"Brother Ye Feng..."
Just as Ye Feng was about to stand up and leave, Su Yuxin's soft murmur reached his ears. Noticing her hesitant grip loosening on his sleeve, he paused and gently asked, "What is it, Yuxin? If there's something on your mind, you can tell me."
Su Yuxin bit her slightly dry lips, her gaze drifting to the side as she whispered, "Do I... annoy you? If you think I'm too clingy, Brother Ye Feng, you can..."
"Yuxin."
Ye Feng spoke her name with warmth, withdrawing his hand only to softly pat her head. His voice remained tender as he reassured her, "I could never dislike you, Yuxin. Nor could I dislike any of you. It's just that everything is still new, and we all need time to adjust—not just me, but you too. This is about finding answers in our own hearts."
"Mmm... I understand. Then, should I walk you out?"
Ye Feng could tell Su Yuxin was struggling with insecurity, her actions all aimed at deepening their bond. He noticed how she'd immediately tried to win his affection upon hearing about his feelings. Her cautious yet wholehearted devotion moved him, but he still gently declined.
"Yuxin, your kindness means a lot to me. But I can take care of myself for now. Let's talk more about this later, alright?"
"......"
Su Yuxin lowered her head, unsure how else to support him. She longed for her affection level to reach 100%, like Li Mucheng's, but nothing seemed to work.
"Yuxin."
Seeing her hesitation, Ye Feng reached out, his fingers brushing her cheek, savoring its softness. The touch made her lift her gaze again.
"I won't abandon you. I won't abandon any of you. Trust me, okay?"
"Brother Ye Feng..."
His words and actions eased the unease in her heart, and she finally stepped aside to let him pass.
"I trust you."
"Good. Then, Mucheng, we'll head out now. We can talk more tomorrow."
"Of course, Teacher. Be safe on your way."
With a nod, Ye Feng took Shen Mengli's hand and turned toward the door. But after a few steps, he glanced back at Xie Yuyan, who stood silently by the sofa, watching him.
Feeling his gaze, Xie Yuyan quickly averted her eyes. She'd assumed he'd leave with Shen Mengli and had even thought of seeing them off, but his sudden attention startled her. For some reason, she avoided his eyes, a flicker of anticipation stirring in her chest.
"Mengli, I..."
Ye Feng leaned down to whisper to Shen Mengli, but she cut him off with a soft smile.
"It's alright, Xiao Feng. Just do what you want to do. I'll always support you~"
She even gave him an encouraging little fist pump.
"Mengli..."
"Go on, hurry! Don't keep Xie Yuyan waiting."
"Alright..."
Once Shen Mengli released his hand, Ye Feng walked over to Xie Yuyan and called her name softly.
"Yuyan."
"!!!"
Xie Yuyan stiffened, her lashes fluttering in surprise. Words tangled on her tongue as she stammered, "Wh-what is it, Ye Feng? Did I... do something wrong?"
"Hah? What nonsense are you spouting? You seem perfectly happy staying with Mucheng."
"H-happy...?"
"Oh? Then maybe you should just stay here with her."
"Eh?"
Xie Yuyan's head snapped up, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Ye Feng... what did you just say?"
"You said you like it here with Mucheng. I was going to ask you to come back with me, but I guess that's unnecessary now."
"N-no! I... I want to go back with you!"
"Oh? But didn’t you just say Mucheng’s place suits you?"
"Th-that’s not true at all!"
Her voice rose in agitation, her thoughts scattering. Panic set in—if she didn’t speak up now, he might really leave.
"It’s not good! Not at all! Staying with Mucheng, I..."
She nearly shouted but caught herself, realizing it would sound like she was rejecting Li Mucheng’s kindness. Just as she floundered, Ye Feng took her hand firmly in his.
"Alright, I know what you mean. I was just teasing you. I never thought the usually sharp and composed Xie Yuyan could get so flustered."
"I... I..."
"Come on, let’s go home. It’s time you returned to your own place."
"Ye Feng..."
Touched, she nodded, gripping his hand tightly. After exchanging a glance with Li Mucheng, she walked with Ye Feng toward the door.
Shen Mengli skipped over to join them on Ye Feng’s other side. After bidding farewell to Su Yuxin and Li Mucheng, the three gradually disappeared beyond the estate gates, leaving only Su Yuxin and Li Mucheng behind.
"Today was a good start. I hope things stay this way."
Li Mucheng shook off her melancholy. Though parting with Ye Feng had dampened her spirits, remembering how he’d still cared for her feelings before leaving lifted her mood. She turned to Su Yuxin, who stood awkwardly, unsure what to do.
"Yuxin, any plans for now?"
"I... I don’t know. I guess I should just go home..."
"Home? Is there something urgent?"
"N-no, it’s just... without Brother Ye Feng, I don’t know what to do."
"Then why not stay here tonight? We can watch horror movies like we used to~"
"Like before... R-really?"
"Of course. So, will you?"
"I will!"
Unbeknownst to Ye Feng, this incident had nudged everyone toward brighter perspectives—even the two who’d once been at odds now seemed to have rekindled their old closeness.
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!
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
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)
ress Kneels to Admit Wrong] [Dealing with Love-Struck Fools] [Forced to the Throne] Ren Tianye transmigrated into a female-oriented novel world, only to find everyone in it was utterly insane. He risked his life to save a young girl from barbarians, but was accused of arriving too late and branded the real murderer. He held a knife to a military officer's neck, demanding the troop tally, but the officer only cared about questioning his wife: "Do you not love me anymore? All these years of affection and time together, they were all a mistake, a mistake!" After seizing Yunji City, the original defending general, to save face with the Empress, knelt on the ground: "You must give Yunji City back to me, or I'll hang myself at the city gate and let everyone know you're a villain!" The young lord of the Duke's mansion, to please a woman, directly ordered a merchant: "The menstrual pads you buy for her must be studded with diamonds. Loving her means giving her the best." Having become a great general, he was about to marry a merchant's daughter, who set a pre-nuptial rule: "I can divorce you anytime. When that happens, you must give me half of your troops and soldiers!" Even the Empress was a severe love-struck fool, who ordered the execution of 70,000 elite troops simply because they stood in the way of her romance. Ren Tianye was speechless. He was done. Let it all burn! This deranged female-oriented novel world! ...
