Chapter 91: Ye Shiyu Still Needs to Work Hard

Chapter 91: Ye Shiyu Still Needs to Work Hard

“After you gave up the Hypnosis APP, your relationship with Yan Huan gradually returned to normal. With your mother’s help, you started to accept your possessiveness with a calm heart.”

“Throughout your three years in high school, you maintained a healthy distance from Yan Huan, embracing your poor little brother who had no family since childhood with love and affection.”

“Eventually, he completely accepted you and your mother, seamlessly integrating into this family.”

“You grew closer over time; he would share any interesting things he encountered with you, and you became more open, respecting his thoughts and social connections.”

“Watching him bloom with warmth and sunny smiles time and again, you began to feel that giving up the Hypnosis APP was truly the right choice.”

“He told you, ‘You are his best sister’; he introduced you to everyone he knew, including that girl, Sakura Kyoko, whom he seemed to get along well with.”

“Hearing such words made you truly believe that you had found your way back on track with him, even without using the Hypnosis APP, you felt you could eventually have him.”

“And so, you began your long wait.”

“Then you watched helplessly as Yan Huan grew closer and closer to his petite peer, Sakura Kyoko, thinking of it as respecting his social life.”

“You helplessly watched as Yan Huan introduced you as his sister, seeing their romantic relationship bloom, as he went off to practice his skills.”

“You helplessly witnessed Yan Huan and Sakura Kyoko walk into the halls of marriage, watching as Sakura Kyoko donned a beautiful wedding dress and shared a vow-kiss with Yan Huan.”

“And did you have to pretend to be happy while witnessing them exchange rings?”

“You helplessly watched them travel the world in their passionate love, having to care for their child who called you ‘Aunt’.”

“Only then did you finally understand that you had truly become just his ‘sister’.”

“Just a sister.”

“.”

“Defeat CG unlocked.”

“Ending A: Forever Sister.”

“He always regarded you as family; it was just your own self-delusion, silly.”

“Family is family; don’t overthink it~”

“GAME OVER”

“Is it time to return to the save point?”

“Ye Shiyu is about to burst into pieces again, meow!”

In Ye Shiyu’s room, Meow-chan looked at Ye Shiyu, realizing she was moved by Yan Huan’s smile, her heart starting to waver.

“Clatter, clatter~”

Only Meow-chan could hear the sound of illusions shattering, excitement spreading across its face as it hastily warned Yan Huan.

“So you, Ye Shiyu, are such a weakling!”

“It’s only been a short time, and you’re about to shatter into three pieces, meow!”

At this rate, it seemed the first host to give up the Modifier would be…

But just as Meow-chan opened its mouth to warn Yan Huan, the phone screen that had been knocked to the ground suddenly lit up uncontrollably.

“Boom!!”

The entire gloomy sky abruptly gathered under the night wind, ultimately exploding with terrifying lightning.

The arc-shaped lightning twisted and danced within the dark clouds, quickly bringing down a heavy rain.

“Pitter-patter.”

At that moment, Ye Shiyu gradually awoke from her nightmare, taking a deep breath as her eyes began to focus.

The phone’s screen seemed to respond, displaying a deep purple whirlpool, as if a giant blood-red mouth was poised to swallow Meow-chan.

“Meow!”

The sound of the Modifier shattering suddenly ceased, and Meow-chan jumped in fright, leaping back onto Yan Huan’s shoulder.

Yan Huan blinked in surprise but didn’t dare to glance toward the ominous purple screen, instead turning his gaze outside at the expanding curtain of rain.

“Forgot to check the weather forecast.”

“Is it going to rain tonight?”

Yan Huan shifted his gaze back to Ye Shiyu.

He found her sweating profusely, gritting her teeth, softly mumbling in a tone only he couldn’t hear,

“Don’t call me Aunt…”

“Huh? Sister Shiyu, what did you say?”

As soon as Yan Huan called for her, it was as if she snapped out of a terrifying carousel of thoughts.

She blinked, seeing the still-young Yan Huan before her.

There was no Sakura Kyoko with that annoying smile, nor any horde of kids around her calling her ‘Aunt’.

Finally, Ye Shiyu could let out a sigh of relief.

“Nothing, Little Huan.”

She replied, then turned to look out at the increasingly heavy rain, lowering her head to speak to Yan Huan,

“It’s raining outside, Little Huan.”

Hearing her suddenly quieter voice, Yan Huan paused slightly, looking out at the balcony.

“Yeah, the weather was just fine… How did it suddenly rain?”

“Tonight, how will you get back, Little Huan?”

Yan Huan swallowed hard, slowly turning to Ye Shiyu who was tilting her head to look at him.

It was only then he realized she was merely wearing a very thin nightgown.

“Boom!!”

The curtains were tossed wildly by the night wind, the lightning hitting more directly than the gentle moonlight, illuminating Ye Shiyu right in front of Yan Huan.

She wasn’t wearing a bra, and the lightning instantaneously pierced through her nightgown, outlining her hazy silhouette.

Seeing this, Yan Huan’s eyes slightly widened.

