"Click~"
It was Saturday morning.
On the first floor, Aunt Chen’s bedroom door opened. As soone who was a bit older, Aunt Chen always woke up early to clean the house and prepare breakfast.
What she didn’t expect was that Ye Lan was already sitting at the dining table, looking troubled.
Dressed in a nightgown, she held a steaming cup of coffee in her hands, her face clouded with worry.
Aunt Chen paused for a mont and asked,
“Miss, you’re up so early today?”
Ye Lan rested her chin on her hand, loose strands of hair slipping between her fingers. She glanced at Aunt Chen and murmured,
“Ah, morning, Aunt Chen.”
“Did sothing happen?”
“…No, I just couldn’t sleep.”
As she spoke, Ye Lan took a sip of her coffee.
Aunt Chen smiled slightly and walked over.
“That’s good… I’ll go make breakfast and clean up a bit.”
“Mm…”
Ye Lan responded absentmindedly, her gaze unfocused.
Her mind was still occupied by what had happened last night.
She had seen her daughter sneaking out of Yan Huan’s room in the middle of the night, carrying sothing.
She wasn’t sure if Little Huan and Shiyu had secretly t up as lovers, or if…
Shiyu had deliberately tried to hide sothing.
Ye Lan had seen through her daughter’s little tricks but had chosen not to expose her, allowing her to keep her dignity.
But after returning to her room, the more she thought about it, the stranger it felt.
If Shiyu and Little Huan were truly in a relationship, eting in secret at night…
Why did she need the guest room key?
No matter how she thought about it, it felt off.
Ye Lan shook her head, quickly taking another sip of coffee to steady herself.
This is ridiculous. Why am I doubting Shiyu like this?
No matter how odd she is, she wouldn't actually do sothing like that… right?
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle~"
The sound of oil frying and the range hood humming filled the kitchen.
Ye Lan sat there, staring into her coffee, lost in thought for a long ti.
Not long after, a light pitter-patter of footsteps ca from behind her.
She turned her head at the sound—
Only to see ow-chan standing there, tail perked up, looking up at her with its big green eyes.
"ow~"
The adorable sight of the cat softened Ye Lan’s nerves.
She reached out and gently rubbed its fluffy head.
“ow-chan, you’re up?”
"ow~"
“Such a good kitty…”
“Good morning, Aunt Ye.”
Where there was a cat, there was Yan Huan.
Turning around, Ye Lan saw the young man yawning, carrying a small bundle of dirty clothes as he stepped out of his room.
“Morning, Little Huan.”
Yan Huan smiled slightly and walked toward the laundry room to put the clothes away.
Once he was empty-handed, he returned to the dining table, letting out another yawn as he sat down.
Seeing this, Ye Lan asked,
“Didn’t sleep well last night?”
Yan Huan smiled faintly, rubbing his shoulder as he muttered,
“A little, yeah… I don’t know why, but when I woke up this morning, I felt especially exhausted.”
Exhausted?
Ye Lan’s gaze locked onto him, carefully analyzing his expression, searching for any useful information.
“Breakfast is ready!”
Aunt Chen soon brought out plates of toast, jam, fried eggs, and warm banana milk.
A classic Western-style breakfast.
Yan Huan thanked her and started eating.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Ye Lan asked casually,
“Little Huan, do you usually lock your door when you sleep?”
“…”
Yan Huan, in the middle of spreading jam on his toast, paused awkwardly.
Then, a little embarrassed, he admitted,
“Yeah, it’s a habit from the South District. The environnt there isn’t the safest, so I always lock my door at night.”
Confird.
Little Huan locks his door when he sleeps.
Ye Lan nodded slightly, took a sip of her banana milk, and asked again,
“Little Huan, what do you think of Shiyu?”
“Hm?”
Hearing the question, Yan Huan looked up at her, thought for a mont, then smiled.
