When you were a child, how did your family react if you lost sothing?
For small, inconsequential items, perhaps they would scold you for being careless and remind you to be more mindful next ti. But if it was sothing important—like house keys or a bank card—you might face the infamous combo al of stern lectures and punishnts.
At least, that was Yan Huan’s recollection.
Regardless, it was hard to imagine any parent going out of their way to drive back to a shopping center late at night just to find a lost keychain, without a hint of reproach.
But Ye Lan did exactly that.
When Ye Shiyu calmly requested to go back, Ye Lan simply directed the driver to turn the car around.
The mont they arrived, Ye Shiyu exited imdiately, forgetting even the jacket she had discarded earlier when the car heater was on.
Yan Huan picked up the jacket with a sigh and followed her out.
After a brief conversation with the driver, Ye Lan waved her off, insisting she head ho for the evening. The driver hesitated but eventually complied, leaving them in the chilly spring evening air.
Ye Lan turned to Yan Huan with a helpless smile, adjusting her shawl as she spoke,
“Alright, Little Huan, let’s see if we can help Shiyu retrace her steps. She’ll probably start by following the route we took earlier today.”
Yan Huan’s gaze followed Ye Shiyu, who stood a few paces ahead, staring at the darkened silhouette of the now-closed aquarium.
“Sister Shiyu,” he called out, walking over to her.
She turned at the sound of his voice, her expression as impassive as ever.
“It’s getting cold. Here, your jacket.”
She glanced at the jacket in his hand, her eyes briefly pausing on the na tag she had carefully affixed to it earlier.
“Thank you.”
She took the jacket, though she didn’t put it on.
Yan Huan didn’t push the matter and instead stood beside her, his tone thoughtful.
“Do you rember the last ti you opened your bag? Was it at the aquarium or here at the mall?”
“I haven’t opened it since buying the keychain,” she replied, her voice firm with certainty.
“Really?” Yan Huan raised a skeptical brow.
She nodded, her conviction unwavering.
“Could your bag have a hole or tear?”
Ye Shiyu inspected her bag, checking every seam with care, before shaking her head.
“No.”
That made things stranger.
“...The aquarium is already closed,” she said, her expression frosty as she turned toward the shopping center. “I’ll search along the route to the mall.”
Without another word, she walked ahead, her pace brisk and determined.
Yan Huan and Ye Lan exchanged glances before following her.
“Dear shoppers, the mall will be closing in twenty minutes. Please make your way to the exit or use elevator 7A to reach the ground floor or parking lot. All other elevators will shut down shortly.”
The mall’s announcent echoed through the now dimly lit shopping center. Shops were closing one by one, the clatter of rolling shutters filling the air.
Descending the escalator to the first floor, Yan Huan spotted Ye Lan seated on a bench, her high heels kicked off as she massaged her ankles.
Her skirt fanned out like flower petals, and the fatigue in her eyes was evident.
When she saw Yan Huan approaching, she offered a tired but warm smile.
“How did it go, Little Huan? Any luck?”
Yan Huan shook his head.
“I’ve checked several tis already, even asked at the lost-and-found. No one’s seen it.”
“That’s strange...” Ye Lan pouted slightly, then patted the bench beside her.
“Co, take a seat. You’ve been running around all evening helping Shiyu—it’s ti for a break.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Aunt Ye,” Yan Huan replied, sitting beside her. “Besides, we already had plenty of fun earlier today.”
As she continued to rub her ankles, Yan Huan noticed the red marks left by a day of walking in high heels.
The mall’s calming ambiance felt warr sohow, despite the encroaching chill of the night.
Ye Lan rested her chin in her palm, studying him with amusent.
“Don’t you think this is a bit over the top?”
“Over the top?”
“For a little keychain, driving all the way back to search for an hour. Doesn’t it seem... a little silly?”
Yan Huan chuckled.
