Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 9

"Babies, sorry to keep you waiting. It was work—a call from Domestic I couldn't ignore." After more than ten minutes, Ye Lan finally arrived at the ticket gate with an apologetic smile, having just finished her call.

"It's okay, Aunt. Older Sister and I browsed the gift shop for a bit and bought a few things."

Seeing this, Yan Huan stood up and handed her another freshly bought Big Banana Sweet Sweet.

"Banana flavor, huh? Sounds great. Thanks, Xiaohuan~"

Ye Lan smiled as she took the drink and noticed it was ice-free and low-sugar, which made her smile even brighter.

Meanwhile, Ye Shiyu, who was also sipping a Big Banana Sweet Sweet, let her beautiful eyes linger on Yan Huan’s back. She glanced at the identical drink in her hand and seemed to realize something.

Then, she looked again at Yan Huan’s smiling side profile and the extra drink in his hand.

"..."

Her sipping slowed slightly. She quietly walked over to her mother and took the parasol from her hand.

It was time to enter for ticket inspection.

[Dear visitors, welcome to Haishang Linmen Aquarium Tourist Site. Our venue showcases a wide array of marine life through professional ecological simulations.]

[Our facility houses and protects over a thousand species of marine creatures and maintains long-term cultural, economic, and academic exchanges with various sectors of society.]

Accompanied by the female narrator's introduction, Yan Huan and the others slowly stepped into the vast exhibition hall.

The hall sloped downward, and the first thing that greeted them was a massive undersea tunnel.

The seawater behind the glass shimmered a deep blue under ambient lighting, casting rippling reflections across the tunnel and its visitors.

Above them, massive schools of fish glided through the water like shadowy clouds drifting across a cerulean sky.

Yan Huan sipped his drink, looking down at the ground as he hopped across patches of light and shadow like a child playing hopscotch, avoiding the glowing spots.

"It's so beautiful."

Ye Lan put away the parasol and chuckled as she touched her cheek.

"Speaking of which, I remember a movie I invested in was filmed here."

Yan Huan turned his head in surprise. "A movie? Ye International does entertainment too? I thought their business was all about—"

"Semiconductors and new energy?"

Yan Huan nodded. After all, Ye International was well-known in Linmen, hailed as Longguo's 'Semiconductor Giant' and 'New Energy Champion.'

(*) Longguo refers to a fictional or stylized version of China.

In his previous life, either of those titles alone would have been impressive. But Ye International had both—Yan Huan jokingly crowned them the god-tier elite family from another world.

All the high-end equipment that tech geek Yaqiao Mu bought used Ye-brand chips, and when new products launched, he had to stay up late with VPNs to grab them from Longguo websites.

(*) VPNs: Virtual Private Networks, used to access content across regions.

Most of the electric cars speeding down Linmen Boulevard ran on batteries supplied by Ye, and the charging stations and infrastructure were also built by them.

When he said yesterday that he wanted to "swear allegiance and call her godmother," he wasn’t joking. This cheerful, beautiful woman before him was a real CEO—whether she was domineering or not was another matter.

All he needed to do was cling to her leg and say, "Mom, I don’t want to work hard anymore," and life would be so good that he couldn’t even imagine it.

"That’s right. The company isn’t planning to enter the entertainment industry anytime soon. I meant *I* invested."

Ye Lan explained with a smile.

"I personally invested in a few interesting media companies. One of them came to Linmen to shoot a literary film called 'Falling in Love After Dusk.' It even won a few small international awards."

"That impressive?"

"Pfft, it had nothing to do with me. I just put in the money. Besides, the girl who played the female lead was quite pretty. Her name was Bai—"

"Bai Yi?"

Before Ye Lan could finish, Yan Huan instinctively blurted out the name.

Trailing behind, Ye Shiyu glanced at Yan Huan. Ye Lan also seemed to recognize the name.

"Right, I think that’s it—Bai Yi. Is she famous in Linmen?"

"Eh, not really. It’s just that her surname is rare, and she’s a first-year at our school, so I kind of know her."

Especially after she entered a 'No Concern' state during the test yesterday and doodled all over Zhou Bin’s face.

(*) 'No Concern' state likely refers to a careless or rebellious attitude during exams.

Ye Lan turned to look at Ye Shiyu in surprise.

"Wow, Shiyu, you’ll be schoolmates with a celebrity."

Ye Shiyu only nodded, clearly indifferent.

Her eyes were already captivated by the surrounding marine life.

