"..."
Opposite him, seeing Yan Huan smile, Ye Shiyu gently put down the notebook in her hands, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing on her lips.
Yan Huan leaned against the windowsill and invited her.
"You should co over too."
"Rustle, rustle."
Ye Shiyu seed to know that the other girls were also in the villa, so she decisively shook her head.
Imdiately after, she looked downstairs. Seeing that her mother had already entered the villa, she lowered her head again, turned the page, and wrote sothing down.
"My mother has already gone inside. You should hurry down. I will see you at the company later."
"..."
After that, she closed the notebook. While looking at Yan Huan, she reached out and pulled the curtains shut.
That seed to be the signal that their conversation was over.
"Wait..."
Yan Huan reached out, wanting to stop her, but the curtains opposite him were already closed, blocking out the sunlight and his line of sight.
The bedroom fell into silence and darkness. Ye Shiyu stood by the window side for a while longer, holding the notebook and staring at the little cat emoticon she had drawn.
"Hello, Aunt Ye."
"Auntie Piggy!"
"Why do you keep calling
Auntie Piggy?"
From the opposite side, the faint sound of conversation drifted from the villa, reaching Ye Shiyu's ears.
She glanced in that direction. In the end, she did not reach out to crumple and throw away the page she had just turned. Instead, she simply placed the notebook back on the desk, then turned around and lay down on her bed.
On the bed lay the jellyfish doll that Yan Huan had given her earlier.
She reached out and pulled the dium-sized jellyfish doll into her arms, curling up to hold it tightly against her chest.
Then, she closed her eyes.
"..."
"Rustle."
"Sister Shiyu?"
However, in the very next second, Yan Huan's voice sounded from behind her.
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu opened her eyes, thinking she was hallucinating.
But out of vigilance, she still turned her head to check.
When she looked back, she happened to see that her bedroom window was open, and Yan Huan was struggling to cling to the outside wall, looking right at her.
"Xiao Huan?"
Seeing that it really was Yan Huan, Ye Shiyu's expressionless face did not crack, but she hurriedly sat up and smoothed back the long black hair at her temples.
Her expression remained unchanged, but her skin seed to heat up, taking on a soft pink hue.
"How did you..."
Yan Huan did not enter the room; he rely leaned against the outside of the window side and explained.
"Ah, I jumped straight down from upstairs, then climbed up here to find you."
"..."
Ye Shiyu blinked, sowhat at a loss for words.
"If you wanted to say sothing, you could have just used your mobile phone."
Hearing this, Yan Huan smiled and returned her previous words to her.
"I forgot."
"..."
For so unknown reason, sitting on the bed, Ye Shiyu's face flushed a few shades redder, and she slightly averted her gaze.
Perhaps because conversing through the window with the notebook earlier had felt so uninhibited, she now subconsciously searched for a notebook to speak on her behalf.
Unfortunately, she had already tossed that item onto her desk, so it naturally could not serve as a shield for her shyness.
Fortunately, Yan Huan did not wait for her reply and simply extended his invitation again.
"Aunt Ye has already gone over, you should co too, right?"
"...Aren't they over there?"
"True..."
Ye Shiyu hugged the jellyfish doll again, holding it up like a shield in front of her. With lowered eyes, she murmured softly.
"So, I think I will just..."
It was exactly as he expected.
Indeed, even without needing the affection-level display page from the Crab Coins shop, Ye Shiyu was well aware of her attitude towards the others.
However...
"It will be fine. Co on."
In the next second, Ye Shiyu once again looked up at Yan Huan before her.
"..."
eting his direct, unwavering gaze, Ye Shiyu's eyelashes trembled slightly.
"I..."
"Hurry, they are probably calling for
over there. Sister Shiyu, I will be waiting for you at the house!"
"Xiao..."
Ye Shiyu's pupils shrank. She had just reached out her hand when Yan Huan at the window side seed to hear Wang Yulu's voice.
So, he gave Ye Shiyu one last look before turning his head, leaping down the nearby railings floor by floor, and vanishing from sight.
