Chapter 384: Future? |
"Crack-crack-crack!!"
"Xiao Huan?"
"Ugh..."
'Where am I...'
'Where is this again?'
Yan Huan thought to himself.
It seemed that after clicking "Yes" on that page, he had been completely swallowed by a blinding light.
Then, when he woke up, it was now.
Yan Huan's consciousness felt heavy. Through the haze, he seemed to hear a very familiar female voice calling out his name.
"Buzz—"
Amidst a severe bout of tinnitus, he forced his eyelids open a crack, blearily making out an affectionate figure with black hair.
"...Xiao Huan? Falling asleep without even pulling over a thicker blanket, it's already autumn..."
"Aunt... Aunt Ye?"
Yan Huan subconsciously called out that familiar title, but his words made the person before him freeze slightly.
Soon after, she lowered her head, brushing back her black hair, and asked in confusion,
"Are you still half-asleep? You actually mistook me for my mom?"
"Huh?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Huan's previously hazy mind was instantly shocked awake as if he had been drenched in cold water. He hurriedly sat up.
At this moment, he was wearing pajamas, sitting on a recliner, draped in a black blanket embroidered with a Q-version crab drawing.
"You..."
He blankly raised his eyes, laying his gaze upon a woman who was both familiar and yet somewhat unfamiliar...
The woman before him possessed a beautiful, elegant face. Her expression remained characteristically indifferent, save for a faint, tranquil smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
It was undoubtedly Ye Shiyu.
But...
She seemed to have matured considerably.
Previously, Ye Shiyu could still be called a young girl, but now, her face bore a trace of maturity he had only ever seen on Ye Lan.
Looking to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, she wore a black sweater, a knee-length skirt, and cotton slippers on her feet—an extremely domestic outfit.
"Besides, shouldn't you be calling her Mom by now, Xiao Huan? Why are you still acting like we just got married..."
"M-Married?!"
Yan Huan blinked, his mouth trembling slightly. He mumbled for a long time but couldn't articulate a single sentence.
He could only feebly point a finger at her, and then point at himself.
Meaning:
'Me and you? Married?!'
"With your fever these past few days, you really have grown delirious from the heat."
Ye Shiyu sighed and stood up straight, her sweater instantly outlining her beautiful figure.
Immediately after, she stroked her black hair, unintentionally revealing a diamond ring on her right index finger.
'Then what about me...'
Realizing something, Yan Huan hastily looked down at his own hands.
To his shock, he saw that on the five fingers of his right hand, each bore a ring...
'Whoa!'
'There's even one on my left pinky!'
'??'
'Wait,'
'Am I cosplaying the Lord of the Rings here?!'
'!!'
But in the next second, Yan Huan realized something. His pupils constricted slightly as he looked up at Ye Shiyu before him.
"Could I have..."
"Could have what?"
Ye Shiyu tilted her head, a look of confusion on her face.
But Yan Huan found his answer in the photo frames hanging on the wall behind her.
Behind her hung exactly seven wedding photos!
The one right in the middle was a wedding photo of himself together with six women.
As for the remaining six, each featured a wedding photo of him alone with one of the women!
They came in all sorts of styles.
The ones with Aruiya and Bai Yi showed them in a suit and wedding dresses.
The ones with Ye Shiyu, An Le, and Tong Yingying featured traditional Chinese weddings with phoenix coronets and red capes.
The one with Sakuramiya Hitomi was very special; it seemed they had specifically traveled to Sakura Country to shoot her in a traditional white shiromuku.
"..."
Staring at the wall full of wedding photos, Yan Huan's mind went completely blank.
He blinked, looking as though he had just witnessed an incredibly shocking sight.
'I...'
'Where in the world am I?'
'Heaven?'
'Myau-chan... Myau-chan, come out and see this!! Myau-chan!!'
He frantically called out to Myau-chan in his mind, wanting it to witness this spectacular scene.
"Meow?"
A cute cat's meow rang out, causing Yan Huan to subconsciously turn his head toward his right shoulder—this was its favorite place to perch.
However, this time, Yan Huan found nothing there.
"Rustle, rustle..."
