"Click, click, click..."
The sewing machine hummed on the table, yet Ye Shiyu's gaze at the desktop gradually lost focus.
The once rhythmic and pleasant sound now only added to her irritation. Abruptly, she reached out and pressed the switch, stopping the machine.
"..."
Her phone had been playing music beside her, and only when she turned did she realize she'd forgotten to turn off the screen.
She had indeed been distracted tonight.
Pursing her lips, Ye Shiyu took a deep breath and stood up, picking up the empty water glass beside her to go downstairs for a refill.
Whenever she felt agitated or tense, she would drink large amounts of water.
At this hour, Mother and he should still be talking, right? It's fine, let them talk.
After all... tonight... she would also go have a proper "chat" with him.
Clutching her phone and water glass, Ye Shiyu pushed open her door expressionlessly and headed downstairs.
However, when she reached the second floor, she noticed Yan Huan's door was wide open, revealing the unlit room inside.
"Sniff... sob..."
Then, she seemed to hear her mother's sobbing coming from downstairs.
Frowning slightly, she walked down to the living room on the first floor and saw Ye Lan on the sofa, the photo album still on her lap as she covered her face and wept.
Chen Yi sat beside her, patting her back and continuously handing her tissues, while the coffee table already held several crumpled paper balls.
Scanning the room, she didn't see Yan Huan anywhere.
She didn't speak, as if realizing something.
He left? Why? Even if she couldn't immediately think of a reason, her heart was first filled with relief and joy.
Noticing Ye Shiyu's arrival, Chen Yi continued patting Ye Lan's back while looking at her and said,
"Shiyu... Xiao Huan left. He made you some double-layer milk pudding—it's here if you'd like to try it."
"..."
Hearing this, Ye Lan looked up, her face streaked with tears, the overwhelming sadness in her heart clearly visible.
Ye Shiyu couldn't bear to see her mother like this, so she glanced at the pudding on the table and asked, "He left? Why?"
"Sob... I don't know either... It was so sudden... Everything was going so well before..."
Ye Lan pouted as she looked at Ye Shiyu, who instinctively averted her mother's gaze, as if afraid the relief and joy in her eyes might be discovered.
But the tearful Ye Lan was no emotional detective, unable to uncover the dark secret hidden in her daughter's heart.She just lowered her head again and began to sob, "Wuwu... Mom came all the way to Scale Gate to find him, just to bring him home... I promised my godmother I'd take care of him... Yulu, what should I do?"
Ah, her mother—when it came to the things she loved, she became so emotional, as if she'd pluck the stars from the sky just for them.
So rational in her work, yet why couldn't she just let him leave so simply? "Wuwuwu..."
But as she listened to her mother's heart-wrenching sobs, Ye Shiyu, standing motionless with an expressionless face, found herself torn.
Honestly, she wished Yan Huan would never return, never contact her mother again.
Just seeing him, seeing him talk to her mother, watching her mother smile at him—it all filled her with irritation.
But compared to her own frustration, perhaps she hated seeing her mother like this even more.
Ye Shiyu clenched her teeth slightly. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked,
"When did he leave?"
Chen Yi, hearing this, added from the side,
"Xiao Huan left about five or six minutes ago. Your mom wanted to drive him, but it's late and not safe, so he didn't let her. He's probably taking the bus back to the South District. The bus stop is quite far from here."
Ye Shiyu turned to look at her mother, who was still sobbing with her head lowered, and said to her,
"I'll go talk him into coming back."
Ye Lan looked up at Ye Shiyu before her, covering her mouth, surprised by her daughter's reaction.
Her Shiyu was truly a kind-hearted child after all—she just didn't show it often... "Shiyu... Let me go with you," Ye Lan said.
"No need, Mom. Let me handle it. It's easier to talk between people our age."
With that, Ye Shiyu set down her cup and walked toward the door.
Her pale fingers flipped her phone screen inward, revealing a deep purple, eerie glow—her unique method of "communication between peers."