“Well… I think Sister Shiyuis amazing. She’s good at everything. But… she doesn’t show much expression, and she doesn’t really like to smile. And… I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but…”
“But?”
“Mm…”
Yan Huan hesitated, carefully choosing his words.
“Sotis, her eyes… are a little scary.”
Ye Lan froze slightly.
She looked at Yan Huan’s earnest expression and fell silent for a long mont before replying,
“…Yeah. Shiyu isn’t very good at talking to people, so even I don’t always know what she’s thinking.”
Just from this short conversation, Ye Lan had gathered several key pieces of information:
Little Huan locks his door when he sleeps.
Little Huan is completely unaware of what happened last night.
Little Huan and Shiyu do not have a romantic relationship.
So then…
What was Shiyu doing in his room last night?
The more she thought about it, the more unsettled she felt.
Her chest tightened at the thought of any possibility.
She didn’t ask any more questions, but she barely touched her breakfast—only managing to finish her milk and coffee.
After breakfast, Aunt Chen began cleaning, and Yan Huan went upstairs to relax for a bit.
Ye Lan stayed in the living room, playing with ow-chan.
Shiyu usually slept in on weekends.
Just like when Yan Huan first arrived, 8 AM was still too early for her to be awake.
Watching the little black cat roll over and expose its belly, Ye Lan’s heavy thoughts finally eased a little.
She sat on the sofa, absentmindedly twirling a leaf she had plucked from a potted plant.
She gently teased ow-chan with it.
"ow~"
The black cat gave her a look, clearly unimpressed, then turned away and trotted toward the laundry room.
Ye Lan watched it go, her gaze drifting.
Even though she was staring into space, her hand continued shaking the “cat toy” absentmindedly.
"Thud!"
A sudden noise from the laundry room snapped her out of her daze.
She sighed, stood up, and walked over, calling out,
“ow-chan, what trouble are you causing this ti?”
"ow~"
Ye Lan arrived at the laundry room door, only to see that the basket of Yan Huan’s dirty clothes had been knocked over.
The mischievous black cat was rummaging through the pile.
“Not behaving, ow-chan,” Ye Lan scolded lightly. “You made your brother’s clothes fall on the floor.”
"ow~"
Ye Lan walked over, about to pick up the chubby black cat and gather the scattered clothes.
But just then, her gaze was drawn to where ow-chan was pawing with its soft pads.
There seed to be sothing—sothing that didn’t quite match the surrounding fabric.
Her brows furrowed.
She quickly picked up the piece of clothing.
Running her fingers along the collar, she brought it closer for inspection.
And there—on the inner lining of the collar, hidden in an extrely discreet spot—she saw three stitched characters:
"Ye Shiyu."
Ye Lan’s eyes widened.
A chill ran up her spine.
"ow~"
“…”
ow-chan kept pawing at the pile, but Ye Lan imdiately put the garnt down and grabbed another one.
She searched through it carefully.
Sure enough, in another hard-to-spot corner, she found the sa embroidered na.
At that mont—
It was as if all hope died inside her.
Ye Lan slowly closed her eyes, gripping the fabric in silent disbelief.
After a long mont, she exhaled sharply, her face darkening.
Without a word, she stood up and walked out of the laundry room.
"Aunt Chen!"
“Eh? Miss, what’s wrong?”
On the second floor, Aunt Chen peeked out from where she was cleaning, listening as Ye Lan spoke from downstairs.
“In a bit, I’ll have the driver co pick you up. You’re going to the supermarket to buy a few things—like a water dispenser. Make sure to choose the best one.”
Aunt Chen opened her mouth, about to suggest letting soone else handle it.
But she paused—
Because she could already sense the thunderous undertone in Ye Lan’s otherwise calm voice.
This… was the unmistakable sign of her fury.
“…Understood, Miss.”
She nodded and imdiately stopped cleaning, preparing to leave instead.
“Oh, and—” Ye Lan added, her tone unchanging—
“Call Little Huan down.”
