Despicable me

"Clack, clack, clack."

The sewing machine hummed on the desk, but Ye Shiyu's gaze gradually lost focus as she sat before it.

The once rhythmic, pleasant sound only added to her irritation now. She abruptly reached out and pressed the sewing machine's switch, stopping it.

"..."

Her phone had been playing music beside her all along. Only when she turned her head did she realize she had forgotten to turn off the screen.

She really was distracted tonight.

Pressing her lips together, Ye Shiyu took a deep breath and stood up. She picked up the empty glass beside her, intending to go downstairs for some water.

Whenever she felt irritated or nervous, she would drink a lot of water.

At this hour, Mom and he should still be talking, right?

It's fine. Let them talk.

After all, tonight...

I'll have a proper "chat" with him too.

Gripping her phone and glass, Ye Shiyu pushed open her bedroom door with an expressionless face and headed downstairs.

Yet when she reached the second floor, she saw Yan Huan's bedroom door standing wide open, revealing the unlit space inside.

"Sniff... sniff..."

Then she seemed to hear her mother sobbing downstairs.

Frowning slightly, she walked into the first-floor living room and saw Ye Lan sitting on the sofa, the photo album still on her lap, her head bowed as she covered her face and cried.

Aunt Chen sat beside her, patting her back and continually handing her tissues. Quite a few crumpled tissues already littered the coffee table.

She glanced around but saw no sign of Yan Huan.

She said nothing, seeming to realize something.

He left?

Why?

Though she could not think of an answer right away, relief and joy had already welled up inside her.

Seeing Ye Shiyu come downstairs, Aunt Chen looked at her while patting Ye Lan's back and said,

"Shiyu... Xiao Huan left. The double-skin milk pudding he made for you is here. Try some."

"..."

At those words, Ye Lan raised her head. Tears stained her face, conveying the grief overflowing within her.

Ye Shiyu could never bear to see her mother like this. She glanced at the double-skin milk pudding on the table and asked,

"He left? Why?"

"Sniff... I don't know either. It was so sudden... Everything had been going so well before."

Ye Lan pouted as she looked at Ye Shiyu before her, making her avert her eyes unnaturally, as though afraid her mother would discover the relief and joy hidden in them.

But the tear-blinded Ye Lan was no emotional detective, after all. She could not uncover the dark secret deep within her daughter's heart.

She merely lowered her head again and cried,

"Sniff... Mommy spent so long looking for him in Linmen just to bring him home. I promised your godmother I would take care of him... Yulu, what should I do?"

Oh, Mom. Whenever it was someone she loved, she became so emotional, wishing she could pluck the stars from the sky for him.

She was so rational at work. Why couldn't she let him leave just as simply?

"Sniff... sniff..."

Yet listening to her mother's grief-stricken sobs, Ye Shiyu stood there expressionlessly, still caught in an inner struggle.

To be honest, she wished Yan Huan would never come back or contact her mother again.

Just seeing him, seeing him talking to her mother, seeing her mother smile at him-all of it irritated her.

But...

Perhaps, more than she disliked her own irritation, she disliked seeing that expression on her mother's face.

Ye Shiyu's teeth slowly clenched. After a moment's silence, she suddenly asked,

"When did he leave?"

At that, Aunt Chen added from beside her,

"Xiao Huan left five or six minutes ago, I think. Your mother offered to drive him, but driving this late isn't safe, so he wouldn't let her. He'll probably take the bus back to the South District. The bus stop is quite far from here."

Ye Shiyu turned toward her mother, who was sobbing with her head lowered, and told her,

"I'll go convince him to come back."

Ye Lan raised her head to look at Ye Shiyu before her. She covered her mouth, somewhat surprised by her daughter's reaction.

Her Shiyu really was a kind, good child. She simply didn't usually show it...

"Shiyu... I'll go with you," Ye Lan said.

"No, Mom. Let me go. It's easier for people our age to communicate."

Ye Shiyu set down her glass and walked toward the door.

The phone flipped in her pale fingers, its screen facing inward and giving off a sinister, deep-purple glow. This was her own unique "way of communicating with people her age."

