Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 4

When Yan Huan came out of the office, he didn’t see Meow-chan again and had no idea where she had gone.

Ye Lan was still inside, talking with Principal Hermis. Their conversation was about the so-called older sister who had come to study at the academy.

Standing at the door, Yan Huan requested leave from his night part-time job. The reply was cold: “It counts as absenteeism. 200 deducted.”

A few minutes later, another message came in:

“Just remembered, you’ve never asked for leave before. We’ll let it go this time, but don’t do it again.”

Yan Huan smiled helplessly and sent back a “Thank you” sticker. Just then, Ye Lan walked out of the office. Yan Huan locked his phone and looked up.

“Let’s go. Xiaohuan, which way do we head? Your school is too complicated—I’m getting lost,” she said.

“This way, Aunt Ye.”

As they walked downstairs, the Yuanyue campus was eerily quiet. Not a single student was in sight. It was the weekend, and everyone had taken the school bus home, leaving the campus feeling like it belonged only to them.

While chatting casually, they soon reached the school gate.

Parked on the asphalt road between two maple trees was a low-profile black Longguo-brand electric car. A woman in a black suit stood by the door.

“Director Ye.”

“Just take us home.”

“Understood.”

Ye Lan gently nudged Yan Huan into the car, and once they were seated, it started quietly.

Yan Huan curiously glanced around the spacious interior. Meanwhile, Ye Lan bent down and pulled a refrigerated box from beneath the rear air vent.

With a quick peek inside, Yan Huan saw it was filled to the brim with yellow cans of banana milk.

Smiling brightly, Ye Lan pulled out a can and a straw, handing them to Yan Huan like a squirrel sharing a stash of nuts.

“Xiaohuan, drink this.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

“Good boy. No need to thank Auntie.”

As if she couldn’t wait any longer, she grabbed another can, inserted a straw, and began sipping with both hands.

*Mmm.*

Ye Lan let out a satisfied hum, clearly enjoying the banana milk.

Seeing her reaction, Yan Huan cautiously opened his can and took a sip. It was lightly sweet—not overly sugary—and rich with banana flavor.

With banana milk in hand, Ye Lan continued chatting.

“Speaking of your older sister… Back when we were in Longguo, I was always busy and couldn’t spend much time with her. It was mostly the nanny who looked after her. Maybe that’s why she became so withdrawn—she doesn’t like talking to others and has no friends her age.”

“And now that I’ve brought her to such a distant country… Even though there are many Longguo people at Linmen and Yuanyue Academy, it’s still not the environment she grew up in. I’m a bit worried she won’t be able to adapt.”

Yan Huan looked at her while sipping his milk. “What about Uncle? Is he also very busy?”

Hearing this, Ye Lan didn’t respond right away. She gave a polite but helpless smile, as if Yan Huan had touched on something awkward.

Yan Huan immediately realized and apologized.

“Sorry, Aunt Ye.”

“It’s nothing. When your older sister was very young, her father and I separated. We haven’t been in contact since.”

As Ye Lan spoke, she didn’t touch her milk. After briefly mentioning it, she finally put the straw back into her mouth and changed the subject.

“Xiaohuan seems to have a lot of friends at school. The principal said he could ask any student to find you, and they’d all have your contact info.”

That was actually true. Even if they weren’t close friends, Yan Huan was in nearly every major group chat in the academy. Contacting him was never difficult. The reason was simple:

“Probably because I’m the Student Council President. It’s a troublesome job. If not for applying to universities…”

“Nonsense. It’s simply because Xiaohuan, you’re very popular.”

Ye Lan cupped her cheeks, smiling as she looked into Yan Huan’s eyes, imagining aloud:

“I’m not hoping your sister becomes as popular as you. I just wish she could interact with others normally, instead of staying in her room all day playing with those dolls.”

“Dolls?”

“Ah, Barbie dolls, figurines, that sort of thing? I don’t really understand, but your sister really loves them. Strange, right?”

.

Yan Huan didn’t comment on personal hobbies. It was a habit he’d picked up from Vice President Yinggong.

