Chapter 13: You Must Learn to Say No to This Kind of Aunt Ye

Restricted Fantasy Invasion

Since she hadn''t slept well yesterday, Ye Shiyu took another nap after waking up early in the morning. By the time she finally got up, it was almost noon, and Yan Huan had long since returned.

"Shiyu, you''re up."

"Oh, Shiyu, come quickly and taste this caramel pudding your younger brother made. It''s quite delicious."

Just as she came downstairs, Ye Shiyu saw a small, golden-yellow pudding placed on the plates in front of Ye Lan and Chen Yi at the dining table.

The pudding had a smooth surface, perfectly accented by the rich color of caramel. A faint scent of vanilla extract wafted through the air. Its presentation was exquisite, giving it an exceptionally elegant appearance.

Chen Yi was inviting her down to taste it, while Ye Lan was holding her phone, taking pictures of the dessert on her plate.

Ye Shiyu walked down the stairs and glanced toward the kitchen, just in time to see Yan Huan taking off his apron and hanging it on a hook.

He then walked out carrying another plate of pudding and smiled at her.

"Older Sister Shiyu, I made this pudding for you. We happened to have the molds and ingredients at home, so I decided to make some for you all to try."

''At home...''

Hearing how his words casually treated this place as his own home, Ye Shiyu shifted her gaze to his hands. She noticed he was holding a black ceramic dish with her name written on it.

A distinct chill unconsciously settled between her brows, but Ye Lan''s voice rang out from behind her at just the right moment.

"Shiyu?"

"...Thank you."

The frostiness did not vanish; rather, it slowly receded into the depths of her eyes.

Her expression returned to normal as she nodded and accepted the pudding Yan Huan handed her.

After taking her seat, Ye Lan, having finished photographing her dessert, took a bite. The sweetness was perfectly balanced, prompting a satisfied hum to escape her lips.

She turned to Yan Huan and asked,

"Mhm, the taste is truly wonderful. Little Huan, do you know how to make desserts for yourself?"

"No, I learned at the place where I work. It''s a bar that also sells small snacks like desserts, so frying some chips or making a pudding is nothing difficult."

"A bar? The environment there must be quite chaotic, right?"

Ye Lan furrowed her brows, harboring a strange prejudice against such places, but Yan Huan quickly offered a smiling explanation.

"It''s just a small tavern with resident singers. No strange people go there. My colleagues look after me very well, and the salary is considered quite high."

"Is that so? You''ve really worked hard, Little Huan..."

Hearing the mention of salary, an understanding look appeared on Ye Lan''s face.

Indeed, what choices did a college student have when trying to cover living expenses and tuition fees? If he had a part-time job, why would he care about the environment or whether it was tough?

Ye Lan assumed Yan Huan was left with no choice because of money, but this was actually a slight misunderstanding. Sister Tong''s tavern was genuinely a decent establishment.

Listening to the conversation between her mother and Yan Huan, the gloom in the eyes of Ye Shiyu, who had silently picked up her spoon, grew even deeper.

The more attentive and eager Yan Huan appeared, the more disgusted she felt toward him.

She took a symbolic bite of the pudding. Even though it was exceptionally delicious, eating it felt like swallowing needles and chewing bitter bark.

Ye Shiyu''s gaze subtly drifted over him and Ye Lan as they chatted and laughed. Even her mask-like expressionless face could barely conceal her dark mood anymore.

Meanwhile, Yan Huan cast an imperceptible glance at her. Knowing about the existence of the Modifier, he was even more acutely aware of her demeanor than Ye Lan was.

Yet, he continued conversing with Ye Lan, fluently handling all her inquiries and expressions of care, and even managing to make her laugh.

As they spoke, he took the initiative to bring up a question.

"By the way, has Older Sister Shiyu selected her classes in the school administration system yet?"

"Selected classes?"

Ye Lan glanced at Ye Shiyu beside her and asked in confusion,

"Does your school require you to select classes? Doesn''t everyone take the same subjects together?"

"Ah, it''s like that in the Dragon Country, but here, aside from the five mandatory courses, we also have to choose two electives. They usually take place in the afternoon, and you can take them with students from different grades and classes."

"Principal Hermes doesn''t seem to have informed us of this."

"Because you can also personally go to the school''s academic affairs office to apply for extra classes when the time comes. The teachers there will explain the content of each course in detail, which you can''t see through the online selection system. That''s probably why Principal Hermes didn''t notify you about the online class selection in advance."

