.

"I hope we can work together to break the chains Ye Feng feels bound by. This isn’t just for his sake, but for ours as well."

"Alright, let’s leave it at that for today."

Li Mucheng gave a nod of acknowledgment and was about to arrange for someone to escort Shen Mengli out when hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Everyone turned toward the sound and immediately saw Su Yuxin, her face slightly pale. Before anyone could ask, she grabbed Xie Yuyan’s hand and pulled her toward the guest rooms, flashing Shen Mengli and Li Mucheng a quick, meaningful glance. It was clear something urgent had happened.

Reading Su Yuxin’s body language and the urgency written on her face, the others acted in silent coordination.

Xie Yuyan and Su Yuxin rushed into the guest room, while Li Mucheng smoothed out her clothes and sat back down across from Shen Mengli.

Before long, a maid appeared in the hallway, approaching Li Mucheng and whispering, "Miss, Mr. Ye Feng is here."

"!!!"

Li Mucheng glanced back at Shen Mengli, who gave her a subtle nod before she spoke. "Alright, let him in."

"Yes."

As the maid disappeared, rapid footsteps took her place.

Tap, tap, tap.

Sure enough, Ye Feng soon appeared in the hallway. The moment he saw Shen Mengli, he let out a relieved sigh before scanning the living room—now occupied only by Li Mucheng—and speaking calmly.

"Mengli, are you okay?"

Shen Mengli blinked in surprise, immediately standing up from the couch. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ye Feng’s, murmuring, "Ye Feng? What are you doing here? Weren’t you at the orphanage?"

"I took care of the kids and came back early—mostly because I was worried about you."

"Heh, you’re so sweet, Ye Feng~"

She rested her head against his shoulder and guided him back to the couch.

"Mucheng, go ahead and continue. About the orphanage."

Quick-witted, Li Mucheng instantly grasped the subtext of Shen Mengli’s words. After exchanging a brief greeting with Ye Feng, she smoothly resumed speaking.

"First, I wanted to discuss renovations for the orphanage. Due to its age, most of the buildings are deteriorating, and the surroundings lack any sense of community. This is becoming an issue for the children’s development, so I think..."

After Li Mucheng laid out her well-articulated ideas, Ye Feng’s restless heart finally settled.

So Mengli and Mucheng really were just talking about the orphanage. I overthought things.

Of course, someone like Mengli wouldn’t do anything like that. What was I even thinking...

"Ye Feng?"

Hearing his name, he snapped back to attention.

"Yes! What is it, Mengli? Did you need something?"

"Seems like you weren’t paying attention at all. You missed some really important points."

Li Mucheng frowned slightly, feigning displeasure. By gently reprimanding him, she took control of the conversation, ensuring Ye Feng wouldn’t dwell on other possibilities.

"Sorry, Mucheng. I was just worried something might’ve happened to Mengli. She came here alone this morning, and I only realized how careless that was after I left."

"It’s fine, Ye Feng. You really do care a lot about Mengli, don’t you?"

Li Mucheng forced a smile, her voice tinged with quiet resignation.

"......"