Restricted Fantasy Invasion

Chapter 9

"Babies, sorry to keep you waiting. It was work again, a call from home I just couldn't ignore." After another ten minutes or so, Ye Lan finally arrived at the ticket checkpoint, wearing an apologetic smile.

"It's fine, Auntie. My sister and I browsed the gift shop for a bit and bought a few things."

Seeing this, Yan Huan stood up and handed her another freshly bought cup of banana milk.

"Banana flavor, huh? That's great, thank you, Xiaohuan~"

Ye Lan took the drink with a beaming smile, and when she noticed it was iced-less and low sugar, her smile grew even wider.

Meanwhile, behind her, Ye Shiyu's beautiful eyes lingered on Yan Huan's back as she sipped her own banana milk. She glanced at her identical drink, as if realizing something.

Then, she took another look at Yan Huan's smiling profile and the extra cup he was holding in his hand.

"."

Her sipping slowed a little as she followed beside her mother, quietly taking the parasol from her hand.

They could go in for ticket inspection now.

"Welcome, tourists, to Haishang Linmen Aquarium Scenic Area. Our facility uses professional marine ecological simulations to showcase a wealth of marine life to our visitors."

"We house and protect over a thousand species of marine creatures, tens of thousands of individual specimens, and maintain long-term cultural, economic, and academic exchanges with all sectors of society."

Accompanied by the female voice introducing the venue, Yan Huan and the others slowly entered the massive exhibition hall.

The hall descended downward, and the first thing that caught their eyes was a huge underwater tunnel.

The seawater behind the glass shimmered with distant lights, tinting it a deep blue and casting rippling patterns across the pedestrians in the tunnel.

Above, vast schools of fish glided through the water, suspended like clouds of varying size floating in a blue sky.

Sipping his drink, Yan Huan looked down at the floor, hopping over the light and shadow patterns like a child playing hopscotch, as if playing a game of "don't step on the lines."

"It's so beautiful."

Ye Lan put away the parasol, touched her cheek, and said with a cheerful smile,

"Speaking of which, I remember one of the movies I invested in was filmed here."

Yan Huan turned around in surprise. "A movie? Ye International does entertainment too? I thought your business was all-"

"-semiconductors and new energy, right?"

Yan Huan nodded. After all, Ye International was quite famous in Linmen, known as Longguo's 'semiconductor giant' and 'new energy leader.'

In his previous life, either one of those titles would have been impressive enough, but Ye International had both. Yan Huan truly considered them the god-tier aristocrats of another world.

The chips in the high-end equipment that Yaqiao Mu, that tech nerd, bought were all made by Ye International. Whenever new products launched, he'd stay up late with a VPN to snag them from Longguo's websites, accounting for the time difference.

Most of the electric cars running down Linmen's main streets used their batteries, and the charging stations and other infrastructure all depended on their construction.

When he joked yesterday about 'swearing allegiance as a godmother's child,' he wasn't kidding. The elegant woman smiling before him was a bona fide CEO-whether she was domineering or not was another story.

Just hugging her thigh and saying, "Mom, I don't want to work hard anymore," was a dream Yan Huan didn't even dare to imagine.

"That's right. The company isn't planning to enter the entertainment industry for now, so I said it was 'I' who invested."

Ye Lan explained with a smile,

"I've personally invested in some interesting media companies. One of them came to Linmen to shoot an art film called 'After Falling in Love at Dusk,' and it even won a small international award."

"That's amazing!"

"Pfft, but it has nothing to do with me. I was just a simple investor. Also, the young girl who played the lead actress was quite pretty-her name was Bai-"

"Bai Yi?"

Before Ye Lan could finish, Yan Huan instinctively blurted out the name.

Walking behind Ye Lan, Ye Shiyu glanced at Yan Huan, and Ye Lan was reminded of the name as well.

"Yes, I think that's it-Bai Yi. Is she famous here in Linmen?"

"Yeah, sort of. Her surname is pretty rare, and she's a first-year at our school, so I know of her."

Especially after she entered an Indifference state in the exam room yesterday and scribbled all over Zhou Bin's face.

Ye Lan turned to Ye Shiyu in surprise.

"Wow, Shiyu, you'll get to be classmates with a celebrity in the future."

Ye Shiyu just nodded disinterestedly, looking completely perfunctory.

Her eyes had long since been captured by the surrounding marine life.

