It's Going to Be Okay

"Don't worry, Yu Xin, everything will be fine. Before this, Mucheng's father had already reached out to me, and at that time, he was still very gentle in how he treated people."

"I know that too. Uncle Li is always kind to those he trusts, but this time is different, Brother Ye Feng. No matter how I think about it, something feels off! But don’t worry, Brother Ye Feng, I’ll tell Mu Cheng about this later. She’ll definitely ask Uncle Li why he’s doing this!"

Just as Su Yuxin was about to head toward Li Mucheng’s bedroom, she was immediately stopped by Ye Feng’s voice on the phone.

"Yu Xin! Don’t do that!"

"Brother... Brother Ye Feng?"

"I don’t want Mu Cheng to overthink this. You know how hard it’s been for her relationship with her father to finally improve. If things take a bad turn because of me, Mu Cheng will definitely be hurt! Her mindset has already changed, and I can’t—and won’t—let her fall into trouble again."

"......"

Seeing that Su Yuxin didn’t respond, Ye Feng didn’t hesitate, afraid she might force the issue and tell Li Mucheng anyway.

"But Brother Ye Feng, your safety..."

"Yu Xin, you don’t need to worry about that. If something bad were going to happen, it would’ve happened already. Since Uncle Li is reaching out to me at this point, there must be something important behind his decision. Besides, Ah Fu is involved too."

"Ah... Ah Fu? Is he going to pick you up, Brother Ye Feng?"

Hearing Ah Fu’s name from Ye Feng’s lips, Su Yuxin’s tense heart gradually eased.

After all, Ah Fu was the main bodyguard Li Jing had assigned to Li Mucheng, having protected her for years. If he was part of this, things couldn’t be as bad as she feared.

"Of course, everything’s already arranged. So don’t worry, Yu Xin. It’s getting late, and this call was just to discuss things with you. Go back and rest with Mu Cheng."

"Mm... okay, Brother Ye Feng, I understand."

"Thank you for keeping this secret for me, Yu Xin. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow..."

Staring at her now-ended call, Su Yuxin slowly slipped her phone back into her pocket. Recalling her conversation with Ye Feng, she found herself torn.

What should I do...? On one side is the beloved Brother Ye Feng, and on the other is my best friend Li Mucheng, whom I’ve just reconciled with. Why did things have to turn out like this?

As Su Yuxin wrestled with her thoughts, a soft voice called out from down the hallway.

"Yu Xin? Where are you?"

Recognizing the voice, Su Yuxin realized she’d been gone too long—Li Mucheng had come out looking for her. Not wanting to raise suspicions, she hurried down the corridor.

"Mu Cheng, I’m here."

Only when Su Yuxin appeared in Li Mucheng’s line of sight did she stop calling out.

"Why did you wander off to the hallway? I already picked a movie, but you were nowhere to be found."

"Ah, hehe, sorry, Mu Cheng. I was just thinking about some things related to affection levels... I really want to protect Brother Ye Feng too. But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out a way, so it took me a while."

"Yu Xin, you don’t need to rush. Didn’t the teacher say we should take it slow? We don’t have to force things—answers come when we explore them gradually."

"Yeah... I know, Mu Cheng. It’s just hard to accept sometimes."

As Su Yuxin lowered her head, unsure how to respond, Li Mucheng stepped forward and took her hand.

"It’s okay, Yu Xin. Everything needs time to settle. We’ll work through it together. Forget about the troubles for now—I’ll stay by your side and help you."

Just as Li Mucheng was about to lead Su Yuxin back to the room, Su Yuxin suddenly gripped her wrist tightly and blurted out, "Mu Cheng! I—"

"Yu Xin? Are you really okay?"

Li Mucheng looked at her with concern as Su Yuxin’s emotions flared.

"I... I’m really grateful to you! Without your help, I probably would’ve..."

"Hey, why bring that up again? Didn’t I say we don’t need formalities between us? Come on, let’s go watch the movie!"

"Okay..."

......

"Mmm... smells amazing."

The moment Ye Feng stepped back into the house, the rich aroma of food hit him—even more enticing than usual. Just the scent alone was enough to make his mouth water.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, Xie Yuyan and Shen Mengli had already zeroed in on him.

"Ye Feng, dinner’s ready. Come eat with us."

"Yeah, yeah, Little Feng, come try this! Yuyan’s cooking is seriously delicious!"

Noticing the traces of oil still lingering at the corner of Shen Mengli’s lips, Ye Feng couldn’t help but chuckle. "Looks like someone’s been sneaking bites. Mengli, the oil on your lips is giving you away."

"Ah!"

Caught red-handed, Shen Mengli quickly turned her back to Ye Feng, grabbing a napkin to wipe her mouth while shooting Xie Yuyan an accusatory glare—as if to say, Why didn’t you warn me?

"I wanted to remind you, Mengli, but you were enjoying it so much I didn’t want to interrupt."

Xie Yuyan’s lips curled slightly as she strode over to Ye Feng, guiding him to his seat.

"Alright, Ye Feng, don’t you have things to do later? Hurry up and eat."

"Right..."

Sitting down, Ye Feng nodded hesitantly, suddenly realizing he was sandwiched between Shen Mengli and Xie Yuyan—a bad premonition creeping up on him.

"Little Feng~"

Sure enough, as soon as he settled in, Shen Mengli leaned in close—though perhaps mindful of Xie Yuyan’s presence, she only placed a piece of spare rib in his bowl before retreating.

"Try Yuyan’s ribs. They’re so flavorful!"

"Okay... thanks, Mengli."

Before Ye Feng could finish the rib, another pair of chopsticks appeared in his vision. Looking up, he found Xie Yuyan leaning uncomfortably close.

"Yu... Yuyan?!"