Instead, he felt something rubbing against his trouser leg near his feet.
Looking down, he spotted a plump black cat actively nudging against his leg.
"...Myau-chan?"
"Meow~"
Hearing Yan Huan's call, the black cat only looked up at him with adorable cluelessness.
But...
It did not reply telepathically.
"..."
At this point, Yan Huan finally realized something was wrong.
The eyes of the little cat before him weren't a bright emerald green at all, but rather yellow!
"Meow~"
So, this was just... an ordinary black cat.
Not that Divine Lord.
"Did you not feed Myau-chan today?"
As she said this, Ye Shiyu took a deep breath and turned her head toward the cabinet to grab some cat food, looking incredibly reluctant.
Ye Shiyu did not like cats.
"By the way, come stay at my place for the next few days. It'll save me from having to run over here... It just so happens that everyone else is busy, and only the two of us are on break."
Yan Huan hastily stood up, double-checking to see if the black cat at his feet really was Myau-chan.
But the moment this black cat saw Ye Shiyu opening the cat food, it eagerly trotted over, tilting its head up and meowing incessantly, even taking a light kick from Ye Shiyu in the process...
This was definitely not Myau-chan!
"..."
Yan Huan furrowed his brows, scanning his surroundings.
At the moment, he appeared to be on the second floor of a villa, as he could faintly see the ground below through the window.
The room's decor was luxurious. It seemed to be a workroom, housing multiple computer screens.
Yan Huan hurriedly got up, only to catch a glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror.
Reflected in the mirror was his own face, which had similarly matured.
His face bore a bit of stubble, but he remained as incomparably handsome as ever.
"Wait, Sister Shiyu... I'm currently sick, and my mind is a bit of a mess. I have something I want to ask you."
"Hmm?"
Ye Shiyu put down the cat food and looked back at Yan Huan.
And the very first question Yan Huan asked was,
"Sister Shiyu, what about Myau-chan... I mean..."
"Ah, you mean that Divine Lord?"
"..."
Hearing those words, Yan Huan was completely floored. He blinked, utterly at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Ye Shiyu walked over to him, reaching out to feel his forehead as she explained,
"After we all gave up our Modifiers together, its mission was complete, so it left you. You adopted this current Myau-chan precisely to commemorate it..."
Feeling her hand rest on his forehead, Yan Huan's body couldn't help but stiffen slightly.
But contrary to his expectations, her hand wasn't cold; it was pleasantly warm.
'Huh?'
'Gave up the Modifiers?'
'This, this, this...'
'Is this right?'
"But didn't it leave behind all the things you previously obtained from the Modifier before it left? ...Mhm, your temperature is normal. Are you sure you don't have a fever, Xiao Huan?"
"..."
'So...'
'Am I dreaming, or am I in the future?!'
The moment the thought of being in the "future" crossed his mind, Yan Huan experienced a fleeting bout of shortness of breath.
'That Universal Key could actually allow time travel?!'
'But the problem is, now that I'm here, how do I get back?!'
At that moment, Yan Huan tried summoning his Modifier in his mind several times, but there was no response.
There was no holographic interface, nor any reply from Myau-chan...
If not for the absurdly immense strength still dwelling within his body, combined with everything Ye Shiyu was saying, Yan Huan would have suspected that his entire past was nothing but a dream.
With too many questions lingering in his head, Yan Huan could only pick out the ones he cared about most and ask them one by one.
"Then what about my marriage to all of you... Aunt Ye—"
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing Yan Huan's term of address, the usually expressionless Ye Shiyu raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, I mean Mom. Didn't she object?"
"Didn't you use that... Modulator thing?"
"The World Modulator?"
"Yeah, I think that was the name."
Ye Shiyu tilted her head, her expression growing increasingly peculiar.
"I'm not too clear on the details either. You handled that matter yourself at the time...
"Back then, I was really worried that you were simply trying to replicate the effects of my hypnosis on Mom...
"Turns out I was worrying over nothing. That ability's influence on others was very natural; it merely made it so that Mom and the others wouldn't find it completely unacceptable no matter what. Everything else remained exactly the same...
"When you went to Aruiya's family to propose, didn't I hear that you were almost thrown off the Golden Lion Mansion?
