Restricted Fantasy Invasion

Chapter 10
If you lost something as a child, how did your parents handle it?

If it's not something important, maybe you'll just get scolded for being careless and reminded to be more careful next time?

But if it's something especially important, like a house key or a bank card, then you're definitely in for a stir-fried bamboo shoot with pork, or maybe even a mixed doubles match.

Of course, every family is different; this is just how Yan Huan remembers it.

Anyway, no matter what, it's impossible to imagine someone would drive all the way back to the mall just to help a child find something lost like a keychain, without a word of blame.

Yet, that's exactly what Ye Lan did.

After hearing Ye Shiyu's request, she had the driver turn around and take them back to the mall where they'd eaten earlier.

As soon as the car stopped, Ye Shiyu got out, even forgetting the coat she'd taken off earlier because the car was heated.

Yan Huan glanced at the coat, quietly picked it up, and got out as well.

After Ye Lan got out, she exchanged a few words with the driver. It seemed the driver wanted to help them look, but Ye Lan told her to head back first.

After a bit of back-and-forth, the car finally drove away.

Though the mall was still brightly lit at eight or nine on an early spring night, there was no avoiding a touch of chill in the air.

Ye Lan, draped in her shawl and wearing high heels, gave a helpless smile to Yan Huan walking ahead and said,

"Let's go. Xiaohuan, could you help Shiyu look for it? She'll probably retrace today's route while thinking it over, right?"

Retracing today's route, huh.

Yan Huan blinked and looked at Ye Shiyu, who was far ahead.

She stood at the edge of the mall, gazing at the aquarium in the distance whose lights were out and had melted into the night, lost in thought.

"Sister Shiyu."

Hearing Yan Huan's voice, she turned her head expressionlessly and saw Yan Huan handing her the coat,

"It's cold at night. Put your coat on."

She looked at Yan Huan's hand holding the coat, right where her name tag was attached.

"Thank you."

After a slight pause, she took the coat but didn't put it on.

Yan Huan didn't insist, just came to her side and seriously analyzed,

"Sister Shiyu, do you remember when you last opened your bag? Was it in the aquarium or at the mall?"

"After I bought the keychain today, I didn't open my bag again."

"Huh?"

Yan Huan raised his eyebrows, looking at Ye Shiyu, who was deep in thought but sounded very certain.

"Could it be the bag leaked?"

Ye Shiyu picked up her handbag and checked it over, shaking her head,

"No."

That's strange.

A supernatural event?

He did see her put the keychain with her name tag into her bag this morning, or maybe she opened it herself later and just forgot?

"The aquarium is already closed. I'll check along the way to the mall."

Ye Shiyu's face turned a bit cold. Holding the coat, she turned and left.

Seeing this, Yan Huan and Ye Lan had no choice but to follow her, retracing the route they'd taken at noon into the mall.

"Dear customers, the mall will be closing in twenty minutes. Except for the cinema area, please leave the mall as soon as possible."

"At closing, please take elevator 7A in the cinema on the seventh floor to reach the first floor or the underground parking lot. All other elevators will be closed."

The announcement echoed through the mall. The lights in the seven-story building gradually dimmed, and the sound of shop doors closing and shutters rolling down rang out one after another.

Coming down the escalator from the second floor, Yan Huan saw Ye Lan sitting on a bench on the first floor, having taken off her high heels and rubbing her ankles.

Her long skirt fanned out like petals, and there was a trace of fatigue in her eyes.

Seeing Yan Huan, she looked up and smiled, asking,

"How's it going, Xiaohuan? Did you find it?"

Yan Huan shook his head and said,

"We've searched several times already, even checked with lost and found, but the staff didn't see it. Later we split up, but still couldn't find it."

"Hmm, that really is strange."

Ye Lan pouted and moved her high heels away from her feet, patting the seat beside her,

"You must be tired. Sit and rest a bit. Sorry to trouble you, Xiaohuan. We came out to have fun, but I made you run around helping your sister look for things."

"Not at all, and anyway, we've already had our fun, Auntie."

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

At this moment, her ankles were bright red. After all, she'd been walking in high heels all day. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sent the two of them off to search while she stayed here to rest.

Yan Huan let out a breath, glancing around at the mall growing quieter, his eyes flickering.

Meanwhile, Ye Lan looked at his profile, resting her chin in her hands, and suddenly asked,

"Xiaohuan, don't you think this is a bit much?"

"A bit much?"

Yan Huan snapped out of it and looked at Ye Lan, whose smile hadn't faded.

"Going all the way back just to look for a little keychain for an hour-doesn't that sound kind of silly?"

"It's not that bad."

