Chapter 44: Accomplices Must Keep Each Other''s Secrets |
"Auntie, the room is on the sixth floor, and there is no elevator here. I have to trouble you to climb the stairs."
"Okay."
After finishing their meal, Ye Lan still wanted to go and see the apartment Yan Huan was renting, and he found it hard to refuse.
So, he simply agreed and led them into the car, driving back to the bottom of his apartment building.
Despite Ye Lan wearing high heels, both she and Ye Shiyu possessed excellent stamina. Climbing six flights of stairs was a breeze for them.
They did not even pant, indicating they must work out frequently.
If Vice President Sakuramiya were here, she would likely start panting before even reaching the second floor.
Ye Lan surveyed the passable surroundings. The facilities were not too old or dilapidated, which was completely different from the rest of the hard-to-judge environment in the South Ward.
She raised an eyebrow in slight surprise and asked Yan Huan,
"Ah, it is public housing, after all. The rent is not expensive, though the application process is a bit troublesome."
The so-called public housing was actually a subsidized housing initiative promoted by the Linmen government, capping both the living standards and the rent prices.
Uniformly managed by the government, it required special conditions to apply for residency.
And Yan Huan, being an orphan, happened to meet the application criteria perfectly.
Because the environment here was nice and the rent was cheap, Yan Huan''s financial pressure regarding housing was actually quite low.
Yan Huan''s real financial burden lay in his tuition fees.
As previously mentioned during Principal Hermes''s conversation with Ye Lan, the scholarship at Far Moon Academy could only cover up to two-thirds of the tuition.
At first glance, it seemed a bit unreasonable that Far Moon Academy, as one of the only two top elite schools in Linmen, could not even fully cover the tuition for Yan Huan, who was the top student in his grade and the Student Council President.
But in reality, this assumption was not entirely accurate.
The scholarship could actually cover the base tuition in full. The problem was that attending Far Moon Academy incurred many other expenses outside of the standard tuition.
Taking the school bus to and from school cost money, right? That alone amounted to several thousand a year.
Then there were the custom-made school uniforms for two seasons, various supplies, health insurance, and other mandatory payment items.
Next came the textbooks, which were a massive expense that had to be mentioned.
Printed materials in Linmen were exorbitantly expensive. The Mathematics textbook Yan Huan currently used cost hundreds just for a single copy.
And that was just for Mathematics. There were four other main subjects, plus elective courses that occasionally required purchasing textbooks.
Added together, it was so ridiculously expensive that it made Yan Huan want to vomit blood!
These miscellaneous fees were not covered by the scholarship. In total, they accounted for nearly one-third of the overall expenses and had to be paid in full before the school year began.
However, he might be able to worry a little less about these meticulously calculated numbers moving forward.
After all, Yan Huan had now converted to the loving religion of Ye Lan.
"This is it."
Yan Huan smiled and turned back to look at Ye Lan behind him. He pulled out his key and opened the door, revealing the forty-square-meter space inside.
"Auntie, Older Sister, please come right in. I usually do not have visitors, so I have not prepared any slippers or shoe covers."
"Pardon the intrusion then."
"..."
Flipping on the lights, Yan Huan stepped inside first.
Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu followed closely behind, taking a quick tour of the tidy rental apartment. Myau-chan also ran out to greet them.
Since he had previously asked Ye Shiyu to make a little scarf for it during their handicraft class, and the cat food and cans he bought were still sitting on the shelf, it was easy to see that Yan Huan kept a cat.
Cute creatures always effortlessly attracted women''s attention. After introducing Myau-chan''s grand name, Ye Lan could not bear to part with it, scooping the Black Cat up into her arms for a good petting.
She had originally thought its fur was just extremely fluffy, making it look like a black hairball.
Only when she actually got her hands on it did she realize this cat was completely solid.
"What a fat cat!"
Ye Lan exclaimed, covering her mouth.
"Meow?!"
Myau-chan was shocked.
However, a flaw had been exposed!
"It truly is a cute little kitten. But, Xiao Huan, why isn''t there a litter box in the house?"
Ye Lan asked suddenly while stroking Myau-chan.
Hearing her mother''s words, Ye Shiyu also cast a curious glance over.
"Ah, about that..."
Yan Huan glanced at Myau-chan, who looked incredibly adorable and innocent in Ye Lan''s arms, and then explained,
"Myau-chan often runs out to play on his own. He usually takes care of his business outside."