To make Mom happy, even if I have to use hypnosis...

As for my own dislike?

I can turn him into that with the app afterward anyway, just like in the movie.

Once Mom won't be sad to see him leave anymore, I'll...

With that thought, Ye Shiyu put on her shoes and left the house.

Since Yan Huan had packed his luggage before leaving, it was nearly eight by now.

The bus stop was outside the residential complex. To find Yan Huan before he boarded a bus and left, Ye Shiyu unconsciously quickened her pace.

The streetlights inside the upscale residential complex stood very close together, as though afraid the residents would be swallowed by the darkness between them at night.

Outside the complex, however, there was only one landscape light every dozen meters or more.

These lights illuminated the road in bright little islands.

Between the islands lay a sea formed from the shadows of night.

Ye Shiyu repeated the process of "landing on an island" and "leaving an island" until she spotted the bus stop beside the main road ahead.

This stop for buses heading to the South District was deserted, with a bus arriving only once every fifteen minutes.

The bus shelter had lights too, but half were broken, leaving half the shelter bright and the other half pitch-black.

With her excellent eyesight, Ye Shiyu quickly spotted the handsome boy standing alone beneath the more distant, lit section of the shelter, a backpack slung over one shoulder and Bluetooth Earphones in his ears.

He wore the school uniform jacket he had arrived in on Friday, with that beige shirt underneath.

He had not left yet. His head was lowered over his phone as he waited for the bus.

Watching him, Ye Shiyu picked up her pace a little, leaving the island of light and stepping fully into the darkness.

At the same time, she called out to Yan Huan,

"Yan Huan."

Yan Huan was watching a famous person's speech on a video website. The volume was not very high, so he immediately heard someone calling him.

He paused slightly and turned his head, then saw Ye Shiyu standing in the shadows outside the shelter.

He was a little surprised. He had not expected Ye Shiyu to come after him.

But soon, Yan Huan adjusted his expression and smiled.

"Sister Shiyu, what brings you here?"

Then his gaze moved to Ye Shiyu's thin dress, and he said,

"It's cold outside too. You're wearing far too little, Sister Shiyu."

"Why are you leaving?"

Ye Shiyu cut straight to the point, interrupting him.

Walking forward, she stepped into the shelter.

"Well, I'm not really used to staying there. I'm used to living in the South District, so suddenly moving to Jinghe District is a little inconvenient too."

Yan Huan explained with a smile.

Hearing that, Ye Shiyu stopped and looked up at Yan Huan beneath the light, seemingly studying his expression.

But his smile was as sunny as ever, without a single flaw to be seen.

Her gaze slowly withdrew into the darkness as she said,

"Come back with me. Mom's very upset. She cares about you."

Yan Huan blinked. Instead of answering immediately, he pointed at the seats inside the shelter beside them.

"...Let's sit for a while, Sister Shiyu."

Ye Shiyu did not move. Yan Huan sat down first, taking out his Bluetooth Earphones and putting them into their case.

Watching him, Ye Shiyu hesitated for a moment before sitting down on the edge of the seat.

She sat far from Yan Huan, but the light on his side still illuminated a little of her exquisite face.

Looking at the quiet road before them, Yan Huan smiled and suddenly asked,

"Sister Shiyu, you actually really dislike me, don't you?"

"..."

Ye Shiyu's pupils contracted slightly, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around her phone, but she said nothing.

Yan Huan turned toward Ye Shiyu and met her gaze, though he looked somewhat embarrassed, his hands awkwardly clasped together.

"Don't worry. I haven't mentioned this to Aunt Ye. She's never thought that either."

"...You've misunderstood."

On the unlit side of the shelter, Ye Shiyu spoke in her own defense.

"Yes, perhaps it's only my imagination, Sister Shiyu..."

Yan Huan did not stubbornly argue. He simply continued calmly,

"It's just that I've had no parents since I was little. After all these years, it would be unrealistic to say I've never wanted a warm family.

"So when someone as kind and gentle as Aunt Ye came looking for me, I really was happy, truly delighted. I really longed to have someone like Aunt Ye beside me, someone who cared about me like a mother..."