"..."
Leaving Ye Shiyu standing there with her mouth slightly parted, caught in hesitation.
"Lan Lan! It has been so long!"
Opposite them, inside the villa.
Ye Lan walked into the villa with a smile. Before she could even change her shoes, she imdiately felt the sharp, imposing aura of the Four Heavenly Kings sweeping over her, causing her body to stiffen slightly.
Of course, their intense gazes were not directed at the highly respected Ye Lan.
They simply had not expected that Ye Shiyu would not co over with Ye Lan.
Upon confirming that Ye Shiyu had not entered, they revealed confused expressions and slowly withdrew their gazes.
"..."
Before Ye Lan could even breathe a sigh of relief, Wang Yulu stepped up and pulled her into a tight hug. Behind her stood Sakuramiya Hitomi, who seed to possess the natural aura of the lady of the house.
Sakuramiya Hitomi smiled elegantly and greeted Ye Lan politely.
"Good afternoon, Aunt Ye."
"Good afternoon, Sakuramiya."
Compared to Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was warmly playing the role of host, An Le and Tong Yingying, who sat reservedly in the luxurious living room, looked completely like re guests.
'This woman!!'
'Earlier at the hospital, you were the one taking care of him! Just now, when his mother arrived, you were the first to go out and greet her! And now you are acting just like a daughter-in-law accompanying her mother-in-law to entertain guests!'
'Why don't we just hand Yan Huan straight over to you?!'
"..."
It could only be said that in this kind of situation, Tong Yingying and An Le were completely outmatched by the systematically trained Sakuramiya Hitomi.
Their dining etiquette was barely enough to handle a normal family dinner; in a higher-end social setting, they probably would not even know where they were supposed to sit.
As for Aruiya?
Well...
It could only be said that she existed in a world entirely of her own, completely detached from such worldly struggles.
Seeing Ye Lan arrive alone, Wang Yulu revealed a puzzled expression.
"Oh, where is your Shiyu?"
"Ah, her..."
At the ntion of this, a guilty conscience flickered across Ye Lan's face.
Over the years, Wang Yulu and she had always kept in touch, and their bond was even deeper than before.
Yan Huan's parents were very busy and practiced a so-called free-range parenting strategy.
Therefore, in private, Wang Yulu had previously asked Ye Lan, who was about to move to Linn, to help take care of Yan Huan while they were away.
Ye Lan had indeed done exactly that, but...
Recently, her own daughter had also been taking exceptionally good care of Yan Huan!
Wang Yulu knew absolutely nothing about all of this.
Whenever she thought about what her daughter had done previously, Ye Lan could not even lift her head in front of the now-returned Wang Yulu.
"...She is feeling a bit under the weather today and wants to rest at ho for a while. She will co over to visit you later."
After racking her brains for a long ti, Ye Lan could only co up with such a la excuse for her absence.
"Oh my, is she alright?"
"She is fine, she is fine..."
Ye Lan waved her hand dismissively, but Wang Yulu still looked worried. She glanced back in the direction of the Ye Residence and said.
"I will have Xiao Huan go check on her, and he can bring so dinner over later... Xiao Huan! Xiao Huan!"
Saying this, Wang Yulu turned her head and shouted for Yan Huan, who was upstairs.
"Coming!"
A mont later, Yan Huan's voice echoed down from the upper floor.
Seeing this, Ye Lan hastily tried to dissuade her.
"Let it be, let it be, Yulu. Auntie Wang is still at the house; I will just have her make sothing light for dinner tonight."
"How can we do that? You guys have always taken care of Xiao Huan in the past. Now that I, her godmother, have finally returned, it is my turn to take care of her."
"..."
At the ntion of "taking care," the guilty conscience on Ye Lan's face beca even harder to hide. "Oh, although Shiyu is a bit quiet and reserved, she is a good kid. I could tell ever since she was little..."
Wang Yulu covered her mouth, sparing no words to praise her. Behind her, hearing this praise, An Le and Tong Yingying both wore very rich, complicated expressions.