"So that''s how it is. Does he still have a bit of a wild side? What a lovely little cat."
Ye Lan patted Myau-chan''s chubby cheeks before setting him down to continue touring Yan Huan''s small apartment.
But since the place was only forty square meters in total and lacked any particularly special items, Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu looked around for a short while before preparing to leave and head back to Kyogo Ward.
"Then Xiao Huan, Auntie and your older sister will get going for today. Contact Auntie anytime if you need anything, and come home often for dinner."
At the door, Ye Lan turned back to bid Yan Huan farewell.
"I will, Auntie."
Ye Shiyu, as always, maintained a faint expression, but in reality, her gaze had not missed a single corner of the small apartment Yan Huan lived in.
It was only right before leaving that she withdrew her lingering gaze and said goodbye to Yan Huan,
"See you at school next week, Xiao Huan."
"Got it, Older Sister."
They did not let Yan Huan walk them down, as the car was parked right downstairs anyway.
After Yan Huan closed the door, Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu walked toward the stairwell.
As they walked, Ye Shiyu looked at her mother, who was humming a tune and seemed to be in a very good mood. She suddenly asked,
"...Is this really okay, Mama?"
Ye Lan turned her head in confusion.
"What do you mean, is this okay?"
"Mama, you clearly want Xiao Huan to move back home with us, don''t you?"
"Mhm, that is indeed the case."
"Then, is it really fine to just let Xiao Huan stay here in the South Ward?"
Ye Lan paused slightly, then smiled.
"I do want that, but..."
"But?"
Ye Shiyu revealed an expression of incomprehension.
"Well, although it might be a bit early for you, Shiyu, consider this a little life lesson from your mother in advance."
"..."
Ye Lan reached out and stroked Ye Shiyu''s black hair, speaking softly,
"People are best at treating those they care about as their own possessions, and then arbitrarily attaching expectations to them.
"Parents view their children as their possessions, so they expect them to be obedient and choose a life according to their plans.
"Children view their parents as their possessions, so they expect them to be selflessly devoted and provide help at any given time.
"It is the same for lovers, the same for friends. I am afraid most intimate relationships are like this.
"And when people do this, they often do not realize it themselves, because we all consider problems from our own perspectives."
Ye Shiyu blinked. After a moment of silence, she asked,
"Is that... wrong?"
Ye Lan shook her head. As she continued walking forward, she added,
"Of course, there is nothing wrong with it. On the contrary, it is only natural.
"It is precisely because you hold feelings for a specific person in your heart that you place expectations on them, hoping they will do certain things and not let you down."
Her footsteps slowed as Ye Lan reached the top of the stairs.
She turned around and looked at her daughter, who was still standing in place.
"But Shiyu, you must also realize this: the person placed with those expectations belongs to himself first, and only belongs to you second.
"You have to understand and respect this point so that you do not hurt each other.
"Arbitrarily projecting too many expectations and viewing others as your possessions will only end up leaving you constantly disappointed when you do not receive the desired response."
Ye Shiyu''s pupils shrank slightly, and her lips parted a fraction.
"Xiao Huan is himself first. After that, he is Yulu''s child, and the existence I wish to pour my affections onto.
"Shiyu, you are the same to me."
Standing in the shadows, Ye Shiyu looked in confusion at her smiling mother.
Incomprehensible.
She completely failed to understand her mother''s thoughts.
Except, at this moment, Ye Shiyu suddenly recalled the confusion she had been feeling over the past week.
Whenever she noticed other people at school paying attention to Xiao Huan or taking a liking to him, a surge of displeasure would well up in her heart.
''Is that the disappointment Mama mentioned?''
Because she could not see him belonging solely to her, and the possibility of him being claimed by others violated her expectations.
''But, what is wrong with that?''
''Wanting everything to bend to my will, to forever belong to me, to never betray me, to never leave me...''
''Is there anything wrong with having such thoughts?''
As for disappointment, she was not afraid of facing it.
Because she had her Hypnosis App.
At this thought, Ye Shiyu''s daze was shattered by a certain terrifying presence within her heart, and her face returned to an expressionless mask.
It was nighttime, and the wind in the South Ward scattered her unspeakable complexities.
Ye Lan''s gentle voice melted like sea foam into the complex hues of the neon lights, transforming into colorful streaks that looked as though they had been polluted by paint.
