"Sweetie, sorry to keep you waiting. Work stuff—had to take a call from back home."
After waiting another ten-plus minutes, Ye Lan finally arrived at the ticket checkpoint with an apologetic smile, having finished her call.
"It's fine, Auntie. My sister and I browsed the gift shop and bought a few things."
Seeing this, Yan Huan stood up and handed her another newly purchased Big Banana Sweetie.
"Banana flavor, how nice! Thanks, Xiao Huan~"
Ye Lan accepted the drink with a smile, noticing it was light ice and lightly sweetened, which deepened her grin.
Behind her, Ye Shiyu—also sipping a Big Banana Sweetie—let her beautiful eyes linger on Yan Huan's back. Glancing at her own identical drink, she seemed to realize something.
Then she stole another glance at Yan Huan's smiling profile and the extra drink in his hand.
"..."
Her sipping slowed slightly as she quietly took the parasol from her mother's hand and walked beside her.
Time to scan tickets and enter.
"Welcome to Scale Gate Aquarium. Through professional marine ecosystem simulations, our facility showcases a rich diversity of oceanic life."
"Our aquarium houses and conserves over a thousand species and tens of thousands of marine organisms, fostering long-term cultural, economic, and academic exchanges with society..."
Accompanied by the female narrator's introduction, Yan Huan and the others gradually stepped into the massive exhibition hall.
The hall extended downward, where a giant underwater tunnel immediately came into view.
The seawater, separated by glass, filtered the distant lights into a cerulean hue, casting rippling patterns onto the visitors in the tunnel.
Above them, vast schools of fish drifted past like shadowy clouds of varying sizes suspended in a blue sky.
Yan Huan sipped his drink, looking down at the path as he hopped over the light patterns and shadows like a child playing hopscotch—a game of "must never step on them."
"So beautiful."Ye Lan folded her parasol and chuckled while touching her cheek. "Speaking of which, I remember a movie I invested in was filmed here."
Yan Huan turned her head in surprise. "A movie? Does Ye International deal with entertainment-related content too? I thought all your business was related to—"
"Semiconductors and new energy?"
Yan Huan nodded. After all, Ye International was quite famous in Scale Gate, known as Dragon Country's "Semiconductor Giant" and "New Energy Powerhouse."
In her past life, any one of these would have been considered extraordinary, yet the Ye family managed to claim both. Yan Huan could only describe them as the god-tier among the elite families of this otherworldly realm.
The high-end equipment that tech geek Yatsuhashi Ki bought all contained chips manufactured by the Ye conglomerate. Whenever new products dropped, he had to stay up late, use a VPN, and account for the time difference just to snag them on Dragon Country's websites. Nine out of ten electric vehicles racing down Scale Gate's streets were powered by their batteries, and even the charging infrastructure relied on their installations. When he jokingly said yesterday that he wanted to "formally acknowledge her as his godmother," he wasn't entirely kidding—this smiling, elegant woman before them was the real deal, a bona fide CEO. Whether she was the domineering type or not was another matter.
Just by clinging to her coattails and whining, "Mom, I don't want to work hard anymore," the sheer luxury of life that awaited was something Yan Huan couldn't even begin to fathom.
"It's like this—the company has no plans to venture into the entertainment industry for now, so I said I was the one investing," Ye Lan explained with a chuckle. "I've personally funded some interesting media companies. One of them produced an art film called After the Sunset in Love, shot in Scale Gate, which even won a minor international award."
"That impressive?"
"Pfft, it had nothing to do with me. I just threw money at it. Besides, the girl who played the female lead back then was quite pretty. Her name was Bai—"
"Bai Yi?"
Before Ye Lan could finish, Yan Huan had already blurted out the name reflexively.
Ye Shiyu, standing behind Ye Lan, shot Yan Huan a glance, while Ye Lan herself was reminded of the actress's name.
"Ah, yes, I think it was Bai Yi. Is she quite famous in Scale Gate?"
"Well, not exactly. It's just that her surname is uncommon, and she happens to be a freshman at our school, so I know of her."
Especially after yesterday, when she'd entered a state of No Concern during the exam and proceeded to scribble all over Zhou Bin's face.
Ye Lan turned to Ye Shiyu in surprise. "Wow, Shiyu, you'll get to be schoolmates with a celebrity!"