Ye Lan even covered her face, trying to stop her as if begging for rcy.
"Please... stop talking, Yulu."
"Step."
Right at that mont, Yan Huan also ca down from upstairs.
"Aunt Ye."
He called out to Aunt Ye warmly, then looked toward the tightly shut front door behind her.
But after waiting for quite a while, there was no sound of a knock.
"..."
'Is she still unwilling to co?'
Yan Huan lowered his eyes slightly, but the expression on his face remained unchanged. He simply smiled and began to host Ye Lan as she entered the living room.
"Xiao Huan, you do not need to worry about her, just let her rest for a bit. By the way, with so many people here, Yulu, can you manage the cooking all by yourself?"
Hearing this, An Le's eyes lit up slightly. Seeming to have finally grasped an opportunity, she imdiately chid in.
"I can help you in the kitchen, Auntie."
"Oh my, An Le, you know how to cook?"
"Mhm."
"That is wonderful. Not many young people know how to cook these days. But there is no need, the ingredients are already prepped, they just need to be thrown into the wok."
Wang Yulu smiled and sat down next to An Le as she said this.
Sakuramiya Hitomi sipped her tea without saying a word, remaining as elegant as ever.
Only Tong Yingying looked at An Le in astonishnt, eyeing her as if she were a traitor.
'You show-off!'
'So you think you're the only one who can cook, huh?!'
'I can make egg pudding, too!'
'I was the one who taught Yan Huan how to make pudding!'
Seeing that An Le had betrayed her, Tong Yingying disgruntledly shifted her bottom, coincidentally sitting right next to Aruiya.
"Bump."
As a result, she accidentally bumped into Aruiya, who was completely engrossed in watching television.
"Awoo?"
Aruiya turned her head to glance at Tong Yingying. Originally, Tong Yingying was about to apologize subconsciously.
But in the very next second, Aruiya turned her head back nonchalantly and continued watching television as if nothing had happened.
As a bonus, she even leaned back comfortably against Tong Yingying's chest.
"..."
Feeling the warm and cozy Aruiya lean against her so defenselessly, Tong Yingying could not help but feel a wave of warmth in her heart.
'I have to admit, among the several Modifier Hosts, this Aruiya is indeed quite cute...'
"Awoo..."
Just as Tong Yingying was thinking this, in the very next second, Aruiya suddenly sat up straight, distancing herself from her.
Tong Yingying blinked, still unsure of what had just happened.
anwhile, Aruiya turned her head, pinched her nose, and fanned the air in front of Tong Yingying.
"There is a faint weird sll on you, awoo... It stinks."
"..."
Hearing this, Tong Yingying's face instantly darkened.
She probably had a faint scent of tobacco lingering on her, which Aruiya had caught wind of.
'But I changed clothes before coming here, and I even sprayed so perfu. How could you sll it?!'
'And even if you noticed, so be it, but you just had to say it out loud in front of everyone! Are you trying to expose
in front of Yan Huan's mother?!'
'I am never being nice to you again, Aruiya!!'
"Ding-dong~"
However, right at that mont, the doorbell at the entrance rang.
"..."
"Who is it?"
The mont they heard that sound, everyone's expressions changed slightly.
Turning his head to look in that direction, Yan Huan blinked, seeming to realize sothing.
Imdiately after, he took a deep breath and took the initiative to stand up and open the door.
"Click~"
The door swung open, revealing Ye Shiyu standing at the entrance, dressed in a white chiffon dress.
She stood at the door with an expressionless face, but her fingers, resting by her sides, were tightly gripping the hem of her skirt, making her look a little nervous.
"..."
After the two exchanged a glance, it was still Yan Huan who spoke first.
"Sister Shiyu?"
"!!"
"?!"
The mont Yan Huan uttered that na, the atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavy.
The gazes of the several girls surged toward Ye Shiyu like ferocious beasts, but they were seemingly unintentionally blocked by Yan Huan stepping in front of her.
