Chapter 4: Among the Dolls, the Girl Picks Up Her Mobile Phone

Restricted Fantasy Invasion

When Yan Huan walked out of the office, he couldn''t find Myau-chan anywhere. He had no idea where the cat had wandered off to.

Ye Lan was still inside the office talking with Principal Hermes. Their conversation revolved around his so-called older sister transferring to study here.

Standing at the doorway, Yan Huan sent a message to ask for time off from his evening part-time job. The only reply he received was a cold, "Counted as absenteeism. Two hundred deducted."

A few minutes later, another message popped up.

"I just remembered you''ve never asked for leave before. I''ll let it slide this time, but don''t let it happen again."

Yan Huan smiled helplessly and sent back a "Thank you" sticker. At that exact moment, Ye Lan walked out. Taking the cue, Yan Huan pressed the lock screen button on his mobile phone and looked up.

"Let''s go, Little Huan. Which way down? Your school is too complicated, I''m getting a bit turned around..."

"This way, Auntie Ye."

Walking downstairs, the incredibly quiet campus of Far Moon Academy was devoid of any other students. The allure of the weekend had tempted them all to flee on the school buses, leaving the entire campus so silent it felt as though Yan Huan and Ye Lan were the only two people left.

On the asphalt road nestled between the maple trees at the entrance, a low-profile, black Dragon Nation electric car had already been waiting for a long time. Standing by the door was a woman from the Dragon Country dressed in a black suit.

"President Ye."

"Just heading home."

"Understood."

Once Ye Lan gently ushered Yan Huan into the car and took her seat, the vehicle started up quietly.

Yan Huan curiously observed the spacious interior of the car, while Ye Lan bent down and pulled out a mini-fridge from beneath the rear air vents.

Yan Huan took a quick glance and saw that it was fully stocked with yellow cans of banana milk.

Smiling brightly, Ye Lan pulled out a can along with a straw and handed it to Yan Huan, looking much like a squirrel eagerly sharing the nuts stashed in its burrow.

"Little Huan, here, drink this."

"Thank you, Auntie."

"Be a good boy, no need to thank your Auntie."

Then, as if she could hardly wait, she picked up another can of banana milk for herself, pierced it with a straw, and began sipping from it with both hands wrapped around the aluminum can.

"Mmm."

Ye Lan let out a soft hum of deep satisfaction. It seemed the banana milk was incredibly delicious to her.

Seeing this, Yan Huan tentatively opened his own can and took a sip. He found it to be lightly sweetened milk, not overly sugary, but boasting a very rich banana flavor.

With her banana milk in hand, Ye Lan opened the floodgates of conversation.

"Right, speaking of your older sister, back when we were in the Dragon Country, I was busy every single day. I couldn''t spend much time with her, so she was always looked after by the nanny at home. I don''t know if that''s the reason, but it resulted in your older sister becoming very withdrawn. She doesn''t like interacting with others and barely has any friends her own age."

"It''s even worse now that I''ve brought her to live so far away overseas. Even though there are many people from the Dragon Country in Linmen and at Far Moon Academy, it ultimately isn''t the place where she grew up. It makes me a bit worried about whether she can adapt."

Yan Huan looked at her while drinking his milk. "What about Uncle? Was Uncle very busy too?"

Hearing this, Ye Lan did not respond. Instead, she offered a polite yet helpless smile, as if Yan Huan had just brought up an entity born from the exact intersection of awkwardness and sheer disgust.

Yan Huan understood instantly and immediately apologized.

"I''m sorry, Auntie Ye."

"It''s nothing... It''s just that when your older sister was very young, her father and I separated and cut off all contact."

Ye Lan stopped drinking her milk when speaking of this matter. Only after glossing over it briefly did she bite down on her straw again and change the subject.

"Little Huan, it seems you have a lot of friends at school. I heard from the principal that he could just grab any random student to fetch you, since they all have your contact info."

That much was true. Even if someone didn''t have Yan Huan added as a direct friend, he was basically in all the major academy group chats, so getting in touch with him was a guaranteed certainty. The reason was quite simple.

"Probably because I''m the Student Council President. It''s a troublesome job. If it wasn''t for university applications..."

"Who says? It''s simply because you are very popular, Little Huan."

Ye Lan cupped her cheeks, smiling as she gazed into Yan Huan''s eyes, speaking wistfully.

"I don''t expect your older sister to be as popular as you are. I just hope she can interact normally with people, instead of staying in her room every day, playing with those collectible dolls alone..."

"Collectible dolls?"

"Ah, Barbie dolls, collectible figures, things like that? I don''t really understand them either, but your older sister loves them. Quite strange, isn''t it?"

"..."

Yan Huan generally didn''t comment on personal hobbies. This was a good habit he had picked up from Vice President Sakuramiya.