“…Alright. Little Huan!”
On the first floor, Ye Lan sat by the dining table, rubbing her temples as she lightly tapped her fingertips against her phone.
She seed to be ssaging soone.
"Aunt Ye, what’s wrong?"
The young man, who had only just stayed over as a guest, walked over with a confused look.
Ye Lan paused, looking up at him.
She stared at his innocent, clueless face—
At how he clearly had no idea about anything.
For a mont, she hesitated.
Then, she forced a gentle smile.
“Little Huan… actually, Auntie and Sister Shiyu have so things to take care of this week. The driver will be here soon—he’ll drop Aunt Chen off first, then take you back to the South District.”
“…Ah.”
Yan Huan blinked, then nodded.
“Alright… okay, Aunt Ye. I’ll just go pack up my things.”
“Mm… sorry about this, Little Huan.”
Next ti, when you visit again—
I’ll personally co pick you up.
Once Yan Huan had packed up and stood at the front door, holding ow-chan in his arms, he politely said his goodbyes.
Then—he left.
Ye Lan watched him disappear outside.
Bit by bit, the smile on her face faded.
She glanced at the fresh cup of banana milk sitting before her.
And for a long ti—
She simply sat there in silence.
Tap… Tap…
A series of soft steps echoed from the spiral staircase.
Wearing a casual dress, Ye Shiyu walked downstairs.
She blinked when she noticed how eerily quiet the house was.
At the dining table, her mother sat motionless, facing away from her.
A strange pressure lingered in the air.
An uneasy feeling crept up her spine.
Her lips pressed together in nervousness.
“…Good morning, Mom.”
“Mm.”
Ye Lan rubbed her temples.
She gestured toward the toasted bread on the table and said,
“Co eat breakfast.”
“…Okay.”
Ye Shiyu walked over but couldn’t help glancing around again.
“…Where’s Aunt Chen?”
“She went out to buy so things.”
Ye Shiyu sat down.
After a few seconds of silence, she hesitated, then asked,
“…And Little Huan? Is he still asleep?”
“…”
The mont the words left her lips—
Ye Lan lifted her gaze.
She frowned at Ye Shiyu.
And with just one look—
The piece of toast that Ye Shiyu had been about to pick up slipped from her fingers and fell onto her plate.
Ye Lan kept her gaze on her daughter and spoke softly.
“I sent Little Huan ho. He went back to the South District.”
“…Back? Why?”
“You tell .”
Ye Lan frowned deeper.
Then—
She reached for the shirt she had hidden beside her chair.
It was one of Yan Huan’s clothes—the very one he had left behind.
And she threw it onto the dining table.
“Tell , Shiyu—why is your na embroidered on Little Huan’s clothes?”
Ye Shiyu’s eyes widened.
Then—
A massive wave of guilt crashed over her.
“I…”
Ye Lan’s frown deepened.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
“I’ve already sent them all away—I didn’t tell them anything.”
“Right now, it’s just the two of us—mother and daughter.”
“So tell , Shiyu—why?”
But Ye Shiyu still couldn’t answer.
She tried to look away—
Smack!
Ye Lan’s palm slamd against the table.
“Look at ! Speak properly!”
The sudden bang made Ye Shiyu flinch.
She paled, turning to face her mother—whose forehead veins were now bulging.
Her lips trembled.
But she couldn’t even string together a single complete sentence.
“M-Mom, I… I just—”
Ye Lan didn’t interrupt her.
But even so—
Ye Shiyu still couldn’t find the words.
Her silence only made Ye Lan’s anger grow.
“Last night, you never even left the house!”
“You used the guest room key to open Little Huan’s door—you went inside his room in the middle of the night.”
“So tell —what were you doing there?”
“I—”
Still, she couldn’t answer.
“I saw it with my own eyes.”
“You were carrying a suitcase when you went in.”
“That suitcase is still in your room, isn’t it?”