Yan Huan smiled as he spoke to Ye Lan,

"However, I am quite familiar with the courses at the school. I can explain them to Auntie and Older Sister Shiyu. We can choose them right now if you''d like."

"Is that so? Then Shiyu, why don''t you go fetch Mama''s laptop and let Little Huan help you select your classes? Mama also wants to see how universities here handle course selection."

Ye Shiyu stopped using her spoon like a blade to viciously carve into the flesh of the pudding. She nodded, stood up, and went upstairs.

Just as she was leaving, Chen Yi mentioned she was going to prepare lunch, and Yan Huan''s voice offering to help rang out again.

"No need, you just stay here and select classes with Miss and Shiyu. Little Huan, since you made such a delicious pudding, Chen Yi will show off a couple of her own signature dishes for you. What would you like to eat?"

"Really? Then I want to eat spare ribs. I just saw some in the fridge."

"Hey, you even noticed that? Alright, Chen Yi will make them for you later."

"Oh my, Little Huan, have a seat. Tell me, what''s the situation with the classes at your school?"

"It''s like this, Auntie..."

Listening to their conversation, Ye Shiyu''s footsteps gradually slowed down as she ascended the stairs.

The harmonious and lively atmosphere was perhaps even better than when she was at home alone with them, wasn''t it?

After all, she wasn''t very talkative. Most of the time, she preferred to stay in her room tinkering with her dolls. Because of this, the atmosphere at home had always been lukewarm...

Or perhaps... he was actually much better suited to being a part of this family. That was why he could capture all of her mother''s attention like this.

"..."

For some reason, even though she had only watched a fictional movie yesterday, she now deeply empathized with its protagonist.

Therefore, that initial desire to simply drive him away began to deviate slightly...

That was completely normal, right?

Clutching her phone, she silently went upstairs and quickly vanished onto the spiral staircase leading from the second floor to the third.

After eating lunch and resting for a while in the afternoon, Yan Huan sat at the laptop and opened Far Moon''s course selection website for Ye Shiyu.

He logged into the account Principal Hermes had provided to Ye Lan and helped her search for available classes.

Throughout the entire process, it was essentially Yan Huan and Ye Lan communicating. Although they kept asking Ye Shiyu for her opinion, she mostly just repeated the same routine:

Pondering, nodding, and saying, "I have no objections."

It made it seem as if Yan Huan was the one selecting his own classes.

After finally managing to pick two elective courses, one of them, "Handicraft Practice," turned out to be the exact same class Yan Huan was taking.

Ye Lan glanced at the time. It was around two in the afternoon. Just as she was about to say something, Chen Yi poked her head out from the kitchen and addressed Ye Lan.

"Miss, we are running low on groceries. The place to buy vegetables around here is quite far. Could you drive me over there?"

"I was planning to take these two little ones out to watch a movie and eat outside this afternoon. I''ll give you the spare car keys instead."

So Ye Lan actually had a car. Then why did she need a chauffeur to pick them up yesterday?

"Oh my, forget it. I haven''t sorted out my Linmen driver''s license yet anyway, and my driving is even worse than yours. If I hit the road, I''ll definitely end up losing a ton of points. I''ll just take a bus over to buy them later... It''s just that if you guys aren''t eating at home tonight, what should I do with these spare ribs..."

Saying this, Chen Yi retreated back into the kitchen.

It turned out Ye Lan was merely a driver on paper—she had a license but no real driving skills.

Ye Lan''s face flushed slightly as she cast a somewhat embarrassed glance at Yan Huan beside her and asked,

"Little Huan, Shiyu, we''ll go watch a movie later. Why don''t you two look up what you''d like to see?"

"...Anything is fine with me."

Ye Shiyu said this, but in reality, she had little desire to go.

She rarely watched movies to begin with and held little interest in such things. The only reason she managed to sit through the one yesterday was because she strongly resonated with its story.

However, since her mother wanted to go, she was willing to tag along.

Yan Huan, on the other hand, glanced at Ye Shiyu and offered a smiling suggestion.

"Auntie, why don''t we just take a stroll to the supermarket instead? We can help Chen Yi buy some groceries and just have dinner at home tonight."

"So thoughtful..."

Ye Lan covered her mouth and chuckled, patting his head before suddenly shifting the topic.

"But I think you just really want to eat those spare ribs, don''t you?"

"It''s mainly because I''m afraid of wasting food, Auntie. It has absolutely nothing to do with the spare ribs, really."

