“Miss, are you sure I can come in?”
Standing outside Li Mucheng’s door, Ye Feng wore a puzzled expression. After all, the last time he had approached her door, she had immediately issued a stern warning for him to leave. But just moments ago, after finishing their meal, Li Mucheng had unexpectedly invited him into her room for a lesson. This sudden change of heart left Ye Feng utterly bewildered, and he even began to suspect that she might be setting him up for a charge of illegal trespassing just to teach him a lesson.
“I’m just tired and thought it would be more comfortable to study in my room,” Li Mucheng said, sitting in her chair and looking at the flustered Ye Feng.
Honestly… I’ve already invited you in, Teacher… and yet you’re still acting like a block of wood…
“Miss, are you really okay with this? This is your private room, after all.”
“I already said I don’t mind! Are you wasting teaching time now? My time is very precious!”
“Alright then.”
Seeing Li Mucheng’s unwavering determination, Ye Feng finally relented and stepped into her room.
Though it was his second time entering her room, the first visit had been so rushed that he hadn’t had the chance to take in the surroundings. This time, as soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted by a faint, pleasant fragrance—undoubtedly emanating from Li Mucheng herself.
The room was tidy, with tastefully luxurious decor. But as Ye Feng’s gaze fell on the mask tucked under Li Mucheng’s pillow, he froze.
That mask… wasn’t it the fox mask he had left behind at the scene when he had kidnapped her? Why was it under her pillow?
Ye Feng quickly composed himself and averted his eyes, taking a seat on the small sofa beside Li Mucheng.
However, every subtle change in his expression had been carefully noted by Li Mucheng.
“Teacher? What’s wrong? Why do you seem so distracted since coming in?”
“It’s… nothing. I was just admiring the layout of your room. It’s quite nice. Anyway, let’s not waste any more time and begin the lesson.”
Ye Feng swiftly changed the subject and started teaching about counter-surveillance techniques.
“Miss, the first thing to remember about counter-surveillance is that you must be able to detect if someone is following you in time. Otherwise, no matter how many methods you learn, they’ll be useless if you fail to notice the person tailing you.”
“Then how can I detect if I’m being followed in time?”
“That requires a detailed explanation from various angles…”
Since most of what Ye Feng was teaching was theoretical, it didn’t take long for his throat to feel dry. After finishing one point, Li Mucheng interrupted him.
“Teacher, would you like some water? You must be tired after talking for so long.”
See? Although the young lady can be a bit spoiled at times, her heart is kind and gentle. Truly a student I can be proud of!
“Thank you for your consideration, Miss. I’ll just step out and ask someone for water.”
“Wait!”
Li Mucheng called out to Ye Feng, who was about to stand up. She walked briskly to the door, then turned back with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
“Teacher, I’ll go. I’ve been sitting for too long and could use a walk.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you, Miss.”
With that, Li Mucheng hurried out of the room. Meanwhile, Ye Feng took the opportunity to stretch his limbs. As he did, he noticed Li Mucheng’s notebook on the table.
Hmm? Does Li Mucheng keep a diary? Wait… why are there drawings in it? Oh!
Upon closer inspection, Ye Feng realized that the page contained sketches of a particular herb—one of the sedative plants he had mentioned during a previous lesson.
It seems Li Mucheng is quite interested in this kind of knowledge. She even drew it! I hereby declare her the most outstanding student of this batch. Her attitude toward learning is truly commendable.
As Ye Feng felt a sense of pride in having imparted knowledge to his student, he remained oblivious to the fact that Li Mucheng was quietly smiling as she returned with two glasses of water.
“Teacher, here’s some water.”
“Ah! Thank you, Miss.”
Ye Feng reached out to take one of the glasses, but Li Mucheng handed him the one in her left hand instead. He accepted it without a second thought and drank it all in one go.
Watching Ye Feng drink so eagerly, Li Mucheng observed him quietly, taking small sips from her own glass.
“Teacher, shall we continue?”
“Of course. I didn’t realize you kept such detailed notes, Miss.”
“Notes? Oh! You mean my notebook.”
Li Mucheng’s heart skipped a beat. She had noticed Ye Feng glancing at her desk when she left the room, and she was certain he had seen the page in her notebook. She silently scolded herself for being too excited earlier and forgetting to put the notebook away.
Fortunately, it seemed Ye Feng hadn’t read too much into it. After all, in his eyes, she was just a student.
“I was afraid I might forget the information later. As they say, a good memory isn’t as reliable as a written record, so I decided to jot it down.”
“That’s excellent, Miss. This habit of yours is truly praiseworthy.”
Just as Ye Feng finished speaking, he suddenly felt his head grow heavy, as if it were filled with water.
“Ugh…”
“Teacher?”
Li Mucheng feigned surprise, though a faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered across her lips before she quickly composed herself.
“Aren’t you going to continue the lesson?”
“I… I will. Just give me a moment, Miss. I think I didn’t sleep well last night and I’m feeling a bit dizzy. I’ll go splash some cold water on my face.”
As Ye Feng tried to leave, Li Mucheng grabbed the hem of his shirt. “Teacher, if you need to rest, then rest. Your health is more important.”
“No, we need to keep up with the lesson! We’ve only covered a little today, and there’s still so much to go over.”
“Then how about this, Teacher? Why don’t you take a short nap on the recliner on the balcony? I’ll wake you up when it’s time.”
“Take a nap?”
Ye Feng felt his body growing increasingly weary, a deep fatigue spreading through him.
“Well… alright. Miss, may I use your recliner?”
“Of course, Teacher. You rest. I need to speak with Ah Fu about next week’s banquet anyway.”
Li Mucheng acted as though she were completely indifferent to Ye Feng’s drowsiness. She closed her notebook, placed it in a drawer, and walked out of the room.
“Go… go ahead, Miss. Could you wake me in ten minutes?”
“Sure, Teacher. Goodbye! I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
Li Mucheng waved at Ye Feng from the doorway before disappearing from his sight.
“Goodbye…”
Ye Feng slumped into the recliner, unable to fight off the exhaustion any longer. His eyes closed, and he drifted into a deep sleep.
Just before losing consciousness, he thought to himself that Li Mucheng’s personality had been improving lately.
“Huff… huff…”
As Ye Feng’s chest rose and fell with his breathing, Li Mucheng’s head suddenly reappeared in the doorway. She peered in quietly, her eyes fixed on the sleeping figure of her teacher…