Ye Lan covered her mouth with a soft laugh, not disturbing her daughter's mood any further. She simply followed behind, and Yan Huan began to take in the beautiful sights around the aquarium as well.

"Click!"

Yan Huan took out his phone and snapped a picture of a shark swimming by, then posted it in the student council management group chat.

Yuanyue Student Council Management Group (5)

Yan Huan: "Fish, a big fish, tiger shark."

He sent a cat meme nodding its head.

After a while, someone finally responded.

Sakuramiya Hitomi: "That's probably a whitetip shark, not a tiger shark. Tiger catsharks don't get that big, President."

Yuan Lina: "President's at the aquarium! What made you suddenly want to go there?"

Yaqiao Mu: "@Yuan Lina. Aquarium-classic date spot! I bet he's there with some girl."

Yaqiao Mu: "[smirk]"

Yuan Lina: "[smirk]"

Ashley: "[smirk]"

Ashley, the discipline committee chair of Yuanyue's student council, made it five management members all present.

Yan Huan: "[smile]"

Yan Huan decided to break the formation.

Sakuramiya Hitomi: "[smile]"

The Sakuramiya Vice President, always imitating people, probably didn't even know the subtext of sending that smiley.

Yaqiao Mu: "Sakuramiya Vice President, don't follow the President in breaking the formation!"

Yaqiao Mu: "@Yan Huan. Fess up, did I guess right?!"

Yan Huan: "I'm out with the Auntie who came to school looking for me yesterday, a friend of my late parents."

Yaqiao Mu: "Huh? Seriously?"

Sakuramiya Hitomi: "[smile]"

Yan Huan replied simply, then locked his phone screen.

That kid Yaqiao Mu had played so many galgames, he could sum up all the tropes.

But it was true-most guys wouldn't come to a place like this on the weekend if they weren't with someone else.

Thinking this, he glanced at Ye Shiyu standing beside him.

She had already reached the middle of the aquarium tunnel, where there were lots of fish tanks placed in the wide passage, each housing smaller marine creatures for visitors to admire.

Some held small fish with different temperature needs, but most were filled with all sorts of jellyfish in various shapes.

The tall and elegant Ye Shiyu stood in front of those tanks, her gaze fixed intently on the jellyfish inside.

The tunnel wasn't very bright, and the tanks were only dimly lit. The outlines of the glowing jellyfish were especially clear.

It was as if phosphorescence illuminated the night sky, turning into stars that could breathe, leaping and dancing with energy.

The starlight danced and drifted down, landing in Ye Shiyu's dark eyes, forming a living galaxy.

The galaxy flowed on, and with the girl's profile, it followed the tunnel and entered Yan Huan's field of vision, catching his attention.

She really loved jellyfish.

That's what Yan Huan thought, but he didn't go over to disturb her focus, instead looking around for Ye Lan.

As soon as he turned, he saw Ye Lan holding up her phone, aiming it at him, and softly saying,

"Xiaohuan, cheese."

"Auntie Ye?"

Yan Huan was momentarily stunned, but Ye Lan had already lowered her phone with a smile, marveling at the photo she'd just taken.

"Xiaohuan, you could totally shoot movies with this kind of shot~."

"Huh?"

Yan Huan walked dumbly over to Ye Lan, looking at the photo she'd just opened.

He didn't know what phone model she used, but the focus made the shot not too dark, and the picture was very clear.

The rippling light above happened to fall across his profile, illuminating his features and making him the clear subject of the shot.

A stunningly handsome black-haired boy, with the air of someone searching for someone in a crowd, was captured in the frame.

Yan Huan looked at the phone, then at the smiling Ye Lan, and asked blankly,

"You used a beauty filter, didn't you, Auntie Ye?"

Ye Lan immediately pouted in protest, tapping his head lightly with her hand.

"It's just a little filter, okay? Silly boy, don't you know what you look like?"

Of course, she was just joking.

Yan Huan never took selfies, so he didn't know much about these things.

But for someone who rarely took selfies or photos, seeing yourself in the camera always felt a bit unfamiliar.

Even if you look in the mirror every day, you probably still feel you look different from how you appear in photos.

"Look-so handsome! It'd be even better if you smiled. Xiaohuan, you look great when you smile. Next time Auntie invests in a movie, I'll definitely have you star in it."