"Hahaha..."

Ye Lan was amused once more. She looked at Ye Shiyu beside her and asked,

"What do you think, Shiyu? Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Anything is fine with me."

Ye Shiyu once again directed an expressionless stare at Yan Huan in front of her.

Feeling a gaze that looked at him as if he were an inanimate object, Yan Huan pretended not to notice, his smile only growing brighter.

''Locking the door definitely won''t be enough anymore,''

he thought to himself.

Ye Lan also changed her mind and called out toward the kitchen,

"Chen Yi, what groceries do we need? We''ll go buy them for you in a bit."

"You aren''t going to the movies anymore?"

"Haha, Little Huan loves the spare ribs you make."

"Oh my, it seems Linmen truly lacks good food if it''s starved the poor child this much."

"Hahaha... Hurry up now, what do we need to buy? We''re heading out soon."

After Chen Yi rattled off a list of ingredients, Ye Lan grabbed the car keys and led Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu out to the garage.

The garage door opened, revealing an extremely cheap, miniature electric car parked inside.

It was only slightly larger than Drizzle Fish Head.

Yan Huan took a look at the tiny, inexpensive vehicle, and then glanced at the enthusiastic Ye Lan beside him.

''You, a Linmen CEO with a ludicrous net worth, actually drive this?''

Yan Huan followed Ye Shiyu into the car in a daze, taking a seat in the back. As soon as they got in, Ye Shiyu immediately buckled her seatbelt.

Just as Yan Huan was trying to make sense of the situation, the electric car roared to life.

"Get ready, we''re heading out."

Then, the entire car suddenly lurched backward, slamming headfirst into the garage wall with a sharp crunch.

"Bang!"

Yan Huan swayed violently before falling back against his seat.

Meanwhile, Ye Shiyu beside him remained as steady as a mountain amidst a storm, completely unfazed, as if she had long grown accustomed to this.

"..."

He finally seemed to understand why CEO Ye''s chosen ride was such a cheap vehicle.

Ye Lan turned around, her face full of apologies, and said to Yan Huan,

"Sorry, I put it in the wrong gear. It''s fine now, we''ll set off right away."

"Alright, Auntie."

Yan Huan silently buckled his own seatbelt, his smile looking just a little bit strained.

"Hahaha, Miss, you nearly scared Little Huan to death."

At the dining table during dinner, Chen Yi poured drinks for everyone. Seeing the lingering fear still written on Yan Huan''s face, she couldn''t help but find it highly amusing. Ye Lan pouted her lips, feeling a bit depressed herself.

"I drive much better than I used to. Aside from accidentally hitting reverse in the garage, the rest of the trip should have been pretty decent..."

Indeed, if one excluded the various drifts, zero-frame lane changes, irregular speed fluctuations, and life-or-death racing segments, the rest truly was pretty decent.

It was just that the ride made one want to throw up.

Especially with the abrupt and violent acceleration and deceleration typical of electric cars. In short, she had successfully managed to induce motion sickness in Yan Huan, a person who had never suffered from carsickness in his life.

And right now, despite his pale face, he was still forcing a smile as he consoled Ye Lan,

"I''m f-fine, Auntie."

Seeing his incredibly forced smile, Chen Yi was successfully amused once again.

"Hahahaha..."

"Here, have some spare ribs and stuff your mouth."

Ye Lan placed a piece of spare rib into Yan Huan''s bowl, and then did the same for Ye Shiyu. Thus, the dining table was filled with a joyful and lively atmosphere.

The only exception was Ye Shiyu sitting beside them, who remained completely silent. Yan Huan took the initiative to speak to her,

"By comparison, Older Sister Shiyu is truly amazing. She wasn''t scared in the slightest..."

"..."

Receiving no reply, Ye Lan smilingly filled the conversational void,

"Older Sister is the most considerate of me, unlike Little Huan."

"Shiyu is just used to the rides. In the past, she used to get dizzy from sitting in the car too."

"..."

There was still no reply, and the meal came to an end amidst this intermittent conversation.

"Chen Yi, let me help you."

This time, Yan Huan was the first to stand up and help Chen Yi clear the dining table. Ye Lan rested her chin in her hands, smiling as she watched his retreating back.

After a brief pause, she turned around, walked over to a cabinet in the living room, and began rummaging for something.

The cabinet was filled entirely with various photo albums.

Seeing this scene, Ye Shiyu understood clearly in her heart.

Most likely, that moment was fast approaching.

