"Everyone has things they feel compelled to do—I understand that. Like how I sometimes want to visit everyone at the institute too."
"Mengli..."
Ye Feng felt a warmth in his heart as he looked at the understanding Shen Mengli.
"Thank you, Mengli."
"Don’t thank me so quickly, Xiao Feng."
At this point, Shen Mengli’s tone shifted. The gentle, considerate demeanor vanished, replaced by sudden seriousness as she unconsciously gripped Ye Feng’s arm.
"Even though you can tend to your own matters, the condition is that you don’t break our agreement. Just like you promised to take care of me, if you don’t return by the agreed time, I’ll... I’ll bite you to death!"
Shen Mengli thought for a while but couldn’t come up with anything scarier to threaten Ye Feng with. She didn’t want to go too far and upset him, so she settled on this line.
"......"
Ye Feng suppressed a laugh as he watched Shen Mengli put on a fierce act. "Don’t worry, I’ll come back on time as promised."
"Then it’s settled~"
Shen Mengli thought her performance had successfully intimidated him, secretly feeling a little smug.
"Mmm... But Mengli, your grip might be a bit too tight."
Ye Feng didn’t want to bring it up, but seeing the red marks her fingers had left on his arm, he had no choice.
"Ah!"
Shen Mengli gasped and immediately let go, quickly apologizing.
"I-I’m sorry, Xiao Feng! I got too carried away. Is your arm okay?"
"It’s fine, just a little red. No big deal."
"Mmm..."
Shen Mengli picked up the stuffed bear she’d tossed aside earlier, hugging it tightly while lightly tapping its head with a fist.
"Honestly, why do you keep wandering off? So disobedient," she muttered under her breath.
As their conversation ended, the room fell into quiet. Shen Mengli peeked at Ye Feng, noticing him staring at something on his phone.
Curious, she leaned closer and asked cautiously, "Xiao Feng, what are you looking at?"
"Ah!"
Ye Feng tried to turn off his phone when he noticed her gaze, but his old device lagged badly, the screen freezing before he could react—giving Shen Mengli a clear view.
The image showed a strikingly beautiful woman in a pristine white dress.
"Uh..."
Shen Mengli quickly pulled away, lowering her head.
"Sorry, Xiao Feng... I didn’t know you were looking at a girl. Is she that Mu Cheng from earlier? She’s... really pretty."
Her voice wavered, eyes glistening with unshed tears, her nose tingling with suppressed emotion.
"Huh? Mengli, you’ve got it wrong! I was just browsing clothes. Here, look."
Ye Feng denied it vehemently, closing the image to reveal a shopping link for the dress.
"Oh..."
Shen Mengli lifted her head hesitantly, confirming that it was indeed a product listing for the white dress.
"But... why were you looking at clothes? The headmistress once said some people have... unusual preferences. Xiao Feng, don’t tell me you—"
"Of course not! Don’t jump to conclusions!"
Ye Feng cut her off, desperate to dispel the misunderstanding.
"I was picking clothes for you."
"For... me?"
"Yeah."
He handed her the phone, showing her the image.
"I thought you’d look beautiful in this white dress, so I was debating whether to buy it. But I wasn’t sure if you’d like the color, so I kept hesitating..."
Mid-explanation, Shen Mengli suddenly buried herself in his chest, her tears dampening his shirt.
"M-Mengli? Are you okay? Don’t like the color? I can find another—"
"N-no..."
Her voice was fragile, trembling with emotion.
"I’m just... so happy. That you’d think of me like this... I really... really am."
"Mengli..."
Ye Feng’s heart ached for this girl who always tread so carefully. He resolved again to protect her, gently stroking her silver hair as he comforted her.
"Don’t cry. You won’t look as pretty if you keep crying."
"Mm..."
Shen Mengli slowly pulled back, wiping her tears before smiling at his flustered expression.
"Xiao Feng... thank you."
The sight of her smile stunned Ye Feng. In all their time together, he’d learned to read her moods through her tone—her expressions were usually guarded. This was the first time he’d seen her smile so openly.
Like a parched flower revived by rain, blooming into its most radiant form.
"Xiao Feng? What’s wrong?"
Shen Mengli tilted her head, waving a small hand in front of his dazed face.
"Mengli... you smiled just now."
"Smiled?"
She didn’t seem to grasp his meaning, having simply expressed her feelings without restraint.
"Yeah. It’s the first time I’ve seen you smile so brightly."
Ye Feng grinned back at her clueless expression.
"It’s beautiful."
"B-beau... b-beau..."
This time, she seemed to understand, immediately pinching his arm again while her eyes darted everywhere—anywhere but at him.
"X-Xiao Feng! L-let’s just... focus on the clothes!"
"Right, right."
Ye Feng realized he’d overstepped and hurriedly pulled up the shopping link again. Just as he was about to hand her the phone to browse freely, Shen Mengli set her bear aside and crawled into his lap.
"M-Mengli? What are you—?"
Before he could finish, she’d nestled against his chest, awkwardly turning to sit facing the phone.
"I-I just... wanted a better view, that’s all~" she mumbled.