To make her mother happy, she'd even resort to hypnosis. As for her own disgust? Well, she could always use the app to turn him into that later, just like in the movies... Once her mother no longer felt sad seeing him leave, she could just... Thinking this, Ye Shiyu slipped on her shoes and stepped out of the house.
Since Yan Huan had packed his things before leaving, it was already close to 8 PM. The bus stop was outside the residential complex, and to catch him before he boarded the bus, Ye Shiyu unconsciously quickened her pace.
The streetlights in the upscale neighborhood were closely spaced, as if afraid the darkness between them might swallow the residents at night.
But beyond the complex, the decorative lights stood far apart, illuminating the road like isolated islands of light.
Between these islands stretched a sea of nighttime shadows.
Ye Shiyu repeated the cycle of "boarding" and "leaving" these islands until she spotted the bus stop ahead by the main road.
The bus stop to the South District was quiet, with buses arriving only every fifteen minutes.
The stop itself had lights, but half were broken, leaving one side bright and the other shrouded in darkness.
Ye Shiyu's sharp eyes soon caught sight of the handsome boy with a single-strapped backpack, standing alone under the lit side of the stop, wearing Bluetooth earphones.
He had on the school jacket he'd worn when he arrived on Friday, with a beige shirt underneath.He hadn't left yet, standing with his head bowed as he looked at his phone, waiting for the bus to arrive.
Ye Shiyu glanced at him, quickening her pace slightly as she stepped out of the isolated island of light and fully into the darkness.
At the same time, she called out to Yan Huan,
"Yan Huan."
Yan Huan was watching a celebrity speech on a video website with the volume turned low, so he immediately heard someone calling his name.
He turned his head slightly in surprise and saw Ye Shiyu standing in the shadows outside the platform.
He was taken aback, not expecting Ye Shiyu to have followed him out.
But quickly, Yan Huan adjusted his expression and smiled,
"Shiyu-jie, what brings you here?"
Soon after, he noticed the thin dress Ye Shiyu was wearing and added,
"It's quite cold outside, Shiyu-jie. You're not dressed warmly enough."
"Why are you leaving?"
Ye Shiyu cut straight to the point, interrupting him.
As she stepped forward, she entered the platform area.
"Well, because I'm not used to living here... I've always lived in the southern district, and suddenly moving to Jinghe District has been a bit troublesome."
Yan Huan explained with a smile.
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu stopped in her tracks and looked up at Yan Huan under the light, as if scrutinizing his expression.
But his smile was as sunny as ever, revealing no flaws.
Her gaze slowly retreated into the darkness as she said,
"Come back with me. Mom is very upset. She cares about you deeply."
Yan Huan blinked but didn't respond immediately. Instead, he pointed to a bench nearby,
"...Let's sit for a while, Shiyu-jie."
Ye Shiyu didn't move, but Yan Huan sat down first, removing his Bluetooth earbuds and storing them in their case.
Watching his actions, Ye Shiyu hesitated for a moment before sitting at the far edge of the bench.
She kept her distance from Yan Huan, but the light from his side still faintly illuminated her stunning features.
Yan Huan gazed at the quiet road ahead and suddenly asked with a smile, "Shiyu-jie, you actually dislike me, don't you?"
"..."
Ye Shiyu's pupils contracted slightly, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around her phone, but she didn't speak.
Yan Huan turned to face her, meeting her gaze, though he seemed a little embarrassed as he clasped his hands together, "Don't worry, I've never mentioned this to Auntie Ye, and she's never thought of it that way."
"...You've misunderstood."
From the unlit side of the platform, Ye Shiyu spoke in defense.
"Mm, maybe it's just my imagination, Shiyu-jie..."
Yan Huan didn't insist on arguing. Instead, he continued calmly, "It's just that... I've never had parents since I was little. After all these years, it's unrealistic to say I've never longed for a warm family.
"So when someone as kind and gentle as Auntie Ye came looking for me, I was truly happy—overjoyed, even. I really wanted someone like her, someone who cared for me like a mother, by my side..."