Ye Shiyu, however, only gave a disinterested nod, her response dripping with indifference. Her attention had long been captured by the marine life surrounding them.
Ye Lan covered her mouth with a light laugh, not wanting to disrupt her daughter's enjoyment, and simply followed behind her. Yan Huan, too, began admiring the underwater scenery.
Click!
Yan Huan snapped a photo of a passing shark with his phone and posted it in the Student Council's group chat—Far Moon Student Council Management (5).
Yan Huan: "Fish. Big fish. Tiger-striped shark."
He added a meme of a cat shaking its head.
After a while, someone finally responded.
Sakuramiya Hitomi: "That's a white-tip reef shark, not a tiger-striped shark. Tiger catsharks don't grow that big, President."
Yu Anlina: "President, you're at the aquarium? What made you go there all of a sudden?"
Yatsuhashi Ki: "@Yu Anlina. The aquarium—a prime dating spot! I bet he's there with some girl."
Yatsuhashi Ki: "[Smirk]"
Yu Anlina: "[Smirk]"
Ashley: "[Smirk]"
Ashley, Far Moon's disciplinary committee chair, completed the lineup of all five council executives chiming in.
Yan Huan: "[Smile]"
Yan Huan chose to break the pattern.
Sakuramiya Hitomi: "[Smile]"
Vice President Sakuramiya, ever the copycat, had no idea what that smile really implied.
Yatsuhashi Ki: "Vice President Sakuramiya, stop ruining the pattern with the President!"
Yatsuhashi Ki: "@Yan Huan. Confess! Did I guess right?!"Yan Huan: "I'm out with the auntie who came to school to see me yesterday. She's a friend of my late parents."
Yatsuhashi Ki: "Huh? Seriously?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi: "[Smile]"
Yan Huan replied briefly before locking his phone screen.
That kid Yatsuhashi must have played too many galgames—he could probably summarize all the tropes by now.
But he wasn't wrong. Most guys wouldn't come to a place like this on weekends unless they were with someone else.
At this thought, Yan Huan glanced at Ye Shiyu standing beside him.
She had already reached the middle of the ocean tunnel. The spacious tunnel, wide enough for two lanes, was lined with aquariums housing various small marine creatures for visitors to admire.
There were some small fish with different temperature requirements, but more than anything, there were jellyfish of all shapes and forms.
The tall, elegant Ye Shiyu stood before those aquariums, her gaze fixed intently on the jellyfish inside.
The tunnel wasn't particularly bright. Though the aquariums were illuminated, the lighting remained dim, making the glowing outlines of the jellyfish stand out vividly.
Like fluorescent lights dotting the night sky, they transformed into breathing stars, pulsating and dancing as their shimmering light drifted down, landing in Ye Shiyu's dark eyes to form a living galaxy.
The endless flow of stars, along with the girl's profile, surged through the tunnel and into Yan Huan's field of vision, catching his attention.
She really loves jellyfish.
Yan Huan thought this but didn't approach to disturb her focus. Instead, he turned to look for Ye Lan.
The moment he turned his head, he saw Ye Lan holding up her phone toward him, saying softly, "Say cheese, Xiao Huan."
"Auntie Ye?"
Yan Huan was slightly taken aback, but Ye Lan had already lowered her phone with a smile, admiring the photo she had just taken with a pleased hum.
"Xiao Huan, this shot could be straight out of a movie~."
"Huh?"
Dazed, Yan Huan walked over to Ye Lan and looked at the photo on her phone.
He wasn't sure what model phone Ye Lan was using, but the focus was sharp despite the dim lighting, and the image was crystal clear.
The rippling light from above happened to illuminate his profile, making him the clear focal point of the picture.
The image perfectly captured the story of a strikingly handsome black-haired boy searching for someone in a crowd.
Yan Huan stared at the phone, then at the beaming Ye Lan, before asking blankly, "You used a beauty filter, didn't you, Auntie Ye?"
Ye Lan immediately pouted in mock offense and lightly rapped his head with her hand.
"I just added a little filter, you silly boy. Don't you even know how good-looking you are?"
Of course, she was just teasing.
Yan Huan wasn't the type to take selfies, so he wasn't too familiar with these things.