The multicolored glow from a billboard across from the public housing building gradually seeped into the shadow where Ye Shiyu stood, making the suddenly brightened purple screen in her hand become a part of this neon world.
It was as if that screen was the very embodiment of this dazzling, chaotic world itself.
And as if that very dazzling, chaotic world was currently grasped in Ye Shiyu''s hand.
"Alright, Shiyu, stop overthinking. I am exhausted today, let''s hurry home and rest."
"Okay."
Ye Shiyu nodded, finally moving her feet from the shadows to walk toward the stairwell.
Before leaving, she cast one last look in the direction of Yan Huan''s apartment, silently engraving his room number into her mind.
Then, she caught up with Ye Lan''s pace and headed downstairs.
Suffice it to say, Ye Shiyu was not the only one feeling perplexed and utterly confused tonight.
"Why... why did this happen..."
In a certain Western-style mansion in Kyogo Ward.
Sakuramiya Hitomi, dressed in a nightgown, stared wide-eyed in silence for a moment before silently pressing the call bell at the corner of her desk.
"Ding-ding."
"Click."
The next second, the door was pushed open, revealing a charming, black-haired woman in a black suit outside.
Upon seeing the motionless figure of the girl in a nightgown sitting before a computer screen at the far end of the spacious bedroom, the woman''s expression shifted to a look of understanding.
She pressed a button on her mobile phone, and the EMERGENCY warning displayed on the screen was silently dismissed.
"My dear Eldest Miss, have you never heard the story of ''The Boy Who Cried Wolf''?"
The mature woman then offered a charming smile and asked,
"Although I already knew this would be the case, as your personal bodyguard, I still have to remind you: do not press that bell unless it is an actual emergency."
"It is already an emergency, Nara!!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi turned back to look at the woman, her face flushed red.
"Sigh."
The woman known as Nara gave a perfunctory sigh, then closed the door behind her and walked to Sakuramiya Hitomi''s side.
"So, just how critical is the situation?"
"Look at this!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi turned back, clicked her mouse to maximize one of the countless surveillance feeds, and dragged the progress bar.
The screen displayed a stairwell in a public housing building in the South Ward, showing a smiling Yan Huan leading Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu into his home.
Nara looked at the screen, then turned to gaze at Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was puffing out her cheeks and crossing her arms in an angry pout.
After a second of silence, she turned into a broken record and asked once more,
"So, what part of this is an emergency?"
"Can''t you tell?! And you still have the nerve to call yourself the ''Virgin Killer''?!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi clenched her fists, her gaze toward Nara laced with disdain, which made it even harder for the bodyguard to understand.
"Huh? What does that have to do with me?"
"Do you still not see it? The President has never invited anyone into his apartment before! But today... today, that Ye Shiyu actually... went inside?! The President''s first time was actually... actually..."
"Could you please not use such bizarre phrasing..."
The expression of the attentively listening Nara slowly cracked, but Sakuramiya Hitomi was entirely oblivious.
"Besides, it''s not just that Ye Shiyu. Isn''t there an elder with them? In what universe is this an emergency?"
"Aren''t they still women?!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi bit the thumbnail of her thumb, looking extremely anxious.
"Whether it was meeting the President, staying by his side, or noticing him, I was the one who was here first! The President even made pudding for me, which she has definitely never eaten. Why does she get to go into his house when I haven''t even been there yet?!"
"So, if you want to go, couldn''t you just ask Yan Huan directly if you can visit his home?"
"How could it be that easy? Are you an idiot?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi glared at Nara and rationally analyzed the situation.
"I''ve investigated the layout of the President''s home. It''s only forty square meters. If I look for a legitimate reason to visit, the other members of the Student Council would definitely have to go as well.
"How can forty square meters accommodate five guests? Wouldn''t that put the President in an awkward position? It''s impossible for that to work."
Nara had already boredly flopped onto Sakuramiya Hitomi''s large bed, pulling out her mobile phone to watch cute pet videos.
At the same time, she glanced at Sakuramiya Hitomi and asked,
"I mean, why don''t you just tell Yan Huan that you want to check out his place alone?"
"Wha—"
Sakuramiya Hitomi''s face instantly flushed deep red. She waved her hands, hastily refusing,
"Then I... wouldn''t that make it way too obvious?"
"What''s wrong with being obvious? What''s wrong with taking the initiative? You do like the guy anyway, don''t you?"