“If you won’t tell , then I’ll go check it myself.”
With that—
Ye Lan’s expression turned ice-cold.
She stood up abruptly and turned toward the stairs, ready to head upstairs.
Ye Shiyu froze.
Then—she panicked.
Her face turned pale as she quickly stood up, grabbing her mother’s hand in desperation.
“…Mom—”
“Let go!”
If her mother saw what was inside that suitcase—
And if she told Little Huan—
Just imagining it made Ye Shiyu’s breath turn erratic.
Her eyes turned red, and before she could stop herself, tears spilled down her face.
“…Mom… I…”
Ye Lan’s expression darkened further.
She yanked her hand free and turned back, her voice ice-cold.
“Are you going to tell , or do I have to go see for myself?”
Ye Shiyu’s lips trembled.
Finally, she forced out the words.
“…It’s… aphrodisiacs… and so… male-use… Qingqu toys…”
Boom.
Ye Lan’s mind went blank.
She had thought—at worst—there would just be so questionable things.
But this—
This was far beyond what she had expected.
And she did it while Little Huan was asleep…
No wonder.
No wonder he said he felt so exhausted this morning.
Ye Lan’s hands clenched into fists.
Her voice dropped into an icy, trembling command.
“Kneel.”
Ye Shiyu looked up at her mother—
Only to see that although Ye Lan’s expression was cold, her eyes were already red.
Her piercing gaze swept over Ye Shiyu.
The pressure was so overwhelming that Ye Shiyu’s knees buckled instantly.
“I told you to kneel. Didn’t you hear , Ye Shiyu?!”
Tears stread down Ye Lan’s face as she turned and strode into the laundry room.
A mont later—
She ca back holding a clothes hanger.
Her voice shook with fury as she approached.
“For all these years, I’ve given you everything you wanted. I’ve never neglected you—not even once. Even when I knew you had a strong possessiveness, I never blad you—”
“Because I knew. I owed you.”
“If I had handled your father’s affairs better, you wouldn’t have turned out like this—”
“…And this is the result?”
“This is what you’ve beco? A complete and utter pervert?!”
Ye Lan’s voice cracked with grief.
Ye Shiyu opened her mouth, wanting to say sothing to calm her mother down.
But before she could—
Smack!
The clothes hanger struck her back.
The pain shot through her like a whip, making her gasp sharply.
Ye Lan wasn’t holding back.
Tears poured from Ye Shiyu’s eyes.
“…Mom…”
But Ye Lan remained unmoved.
If anything—
The pain in her own heart was just as intense.
She wiped at her own tears and looked down at her daughter, her voice shaking with rage.
“Your godmother passed away years ago—leaving behind only one child in Linn.”
“I brought him here to take care of him—but also because I hoped being around him would help you open up more.”
“He survived all these years in the chaos of the South District, taking care of himself. And yet—here—the one place he thought of as ho, the one place where he finally let his guard down—”
“He was violated by the very person he saw as his sister.”
“How am I supposed to face your godmother?”
“How am I supposed to face Little Huan?”
“How am I supposed to explain this to the rest of our family?!”
“Ye Shiyu, tell —
Are you even human?!”
Smack!
Another strike—
The hanger lashed across her back, making her drop her phone to the floor.
The screen shattered, cracks spreading from the impact.
The screen never lit up with the purple vortex.
Slowly—its power drained, and the device died completely.
But even so—
Ye Shiyu didn’t dare to resist.
She could only let tears fall freely as she turned back, looking at her mother—
Who was crying just as much.
“…Mom…”
"Ye Shiyu, what the hell goes through your head every day?!"
"Why did you do this?!"
For the first ti—
In this silent, empty living room—
Without her phone, without any ans of escape—
The Ye Shiyu that was left behind was the real Ye Shiyu.
Her voice trembled.
“…I… I just… like Little Huan…”
“…Like?”
Ye Lan stared at her daughter in disbelief.