"Anyway, seeing is believing. You''ll understand once you meet your older sister in a bit. I hope you can be a bit more patient with her, for your Auntie''s sake. She hasn''t made friends with anyone her own age in a very, very long time. If she does anything wrong, I apologize to you in advance on her behalf~"

"How could I mind, Auntie? You''re giving me too much credit."

Yan Huan smiled politely. Even though he had been sipping while talking, his can of banana milk quickly hit the bottom, causing Ye Lan—who had barely finished a fifth of hers—to blink curiously.

During the ride, Ye Lan chatted with Yan Huan about various trivial things. Yan Huan even added her contact information on Plane. Her profile picture was, unsurprisingly, a can of banana milk.

Ye Lan''s home wasn''t too far from the school. Without traffic, the drive took only about half an hour.

After all, both were located in the astronomically expensive Kyogo Ward. By the time they reached their destination, Ye Lan''s bird stomach had only just managed to finish off that single can of banana milk.

The electric car drove into an unnamed residential community. Through the grayish-black privacy tint of the car windows, Yan Huan could see many detached houses with gardens, arranged in a rather haphazard layout outside.

Eventually, the car rolled to a stop at the end of the road, pulling up in front of a well-situated Western-style mansion.

It was quiet here, yet not too far from the community''s amenities. Compared to the detached houses hidden away in the isolated corners they passed earlier, this area felt much more vibrant and lived-in.

"We''re here! Let''s get out, Little Huan. Chen Yi has already finished making dinner. It''s all specialty dishes from the Dragon Country."

The car parked on the perimeter of the Western-style mansion. The woman in the passenger seat stepped out, exchanged a few hushed words with Ye Lan, then climbed back into the car. The vehicle soon disappeared from Yan Huan''s line of sight.

Ye Lan gently grasped Yan Huan''s wrist and warmly led him inside the Western-style mansion.

The interior of the mansion gave Yan Huan an incredibly spacious feeling. This was likely because sections of the second and third floors had been hollowed out, giving the living room soaringly high ceilings. Naturally, it lacked the confined feeling of an ordinary single-story house.

At the same time, the lighting was quite bright, perfectly aligning with Eastern indoor habits. For a moment, Yan Huan almost thought he had stepped into a palace.

"Chen Yi, we''re back."

"Ah, Miss, did you hit traffic on the way? You''re a little later than the time Shiyu told me... Shiyu, your mom is back!"

The voice drifted over from the side of the first floor, coming from what appeared to be the kitchen.

While Ye Lan was guiding Yan Huan to change his shoes, the speaker finally emerged wearing an apron. It was a middle-aged woman with curly hair, her face bearing an amiable smile.

"Chen Yi, this is the Little Huan I mentioned before. Little Huan, this is Chen Yi. She just moved with me from the Dragon Country to Linmen. Your mom and dad also knew Chen Yi, so no need to be formal. We''re all familiars here."

"Hello, Chen Yi."

"Oh my, time really flies so fast. The children of the next generation have grown up so much, and he''s so handsome... That''s wonderful, truly wonderful."

Ye Lan rested her hand on Yan Huan''s back and was just about to call out to her daughter to come and say hello, but the tip of Yan Huan''s nose first caught a faint trace of fragrance. It smelled like some kind of flower.

Lifting his gaze to follow the scent, Yan Huan spotted a young girl wearing a black chiffon dress standing midway up the spiral staircase that connected the living room to the second floor.

Beneath the hem of her skirt, a pair of slightly thick black ankle socks outlined the shape of her calves. They wrapped around her feet, which were tucked into dark gray slippers. He had no idea when she had started standing there.

She had long, flowing black hair that cascaded down to her waist, devoid of any hair accessories, and she wore absolutely no makeup. The skin on her body was as pale as snow, forming a stark contrast with the ink-black dress she wore.

Unlike Ye Lan''s gentle, willow-leaf eyes, Ye Shiyu''s eyes were slightly narrower and longer. Beneath her long eyelashes, her stunningly beautiful face showed absolutely no emotional fluctuation, giving rise to a sudden touch of piercing coldness from the depths of her dark eyes.

She was remarkably tall, turning out to be only a fraction shorter than Yan Huan, who stood at 184 centimeters. She possessed a well-proportioned and healthy physique. Beneath the milky-white chiffon cuffs, her firm and delightfully slender, snow-white forearms were exposed.

And in her hands, for some unknown reason, she gripped a long pair of scissors, appearing to be a tool she had been using just moments prior.

Yan Huan blinked, his eyes meeting the young girl''s gaze. Neither of them broke eye contact.

Slightly taken aback, right as Ye Lan was about to call out to her, Yan Huan''s face flawlessly shifted into a sunny, polite smile. He took the initiative to greet her first.

"Older Sister."

Upon hearing Yan Huan address her like this, her downcast gaze trembled faintly, like a massive bronze bell that had just been struck.

Ye Lan turned her head and finally realized her daughter was already standing on the stairs.