Yan Huan blinked and said,

"I actually thought you'd send a whole team, Auntie. If the aquarium was closed, you'd just have them open it again, and then get a bunch of people to help Sister Shiyu look."

Ye Lan covered her mouth, finding it hilarious,

"That's way too much!"

"Is it? That's how it always goes in those novels."

Yan Huan gave a slight smile, then put on a domineering CEO's cold expression, pointed, and commanded,

"If you can't find her stuff, I want all of you buried with it!"

"Hahahaha!"

Ye Lan burst out laughing, clutching her stomach, her toes swinging in the air,

"You've really got the vibe. Xiaohuan, you should be in movies~"

Yan Huan just smiled at Ye Lan, and then she reached out and tapped Yan Huan on the head, scolding gently,

"But really, it's just a keychain. There's no way I'd waste that much manpower."

Yan Huan covered his head, dodging Ye Lan's not-at-all-heavy little fist,

"That's why I said it's just a novel plot. But Auntie, you're not so different from those CEOs making millions an hour in novels. Willing to spend time looking for a cheap keychain-isn't that the same thing?"

Ye Lan's smile grew even warmer. She reached out and ruffled Yan Huan's hair, but didn't mess it up,

"Shiyu rarely loses things. If no one touches them, she basically never slips up. It might seem troublesome, but this kind of thing hasn't happened more than a couple times. And you've probably noticed-besides dolls, her favorite thing is jellyfish."

"Yeah, but we also checked the security footage just now, and no strangers ever got close to her bag along the way."

"Exactly, which is why it's so strange this time. Maybe she really did drop it at the aquarium? Anyway, I'd never trouble anyone else over this."

Ye Lan smiled as she patted his head and said to Yan Huan,

"What she lost is very important to her-it's something she treasures, something with her name on it [her thing]. I know that once she puts her name on something, it can't just be replaced, but that's only for her and me.

"To others, it's just a cheap keychain.

"I'm willing to come back and help her look because I'm her mom, so her special things are special to me too. That kind of specialness can't be measured by money. Besides, we didn't have anything else going on tonight anyway.

"How could I ask other people to run around late on a weekend night for something that only matters to me? So actually, Xiaohuan, I really feel bad for making you come with us so late."

But Yan Huan didn't really mind. Going back a bit later meant he could avoid being sneak-attacked by Ye Shiyu's hypnosis.

Maybe it was Ye Lan's smile, but the temperature around them seemed to warm up.

"No wonder, just now when that driver Liu offered to help, Auntie turned her down."

"That's right. She just needed to drop us off and head home. If it's time to clock out, she should just go rest. So let's take a taxi home later~"

Since it was the weekend, the driver was technically working overtime today. She only needed to bring Ye Lan in the morning and pick her up at night, not be on standby all day to get a full day's overtime pay.

For some reason, hearing Ye Lan say something like that made Yan Huan feel a little teary.

Maybe it was because in his previous life, he died from overwork. Hearing a boss who never gave orders after hours, he felt a sudden sense of regret that they hadn't met sooner.

"Auntie, if I get the chance, I'll definitely work for you someday."

Feeling sentimental, Yan Huan suddenly said this with utter seriousness.

If Auntie doesn't mind, Huan would gladly call her boss?

"Hahahaha."

Ye Lan was once again amused by Yan Huan's serious face. She ruffled his hair affectionately and said,

"With how talented you are, Xiaohuan, it shouldn't be hard. But when the time comes, don't regret it~ Because aside from being lenient in this area, I'm not so easy in other respects, hehe."

"."

Seeing Ye Lan's smile suddenly turn a little sinister, Yan Huan wondered if he'd spoken too soon.

But he was only a freshman in high school, not at the point of choosing a career path yet, so it didn't really matter if his mind was full of possibilities for the future.

Kind of like, 'Grandpa, Grandma, when I grow up I want to be an astronaut.'

Just as Ye Lan was ruffling Yan Huan's hair, Ye Shiyu came down the escalator, her face looking rather grim.

The result was obvious-she still hadn't found it.

Seeing this, Yan Huan stood up and proactively suggested,

"Sister Shiyu, should I go up and look one more time?"

Ye Shiyu glanced at him, her gaze shifting slightly to look at Ye Lan, who was rubbing her feet.

Her mother had already spent the whole day in high heels, and he had followed her to search many times as well.

Besides, it was just a keychain. She liked it, but even if it was lost or given away to someone else-

At this thought, her brows furrowed slightly. For some reason, this idea suddenly popped into her mind.

The thought was faint, just a fleeting notion, even though she usually cherished all her belongings dearly.

In the past, Ye Shiyu had also given up searching for lost things out of consideration for her mother, not wanting to trouble her.