"...Shiyu?"
Ye Lan's expression shifted, while Wang Yulu, completely unaware of the underlying tension, quickly stood up to greet her with warm enthusiasm.
"Shiyu! It has been so long! Do you still rember your godmother?"
"Yes, hello, Godmother."
While greetings were being exchanged at the front, behind them, Sakuramiya Hitomi calmly sipped her tea, and An Le and Tong Yingying had once again sat down together.
They exchanged glances, clearly formulating a plan.
In truth, Sakuramiya Hitomi had not gathered them here today simply to celebrate the housewarming and Yan Huan's discharge from the hospital.
The most important reason was to make Wang Yulu aware of just how dangerous Ye Shiyu was.
First, of course, was to protect Yan Huan from repeating the disastrous mistakes caused by Ye Shiyu in the past.
Second, it was because they all saw that Wang Yulu held an incredibly high level of affection for Ye Shiyu.
Ye Shiyu was already like a fierce tiger to begin with. With the added buff of Yan Huan's mother's favoritism, it would be like giving wings to a tiger—she would thoroughly crush them all into defeated rivals!
"Then co, sit down. It just so happens that all of Xiao Huan's friends are here."
"Co, Sister Shiyu, sit here."
Braving the increasingly turbulent and hostile gazes, Ye Shiyu, under Yan Huan's escort, safely took a seat beside Ye Lan, directly opposite the three girls.
anwhile, Yan Huan sat down beside his mother.
Ye Lan glanced at Ye Shiyu and could not help but rub her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
"Are you alright, Shiyu? Your mother ntioned earlier that you were feeling a bit under the weather?"
Right at that mont, An Le, sitting off to the side, feigned a seemingly casual tone of concern as she asked.
"That is right, is it because of the car accident from before?"
"..."
On the surface, this remark seed completely ordinary, but in reality, it carried imnse lethal power.
Hearing this, Wang Yulu frowned, suddenly rembering sothing.
"Oh yes, Shiyu, you were there too... You and Xiao Huan were together, over in the North Sea District. What were you two doing there?"
Wang Yulu had already been notified by the police about the car accident, ruling it an unfortunate mishap.
Furthermore, she knew nothing about the Modifiers, so she naturally raised no objections.
However, with An Le gently reminding her that the two of them were together during the accident, Wang Yulu would naturally begin to ask logical follow-up questions.
It was glaringly obvious that, given An Le's attitude toward Ye Shiyu, she could not wait for the truth about her imprisoning Yan Huan to co to light, seeking to deal her a fatal blow.
"..."
Seeing this, Yan Huan was not the least bit surprised.
He sighed, his gaze flickering slightly.
[Current Affection Levels of the Girls toward Ye Shiyu]
[An Le: -100%]
'And the task for the Crab Coins requires reaching 50%?'
'This is truly...'
Yan Huan stared at the illusory affection levels hovering before him, just about to speak up and manage the situation.
But in the very next second, his gaze caught sight of the very bottom row of the affection list.
There, he saw a na that felt both unfamiliar and familiar.
[Bai Yi: 69%]
'69%?'
"Hss..."
Yan Huan gasped in shock, rubbing the space between his eyebrows.
He did not even have ti to think about who the na Bai Yi belonged to, because his subconscious had already fed him the answer a step ahead of his thoughts:
'This number... it was not like this before!'
'Which ans, it is changing in real-ti.'
'Logically speaking, if the affection level towards Ye Shiyu was changing, there was a high probability it was because Ye Shiyu had done sothing to make the other party change their opinion of her.'
'But...'
'Neither he nor Ye Shiyu knew who Bai Yi was, and it was even more impossible for Bai Yi to have had any contact with Ye Shiyu these past few days.'
'Then...'
'How exactly did this affection level go up?'
'Can affection levels rise without any contact?'
'If Ye Shiyu had that kind of ability, things would not have turned out like this today!'
Yan Huan furrowed his brows, his heart heavy with a multitude of doubts.
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