Chapter 13: Learning to Say No to Aunt Ye

Chapter 13: Learning to Say No to Aunt Ye

Due to not sleeping well yesterday, after waking up early in the morning, Ye Shiyu took a nap again. By the time she got up, it was nearly noon and Yan Huan had already returned.

“Shiyu, you’re up!”

“Aiyo, Shiyu, hurry and try the caramel pudding your brother made. It’s really delicious!”

As soon as she came down, Ye Shiyu saw that on the table, there were small golden puddings in front of Ye Lan and Aunt Chen.

The surface of the pudding was smooth, the caramel color was perfectly dotted, and a hint of vanilla essence wafted, making it look particularly stylish.

Aunt Chen was inviting her to taste, while Ye Lan was busy taking pictures of the pudding with her phone.

Ye Shiyu came down the stairs, looked up towards the kitchen, and saw Yan Huan just hanging up his apron on the hook.

Then, he came out holding another plate of pudding, smiling at her, saying, “Sister Shiyu, this pudding is for you. We happened to have the molds and ingredients, so I made it for you to try.”

“…”

Home

Hearing his words as if he had already taken this place for granted, Ye Shiyu glanced at the black pottery he was holding, which had her name written on it.

A chill unconsciously hung between her brows, but just then, Ye Lan’s voice came at the right moment.

“Shiyu?”

“…Thank you.”

The chill didn’t disappear, it merely receded a little into her eyes.

Her expression returned to normal, and she nodded, accepting the pudding Yan Huan offered.

After sitting down, Ye Lan, who had finished taking pictures of the pudding, took a bite and made a satisfied sound as the sweetness was perfectly balanced.

Turning to Yan Huan, she asked, “Hmm, it tastes really good. Little Huan, can you make desserts?”

“No, I learned it at the place where I work. It’s a bar that also sells desserts and snacks; making pudding and frying some fries is easy.”

“A bar? That must be a messy environment?”

Ye Lan frowned, a peculiar bias against such places, but Yan Huan quickly smiled and explained, “It’s just a bar with a resident singer, so there aren’t any weird people. All my colleagues look out for me, and the pay is pretty good.”

“Oh, I see. You’ve worked hard, Little Huan.”

Upon hearing about the pay, understanding appeared on Ye Lan’s face.

Yeah, for a high school student like him, what other choices did he have for living expenses and tuition? If he could have a part-time job, who would care about the environment or how hard it was?

Ye Lan thought Yan Huan was working for the money, but actually, there was a slight misunderstanding. Sister Tong’s bar is really quite respectable.

Listening to her mother and Yan Huan’s conversation, Ye Shiyu quietly picked up her spoon, and the darkness in her eyes grew deeper.

The more polite Yan Huan was, the more she despised him.

She symbolically took a bite of the pudding, which was actually quite delicious, but it felt like she was swallowing a thorn.

Ye Shiyu’s gaze kept drifting over to him, who was chatting and laughing with Ye Lan, even her face, usually expressionless like a mask, couldn’t hide her darkness anymore.

Yan Huan stole a barely perceptible glance at her. Being aware of the Modifier, he was even more sensitive to the situation than Ye Lan.

But he continued talking to Ye Lan, fluently answering all her questions and concerns, even able to make her laugh.

Before long, he proactively asked a question, “By the way, Sister Shiyu, have you selected courses in the academic affairs system?”

“Selected courses?”

Ye Lan glanced at Ye Shiyu beside her, puzzled, “Does your school really need to select courses? Don’t you all take the same classes?”

“Ah, that’s how it is in Dragon Kingdom, but here, besides five mandatory courses, you can also select two elective courses, generally in the afternoon, allowing you to take classes with different grades and classes.”

“Principal Hemis seems to have not notified us?”

“Because you can also apply for additional courses directly at the Academic Affairs Office, where the teachers will explain each course in detail. You can’t see that in the online selection system, so Principal Hemis probably didn’t notify us ahead of time.”

Yan Huan smiled at Ye Lan, “But I know a lot about the courses in the school and can explain them to Auntie and Sister Shiyu; you can select now too.”

“Oh, I see. Shiyu, go get Mom’s computer, and let Little Huan help you select courses. Mom can also take a look at how high school courses are chosen here.”

Ye Shiyu stopped using her spoon to violently stab into the pudding and nodded as she got up to go upstairs.

Just as she left, Aunt Chen said she needed to prepare lunch, and Yan Huan’s voice came again, offering to help.

“No need, you just stay here and help the young lady and Shiyu choose courses. Little Huan, since you made such delicious pudding, Aunt Chen will also show off her skills. What dishes do you want to eat?”

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

“Hey, you found that too? Alright, Aunt Chen will cook for you later.”

“Aiyo, Little Huan, sit. Tell us about the courses at your school?”

