Mengyao’s fair hand was rubbing Ye Fan’s chest.

Ye Fan was enjoying it with peace of mind, pretending that his chest really hurt, and occasionally he would cooperatively moan a couple of times. Since he was deceiving, he had to fool himself first; otherwise, how could he fool others?

Even if it’s a white lie, it’s still deceit.

Honestly, right now Ye Fan had successfully convinced himself.

He also didn’t dare tell the truth; if Mengyao knew he was pretending, he’d be in trouble. Compared to that, it’s much better to let Mengyao rub his chest. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

But looking at Mengyao’s worried expression, Ye Fan truly felt guilty inside.

He decided that after letting Mengyao rub for a while longer, he’d claim his chest no longer hurt. Not only would it be covering the lie, but it would also prevent Mengyao from blaming him, while enjoying a little more of Mengyao’s comfort—it was simply a win-win-win situation!

"Does your chest still hurt?" Mengyao asked softly.

"Not so much anymore." Ye Fan was on the path to rapidly not feeling any pain.

He cautiously looked at Mengyao, only to meet her gaze, and his heart skipped a beat as he thought, "Oh no, did I give myself away?"

Just at that thought, a slight pain emerged in his chest, because Mengyao had switched from rubbing to pinching, intentionally as a form of punishment.

"Ow!" Ye Fan exaggeratedly shouted in pain.

Despite not feeling hurt from the pinch, Ye Fan’s voice was deliberately raised in pitch.

It’s natural; if it really hurt, he’d naturally stay silent. Since it didn’t hurt, he had to act like it did.

"Does it hurt?" Mengyao smiled playfully.

"It doesn’t hurt, not at all." Ye Fan said seriously, "My chest was hurting, but once you started rubbing it, the pain disappeared immediately. It’s strange; your hands are simply magical."

He was intentionally playing dumb; Mengyao meant to ask if the pinch hurt, but he redirected all communication to his chest pain excuse.

"Magical? Just you wait, pretending to be dumb and deceiving me." Mengyao stopped rubbing, and her hand immediately tugged at Ye Fan’s ear.

"Easy, easy." Ye Fan protested, "Stop tugging, there are people outside; it’s embarrassing if someone sees."

"You care about your dignity?" Mengyao released her grip and teased, "Not seeing you for a while, you’ve really improved; you’re even good at lying now."

"Such a romantic thing... being exposed like this is no good. It’s embarrassing and humiliating," Ye Fan complained.

"You base your happiness on my worries, and call that romance? Making me worry for nothing, and you think you’re justified?" Mengyao threatened to punish him, but remembering the previous scene, she felt quite amused.

If Leng Mei and Hua Yue witnessed how Ye Fan was behaving in front of Mengyao, they’d definitely be shocked speechless. Such an image of the Terminator was truly beyond their comprehension and unexpectedly scary.

Luckily, they hadn’t heard Ye Fan and Mengyao’s playful banter; otherwise, they’d be stunned.

If the Butcher saw this, it would undoubtedly be a shocking sight that he’d laugh at Ye Fan mercilessly.

"You rest for a bit, I’ll go chat with Fire Phoenix." Mengyao composed herself before speaking.

"Go ahead." Ye Fan responded straightforwardly.

As Mengyao left, Qiu Wen appeared in front of Ye Fan.

"Master, why were you groaning earlier? I was listening by the door, and I heard it clearly." Qiu Wen asked curiously.

"You heard it, yet you’re still asking?" Ye Fan replied helplessly.

"Well, the soundproofing is good, I didn’t hear clearly enough." Qiu Wen grinned cheekily.

"If you didn’t hear clearly, don’t ask blindly." Ye Fan said mildly.

"But I can guess; you must have bullied Mengyao, right?" Qiu Wen queried with curiosity.

"I was bullied." Ye Fan replied with exasperation.

"Heard that, Master’s voice was so loud, it’s hard to believe you weren’t bullied." Qiu Wen chuckled mischievously.

"You’re teasing me too, aren’t you?" Ye Fan glared.

"Wouldn’t dare, as the disciple wouldn’t dare." Qiu Wen laughed cheekily.

...

Mengyao, Fire Phoenix, and the Butcher were together discussing matters.

"Has a matching heart been found?" Mengyao asked the most pressing question.

"Through various channels, we’re searching for a suitable heart. Once the matching heart is found, surgery will commence immediately." Fire Phoenix said, "Ye Fan’s physical condition is excellent; he can wait."

"We can afford to wait a bit longer time-wise, but the difficulty lies in finding a matching heart." The Butcher stated; honestly, no matter how anxious we are, it’s of no use, it’s a matter of luck.

"There’s always a way, let’s be patient. I’m confident we’ll find a matching heart." Mengyao said assuredly.

"We don’t need to worry too much about organ sources; it’s only a matter of time before we find a suitable one." Fire Phoenix commented, "Next, we should focus primarily on the outside of the hospital and dealing with any internal threats that might arise."

"Enemies?" Mengyao frowned.

"Yes, quite a few." The Butcher affirmed, "With Fire Phoenix and me here, along with the Shadow Guard, it’s easy to guess who’s injured. Ye Fan’s enemies in the Underworld are numerous. Typically, some enemies not daring to surface now have shown themselves because Ye Fan was injured, and other enemies for various reasons have popped up as well. Their sole aim is to prevent us from receiving a matching heart and to find ways to confront Ye Fan."

"Is the hospital internally safe?" Mengyao asked, "If there’s a problem within the hospital, it’s extremely dangerous, especially during Ye Fan’s surgery, problems must not arise."

"In terms of surgery, trust-worthy experts are handling it; that’s not a concern." Fire Phoenix assured, "What we must prepare for now are potential cunning tricks. The enemies dare not act openly, only using some deceitful tactics in the shadows."

"The Shadow Guard has eliminated eight teams of surfaced enemies. These enemies come from different forces, and more enemies will continue to appear, bringing even more challenges ahead." The Butcher stated.

"Especially in terms of food and drink, that’s a critical focus point. We’ve dealt with three poisoning attempts already." Fire Phoenix pointed out, "We cannot be certain when or how the enemies will poison again."

Poisoning is indeed a major issue.

"Looks like we have a tough battle ahead, but simply defending isn’t a solution; proactive attacks might be rightly considered a good strategy." Mengyao said seriously.