For someone who rarely took photos or looked at themselves in pictures, their own image could still feel unfamiliar, even if they saw their reflection in the mirror every day.
"Look how handsome you are! It'd be even better if you smiled—you have such a nice smile, Xiao Huan. Next time I invest in a movie, I'll definitely invite you to star in it."
Ye Lan saved the photo with great satisfaction as she said this.
Speaking of movies, before middle school, Yan Huan had almost signed with Scale Gate's entertainment company to become a child star.He had tried everything to climb out of that orphanage in the southern district, especially when the place reeked of smoke and weed, with the nearby high school hosting daily STD battle royales. Really, just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes.
How did that song go again?
Motherless children are like grass~ The past was too painful to recall. Yan Huan watched Ye Lan thoughtfully stroking her chin as she considered the best angle for a photo, then suddenly said, "Auntie, want me to take a picture of you and Shiyu-jie?"
"Huh? Sure! Shiyu, come take a photo!" Hearing her mother's voice, Ye Shiyu finally tore her gaze away from the jellyfish in the tank and turned toward them.
"Coming."
Ye Lan patted the space beside her, signaling her daughter to come closer, then prepared to hand her phone to Yan Huan.
But halfway through, she suddenly pulled it back.
Yan Huan watched in confusion as she closed the camera app, opened a beauty filter app instead, adjusted a few settings, and then handed it to him.
"Gotta use the beauty mode."
"..."
Honestly, Yan Huan didn't think it was necessary at all, but he humored her.
He positioned Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu against the light, then crouched in front of the glass to slightly elevate their height in the frame. Passersby noticed they were taking photos and politely paused for a moment—perfect timing.
Click.
Done.
In the photo, Ye Shiyu stood stiffly with a neutral expression, while Ye Lan wrapped an arm around her. By Yan Huan's photography standards, this was already a masterpiece.
He smiled slightly, stood up, and decided to give this transcendent work its due praise.
"Perfect."
Ye Lan walked over to take the phone and examined the result.
"Mhm, not bad, not bad..."
Just as Yan Huan was about to lead them forward, Ye Lan gently tugged him back, pulling him toward Ye Shiyu.
"Come on, Xiao Huan, stand next to Shiyu. I'll take one of you two."
"Huh?"
Yan Huan's expression shifted slightly as he glanced at Ye Shiyu.
She looked back at him, her posture unchanged—was that permission? Blinking, he could only agree.
"Sure thing, Auntie."
He stepped beside Ye Shiyu, and her hands, which had been resting at her sides, subtly shifted to clasp in front of her.
A faint floral scent drifted over, carried by the sway of her black hair.
Yan Huan was slightly taller, while Ye Shiyu stood a few centimeters shorter. Together, they made a strikingly handsome pair.
Yan Huan put on a smile, and Ye Lan, eyes brightening, raised her phone, bending slightly without a trace of her usual CEO demeanor as she directed their positioning.
"A little to the left—too much, now back right. The light's making you both look like ghosts..."
Ye Shiyu lowered her head, her small black shoes shuffling slightly as she inched closer to Yan Huan, clearly struggling to find the perfect spot for her mother's satisfaction.
"Smile! Don't look so stiff. Shiyu looks prettiest when she smiles—yes, just like that."
Ye Shiyu pressed her lips together, her mouth trembling as she forced the corners up—just the tiniest bit.
Hearing Ye Lan's praise, Yan Huan instinctively glanced at her expression.
But perhaps because of his gaze, the fragile smile she had mustered instantly collapsed, reverting to her usual blank stare.
"..."
My bad.Anyway, it was time for the photo.
The first picture of the siblings.
"Alright, ready, say cheese!"
"So lovely. Look at you two, you could be on the cover of a fashion magazine."
As the sun set, in a private dining room of a western restaurant at a luxury shopping center near the aquarium, Ye Lan, who had barely touched her salad, examined the photo taken that morning and made this remark.
The image on her phone captured a smiling, handsome young man cheerfully flashing a peace sign at the camera with radiant energy.
Beside him, the black-haired girl stood serene and composed, her hands elegantly folded in front of her waist, breathtakingly beautiful—if slightly lacking in expression.
But it was perfect enough.
Across the table, Yan Huan, holding cutlery with several shopping bags by his side, looked up with a resigned smile.
