Which One is the Real You

“Hmm...”

Li Mucheng covered her head, momentarily lost in thought, her gaze fixed intently on Ye Feng.

Noticing the odd look in Li Mucheng’s eyes, as if she were scrutinizing him, Ye Feng coughed twice and headed for the door, saying, “Miss, I’m going to take a short break. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, Ye Feng left the room and made his way to the bathroom.

“Teacher...”

After Ye Feng left, Li Mucheng put down the notebook in her hand and stood up from her chair. She slowly walked to her bedside, lifted the pillow, and revealed a fox mask lying beneath it.

“Could it be you, Teacher?”

......

“Phew...”

After waking up and splashing cold water on his face, Ye Feng felt much more awake.

Why did I fall asleep again? I wasn’t tired earlier while teaching Li Mucheng. Could it be the pressure from Su Yuxin’s classes?

Just then, Ye Feng’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Curious, he took it out and saw a message from a friend on a social app.

A Q-version snake avatar had sent a message:

[Ye Feng, how’s work going?]

Before Ye Feng could reply, the phone buzzed again.

[Ye Feng? Are you there?]

[I...]

Ye Feng had just typed a single character when another message came through.

[Ye Feng, can you reply? Or is your phone not with you?]

How is she typing so fast?

Ye Feng frowned. While his typing speed was average, the old phone he was using often lagged when pressing buttons, significantly slowing him down.

[I’m in class right now, you...]

“Beep... Beep...”

Just as Ye Feng was about to send a quick reply, the phone screen suddenly switched to the call interface, and he accidentally hit the decline button.

Oh no!

......

“Wh...what? Declined!”

Xie Yuyan felt her heart sink as the call she had just made was instantly rejected. She had wanted to tell Ye Feng that she had eaten well today, but this was the result.

It seems that after that incident, Ye Feng’s opinion of me has changed. In his eyes, I must be nothing but trouble...

Xie Yuyan’s mind began to conjure images of Ye Feng happily teaching that “Miss” of his, his cold expression seeming to drip with something unsettling.

Ye Feng...

You were the one who pulled me out of the abyss. Are you now going to push me back in?

Why... why won’t you give me even a glimmer of hope... just a little would be enough...

Xie Yuyan’s pupils gradually lost focus, her once bright eyes now like a lifeless, still sea.

“Ding... Ding...”

11%

12%

13%

......

20%

“Ding... Ding...”

Just then, the phone tightly clutched in Xie Yuyan’s hand suddenly rang, snapping her back to reality.

“This... this is...”

When Xie Yuyan picked up the phone and saw the caller ID, she realized it was Ye Feng. Despite her lingering resentment, she answered the call.

“Hello? Xie Yuyan, are you there?”

Ye Feng’s hurried voice came through the phone.

“Sorry, my phone’s really laggy, so typing is slow. I accidentally hit the decline button.”

“......”

“Hello?”

“Ye Feng...”

Hearing Xie Yuyan call his name sent a shiver down Ye Feng’s spine. To mask his nervousness, he quickly chuckled.

“Uh... Xie Yuyan, was there something you wanted to talk about?”

“No... I just wanted to see if you were around.”

Xie Yuyan’s voice softened, as if she were melting in honey. She was sitting on the couch but suddenly stood up and walked toward Ye Feng’s bedroom.

“Oh, I’m still in class. I’ll probably be back in about an hour. Did you eat lunch properly today?”

“I did, hmm~”

Xie Yuyan’s cooing voice nearly made Ye Feng drop his phone.

“Ahem! That’s good. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now.”

“No... wait!”

Xie Yuyan interrupted Ye Feng, took a deep breath, and continued.

“Ye Feng, could you say my name a few times? I want to hear it.”

“Say your name? Why?”

“Oh, please? Just do it for me~”

“Alright, fine.”

Ye Feng shrugged, unsure what Xie Yuyan was up to, and began repeating her name.

“Xie Yuyan.”

“......”

“Xie Yuyan.”

“Hmm...”

“Xie Yuyan.”

“Ah...”

“Xie Yuyan.”

“Mmm...”

......

After calling her name several more times, Ye Feng noticed the phone had gone silent. He spoke into the phone, “Alright, I should get back to class. I’m hanging up now.”

There was still no response from the other end. Ye Feng assumed Xie Yuyan might have stepped away from the phone and hung up before leaving the bathroom.

Unbeknownst to him, in her room, Xie Yuyan was covering her mouth with one hand, her eyes hazy as she gazed at the ceiling, softly murmuring Ye Feng’s name over and over.

......

“Alright, Miss, let’s continue with the lesson.”

As Ye Feng entered the room, he saw Li Mucheng staring intently at him.

“Teacher, I have a question for you.”

“Go ahead.”

“How do you see me?”

“Huh?”

Ye Feng was visibly taken aback by Li Mucheng’s question. He had expected her to ask something related to the lesson, not about herself.

“How I see you? Well, you’re my student, of course.”

“No... that’s not the answer I’m looking for. I want to know what you truly feel inside.”

“Sorry, Miss, I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

“It’s alright. I’ll figure it out myself.”

With that, Li Mucheng stood up and walked toward Ye Feng. Just as Ye Feng realized they were too close and tried to step back, Li Mucheng unexpectedly threw herself into his arms.

“Miss?”

“Shh... Teacher, don’t speak. I’m searching for the answer~”

Ye Feng was completely baffled by Li Mucheng’s sudden embrace. Had she argued with her father again? As her teacher, he felt it was his duty to guide her.

Ye Feng gently placed a hand on Li Mucheng’s head, stroking her smooth, black hair as he spoke softly, “Miss, have you been dealing with something troubling lately? If you don’t mind, you can tell me. Maybe I can offer some advice?”

“Teacher...”

Li Mucheng looked up at Ye Feng, who was smiling at her, her thoughts unclear.

Which one is the real you?