Ye Lan covered her mouth and chuckled softly, not disturbing her daughter’s refined mood. She simply followed along, while Yan Huan also began to enjoy the ocean scenery.

*Click!*

Yan Huan pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of a shark gliding by, then sent it into the Student Council management group chat.

[Yuanyue Student Council Management Group (5)]

Yan Huan: "Fish. Such a big fish. A tiger-striped shark."

He added a cat emoji shaking its head.

A while later, someone finally replied.

Yinggong Tong: "That should be a white-tip shark, not a tiger-striped one. Tiger cat sharks don’t grow that big, President."

You’an Lina: "The President went to the aquarium! What made you suddenly want to go there?"

Yaqiao Mu: "@You’an Lina The aquarium is a prime dating spot! I bet he’s there with a girl."

Yaqiao Mu: [Mischievous smile]

You’an Lina: [Mischievous smile]

Aishili: [Mischievous smile]

Aishili, the Discipline Chair of Yuanyue Student Council, made the fifth member of the management group complete.

Yan Huan: [Smile]

Yan Huan chose to break the emoji formation.

Yinggong Tong: [Smile]

Vice President Yinggong, ever the mimic, probably didn’t even catch the subtext behind that emoji.

Yaqiao Mu: "Vice President Yinggong, don’t mess up the formation with the President!"

Yaqiao Mu: "@Yan Huan Come clean—did I guess right?!"

Yan Huan: "I’m out with the Aunt who came looking for me at school yesterday. She’s an old friend of my parents."

Yaqiao Mu: "Huh? Seriously?"

Yinggong Tong: [Smile]

Yan Huan replied simply and locked his phone.

That brat Yaqiao Mu had played too many galgames—he could practically write a textbook on romantic tropes.

(*) Galgames: Short for "gal games," a genre of Japanese dating simulation games.

But to be fair, unless you're on a date, most guys wouldn’t visit a place like this on a weekend.

Thinking that, he glanced at Ye Shiyu beside him.

She had already walked to the middle of the ocean tunnel. In the wide corridor that could fit two lanes of traffic, several aquariums were set up in the center, showcasing smaller marine life.

Some tanks held small fish that required specific temperatures, but most displayed various kinds of jellyfish.

The tall, elegant Ye Shiyu stood before one of the aquariums, her gaze fixed intently on the jellyfish inside.

The tunnel wasn’t very bright; lights were installed near the tanks, but overall it was dim, which made the glowing outlines of the jellyfish especially vivid.

Like fluorescent lights igniting the night, the jellyfish resembled stars that breathed—leaping and dancing in rhythm.

The starlight fell and danced, landing in Ye Shiyu’s dark eyes, becoming a living galaxy.

That galaxy flowed without pause, and alongside her side profile, it crashed into Yan Huan’s vision, catching his attention.

'She really likes jellyfish.'

So thought Yan Huan. But instead of disturbing her, he looked around for Ye Lan.

Just as he turned, he saw Ye Lan holding up her phone toward him and softly saying,

"Xiaohuan, say cheese."

"Aunt Ye?"

Yan Huan was slightly stunned, but Ye Lan had already clicked the shutter and lowered her phone, clicking her tongue in admiration.

"Xiaohuan, that shot—you could totally star in a movie~."

"Huh?"

Yan Huan dazedly walked over to Ye Lan and looked at the photo she had pulled up.

He didn’t know what model phone she was using, but the focus was great—it didn’t look too dark, and the image was very clear.

The shimmering waves above happened to light up his side profile, making the subject of the photo stand out.

A strikingly handsome black-haired boy, caught mid-movement while searching for someone in a crowd, was captured perfectly in the frame.

Yan Huan looked at the phone, then at the smiling Ye Lan, and asked blankly,

"You used a beauty filter, didn’t you, Aunt Ye?"

Ye Lan immediately pouted in protest and lightly tapped his head.

"It’s just a filter, okay? Silly boy, don’t you even know how good you look?"

Of course, she was only teasing.

Yan Huan wasn’t in the habit of taking selfies and wasn’t very familiar with filters or photography.

Still, anyone who doesn’t often take selfies might feel disconnected when seeing themselves on camera.

Even if they look in the mirror every day, a photo can still feel different.

"Look, so handsome. If you smiled, it’d be even better. Xiaohuan, you look great when you smile. Next time Aunt invests in a film, I’m definitely casting you."

Ye Lan saved the photo with great satisfaction as she said this.