Even without any hypnotic influence, his heartfelt words made Ye Shiyu take a deep breath.
Yet, he wasn't trying to emphasize his own hardships. Instead, his words were meant for someone else.
"Shiyu-jie, you also lost your father early and have relied on Auntie Ye all these years. Maybe because our situations are somewhat similar, I can empathize deeply with you.
"If my mother were still here, and it was just the two of us... and she suddenly brought another child home—no matter who that child was or what they were like—just seeing her shower them with care would probably make me feel jealous and hurt..."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu quickly looked up at the strikingly handsome young man before her, whose eyes were gradually lowering. Her lips parted unconsciously.Though he was speaking of such a sorrowful matter, Yan Huan's smile remained unchanged.
He simply said, "I know how painful it is to have such precious love taken away. My parents were lost to natural disasters and fate when I was young—something I couldn't fight against, something I had no power over." His voice softened. "But precisely because I understand that pain... how could I bear to become the source of your suffering, Shiyu-jie?"
Ye Shiyu's hand trembled slightly, the phone she held threatening to slip from her grasp under the force of that tremor.
"..."
She couldn't speak. She could only stare at Yan Huan's smile as if seeing something incomprehensible.
That incomprehensible thing was tearing her heart apart, laying her bare, exposing something within—a faint, fluttering pulse.
Thump... thump...
Just as her eyes widened slightly, her lips parting in wordless confusion, Yan Huan suddenly seemed to remember something. He shifted the backpack from his shoulders to his front.
"Ah, right, Shiyu-jie, this is for you."
He unzipped the bag and pulled out a neatly folded gift bag.
Opening it, he retrieved several items.
First—the jellyfish keychain she had searched for so desperately yesterday. The keychain still bore the name tag she had attached, proving it wasn't something Yan Huan had bought later.
The other two items, however, were new purchases.
A square resin model of a jellyfish, as if a real, translucent jellyfish had been frozen mid-dance in water.
And then, an adorable jellyfish plush toy.
"This..."
Ye Shiyu stared blankly at the keychain placed in her palm, while Yan Huan merely showed the other two items before tucking them back into the gift bag.
"Ah, since you seemed so worried about it yesterday, I went back to look for it this morning. You must've left it at the aquarium, Shiyu-jie—I found it there. As for the other two... Auntie mentioned you really like jellyfish, so I just picked out a couple things based on my own taste. Don't mind it if you don't like them."
So... he had woken up so early just to go to the aquarium and search for her keychain?
And yet, this morning, she had been harboring wicked thoughts after accidentally catching sight of him changing clothes...
"Why... didn't you give it to me earlier?"
If he had given it to her sooner, maybe she wouldn't have been so cold toward him all day, wouldn't have treated him with such irritation.
"I was planning to give it to you at school, Shiyu-jie..."
Yan Huan smiled wryly.
"If I gave it to you today, I was afraid Auntie would see and be even more reluctant to let me leave."
"..."
Ye Shiyu stared at him, bewildered, watching as he extended the gift bag toward her from the light.
Her own hand, reaching out from the shadows to take it, moved slowly.
Within that slowness, incomprehension and emotion spread unchecked through her heart, threatening to overwhelm her.
Only now did she realize—hadn't he been looking after her all this time?
The day before yesterday, he had greeted her politely when he arrived.
Yesterday, when she had been arguing with someone over the keychain outside, he had stepped in to help her, securing it for her. And when she lost it, he had searched with her for hours without complaint.This morning, she woke up early to help me find my keychain and bought me a gift. At noon, she made me desserts, helped me secure a class, noticed I didn't want to watch a movie, and suggested we go grocery shopping instead. Even when leaving, she still made double-layer milk pudding for me and my mom.
She had clearly noticed all these things, so why had they never surfaced in her mind before, only now barely remembered? Because hatred and anger are like tides.
When those tides rise, the seashells of "beauty" on the shore are submerged, impossible to see no matter what.
So whenever she argued angrily with someone close, despite having so many wonderful memories with them, they all vanished in that moment.