“Well... I half-expected you to summon an army of employees, reopen the aquarium, and have everyone comb through it until it turned up.”
Ye Lan laughed, her lodic voice filling the quiet mall.
“You’ve been reading too many novels, Little Huan!”
“I an, that’s how the novels describe it,” Yan Huan said, striking a mock-serious pose. Pointing dramatically, he declared in a cold tone,
“Find her keychain, or you’ll all be buried with it!”
Ye Lan doubled over in laughter, holding her stomach as her feet swayed in the air.
“You’re a natural! I’m telling you, you’d be perfect for a movie role!”
Yan Huan grinned but quickly sobered, rubbing his head as she playfully flicked his forehead.
“Honestly, it’s just a keychain. How could I waste so many resources on sothing so trivial?”
“Isn’t it similar in spirit, though? You’re still dedicating ti and effort to sothing seemingly small,” Yan Huan pointed out, tilting his head.
Ye Lan’s laughter softened into a smile as she reached out to ruffle his hair.
“Shiyu almost never loses things. If sothing goes missing, it’s because it’s truly important to her—sothing she’s marked as her own. I know how much she cherishes those items, so even if it seems small to others, it’s significant to her.
“To anyone else, it’s just a cheap keychain. But to , it’s special because it’s special to her. That’s what being a parent ans, Huan.
“It’s why I wouldn’t ask anyone else to help with this. This is our responsibility—hers and mine. And it’s why I feel bad dragging you into it.”
Yan Huan didn’t mind. In fact, he preferred staying out late—it gave him a better excuse to avoid any hypnotic midnight visits.
But Ye Lan’s heartfelt words stirred sothing in him.
“Which is why you didn’t let the driver help earlier,” he realized aloud.
Ye Lan nodded. “She should clock out and rest like anyone else. We’ll just take a cab ho later.”
Hearing that, Yan Huan felt an inexplicable pang of emotion.
Maybe it was because, in his previous life, overwork had killed him. Hearing soone value their employees’ rest so highly felt almost revolutionary.
“Aunt Ye,” he said suddenly, his tone earnest. “If I ever get the chance, I’d love to work for you.”
Ye Lan burst into laughter again, her eyes sparkling with affection. She reached over to tousle his hair once more, this ti with a playful grin.
“With how talented you are, I’d be honored to have you, Little Huan. But don’t bla
if I’m not as kind as you think!”
“...I’ll keep that in mind,” he muttered, half-smiling as he imagined his future self under Ye Lan’s employ.
Their lighthearted mont was interrupted when Ye Shiyu returned, descending the escalator with a cold, unreadable expression.
From her empty hands, the answer was clear: she hadn’t found it.
Yan Huan stood imdiately.
“Sister Shiyu, I can search one more ti if—”
Before he could finish, she cast him a fleeting glance. Her gaze then shifted to her mother, who still sat on the bench massaging her feet.
For a mont, sothing flickered in Ye Shiyu’s eyes—hesitation, or perhaps resignation. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it.
Her expression darkened, and in her hand, her phone suddenly lit up, glowing with a familiar, sinister purple light.
Yan Huan’s brow furrowed slightly.
She’s... angry? Over the keychain?
But why would the modifier react? Who could she possibly hypnotize over this?
Ye Lan saw that her daughter's face was clouded with frustration. She slipped back into her high heels, buckled the straps, and stood up.
"The mall will close in twenty minutes. How about Xiao Huan and I help you search one more ti?"
Hearing her mother's gentle tone, Ye Shiyu's icy expression softened slightly. She then shook her head and said,
"Forget it, Mom. Let’s go ho."
"Alright, I’ll buy you another one tomorrow."
"No need. Let’s just leave."
Ye Shiyu shook her head again and prepared to leave. Ye Lan glanced helplessly at Yan Huan and murmured with confusion,
"Your sister’s temper seems worse than before. She never used to get this upset, even when she couldn’t find sothing."