“It’s like this, Auntie…”

Listening to their discussion, Ye Shiyu’s steps on the stairs gradually slowed down.

Perhaps the harmonious and lively atmosphere was even better than being at home?

After all, she didn’t really talk much, usually preferring to fiddle with her dolls in the house; thus, the vibe at home was always lukewarm.

Or perhaps, he was the one who truly fit into this family, which is why he drew her mother’s attention.

“…”

For some reason, even though it was just a fictional movie, she felt an empathetic connection to the protagonist at this moment.

So, the initial desire to drive him away shifted just a little bit.

That was normal, right?

Gripping her phone, she quietly went upstairs and soon disappeared up the spiral staircase leading from the second floor to the third.

After lunch, they rested for a while in the afternoon. Yan Huan helped Ye Shiyu log into the Far Moon course selection website on the computer.

He logged in with the account Principal Hemis had given to Ye Lan and started searching for available courses.

The whole time, it was basically a conversation between Yan Huan and Ye Lan. Although he kept asking Ye Shiyu, she mostly repeated the same actions.

Thinking, nodding, “I have no objections.”

It looked like Yan Huan was the one choosing the courses.

After finally selecting two elective courses, one of them being “Handcraft Practice,” which was the same as Yan Huan’s, Ye Lan glanced at the time—it was nearly two o’clock in the afternoon—when she was about to say something, Aunt Chen poked her head out from the kitchen and told Ye Lan,

“Miss, the ingredients at home are a bit lacking, and the nearest place to buy groceries is a bit far. Can you drive me there?”

“I was planning to take these two kids out to watch a movie and eat outside. I’ll give you the other car key.”

So Ye Lan did have a car; why did she rely on a driver to pick her up yesterday?

“Aiyo, forget it, I haven’t gotten my license for Linyi Gate yet, and I drive worse than you. If I hit the road, I’d probably get a lot of points deducted, so I’ll just take a bus to buy them later. But what about the spare ribs since you guys won’t be home for dinner tonight?”

As she spoke, Aunt Chen walked back to the kitchen.

So Ye Lan was an enthusiast for driving.

Ye Lan’s face reddened a bit, feeling a bit shy as she stole a glance at Yan Huan, asking, “Little Huan, Shiyu, how about we go watch a movie?”

“…I’m okay with anything.”

Ye Shiyu said so, but in reality, she had no desire to watch anything.

She seldom watched movies and wasn’t very interested in them; she could only sit through yesterday’s film because she empathized with the story.

But since her mother mentioned watching, she could go.

Yan Huan glanced at Ye Shiyu and smiled, suggesting, “Auntie, how about we just go to the supermarket? We can help Aunt Chen buy some ingredients and just eat at home tonight.”

“Really thoughtful.”

Ye Lan covered her mouth and smiled, patting his head, but then suddenly changed her tone, “But I can see you just want to eat spare ribs, right?”

“It’s mainly to avoid waste, Auntie, and it has nothing to do with the spare ribs, really.”

“Hahaha.”

Ye Lan laughed again and turned to Ye Shiyu, asking, “What do you think, Shiyu? Do you want to watch a movie?”

“I’m okay with anything.”

Ye Shiyu again glanced at Yan Huan with a completely expressionless face.

Feeling that gaze that looked at him like a lifeless object, Yan Huan pretended not to see it, and the smile on his face grew even brighter.

Locking the door must have been useless.

He thought.

And Ye Lan changed her mind, asking the kitchen, “Aunt Chen, what ingredients do you need? We can help you buy them later.”

“Not going to watch a movie?”

“Haha, Little Huan loves the spare ribs you made.”

“Aiyo, it seems like Linyi Gate really has no good food, starving the child.”

“Hahaha, hurry up, what do we need to buy? We’ll head out soon.”

After Aunt Chen listed what she needed, Ye Lan took the car keys and went with Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu to the garage.

As the garage opened, there parked an extremely cheap miniature electric car.

It was only slightly bigger than chopped pepper fish head.

Yan Huan glanced at the small, cheap car, then at the enthusiastic Ye Lan beside him.

You, a president of Linyi Gate with a fortune, drive this?

Yan Huan dazedly followed Ye Shiyu into the car and sat in the back seat. As soon as he got in, Ye Shiyu fastened her seatbelt.

Just as Yan Huan was scratching his head in confusion, the electric car had already started.

“Ready to depart.”

Then, the whole car suddenly started reversing and crashed right into the garage wall with a loud crash.

“Bang!”

Yan Huan swayed and leaned back against the seat behind him.

Meanwhile, Ye Shiyu sat still as a mountain, obviously already used to it.

“…”

He seemed to understand why President Ye’s vehicle was such a cheap car.

Ye Lan turned around apologetically, saying to Yan Huan, “Sorry, I shifted into the wrong gear. It’s all good now; we’re leaving soon.”