She listened in silence—
As Ye Shiyu, through her sobs, finally confessed everything.
She told her mother about how she had rejected Little Huan at first—
How she had tried to push him away in secret—
How, in the end, Little Huan had noticed her rejection and chosen to distance himself.
“…I just… felt guilty…”
“…Because it was the first ti… the first ti soone ever treated
like that…”
“But every ti I saw him smiling at others, saw him being welcod by everyone…”
“I… I just…”
Ye Lan’s frown deepened.
She looked at Ye Shiyu, her voice stern.
“…So this is what you did to him?”
“…I…”
"You think you like Little Huan? Are you joking?"
Ye Lan’s eyes were filled with disappointnt.
She stepped closer, towering over her daughter.
Word by word—she spoke clearly.
“You don’t love him. You just see him as sothing that belongs to you.”
“What you feel—isn’t love for a person.”
“Do you understand that?”
Ye Shiyu’s eyes widened.
She looked up at her mother, shocked.
“You violated him just because he didn’t do what you wanted?”
“Your feelings matter—but his don’t?”
“You only follow your own desires, but never consider his?”
“This is your so-called ‘love’?”
“…Then tell —do you love the Little Huan who smiles at you and treats you kindly—”
“Or do you love the lifeless, unresponsive Little Huan?”
Ye Shiyu’s knees buckled further.
She collapsed from kneeling into a seated position.
Her eyes filled with even more tears—until they overflowed completely.
“…Mom… I… I really don’t know what to do…”
Ye Lan looked at her daughter—
And felt her heart ache even more.
After a long silence—
She finally cald down.
Her voice softened slightly.
“Little Huan was kind to you—that’s what made you fall for him.”
“If you don’t know what to do—then why not learn from him?”
“Instead of scaring him, instead of forcing these things on him—”
“Have you ever once tried showing him kindness?”
Ye Lan reached out, cupping her daughter’s tear-streaked face.
Her voice was gentle, yet firm.
“Real love doesn’t an doing whatever you want.”
“And it definitely isn’t sothing you can force.”
“If you want to love soone—then learn what love really ans first.”
Ye Shiyu panicked instantly.
Her face turned deathly pale as she scrambled to her feet, grabbing her mother’s hand, pleading desperately.
“Mom…”
“Let go!”
If her mother saw what was in that suitcase, and then told Little Huan—
The more she thought about it, the more frantic she beca.
Her eyes turned red, and tears welled up uncontrollably, falling one after another under Ye Lan’s piercing gaze.
“Mom… I…”
But Ye Lan’s anger only burned hotter.
She turned back abruptly, shaking off Ye Shiyu’s grip as she snapped—
“Are you going to tell , or do I have to go see for myself?!”
“…It’s… it’s aphrodisiacs, and so… uh… toys for n…”
Ye Lan’s mind went blank.
She had thought—
No matter how bad it was, it wouldn’t be too extre.
But this?
She never expected this.
And on top of that—
She had done it while Little Huan was asleep.
No wonder…
No wonder Little Huan had just said he felt strangely exhausted.
“Kneel.”
Ye Shiyu stared at her mother, wide-eyed.
She could see that, despite Ye Lan’s cold expression, her eyes were already red.
But that sharp gaze—
That terrifying pressure—
Made Ye Shiyu’s legs buckle instantly.
“I said kneel. Did you not hear , Ye Shiyu?!”
Tears streaming down her face, Ye Lan stord toward the laundry room.
Monts later, she returned—
Holding a clothes hanger.
She gripped it tightly as she approached, her voice trembling with fury.
“For years—I have given you everything you’ve ever wanted.”
“I’ve never denied you anything.”
“I knew you had a strong sense of possession, but I never blad you for it… Because I knew it was my fault.”
“If I had handled your father’s affairs better, you wouldn’t have turned out like this.”
“But this—this is what it’s co to?!”
“You’ve turned into a complete monster?!”