"It was only because Aruiya clung to you and absolutely refused to let go that she eventually agreed... Hehe."
As she recounted this, Yan Huan thought he could detect a faint hint of sour jealousy in her tone.
'The World Modulator?'
Contemplating the concept, Yan Huan's gaze went slightly vacant as he once again looked at the photos on the wall.
'Did I...'
'Actually manage to exchange my Crab Coins for such an item, and then...'
"Gulp."
Thinking this, Yan Huan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his gaze practically gluing itself to the photos above.
"Ring, ring, ring~"
Just then, a mobile phone ringing tone echoed from downstairs.
Yan Huan snapped back to reality and looked downstairs.
Ye Shiyu sighed and said to him,
"It must be them calling to check how you're feeling."
"Yeah... So where are they right now?"
Ye Shiyu turned to open the door, planning to head downstairs, while Yan Huan asked his question as he surveyed the immensely luxurious interior of the villa.
"Hitomi went back to Sakura Country on a business trip, and An Le also went to Sakura Country to attend a Cartoonist Forum. They'll... hmm, probably be back on the first of next month?
"Bai Yi is holding a concert tour, so her current schedule should place her in Dragon Country, right? She'll be back mid-next month.
"Aruiya is traveling with Mom. As for Sister Yingying, who knows what she's doing? She just said she was busy with something.
"It's just the two of us here in Linmen... Perfect timing, really. You're sick, and I'm on leave, so I can keep you company."
Yan Huan subconsciously followed her out the door. They walked along a long carpet on the second floor, which was heavily patterned with giant crabs, making their way straight toward the elevator.
Indeed, this villa seemed to span many floors; it actually had an elevator installed.
It wasn't until they arrived at the elevator doors and she pressed the "Down" button that Ye Shiyu looked back at him, her face expressionless.
"What is it? Don't tell me... you don't want to stay over at my place?"
"Of course not..."
Yan Huan was entirely unsure of the situation and didn't dare answer rashly.
But in the next second, the stoic mask on Ye Shiyu's face gradually melted away, eventually revealing a faint smile.
"Pfft, I was just joking... It's only a few steps away anyway. It's practically the same if I just move over here to stay with you."
"A few steps?"
Right now, Yan Huan genuinely felt like a primary school student.
He knew absolutely nothing; his head was filled with a hundred thousand "why's."
"Mhm."
Stepping into the semi-transparent panoramic elevator, Ye Shiyu pointed toward several villas in the distance.
"I actually brought back a few things from the company for you. I'll go fetch them later. Also, the tree planted on Bai Yi's roof seems to have snapped; let's tell her about it later."
Yan Huan followed her gaze. Sure enough, near his own villa, he spotted six very unique villas.
On the far right, at the two o'clock position, stood the largest villa.
A massive Golden Bomb Pig was painted on its outer wall. One look was enough to tell who it belonged to. It was also the closest one to Yan Huan's centrally located villa.
At the one o'clock position was the area Ye Shiyu had just been looking at, which should be where she lived.
Directly ahead, at the twelve o'clock position, was a Japanese-style residence, likely where Sakuramiya Hitomi stayed.
At the eleven o'clock position, a snapped tree dangled from the roof, and the rooms visible inside were filled with various musical instruments. That was Bai Yi's home.
Finally, on the far left, at the ten and nine o'clock positions, stood two rather unremarkable small villas. Those had to belong to An Le and Tong Yingying.
"..."
'So this is how it is...'
'This was exactly what I had originally envisioned!'
'At first, I had thought about arranging a room for each person in a single villa, but then I figured it would be better if everyone got their own separate house while still living together...'
"Thump... thump... thump..."
"Ding-dong."
The elevator doors slid open, revealing an extremely spacious first-floor lobby.
Yan Huan's mobile phone was resting on the coffee table. Many awards and photos hung on the adjacent wall.
It seemed he had started his own company in the future? Regardless, he wasn't working at the Golden Lion Group or Ye International, and there were quite a few group photos taken with Linmen celebrities and leaders.
"Here, it was a call from Hitomi... She probably thought you were still resting and hung up."