Those albums contained many old photos, naturally including ones of Yan Huan''s parents.

On Friday, Yan Huan had mentioned he would stay here for the weekend. The atmosphere was excellent right now, and over the course of the day, he had almost entirely seamlessly integrated into this household.

Her mother simply needed to talk about the past, and he would be able to logically and rightfully stay here permanently...

"Mama, I am going upstairs to make clothes,"

Thinking of this, Ye Shiyu stood up expressionlessly and declared.

"Alright, go ahead."

Ye Lan was still flipping through the albums, while Ye Shiyu cast a shadowy figure as she turned away and ascended the stairs.

"...Found it."

Ye Lan quickly located a specific photo album. Pulling it out, she returned to the sofa in the living room and sat down.

After busying himself in the kitchen for quite a while, Yan Huan finally washed his hands and walked out, carrying two bowls of double-skin milk dessert he had just prepared.

Seeing that only Ye Lan was sitting in the living room, he asked,

"Auntie, where is Older Sister Shiyu? I made some after-dinner dessert for you and her..."

"She went upstairs to make clothes."

Ye Lan said with a beaming smile, immediately waving him over.

"Come here quickly, Little Huan. I want to show you something."

"Alright, Auntie."

Placing the double-skin milk on the coffee table, Yan Huan sat down beside Ye Lan. He watched as she opened the heavy album in her hands, revealing row after row of photographs displayed inside.

Her fingers traced across the pages, stopping on a group photo of two young women.

In the photo, Ye Lan—sporting short hair and a somewhat constrained smile—stood beside a woman with flowing long hair and a radiantly sunny smile. The woman was carelessly flashing a peace sign at the camera.

Just looking at the beautiful girl standing next to Ye Lan caused Yan Huan''s eyes to flicker slightly.

That girl''s facial features looked incredibly similar to his own, especially when she smiled.

Thus, Yan Huan inherently understood her identity.

"Look, Little Huan, this is your mama, Wang Yulu. My university classmate."

Ye Lan smiled faintly. As her finger slid across the subsequent photos, she continued speaking to the stunned Yan Huan beside her.

"When I first started university, my family''s business was going through a low point, and conditions were very tough. I might look glamorous now, but over twenty years ago in college, your auntie was so poor that I could only barely afford to feed and clothe myself..."

In the photos, some of the clothes Ye Lan wore were clearly not the right size for her physique, appearing a bit too large.

"But as a young person, how could I be satisfied just burying my head in books? I still wanted entertainment and to go out and socialize.

"But I didn''t have money to buy clothes. Everything I brought to university belonged to my older sister, which was a size too big. Wearing them out... never mind what others thought, even looking at myself made me feel inferior.

"If it was like that with clothes, you can imagine the rest. Cosmetics, snacks, electronics... I had absolutely nothing."

In every single photo, the girl standing next to Ye Lan was beaming with a bright smile, either making a hand gesture at the camera or striking some goofy pose.

One could easily tell just from the pictures that she was an incredibly radiant and cheerful woman.

"At that time, your mama was my roommate.

"When she saw I didn''t have nice clothes to wear out, she lent me hers, which were roughly my size. When I needed to go on a date or an interview and lacked makeup, she let me use hers. She taught me skincare, dragged me out to exercise, studied with me, and introduced me to more friends...

"That''s when your papa and mama met. Here, this is your papa. Back then, your parents were known as the golden couple of the College of Literature."

In one photo, Ye Lan, Wang Yulu, and a handsome man wearing glasses were looking at the camera simultaneously. They appeared to be sitting at a dining table, with several other classmates visible in the background.

"Your mama was an extremely kind and incredibly sincere person. If it wasn''t for her, your auntie probably would have developed some sort of psychological issues during those six years of undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

"She was my very best friend. Then, after graduating with our master''s degrees, she and your papa chose to move to Linmen to build their careers. They flew all over the world, and their phones were often out of service range. As for me, I was caught up in a failed marriage and the family business, spinning around like a top.

"Over all these years, I occasionally sent text messages to check in on them, but I never received a reply. I thought they were simply too busy. Who could have known..."

As she spoke, Ye Lan''s eyes gradually reddened.

She turned the page of the album but didn''t dare to look further, seemingly afraid that seeing the face of Yan Huan''s mother again would make her burst into tears.

Yan Huan thoughtfully pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.

On the open page of the album, a photograph of Yan Huan''s mother leaning over a crib with a beaming smile captured his attention.

