Plan Complete

"Mu Cheng? Are you alright?"

"Mm... Teacher, I'm fine..."

"......"

After what felt like an eternity of silence following Li Mucheng's response, Ye Feng couldn't help but speak up again.

"Mu Cheng."

"Yes!"

Hearing Ye Feng call her name, Li Mucheng seemed visibly tense, her body trembling slightly as she answered.

"Mu Cheng, say something... Wasn’t it you who called me?"

"Ah... Was it? I’m sorry, Teacher! I spaced out just now!"

Snapping back to reality, Li Mucheng suddenly realized her mind had wandered again and hurriedly apologized. Even now, her thoughts were still filled with the excitement of last night’s memories.

From Ye Feng’s words, she learned that her father had tacitly accepted her willingness to stay by Ye Feng’s side. This meant she no longer had to worry about unnecessary conflicts arising from Li Jing’s disapproval.

"Uh... Mu Cheng, you still haven’t gotten to the point."

"Ah! T-Teacher, it’s like this... Yesterday, I got a little too carried away and acted inappropriately in front of you. I hope you can forgive me for that."

"Mu Cheng, you didn’t do anything wrong. It was just an emotional reaction—it’s fine, I don’t mind."

"You’re so kind, Teacher~"

"So, Mu Cheng..."

"Y-Yes, Teacher! The reason I called was to ask if you’d come for breakfast today?"

"Breakfast might be difficult—I’m already preparing something here. But Meng Li, Yu Yan, and I should be able to come by around noon. Will that work, Mu Cheng?"

"Yes! O-Of course it’s fine!"

Excitement was evident in Li Mucheng’s voice on the other end of the line.

"Then... I’ll be waiting for you at home, Teacher."

"Mm, I’ll get there as soon as I can."

"Beep... beep..."

As the call ended, Ye Feng set down his phone and headed to the bathroom, unaware that Shen Mengli had been secretly watching everything from around the corner.

"It seems Xiao Feng wasn’t lying—he really did go to discuss things with Mu Cheng’s father last night. But who would’ve thought her father would be so open-minded? Unbelievable."

After muttering to herself for a moment, Shen Mengli returned to the kitchen, her eyes downcast as she whispered something under her breath.

"It seems I still haven’t let go of my reservations... But for Xiao Feng’s sake... I have to!"

......

"Mm..."

Some time later, Xie Yuyan groggily sat up in bed, her sleepiness vanishing the moment she opened her eyes. Her messy hair made her want to take a shower immediately.

"I should get up and get ready quickly, or I’ll end up wasting time later."

With that thought, she didn’t even bother putting on slippers, padding barefoot toward the bathroom on her long legs. The sound of her footsteps was faint, and since Shen Mengli was busy at the stove with her back turned, Xie Yuyan assumed she had already finished eating and was just cleaning up. Without another thought, she turned the bathroom doorknob and stepped inside.

Click.

As the door opened, Xie Yuyan became more alert. Just as she gripped the hem of her clothes, ready to undress, her eyes landed on a figure standing there.

"Eh?!"

There stood Ye Feng, wrapped in a towel, water droplets still clinging to his hair, his expression one of utter shock as he stared at Xie Yuyan.

"Ye Feng?"

"Xie Yuyan!"

"What are you doing here?!"

"What are you doing here?!"

Judging by their horrified expressions, neither had expected the other to suddenly appear in the bathroom.

Realizing this wasn’t the time to dwell on it, Ye Feng quickly tightened his towel and moved to leave. Their voices hadn’t been quiet—there was a good chance Shen Mengli outside had heard something. If this led to another misunderstanding, explanations would be unavoidable.

"Xie Yuyan, I’ll go out first. We’ll talk about this later."

"O-Okay..."

But it was already too late. Just as Ye Feng’s hand touched the doorknob, another click sounded—the bathroom door slowly swung open to reveal Shen Mengli standing there, her cheeks puffed out in anger as she glared at the disheveled pair.

"M-Meng Li, I can explain..."

"Xiao Feng! I’m so disappointed in you! And you, Xie Yuyan—do you think sneaking around like this is something to be proud of?"

"It’s not like that, Meng Li! I didn’t know Ye Feng was—"

"Enough!"

Shen Mengli cut her off, immediately grabbing Ye Feng’s wrist and yanking him out of the bathroom.

"Since it’s already happened, there’s no point in explaining. You owe me for this, Xie Yuyan—don’t forget it! Hmph!"

With a cold snort, she dragged Ye Feng toward her bedroom. When he didn’t budge, she turned back sharply. "What? Can’t bear to leave, Xiao Feng?"

"N-No, Meng Li! I really was just taking a shower!"

His weak defense fell on deaf ears. In the end, Shen Mengli pulled him into her room, leaving Xie Yuyan standing there in stunned silence.

"Sigh... I should’ve just told Meng Li beforehand. At least then there wouldn’t be a misunderstanding. Now I owe her a favor—what a waste..."

Muttering gloomily to herself, Xie Yuyan stepped into the bathroom.

For now, she might as well take that shower.

......

Once inside the bedroom, Shen Mengli blocked the door, preventing Ye Feng from leaving while keeping her hands behind her back. Only when the soft click of a lock echoed did she finally step closer.

"Meng Li, you have to believe me. I really was just showering—and weren’t you in the kitchen? Shouldn’t you have seen Xie Yuyan coming?"

While Ye Feng was still trying to reason with her, he failed to notice the increasingly dazed look in Shen Mengli’s eyes.

"I know~"

"Right, Meng Li, you know—... Huh?"

Ye Feng had assumed she didn’t believe him, so her sudden admission left him frozen in place.

"W-What? Meng Li... you know?"

"Mm, I know."

Only after hearing her confirm it a second time did Ye Feng accept she wasn’t lying. "Then why did you act like that if you knew?"

"Because... this was the only way to lure you into my room without suspicion~"

Shen Mengli’s crimson eyes gleamed with an eerie light, as if she were about to devour him whole.