When Ye Feng finally realized what was happening, he knew he had fallen for a diversion. His situation was precarious, and he had no idea what was going on inside the room. All he could rely on was his instincts, but it turned out to be a trap deliberately set for him. He had taken the bait.
"Bang!"
The sound of the door slamming shut echoed through the air, followed by a figure darting from behind Ye Feng. In an instant, a sharp hawk-claw knife was pressed against his neck, and a chilling voice whispered in his ear.
"Get out before I kill you! If you dare take even one step into this place again, I’ll fight my way back to the organization, even if it costs me my life!"
Xie Yuyan spoke through gritted teeth, her voice dripping with hatred and murderous intent.
"Organization? Xie Yuyan, what’s wrong with you? It’s me, Ye Feng!"
Ye Feng quickly realized that Xie Yuyan had mistaken him for someone from her organization and immediately tried to explain.
"Ye Feng... How could it be... He’s already abandoned me... Everything is just a lie."
At the mention of Ye Feng’s name, Xie Yuyan’s voice faltered, and her eyes grew distant as she muttered to herself.
"Xie Yuyan, take a good look at me! Who do you think I am? I’m back now. It’s not like I’ve abandoned you."
"Back? You’re... Ye Feng?"
Xie Yuyan’s unfocused pupils gradually sharpened as she blinked and looked at Ye Feng, whom she was holding at knifepoint. She still seemed unable to accept the reality of his return.
"Who else would I be? Put the knife down!"
"Ye Feng... It’s really you?!"
Once Xie Yuyan confirmed that the person before her was indeed Ye Feng, the knife fell from her hand, and her deep blue gem-like eyes welled up with tears.
"It’s really you... I thought you weren’t coming back, that you’d left me alone in this place..."
Ye Feng took a deep breath as soon as he was free. After all, Xie Yuyan’s knife had been precisely pressed against his neck. One wrong move, and he could have bled to death.
"Didn’t I say I’d come back? Why do you act like it’s been years? It’s only been an afternoon."
"You’re back... You’re really back..."
Ye Feng was about to scold Xie Yuyan, but he noticed she wasn’t listening to him. Instead, she suddenly threw herself into his arms.
Hmph, now you’re trying to apologize and beg for forgiveness? Too late!
Just as Ye Feng was about to push her away and give her a piece of his mind, he felt his shoulder grow damp. Looking down, he saw that Xie Yuyan was crying right in front of him.
"Wah... Ye Feng, where... where did you go? Didn’t you... didn’t you say you’d be back early? It’s been so long... I thought... I thought you..."
Xie Yuyan’s heart was a mix of joy and sorrow. Ever since she woke up in Ye Feng’s bed and found he still hadn’t returned, her anxiety had been growing.
Several times, she had considered going out to look for him but held herself back. It wasn’t that she was afraid of the organization finding her; she was just afraid she wouldn’t be able to return.
As long as this place carries your traces, I’ll always be here, waiting for the day you come back to take me away.
As time ticked by, Xie Yuyan’s rationality gradually eroded. Her once hopeful eyes turned into a deep, dark blue, leading to the scene that had just unfolded...
"I’m sorry, I was really busy today. It took me a long time to finish what I needed to do."
Ye Feng knew he had broken his promise and patted Xie Yuyan’s back apologetically to comfort her.
"Next time, I won’t make the same mistake, okay? Just don’t put a knife to my throat again."
"I’m sorry... I just... I couldn’t control myself..."
"It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it. I just want you to trust me, okay? I promised I’d help you live a stable life, and I won’t break that promise."
"Mm... I believe you..."
Xie Yuyan nodded slightly, resting her head against Ye Feng’s chest as she savored the brief moment of peace. In truth, she just wanted to drag it out a little longer so she could stay close to him for a while.
But just as Xie Yuyan was enjoying this tender moment, a foreign strawberry scent, one that didn’t belong to Ye Feng, clung to his clothes. Her heart clenched painfully.
What did Ye Feng... really do? Why... why does he have the scent of another woman? Didn’t you say you were handling business? How did you end up smelling like strawberries?
The image of a strange woman pressing herself into Ye Feng’s arms flashed through Xie Yuyan’s mind, cutting her like a knife. At the same time, she felt anger at Ye Feng’s promise to stay by her side.
"Hey, Ye Feng, why do you smell like strawberries? Did you fall into a moldy strawberry trash can? Or... is there a stray cat trying to steal a taste?"
Ye Feng had just breathed a sigh of relief seeing Xie Yuyan calm down, but now she was acting strange again. He had no choice but to explain.
"The strawberry smell is probably from Miss Su. She likes strawberries and bought me a strawberry milk tea."
"Is that all?"
"What else could it be?"
"That’s... that’s good then."
Xie Yuyan felt somewhat reassured by Ye Feng’s answer, but the strawberry scent on his clothes was still too much for her. She started taking off his jacket.
"Huh?"
Ye Feng had thought Xie Yuyan was clinging to him to ease her anxiety and fear of being alone at home, but now she was undressing him?
Seeing this, Ye Feng quickly stopped her and asked, "What are you doing? Why are you taking off my clothes?"
"It’s because of that weird smell on you! Take a whiff of that rotten strawberry scent yourself!"
"Rotten strawberries? Oh, you mean this. It’s probably from when my new student hugged me. She loves strawberries."
"Then take off your clothes! The smell is so strong it’ll be hard to wash out."
"Alright, alright, I’ll do it myself."
As soon as Ye Feng took off his jacket, Xie Yuyan pressed herself against him again, nuzzling her face against his chest and making soft, contented sounds.
"Xie Yuyan, you..."
"Just for a little while, mmm... just a little while..."
Fine, consider it compensation for her.
Ye Feng hadn’t expected that even after coming home, he’d still feel so exhausted. It made him long for the days when it was just him and Li Mucheng—those were the most carefree and peaceful times.