Speaking of filming, before middle school, Yan Huan had almost joined an acting agency in Linmen to become a child star.

In the past, he had tried everything to escape the orphanage in the southern district—especially when the air around it was filled with smoke and numbness, and the nearby high school held daily "STD battle royales."

(*) Note: "STD battle royale" appears to be slang or dark humor referring to chaotic or violent fights among students; context may vary by region.

Honestly, just talking about it could bring tears.

'How did that song go again?'

'A child without a mother is like a weed~'

The past was too painful to dwell on. As Yan Huan looked at Ye Lan, who was touching her chin and pondering the best angle for a photo, he suddenly had a thought and said,

"Aunt, should I take a photo of you and Shiyu-sis?"

"Eh? Sure. Shiyu, come take a picture!"

Hearing that, Ye Shiyu finally tore her gaze away from the jellyfish tank and turned her head. "Coming."

Ye Lan patted the spot next to her, signaling Shiyu to come over, then began handing the phone to Yan Huan.

But halfway through, she suddenly pulled the phone back.

Yan Huan looked at her in confusion as she turned off the camera, opened a beauty-enhancing photo app, made a few random adjustments, and then handed it back to him.

"You have to turn on the beauty filter."

"..."

Yan Huan felt it wasn't really necessary, but he still went along with Ye Lan’s preference.

He had them stand facing the light, and squatted in front of the glass to shoot from a slightly lower angle, adding height to the women in the photo.

People passing by noticed someone was taking a picture and politely paused, making the moment perfect.

*Click*

The photo was taken.

In the picture, Ye Shiyu stood tall and calm, while Ye Lan wrapped her arms around her. For Yan Huan's level of photography, this was something to be proud of.

Yan Huan smiled softly, stood up, and admired his work.

"Perfect."

Ye Lan came over and picked up the phone, examining the photo closely.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad."

Just as Yan Huan was about to lead them forward, Ye Lan gently pulled him back and brought him over to Ye Shiyu’s side.

"Come on, Xiaohuan, stand with Shiyu. I’ll take a photo of you two."

"Ah?"

Yan Huan’s expression shifted slightly as he looked at Ye Shiyu.

She looked back at him too, but her pose didn’t change.

'So... does that mean she’s okay with it?'

Seeing that, he blinked and had no choice but to agree.

"Alright, Aunt."

Yan Huan walked over to Ye Shiyu’s side. Her hands, which had been at her sides, unconsciously moved to cross in front of her.

A faint floral fragrance swayed with her long black hair.

Yan Huan was slightly taller, with Ye Shiyu just a few centimeters shorter. A handsome boy and a beautiful girl standing together made for a picture-perfect image.

He smiled, and Ye Lan’s eyes lit up. She bent down slightly and raised the phone, looking nothing like a CEO as she directed them.

"A bit to the left... no, too far. Now a bit to the right. The lighting’s making you two look like ghosts."

Ye Shiyu lowered her head slightly, as if it was genuinely hard to find a pose that would please her mother. Her black leather shoes shuffled a bit closer to Yan Huan.

"Smile, don’t look so stiff. Shiyu looks best when she smiles. Yes, yes—that's it."

Ye Shiyu pressed her lips together as the corners of her mouth trembled slightly upward—a very faint smile.

Hearing Ye Lan’s praise, Yan Huan instinctively glanced at her.

But it seemed that under his gaze, the fragile smile she had built quickly collapsed, her expression returning to a blank state.

"..."

'My bad.'

Either way, the photo was going to be taken.

Their first picture as an Older Sister and Younger Brother duo.

"Alright, ready? Say cheese!"

"So good-looking—look at you two. You could be on the cover of a fashion magazine."

As the sun set, in a private room of a western restaurant near the aquarium, Ye Lan absentmindedly ate a bit of salad while admiring the sibling photo taken that morning.

The image was still frozen on her phone: a handsome boy smiling brightly at the camera, flashing a peace sign.

Beside him, the black-haired girl stood elegantly, hands folded gracefully in front of her lower abdomen—beautiful, though her expression was a bit lacking.

But it was already close to perfect.

Across from her, Yan Huan lifted his head with a helpless smile. He held a knife and fork, with several shopping bags resting beside him.

It was already the third time Ye Lan had brought up the photo—once at lunch in the aquarium, again while shopping for clothes, and now over dinner.

Clearly, Ye Lan really liked that photo.

Ye Shiyu ate with elegance, showing no emotion, as if she didn’t react to anything her mother said.