Ye Lan’s voice cracked, filled with pain.
Ye Shiyu wanted to say sothing—
But before she could—
Smack!
The hanger lashed across her back, sending a sharp sting through her body.
She gasped, sucking in a cold breath.
Ye Lan had held nothing back.
Tears poured from Ye Shiyu’s eyes.
“Mom…”
But Ye Lan remained unmoved.
If anything, the pain in her own heart was far worse than the pain she inflicted.
She wiped her own tears away, looking at her daughter with disappointnt and rage.
“Your godmother has been gone for years now.”
“She left behind just one child in Linn.”
“I thought if I took him in, it would not only help him but also help you beco more open and sociable.”
“But he survived all those years in the chaotic South District, taking care of himself.”
“Only after coming here—to the one place he thought of as ho—was he finally able to let his guard down.”
“And what did you do?”
“You—soone he trusted like a sister—violated him.”
“How the hell am I supposed to explain this to your godmother?”
“How am I supposed to explain this to Little Huan?”
“How am I supposed to explain this to the rest of the family?!”
“Ye Shiyu, tell —
Do you even have a shred of humanity left in you?!”
Smack!
Another strike landed across Ye Shiyu’s back.
Her phone slipped from her trembling hands, crashing onto the floor.
The screen cracked, its corner shattered into fragnts.
The once-intact Modifier APP flickered for a mont—
And then died completely.
But even with her last tool destroyed, Ye Shiyu didn’t dare resist.
She could only cry, looking up at her equally tearful mother.
“…Mom…”
“Ye Shiyu, what the hell is wrong with you?!”
“What do you even think about all day?”
“Why would you do sothing like this?!”
For the first ti in years, Ye Shiyu—without her phone, without her hypnosis, without her sches—
Was left completely exposed.
Tears spilling down her face, she trembled and whispered,
“I… I just like Little Huan…”
“…Like?”
Ye Lan stared at her daughter—
Like she was hearing nonsense.
She wiped her tears and scoffed.
“You like him?”
“You call this liking soone?”
She took a step closer, looking Ye Shiyu straight in the eyes.
“You don’t love him.”
“You see him as your possession.”
“Your feelings for him aren’t about love at all—you just want to own him.”
Ye Shiyu’s eyes widened.
She stared at her mother in disbelief.
“Just because he didn’t do what you wanted, you dared to do this to him while he was unconscious?”
“Your wants are important, but his aren’t?”
“You only follow your own will, without caring about his—and you call that love?”
“Tell , Ye Shiyu—who do you actually like?”
“The Little Huan from that night, who smiled at you, who was kind to you?”
“Or the empty, unresponsive puppet you forced him to beco?”
Ye Shiyu’s kneeling posture collapsed into a defeated slump.
Her tears wouldn’t stop—
Until she was completely sobbing.
“…Mom, I… I really don’t know what to do…”
Ye Lan looked at her broken daughter and felt nothing but heartache.
She sighed deeply, finally calming down.
“…Little Huan was kind to you.”
“And that’s why you started liking him.”
“Even if you don’t know what to do—couldn’t you at least try to learn from him?”
“Instead of terrifying him—instead of making him fear you—have you ever once shown him kindness?”
She reached out, gently cupping Ye Shiyu’s tear-streaked face.
“Real love isn’t about doing whatever you want.”
“It’s not about satisfying soone’s body.”
“If you want to talk about love—then at least learn what it really ans first.”
Drip.
Drip.
Ye Shiyu’s hot tears fell onto Ye Lan’s palm.
Ye Lan lowered her eyes, her heart heavy.
She had tried her best to guide her daughter down the right path.
And yet—
She still turned out like this.
At this mont, she truly felt relieved for Yu Lu.
Relieved that Yu Lu had a child who was naturally good, one she didn’t have to personally correct.
Maybe, now, she could finally rest in peace—without having to worry about her daughter every day in the afterlife.
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