But!

She had never experienced a situation where her desire for something precious diminished; on the contrary, losing it always made her feel even more regretful.

And because of that sudden thought in her mind, her face now turned extremely cold and angry, as if she were nauseated.

The phone in her hand suddenly lit up, this time with a deep purple, sinister glow.

Seeing this, Yan Huan raised an eyebrow.

Is she angry?

Just because she can't find that keychain?

But why is the modifier lighting up too? Who could you hypnotize just because you lost something?

Seeing her looking so upset, Ye Lan put her high heels back on, fastened the strap, and stood up again,

"The mall will close in twenty minutes. How about Xiaohuan and I help you look one more time?"

The cold expression on Ye Shiyu's face softened a little at her mother's gentle voice. Then, she shook her head and said,

"Forget it, Mom, let's go home."

"Then Mom will buy you another one tomorrow."

"No need, let's go."

Ye Shiyu shook her head, ready to leave, while Ye Lan glanced helplessly at Yan Huan beside her and said in confusion,

"Your sister's temper is even worse than before today. She never used to get this angry even if she couldn't find something."

Yan Huan kept staring at her back, lost in thought.

Ending an otherwise pleasant day with something like this inevitably left a bad taste, and even the mood in the taxi was much more subdued.

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

Seeing this, Yan Huan felt a bit curious.

Ye Shiyu had already put name tags on them. How would they handle washing?

Watching for a bit, he found that Aunt Chen would first remove those name tags. Noticing his interest, Aunt Chen explained,

"These name tags are just temporary. She'll sew her name on them with needle and thread later. Shiyu is very skilled with needlework. The young lady once hired a very skilled tailor to teach her."

As she sorted Ye Shiyu's clothes and prepared to put them in a separate washing machine, Aunt Chen continued,

"All the clothes on the dolls in Shiyu's room are made by her too. Xiaohuan, you haven't seen them, have you? Tomorrow, let Shiyu show you."

"Sure, if there's a chance."

Yan Huan replied with a smile, though he actually thought it was unlikely Ye Shiyu would agree.

She wouldn't even wear the cloak he'd touched earlier, and he hadn't seen it among the clothes Aunt Chen was washing.

She really hated other people touching her things.

At least, that was the case for outsiders like Yan Huan. But if it was Aunt Chen or Ye Lan, it was completely different.

Aunt Chen could wash her clothes, and the cloak Ye Lan had worn earlier was also Ye Shiyu's.

Thinking about this, Yan Huan also got ready to go back to his room and rest.

"There's milk in the kitchen, Xiaohuan. Remember to take some upstairs to drink."

"Okay, thank you, Aunt Chen."

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

When he turned on the light, a black cat was already sitting primly on the sofa.

"Meow~"

"Meow-chan."

"You're back. How was your day?"

Putting down the milk, Yan Huan flopped onto the sofa, feeling the jolt, but thanks to Meow-chan's chubbiness, she didn't budge at all.

"What else could it be, just the usual."

Turning his head, he saw Meow-chan had already jumped onto him, looking up and asking,

"Did something happen?"

"Mm, how should I put it-"

Just as he was about to say something, Yan Huan's expression changed.

He hurried to the door and locked it.

"Click."

Only after doing all that did he relax a bit, walking back to lie on the sofa again.

Drinking his milk and looking at the black cat tilting her head at him, he asked,

"Meow-chan, do you think there's a connection between dolls and jellyfish?"

"Is this a riddle?"

"It's about Ye Shiyu. The two things her modifier's host likes most are dolls and, oddly enough, jellyfish. Is there any connection between them?"

Meow-chan tilted her head and asked,

"Is there?"

"Are you asking me or am I asking you?"

"But, humans have complicated tastes, right? The things they like don't necessarily have to be connected."

Yan Huan downed his milk in one gulp and sighed,

"She's not normal. Her love for dolls and jellyfish is way beyond ordinary, so I always feel like there's a reason. Plus, today at that place was weird, like there was a ghost or something."

Ye Shiyu's stuff suddenly went missing. Ye Lan had said she was always careful with her things and rarely lost anything. Even after going over it several times, Ye Shiyu was sure she hadn't opened her bag.

But that keychain just disappeared for no reason.

It could still be at the aquarium, but something still feels off.

This whole day-

Ye Shiyu's love for dolls and jellyfish.

The inexplicably missing jellyfish keychain and her inexplicable anger.

The two of them, and the two things, are as unrelated as basketballs and chickens.

They seem to have nothing to do with each other, but if you try to connect them, you can vaguely see a strange figure in overalls in the shadows.

That's kind of the feeling.