Leaving only slander and insults.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
That eerie palpitation grew increasingly intense. Ye Shiyu lowered her head slightly, as if struggling to breathe, her chest tight.
But Yan Huan didn't notice her subtle change at this moment. Like his mother, he seemed accustomed to her silence.
Glancing at the line of cars waiting at the distant traffic light, he said, "The bus seems to be coming, Shiyu-jie."
Ye Shiyu's downcast eyes contracted slightly. Almost instinctively, she raised her head.
Her gaze met his smile as he turned to look at her.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Then I'll see you at school, Shiyu-jie."
Seeing that smile, Ye Shiyu's lips trembled slightly, her expressionless facade finally crumbling.
Her throat moved as if she wanted to say something.
Shouldn't she say something now? But why... why can't you speak, Ye Shiyu? Because of that unprecedented feeling in your heart? Because of that tightness in your chest? Because you can't breathe? Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Wai—"
Yan Huan, who had just started to rise, stopped at her single word, halting his movement for her.
"Wait a second."
He looked at Ye Shiyu. "What's wrong?"
"..."
Say something... He's looking at you, asking you... What should I say? Thump. Thump. Thump.
Ye Shiyu opened her mouth, but her throat felt stiff, as if it didn't belong to her.
Staring at the handsome boy before her, she felt like she had spotted an item in a store that she wanted more than anything else in the world.
Something that seemed uniquely hers, the only one in existence... Even though she knew better than anyone that the boy before her wasn't an object or a doll.
She should be speaking, responding to his kindness and gentleness.
That's how humans respond to another heart, another person.
Not like picking up a product, taking it to the counter, and paying for it with a phone.
But... but she couldn't speak.
So she could only clumsily resort to another method to possess him.
Thus, her right hand holding the phone instinctively lifted, pointing the screen at Yan Huan.
"!?"
Only after raising the phone did she belatedly realize what she had done.
He had been so kind just now, showing her his sincere kindness, and yet she chose to hypnotize him?
Ye Shiyu's eyes widened as she gasped for air, but her raised hand refused to lower.
Regret, excitement, and that eerie palpitation intertwined, pushing her nearly out of control, leaving only the violent sound ringing in her ears.
Thump. Thump. Thump.However, when she raised her phone, Yan Huan in front of her merely blinked in slight surprise, glanced at the screen, then looked back at her with a puzzled expression.
No... effect?
Why didn't it work?
In that instant, an overwhelming fear threatened to consume her heart.
Her pupils contracted slightly, and an invisible, terrifying desire seemed to swell within her, causing the surrounding shadows to churn uncontrollably.
Fortunately, at that moment, Yan Huan suddenly asked, "Did your phone run out of battery, Shiyu-jie?"
"Huh?"
The fear in her heart instantly crumbled. She looked down at her phone screen, where a glaring "empty battery" icon was displayed.
Had she... been so absent-minded while sewing earlier that she left the screen on with music playing, draining the battery? Her face burned fiercely in an instant.
Ye Shiyu's gaze immediately became evasive, her face turning away along with it, revealing her ears hidden beneath her dark hair.
Her hands trembled as she raised the phone, as if intending to use it as a shield against Yan Huan's scorching gaze.
But how much could a phone possibly cover? It couldn't hide her beautiful profile at all.
Thus, large patches of her flushed skin, her glistening eyes, and her desperate, earth-seeking gaze were all exposed.
She opened her mouth, her voice trembling like a small, adorable creature letting out a faint plea for mercy.
"Mhm... the phone's... out of battery..."
Even the tips of her ears, hidden within her long, ink-black hair, had turned cherry-red.
The darkness could no longer conceal her expression, laying bare her embarrassment and evasion.
Seeing Ye Shiyu like this, Yan Huan couldn't help but widen his eyes, momentarily stunned.
At this moment, he envied those self-media bloggers with cameras on their heads—perhaps they could have captured this shy and adorable version of Ye Shiyu.
Beep beep... "The bus to the South District is arriving. Please board in an orderly manner and hold on tight."