"That is true, but..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi turned her head to look at the countless camera feeds on her computer screen, the multitude of Yan Huan''s photos arranged nearby, and the innumerable notebooks documenting his every word and action.
"This completely contradicts the persona I normally project. Being so proactive would be too sudden. It would be too easy for him to notice the flaws..."
The more she looked, the paler her expression became.
"Once I do that, wouldn''t the President quickly realize there''s something wrong with me? Even if we get together, would he gradually grow disappointed and eventually be scared away by me... If that happened, I would absolutely want to die!"
"...Ah, whatever. I don''t really want to lose my job right now, so Eldest Miss, please wait until after I resign to die."
"What the hell are you saying, Nara?!"
Nara sat up, stifling a yawn. Her usually charming expression was replaced with speechlessness brought on by these troublesome antics.
"So, just stop doing this kind of thing, wouldn''t that solve it? You made me plant all these cameras and keep him under such strict surveillance. You were originally just one step away from getting together with him, but now you''ve made it unnecessarily complicated."
Yet, Sakuramiya Hitomi blinked, looking at her as if she were a total idiot.
"Are you an idiot? If I don''t set up cameras, how am I supposed to know the President''s every move?"
"..."
Nara kind of wanted to die, but she strongly felt that someone else ought to die instead.
She lay spread-eagled on the bed, looking entirely ready to be buried alive, and evaluated Sakuramiya Hitomi,
"You win, Eldest Miss."
"I win?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi walked over to the bed, looking down at Nara, who was lying there flirting with some unknown person on her phone. With hands on her hips, she said,
"Isn''t the crucial issue right now that you need to help me?"
"So, how exactly do you want me to help?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi rubbed her chin, looking well-prepared.
She walked back to the computer desk and retrieved a stack of pamphlets.
"Here, look at this."
"What is this stuff?"
"Introductions for some household appliances. This one is for television wiring, this one is for Wi-Fi, this one is for air conditioning installation, this is for replacing water heaters, this is for water purifiers..."
"Wait, wait, wait. What exactly are you planning to do?"
Nara sat up, watching Sakuramiya Hitomi present leaflet after leaflet right in front of her eyes.
Sakuramiya Hitomi held up one of the fliers, pointing it at Nara.
"Just pick any excuse. Say you''re there for a free air conditioning installation, or television wiring, whatever. In short, find a pretext to enter the President''s apartment and secretly install another camera there... No, one isn''t enough. One in the living room, one in the bedroom, and the restroom too..."
"Have you completely lost your mind?"
"Smack!"
Nara slapped the leaflets out of Sakuramiya Hitomi''s hand, then reached out and gave her a flick on the forehead.
"Flick."
It was the lightest possible flick to the forehead, yet it hurt the delicate and tender Sakuramiya Hitomi so much that she covered her forehead and groaned.
"Ugh... Nara!"
"Eldest Miss, if you keep this up, you are definitely going to completely ruin yourself. Forget about getting together with Yan Huan; if you get caught, just wait to have your reputation destroyed for the rest of your life."
Sakuramiya Hitomi was truly too fragile; she was actually on the verge of tears from Nara''s simple forehead flick.
Blushing, she looked up with teary eyes and spoke in intense anxiety,
"Then what should I do?! That detestable Ye Shiyu... actually... actually..."
"Weren''t you quite calm this afternoon? Saying things in front of me like she wasn''t worth worrying about. How did you end up being utterly defeated by the opposition by nighttime?"
As her personal bodyguard, Nara had handled many tasks for Sakuramiya Hitomi, such as installing surveillance cameras.
There were over a hundred cameras, many positioned at incredibly tricky, professional peeping angles, and they required frequent maintenance.
Anyone could figure out that it would be a miracle if the physically weak Sakuramiya Hitomi could pull all that off on her own. It was all Nara''s doing.
Having been involved in this for so long, even Nara, a bored adult, had begun to pay some attention to the romantic progress between them.
It was like watching a virtual cricket fight; there was amusement to be found every day.
When they returned from school that afternoon, Sakuramiya Hitomi had just dismissively evaluated the performance of her "potential rival" Ye Shiyu from earlier in the day.
"Easy," "Taking on an apprentice," and "Switching to manual labor."
Yet, when night came, upon seeing her opponent execute a brilliant surprise attack right into his home, she suffered a complete defense break and lost her mind.
