Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 3

*"Meow~"* In the corridor of the school building bathed in the warm glow of sunset, a handsome boy with a schoolbag walked ahead, followed closely by a black cat. Yaqiao Mu, however, was nowhere to be seen.

School was over, and everything that followed had nothing to do with him. After replying in the group chat and thanking Yaqiao Mu, Yan Huan told him there was no need to see him off anymore.

When he reached the floor where the principal's office was located, the air was extremely quiet. He vaguely heard voices coming from inside the office.

Instead of walking forward, he turned to the window to straighten his appearance, slung his schoolbag over one shoulder, and glanced at Meow-chan, who was sitting on the floor licking her fur.

"Meow-chan, wait for me here, okay? Don't wander around. If someone sees you, it could be trouble."

"Don't worry. You don't need to mind me."

Meow-chan didn’t seem thrilled about the name Yan Huan had given her, but she also wasn’t the type to complain.

She blinked her clear emerald eyes and spoke directly into Yan Huan’s mind.

"If needed, I can make it so only you can perceive my presence. Don’t worry about where I go. Just call me in your mind, and I’ll appear before you anytime."

"That magical? Then that’s great."

*"Meow~"*

Hearing her response, Yan Huan nodded and stopped paying attention to the black cat. He walked toward the principal’s office, a place he had visited countless times.

As he approached the door, the faint sound of conversation inside made him hesitate.

After all, having someone claim to be your "mother" when you’re an orphan felt like something out of an urban legend—or maybe it had something to do with the modifier.

Unable to resist, he leaned closer to the door to listen to the voices inside.

"Yes, yes, he's extremely talented. He’s the Student Council President of Yuanyue Academy. Though he’s in charge of some school matters, whether it’s tuition waivers, recommendation letters, or direct admission quotas to affiliated universities—"

That voice belonged to Principal Hermis of Yuanyue Academy. His voice was high-pitched and easy to recognize.

"But as I recall, even with all the waivers, it only covers two-thirds of the tuition, correct? What about the remaining amount?"

The other voice was a gentle, feminine tone—smooth and warm, ageless, like a soft breeze brushing across one’s cheek.

"Well... while the school doesn’t prohibit part-time work in students’ free time, I have been considering applying to the board to set up a scholarship fund to reduce the financial burden—especially for rare talents like him."

"I see. That works out well. I came today specifically to establish a special scholarship for Longguo immigrants at Yuanyue Academy, under the name of Ye International. I hope it will support your proposal. Someone will follow up with the donation details later."

"You’re too generous, Mrs. Ye. Ah—apologies for the wait. The students are taking exams today. He probably has his phone on airplane mode."

"It’s quite all right."

Hearing nothing definitive, Yan Huan decided to face the situation head-on.

He raised his hand and knocked gently on the door.

*Knock knock.*

"Mr. Principal, you were looking for me?"

"Ah, he’s here," said the principal with a smile, turning to the woman in front of him. Raising his voice, he called out, "Please come in, Student Yan Huan."

Yan Huan pushed the door open and stepped into the luxuriously decorated principal’s office. Principal Hermis sat on a leather sofa directly across from him.

The principal wore a formal suit, his neatly groomed white hair and curled mustache giving him a very classic appearance.

Sitting across from him was a woman with her back to Yan Huan. Her black hair was tied up in a bun.

What caught Yan Huan’s eye was a jade hairpin nestled elegantly within her bun, complementing the graceful outline of her silhouette.

A lock of her black hair draped behind one ear, while the other ear was exposed, revealing a pale earlobe beneath which a jade earring gently swayed.

As Yan Huan entered, she turned her head, revealing a beautiful face that straddled the line between youth and maturity. Her pupils contracted slightly upon seeing him.

She was an exceptionally beautiful woman.

She parted her lips and stood, lifting the dark green floral hem of her qipao. Her eyes scanned Yan Huan’s face with careful attention.

Within seconds, her eyes turned red, and she raised her hand to cover her mouth.

"He looks so much like him—sob sob sob..."

'What the hell? How can someone look so alike?'

Yan Huan widened his eyes, staring blankly at the beautiful woman before him. Then he glanced over at the smiling Hermis, completely lost about what was happening.

Again, the familiar feeling he had experienced when meeting Bai Yi surfaced in his mind.

'Who are you supposed to be?'

'I don’t think we’ve met before?'

Yan Huan looked questioningly at Principal Hermis, who had also stood up along with the woman. The principal smiled and said,

"Student Yan, this is Mrs. Ye—Ye Lan. She’s the newly appointed head of Ye International at Haishang Linmen."

Haishang Linmen—an enormous independent city-nation on the sea where Yuanyue Academy was located—was known for its modernity, booming economy, and diverse immigrant population. There had been no such place in his previous life.

Ye International—one of the top 100 enterprises in Longguo in this world. Based on the name, Longguo likely paralleled the Celestial Empire from his past life.

(*) Note: "Longguo" likely refers to a fictional version of China in this alternate universe.

It was clear the woman before him held significant status.

Yan Huan understood all that, but he still didn’t understand why she claimed to be his "mom."

"Uh... Mrs. Ye, hello... but may I ask—have we met before?"

Ye Lan used the hand covering her mouth to wipe her eyes and quickly walked toward Yan Huan, as if to speak.

But as emotion swelled in her throat, her words turned into sobs.

Unable to hold back, she reached out and hugged Yan Huan tightly.

Feeling that sudden warmth and softness press against him, Yan Huan froze in shock. He nearly jumped back, even suspecting she might have a modifier that activated at close range. But just as he was about to react, Ye Lan’s trembling voice reached his ears.