Coincidentally, the bus heading to the South District arrived just then.
Just as Ye Shiyu was about to flee, Yan Huan paused in thought, then stood up.
Whoosh.
Instead of boarding the bus, he took off his school jacket and draped it over Ye Shiyu's shoulders in one swift motion.
"Huh?"
Someone else's—no, Yan Huan's—clothing suddenly enveloped her.
Ye Shiyu's eyes widened as she was instantly wrapped in his scent.
Yet, as if she had suddenly forgotten how to resist, she simply stood there dumbly, holding her phone and staring at him as he rose.
Yan Huan, meanwhile, smiled faintly and glanced around.
"The road back to the neighborhood is too dark. Without a phone flashlight, it might be a bit troublesome... There seems to be a convenience store ahead. I'll go borrow a power bank. Shiyu-jie, wait here for a bit. It's cold, so keep the jacket on for now."
"...Okay."
Ye Shiyu nodded blankly, obedient as a doll.
Seeing that Yan Huan wasn't boarding, the bus to the South District closed its doors and departed.
Yan Huan then jogged across the street, heading toward the distant store.
Ye Shiyu lowered her head, feeling the weight of Yan Huan's jacket.
It didn't bear her name—it wasn't even hers—but wearing it wasn't unpleasant. It was warm...
Thump... thump... thump...
The strange sound in her ears grew increasingly intense, and only when it suddenly quieted did she realize—it had been the sound of her own heartbeat all along.She clenched her hands, no longer looking at her phone, instead pressing the screen against her chest.
She focused entirely on the warmth the school uniform jacket gave her.
Thus, she didn't notice the phone screen lighting up at that moment.
A bewitching purple vortex flickered on, then dimmed, flashing with static like a poor signal.
Soon after, the screen went dark again.
It wasn't until quite some time later, when her body had warmed up, that Ye Shiyu heard Yan Huan's voice calling out to her.
"Shiyu-jie!"
She lifted her head, her body instinctively rising to stand.
Yan Huan approached, handing her a power bank. "Here, Shiyu-jie."
"Mm."
Hearing the word "jie" in his voice, Ye Shiyu's gaze flickered away for a brief moment.
Plugging in the power bank to charge, she sat back down since the bus had already passed, meaning they had to wait for the next one.
Her mind was blank, even forgetting that she had come here to call Yan Huan back.
She simply clutched his school uniform jacket lightly, holding the gift bag he had given her in her arms, listening as he instructed her, "Shiyu-jie, you can wear the jacket back. You can return it to me at school later."
"Mm."
"As for the power bank, it might be a bit more troublesome—you'll have to come out of the neighborhood to return it. But if you forget, it's fine."
"Okay."
Her head lowered, her black hair cascading down, her now rosy skin occasionally peeking through as she nodded.
Thump… thump… thump…
Soon, the second bus arrived.
Beep… beep… "The bus is arriving. Please board in an orderly manner and hold on securely."
Yan Huan glanced at the bus, then slung his backpack over his shoulder. Turning back to Ye Shiyu, he smiled. "Shiyu-jie, I'm heading off. See you at school."
"…"
She stood up, lips parting slightly, but no words came out.
Yet, as Yan Huan finally turned to leave, her hand instinctively reached out—a silent plea for him to stay.
Unfortunately, he didn't see it.
He boarded the bus, settling into a window seat, waving at her through the glass. "Be careful on your way back, Shiyu-jie. Message me when you get home."
"…"
As the bus drove away, Ye Shiyu sat under the dimly lit bus stop for a long while before finally standing up and heading home.
Just as she reached the door, she saw Ye Lan and Chen Yi, who had just changed shoes and were about to go out looking for her.
"You're finally back… sniff… You weren't answering your calls. If I hadn't called Xiao Huan, I wouldn't have known your phone died."
"…He gave me a power bank."
Looking at the jacket draped over Ye Shiyu and the gift bag in her arms, Ye Lan's lips pursed slightly before she gently pulled her into a hug.