Even without hypnosis, his heartfelt voice made Ye Shiyu draw a deep breath.

Yet he was not trying to talk about how miserable he was. On the contrary, he was speaking for someone else.

"Sister Shiyu, you were separated from your father when you were little too, and you and Aunt Ye have depended on each other. Perhaps because our circumstances are somewhat similar, I can really understand how you feel.

"If my mother were still alive, and we depended on each other... if she brought another child home, no matter who that child was or what they were like, I'm afraid just watching her care for him so attentively would make me feel jealous and upset too..."

Hearing that, Ye Shiyu hurriedly looked at the handsome boy before her, whose gaze was slowly lowering. Her lips unconsciously parted.

Though he was speaking of something so sad, Yan Huan's smile remained unchanged.

He merely said,

"I know having such precious love taken away is terribly painful. When I was little, my parents were taken from me by a natural disaster, by fate. I couldn't overcome it. There was nothing I could do.

"But precisely because I understand that pain, when I might become the source of your pain, Sister Shiyu... how could I bear it?"

Ye Shiyu's hand trembled slightly, and the phone she held shook with it, as though about to slip free.

"..."

She could not speak. She merely watched Yan Huan's smile, as though she were seeing something she could not comprehend.

That incomprehensible thing was tearing her heart apart, cutting her open to reveal what lay within...

From within came a faint flutter.

"Thump... thump."

Just as her eyes widened slightly and her lips parted helplessly, Yan Huan suddenly remembered something and pulled his backpack around in front of him.

"Oh, right, Sister Shiyu. This is for you."

He opened his backpack and took out a folded gift bag.

Then he opened the gift bag and took out several things.

First was the jellyfish keychain she had spent so long looking for yesterday. The label bearing her name was still on it, proving this was not one Yan Huan had bought afterward.

The other two items, however, had been bought afterward.

One was a square resin jellyfish model, as though a real, translucent jellyfish dancing in the water had been sealed inside.

Then there was an adorable jellyfish plush toy.

"This..."

Ye Shiyu stared blankly at the keychain he placed in her hand. Yan Huan merely showed her the other two items before putting them back into the gift bag.

"Oh, you seemed really concerned about it yesterday, so I went back this morning to look again. It seems you left it in the Aquarium, Sister Shiyu. I found it there. As for the other two, Auntie said you really like jellyfish, so I just bought a couple of things according to my own taste. Please don't mind if you don't like them."

So he had gotten up so early this morning to go to the Aquarium and find her keychain?

Yet that morning, she had instead harbored wicked intentions after peeping at him changing his clothes.

"Why... didn't you give it to me earlier?"

If he had given it to her earlier, perhaps she would not have scowled at him all day or treated him with such irritation.

"I originally planned to give it to you at school, Sister Shiyu..."

Yan Huan gave a troubled smile and told Ye Shiyu,

"Because if I gave it to you today, I was afraid Auntie would see it and be even less willing to let me leave..."

"..."

Ye Shiyu simply stared at Yan Huan in bewilderment, watching the gift bag he offered from the light.

And the hand she extended from the shadows to accept that gift bag moved so slowly.

Amid that slowness, incomprehension and the feeling of being moved spread unchecked through her heart, almost destroying her.

Only now did she remember that, over these past two days, he seemed to have been looking after her all along.

When he arrived the day before yesterday, he had greeted her politely.

Yesterday, when she was fighting someone over the keychain outside, he had stepped in to help her out and get it. When she lost her keychain, he had also spent several hours searching with her without a word of complaint.

He had gotten up early this morning to help find her keychain and buy her gifts. At noon, he had made her dessert and helped her secure a class slot. Seeing that she did not want to watch a movie, he had suggested going shopping at the supermarket.

Even before leaving, he had made double-skin milk pudding for her and her mother.

She had clearly noticed all of this. Why had none of it surfaced in her heart before, only barely coming back to her now?

For revulsion and anger were a tide.

When that tide rose, the seashells on the beach that represented "beauty" would be submerged, impossible to see no matter what.

So whenever people argued angrily with someone close to them, all their many beautiful memories with that person vanished in that moment.

