How I Wish I Could Protect You Too

"Mu Cheng, Yu Yan, you can let go now. If this continues, we’ll be entering the house soon."

With Li Mucheng and Xie Yuyan supporting him on either side, Ye Feng suddenly stopped in his tracks at the doorway. His gaze turned slightly troubled as he looked at the two beside him.

"What’s wrong? Teacher, didn’t you promise to face everything? Since things have come to this, you should just accept it~"

"But this is too sudden. No, no—we should act according to the occasion. Mu Cheng, Yu Yan, both of you, let go first."

"Alright..."

Seeing that Ye Feng wasn’t ready to accept it just yet, the two reluctantly complied, slowly releasing their hold. Just as Li Mucheng stepped forward to open the door, it swung open from the inside. The sight of the person standing there left everyone in stunned silence.

"Xiao... Xiao Feng..."

Shen Mengli, standing at the entrance, was slightly startled by Ye Feng’s sudden appearance. Behind her, Su Yuxin peeked out stealthily. The moment her eyes met Ye Feng’s, she raised her hand slightly and waved, trying to greet him in her own quiet way.

Ye Feng, of course, understood her intention. His expression remained calm at Su Yuxin’s presence, though inwardly, he wasn’t surprised. No wonder he’d had an uneasy feeling—these women must have conspired behind his back while he was away. In the end, he was the one left in the dark...

After nodding slightly in acknowledgment to Su Yuxin, Ye Feng stepped inside first. Just as the others were about to follow, he suddenly spoke again.

"Meng Li, come with me for a moment. There’s something I need to talk to you about."

Hearing this, Shen Mengli immediately realized what topic he might bring up. The fact that she and the other girls had been discussing things without Ye Feng’s knowledge had remained hidden until now. But if he was asking to speak privately, it couldn’t mean anything good for her.

As panic flickered in her eyes, Su Yuxin, standing closest to her, reached out and patted her shoulder, giving her an encouraging look.

"It’s okay... As long as you talk to Brother Ye Feng properly, he’ll understand."

"Thank you."

Shen Mengli replied softly before following Ye Feng, leaving the other three behind to wait for their conversation to end.

"Meng Li, is there anything you want to say?"

After leading her to a secluded corridor, Ye Feng turned around and fixed her with a stern gaze. Shen Mengli instinctively reached out to wrap her arms around his, but he swiftly avoided her touch.

"Meng Li, what you did has made me very unhappy."

"Xiao Feng..."

Shen Mengli knew that his trust in her had been shaken. She stayed close, her voice gentle as she tried to explain.

"I know acting on my own was wrong, but if I hadn’t, you would’ve—"

"I know what would’ve happened. But Meng Li, why did you have to make it public? I trusted you enough to share my deepest secret with you, and yet you—"

Hearing the growing sorrow in his voice, Shen Mengli hurriedly interjected.

"I just didn’t want to lose you... I truly can’t live without you... I can’t..."

"It’s just life and death. Everyone goes through it eventually. I’ve long since come to terms with it. Who knows? Maybe it’s even a kind of release for me."

"Release? How can you think like that, Xiao Feng? For you, it might be release, but what about me? What about the rest of us? I’d rather do something you hate if it means sparing you even a little of the pain caused by that system."

"You... sigh..."

Ye Feng knew full well how sincere Shen Mengli’s feelings were. But that didn’t justify her acting unilaterally.

"Xiao Feng!"

Seizing the moment, Shen Mengli closed the distance between them, pressing herself against his chest with a fragile expression. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"I know how much my actions have hurt you. But whether it’s next time or the time after that, I’ll do it again. If it means freeing you from the shackles of that system, even if... even if you come to hate me... I won’t regret it."

"Meng Li, you..."

Ye Feng clenched his jaw, shutting his eyes tightly. He couldn’t understand why Shen Mengli would go this far for him. When it came to love, everyone had their own selfish desires. If he put himself in her shoes, he would’ve kept the secret to himself, just so they could stay together.

And yet, Shen Mengli had chosen to sacrifice so much—all for his sake. And here he was, treating her like this...

"I’m sorry, Xiao Feng. But please believe me, okay? I’ll definitely break the chains binding you... Xiao Feng?"

Before she could finish, Shen Mengli felt strong arms wrap around her. Then, a faint coolness touched her cheek. When she looked up, she saw tears streaming down Ye Feng’s face.

"Men... Meng Li."

Ye Feng held her tightly, murmuring her name over and over.

"I’m the one who should be apologizing. After everything you’ve done for me, I still treated you like this. I’m such a bastard!"

"Xiao Feng, don’t say things like that!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Shen Mengli pressed a hand against his lips, her own emotions stirred by his words.

"We both just want what’s best for each other. There’s nothing wrong with that. The only difference is how we go about it. I can feel your love for me, Xiao Feng. Now that this conflict has come up, we should resolve it—so our lives can keep getting better, right?"

"You’re right, Meng Li. I was too sensitive... I just wanted to protect you, to keep you from bearing things you shouldn’t have to."

"And haven’t I wanted the same for you? My dear Xiao Feng~"

Shen Mengli smiled sweetly, rising onto her tiptoes to press a soft kiss against his tear-streaked cheek.

"Promise me, no matter what happens, you won’t give up, okay? We’ll move forward together and clear every obstacle in our path."

"Alright, I promise, Meng Li."

Ye Feng nodded solemnly, his heart now filled with unwavering resolve. As he held Shen Mengli close, he couldn’t help but marvel at everything.

As for the initial breach of trust? In Ye Feng’s eyes, it had become nothing more than the key that unlocked the chains around his heart.