As Ye Feng was about to put the disinfectant tablet into his mouth, Shen Mengli leaned forward and grabbed his arm.
“No! Mr. Ye Feng, you can’t eat that!”
“Oh? So you’re saying you can eat this tablet, Miss Shen? Isn’t this supposed to be medicine for treating illnesses?”
Ye Feng clenched the tablet tightly in his hand, unmoved no matter how hard Shen Mengli tried to pry his fingers open.
“No... This medicine is specifically for certain symptoms. If you take it randomly, Mr. Ye Feng, it could...”
“How long are you going to keep hiding the truth?”
Ye Feng laid his cards on the table. He had sensed something unusual the moment Shen Mengli took out the white tablet, and he was glad he had arrived in time to prevent a disaster.
“Mr. Ye Feng, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Seeing that Ye Feng wouldn’t let go, Shen Mengli withdrew her hand.
Ye Feng opened his palm and brought the tablet close to his nose, giving it a slight sniff. As a pungent odor wafted out, he realized that the so-called medicine Shen Mengli had mentioned was no cold remedy—it was clearly a disinfectant tablet. If ingested, it could at the very least cause discomfort, and at worst, pose a serious threat to one’s life.
“Miss Shen, are you still going to play dumb? You must have prepared this in advance, didn’t you?”
“......”
Shen Mengli showed no reaction to having her intentions exposed by Ye Feng, maintaining her calm and indifferent demeanor.
“Aren’t you going to explain yourself?”
Ye Feng tucked the disinfectant tablet into his pocket and slowly walked up to Shen Mengli, staring intently at her.
Feeling the weight of Ye Feng’s serious gaze, Shen Mengli turned her head away and tried to wheel her chair to leave, but Ye Feng stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
“Mr. Ye Feng, could you please stop trying to control my thoughts? What I choose to do is my own right.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Mr. Ye Feng, please move aside. I don’t want to answer your questions.”
Shen Mengli lowered her head, her snow-white hair cascading down her pale cheeks. Though her tone remained unchanged, there was a hint of impatience in her voice.
“Miss Shen, could you calm down for a moment and listen to what I have to say...”
“Go away! I told you to go away!”
Shen Mengli suddenly shouted at Ye Feng, her face instantly changing. Her trembling crimson eyes and body reflected her unstable emotions.
“......”
Ye Feng furrowed his brows tightly. From Shen Mengli’s current state, it was clear she had willingly trapped herself in a dead end. Changing her mindset now would be no easy task.
“Don’t worry about me... Please... Just leave me alone...”
Realizing her emotions had gotten the better of her, Shen Mengli immediately pushed her chair to leave. But just as she and Ye Feng passed each other, she didn’t expect him to grab the back of her chair from behind.
“Mr. Ye Feng... Please let go...”
“Do you... hate your life right now?”
“Of course... Every day is torture for me. I wish I could end my life right now.”
“Then why haven’t you done it before?”
“Because I’m fed up with this life. To me, this isn’t living—it’s just existing as a burden to others every day.”
“But that’s not what you really think, is it?”
“Hmph... Does Mr. Ye Feng enjoy imposing his thoughts on others?”
Ye Feng didn’t bother to explain in the face of Shen Mengli’s retort. Instead, he turned her chair around and crouched down to meet her gaze.
“You actually love this place, don’t you?”
“This place? I lost my home long ago. How could I...”
“Whether it’s Wenwen, the director, or the other children at the institute, you care about them deeply, don’t you? In your heart, they’re like family, aren’t they? The reason you’ve been hesitating is because you don’t want to leave them, right?”
“Nonsense.”
“Then why are you still clutching that teddy bear in your hand?”
“......”
Ye Feng’s words struck a chord, leaving Shen Mengli with no room for rebuttal.
After all, she couldn’t very well say she hated the teddy bear Wenwen had given her.
Seeing that Shen Mengli’s resistance had softened, Ye Feng adopted a gentler tone. Through his interactions with the girls, he had learned some skills in comforting others.
In a calm and soothing voice, Ye Feng said, “Miss Shen, you need to understand that if you take such an extreme measure, how do you think Wenwen and the director would feel? By doing this, you’d only be transferring your pain onto them. Do you really want them to live with the same agony of losing someone they love?”
“No... That’s not what I want... I just don’t want to be a burden anymore...”
Shen Mengli shook her head, trying to explain her actions.
“If I were gone, the director wouldn’t have to work so hard, and Wenwen wouldn’t have to steal toys just to make me happy! I’m the problem...”
“The director works hard because she has you by her side. Wenwen steals toys because she cares about you. In their hearts, you’re already an irreplaceable part of their lives. Do you want them to become... the next you?”
“The next me...”
Shen Mengli froze in her chair, her gaze growing distant. Upon closer inspection, tears had already welled up in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks.
“I’m... sorry... I’m so sorry...”
Tears dripped one by one onto Shen Mengli’s black dress as she murmured apologies. Ye Feng didn’t stop her, simply standing by quietly, waiting for her negative emotions to gradually dissipate.
This child had been holding it in for far too long. It was time for her to let it all out.
As Shen Mengli’s sobs grew quieter, her emotions finally settled.
“Feeling better now?”
Ye Feng took a pack of tissues from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to Shen Mengli.
“Th... thank you...”
Shen Mengli took the tissue and first wiped the tears from the teddy bear and her dress.
The teddy bear was a gift from Wenwen, and the black dress was from the director, who was like a mother to her.
“They mean a lot to you, don’t they? That’s why you should cherish them even more.”
“Yes...”