In the crib, he saw an infant Ye Shiyu reaching out a tiny hand to grasp Wang Yulu''s pinky finger. Wang Yulu looked down at her, a mixture of a radiant smile and gentle surprise painting her face.

Written beneath the photo was the caption:

"Shiyu''s first meeting with her godmother."

Seeing the annotation under the photo, Yan Huan''s pupils contracted slightly. Beside him, Ye Lan also chuckled upon seeing the image.

"Your mama and I made a pact to become the godmothers of each other''s children. That''s what I''ve always told Shiyu... So, Little Huan, I hope you can understand why your auntie lost her composure so completely the first time we met. I was perhaps a bit too anxious and acted overly affectionate, making you feel uncomfortable...

"I just... sob... I couldn''t hold it back the moment I saw your name. She always said that if she had a child, she would give him this name. Because she loved to smile, she insisted... that her child would definitely love to smile too..."

Yan Huan pulled out another tissue and offered it to her, but Ye Lan was crying so hard she didn''t even notice.

As a result, he had no choice but to take the somewhat presumptuous liberty of personally wiping her tears away.

"Aunt Ye..."

But Ye Lan gently grasped Yan Huan''s outstretched hand. Looking at the young man before her, she softly asked,

"So, Little Huan, please stay, alright? Just live here at Auntie''s house. I will treat you as my own flesh and blood, and I will take good care of you in place of your mama. Okay?"

"..."

Looking at Ye Lan in front of him, her eyes brimming with tears and filled with earnest pleading, Yan Huan opened his mouth as an unnamed emotion flooded his heart.

This was a proposition that was impossible to refuse, both logically and emotionally. Over the past two days, it had become almost completely natural—a matter of course where everything fell perfectly into place.

Perhaps Yan Huan had already considered this from a strictly ''rational'' perspective before. The sheer value and influence of the Linmen CEO of Ye International went without saying.

Honestly, when presented with a noble benefactor falling from the sky like this, even the greatest fool could comprehend the immense worth of simply answering "Yes."

But everything Ye Lan had just said was rooted entirely in ''emotion.''

There were no melodramatic love triangles or theatrical tales of love and revenge.

It was simply about providing help in one''s darkest, most desperate hour, and a deep bond forged through years of spending days and nights together.

However, when she recounted the entirety of their past, thoroughly laying bare the precious affection they shared for Yan Huan to see... even though he was an orphaned transmigrator, it was impossible for him not to be deeply moved.

It was precisely because he keenly felt the profound sincerity of Ye Lan''s emotions that he now sank into hesitation.

Sensing Yan Huan''s hesitation, the corners of Ye Lan''s tear-stained mouth began to curve downward uncontrollably once more.

That expression crashed into Yan Huan with the force of an emotional torrent, making one feel out of nowhere that uttering a word of refusal would be an unforgivable cardinal sin in this world.

"Auntie..."

As for Yan Huan, his eyes slowly drooped, avoiding her piteous face.

After a moment of silence, he offered a bitter smile and said,

"I cannot stay."

Hearing this, Ye Lan looked at him in disbelief. She blinked her eyes and hurriedly pressed for an answer,

"Why? Did Auntie make you feel that she is hard to get along with?"

"Of course not."

"Then is it because of Older Sister? She just rarely interacts with others, but she isn''t a bad person at her core. I believe that with Little Huan around, she would slowly become more outgoing."

"It''s not because of Older Sister either, Auntie. I''ve never thought of her that way."

"Then why? Auntie has a lot of money and can help you solve so many of your problems. Even if there''s something you are dissatisfied with, you just have to say it..."

The confusion on Ye Lan''s face grew deeper, and that aggrieved, sorrowful expression practically overflowed from her eyes.

She stared into Yan Huan''s eyes just like that, chasing his evasive gaze until it was backed into a corner.

''As expected...''

''There is no escaping this, Yan Huan...''

''If you want to blame something, blame those damn Modifiers, Aunt Ye. They are the reason I am forced to play my hand like this.''

Yan Huan maintained his smile as he finally raised his eyes, meeting Ye Lan''s gaze head-on.

There was no hint of disgust in his eyes, only an unshakable firmness in his tone.

The time was 7:30 PM on Sunday. The location was Ye Lan''s luxurious mansion in Kyogo Ward.

Yan Huan looked at Ye Lan before him, his voice echoing with equal sincerity as he spoke,

"I''m sorry, Aunt Ye...

"I cannot stay here. I have to return to the South Ward."