Chapter 10: Trying to Connect Basketball with Chicken

Chapter 10: Trying to Connect Basketball with Chicken

When you were a kid and lost something, how would your parents handle it?

If it wasn’t too important, maybe they’d scold you for being forgetful and remind you to pay more attention next time?

But if it was really important—like the house keys or a bank card—well, you’d probably face a delicious punishment of stir-fried bamboo shoots and pork.

Of course, every family handles things differently; this is just based on Yan Huan’s impressions.

In any case, there’s no way they’d drive back to the shopping center just to help you find a lost keychain without even a scolding.

But Ye Lan did exactly that.

After hearing Ye Shiyu’s request, she had the driver turn around and take them back to the shopping center where they had just eaten.

As soon as the car stopped, Ye Shiyu jumped out, forgetting the coat she had taken off because the heater was on in the car.

Yan Huan glanced at the coat and quietly picked it up before getting out.

After Ye Lan got out and chatted with the driver for a bit—apparently, he’d wanted to help find the keychain—but Ye Lan told him to go back first.

After a little tugging and pulling, the car finally drove away.

The shopping center looked bright as ever at 8 or 9 p.m. in early spring, but an unavoidable chill lingered in the air.

Wrapped in her coat and balancing in high heels, Ye Lan smiled helplessly at the front-running Yan Huan and said,

“Come on, Little Huan, let’s help Shiyu look for it. She should retrace her steps while she reminisces, right?”

Retracing her steps, huh?

Yan Huan blinked and glanced at Ye Shiyu, who stood outside the shopping center, gazing at the now-darkened Ocean Mansion in the distance, blending into the night, lost in thought.

“Sister Shiyu.”

Upon hearing Yan Huan, she turned with a blank expression, accepting the coat Yan Huan offered.

“It’s cold at night; put this on.”

As she looked at Yan Huan’s hand holding the coat, her fingers brushed against the name tag.

“Thank you.”

After a slight pause, she took the clothes but didn’t put them on.

Yan Huan didn’t press her, just stepped closer and earnestly asked,

“Sister Shiyu, do you remember when you last opened your bag? Was it in the Ocean Mansion or the shopping center?”

“I haven’t opened my bag since I bought the keychain today.”

“Huh?”

Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, looking at the determined Ye Shiyu after a moment of contemplation.

“Could the bag have a hole in it?”

Ye Shiyu checked her purse and shook her head.

“No.”

That’s strange.

A supernatural event?

This morning, he did see her put the keychain inside her bag after labeling it. Or did she perhaps open it at some point and then forget?

“The Ocean Mansion is already closed; I’ll head to the shopping center and have a look.”

Ye Shiyu’s expression turned frosty as she grabbed the coat and turned to leave.

Yan Huan and Ye Lan had no choice but to follow her, retracing their steps from earlier in the day in the shopping center.

“Dear guests, the shopping center will be closing in twenty minutes. Please leave if you’re lingering outside the cinema area.”

“At that time, please take the 7A elevator located on the seventh floor to return to the first floor or underground parking. Other elevators will be closing.”

The announcement echoed through the enormous shopping center as the lights gradually dimmed from the seven-story structure, the sounds of shop shutters ringing out.

Upon reaching the second floor escalator, Yan Huan spotted Ye Lan sitting on a bench on the first floor, taking off her high heels and rubbing her ankle.

Her long dress spread like petals, her eyes showing signs of fatigue.

Seeing Yan Huan, she lifted her head and smiled, asking,

“Well, Little Huan, found anything?”

Yan Huan shook his head.

“I’ve searched several times, asked at Lost and Found, and the staff haven’t seen it. We split up to look but still found nothing.”

“Well, that’s quite strange.”

Ye Lan pouted, moving her heels aside and patting the seat next to her.

“You’re tired, right? Sit down and take a break. Sorry to trouble you, Little Huan; we’re out having fun but have to make you run around to help find things for your sister.”

“Not at all! I already had my fun, Aunt.”

Yan Huan sat down beside Ye Lan, watching her hug her knees while massaging her calves and feet.

At that moment, her ankle looked red; after all, she had been in heels all day. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have needed to search for her items, and she’d be resting now.

Yan Huan sighed, observing the shopping center as it gradually quieted down, his eyes moving slightly.

Ye Lan, noticing his profile, propped her chin with her hand and suddenly asked,

“Do you think this is excessive, Little Huan?”

“Excessive?”

Yan Huan turned his attention back to Ye Lan, who was still smiling.

“To go back for a little keychain and spend an hour looking for it? Doesn’t that sound a bit silly?”

“Not really.”