Yan Huan accepted the mobile phone from Ye Shiyu, inputted his password, and unlocked it.
Inside the Plane app, the chat window with "Hitomi" displayed a missed video call.
"Darling, text me back when you wake up, okay?"
That was the message she had sent immediately afterward.
'Darling...'
Staring at how Hitomi addressed him, Yan Huan's heart raced faster and faster, leaving his mouth feeling a bit dry.
"Call her back on video later. I'll head to the secret room to grab some medicine for you... Honestly, the Modifier left you so many items that you couldn't possibly use them all, yet you still insist on hoarding them so frugally."
Noticing Yan Huan's poor condition, Ye Shiyu thought for a moment before turning toward a spiral staircase leading to the basement.
'Secret room?'
'Sounds like the place where I store my Modifier items?'
Yan Huan wasn't entirely sure, but seeing Ye Shiyu head in that direction, he curiously gripped his phone and followed her.
Even though he desperately wanted to know how to return right now, this place...
Filled him with simply too much curiosity.
Was he truly in the future, or was he somewhere else entirely?
However, right before coming here, he thought he had heard the ticking sound of Bai Yi's Modifier running.
So, was it possible that whatever the Universal Key unlocked was related to this aspect?
Regardless, in Reality, he was bound to wait seven days before resurrecting. With his consciousness currently here, there was a high probability that he would return after those seven days elapsed.
If he could gather more information about this place, maybe he could even find a way to return early?
"..."
With such thoughts in mind, Yan Huan began observing his surroundings much more proactively.
Down on the first basement level, there was a small gym and sports court, alongside a swimming pool.
'No way...'
'Is this really my home?!'
'Holy crap...'
'Compared to my run-down rental apartment back in the South Ward, this is a massive upgrade!'
"Click."
Crossing the underground sports court, which was littered with quite a few crab toys, Ye Shiyu arrived in front of an iron door and pressed her fingerprint against the scanner.
The door clicked open, revealing a vast space inside.
"No way, this..."
The first thing to catch his eye was a large porcelain vat resting on a shelf.
Inside it, piled to the brim, were countless jade-like crabs, all curled up with their pincers tightly hugged against their bodies.
'Is this...'
'Crab Medicine?!'
Yan Huan's eyes went wide, his entire face written with disbelief.
Back in his time, he had fought tooth and nail just to secure a single dose to save An Le!
Yet here, there was an entire basin full of them!?
Yan Huan swallowed hard and reached out to touch one of them.
"Buzz—"
Immediately, a crystalline, ethereal fluorescence danced to life above it.
'These are the real deal!'
"Gulp."
'Can I bring a few of these back with me?'
'It's an emergency!'
'Then again, taking things from my future self can't really be considered stealing, right?'
'This is called...'
'Right, taking out a loan.'
"Let me look... I remember there was some left over from when you treated my illness last time. Where did I put it..."
Beneath a mirror hanging on the wall—one that seemingly possessed the ability to reflect all effects—Ye Shiyu was rummaging through bottles of potions.
As Yan Huan surveyed the magical items around him, some familiar and others entirely foreign, the phone in his hand suddenly rang.
"Ring, ring..."
Looking down, he saw that Aruiya was calling.
"Aruiya?"
Yan Huan subconsciously tapped to answer. The video feed was quite dark, to the point where he could only make out Aruiya's blurry face.
It seemed there was a time zone difference, so their times didn't quite match up.
Her facial features appeared sharper and more striking, bearing a more defined, three-dimensional Western beauty.
However, her clear, azure eyes remained exactly the same, making Yan Huan feel as though she hadn't changed much at all.
"Yan Huan! Shh, keep your voice down, Mom is already asleep... How is your body? Are you feeling any better?"
"Ah, I'm much better now..."
"Hehe, that's good... I've been traveling with Mom lately, and we've been to so many places. Mom even asked me how you treat me, and I told her you treat me very well!"
"Is that so."
Gazing at the adorable Aruiya in the video, Yan Huan couldn't help but reveal a smile, despite the passage of time.
"You have to get better quickly, you hear? I'm so worried about you... Mmm, also, I secretly bought a plane ticket. I'll be flying back to Linmen next weekend!"