Ye Lan was very satisfied as she saved the photo, speaking with conviction.

Speaking of movies, before middle school, Yan Huan had actually almost become a child star at an entertainment company in Linmen.

In the past, he had tried everything to climb out of the southern district's orphanage, especially when the area around the orphanage was filled with the smell of smoke and numbness, and the nearby high school held "STD Battle Royale" events every day.

Honestly, talking about it only brings tears.

How did that song go again?

A child without a mother is like a blade of grass~

The memories were too painful to look back on. Yan Huan, watching Ye Lan who was pondering the best photo angle while touching her own chin, suddenly thought of something and said to her,

"Auntie, should I take a picture of you and Sister Shiyu together?"

"Eh? Sure. Shiyu, come over for a photo!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Shiyu finally tore her gaze away from the jellyfish in the tank and turned her head. "Coming."

Ye Lan patted the spot next to her, signaling her to come over, then prepared to hand her phone to Yan Huan.

Halfway through passing it, she suddenly pulled it back.

Yan Huan looked at her in confusion as she turned off the camera, then opened a beauty filter app, adjusted a few settings at random, and handed it back to Yan Huan.

"Gotta use the beauty filter."

"."

Actually, Yan Huan thought it was totally unnecessary, but he still went along with Ye Lan's wishes.

So, he had Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu stand facing the light, while he squatted in front of the glass, making the women appear taller from this angle.

The passersby behind them noticed someone was taking a photo and politely paused for a moment, so the timing was just right.

"Click."

Photo taken.

In the picture, Ye Shiyu stood straight with a calm expression, while Ye Lan wrapped her arms around her. With Yan Huan's photography skills, this could be considered a proud work.

Yan Huan smiled slightly, stood up, and decided to give this masterpiece a review,

"Perfect."

Ye Lan walked over, picked up the phone, and examined it closely.

"Mm, not bad, not bad."

Just as Yan Huan got up and was about to lead them forward, Ye Lan gently pulled him over to Ye Shiyu's side.

"Come on, Xiaohuan, you and Shiyu stand together. I'll take one of you two."

"Ah?"

Yan Huan's expression changed a little as he looked over at Ye Shiyu.

She looked back too, but her pose for the photo didn't change.

Was this her agreeing to take a photo?

Seeing this, he blinked and could only agree,

"Alright, Auntie."

Yan Huan walked over to Ye Shiyu's side, and her original gesture of having her hands by her sides unconsciously changed to crossing them in front of her.

A faint floral fragrance drifted over, swaying with her black hair.

Yan Huan was a little taller, and Ye Shiyu was just a few centimeters shorter than him. With a handsome boy and a beautiful girl standing together, they were truly a sight to behold.

Yan Huan put on a smile, and Ye Lan's eyes lit up as she raised her phone, bending down a bit-totally not the posture of a CEO-and directed them to move within the frame.

"A little to the left. Too far, now a bit to the right, the light's making you look like ghosts."

Ye Shiyu lowered her head; it seemed finding a photo spot that satisfied her mother was quite difficult. Her little black leather shoes shuffled closer to Yan Huan.

"Smile, don't look so glum. Shiyu, you look best when you smile. Yes, that's it, just like that."

Ye Shiyu pressed her lips together, the corners of her mouth trembling as she tried to lift them-a barely noticeable movement.

Hearing Ye Lan's praise, Yan Huan instinctively glanced at her expression.

But perhaps because of Yan Huan's gaze, the hard-won smile on her face collapsed instantly, returning to her usual blank look.

"."

My bad.

Whatever the case, the photo was going to be taken.

The siblings' first photo together.

"Alright, ready-cheese!"

"So good-looking, look at you two siblings, you could be on a fashion magazine."

As the sun set, in a private dining room of a fancy Western restaurant next to the aquarium, Ye Lan, who had just nibbled on some salad, looked at the sibling photo taken that morning and commented as such.

The photo was frozen on the phone: a handsome young man with a bright smile looked at the camera, flashing a peace sign.

Beside him, the black-haired girl was elegant, her hands gracefully placed in front of her stomach-so beautiful, though her expression was a little lacking.

But it was already perfect enough.

Sitting across from her, Yan Huan, holding a knife and fork with several shopping bags by his side, looked up and smiled helplessly.

