The Familiar Head Flick

"Night Cat, you're talking a bit too much."

The old man with a goatee glared at the woman in front of him. Night Cat just snorted and said nothing more.

"Alright, the main reason I called you all here today is still about the matter of Cold Snake. After investigating, there are no traces of her in this area anymore. However, to be on the safe side, we still need some people to stay here as undercover agents, while the rest of you will need to gather intelligence elsewhere."

After saying this, the old man with the goatee took a deep puff from his pipe.

"Night Cat, you and Evil Wolf will handle the undercover mission. The rest of you, prepare to leave tomorrow."

"What? You're actually making me stay in this boring place? And with this dead dog, no less!"

Night Cat didn't hesitate to voice her dissatisfaction in front of everyone. Evil Wolf, who had been silent until now, pulled out a claw knife from his pocket and stared at Night Cat with a meaningful look.

"Night Cat, don’t think just because Cold Snake is gone, you can do whatever you want. If you dare to badmouth me again, I won’t hesitate to slit your throat."

"Oh? You? That’s the funniest joke I’ve ever heard."

Just as the two were about to come to blows, the old man’s voice interrupted them again.

"Enough! If you two want to prove yourselves, then go bring Cold Snake back yourselves. What’s the use of just flapping your mouths? It’s settled. If anything goes wrong, I’ll personally take you to the Palace Master for punishment."

At the mention of the Palace Master, the two immediately shut their mouths, glanced at each other, and then turned their heads away.

"One more thing. Recently, there’s been a lot of undercurrent activity in Shu City. According to our intelligence, a professional criminal group has arrived here, and it’s already drawn the attention of various factions in Shu City. We in the Dark Palace must remember not to draw too much attention to ourselves. It wouldn’t be good if other organizations caught wind of us."

"Understood."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Then it’s settled. Let’s end the meeting here for today."

......

"Good morning, Ye Feng~"

The next morning, as Ye Feng entered the living room, he saw Xie Yuyan had already prepared breakfast and placed it on the table. Looking at the golden, crispy fried eggs, Ye Feng couldn’t help but marvel at how skilled Xie Yuyan had become at cooking.

"Good morning."

"Hehe, breakfast is ready. Ye Feng, go wash up quickly."

"Okay..."

Although Xie Yuyan’s tone was as cheerful as yesterday, Ye Feng could sense that she was struggling to hold herself together, trying her best to show her best side to him.

Today was the day Ye Feng was supposed to teach Li Mucheng, so he didn’t dare to delay. After quickly tidying himself up, he sat down at the dining table, where Xie Yuyan was already seated, propping her chin on her hand and smiling at him.

"Eat up. It’s not a lavish meal, but it’s not bad in taste."

"Thank you."

"Don’t say ‘thank you,’ or I’ll get upset."

"Alright, you’ve worked hard."

"Mmm~ You’re welcome~"

Ye Feng finished his breakfast quickly and headed to the door to leave. Just then, Xie Yuyan called out to him from behind.

"Ye Feng..."

"What is it?"

"About yesterday... I’m sorry... I think I’ve been a bit out of it recently, so..."

"It’s fine. You’re a great girl. It’s just me..."

Ye Feng stopped mid-sentence, standing still and looking into Xie Yuyan’s eyes before turning away.

"No, it’s nothing. If there’s anything, just call me, okay?"

"......"

"Okay."

"Then I’ll be off. Take care of yourself."

"Okay."

"Bang."

After the door closed again, Xie Yuyan stood still, her head hanging low. Her bright red hair covered her eyes as she took heavy steps toward Ye Feng’s bedroom, as if only that place could slightly lift her spirits.

Since what happened last night, she could clearly feel the distance between her and Ye Feng growing. If she didn’t do something soon, she might lose him...

Ye Feng... why is this happening? Please, tell me, okay?

......

"Teacher~"

As usual, as soon as Ye Feng got out of the taxi, he saw Li Mucheng waiting for him at the door. Nowadays, whenever Li Mucheng was with him, she always had a slight smile on her face. Maybe this girl really was changing.

"Li Mucheng, why are you waiting for me at the door again? I told you I’d just come inside to find you next time."

"I just wanted to see you sooner, teacher~"

Li Mucheng reached out and grabbed Ye Feng’s sleeve in front of the surrounding servants. She really wanted to link arms with him, but every time she got close, Ye Feng would automatically maintain a certain distance. After several attempts, she gave up.

Well, a sleeve is fine. There’ll be plenty of time to fix that. After all, I’m the only woman who gets to be close to the teacher. I’ve got plenty of time to create beautiful memories with him in the future~

Thinking this, Li Mucheng seemed to recall something happy, occasionally letting out a few giggles. Ye Feng, standing nearby, couldn’t help but move even further away.

......

Huh? What’s going on...

"Ah! Teacher, you’re finally awake~"

Ye Feng groggily opened his eyes. His brain felt like it had completely shut down, with no memory of what had happened before. Seeing Li Mucheng sitting at the desk, writing furiously, Ye Feng curiously opened his mouth to speak, only to nearly choke on a mouthful of water.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

After struggling to swallow the water, Ye Feng wiped his damp lips. Li Mucheng, meanwhile, quietly watched all of this, her dark eyes reflecting Ye Feng’s figure.

"Teacher, do you want some water? Should I get you some?"

"No... no need. Miss, how did I fall asleep? Why don’t I remember anything?"

"Hmph."

Li Mucheng pouted, her lips sticking out high as she crossed her arms and spoke in a displeased tone.

"Teacher, have you not been resting well recently? Just now, while you were teaching, you suddenly fell asleep on the recliner. Seeing how tired you looked, I naturally didn’t want to disturb you."

Fell asleep? That seems to ring a bell. A vague memory surfaced in Ye Feng’s mind. He vaguely remembered feeling drowsy and falling asleep. Could it be because he was up all night thinking about Xie Yuyan? But his body is perfectly healthy.

"Teacher, you’re not trying to waste teaching time by sleeping, are you~"

Seeing Ye Feng trying to recall what happened, Li Mucheng quickly interrupted his train of thought, forcing him to engage with her.

"Of course not! Do you really think I’m that kind of person?"

This girl is talking nonsense again. Looks like I’ll have to teach her a lesson.

With that thought, Ye Feng reached out and flicked Li Mucheng’s forehead with a light tap.

......