"Xie... Xie Yuyan? Are you listening?"
Ye Feng was startled by Xie Yuyan's strange demeanor, and his voice gradually grew louder.
"......"
Xie Yuyan didn't speak, only giving a slight nod, seemingly maintaining some semblance of composure.
"Actually, I didn't want it to be like this..."
Ye Feng sighed deeply, his heart aching as he looked at Xie Yuyan. The reason he had been so cold was because of the system. He didn't dare to gamble, especially not with Xie Yuyan's feelings for him.
"I'm sorry..."
Just as Ye Feng was struggling to find the right words, Xie Yuyan unexpectedly spoke first.
"I'm sorry, Ye Feng. I let my emotions get the better of me."
"Xie Yuyan?"
Ye Feng looked at Xie Yuyan sitting beside him, momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected her to say something like that.
"Ye Feng, you must have your own difficulties, right?"
Xie Yuyan suddenly smiled, reaching out to hold Ye Feng's stiff hand, her resolve growing stronger.
As expected, she was glad she had noticed the conflict in Ye Feng's eyes. Otherwise, she might have been overwhelmed by her emotions.
Xie Yuyan recalled how she had been so desperate for Ye Feng to reciprocate her feelings that she had overlooked the mysteries surrounding him.
When she was in danger, he had appeared as if by divine intervention, claiming it was fate. The strange medicine he had taken during a crisis, and the antidote that had suddenly appeared after she was poisoned...
These inexplicable phenomena were likely the reason Ye Feng had been keeping his distance.
Although it felt like he was carrying out some kind of mission, Xie Yuyan could sense that Ye Feng's feelings for her were genuine. Thankfully, she had kept herself in check... Otherwise, things could have gotten much worse.
In a place where Ye Feng couldn't see, Xie Yuyan withdrew her hand from her waist, letting out a soft sigh as she regained her composure.
Seeing Xie Yuyan suddenly return to her normal self, Ye Feng blinked in confusion, relieved that nothing had gone wrong. But what did she mean by "difficulties"?
"Difficulties? You... you know?"
"Maybe."
Xie Yuyan answered without hesitation, her deep blue eyes twinkling as if she had discovered something.
"Ye Feng, is it because you don't have a stable life yet and are afraid you can't give me happiness? Is that why you're acting this way?"
"Huh?"
Hearing Xie Yuyan's words, Ye Feng was momentarily stunned. He had been trying to figure out how to explain himself, but after hearing her reasoning, he couldn't help but nod.
"Ah... yes... that's right..."
"Oh, so that's how it is~"
After receiving Ye Feng's confirmation, Xie Yuyan's fox-like eyes narrowed slightly, a subtle smile forming at the corners of her lips.
From Ye Feng's initial hesitation, she had already guessed the reason for his inner conflict. But she knew he wouldn't reveal this secret to her, so she had interpreted his actions in a way that suited her narrative—a narrative that was closely tied to her. Once Ye Feng admitted it, he had essentially fallen into the trap she had set.
Perhaps Ye Feng himself hadn't realized he had already stepped into the pit Xie Yuyan had dug for him. In his haste to change the subject, he had overlooked other important details.
"Alright, then let's continue as we were before. Is that okay with you?"
Xie Yuyan quickly pulled Ye Feng toward the dining area, not giving him a chance to reconsider what he had just committed to.
"That's fine... but Xie Yuyan, are you really okay with this? After all, we've been through..."
Ye Feng stopped mid-sentence, as if the next part was too embarrassing to say out loud.
"Oh?"
Xie Yuyan let go of Ye Feng's hand and slowly moved behind him, wrapping her arms around him and whispering softly into his ear.
"What... have we been through?"
"We've been through..."
Ye Feng struggled for a long time but ultimately sighed.
"Nothing... it's nothing..."
"Ha~ Ye Feng, where's that prideful attitude you used to have? Why are you so meek now?"
"Hey, stop teasing me. Let's just eat."
Ye Feng truly didn't dare to do anything to Xie Yuyan now. Even though he had saved her, the incident with the antidote had caused an even bigger mess. Knowing he was in the wrong, he could only pretend not to hear her.
"Really, why are you acting like a mute now? You're not saying a word."
Xie Yuyan pouted, poking Ye Feng's cheek until they finally sat down at the dining table and the playful banter came to an end.
"Here, Ye Feng, try this beef stew with potatoes. It's a new recipe I learned."
Xie Yuyan picked up a piece of beef with her chopsticks and held it to Ye Feng's mouth.
"No... no need, Xie Yuyan. Just put it in my bowl. I can eat it myself... Mph!"
Only after successfully stuffing the beef into Ye Feng's mouth did Xie Yuyan withdraw her chopsticks, muttering, "Really, just eat when I tell you to. Why make it so complicated?"
"Mmm... gulp..."
Ye Feng chewed reluctantly for a while before finally swallowing the beef. After licking the sauce from his lips, he said,
"Xie Yuyan, you could've at least warned me. You almost choked me!"
"Well, if you weren't so indecisive, it wouldn't have happened. Just be more straightforward~"
Xie Yuyan rested her chin on one hand while using the other to carefully select another piece of beef from the pot and place it in Ye Feng's bowl.
"So, how does it taste?"
"Actually, it's not bad!"
Ye Feng ate the beef from his bowl and gave Xie Yuyan a thumbs-up.
"Xie Yuyan, your cooking keeps getting better. The sauce is really flavorful, though I don't know why the beef is so tough to chew."
"Well, there's nothing I can do about that. This piece of meat just wouldn't soften no matter how long I stewed it, so I had to cut it into smaller pieces and cook it slowly~"
With that, Xie Yuyan picked out another piece of beef and placed it in Ye Feng's bowl.
"Alright, alright, Xie Yuyan, stop putting food in my bowl. I can serve myself."
Ye Feng quickly interrupted. He was starting to feel that his relationship with Xie Yuyan was becoming a bit too ambiguous. At first, he hadn't noticed, but now, looking back, he realized she had become much bolder than before. After what had happened, wasn't she embarrassed? After all, that was...
Ah, never mind.
"Huh?"
Ye Feng suddenly noticed that Xie Yuyan was meticulously picking out pieces of beef from the pot. But wasn't the pot full of beef? Why was she being so selective? It wasn't like there was a difference in fat or lean meat.
Could there be some special way of eating beef that most people don't know about?