“This is...”
Early in the morning, the director of Hope Orphanage woke up according to her biological clock. After getting dressed, she rubbed her lower back and walked out of her room.
For the safety of the children, the director always made it a habit to inspect the entire orphanage half an hour before the children woke up. Over time, this became her routine.
Because Shen Mengli was the child the director cared for the most, she always made a point to visit Shen Mengli’s dormitory first during her rounds.
Considering Shen Mengli’s limited mobility, the director had specially converted a small storage room into a private space for her. No one would complain about it, as it was just a previously unused room.
“Huh?”
When the director arrived at Shen Mengli’s room, she noticed the door wasn’t completely closed, leaving a small gap.
Why is the door open? Did Wenwen sneak into Shen Mengli’s bed to sleep again last night?
Puzzled, the director cautiously pushed the door open, but what she saw next left her in shock.
“Meng... Mengli?”
As the room gradually brightened, there was no sign of Shen Mengli on the bed, not even the small wheelchair that was usually placed beside it.
In an instant, the director, who had been slightly groggy, became fully alert. She hurried into the room, calling out Shen Mengli’s name.
“Mengli? Are you here, Mengli? Don’t scare me like this.”
After searching the room thoroughly and finding no trace of Shen Mengli, the director, now frantic, immediately turned and rushed toward the garden.
“Tap, tap, tap.”
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway. When the director reached the depths of the garden, she spotted the small wheelchair parked in the pavilion and breathed a sigh of relief.
As she approached the pavilion, she called out, “Mengli, why are you up so early? You really scared me just now...”
But the moment she stepped into the pavilion, she realized that aside from the wheelchair, there was no sign of Shen Mengli. The director, who had just calmed down, nearly fainted on the spot.
“Mengli! Mengli!”
The director looked around in a panic, her brows furrowed almost into a straight line.
Could it be that after I told her about the orphanage’s rules, she decided to do something drastic?
“No... no... Mengli, where are you? Please don’t scare me like this.”
Worried that Shen Mengli might be in danger, the director anxiously decided to seek help from the teachers’ dormitory. But just as she turned to leave the pavilion, she noticed a note on Shen Mengli’s wheelchair.
“This... what’s this?”
The director picked up the note and carefully read the neatly written message:
[Dear Director,
If you’ve found this note, it’s likely already morning. I am not a bad person. Shen Mengli is currently in a safe place, so please don’t worry too much. I will return her safely after breakfast, and I’ll explain everything to you then.]
Seeing the signature with the character “Ye,” the director’s mind immediately conjured up the image of Ye Feng.
“Mr. Ye Feng? How... how could this be? But why would he take Mengli? No! This is all too strange. I must report this to the authorities. What if Mengli is in danger...”
The director crumpled the note in her hand and was about to go back to her room to fetch her phone when she suddenly realized that Mengli was in Ye Feng’s custody. What if he got upset and decided to harm her? It seemed she had no choice but to trust Ye Feng’s words and wait until after breakfast to see what would happen.
“Mengli... I’m so sorry...”
......
“Mengli... I... I’m sorry...”
Ye Feng, feeling the warmth of the delicate figure in front of him, spoke with a hint of awkwardness.
“Xiao Feng, there’s no need to apologize. It’s not your fault. I’m fine.”
Shen Mengli wrapped her arms around Ye Feng’s neck and rested her head on his shoulder, whispering softly.
“That night, I accidentally dropped my sandals in the pavilion, and with the dim lighting, of course, you wouldn’t have noticed, Xiao Feng.”
Shen Mengli didn’t seem to hold any resentment toward Ye Feng for not having her shoes. Instead, she nestled against his shoulder, closing her eyes with a contented expression.
“Are you really okay?”
Ye Feng, still uneasy, asked again.
“I’m fine. My legs don’t have any sensation anyway, so you don’t need to worry too much, Xiao Feng.”
“......”
Ye Feng’s gaze followed Shen Mengli’s legs down to her feet. Although, as Shen Mengli had said, her legs were pale and devoid of any distinguishing features, when he saw her small, round, jade-like feet, he couldn’t help but pause.
“Should we put on some socks?”
“Socks? That’s fine, I guess.”
Shen Mengli didn’t understand why Ye Feng wanted her to wear socks, but she agreed anyway.
“Okay.”
Ye Feng gently placed Shen Mengli on the soft sofa and then headed to his room.
When he had been taking care of Xie Yuyan, he had bought some daily necessities and clothes, and there happened to be an unused pair of white socks that he could give to Shen Mengli.
“Here, these should fit.”
“Xiao Feng... my arms are too short to reach my feet. I might... need you to help me put them on.”
Shen Mengli turned her head slightly as she spoke. Although her feet had no sensation, the thought of Ye Feng putting socks on for her made her feel incredibly shy. At the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have that sensation, even if it was just a fleeting thought.
“Alright then.”
Ye Feng swallowed hard and knelt down on one knee. As he looked at Shen Mengli’s feet, he felt an inexplicable sense of strangeness, even a hint of joy.
“Haa...”
Taking a deep breath, Ye Feng gently stretched open one of the socks and carefully slid it over Shen Mengli’s small foot.
“Hmm...”
Although Shen Mengli couldn’t feel anything, her eyes were fixed on Ye Feng’s every move. When she saw her foot being held through the sock, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks, barely noticeable unless one looked closely.
The white sock slowly moved up Shen Mengli’s round foot, and after Ye Feng’s careful handling, one foot was finally covered.
“There, now I’ll put on the other sock, okay?”
“Mm.”
Just as Ye Feng stretched open the second sock and was about to slide it onto Shen Mengli’s foot, his hand accidentally brushed against the top of her foot.
Oh no!