Since noon, this was already the third time Ye Lan had brought up the photo. From lunch at the aquarium, to shopping for clothes at the luxury store next door, and now-

It seemed Ye Lan really liked this photo.

Ye Shiyu ate elegantly, showing neither joy nor sorrow, seemingly unmoved no matter what her mother said.

But after spending the day together, Yan Huan knew she was always quietly listening to Ye Lan. She just rarely showed her thoughts outwardly.

Only when looking at jellyfish or labeling her new clothes would her expression soften a little.

That afternoon, Ye Lan picked out some clothes for both of them: a few spring shirts, long-sleeved jackets, and even a formal suit for Yan Huan.

Not entirely useless-at Yuanyue Academy, except for a few key dates, students were allowed to wear casual clothes as long as they wore the school badge.

And every piece of clothing he got made Yan Huan feel like the wages he lost by taking leave were just a trifle.

No need to mention it. After dinner, the sky was completely dark, and it was already seven or eight o'clock when Ye Lan notified the driver to take them home.

It was just the start of spring, and despite the bright morning sun, the temperature difference at night was still significant.

Ye Shiyu had already put on a new jacket from her shopping bag, Ye Lan borrowed one from her as well, while only Yan Huan seemed fine without one.

This made Ye Lan sigh as she pinched his shoulder: "Aren't you cold, Xiaohuan?"

"I'm fine, Auntie. Maybe I've just gotten used to the weather here."

"So nice. Even through clothes you feel so warm. Shiyu and I get cold so easily."

Hearing the word "warm," Ye Shiyu, wrapped in her jacket, trembled slightly, as if recalling what happened during hypnosis last night.

Honestly, Yan Huan thought of that too as they waited for the car back to the villa.

What if that troublemaker sneaks in to hypnotize him again tonight?

Last night was just a trial run, but what about tonight?

Was she going to carry out her plan to "make Ye Lan hate me"?

No way, maybe I should lock the door tonight?

No matter how much she knocks, I'll just pretend to be asleep and not open up.

While lost in these thoughts, the black electric car that brought them here in the morning had already pulled up in front of them.

The young woman in a suit driving got out, opened the trunk, and got ready to take the shopping bags from Yan Huan.

He smiled slightly and said,

"I've got it, thank you."

The woman glanced at Yan Huan's profile, her cheeks reddening a bit, then nodded and got back in the car.

"Thank you, Xiao Liu."

"Not at all, Director Ye."

The female driver buckled her seatbelt, turned on the GPS, glanced at Ye Lan and her daughter wrapped in jackets, and even turned on the heater.

The car started smoothly. Yan Huan leaned against the window, scrolling through the plane group chat on his phone.

The big sisters in the mahjong group were calling him to play again.

He was tempted.

No, Yan Huan, you promised yourself at the end of last semester.

You can't go to their place every week to play mahjong anymore!

While Yan Huan was fiercely debating with himself and typing a reply to the big sisters who @-ed him in the "Yuanyue Mahjong One-Round" group chat-

Beside him, Ye Shiyu was looking down at her handbag, her lips curving up slightly as if she remembered something.

She unzipped the bag, ready to take something out to play with.

"."

But after searching through the bag, she still couldn't find it.

She hadn't opened her bag even once today, had she?

Or was she just remembering wrong?

How could that be?

Her pupils shrank bit by bit as she took out her phone, turned on the flashlight, and searched the bag under the beam.

The sudden light caught Yan Huan's attention. He turned his head and happened to see Ye Shiyu finishing her second search through the not-so-big handbag.

Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Ye Shiyu suddenly looked up with an icy expression and said to Ye Lan in front,

"Mom, my thing-the jellyfish keychain we bought this morning-it's gone."

Yan Huan blinked, still not realizing what had happened.

But the whole car suddenly slowed down and gradually pulled over to the side of the road.

Ah?

Yan Huan grabbed onto the car handle, and as the vehicle slowly came to a stop, Ye Lan and the female driver in the front both widened their eyes at the same time, turning their heads to look at Ye Shiyu, whose presence was growing colder by the second.

As their gazes met, it was as if Yan Huan could also hear an intense alarm blaring in his ears.

Clearly, this was not their first time experiencing something like this.

It was a danger signal known as the "Ye Shiyu Level-One Alert."

In the warmthless air inside the car, Ye Shiyu pressed her lips together and softly said,

"I want to go back and look for it, is that okay?"

(End of this chapter)