Yan Huan remained silent, his gaze fixed on Ye Shiyu's retreating figure, seemingly lost in thought.
The once cheerful day ended on a somber note, casting a shadow even during the taxi ride ho. The air between them was heavy with silence.
Back at the house, Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu went upstairs to rest. anwhile, Aunt Chen busied herself in the first-floor laundry room, preparing to wash the clothes that the driver had brought back earlier.
Yan Huan noticed her at work and, out of curiosity, approached to observe.
Ye Shiyu’s clothes already had na tags attached. How was Aunt Chen going to handle them in the wash?
Watching closely, he saw Aunt Chen skillfully remove the na tags first.
Seeing his interest, Aunt Chen explained with a smile,
"These na tags are just temporary. Later, she’ll sew her na onto the fabric herself. Shiyu’s needlework is excellent—her mother even hired a renowned tailor to teach her when she was younger."
While organizing Ye Shiyu’s clothes and preparing to put them in a separate washing machine, Aunt Chen continued,
"The clothes on those dolls in her room were all made by her own hands. Oh, Xiao Huan, have you seen them yet? Tomorrow, you should ask Shiyu to show you."
"Sure, if there’s a chance," Yan Huan replied with a polite smile, though he doubted Ye Shiyu would agree.
Earlier, she hadn’t even worn her outer jacket again after he touched it, and he didn’t see that jacket among the clothes Aunt Chen was about to wash.
Ye Shiyu clearly disliked others handling her belongings—at least when it ca to outsiders like Yan Huan. But for Aunt Chen or Ye Lan, it seed she made an exception.
Aunt Chen could wash her clothes, and earlier, Ye Lan had even worn one of her jackets.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Yan Huan decided it was ti to head to his room to rest.
"There’s milk in the kitchen, Xiao Huan. Don’t forget to take so upstairs."
"Got it, thank you, Aunt Chen."
Carrying a glass of milk, Yan Huan returned to his room on the second floor.
He switched on the lights and imdiately spotted a black cat sitting primly on the sofa.
"ow~"
"ow-chan," Yan Huan greeted.
"You’re back. How was today?"
Setting the milk down, Yan Huan let himself collapse onto the sofa, the plush cushions bouncing slightly under his weight. ow-chan, however, didn’t budge—it was far too plump to be disturbed.
"Sa old, sa old."
The black cat jumped onto his chest, tilting its head curiously as it asked,
"Did sothing happen?"
"Well..." Yan Huan hesitated mid-sentence. His expression suddenly shifted as he sprang up and quickly walked to the door, locking it.
Click.
Only then did he relax, returning to the sofa and sprawling out again.
While sipping his milk, he glanced at the curious black cat and asked,
"ow-chan, do you think there’s any connection between dolls and jellyfish?"
"Is this a riddle?"
"It’s about Ye Shiyu. Her modifier’s host has two favorite things: dolls and jellyfish. Is there a link between them?"
The cat tilted its head further, as if deep in thought, before replying,
"Is there one?"
"Why are you asking ? I’m asking you!"
"Humans’ preferences are complicated. The things they like don’t necessarily have to be connected."
Yan Huan drained his glass and sighed.
"But she isn’t like a normal person. Her love for dolls and jellyfish clearly exceeds that of ordinary people. It feels like there’s a reason behind it... Also, everything that happened today was weird, like there was a ghost involved."
Ye Shiyu’s keychain had inexplicably gone missing. According to Ye Lan, she was usually very careful with her belongings. Even Ye Shiyu herself, after replaying the day in her mind, was sure she hadn’t opened her bag.
Yet the keychain had vanished.
It might have been left behind at the aquarium, but sothing still didn’t add up.
This whole day had been strange...
Dolls and jellyfish—Ye Shiyu’s two obsessions.
The inexplicable disappearance of the jellyfish keychain and her uncharacteristic anger.
The two seed as unrelated as basketballs and chickens.