As he wanted to pursue, that lightning vanished just as quickly, hiding that breathtaking view shyly in the darkness.

His breath hitched for a moment, as if the lightning had struck his body, causing an unsettling reaction.

“Sister Shiyu, could you get up first? We can talk again?”

“Get up?”

Ye Shiyu was momentarily taken aback; just as she was about to lower her head, the lightning outside suddenly blazed brightly.

At that moment, she too caught a glimpse of her rather embarrassing clothing.

Her face instantly turned slightly red as she quickly crossed her right hand over her chest and her left hand between her legs to block the view.

But such a shy gesture was no different than spreading jam on bread; it merely added to the cherry on top.

Even more awkward.

“Sorry, Little Huan.”

Ye Shiyu pressed her legs together, hastily standing up, only to accidentally bump her toes against his hip.

The friction was like a match striking red phosphorus, igniting flames.

“Boom!!”

Yan Huan sat up awkwardly, his gaze uncontrollably wandering over the fair soles and heels of her feet as she walked.

The damp rain mist came crashing in, dispersing some of the rich scent of Ye Shiyu’s fragrance.

Did she really have a body scent?

Or was it the lingering fragrance of shower gel, skincare products, or perfume?

Or maybe, it was a physiological phenomenon produced by hormones?

He swallowed hard and continued with the matter at hand, speaking to Ye Shiyu,

“Then just lend me an umbrella later, I’ll just go out and grab a taxi back.”

Ye Shiyu turned on the room’s lights, and in an instant, the entire room was clearly illuminated.

She turned to look at Yan Huan behind her, saying,

“Aunt Chen has light sleep, if you go through the front door, you’d wake her up. Mom isn’t home tonight, and it would be hard to explain if you came in through the balcony.”

“Huh?”

“Aunt Ye isn’t home?!”

Why didn’t you say so earlier?!

Yan Huan’s expression remained unchanged, but inside he felt a loud “crack.”

When he came, he thought as long as Ye Lan was there, Ye Shiyu wouldn’t dare cross the line, hence he approached with confidence.

Now you’re telling me Ye Lan isn’t there?

Isn’t this like a sheep walking into a tiger’s den?!

Only then did Yan Huan admire his own bravery, having easily done something he had previously dared not do.

But on the surface, he was unfazed, taking the initiative,

“Isn’t it because Sister Shiyu you were dodging me for no reason? If you could clarify, I wouldn’t have acted this way.”

Hearing this, she bit her lip, gripping her phone tightly.

Meow-chan beside them panickedly exclaimed to Yan Huan,

“Don’t provoke her any further! Ye Lan isn’t here, and you’re still so brave?! If she hypnotizes you right now, you’ll be answering to no one!”

“Don’t panic, Meow-chan.”

“You’re panicking yourself!!”

Ignoring Meow-chan on his shoulder, Yan Huan just looked at Ye Shiyu.

After a brief moment, she pursed her lips, her gaze darting slightly,

“Little Huan… I made a mistake and had a quarrel with Mom, so I was restricted from using electronic products and such.”

“Can you just not ask about the specifics, Little Huan? It’s not your fault; it’s all my fault.”

Did she answer her question without using hypnosis instead?

After speaking, she quickly changed the subject, looking outside,

“Otherwise, Little Huan, you can sneak downstairs to your room to sleep.”

“But it would be hard to explain to Aunt Chen tomorrow morning, wouldn’t it? Forcefully barging into someone else’s room at night sounds like something only a creep would do.”

As Ye Shiyu listened, her ears and face grew overly warm, seemingly stricken by Yan Huan’s words.

Beside them, Meow-chan watched the anxious grip on Ye Shiyu’s phone, almost crying as it pleaded with Yan Huan to stop talking.

“Don’t dig your own grave, meow!!”

Ye Shiyu turned and poked her lips out at Yan Huan, saying,

“What should we do then?”

Yan Huan glanced at the phone’s weather forecast, smiling slightly as he said,

“The phone says it won’t rain for long; if you don’t mind, I could stay here until the rain stops. Is that okay, Sister Shiyu?”

“Um… okay.”

Making Little Huan run back to South District from Jinghe District at this hour felt a bit inhumane, but the reason was as it always was.

If Little Huan stayed, she feared she would once again lose control.

The bruise left from her mother’s hanger-like beatings still throbbed faintly, like a tightening spell restricting Ye Shiyu’s actions.

“By the way, it’s my first time here in Sister Shiyu’s room, though in this way.”

“Yeah. It does get messy because I often do crafts here.”

Yan Huan took a glance around, noticing the neatly arranged dolls in the closet, seemingly all staring at him. He couldn’t help but ask,

“Sister Shiyu, being watched by so many dolls while sleeping, doesn’t it feel creepy?”

Ye Shiyu sat back on the edge of her bed, shaking her head as she curiously asked,

“Why would it?”

“Just… in some horror stories, that’s how they play it out.”

“Maybe it’s because those dolls aren’t made by those people, they don’t belong to them, that’s why people feel scared.”

