The Situation After the Change

"Ye Feng, I know your heart must be tangled right now. But it's alright," Xie Yuyan's gentle voice lingered by Ye Feng's ear, gradually easing the tension in his stiffened nerves.

"I can't agree with how you always shoulder all the responsibility alone! Even though our relationship isn’t as close as before, you must realize this matter isn’t just about you—it involves us too. If you make decisions alone without consulting us, don’t you think that’s a bit unfair?"

"......"

Seeing Ye Feng remain silent, Xie Yuyan cupped his face, drawing his gaze to hers.

"Don’t you think so?"

"Yes."

After a long pause, Ye Feng finally stammered out a single word. Clearly, he found her words reasonable.

A faint smile curled at Xie Yuyan’s lips—this was the reaction she’d hoped for.

"That’s more like it~"

With that, she seized the moment of his distraction, pulling him to his feet.

"Xie..."

"Yuyan~"

Tears shimmered like stars in Xie Yuyan’s light blue eyes as she rose onto her tiptoes, pressing a soft kiss to Ye Feng’s cheek.

"Call me Yuyan, okay? It’s been so, so long since I’ve heard that name. Consider it a sign that you’ve accepted me, alright?"

"I... I understand."

"Good. Now then~ It’s about time we head back and explain things properly to Shen Mengli and Mu Cheng~"

"Mengli and the others? Xie Yuyan, what do you mean by that?"

Ye Feng shot her a puzzled glance, a vague understanding dawning on him.

"I mean telling them about your plans now. You should know—we’ve put in so much effort for your sake."

"For me... Have you all been discussing this ever since we left the mountains?"

Ye Feng’s eyes widened in shock. In his mind, his actions had driven a wedge between Li Mucheng and Su Yuxin’s once-close friendship, while Xie Yuyan had even harbored dark thoughts of harming others because of him. Only Shen Mengli, who had little interaction with them, remained unscathed.

"Of course! Don’t tell me you still think our relationships are a mess?"

Now that their bond was mending, Xie Yuyan grew bolder, wrapping her arms around Ye Feng’s and nestling his arm against her warmth.

"It’s because you’ve been avoiding us, convinced your actions were for our own good. To put it bluntly—you’ve been stuck in your own head!"

"I..."

"No objections! Search your heart and tell me—am I wrong?"

"Gulp."

Ye Feng didn’t understand why Xie Yuyan suddenly sounded so confident, as if she had him wrapped around her finger again. But then it struck him—his attempts to distance himself, to ignore them, were all just ways to make these girls let him go.

Yet... he’d forgotten how deeply they clung to him. If they could move on so easily, would any of this have happened?

"Xie Yuyan... Do you think what I did was foolish?"

Ye Feng’s sudden question brought their steps to a halt.

"Foolish? How could you think that?"

"Because I acted stubbornly, making an already dire situation worse. By the time things settled, I was late to the scene, leaving you all to clean up the mess. Does someone like me even deserve..."

"Not at all! It was your attitude that made us realize our own mistakes. If you’d kept treating us with your usual gentleness, the fallout would’ve been far worse!"

Xie Yuyan spoke earnestly, her eyes locked onto Ye Feng’s to emphasize her sincerity.

"How...? I was only gone for a while. Have you all really changed that much? It’s hard to believe."

"Because it was you who disappeared! To us, it felt like you’d left forever! Only after losing you did we understand our mistakes. That’s why you could change us even in your absence."

Only then did Ye Feng grasp the weight of her words.

"It’s alright, Ye Feng. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I’ll explain it all. No matter what happens, let’s face it together, okay?"

"Together..."

"Yes! Together!"

Just then, another voice chimed in. When Ye Feng turned, he found Li Mucheng standing before them, though he hadn’t noticed her arrival.

"Mu Cheng? What brings you here?"

Xie Yuyan blinked in surprise.

"Well, since you two were taking so long, I came to check if Xie Yuyan was up to something else~"

Li Mucheng’s gaze trailed down Xie Yuyan’s arm, her brows knitting slightly.

"Seems I arrived at a bad time."

"!!!"

Realizing the misunderstanding, Xie Yuyan quickly released Ye Feng’s arm, flustered.

"S-Sorry, Mu Cheng! It was just a reflex, a habit! And, well, my body’s structure makes it..."

This only darkened Li Mucheng’s mood further. For a moment, she even forgot to address Ye Feng, snapping at Xie Yuyan instead: "Xie Yuyan, if you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll make you sleep outside tonight!"

"Ahem—"

Ye Feng cleared his throat, hastily intervening.

"Mu Cheng, don’t be upset. It was just a small accident. Yuyan’s already explained everything about you all. Let’s go back and talk properly, alright?"

"Hmph, if Teacher insists..."

Li Mucheng would never defy Ye Feng’s wishes. With a hum, she looped her arm through his free one, shooting Xie Yuyan a teasing glance.

"Come on, Teacher. Let’s head back and have a nice, long chat~"

Sandwiched between the two, Ye Feng could only nod dumbly as they steered him toward the house.

What surprised him, though, was how differently this scene would’ve played out in the past—a storm of rivalry and sharp words. Now, all he sensed was playful jealousy, none of the old hostility.