Under Ye Feng's watchful gaze, a figure slowly emerged from behind the tree. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the person as Ah Fu, Li Mucheng's bodyguard.
Ah Fu raised his hands with a smile, seemingly pleased with Ye Feng's reaction. "It's me, Ye Feng."
"Ah Fu? What are you doing here?" Before Ye Feng could respond, Li Mucheng peeked out from behind him, curious.
"As long as you're safe, Miss, that's all that matters. I was planning to talk to Ye Feng about something the master asked me to discuss, but when I saw him leading you into the woods, I got a bit worried and followed."
"It seems Ye Feng is a very competent tutor." Ah Fu noticed the two of them holding hands, which surprised him. What was even more unexpected was that Li Mucheng didn't seem to mind Ye Feng's touch. Perhaps Ye Feng really could change her.
Seeing Ah Fu's natural demeanor, Ye Feng gradually lowered his gun. "If you had come out a few seconds later, I might have fired."
"Hehe, I'll be more careful next time. But shouldn't you let go of Miss's hand now?"
Let go?
Li Mucheng froze for a moment, then looked down and realized that Ye Feng had been holding her hand all along. Instantly, she pulled her hand away.
"G... give me back my gun."
"Uh... my apologies."
Ye Feng removed the magazine and handed the gun to Li Mucheng, barrel pointed away from her.
Li Mucheng took the gun and hid it under her clothes, then turned to Ah Fu with a serious expression. "Don't tell him about the gun, and forget everything you saw just now."
"Understood, I'll head back now. Please be careful, Miss."
Ah Fu nodded and left the woods.
After Ah Fu left, the two of them fell into an awkward silence. After some time, Li Mucheng finally spoke.
"I... I'll pretend today never happened. Next time, warn me in advance before taking any action, understand?"
"Yes, Miss."
"Alright, that's all for today."
With that, Li Mucheng walked toward the villa without even glancing at Ye Feng. Ye Feng followed slowly behind her.
When they reached the villa, the silence between them remained unbroken...
After safely escorting Li Mucheng into the villa, Ye Feng knew his work for the day was done. According to the contract, Li Mucheng's lessons were scheduled for weekends, which meant that after tomorrow, he wouldn't see her for another five days.
But time was running out for him. He needed to secure more life time tomorrow; otherwise, things would get tight.
Ye Feng stopped at the villa entrance, watching Li Mucheng go inside. Just as she was about to enter, she suddenly turned back and looked at Ye Feng.
"Is there anything else, Miss?"
"Be here... on time tomorrow."
"Understood."
"......"
With that, Li Mucheng entered the villa. At the same moment, Ye Feng heard a system notification in his mind.
Eager to check the system, Ye Feng quickly left the villa. With Ah Fu's help, he got into a car and was driven home.
"Scratch, scratch."
A faint sound of writing came from Li Mucheng's room. She was holding a pen, seemingly sketching something in her notebook. Upon closer inspection, she was drawing the life-saving herb Ye Feng had shown her earlier, along with its properties. As she wrote about its usage, she suddenly stopped and threw the pen onto the desk.
"He didn't finish explaining..."
Li Mucheng recalled the scene where Ye Feng shielded her from danger, and her mind filled with that image. Then, she raised her right hand and stared at it intently.
Why did it feel so reassuring when he was around?
"Ding, ding, ding."
A sudden ringtone startled Li Mucheng. It was her best friend, Su Yuxin, calling. The unexpected call made her face flush red, and she quickly patted her cheeks to calm her racing heart. After a moment, she answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Mucheng, are you busy? You usually pick up my calls right away~"
Su Yuxin's tone was playful, with a hint of reproach, but it sounded more like a cute complaint.
"Sorry, Yuxin. I was just talking to Ah Fu."
"Alright, I'll forgive you."
"You're the best, Yuxin."
"Of course, we're the best of friends~"
"......"
"By the way, Mucheng, didn't your dad arrange a new tutor for you? How's it going?"
"Um..."
"Wait, let me guess. Did Mucheng scare him away again because she didn't like him?"
"Yuxin, how can you say that about your best friend? Am I really that scary?"
"Hehe, it's the fifth time already, after all."
Perhaps out of concern or to steer the conversation away, Li Mucheng asked first, "By the way, Yuxin, is your piano lesson over?"
"Yes, the teacher just left my house."
Su Yuxin's tone visibly dropped.
"Mucheng, I don't like these lessons, but my father insists on arranging them."
"Neither do I."
"But we'll get through it. Once we're older, everything will be better. Speaking of which, tomorrow is Sunday. I can come play with you~"
"Okay... tomorrow?"
"Yes, today is Saturday."
Li Mucheng was about to agree when something crossed her mind, and Ye Feng's face appeared in her thoughts.
"No... no!"
"Huh? Why? Do you have something important to do, Mucheng?"
"Yes... yes! I have something important to do at home tomorrow!"
It was clear that this was Li Mucheng's first time lying, as her tone was far from convincing.
Su Yuxin didn't suspect Li Mucheng's words. After all, Li Mucheng, like herself, often had to attend forced social events. It was at one of these gatherings that she met Li Mucheng.
"I see. That's a shame. I won't be able to see you this week, Mucheng."
"Sorry, Yuxin. Next time, I promise I'll come."
"It's okay. We're besties after all."
"Mucheng, I have to go now. I need to have dinner with my father."
"Okay, Yuxin, goodbye."
Li Mucheng ended the call and clutched the phone tightly, her breathing still a bit hurried. It was evident that lying was not something she was used to.
"I'm sorry, Yuxin..."
Li Mucheng closed her notebook and lay back on the bed, Ye Feng's protective actions replaying in her mind. It seemed that this small gesture had already left an indelible mark on the young girl's heart.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