'Huh?'
'Aruiya knows how to buy her own plane tickets now?'
'Well, I suppose...'
'It's been so long. In this future, she has definitely learned to take good care of herself, just like she's showing now.'
"Ah, Mom's coming! I'm hanging up now... Yan Huan, focus on resting up, and... mhm, make sure to miss me!"
Unfortunately, even at her current age, she was still her mother's good girl, getting caught red-handed just for calling her own husband.
"..."
As the call disconnected, Yan Huan lowered his eyes.
Yet, in the very next second, the phone lit up again.
The screen displayed:
Bai Yi.
"Ah, Husband, you finally picked up!"
On the screen, Bai Yi looked even more beautiful.
It looked as if she had just finished work. The makeup on her face remained flawlessly intact, making her look like a descended goddess of beauty over the video feed.
However, at this moment, her starry eyes were filled with such deep concern that it made Yan Huan's heart skip a beat.
"Ah, I was a bit sick earlier, Bai Yi..."
"Mmph—"
Upon hearing those words, the more mature Bai Yi on the other end immediately puffed out her cheeks, gradually transforming into an angry pink pufferfish.
"What's wrong?"
"Why didn't you call me your wife? Hmm? Speak!!"
"Huh?"
Yan Huan blanked out. Just then, an expressionless Ye Shiyu happened to walk past him, not missing the opportunity to slide in a remark,
"The tree on your roof got blown over by the wind."
"Hah?"
Bai Yi's beautiful eyes shot wide open, and she angrily started cursing at Ye Shiyu from afar,
"Did you do that?! That was a birthday present Husband gave me! Believe it or not, I'll poison that jellyfish Husband gave you to death too!!"
"Xiao Huan is my husband too... Besides, I don't even want to step foot in your house, let alone mess with your tree... Heh."
Ye Shiyu didn't even bother turning her head, but those two short sentences were enough to make Bai Yi almost completely overheated with rage.
Unable to out-argue her, Bai Yi could only look at Yan Huan with overwhelming grievance.
"Husband, look at what she's doing!"
Yan Huan found himself unable to help but laugh, seamlessly slipping into his role as he asked,
"When will you be back?"
"Mmm, let me think... Sometime in the twenties of next month? Ah, you absolutely must come pick me up at the airport! I have so much I want to talk to you about! Wow, you wouldn't believe it, my concert in Tianjing was fully packed! Tens of thousands of tickets, entirely sold out!!"
The corners of Yan Huan's mouth curled up into a smile. However, before he could respond, he looked down to see Ye Shiyu's face suddenly taking over the screen.
"Alright, save it for when you get back. Xiao Huan isn't feeling well, and I've found some medicine for him."
"Ye Shiyu, you—!"
But in the next second, as if finding the noise insufferable, Ye Shiyu simply reached out and tapped the "Hang Up" button on the video call in Yan Huan's hands.
Immediately after disconnecting, Bai Yi began bombarding his inbox with a flurry of "I'm so mad!" emojis.
Right after that, she @-mentioned everyone in another large group chat.
'Hmm?'
'Large group chat?'
Yan Huan tapped open the other chat group. It was titled "The Yan Family," and its only members were him and the six of them.
Since Bai Yi couldn't out-argue Ye Shiyu, she had @-mentioned everyone to loudly condemn Ye Shiyu's tyrannical actions.
"I'm filing a complaint! Ye Shiyu committed a heinous crime! I was still chatting with Husband, and she just hung up the video call!!"
An Le: "Is Xiao Huan awake? Is his body feeling any better?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi: "Mhm, if he's well enough for a video call, he should be doing much better. @YeShiyu, thanks for your hard work while we're away~"
Aruiya: "[Image]
"Look quickly, Mom and I took this on the mountain!"
Tong Yingying: "As long as he's fine. I'll also be coming back early next month."
Bai Yi: "Is anyone actually listening to what I'm saying?!"
Looking at the chat logs flashing across the screen, Yan Huan stood frozen in place for a good while.
A moment later, Ye Shiyu's soft voice finally snapped him out of it and drew his attention.