Seriously, where did this Eldest Miss Sakuramiya get so much drama from every day?
Although, watching Eldest Miss Sakuramiya throw exasperated tantrums in private was quite cute.
If she just stopped pretending to be so serious and rational in front of Yan Huan and showed off this side of herself, she would have probably had him eating out of the palm of her hand long ago.
Sakuramiya Hitomi angrily clenched her feminine fists, wanting to pummel Nara, but her punching speed was so slow that Nara could easily block them with just one hand.
While casually parrying Sakuramiya Hitomi''s flurry of delicate strikes with one hand, Nara propped up her cheek and yawned, saying,
"Eldest Miss, rather than running to someone else''s house to plant cameras, I think it would be better to consider what you should do at Sunday''s gaming expo."
"Gaming... expo?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi froze slightly, then immediately snapped to her senses.
That''s right! Their Student Council was going out for team building this weekend!
At that time, she and the President would be together!!
"You''re right. I need to look into what exactly will be featured at the gaming expo on Sunday. If there is a chance..."
Seeing that Sakuramiya Hitomi had finally calmed down, Nara caught her fist with one hand.
Then, with a gentle push, she somehow shoved Sakuramiya Hitomi right off the bed, making her stumble to her feet.
"However, Eldest Miss, before you think about the gaming expo, I feel you still need to seriously consider how you are going to handle your feelings for President Yan."
"What do you mean?"
Nara sat up, resting her chin on her hand, and gave a charming smile.
"You plan on getting together with President Yan, right?"
"Of—of course."
"But you are relying on the persona you normally project to attract him, hoping that he will confess his love to you... Even if you succeed in the end, will the person he falls in love with be the ''you'' who is acting, or the real you?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi paused slightly, then looked at Nara like she was staring at an idiot again.
"Are you an idiot?
"I can craft a persona that the President likes, and he will feel completely satisfied being with me. Conversely, I will get him, I will know his every move at all times, and the real me will also feel satisfied.
"This is the best of both worlds. As long as it can last forever, isn''t that perfectly fine? The fabricated persona is me, and the real me is also me. There is absolutely no difference."
At this point, having completely exited her defense-broken state, Sakuramiya Hitomi had entirely regained her rationality.
Pausing for a moment, she abruptly turned her gaze back to the Nara in front of her, asking in a slightly chilling tone,
"Nara, the person I trust the most in this world is you. That is why I have let you know absolutely everything about me.
"And you, knowing all of this, would absolutely never tell my secrets to anyone, right?"
Hearing this, Nara raised an eyebrow.
She smiled charmingly while drawing a finger across her lips, mimicking the motion of pulling a zipper shut.
"Of course, I will keep your secrets, Eldest Miss.
"Conversely, you must keep my secret as well. You cannot let the main family know about my affairs, okay?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi smiled faintly, an expression of perfect understanding on her face as she extended her hand to Nara.
"Ah, I won''t let my family know... about how you are acting as an imposter for my personal bodyguard."
"That is good, Eldest Miss."
Nara reached out and shook Hitomi''s small hand.
Then she stood up and continued asking Sakuramiya Hitomi,
"So, shall we start preparing for the gaming expo this weekend? I will bring the informational materials to you, and then... you can figure out what to do yourself?"
"Alright, I will think about it."
Nara nodded and turned, preparing to leave.
But just as she was about to depart, Sakuramiya Hitomi suddenly grabbed her sleeve, causing her to look back in confusion.
She saw Sakuramiya Hitomi blushing slightly, pointing somewhat embarrassedly at the leaflets for installing indoor appliances scattered on the bed.
"..."
Her meaning was painfully obvious.
She still wanted Nara to use those excuses to go and plant cameras in Yan Huan''s apartment.
"..."
Nara fell silent for a moment, then flashed a bewitching smile.
"Not a chance."
"Eh?! Why not?"
"This is for your own good. Be a good girl and listen."
"Ahhhhh! But... but I really want to see what the President''s house looks like on the inside!! How he looks when he eats, how he sleeps, how he studies, how he bathes..."
"I will take my leave first, Eldest Miss."
Nara hurriedly covered her ears. Despite being an adult, she was terrified of hearing something completely inappropriate for minors, and she hastily turned and fled from Sakuramiya Hitomi''s room.
Leaving behind Sakuramiya Hitomi, who stood in her bedroom yelling in sheer exasperation,
"Nara! Seriously!"