Just then, Yan Huan thought of something, took out his phone, and snapped a picture of Meow-chan beside him.

"Click."

The adorable Meow-chan appeared in the camera, and Yan Huan opened plane to send the photo to Sakuramiya Vice President, whose avatar was a white cat.

He sent a "today's friend fee" meme, then typed,

"Sakuramiya Vice President, are you free right now? I have something to ask you."

Sakuramiya Vice President really likes cats and knows a lot about them, so asking her usually yields results.

After waiting a few minutes, the name on the other end changed to "the other party is typing." Then, Yan Huan's screen went black and switched to an incoming call display.

Yan Huan put on his Bluetooth headset and answered the call.

He smiled slightly and asked the person on the other end,

"Cute, right? The kitten?"

"Mm, very cute. Is it the cat raised by President Auntie's family?"

The girl's voice on the other end was gentle, as smooth as silk.

"No, I picked up a stray cat and have been taking care of her lately. I call her Meow-chan."

Meow-chan beside him yawned widely at that.

"I see."

Sakuramiya Hitomi didn't comment on the name Yan Huan had chosen, instead guessing at his real question,

"Does the President want to ask about raising cats?"

"Ah, not exactly-"

Yan Huan chuckled, but still asked,

"I wanted to ask, Sakuramiya, why do you like cats?"

"."

There was a sudden silence on the other end.

"Sakuramiya Vice President?"

"Because they're cute, I suppose."

Just as Yan Huan was about to ask further, Sakuramiya Hitomi suddenly spoke so quickly that it caught him off guard.

"emm"

Cats are indeed very cute, but are jellyfish cute?

It does seem kind of okay, but somehow it still doesn't feel like the right answer.

The illusory figure in overalls before his eyes gradually faded away, as if telling Yan Huan that this wasn't the correct connection between basketball and chickens.

"What about besides that?"

"President, are you asking if, aside from their appearance, there's some quality in cats that makes me like them?"

That's right, could it be related to some quality found in jellyfish?

"Mhm, what kind of qualities do you like about cats, Sakuramiya?"

"Well, because cats are very independent, yet they can act spoiled with their owners when needed. They're both strong and fragile, like children-clearly independent individuals, but still forced to rely on their parents. Aside from being cute, that's the only reason."

Sakuramiya Vice President let out a sigh and explained,

"But, President, everyone has different reasons for liking something.

"Maybe it's because there's some quality in that thing they crave or lack, maybe it's because that thing is similar to themselves, or maybe it's because it makes them feel safe and comfortable... and so on, and so forth.

"So, in the eyes of a thousand people, there will always be a thousand Hamlets. Rather than saying people like the thing itself, it's more accurate to say they love the part of themselves that resides in it."

Listening to Sakuramiya Vice President's pleasant voice, Yan Huan suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

The missing quality.

Unconsciously, the image of Ye Shiyu's stunning profile as she watched the jellyfish today surfaced in his mind.

She stared blankly at the glowing jellyfish in the tank, watching them jet through the water.

Movement-such vibrant movement.

Her dark eyes reflected the glowing jellyfish in the tank, as if adorned with tearful light.

It seemed like the chicken's foot was showing.

"Thank you so much, Sakuramiya."

Yan Huan sat up at once and said this to the female voice in his Bluetooth headset.

Though it was just a guess, at least he now had a clue.

Of course, that was something to deal with tomorrow.

Hearing Yan Huan's thanks, the female voice on the other end of the call instead fell into silence.

Then, Sakuramiya Hitomi guessed once again,

"President, why do I feel like what you really want to ask isn't why I like cats?"

"I'll remember it, Sakuramiya."

Yan Huan was quite the copycat, mimicking her way of starting a conversation from zero frames.

"Huh?"

I'll remember why you like cats.

Sakuramiya Hitomi sighed helplessly,

"Well, whatever, it's probably related to your family matters anyway, President. I shouldn't be commenting on it. Rest early, President. I'm glad I could help."

"You too, good night."

"Mhm."

The call ended. He took off the Bluetooth headset and looked toward the door.

Hm, the door hadn't been knocked on.

Looks like tonight is a peaceful night?

That shouldn't be. Yan Huan still thought she'd definitely come vent here tonight after losing her food.

And yet, she didn't?

All the better-who wants to be hypnotized, anyway.

Yan Huan shook his head, stood up, stretched, and got ready to wash up and go to bed.

Meanwhile, outside the room on the stairs, Ye Shiyu, now in pajamas, was coming up from downstairs holding her phone and a glass of milk.

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

"."

She seemed to hesitate, but after a moment's silence, she turned and headed for the third floor.

Because she still had other things to do tonight.

(End of this chapter)