And all that remained was slander and abuse.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

That strange throbbing grew more intense. Ye Shiyu lowered her head slightly, her chest feeling tight, as though she could not breathe.

But Yan Huan did not notice the subtle change in her just then. Like her mother, he seemed to have grown used to her silence.

He looked up at the traffic waiting at the distant lights and said,

"The bus looks like it's coming, Sister Shiyu."

With her head lowered, Ye Shiyu's pupils contracted slightly, and she raised her head almost instinctively.

Her gaze met his smile just as he turned back.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

"Then I'll see you at school, Sister Shiyu."

Looking at that smile, Ye Shiyu's lips trembled, and she could no longer maintain her expressionless face.

Her throat moved, as though she wanted to say something.

I should say something now, shouldn't I?

But why?

Why can't you speak, Ye Shiyu?

Because of that unprecedented feeling inside? Because of that tightness in your chest? Because you can't breathe properly?

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

"Wait-"

Yan Huan, who had been about to get up, heard Ye Shiyu speak. Even though it was only one word, he stopped for her again.

"Wait a moment."

He looked at Ye Shiyu and asked,

"What is it?"

"..."

Say something.

He's looking at me, asking me-

Speak.

What am I supposed to say?

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

Ye Shiyu opened her mouth, but her throat was so stiff it seemed not to belong to her.

Looking at the handsome boy before her, she felt as though she had spotted an item in a shop that she wanted more than anything she had ever wanted before.

Something one of a kind in the world, seemingly hers alone.

Even though she understood better than anyone that the boy before her was not an object or a doll.

She ought to speak, to respond to his kindness and gentleness.

That was how a human responded to another heart, another person.

Not by taking him off a shelf like merchandise, then bringing her phone to the counter to pay.

But...

But I can't get a word out.

She could only clumsily try to possess him through other means.

And so her right hand, holding her phone, rose as if by instinct, pointing the screen at Yan Huan before her.

"!?"

Only after raising her phone did she belatedly realize what she had done.

He was so good to me just now. He showed me his sincere kindness, yet I...

Chose to hypnotize him?

Ye Shiyu's eyes widened as she panted, yet she did not want to lower her raised hand.

Regret, excitement, and the strange throbbing inside her mingled, bringing her almost completely out of control, leaving only that fierce pounding in her ears.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

Yet after she raised her phone, Yan Huan merely froze for a moment, looked at the screen, then turned a puzzled gaze back to her and blinked.

It...

It didn't work?

Why didn't it succeed?

In an instant, an immense fear almost took over her heart.

Her pupils contracted slightly. Unseen, some terrifying desire seemed to swell, actually making the surrounding shadows begin to churn.

Fortunately, just then, Yan Huan suddenly asked,

"Is your phone out of battery, Sister Shiyu?"

"Huh?"

The fear within her instantly crumbled. She looked at her phone screen, where a large "empty battery" symbol stood out glaringly.

I...

Was I so distracted while making clothes earlier that I kept playing music without turning off the screen and drained the battery?

Her face suddenly burned fiercely.

Ye Shiyu's gaze instantly turned evasive, and her face turned aside along with it, revealing an ear amid her black hair.

Her trembling hands raised the phone, actually using it as a shield pointed at Yan Huan, trying to block his scorching gaze.

But the phone was far too small to hide her beautiful profile.

And so it exposed broad stretches of flushed skin, her eyes glistening with moisture, and a look that said she wished she could crawl into the ground.

She spoke, her voice trembling, letting out a faint plea for mercy like some adorable little animal.

"Mm, my phone's out... out of battery."

Amid her long, ink-black hair, even her earlobes had turned entirely cherry pink.

The darkness could no longer shroud her face, revealing her shyness and evasiveness.

Seeing Ye Shiyu like this, Yan Huan could not help widening his eyes too, momentarily transfixed.

Just then, he felt a little envious of those content creators with cameras mounted on their heads. Perhaps then he could have recorded this shy, adorable side of Ye Shiyu.

"Beep, beep. The bus is arriving. Please board in an orderly manner, hold on securely, and remain seated."