Yan Huan blinked, saying,

“I thought you’d send a bunch of subordinates to reopen the Ocean Mansion after it closed and have a crowd help Shiyu find it.”

Ye Lan covered her mouth, chuckling.

“That’s way too exaggerated!”

“Exaggerated? I see those novels write it just like that.”

With a smirk, Yan Huan pretended to be a domineering CEO, pointing with an air of command,

“If you don’t find her things, I want all of you to be buried with them!”

“Hahahaha!”

Ye Lan burst out laughing, covering her belly, her toes almost dancing in the air.

“Very stylish! You really should get into acting, Little Huan~”

Yan Huan smiled back at Ye Lan, and then she playfully tapped his head, chiding him,

“But it’s just a keychain; how could it warrant that much manpower?”

Yan Huan covered his head, evading her light punch.

“So you’re just like the characters in the novels, Aunt. You and those CEOs who spend millions in an hour are quite similar—willing to invest time for a cheap keychain, isn’t that pretty much the same thing?”

As Ye Lan smiled even more, she reached out to ruffle Yan Huan’s hair without messing it up.

“Shiyu rarely loses things. If no one touches them, she wouldn’t lose them. Though it seems troublesome, it has hardly happened before. Besides, you should’ve noticed that aside from her dolls, her absolute favorite is jellyfish.”

“Yeah, but just now we checked the surveillance, and no strangers approached her bag along the way.”

“Exactly, so this is particularly strange. Maybe she genuinely left it in the Ocean Mansion? But I wouldn’t bother others for something like this.”

With a warm smile, Ye Lan continued to pet his head, explaining to Yan Huan,

“The lost item is important; it’s special to her, with her name on it. I know that once she labels something, it’s not easily replaceable, at least not in my eyes.

“For others, it’s just a cheap keychain.

“I’m willing to return to help her look because I’m her mother, and therefore, I believe her special items hold a special value, which cannot be measured in monetary terms, especially since I have nothing else planned tonight.

“I wouldn’t ask others to rush over on a weekend night due to this sort of thing. So, I feel quite sorry for troubling you to accompany us this late, Little Huan.”

Yan Huan didn’t mind much; besides, he could avoid being hypnotized by Ye Shiyu if he went back later.

At this moment, the surrounding temperature seemed to warm up, perhaps due to Ye Lan’s smile.

“No wonder that driver, Liu, just now wanted to get down and help, but Aunt refused.”

“Right? He just needed to take us home and could then relax after his shift. So we’ll take a cab back later~”

Today was technically the weekend; that driver was putting in extra hours, but really, he only needed to drop Ye Lan off in the morning and pick her up at night. He wouldn’t need to be on standby all day to earn his overtime pay.

For some reason, hearing Ye Lan say this made Yan Huan feel a bit teary.

Perhaps it was because he had died from working too hard in his past life. At that moment, listening to a leader who wouldn’t fuss over what to do outside regular hours, he felt an odd sense of reunion and regret.

“Aunt, if I get the chance in the future, I definitely want to work under you.”

As the mood deepened, Yan Huan said this with a serious expression.

If his aunt didn’t mind, he’d love to pledge loyalty to her as a leader?

“Hahahaha.”

Ye Lan was once again amused by Yan Huan’s serious demeanor, affectionately ruffling his hair.

“Well, with your level of excellence, it shouldn’t be too difficult. But just remember, Little Huan, don’t regret it later~ Because aside from being lenient in this regard, well, the other aspects… heh.”

“.”

Seeing Ye Lan’s suddenly ominous smile, Yan Huan wondered if he had spoken too soon.

But after all, he was only a first-year high school student, not yet at the point where he had to make career choices. He was still dreaming about the possibilities that lay ahead.

It was like saying, “Grandparents, when I grow up, I want to be an astronaut.”

Meanwhile, while Ye Lan was ruffling Yan Huan’s hair, Ye Shiyu descended the escalator with a blank expression, looking a bit displeased.

The outcome was clear; she hadn’t found anything.

Seeing this, Yan Huan stood up, suggesting,

“Sister Shiyu, let me go up and look again?”

Ye Shiyu glanced at him, her gaze drifting once more to the foot-rubbing Ye Lan.

Her mother had been in those heels all day, and she had been searching alongside her.

Besides, it was just a keychain; even though she liked it very much, she could always give it away…

At that thought, her brow subtly furrowed; for some reason, this thought had suddenly popped into her mind.

That thought was faint, just a passing notion, because she usually cherished every item she had.

In the past, after losing something, Ye Shiyu had considered not bothering her mother out of compassion, abandoning the search.

But!

She had never felt a decrease in desire for her beloved items, but rather, felt even more regret after losing them.