“Alright, Auntie.”

Yan Huan silently fastened his seatbelt, the smile on his face slightly forced.

“Hahaha, Miss, you almost scared Little Huan to death.”

At the dinner table, Aunt Chen poured drinks for everyone, watching Yan Huan’s face filled with lingering fear, and couldn’t help but laugh.

Ye Lan pouted, looking somewhat frustrated, “I’ve improved a lot compared to before. Except for accidentally shifting into reverse in the garage, everything else should be fine.”

Yes, aside from various drifting, zero-frame lane changes, erratic speeding, and life-and-death racing, the rest was really not bad.

It just made Yan Huan feel a bit nauseous.

Especially since the electric car accelerated and decelerated rapidly, he, a person who never gets carsick, was actually feeling nauseous now.

Now, he had a pale face, still awkwardly smiling at Ye Lan, reassuring her, “I’m fine, Auntie.”

Seeing him force a smile, Aunt Chen also found it amusing.

“Hahahaha.”

“Here, have some spare ribs to shut you up.”

Ye Lan picked up a piece of spare ribs for Yan Huan and then did the same for Ye Shiyu, filling the dining table with a happy atmosphere.

Only Ye Shiyu, sitting beside them, remained silent. Yan Huan then proactively spoke to her, “Compared to you, Sister Shiyu, you’re really impressive; you’re not afraid at all.”

“…”

No response, but Ye Lan laughed, filling in the gap, “Sister is the most considerate of me; unlike Little Huan.”

“Shiyu is just used to it; she used to get dizzy from riding.”

“…”

Still no reply, and the meal ended amid their intermittent chatter.

“Aunt Chen, let me help you.”

This time, Yan Huan was the first to stand up and help Aunt Chen clear the table while Ye Lan rested her chin on her hand, watching his back with a smile.

After pausing for a moment, she turned and went to a cupboard in the living room, rummaging for something.

The cupboard was full of various albums.

Seeing this, Ye Shiyu understood.

Presumably, that moment would come soon.

Those albums contained many old photos, including pictures of Yan Huan’s parents.

On Friday, Yan Huan had mentioned he would stay for the weekend, and now the atmosphere was pleasant; today, he was almost one with this family.

Mom just needed to mention some past events, and he would naturally fit in here.

“Mom, I’m going upstairs to do some laundry.”

Thinking of this, Ye Shiyu stood up expressionlessly, saying so.

“Okay, you go ahead.”

Ye Lan was still flipping through albums when Ye Shiyu turned and left, heading upstairs.

“…Found it.”

Ye Lan quickly found an album, took it out, and sat back down on the sofa in the living room.

Yan Huan had been busy in the kitchen for a long time; only after washing his hands did he come out with two bowls of Double Skin Milk he had just made.

Seeing that Ye Lan was alone in the living room, he asked, “Auntie, where’s Sister Shiyu? I made dessert for you and her after the meal.”

“She went upstairs to do laundry.”

Ye Lan said with a smile and waved him over, “Come here, Little Huan, I want to show you something.”

“Okay, Auntie.”

He set the Double Skin Milk on the coffee table, sitting down beside Ye Lan as she opened the thick album in her hands, revealing the array of photos inside.

Her finger moved, stopping on a photo of two young women together.

In the photo, short-haired Ye Lan stood beside a long-haired woman with a bright smile, who was flashing a peace sign at the camera in a laid-back manner.

Just looking at the beautiful girl beside Ye Lan, Yan Huan’s eyes shifted slightly.

That girl’s features closely resembled his own, especially when smiling.

So, he also quickly understood her identity.

“See, Little Huan, this is your mother, Wang Yulu, my college classmate.”

Ye Lan smiled slightly, her finger moving through the photos, continuing to speak to the dazed Yan Huan beside her, “When I first started college, the family business was in decline, and conditions were tough. Don’t be fooled by how glamorous I look now; over twenty years ago, your Auntie was so poor in college that I could barely make ends meet.”

In the photos, Ye Lan was wearing clothes that obviously didn’t fit her figure, appearing slightly oversized.

“But young people, you can’t just bury yourself in studying; you need to socialize and have fun too.

“But I had no money to buy clothes, and what I took to college were my sister’s oversized clothes. I didn’t just worry about what others thought; I felt inferior just looking at myself in the mirror.

“Clothes were like this, not to mention other things, cosmetics, snacks, electronics—I had nothing.”

In each photo, the girl next to Ye Lan wore a beaming smile, either posing for the camera or making silly faces.

From even just the pictures, it was clear that she was a very cheerful individual.

“At that time, your mother was my roommate.

“When she saw I had no clothes to wear, she’d lend me her similar-sized ones; if I had to go out on a date or for an interview and had no cosmetics, she’d let me use hers; she taught me skincare, took me out for exercise, studied together, and introduced me to more friends.