Just then, the bus bound for the South District arrived.

As Ye Shiyu was thinking of fleeing, Yan Huan considered for a moment and stood up.

"Swish."

Instead of boarding, he took off his school uniform jacket and draped it over Ye Shiyu.

"Huh?"

Someone else's...

No, Yan Huan's clothes are suddenly on me.

Ye Shiyu's eyes widened as his scent enveloped her.

But she seemed to have suddenly forgotten to resist, merely holding up her phone in a daze as she looked at him standing there.

Yan Huan smiled faintly and surveyed their surroundings.

"The stretch back to your residential complex is too dark. It'll probably be a bit troublesome without your phone's flashlight. There seems to be a convenience store up ahead. I'll go borrow a power bank. Wait here a moment, Sister Shiyu. It's a little cold, so keep my jacket on for now."

"...Okay."

Ye Shiyu nodded, dazed and obedient.

Seeing that Yan Huan was not boarding, the bus bound for the South District closed its doors and left.

Yan Huan jogged across the road and headed farther away.

Ye Shiyu lowered her head, feeling Yan Huan's jacket around her.

It doesn't have my name on it. It isn't even mine...

But wearing it doesn't feel unpleasant. It's very warm...

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

The strange sound in her ears grew ever more intense. Only now, when everything suddenly fell quiet, did she remember-

It was the sound of her own heartbeat.

She tightened her grip, no longer looking at her phone, and instead pressed its screen against her chest.

She simply devoted herself to feeling the warmth the school uniform jacket brought her.

And so she did not notice the phone screen lighting up just then.

The sinister purple vortex lit up, but flickered in and out, flashing with static as though the signal were poor.

Then the screen went dark again.

After waiting quite a while, Ye Shiyu, whose body had grown comfortably warm, finally heard Yan Huan call out.

"Sister Shiyu!"

She raised her head, and her body rose to its feet involuntarily.

Yan Huan approached and handed her the power bank.

"Here, Sister Shiyu."

"Mm..."

Hearing him address her as an older sister, Ye Shiyu's gaze flickered away again for a moment.

She plugged in the power bank to charge her phone. Since the bus had already gone, they could only sit down and wait for the next one.

Ye Shiyu's mind was blank. She had even forgotten that she had come here to call Yan Huan back.

She merely held lightly onto Yan Huan's school uniform jacket, cradling the gift bag he had given her as she listened to his instructions.

"Sister Shiyu, wear the jacket home. You can return it to me at school later."

"Mm..."

"As for the power bank, that might be a bit more trouble. You'll have to leave the complex to return it, but it's okay if you really do forget."

"Okay..."

Her head remained lowered, and through her hanging black hair, her cherry-pink skin appeared now and then as she nodded.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

Soon, the second bus arrived.

"Beep, beep. The bus is arriving. Please board in an orderly manner, hold on securely, and remain seated."

Yan Huan looked at the bus, then picked up his schoolbag and turned back to smile at Ye Shiyu.

"Sister Shiyu, I'm off. I'll see you at school."

"..."

She stood up and opened her mouth, but still could not speak.

Yet as Yan Huan finally moved to leave, her instinctive reach still hinted at her wish for him to stay.

Unfortunately, Yan Huan did not see it.

He boarded the bus, then sat down by a window and waved at Ye Shiyu, reminding her,

"Be careful on your way back, Sister Shiyu. Message me when you get home."

"..."

The bus drove away. Ye Shiyu sat beneath the dark bus shelter for a long time before finally rising and turning to walk home.

As soon as she reached her door, she saw Ye Lan and Aunt Chen, who were also changing their shoes to go out and look for her.

"You're finally back. Boo-hoo, you weren't answering your phone. If I hadn't called Xiao Huan, I wouldn't have known your battery was dead."

"...He got me a power bank."

Looking at the jacket draped over Ye Shiyu and the gift bag cradled in her arms, Ye Lan pouted slightly and gently drew her into an embrace.

"..."

In the end, she still had not managed to bring him back.

Ye Lan said nothing more and simply took Ye Shiyu home.