“Anyway, seeing is believing. When you meet your sister later, you’ll understand. I hope you can be a little more tolerant of her for Auntie’s sake. She hasn’t had a peer friend in a very long time. If she does anything wrong, I apologize in advance~”

“No way, Auntie, that’s too much.”

Yan Huan gave a polite smile. Though they had chatted while drinking, his can of banana milk was already empty—Ye Lan, who had barely finished a fifth, blinked in surprise.

In the car, Ye Lan chatted with Yan Huan about all sorts of things. He even added her on Plane, where her profile picture was a can of banana milk.

(*) Plane is a Chinese social media and messaging app.

Ye Lan’s house wasn’t far from the school. Without traffic, the drive took about half an hour.

After all, they both lived in the Jinghe district, where land prices were sky-high. By the time they arrived, Ye Lan had just finished her banana milk.

The electric car drove into an unfamiliar residential area. Through the gray-black privacy film on the window, Yan Huan saw rows of standalone garden homes, loosely arranged.

Eventually, the car stopped in front of a well-located Western-style house at the end of the road.

It was quiet here, but still close to community amenities—more desirable than the isolated homes they’d passed earlier.

“We’re here. Let’s go, Xiaohuan. Aunt Chen has already made dinner—all Longguo specialties.”

The car stopped outside the house. The woman in the passenger seat got out, quietly exchanged a few words with Ye Lan, then got back in and drove off, disappearing from view.

Ye Lan gently took Yan Huan’s wrist and enthusiastically led him toward the house.

The Western-style house felt very spacious to Yan Huan—probably because parts of the second and third floors were open, giving the living room a high ceiling and avoiding the cramped feel of typical homes.

The lighting was also bright, in line with Eastern interior preferences. For a moment, Yan Huan felt like he’d stepped into a palace.

“Aunt Chen, we’re back.”

“Oh, Miss, was there traffic? You’re a bit later than Shiyu said… Shiyu, your mom’s back!”

The voice came from the first-floor kitchen.

While Ye Lan helped Yan Huan change shoes, the apron-wearing woman finally walked out.

She was a middle-aged woman with curly hair and a kind smile. “Aunt Chen, this is the Xiaohuan I mentioned before. She just came with me from Longguo to Linmen. Your parents know her too, so no need to be formal—we’re all acquaintances.”

“Hello, Aunt Chen.”

“Oh my, time flies. The next generation has grown up—and so handsome too. Wonderful, wonderful.”

With a hand on Yan Huan’s back, Ye Lan was about to call her daughter down, but he caught a faint floral scent first.

Following the scent, he looked up to the spiral staircase leading to the second floor and saw a girl in a black chiffon dress.

She wore slightly thick black socks that outlined her calves, and dark gray slippers. No one knew when she had arrived.

Her long black hair flowed to her waist, unadorned and without makeup. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the dark outfit.

Unlike Ye Lan’s soft, willow-shaped eyes, Ye Shiyu’s were slightly narrower. Beneath her long lashes, her beautiful face was expressionless, but her deep black gaze held a cold sharpness.

She was tall—just a bit shorter than Yan Huan’s 184 cm. Her figure appeared healthy and well-proportioned. Beneath the soft chiffon sleeves, her forearms were fair and firm, not overly slender.

And in her hand, for some reason, she held a long pair of scissors—the tool she had apparently just been using.

Yan Huan blinked and met the girl’s gaze. Neither looked away.

Startled, just as Ye Lan was about to call her, Yan Huan’s expression quickly turned into a sunny, polite smile. He greeted first,

“Older sister.”

Upon hearing Yan Huan’s greeting, Ye Shiyu’s lowered eyes trembled slightly—like a bell struck.

Ye Lan turned her head and finally noticed her daughter standing on the stairs.

“Ah, Shiyu, really—coming out without a word. Let me introduce you. This is the son of an old friend of mine, Yan Huan. He’s one year younger than you—your younger brother. Xiaohuan, this is Shiyu. You can call her Shiyu-sis or Older Sister.”