This was already the third time since noon that Ye Lan had brought up this photo. From lunch at the aquarium to their afternoon shopping spree at the luxury boutiques next door, and now here—it seemed she truly adored this picture.
Ye Shiyu ate gracefully, expressionless, showing no reaction to whatever her mother said.
But after spending the day together, Yan Huan knew she was quietly listening to Ye Lan all along—she just rarely showed her inner thoughts.
Only when watching jellyfish or labeling her newly bought clothes did her expression soften slightly.
That afternoon, Ye Lan had picked out several well-fitted outfits for both of them. For Yan Huan, she bought spring-appropriate shirts, long-sleeved jackets, and a formal suit.
Not entirely impractical—Totsuki Academy allowed students to wear casual clothes most days, except for key events, as long as they wore the school badge.
Yet any one of these items made Yan Huan feel the wages docked for his leave were mere pocket change.
Best not to dwell on it. By the time dinner ended, the sky had darkened completely, and the clock struck seven or eight. Ye Lan notified the driver to prepare their return.
Early spring nights held sharp temperature drops despite the morning sun. Ye Shiyu had already draped on her new coat from the shopping bags, and Ye Lan borrowed one too—only Yan Huan found it bearable.
Ye Lan squeezed his shoulder admiringly. "Aren't you cold, Xiao Huan?"
"Not really, Auntie. Maybe I'm used to the weather here."
"How nice—you're warm even through clothes. Shiyu and I freeze so easily."
At the word "warm," Ye Shiyu's eyes flickered under her coat, seemingly recalling last night's hypnosis incident.
Frankly, Yan Huan remembered it too while waiting for their ride back to the mansion.
What if the jinx sneaked in to hypnotize him again tonight? Last night was just a test—what about tonight?
Would she execute her plan to "make Ye Lan dislike him"? Maybe he should lock his door?
Ignore all knocks and pretend to be asleep.
As these thoughts wandered, the black electric car from that morning pulled up before them.
The young suited woman in the driver's seat stepped out, opening the trunk to take the shopping bags from Yan Huan.
He smiled slightly. "I've got it, thank you."
The woman glanced at his profile, cheeks faintly pink, then nodded and returned to the car."Thank you for the trouble, Xiao Liu."
"Not at all, President Ye."
The female driver fastened her seatbelt, turned on the navigation, and glanced at Ye Lan and her daughter, who were wrapped in coats, before switching on the heater.
The electric car started smoothly. Yan Huan leaned against the window and opened his phone to browse the plane group chat.
The mahjong group's older sisters were inviting him to play again, and he felt a slight temptation.
No, Yan Huan, you reflected on yourself at the end of last semester.
You can't keep going to play mahjong with them every week!
As Yan Huan wrestled with his inner conflict, typing a reply in the "Yuanyue Mahjong Club" group chat to the older sisters who had tagged him, Ye Shiyu beside him lowered her gaze to her handbag.
For some reason, the corners of her lips curled slightly.
She unzipped the bag, intending to take something out to fiddle with.
"..."
However, after rummaging through it once, she still couldn't find what she was looking for.
She hadn't opened her bag even once today, had she?
Or was she misremembering? How could that be?
Her pupils constricted slightly as she pulled out her phone, turned on the flashlight, and searched again under its light.
The sudden brightness caught Yan Huan's attention. He turned his head just in time to see Ye Shiyu finish her second thorough search of the small handbag.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask what was wrong, Ye Shiyu suddenly looked up with an icy expression and spoke to Ye Lan in the front seat.
"Mom, my thing—the jellyfish keychain I bought this morning—is missing."
Yan Huan blinked, not yet grasping the situation.
But the entire car suddenly slowed down before gradually pulling over to the side of the road.
Huh? Yan Huan steadied himself with the car handle. As the vehicle came to a stop, Ye Lan and the driver in the front simultaneously turned around, wide-eyed, to look at Ye Shiyu, whose aura was growing colder by the second.
Their gazes met, and in that silent exchange, Yan Huan's ears seemed to ring with the blaring of an alarm.
Clearly, this wasn't the first time they had experienced something like this.
It was the dangerous signal known as "Ye Shiyu's Level-One Alert."
In the now decidedly un-warm atmosphere of the car, Ye Shiyu pressed her lips together and softly asked, "Can we go back to look for it?"