Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Meow~"

The corridor outside the Principal's office gleamed crimson in the late-afternoon light. A handsome boy with a bag slung over one shoulder walked slowly, a black cat padding behind him. Hashimoto had already vanished.

School was over—whatever came next was no longer Yan Huan's concern. He had thanked Hashimoto in the group chat and told him not to bother seeing him further.

He now stood on the floor that held the Principal's office. The hush was so deep he could already pick out the faint murmur of conversation inside.

He didn't go straight in. Instead, he turned to the window to check his appearance, shifting the satchel onto his back and glancing down at the cat sitting on the floor, licking its paw.

"Meow-chan, wait here for me. Don't wander off—someone might notice you."

"Relax. I can take care of myself."

The cat clearly disliked the name Yan Huan had given it, yet it couldn't be bothered to argue. Its clear green eyes blinked; a voice sounded in Yan Huan's mind.

"If you want, I can let only you perceive me. Don't worry where I'll go—just call in your head and I'll appear."

"That magical? Good to know."

"Meow~"

Reassured, Yan Huan nodded and left the black cat behind. He headed for the office he had visited countless times.

At the door he hesitated; the muffled conversation inside made him uneasy. An orphan suddenly confronted with someone claiming to be "Mother" sounded like either urban horror or another Modifier plot.

He leaned closer.

"—Yes, yes, he's exceptional. He's the student-council president at Yuanyue Academy. Although he has administrative duties, he still qualifies for full tuition waivers, recommendation letters, and guaranteed university placement."

Principal Hermes's reedy voice was unmistakable.

"But even with the waiver," a gentle, moist voice replied, "he'd still have to find the remaining third of tuition. How will he manage that?"

The speaker sounded ageless—warm as a spring breeze brushing one's cheek.

"Well... The school allows part-time jobs, and I'm preparing a scholarship proposal for the board—especially for a student of his calibre."

"That's perfect. I'm here on behalf of Yeshi International to establish a Long-Country Immigrant Grant at Yuanyue. I hope it will support your proposal. Our liaison will contact you regarding donations—"

"You're too generous, Mrs. Ye. Oh dear—he must have switched his phone to airplane mode during exams."

"No matter."

Nothing concrete. Yan Huan squared his shoulders and knocked.

Tap-tap.

"Principal Hermes? You wanted to see me?"

"Ah, here he is." The Principal chuckled to the woman, then called louder, "Come in, Yan Huan."

Yan Huan pushed open the door. The lavish office greeted him; Principal Hermes sat on the leather sofa opposite, every strand of his salt-and-pepper hair in place, the goat-tee under his lip waxed to a perfect point. Facing him sat a woman whose back was to the door, her black hair coiled in a glossy bun.

Yan Huan's gaze snagged on the jade hairpin holding the knot—its carving so exquisite it seemed grown rather than carved. The same glance caught the subtle curves outlined by her qipao.

A strand of hair tucked behind one ear left the other exposed; the emerald earring trembled delicately.

As Yan Huan entered she turned. At the cusp between youth and maturity, her face was striking. Her pupils shrank a fraction.

Beautiful.

She rose, gathering the hem of her dark-green floral qipao, and looked Yan Huan up and down—lingering on his face.

In an instant her eyes reddened; she pressed a hand to her mouth.

"So alike... sob..."

What the—how could anyone look that similar?

Yan Huan stared, wide-eyed, at the elegant woman, then at the beaming Principal, utterly lost.

Once again he felt the same jolt he'd had when he met Bai Yi.

Who are you? We've never met.

He glanced questioningly at Principal Hermes, who beamed back.

"Yan Huan, allow me to introduce Mrs. Ye Lan, the new regional director for Yeshi International here in Linmen City-on-the-Sea."

Linmen City-on-the-Sea—home to Yuanyue Academy, a floating mega-city famed for its modernity, bustling economy, and immigrant communities. A place that had never existed in Yan Huan's previous life.

Yeshi International—one of the top hundred conglomerates in Long-Country. And Long-Country, as the name implied, was this world's analogue of his former homeland.

All of which meant the woman before him was no small figure.

Yan Huan understood the facts—but not why she called herself "Mother."

"Um—Mrs. Ye, hello. Have we met before?"

Ye Lan dabbed her eyes with the same hand that had covered her mouth, then stepped swiftly toward him, words trembling on her tongue.

But whatever she meant to say dissolved into a sob. She couldn't help herself—she pulled Yan Huan into an embrace.

Soft warmth pressed against him. Yan Huan froze, nearly jumping away, wondering if some Modifier required physical contact. Before he could move, Ye Lan's quivering voice reached his ear.