"I found the medicine, Xiao Huan. Let's head upstairs. I'll heat it up for you before you drink it."
Yan Huan inevitably looked up, meeting Ye Shiyu's gaze.
"Ah..."
He noted her tranquil expression. However, her face was completely devoid of the underlying terror and anxiety she used to harbor.
Because of this, she was now constantly displaying a serene, peaceful smile that Yan Huan had rarely been able to witness in the past.
Yan Huan remained silent for a moment before locking his phone, nodding, and smiling faintly.
"Alright."
"..."
Ye Shiyu gave a small nod and turned around, walking out of the secret room.
Yan Huan trailed behind her, but just as he was about to step out...
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a large porcelain basin resting on the floor nearby.
The basin was overflowing with golden coins, each engraved with a menacing crab. There had to be at least a thousand of them.
'These are...'
'Crab Coins.'
"..."
Staring at the glimmering golden Crab Coins, Yan Huan paused in mild shock.
Inevitably, he reached out, picked up one of the coins, and examined it.
"Buzz—"
On the smooth surface of the gold coin, the menacing crab reflected his indistinct facial features.
"Xiao Huan?"
A second later, Ye Shiyu's call broke his trance, prompting him to look toward the doorway.
"Coming..."
Hearing her voice, Yan Huan absentmindedly slipped that single Crab Coin into his pocket before heading out.
"Clack-clack-clack..."
The door to the secret room sealed shut for the time being. After stepping outside, Yan Huan thought for a second and pulled out his phone once again.
He opened Plane and navigated back to his chat window with Bai Yi.
"Wife, do you still remember your Modifier?"
"Ah... you mean the Nameless Finger? Of course I remember..."
'The Nameless Finger...'
Seeing this heavyweight title—a name on equal footing with "Divine Lord Myau-chan"—blithely slip from Bai Yi's typing, Yan Huan grew ever more convinced that he had genuinely traveled into the future.
Consequently, he furrowed his brows and immediately began fishing for intel.
"Could you tell me everything about the Nameless Finger's abilities? Specifically, any abilities related to 4:44 PM."
"Eh, I guess I could, but Husband, don't you already know all of this? Besides, it's been so long since then..."
"I've been planning to write something recently, and I couldn't quite remember some of the finer details, so I wanted to ask you."
"Okay then. Should I just tell you when I get back, Husband?"
'Wait for you to get back? By the time you get back, it'll be way too late...'
His body back in reality was going to be dead for seven days, leaving Yan Huan with a persistent, ominous premonition.
"Hiss, how about we just talk over video chat at night for the next few days?"
"Mhm, but I'm super busy on my end... Ah, how about you ask An Le instead, Husband?! Isn't the Little Finger still keeping her company?!"
'Oh, the Little Finger managed to survive?'
"Oh, right, she's with Sakuramiya Hitomi in Sakura Country... Wah, then just ask Ye Shiyu! She definitely remembers everything!"
"Okay."
"Oh, right, Husband, make sure you convince Ye Shiyu for me! Since she's the first among us to become a mother, tell her she needs to ease up a bit on matters concerning Ye International next year or something. She shouldn't overwork herself..."
'Huh?'
Reading that message, Yan Huan's expression suddenly froze in place.
He blinked a few times. Several seconds ticked past before he slowly, almost in disbelief, raised his eyes to stare at Ye Shiyu's back before him.
A few paces ahead, Ye Shiyu seemed to have sensed Yan Huan's stare, reflexively turning her head back to look at him.
She tilted her head and looked at Yan Huan expressionlessly as she asked,
"What's wrong, Xiao Huan?"
Even though her expression and tone of voice bore very little difference from the past.
At this moment, Yan Huan felt a profound difference.
It was just like earlier, when his consciousness had been hazy and he had completely mistaken her identity.
Perhaps it was because right now, Yan Huan could constantly sense...
An unprecedented quality effortlessly blooming around her.
Just like the date they shared at the underwater restaurant, or that fleeting, ephemeral beauty she had displayed that one day inside the comic book store...
And now, that feeling had firmly anchored itself, forever lingering around Ye Shiyu.
"..."
'And this is...'
'The future?'