Yan Huan's uniform jacket was handed to Aunt Chen to wash, while Ye Shiyu returned to her room with the power bank and the remaining gifts.

She turned on the light, and bright, warm light filled the room.

Instead of sitting down at her chair to make clothes again, she lay on the bed, her whole body weak.

She picked up her phone and sent Yan Huan a message.

"I'm home."

Just as she was about to put down her phone, it suddenly sounded.

"Beep, beep!"

Startled, her hand shook and bumped the gift bag beside her, sending the round jellyfish plush rolling out.

It had no name written on it, yet there it landed on her bed.

"Great, get some rest early, Sister Shiyu. See you at school."

Then came a "good night" cat sticker.

Blinking her long eyelashes, she tapped at her phone's keyboard, deliberating over her reply.

She deleted and typed, typed and deleted.

In the end, she replied, "Mm."

Having done all this, Ye Shiyu turned over and lay on her stomach on the bed.

The brilliant bedside light revealed her faintly flushed cheeks and her slightly moist eyes.

Perhaps the ceiling was too plain, so she turned her gaze to the jellyfish beside her.

Pouting, she tentatively reached out a finger.

Bit by bit, she drew closer to the jellyfish plush that did not have her name on it and still carried Yan Huan's scent.

Until at last, she touched it, her finger sinking into its soft body.

Looking at the jellyfish's adorable appearance, she did not get up to fetch a name sticker or do anything else for a long time. She simply watched it.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

After a long silence, she suddenly remembered how she had actually wanted to hypnotize Yan Huan earlier.

She hurriedly buried her head in the crook of her arm.

"Ugh..."

How could she have done that?

Surrounded by warm light, from amid a cascade of black hair fragrant with flowers, a muffled female voice emerged.

"You're despicable, Ye Shiyu."

The swaying bus bound for the South District had no lights on, leaving the quiet interior extremely dim.

Yan Huan was the only passenger. He sat by the window, his body hidden in the darkness of the bus, his face expressionless.

A pair of emerald-green cat eyes suddenly lit up inside the bus, slowly approaching Yan Huan along with a body that blended completely into the darkness.

"So that's it..."

Meow-chan's voice sounded in his mind.

"No wonder you've been acting so out of character with Ye Lan since this morning, showing her your most sensible, considerate side. The more you did that, the more you could anger the excessively possessive Ye Shiyu... yet right at the end, when she was on the verge of exploding, you chose to leave instead, leaving her anger with nowhere to land and stirring up her remorse..."

Lights streamed past outside the window, casting reflections across the glass, so that from outside, the handsome boy's face in the dark bus looked shadowy and indistinct.

Listening to Meow-chan behind him, Yan Huan sighed and said,

"Because Ye Shiyu herself has a conscience and morals. At least, she does now, while the modifier hasn't influenced her too deeply... and what I'm doing is essentially acting, playing a perfect, kind younger brother and using her morals to curb her desire to use the modifier..."

In the darkness, Meow-chan heard the sigh in Yan Huan's voice and intuitively understood.

"You don't need to feel guilty about deceiving her with an act. She was just about to use the modifier on you, meow. Besides, a large part of those feelings wasn't fake to begin with. You just exaggerated them."

"Yeah, but I really didn't expect her to come after me, considering how much she hates me. She really does love Aunt Ye, enough to swallow her own hurt and come out to ask me to stay. And me? Aunt Ye was so sincere, but I just left without even a reasonable excuse."

"Meow~"

Meow-chan jumped onto him and pressed a plump body against him, trying to comfort him.

Looking out the window, Yan Huan gave a helpless smile, but could not help reaching out to rub Meow-chan's warm, chubby head.

He leaned against the window and looked at his reflection.

Wrapped in the deep darkness, before the silhouettes cast across the glass by the dizzying neon lights, a sigh sounded in his mind.

You're despicable, Yan Huan...

This chapter is 8,000 characters. After thinking it over, I still wanted to finish this section in one smooth, complete stretch, so I decided not to split the chapter.

That means the next two chapters might be a little shorter. I hope you'll understand.

Finally, don't forget to keep reading, send monthly votes, and support me.

Thank you so much!