They had no apparent connection, yet there was a nagging sense that, if tied together, they might reveal so bizarre logic—like a faint shadow of overalls flitting through his mind’s eye.
Just as Yan Huan was mulling this over, a sudden thought struck him. He grabbed his phone and snapped a picture of ow-chan.
Click.
The adorable cat was captured on cara. Yan Huan opened Plane, sending the photo to his vice president, Ying Gong Tong, whose avatar was a white cat.
Accompanying it, he sent a cheeky text:
"Here’s today’s friend fee."
Afterward, he followed up with a question:
"Vice President Ying Gong, do you have ti? I need to ask you sothing."
Ying Gong, a cat enthusiast, was well-versed in feline matters, and consulting her often yielded useful insights.
Minutes later, her typing indicator appeared, but instead of a reply, his phone screen lit up with an incoming call.
Slipping on his Bluetooth headset, Yan Huan answered with a smile.
"Isn’t it cute, the cat?"
"It’s very cute. Is it from your aunt’s house?" ca a soft, silky voice from the other end.
"No, it’s a stray I picked up. I’ve been taking care of it and nad it ow-chan."
ow-chan yawned theatrically beside him.
"I see..." Ying Gong didn’t comnt on the na but instead speculated,
"Are you calling to ask about raising cats?"
"Not exactly..." Yan Huan chuckled before cutting to the chase.
"I want to know—why do you like cats?"
A mont of silence.
"Vice President?"
"They’re... cute, I guess."
Yan Huan was about to press further when Ying Gong abruptly dropped this bombshell, catching him off guard.
"Erm..."
Cats were adorable, but jellyfish? Could they be considered cute?
They could be, Yan Huan supposed, but it didn’t feel like the right answer.
"Is there more to it?" he prompted.
"Are you asking why I like cats beyond their appearance?" Ying Gong clarified.
"Exactly. Could it be sothing about their nature that resonates?"
"Hmm... I’d say it’s because cats are so independent yet affectionate when they need to be. They’re strong but also vulnerable, like children—self-reliant yet dependent on their caregivers. That’s what makes them so endearing to ."
Yan Huan mulled over her words. Was it possible that Ye Shiyu’s fascination with jellyfish stemd from a similar attribute?
"People are drawn to things for all kinds of reasons," Ying Gong continued.
"It could be sothing they lack and yearn for, or sothing that mirrors themselves. It could be anything that provides comfort or safety."
Hearing her soothing voice, a spark of inspiration ignited in Yan Huan’s mind.
Sothing missing...
His thoughts drifted to the image of Ye Shiyu standing before the aquarium, gazing at the glowing jellyfish.
Her expression had been serene, her dark eyes reflecting the luminous creatures as they pulsated gently through the water—alive and moving with purpose.
Movent, life, vitality...
“Thank you, Vice President. You’ve given
a lot to think about,” Yan Huan said, sitting up abruptly.
Though it was just a theory, he finally had a lead.
"Wait," Ying Gong interjected. "It feels like you weren’t actually asking about
liking cats, was it?"
"Got it, Vice President," Yan Huan replied cheekily, mimicking her abrupt conversational tone.
"Ah?"
"I’ve noted why you like cats."
Sighing in exasperation, she conceded,
"Fine. If it helps you with whatever personal issue this is, then I’m glad. Rest well, President."
"You too. Goodnight."
Hanging up, Yan Huan glanced at his door.
No knocks.
It seed tonight might be a peaceful one after all.
Perhaps Ye Shiyu had been too preoccupied with her missing keychain to bother him.
Or maybe—just maybe—she had other plans for the night.
Upstairs, Ye Shiyu ascended the stairs with a glass of milk in one hand and her phone in the other.
As she passed Yan Huan’s door on the second floor, her steps slowed, and her gaze lingered.
After a brief hesitation, she continued upward.
There was sothing else she needed to do tonight.
Reviews
All reviews (0)