"…"
In the end, she hadn't been able to call him back.
Ye Lan didn't say anything more, simply leading Ye Shiyu back inside.
Yan Huan's school uniform was handed to Chen Yi to wash, while Ye Shiyu took the power bank and the remaining gifts back to her room.
Turning on the light, warm brightness filled the space.
Instead of sitting at her desk to work on her sewing, she collapsed weakly onto the bed.
Picking up her phone, she sent Yan Huan a message:
"I'm home."
Just as she was about to set the phone down, it suddenly buzzed—Beep! Beep!
Startled, her hand jerked, knocking over the gift bag beside her and sending the round jellyfish plush tumbling out.
No name was written on it, yet there it lay—right on her bed."Got it, rest early, Shiyu. See you at school."
Followed by a "Goodnight" cat sticker.
Blinking her long lashes, she tapped on her phone's keyboard, carefully considering her reply.
Deleted and typed, typed and deleted. In the end, she simply replied with "Mm."
After finishing this, Ye Shiyu turned over and lay face down on the bed.
Under the bright bedside lamp, her slightly flushed cheeks and moist eyes were clearly visible.
Perhaps finding the ceiling too plain, she shifted her gaze to the jellyfish plush beside her.
Pouting, she tentatively extended a finger.
Slowly inching closer, closer to the jellyfish doll that didn't bear her name but carried Yan Huan's scent—until finally, her finger sank into its soft body.
Gazing at the adorable jellyfish, she remained still for a long time, not getting up to fetch name tags or do anything else, just looking at it.
"Thump... thump... thump..."
After a long silence, she suddenly remembered her earlier intention to hypnotize Yan Huan.
This made her immediately bury her face in the crook of her arm.
"Ugh..."
How could she have thought of doing such a thing? Amidst the warm glow of the lights, within the cascading black hair that carried a floral fragrance, a muffled female voice emerged,
"You're really despicable, Ye Shiyu..."
The swaying bus heading south wasn't lit, making the quiet interior appear especially dim.
Yan Huan was the only passenger on board. He sat by the window, his figure shrouded in the darkness of the compartment, his expression unreadable.
Suddenly, a pair of emerald-green cat eyes lit up in the darkness, their owner—a figure seamlessly blending into the shadows—slowly approaching Yan Huan.
"So that's how it is..."
Miao Jiang's voice echoed in his mind,
"No wonder you've been acting unusually friendly with Ye Lan since this morning, showing your most considerate and caring side. The more you did this, the more it would provoke Ye Shiyu's excessive possessiveness... Yet at the very brink of her outburst, you chose to leave, letting her anger hit empty air, thereby fueling her regret..."
The shifting lights outside the window cast reflections on the glass, making the handsome youth sitting in the dark compartment appear enigmatic when viewed from outside.
Hearing Miao Jiang's words, Yan Huan sighed and said, "Because Ye Shiyu does have a conscience and morals—at least for now, before the Modifier has deeply influenced her. What I did was essentially acting, playing the role of a perfect, kind younger brother, using her morals to suppress her desire to use the Modifier..."
In the darkness, sensing the sigh in Yan Huan's tone, Miao Jiang said empathetically, "You don't need to feel guilty about deceiving her. She was about to use the Modifier on you, meow. Besides, a lot of those feelings weren't entirely fake—you just amplified them."
"Yeah, but I truly didn't expect her to chase after me, despite how much she dislikes me... She really loves Auntie Ye, willing to swallow her pride to come after me. And me? Even though Auntie Ye was so sincere, I left without even giving a proper reason..."
"Meow~"
Miao Jiang leaped onto him, pressing her plump body against his in an attempt to comfort him.Yan Huan gave a helpless smile while gazing out the window, yet couldn't resist reaching out to rub Miao Jiang's warm, chubby head.
He leaned against the window frame, staring at his own reflection.
Amidst the enveloping darkness, before the chaotic neon-lit window silhouette, a sigh echoed in his mind.
"You're truly despicable, Yan Huan."