But after spending the day with her, Yan Huan had come to understand—she always listened to Ye Lan silently, even if she rarely expressed herself.

Only when she looked at jellyfish or placed name tags on her new clothes did her expression soften.

That afternoon, Ye Lan picked out several well-fitting outfits for the two of them—spring shirts, long-sleeved jackets, and even a formal suit for Yan Huan.

Not entirely useless. At Yuanyue Academy, students could wear casual clothes on most days, as long as they wore the school badge.

(*) Note: "Yuanyue Academy" is likely a fictional school setting with semi-formal dress code policies.

And with each piece of clothing he received, Yan Huan felt like the salary he had lost by taking leave was just a drop in the bucket.

No point in dwelling on it. After dinner, the sky had turned completely dark—it was around 7 or 8 p.m.—so Ye Lan told the driver to take them home.

It was early spring. Although the sun had been strong during the day, the temperature dropped significantly at night.

Ye Shiyu had already draped her new coat over her shoulders, and Ye Lan had borrowed one too—leaving only Yan Huan still feeling fine.

Ye Lan sighed and pinched his shoulder. "Cold or not, Xiaohuan?"

"I'm fine, Aunt. Maybe I’ve just gotten used to the climate here."

"That’s good. Even through your clothes, you feel so warm. Shiyu and I get cold so easily."

At the word “warm,” Ye Shiyu, wrapped in her coat, trembled slightly—as if she remembered what had happened during last night’s Hypnosis.

(*) Note: "Hypnosis" refers to a specific event or memory in the story, possibly a supernatural or psychological element.

In fact, Yan Huan thought of it too on the ride back to the villa.

'What if that plague goddess sneaks in to hypnotize me again tonight?'

'Last night was just a warm-up—what about tonight?'

'Is she really going to carry out that "make Ye Lan hate me" plan?'

'No way. Should I lock the door tonight?'

'No matter how hard she knocks, I’ll pretend to be asleep and not open it.'

Lost in these thoughts, the black electric car that had brought them in the morning pulled up in front of them.

A young woman in a suit stepped out of the driver’s seat, opened the trunk, and reached for the shopping bags.

Yan Huan gave her a polite smile. "I got it, thank you."

The woman glanced at his side profile, blushed slightly, then nodded and returned to the car.

"Thanks for your trouble, Xiao Liu."

"Not at all, Director Ye."

The female driver fastened her seatbelt and opened the navigation system. Seeing the mother and daughter wrapped in coats, she even turned on the heater.

The car started smoothly. Yan Huan leaned against the window and opened his phone, scrolling through the group chat.

The big sisters in the Mahjong Group were calling him to play again.

He was tempted.

'No, Yan Huan, you did a self-reflection at the end of last semester.'

'You can’t keep playing mahjong with them every week!'

Just as he was caught in this inner conflict, typing a reply to the big sisters who had @-ed him in the “Yuanyue Mahjong First Table” group chat...

Beside him, Ye Shiyu looked down at her handbag. Remembering something, the corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly.

She unzipped the bag, intending to take something out to play with.

"..."

But after searching through it, she still couldn’t find the item.

She hadn’t opened the bag once today, had she?

Or... was she remembering wrong?

'That can’t be.'

Her pupils shrank slightly. She took out her phone and turned on the flashlight, scanning the bag again.

The sudden light caught Yan Huan’s attention. He turned and saw Ye Shiyu finishing a second search through her small handbag.

Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Ye Shiyu suddenly looked up, her expression cold, and said to Ye Lan,

"Mom, my thing—the jellyfish keychain we bought this morning—is gone."

Yan Huan blinked, still not understanding what had just happened.

"..."

But then, the entire car suddenly slowed down before gradually pulling over to the side of the road.

"Ah?"

Yan Huan gripped the handlebar tightly. As the vehicle came to a slow stop, Ye Lan and the female driver in the front both widened their eyes and turned their heads simultaneously, staring at Ye Shiyu. A chilling air seemed to radiate from her, growing colder by the second.

As their eyes met, it felt like Yan Huan could hear an *alarm* blaring violently in his ears.

Clearly, this wasn’t the first time they had encountered a situation like this.

It was the danger signal known as the "Ye Shiyu Level One Alert."

(*) A fictional term indicating the highest level of emotional or behavioral warning from the character Ye Shiyu.

In the stifling heat of the car, Ye Shiyu pressed her pink lips together and softly said,

"I want to go back and look for it. Is that okay?"

[End of this chapter]