Ye Shiyu blinked, looking at Yan Huan,

“Things that truly belong to you, you won’t be afraid of.”

“.”

Hearing this, Yan Huan paused slightly, turning to look at Ye Shiyu.

She, along with the life-sized doll at her bedside, stared blankly at him.

“In that case, it’s great that the doll I gave Sister Shiyu can be considered yours.”

Ye Shiyu turned her head to look at the jellyfish doll on the nightstand, shaking her head, saying,

“This doll… I didn’t write my name on it, so… it doesn’t count as mine.”

“.”

Yan Huan didn’t know how to respond to that.

Ye Shiyu had a remarkable ability to bring a conversation to a halt, and Yan Huan had experienced this many times.

Seeing Yan Huan fall into silence, Ye Shiyu realized she might have misspoken again.

She opened her mouth, paused for a long while, and then softly added,

“But… having it here, isn’t unpleasant.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Hearing this, Yan Huan let out a helpless smile, finding a chair to sit down a little farther away from her.

Ye Shiyu assessed his expression, seeing he didn’t show any discomfort, and let out a sigh of relief.

This moment of relaxation made her yawn.

“Are you sleepy, Sister Shiyu?”

“No.”

“The lights were off when I arrived, Sister Shiyu, you should have been going to sleep.”

“Yeah, I plan to sleep a bit earlier today.”

“The rain should stop soon, then I’ll leave.”

Ye Shiyu glanced at him, verbosely saying,

“Let’s chat a bit, that way I won’t feel sleepy.”

Even though she wasn’t good at chatting, Ye Shiyu always tried her best to keep the conversation flowing in front of Yan Huan.

Yan Huan smiled slightly, smoothly asking,

“Sister Shiyu, why do you write your name on every one of your things?”

Ye Shiyu paused slightly, looking back at him, and replied,

“Because… I’m really afraid of losing them.”

“Writing your name on them prevents them from getting lost?”

Yan Huan smiled helplessly, countering.

Ye Shiyu looked at him, remained silent for a long time, and then nodded.

“Pitter-patter~”

The rain still drizzled outside, bringing in a slight chill, so Ye Shiyu lay back on the bed, pulling up some covers.

“When I was little, my mom and I lived in Tianjing. I remember at that time, Dad bought me some toys… Among them was a beautiful Barbie doll, and I loved it so much.

“Back then, our family wasn’t wealthy; Dad and Mom were often not home. Every time I returned from school, I loved to talk to that doll.”

Yan Huan quietly watched Ye Shiyu lying on the bed, looking dazedly at all the dolls around, as if searching for that feeling from long ago.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find any resemblance.

“Until one day, Dad messed up, and Mom did something excessive to him, which led to Dad wanting to kick us out of the house.

“Mom took nothing of value with her; she only wanted me to leave with her.”

“When we were leaving, Dad asked me whether I wanted to follow Mom or him.”

Yan Huan looked at her, softly saying,

“You chose Aunt Ye.”

Ye Shiyu nodded, her expression calm.

“I don’t remember much anymore.

“I only remember that Dad was very angry, and seemed really disappointed in me.

“So, even when I wanted to take the doll I loved the most, he wouldn’t allow me.”

After a long silence, she continued calmly,

“He took the doll from my hands. I remember I cried, begged Dad to give it back.

“But Dad said that doll didn’t have my name on it, so it wasn’t mine, and I couldn’t take it with me.

“Those were very little things. A lot of it I can’t remember clearly, but only this sentence, I’ve remembered to this day. So…”

Yan Huan quietly watched Ye Shiyu lying there, realizing why she always liked to write her name on her belongings.

Perhaps it was so that one day, when someone tried to take it from her, she could rightfully say,

“This is mine; you can’t take it.”

His gaze trembled slightly, sensing the low pressure in the room. Just as he wanted to change the subject, Ye Shiyu preemptively spoke,

“This is all very long ago now. Sorry for bringing it up. Let’s talk about something else.”

Seeing that, Yan Huan smoothly inquired,

“Sure, what else does Sister Shiyu want to talk about?”

“Um, that vice president named Sakura Kyoko… Little Huan, do you like her?”

“Like—”

Yan Huan instinctively began to answer, but the next second, his smile froze on his face.

Beside him, Meow-chan blinked in surprise, scared as it hid behind Yan Huan’s neck.

Fearing that if Yan Huan answered this poorly, it might get splattered with blood.

Wait—

Why did she suddenly ask this?!

“Sister Shiyu, this—”

Just as Yan Huan broke out into a cold sweat and sought an escape plan in this crisis,

He looked up to see Ye Shiyu on the bed had somehow already closed her eyes.

She lay peacefully on the bedding, her fair little legs tangled and sticking out from the warm covers, facing Yan Huan.

Ye Shiyu seemed to have fallen asleep.

“Pitter-patter~”

The rain continued outside, while the thunder gradually faded.

In the warm glow of the room, only Yan Huan stared at the sleeping face of Ye Shiyu on the bed, and after a long while, he quietly said,

“Good night, Sister Shiyu.”