"I'm sorry... sob... you look exactly like your mother... sob..."

"...Mother?"

Yan Huan froze; the tension in his arms slackened a fraction, but he still dared not move.

After a moment Ye Lan mastered herself. Hands on his shoulders, she leaned back, eyes scarlet.

"Yes. Your parents were my dearest friends in Long-Country—especially your mother, Wang Yulu. She was my best friend."

"We attended university together. After graduation they came to Linmen, while I stayed behind. I lost contact... never imagined..."

So she was a friend of this life's parents.

At the mention of the unfamiliar yet intimate name, a weight slid off Yan Huan's heart.

Honestly, since crossing into this world Yan Huan had paid little attention to the previous generation's affairs.

The reason was simple: he had shared only a handful of months with them. Infant brain development had left him dazed; by the time he regained clarity, the plane crash had already claimed them.

An infant, alone in a foreign land, with no immediate kin—only a flock of distant relatives who swooped into Linmen to carve up his parents' estate.

The practice had an ugly name: "asset-stripping an orphan."

By the time Yan Huan's transmigrated soul fully awakened, the relatives had vanished, leaving him to the orphanage's hard-mode start.

For more than a decade he had grown accustomed to solitude—until today, when a true friend of his late parents finally appeared. Why so late? He didn't know.

He shifted at once.

"Auntie Ye."

"Ah—good boy."

Ye Lan withdrew her hands, wiped her tears, and smiled through her sniffles.

"I'm sorry—I shouldn't bring up painful memories. Since arriving in Linmen I've been searching for you. I never imagined you'd grown so resilient, so accomplished. Not only taking care of yourself, but entering such a prestigious school. Your mother would be so proud..."

Again she spoke of Yan Huan's mother.

He played along.

"I'm sure Mother would be happy to see Auntie Ye again."

Big mistake. At his words Ye Lan's eyes reddened once more, her lips trembling.

Seeing the near-cry expression, Yan Huan waved his hands.

"Sorry—I said I wouldn't mention sad things."

"Sob... Xiao Huan—Auntie can call you that, right?"

"Of course."

He glanced past Ye Lan at Principal Hermes, whose wrinkles had arranged themselves into a chrysanthemum grin—the man always glowed when donors appeared.

Sensing Yan Huan's gaze, the Principal belatedly plucked tissues from the desk and offered them.

"Mrs. Ye, please."

"Thank you, Principal Hermes."

Ye Lan dabbed her eyes, blew her nose, then looked up at Yan Huan, lower lip still quivering.

But one glance at Yan Huan's face—so like the old friend—sent the corners of her mouth downward again.

Fortunately Yan Huan's newly acquired Perfect Expression Management activated.

He hesitated, pressed his lips together, knitted his brows, let his gaze flit anxiously over her reddened eyes.

"Auntie..."

It looked as though her grief had stirred him, yet the blank in his memory left him adrift—touched, yet unable to share her sorrow. The blend of sympathy and helplessness settled into a perfect show of bewilderment.

Seeing his expression, Ye Lan's heart twisted. Realizing her loss of composure was burdening the child, she composed herself.

"It's all right. Auntie is in Linmen now—I'll help with everything. Once we're done here I'll take you home for dinner. Principal Hermes, thank you for this afternoon."

Yan Huan relaxed a little. The elder seemed deeply connected to his late parents; no wonder she was emotional.

Though he still wasn't great with elders, the good news was that Ye Lan appeared unrelated to any Modifier—she had simply come to find him.

"It's no trouble at all, Mrs. Ye. Yuanyue Academy is grateful for Yeshi International's support."

Ye Lan composed herself, drew out her phone, and smiled at Yan Huan.

"Perfect timing. Your older sister just arrived in Linmen not long ago and doesn't have any friends her age yet. Let Xiao Huan meet her tonight—she'll be thrilled. I'll go tell her right now."

"Wait, what?

There's someone else?"

The small relief Yan Huan had just felt vanished. He blinked, zeroing in on a particular word in Ye Lan's sentence.

"Older sister?"

Ye Lan beamed and nodded, thinking for a moment.

"That's right—Auntie's daughter. She's a year older than you, Xiao Huan. She finished her second year of high school in Longguo. You'll be going to the same school, so Auntie will introduce you later."

Looking into Ye Lan's sparkling, expectant eyes, Yan Huan couldn't find a single reasonable excuse to refuse.

Yet, perhaps because of what Meow-chan had just told him, a sudden, ominous feeling washed over him.

Still, he kept his polite smile in place.

"All right, Auntie Ye."