Ye Shiyu kept staring at Yan Huan, who stood beside Ye Lan, silent and unmoving.

It wasn’t until Ye Lan pouted, ready to nudge her toward being polite, that she finally greeted him like a slow machine:

“Hello, I’m Ye Shiyu.”

Just as Ye Lan had warned, Ye Shiyu’s personality seemed extremely odd—only deepening Yan Huan’s growing sense of unease.

Ye Lan didn’t seem too pleased with the reaction, but she knew her daughter well. This was probably the best she could manage.

Aunt Chen quickly picked up the conversation, wiping her hands on her apron.

“Now that Xiaohuan’s here, why don’t we eat? Everything’s ready—Longguo dishes made just for him. I hope they suit his taste. I’m still not used to Linmen and don’t know what young people like.”

“I can eat anything, Aunt Chen.”

“That’s great. Just a moment—Miss, you and Xiaohuan sit first, I’ll bring the dishes out.”

Ye Lan nodded with a smile, then turned to Ye Shiyu.

“Shiyu, put your things back in your room and come down for dinner.”

Ye Shiyu kept staring at the boy with the sunny smile. Upon hearing her mother’s words, she slowly nodded, turned around with the scissors, and walked upstairs.

Downstairs, Ye Lan and Yan Huan’s conversation continued in bits and pieces. Meanwhile, Ye Shiyu walked expressionlessly up to the third floor and stopped in front of a secondary bedroom near the master bedroom.

She pushed open the door. Though originally spacious, the room felt cramped due to the abundance of items packed inside.

Glass cabinets lined the walls, filled with all kinds of female dolls in elaborate outfits—some realistic action figures, others anime-style figurines, along with countless wooden, ceramic, and clay dolls.

Even a life-sized 1:1 Gothic-style doll in luxurious clothes sat in a wooden chair beside the bed.

Each doll wore exquisitely crafted clothing, and they all shared one detail—somewhere on the inside of a hem or hidden in a collar was a tiny handwritten name:

“Ye Shiyu.”

Without a word, Ye Shiyu placed the scissors beside her sewing kit. On the table lay some high-end fabric, not yet sewn. The same elegant name was engraved on the scissors’ handle:

“Ye Shiyu.”

She picked up her phone from the table, unlocked it, and opened a chat window in the still-running messaging app. It was a conversation with Ye Lan, marked “Mom.”

"Baby, I'm bringing that Yan Huan I told you about home for dinner later. Have Aunt Chen prepare something nice, okay?"

"Okay, I've already told her."

"His mother used to be my best friend. When you were little, I often showed you her photos—do you remember?"

"Mm."

"He's been living alone in Linmen for years. It's been really tough for him. I was thinking, maybe he could stay here for a while—just in the guest room downstairs. What do you think?"

Ye Shiyu didn’t respond, but Ye Lan kept sending more messages.

"He's only a year younger than you. You two probably have a lot in common, and you even go to the same school. You could walk together."

"It would be nice to have someone to keep you company. Better than being surrounded by dolls all the time like back home."

"Having another younger brother doesn’t sound so bad, right? What do you think, baby?"

"Mom really wants to know what you think."

Ye Shiyu had opened the chat app but still hadn’t replied to any of the messages.

She closed the app, revealing a desktop wallpaper of a doll dressed in luxurious clothing.

Every app on the screen was neatly arranged into carefully labeled folders—it seemed like this organized layout suited Ye Shiyu's style.

However, outside the tidy folders, a single mysterious app stood alone. Its icon was a purple heart.

The app had no name, floating eerily on the screen like a glitch.

Ye Shiyu stared at it in a daze, her thoughts elsewhere, until Ye Lan’s voice called again from outside the door.

"Shiyu, come eat! Aren’t you ready yet?"

"..."

After a short pause, Ye Shiyu seemed to come to a decision. She pressed the lock button, slipped the phone into her pocket, and turned to leave the room.

"Coming, Mom."

[End of this chapter]