"Ah, Shiyu, honestly, you come out here and don''t even say hello. Let me introduce you. This is the child of my old best friend, Yan Huan. He''s one year younger than you, so he''s your little brother. Little Huan, this is Shiyu. You can call her Sister Shiyu, or just Older Sister."

Ye Shiyu kept staring intently at Yan Huan standing beside Ye Lan, remaining completely silent and motionless.

It wasn''t until Ye Lan pouted and was about to urge her to act a bit more politely that she finally greeted Yan Huan, speaking like a sluggish machine.

"Hello. I am Ye Shiyu."

Exactly as Ye Lan had warned, Ye Shiyu''s personality seemed exceedingly eccentric. This only made Yan Huan feel a growing sense of unease in his heart.

Ye Lan was somewhat dissatisfied with Ye Shiyu''s reaction, but she also knew this daughter of hers far too well to expect her to say anything else.

Seeing the situation, Chen Yi hurriedly caught the rapidly plunging conversation. Wiping the water from her hands on her apron, she interjected.

"Since Little Huan is here, should we serve dinner now? All the dishes are ready. I specifically prepared Dragon Country cuisine for Little Huan. I just don''t know if it will suit his tastes. Chen Yi isn''t too familiar with things around Linmen yet, so I didn''t know what you like to eat..."

"I can eat anything, Chen Yi."

"Then that''s wonderful! Just wait a moment. Miss, you and Little Huan sit down first, and I''ll bring the dishes out."

Ye Lan smiled and nodded, then turned back to Ye Shiyu.

"Shiyu, go put your things back in your room and then come down to eat."

Ye Shiyu simply stared unblinkingly at the young man with the sunny smile. Hearing her mother''s words, she nodded slowly, then turned around with the scissors in hand and headed back upstairs.

Downstairs, the intermittent sounds of Ye Lan and Yan Huan conversing as they took their seats drifted upward. Expressionless, Ye Shiyu followed the stairs all the way up to the third floor, stopping in front of the door to the second bedroom, located at the far end of the hallway not far from the master bedroom.

Pushing open the door, the originally spacious room appeared somewhat cramped due to having far too many things stuffed inside.

Against the walls, glass display cabinets were filled with an array of female dolls, all dressed in exquisite attire. There were highly realistic action figures, two-dimensional style articulated collectible figures, and an untold number of wooden puppets, ceramic figures, and clay figures.

There was even a one-to-one life-sized doll sitting on the wooden chair by the bedside, dressed in a gorgeous Gothic-style dress.

The finely crafted clothes on these collectible dolls came in completely different shapes and styles. The only thing they shared in common was that, whether tucked away on the inner lining of a hem or hidden beneath a collar, the creator had painstakingly written a name in tiny, delicate lettering.

"Ye Shiyu"

Still entirely expressionless, Ye Shiyu placed the scissors in her hand next to a sewing kit. High-grade fabrics, yet to be stitched together, lay scattered across the desk. And there, etched onto the handle of those very scissors, was the same elegantly written name.

"Ye Shiyu"

She picked up the mobile phone lying on the table and swiped to unlock it. The screen illuminated, revealing the messaging app that had been left open before the phone was locked. It displayed a chat window with Ye Lan, saved under the contact name "Mama."

"Darling, in a little while, Mama will bring that Yan Huan I told you about home for dinner. Tell Chen Yi to prepare a nice meal."

"Okay, already told her."

"His mother used to be my absolute best friend. When you were little, I used to show you pictures of her all the time. Do you remember?"

"Mm."

"He''s been living alone in Linmen all these years. It''s been incredibly hard on him. Mama wants him to come live with us in the guest room downstairs. What do you think?"

Ye Shiyu hadn''t replied to that, but Ye Lan had sent several more messages in rapid succession.

"He''s only one year younger than you, so you two should have plenty in common to talk about. Plus, you go to the same school, so you can travel to and from class together."

"This way, you''ll have someone to keep you company, and you won''t have to stay cooped up with your dolls every day like you did back home."

"Having an extra younger brother sounds wonderful. What do you say, Darling?"

"Mama really wants to hear your thoughts on this."

Up until the moment Ye Shiyu unlocked her phone just now, she hadn''t sent a single reply.

Ye Shiyu closed the messaging app, revealing her home screen wallpaper: an image of a gorgeously dressed collectible doll.

Overlaid against that background, every single application was meticulously organized and tucked away into strictly categorized folders. For Ye Shiyu, operating her phone in such an orderly fashion simply felt much more natural.

However, completely isolated from all those finely sorted folders, a bizarre app with a purple heart icon sat entirely alone on the screen.

The app didn''t even have a name. It simply floated there on her home screen like a glaring glitch.

Ye Shiyu merely stared at the app, as if lost in a trance, until Ye Lan''s voice echoed from outside her door once again.

"Shiyu, come out to eat! Are you still not ready?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, it was as if Ye Shiyu had firmly settled on a decision within her heart. Pressing the lock screen button, she slipped the mobile phone into her pocket, turned around, and walked out of the room.

"Coming, Mama."