"I’m sorry... *sob sob*... you look so much like your mother... *sob sob sob*..."

"...Mom?"

Yan Huan was slightly stunned. His body relaxed a little, though he still didn’t dare move.

A moment later, Ye Lan composed herself, held Yan Huan by the shoulders, and stepped back, her eyes red as she looked at him.

"Yes. Your parents were close friends of mine from Longguo—especially your mother, Wang Yulu. She was my best friend."

"We were college classmates. After graduation, they came to Haishang Linmen to pursue their careers, while I stayed in Longguo. We lost contact for many years. I didn’t know that they... *sob*..."

So she was a friend of his parents from this lifetime.

Hearing the unfamiliar yet intimate name of his mother, Yan Huan finally understood—and the weight in his heart lifted.

Honestly, ever since transmigrating, Yan Huan hadn’t paid much attention to connections from the previous generation.

The reason was simple—he had only spent a short time with his parents in this life.

As a baby, his brain wasn’t fully developed. When he first arrived, he was dazed and confused. It wasn’t until much later, when they never returned, that he realized they had died in a plane crash.

A baby in a foreign land without direct relatives—only greedy distant ones who came to Linmen to fight over his late parents’ assets.

There was even an ugly term for this: Preying on the Orphan.

By the time he grew older and his transmigrated soul fully awakened, those relatives had already taken everything and disappeared, leaving Yan Huan to survive alone in the orphanage.

For over ten years, he had grown used to solitude—until now, when a true friend of his parents had finally appeared. Though he still didn’t understand why it had taken her so long to find him.

Thinking this, Yan Huan immediately changed how he addressed her.

"Aunt Ye."

"Ah, such a good boy."

Ye Lan withdrew her hand from Yan Huan’s shoulder and wiped her tears with a joyful smile.

"Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought up such sad memories. Since arriving in Linmen, I’ve been looking for you. I didn’t expect you to be so strong and independent. Not only can you take care of yourself, you even got into such a good school. If your mother could see you now, she’d be so proud."

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but bring up Yan Huan’s mother again.

Yan Huan simply went along with her sentiment and replied,

"I think my mother would also be very happy to see Aunt Ye again."

That might have been better left unsaid—because Ye Lan’s eyes instantly turned red again, and her lips began to pout as if she were about to cry.

Seeing that unexpectedly childish expression on her face, Yan Huan quickly waved his hand.

"I’m sorry—I know we said we wouldn’t talk about sad things."

"*Sob sob*... Xiaohuan, can Auntie call you that?"

"Of course."

He glanced behind her at Principal Hermis, whose wrinkled face was beaming like a blooming chrysanthemum. Yan Huan knew well—that was the principal’s signature smile whenever he closed a big deal. He always made that ridiculous face when someone donated money.

Noticing Yan Huan’s gaze, Principal Hermis finally reached over, grabbed a few tissues from the desk, and handed them to Ye Lan.

"Mrs. Ye, please take these."

"Thank you, Mr. Hermis."

Ye Lan wiped her tears and blew her nose with the tissues, then looked back up at Yan Huan with a pout.

But the moment she saw his face—so similar to her old friend’s—her lips drooped involuntarily again.

Thankfully, this was when Yan Huan’s Perfect Expression Control skill kicked in.

He calculated his reaction, then slightly pursed his lips, furrowed his brows, and let his gaze wander nervously toward her reddened eyes.

"Aunt Ye—"

He seemed touched by her emotion, though also confused due to his lack of memories of his parents.

He felt her deep affection for them, even if he didn’t share that emotional bond. That mix of confusion and empathy gave him the perfect look of helplessness.

Seeing his expression, Ye Lan’s heart ached. Only then did she realize her emotional outburst had placed unnecessary pressure on the son of her late friend. She quickly composed herself and said,

"It’s okay. Auntie is here now, Xiaohuan. From now on, I’ll take care of everything. Things are mostly settled here, so let’s go home for dinner later. Mr. Hermis, thank you for your help this afternoon."

Seeing Ye Lan calm down, Yan Huan finally relaxed a bit.

This elder genuinely seemed to have had a deep relationship with his parents, which explained her strong emotions.

Though Yan Huan wasn’t great at dealing with elders, the good news was that—for now—Ye Lan didn’t seem to have any modifiers. She had simply come for him.

"Not at all, Mrs. Ye. It’s Yuanyue Academy that should be thanking Ye International for its support and recognition."

Ye Lan perked up, pulled her phone from her pocket, and unlocked it, seemingly ready to send a message. At the same time, she smiled at Yan Huan and said,

"Perfect timing! Your older sister just arrived in Linmen too, and she doesn't know many people her age. Tonight, let Xiaohuan and her get to know each other—she'll definitely be happy. I'll message her right now."

'Wait a second... what did she just say?'

'Another expert?'

The bit of calm Yan Huan had just regained vanished instantly. He blinked, carefully picking out a particular word from Ye Lan’s sentence.

"Older sister?"

Ye Lan chuckled and nodded. After thinking for a moment, she added,

"That's right—Auntie's daughter. She's probably a year older than Xiaohuan. She was in her second year of high school back in Longguo. You'll both be attending the same school soon, so Auntie will introduce you to her later."

(*) Longguo: A fictional or alternate name often used for China in literary contexts.

Seeing the joyful anticipation shining in Ye Lan’s eyes, Yan Huan couldn’t bring himself to refuse such a reasonable suggestion.

However, perhaps because of what Meow-chan had just mentioned, a sense of unease suddenly welled up in his chest.

Still, he maintained a polite smile on the surface.

"Alright, Aunt Ye."

[End of this chapter]