Now, however, with that seemingly out-of-the-blue thought, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of disgust, her expression chilling and furious.

Her phone in hand lit up suddenly, displaying a deep purple, ominous glow.

Yan Huan raised an eyebrow in response.

Is she… angry?

Is it just because she couldn’t find that keychain?

But why is the modifier glowing as well? Who would that even hypnotize?

Noticing Ye Shiyu’s morose expression, Ye Lan promptly slipped back into her high heels, secured the straps, and stood up,

“The mall will close in twenty minutes. How about Little Huan and I help you look one more time?”

Ye Shiyu’s icy facade softened upon hearing her mother’s gentle voice, but she promptly shook her head.

“It’s alright, Mom. Let’s go home.”

“I’ll buy you another one tomorrow.”

“Not necessary, let’s go.”

Ye Shiyu shook her head, ready to leave, and Ye Lan could only glance at Yan Huan in exasperation, commenting,

“Your sister’s mood is worse than usual today; she wouldn’t have been so irate before over losing something.”

Yan Huan merely fixed his gaze on her retreating figure, pondering something.

Finishing a rather cheerful day on this note felt a bit off; it even made the atmosphere in the taxi even quieter.

Once home, Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu headed upstairs to rest, while Aunt Chen was in the laundry room on the first floor, preparing to wash the clothes the driver had brought back earlier.

Noticing this, Yan Huan felt a bit curious.

How would Ye Shiyu’s clothes, already labeled with her name, be handled for laundry?

Watching closely, he saw Aunt Chen first peel off the name tags.

Seeing his curiosity, Aunt Chen explained,

“These name tags are just temporary; she will stitch her name on later. Shiyu’s sewing skills are really good; she was taught by an expert tailor that Miss hired.”

While sorting through Ye Shiyu’s clothes and preparing to put them in a separate washing machine, Aunt Chen continued,

“The clothing on the dolls in Shiyu’s room was also made by her. Oh, Little Huan, haven’t you seen them yet? Tomorrow let Shiyu take you to have a look!”

“Sure, if I get the chance.”

Yan Huan smiled, brushing it off a bit. In truth, he felt the likelihood of Ye Shiyu agreeing was quite low.

The coat she had just removed wouldn’t have been worn again simply due to his touching it, and he didn’t see it among the clothes handed to Aunt Chen.

She really hated having others touch her items.

At least when it came to outsiders like Yan Huan, this was true; but when it came to Aunt Chen and Ye Lan, it was entirely different.

Aunt Chen could wash her clothes; the coat Ye Lan wore earlier was also Shiyu’s.

Thinking these thoughts, Yan Huan decided to head back to his room to rest.

“There’s milk in the kitchen, Little Huan. Don’t forget to take some to drink.”

“Got it! Thanks, Aunt Chen.”

Carrying the milk, Yan Huan walked up to his room on the second floor.

Upon turning on the lights, he found a black cat dignifiedly sitting on the sofa.

“Meow~”

“Meow-chan.”

“You’re back! How was your day?”

Setting the milk down, Yan Huan flopped onto the sofa, experiencing a bit of a shock, though to no avail since Meow-chan was quite plump.

“Well, what do you think could’ve happened?”

As he was about to share something, Yan Huan suddenly changed his expression.

Hurriedly, he walked to the door and locked it.

“Click.”

Once he finished all that, he finally relaxed, returning to lay back on the sofa.

Sipping his milk and gazing at the cocked-head black cat, he asked,

“Meow-chan, what do you think the connection is between dolls and jellyfish?”

“Is this a riddle?”

“Well, it’s about Ye Shiyu and her modifier’s host. Her favorite things are dolls and jellyfish. Is there any connection between them?”

Meow-chan tilted its head, asking,

“Is there?”

“Are you asking me or am I asking you?”

“But, the things humans like are complex, right? Things they like don’t necessarily have a direct connection.”

Yan Huan gulped down the milk, exhaling in frustration.

“She’s not normal. Her affection for dolls and jellyfish clearly surpasses the usual bond people have with their possessions. There’s gotta be a reason! Plus, today was just weird, like something ghostly was lurking.”

Ye Shiyu’s item vanished suddenly, and Ye Lan had said she was very careful with her belongings. It was strange how Ye Shiyu concluded she hadn’t even opened her bag today.

Yet that keychain just disappeared without explanation.

While it was still possible she had left it in Ocean Mansion, it still felt off.

This whole day…

Ye Shiyu’s fondness for dolls and jellyfish.

The mysteriously missing jellyfish keychain alongside her unusual anger.

The two seemed poles apart, like basketball and chicken.

Yet if you tried to connect them, one could vaguely sense a strange silhouette in overalls somewhere.

It felt somewhat like that.

