Under Ye Feng's watchful gaze, a figure slowly emerged from behind the tree. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the person as Ah Fu, Li Mucheng's bodyguard.
Ah Fu raised his hands with a smile, seemingly pleased with Ye Feng's reaction. "It's me, Ye Feng."
"Ah Fu? What are you doing here?" Before Ye Feng could respond, Li Mucheng peeked out from behind him, curious.
"As long as you're safe, Miss, that's all that matters. I was planning to talk to Ye Feng about something the master asked me to discuss, but when I saw him leading you into the woods, I got a bit worried and followed."
"It seems Ye Feng is a very competent tutor." Ah Fu noticed the two of them holding hands, which surprised him. What was even more unexpected was that Li Mucheng didn't seem to mind Ye Feng's touch. Perhaps Ye Feng really could change her.
Seeing Ah Fu's natural demeanor, Ye Feng gradually lowered his gun. "If you had come out a few seconds later, I might have fired."
"Hehe, I'll be more careful next time. But shouldn't you let go of Miss's hand now?"
Let go?
Li Mucheng froze for a moment, then looked down and realized that Ye Feng had been holding her hand all along. Instantly, she pulled her hand away.
"G... give me back my gun."
"Uh... my apologies."
Ye Feng removed the magazine and handed the gun to Li Mucheng, barrel pointed away from her.
Li Mucheng took the gun and hid it under her clothes, then turned to Ah Fu with a serious expression. "Don't tell him about the gun, and forget everything you saw just now."
"Understood, I'll head back now. Please be careful, Miss."
Ah Fu nodded and left the woods.
After Ah Fu left, the two of them fell into an awkward silence. After some time, Li Mucheng finally spoke.
"I... I'll pretend today never happened. Next time, warn me in advance before taking any action, understand?"
"Yes, Miss."
"Alright, that's all for today."
With that, Li Mucheng walked toward the villa without even glancing at Ye Feng. Ye Feng followed slowly behind her.
When they reached the villa, the silence between them remained unbroken...
After safely escorting Li Mucheng into the villa, Ye Feng knew his work for the day was done. According to the contract, Li Mucheng's lessons were scheduled for weekends, which meant that after tomorrow, he wouldn't see her for another five days.
But time was running out for him. He needed to secure more life time tomorrow; otherwise, things would get tight.
Ye Feng stopped at the villa entrance, watching Li Mucheng go inside. Just as she was about to enter, she suddenly turned back and looked at Ye Feng.
"Is there anything else, Miss?"
"Be here... on time tomorrow."
"Understood."
"......"
With that, Li Mucheng entered the villa. At the same moment, Ye Feng heard a system notification in his mind.
Eager to check the system, Ye Feng quickly left the villa. With Ah Fu's help, he got into a car and was driven home.
"Scratch, scratch."
A faint sound of writing came from Li Mucheng's room. She was holding a pen, seemingly sketching something in her notebook. Upon closer inspection, she was drawing the life-saving herb Ye Feng had shown her earlier, along with its properties. As she wrote about its usage, she suddenly stopped and threw the pen onto the desk.
"He didn't finish explaining..."
Li Mucheng recalled the scene where Ye Feng shielded her from danger, and her mind filled with that image. Then, she raised her right hand and stared at it intently.
Why did it feel so reassuring when he was around?
"Ding, ding, ding."
A sudden ringtone startled Li Mucheng. It was her best friend, Su Yuxin, calling. The unexpected call made her face flush red, and she quickly patted her cheeks to calm her racing heart. After a moment, she answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Mucheng, are you busy? You usually pick up my calls right away~"
Su Yuxin's tone was playful, with a hint of reproach, but it sounded more like a cute complaint.
"Sorry, Yuxin. I was just talking to Ah Fu."
"Alright, I'll forgive you."
"You're the best, Yuxin."
"Of course, we're the best of friends~"
"......"
"By the way, Mucheng, didn't your dad arrange a new tutor for you? How's it going?"
"Um..."
"Wait, let me guess. Did Mucheng scare him away again because she didn't like him?"
"Yuxin, how can you say that about your best friend? Am I really that scary?"
"Hehe, it's the fifth time already, after all."
Perhaps out of concern or to steer the conversation away, Li Mucheng asked first, "By the way, Yuxin, is your piano lesson over?"
"Yes, the teacher just left my house."
Su Yuxin's tone visibly dropped.
"Mucheng, I don't like these lessons, but my father insists on arranging them."
"Neither do I."
"But we'll get through it. Once we're older, everything will be better. Speaking of which, tomorrow is Sunday. I can come play with you~"
"Okay... tomorrow?"
"Yes, today is Saturday."
Li Mucheng was about to agree when something crossed her mind, and Ye Feng's face appeared in her thoughts.
"No... no!"
"Huh? Why? Do you have something important to do, Mucheng?"
"Yes... yes! I have something important to do at home tomorrow!"
It was clear that this was Li Mucheng's first time lying, as her tone was far from convincing.
Su Yuxin didn't suspect Li Mucheng's words. After all, Li Mucheng, like herself, often had to attend forced social events. It was at one of these gatherings that she met Li Mucheng.
"I see. That's a shame. I won't be able to see you this week, Mucheng."
"Sorry, Yuxin. Next time, I promise I'll come."
"It's okay. We're besties after all."
"Mucheng, I have to go now. I need to have dinner with my father."
"Okay, Yuxin, goodbye."
Li Mucheng ended the call and clutched the phone tightly, her breathing still a bit hurried. It was evident that lying was not something she was used to.
"I'm sorry, Yuxin..."
Li Mucheng closed her notebook and lay back on the bed, Ye Feng's protective actions replaying in her mind. It seemed that this small gesture had already left an indelible mark on the young girl's heart.