“Your parents met during that time. Look, this is your dad. Your mom and dad were the ‘fairy couple’ in the Literature Department back then.”

In one photo, Ye Lan, Wang Yulu, and another handsome man wearing glasses were all looking at the camera, seemingly gathered around a dining table with other classmates in the background.

“Your mother was extremely kind and sincere; if it weren’t for her, Auntie might have had psychological issues after six years of undergraduate and graduate studies.

“She was my best friend until we graduated from graduate school. She and your father chose to develop in Linyi Gate. They flew all over the world, often out of service area on their phones; as for me, due to my failed marriage and the family business, I’d been busy and overwhelmed.

“Over the years, I occasionally texted to ask how she was, yet I never got a reply. I thought they were just too busy; who knew—”

As she spoke, Ye Lan’s eyes turned red.

Turning a page in the album, she couldn’t bear to look any further as if afraid to see her friend’s face and start crying.

Yan Huan sensitively handed her a tissue, which she received while noticing a photo in the album capturing his mother’s smiling face bending over a crib.

In the crib, he saw the baby Ye Shiyu extending her tiny hand, grasping at Wang Yulu’s little pinky, while Wang Yulu looked on with an astonished smile.

Below the photo, it read, “Shiyu and her godmother’s first meeting.”

Looking at the note below the photo, Yan Huan’s pupils constricted, and beside him, Ye Lan smiled upon seeing that photo,

“I promised your mother that we’d be each other’s kids’ godmothers; I always told Shiyu this. So, Little Huan, I hope you can understand Auntie’s reaction when I first met you. I might have seemed a bit too eager and too affectionate, making you feel uncomfortable.

“I was just…wuwu, seeing your name made me unable to hold back. She always said if she had a child, she’d name him this, because she loved to laugh and said the child would surely love to laugh too.”

Yan Huan reached for another tissue but Ye Lan was already too lost in her emotions to notice.

So, he had to awkwardly wipe her tears for her, saying, “Aunt Ye…”

But Ye Lan gently held Yan Huan’s outstretched hand, looking into his eyes, and quietly asked, “So, Little Huan, will you stay? Just live here with Auntie. I’ll treat you as my own child and take good care of you in place of your mother, okay?”

“…”

Looking into Ye Lan’s tear-filled, earnest eyes, Yan Huan opened his mouth slightly, with a surge of indescribable emotions flooding his heart.

This was a proposal that could not be declined, both emotionally and rationally. After everything that happened over the past two days, it almost felt natural, a smooth transition.

Perhaps Yan Huan had already considered the “rational” side, realizing the immense value carried by the president of Ye International.

Such an unexpected benefactor—honestly, even a fool could comprehend the preciousness of saying “yes.”

But everything Ye Lan said just now stemmed from an emotional standpoint.

There was no clichéd love triangle, no dramatic love and hate.

Just timely assistance in difficult moments, just daily companionship.

However, as he reviewed all past events and fully revealed the precious emotion they shared to Yan Huan, even if he were an orphaned transmigrator, it would be difficult not to feel touched.

It was precisely because he recognized the sincerity of Ye Lan’s emotions that he now found himself hesitating.

Sensing Yan Huan’s hesitation, Ye Lan’s tear-streaked face began to droop slightly.

That expression, coupled with the flood of emotions, tugged at Yan Huan, making refusal feel like an unforgivable crime in this world.

“Auntie…”

However, Yan Huan’s gaze slowly averted, avoiding her face.

After a moment of silence, he forced a smile, saying, “I can’t stay.”

At these words, Ye Lan was slightly incredulous. She blinked, quickly asking, “Why? Does Auntie make it hard for you to get along?”

“Of course not.”

“Is it Sister? She just lacks interaction with others; she’s not a bad person. I believe if Little Huan was here, she’d grow to be more cheerful.”

“That’s not it either. Auntie, I’ve never thought that way.”

“Then why? Auntie has a lot of money; she can help you with many problems. Even if there’s something you’re not satisfied with, just say it.”

Right before him, Ye Lan’s expression grew increasingly puzzled, her mix of hurt and sadness overflowing.

She gazed firmly into Yan Huan’s eyes, following his evasive gaze to the very corners.

As expected.

You can’t escape what you’re trying to avoid. That’s right, Yan Huan.

If there’s something to blame, it’s the damn Modifier that forces me to operate this way.

Yan Huan maintained his smile, finally raising his eyes to lock with Ye Lan’s gaze.

There was no hatred found in his eyes, just a tone of conviction.

It was Sunday night at 7:30, at Ye Lan’s mansion in Jinghe District.

Yan Huan looked earnestly at Ye Lan before solemnly stating, “I’m sorry, Aunt Ye.”

“I can’t stay here. I need to go back to South District.”