Just then, Yan Huan thought of something and took a photo of Meow-chan with his phone.

“Click.”

Capturing the adorable Meow-chan, he then opened Plane and sent it over to Sakuraguchi, the vice president, whose avatar was a white cat.

He sent a “Here’s today’s friend fee” sticker, then typed,

“Sakuraguchi, are you free now? I’d like to ask you something.”

Sakuraguchi loved cats and understood a lot about them, so he was bound to learn something from her.

After a few minutes, the notification changed to “typing,” then the screen turned dark as a call came in.

Yan Huan donned his Bluetooth earphones, clicked to answer, and smiled slightly as he greeted the voice on the other end,

“Isn’t it cute, the little cat?”

“Yes, very cute. Is it the president’s cat?”

The girlish voice from the phone was smooth, like silk.

“No, it’s a stray cat I picked up and have been raising lately; I named it Meow-chan.”

Nearby, Meow-chan let out a massive yawn.

“I see.”

Sakuraguchi didn’t comment on the cute name but instead speculated about his real inquiry.

“Are you asking how to care for a cat?”

“Well, not exactly.”

Yan Huan chuckled briefly but then asked,

“I’m curious, Sakuraguchi, why do you like cats?”

“.”

There was a sudden silence on the line.

“Sakuraguchi?”

“Because they’re cute, I guess.”

Just when Yan Huan seemed ready to press further, Sakuraguchi swiftly shot back, catching him off guard.

“Um…”

Cats are cute, but what about jellyfish?

They seem decent too, but somehow that doesn’t feel like the right answer.

The illusory figure in overalls began to fade from his mind, as if trying to tell him that this connection wasn’t the correct link between basketball and chicken.

“Besides that?”

“President, are you trying to say that you’re not really asking why I like cats based on their appearance?”

Of course! Could it possibly be related to some quality inherent in jellyfish?

“Mm-mhm! What qualities in cats do you admire, Sakuraguchi?”

“Because cats are independent but know when to seek attention from their owners. They’re strong yet fragile, child-like; they’re independent beings but still need their parents. Besides their cuteness, that’s the only reason.”

Sakuraguchi sighed, explaining,

“But, President, everyone has their own reasons for liking certain things.

“It might be that certain qualities in an object resonate with what they desire or lack, or perhaps that thing reflects an aspect of themselves, or brings them comfort, and so on, and so forth.

“So, a thousand people will have a thousand Hamlets in their eyes. Rather than saying what they like is the object itself, it’s more accurate to say it’s because they see a part of themselves in it.”

Listening to Sakuraguchi’s lovely voice, Yan Huan suddenly found a spark of inspiration.

Lacking qualities…

His mind involuntarily conjured the exquisite profile of Ye Shiyu as she watched the jellyfish today.

She seemed enchanted, gazing at the glowing jellyfish, mesmerized by their graceful movements in the water.

Movement, that vibrant liveliness!

Her black eyes reflected the illuminated jellyfish, much like tears illuminating her expression.

Oh no, he was getting too lost in his thoughts.

“Thank you so much, Sakuraguchi.”

Yan Huan suddenly sat up, speaking passionately into the Bluetooth device.

Though it was speculative, at least it gave him a hint.

Of course, that would have to wait until tomorrow to act upon.

Hearing Yan Huan’s gratitude, the voice on the other end fell silent.

Then Sakuraguchi presumed again,

“President, how come it feels like what you really want to ask isn’t why I like cats?”

“I’ll remember that, Sakuraguchi.”

Yan Huan mirrored her earlier phrasing, zeroing in on her.

“Ah?”

“I’ll remember the reasons you like cats.”

Sakuraguchi sighed in resignation.

“Well, I guess it’s somewhat related to your family matters! I shouldn’t voice my opinions. Get some rest, President. I’m just glad to be of help.”

“You too, goodnight.”

“Mm.”

After hanging up, he took off the Bluetooth earphones and looked toward the door.

Hmm, it didn’t get knocked on.

Could it be that tonight was going to be a peaceful one?

That didn’t seem right; Yan Huan had firmly expected that Ye Shiyu would certainly come to vent at him due to her losing something.

But to his surprise, it didn’t happen?

Not having a confrontation is even better; why would anyone want to be hypnotized?

Yan Huan shook his head, rising to stretch, preparing to wash up and sleep.

Meanwhile, outside the stairwell, Ye Shiyu, donned in new pajamas, holding her phone and the milk, was heading upstairs.

Reaching the second floor, she glanced over in the direction of Yan Huan’s room.

“…”

Seemingly vacillating, but after a moment’s silence, she turned and walked up toward the third floor.

Because tonight she had other things to attend to.