“I’m sorry, Brother Ye Feng, I didn’t mean to.”
As soon as Su Yuxin and Ye Feng stepped into the room, Su Yuxin suddenly turned around and threw herself into Ye Feng’s arms, her voice trembling with a hint of tears, making her sound utterly pitiful.
“Yuxin? What’s wrong...”
Ye Feng hadn’t expected Su Yuxin to burst into tears. Initially, he had wondered if her earlier actions were deliberate, but seeing her like this, a pang of guilt washed over him.
Perhaps Yuxin genuinely wanted to help him? Besides, how could such a sensible girl like her play a prank on him? He really was terrible for doubting a student who cared so much about him!
“Don’t cry, Yuxin. I misunderstood you. I know you were just trying to help me earlier, but what you did was a bit extreme, okay? My hands carry germs, and I was just worried you might get sick because of it.”
“R-Really?”
Su Yuxin clutched Ye Feng’s shirt tightly with both hands, lifting her head to gaze at him with teary, pleading eyes, sniffling slightly.
“Really.”
“Th-Thank you, Teacher...”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Su Yuxin hugged Ye Feng tightly, taking several deep breaths before reluctantly pulling away.
“Alright, Yuxin, it’s class time now. Let’s not dwell on what just happened, okay?”
“Mm! Brother Ye Feng, wait here—I’ll make you some tea.”
As if to make up for her mistake, Su Yuxin turned and hurried toward the living room.
“There’s no need, Yuxin. Plain water is fine for me.”
“No! Brother Ye Feng is our guest! If I can’t even treat a guest properly, then I’m failing as the host.”
Su Yuxin stared at Ye Feng with stubborn determination.
“Please wait in my room for a bit. I’ll bring out the good tea Father uses for guests.”
“Are... Are you sure that’s okay?”
......
“Achoo!”
Meanwhile, at the company, Su Wanli suddenly sneezed while working. Rubbing his nose, he muttered under his breath.
“Strange, why do I feel so uneasy all of a sudden? Ah, today’s the day Ye Feng tutors Yuxin, isn’t it? I hope nothing goes wrong...”
......
“Brother Ye Feng, here’s your tea~”
Before long, Su Yuxin returned with a glass cup of freshly brewed tea and placed it on the table in front of Ye Feng, who quickly reached out to take it, worried she might burn herself.
As Ye Feng held the cup, a rich, aromatic scent of tea wafted from it. Though he wasn’t a tea connoisseur, the fragrance alone told him this was no ordinary brew.
“Is something wrong, Brother Ye Feng? Does the tea taste off?”
Su Yuxin’s cheeks flushed as she watched Ye Feng’s puzzled expression. Her small hands fidgeted nervously behind her back, as if she were afraid of something. She pursed her lips, and for a brief moment, a tea leaf peeked out from the corner of her mouth before she quickly swallowed it.
“N-No, nothing’s wrong. I don’t know much about tea, but Yuxin, this tea...”
“This tea?”
“...must be expensive, right?”
“Expensive? Oh! Y-Yes?”
Su Yuxin blinked in confusion, realizing his words didn’t match what she had expected.
“Yeah, such a fragrant and mellow tea must cost a fortune, right?”
“O-Oh, is that what you meant...”
Su Yuxin patted her chest in relief before sitting down on the chair by the study desk.
“I’m not sure exactly, but Father only uses this tea for special guests. Mother once mentioned it costs around 10,000 coins per pound.”
“How much?! Ten thousand?!”
Ye Feng’s hand trembled slightly, and he carefully set the cup back on the table.
Though he was financially stable now, that didn’t change the fact that this tea was absurdly pricey.
“Yuxin... next time, just give me plain water. I don’t really drink tea much anyway.”
“Okay... I think tea is a bit too bitter for me too.”
Su Yuxin wrinkled her nose in discomfort, only relaxing after rummaging through her drawer, pulling out a piece of candy, unwrapping it, and popping it into her mouth.
“Teacher, do you want some candy? It’s strawberry-flavored—really delicious~”
“No, no, you enjoy it, Yuxin.”
Ye Feng smiled and took a sip of the tea, only to find that the rich tea aroma carried a faint hint of strawberry.
“Uh... Yuxin, what kind of tea is this? I think I taste a bit of strawberry in it.”
“Ah!”
Su Yuxin bit down hard on her strawberry candy upon hearing this, her eyes darting toward the study materials on the table as she replied.
“I’m not sure either. Maybe once when Father was taking out the tea leaves, he accidentally spilled some into the fruit basket? They might’ve picked up the strawberry scent.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
Ye Feng nodded thoughtfully, murmuring, “You know what? This strawberry-infused tea actually tastes pretty good.”
“Mmm... I’m glad Brother Ye Feng doesn’t dislike it...”
Su Yuxin stole a quick glance at him before lowering her head again.
“Alright, Yuxin, let’s start the lesson now, shall we?”
“Mm.”
......
“Xiao Feng...”
Shen Mengli whispered Ye Feng’s name as she stared at the clock on the wall. An hour had passed since he left her side. At first, she had managed to distract herself by hugging her teddy bear, but as time dragged on, her longing for Ye Feng grew unbearable.
“Xiao Feng.”
Suddenly, Shen Mengli lifted the teddy bear in her hands, staring into its pitch-black eyes.
“Yesterday, you asked if I ever thought about healing my legs... Did you know something you weren’t telling me? You seemed like you wanted to say more but held back. Were you afraid I might get hurt?”
She shook the bear lightly, as if expecting an answer, though of course, none came.
“I’m not afraid of getting hurt. I’m just afraid of losing you... Without you, I don’t want anything else.”
Shen Mengli lay back on the sofa, her mind conjuring up images of her legs miraculously healed and her living happily with Ye Feng. A soft smile touched her lips as she hugged the teddy bear tighter.
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Just like how Father and Mother were back then.”
......
“Alright, that’s it for today’s lesson. But Yuxin, you still need to work on your calculations. The problem-solving method I taught you last time—you forgot it again today.”
Ye Feng stood up from his seat, capping Su Yuxin’s pen before handing it back to her.
“Hehe, sorry, Brother Ye Feng. I’m just too slow~”