Chapter 373: Chapter 373
An Yaoluo looked up at the sound coming from upstairs.
A girl with an innocent appearance was coming down the stairs.
She had a bob haircut, and her bangs made her eyes look big and round.
She was wearing a navy blue short-sleeved shirt with white, wide-legged cropped pants, and a white backpack on her shoulders. Read full story at novelFirｅ.net
She looked like a high school student.
"Are you... a friend of Yanyan?"
He had no idea An Yan had brought someone home.
The girl smiled and said, "I am An Yan!"
A few minutes later, An Yaoluo finally understood An Yan’s intentions.
"You want to disguise yourself as Matsumoto Saori and go to the Matsumoto Family to find Li Tianyao?"
"Yes! I have confirmed that Li Tianyao is in Matsumoto Mina’s hands!"
Although she didn’t know whether he was conscious or not, no matter the situation, she absolutely would not allow him to remain in Matsumoto Mina’s hands!
An Yaoluo said with a worried expression, "But..."
"I have arranged everything already, and the divination also shows that this trip will be smooth sailing!"
A deep sense of loss welled up in An Yaoluo’s heart. After a moment, he raised his hand to adjust her clothing.
"Since you’ve decided, then Big Brother won’t say anything more. Be very careful when you’re outside."
An Yaoluo watched An Yan’s car disappear around the corner before he reluctantly withdrew his gaze.
Axuan had joined the film crew the day after the funeral.
Yanyan also left today.
He was the only one left in this home.
"Hey!" A sound came from behind him.
An Yaoluo turned around and saw a girl wearing a black dress, who looked like An Yan.
An Yaoluo exclaimed in amazement, "Yanyan? You didn’t leave?"
’An Yan’ tilted her head and smiled, handing him her phone.
It read: "I’m not An Yan, I’m Yan An!"
Only then did An Yaoluo realize that An Yan had left stealthily this time, not daring to let anyone know.
Didn’t that mean her journey was extremely dangerous!
"We just need to act like Yanyan is at home and leave the rest to her. Big Cousin, you have to trust Yanyan’s abilities!"
He was supposed to be the older brother, yet now he needed his younger sisters to worry about him! This wasn’t right!
"Tonight, there’s a party at Su Siming’s house. Mu Enyu, Liang Chen, Ya Zhuo, and a few others will be going, and I want to go too. Big Cousin, will you accompany me?"
Yan An typed another line for him to see.
An Yaoluo shook his head. "I have a social engagement tonight! You go and have fun. I’ll have the driver take you!"
He needed to pull himself together and become stronger, to fend off danger, and to be able to help his siblings when they needed it, instead of being a burden.
Watching An Yaoluo ascend the stairs, Yan An slightly tilted her head.
Cousin An Yan had said to leave Big Cousin to her care. Then she couldn’t just let him stay dejected and sad!
Yan An chased after him, showing him the message on her phone: "Su Siming said everyone must bring a plus one tonight, but I don’t have one. Big Cousin, would you be my date?"
"Of course, if you really don’t want to, it’s okay. At worst, I just won’t go."
The party hosted by Su Siming was bustling with excitement, but Yan An found herself in an awkward situation.
How should I put this? Su Siming had actually invited several effeminate boys.
And these boys, as if they had planned it, queued up to parade in front of her, vying for her attention!
Just as Yan An was exhausted from dealing with them, An Yaoluo arrived. With a sweep of his cold gaze, those flamboyant boys were instantly scared away.
That night, An Yaoluo’s entire attention was focused on Yan An.
He feared that if he wasn’t careful, this mute cousin of his would be tricked away by those effeminate men.
Indeed, once his attention was diverted to this matter, the gloom that had been festering in his heart finally dispersed.
「R Country. Airport.」
As soon as An Yan came out, she saw Matsumoto Yuri and his wife.
Matsumoto Yuri was dressed in a suit, looking handsome and dignified. Mrs. Yuri had her hair pinned up and wore a knee-length dress, exuding a gentle and cultured aura.
The couple waved at An Yan.
An Yan looked over coldly, gave a faint nod, and then bent down to get into the car.
The Matsumotos exchanged glances before getting into the car as well.
After the car left the airport, Mrs. Yuri touched An Yan’s hair. "We heard you had an incident in Z Country; Mom and Dad were nearly worried to death. Thankfully, it was just a scare! Saori, you must have been really frightened, weren’t you?"
An Yan responded with a faint hum.
Her imitation of Matsumoto Saori’s expression was flawless; even the tone and intonation of her voice matched perfectly.
"Let me see your injury." Mrs. Yuri bent down and rolled up An Yan’s trouser leg, revealing a fierce scar on her left calf that snaked from the knee to her calf muscle.
"Once it heals, you could get a chrysanthemum tattooed here. That way, Saori, you could still wear skirts," Mrs. Yuri suggested.
"No need," An Yan’s voice was frighteningly cold.
Mrs. Yuri awkwardly let go of her trouser leg.
She turned to look out the car window.
She had never known how to interact with this adopted daughter.
Saori’s father was, in fact, Prince Rensong of the Royal Family, the second in line to the R Country throne. However, because Saori’s mother was a commoner, the Queen did not accept her. Saori’s mother, always hoping to gain status through her child, made several desperate attempts. When these failed, she tragically drowned herself along with her unborn baby in a river. Saori was delivered via an emergency cesarean section. Though she survived, the Queen deemed her a person of ill omen and had her sent to a temple.
Later, the Matsumotos, who were unable to have children, went to the temple to pray for a child. There they met Saori and conceived the idea of adopting her.
After adopting her, they discovered the child’s disposition was already formed; she was mostly silent and gloomy.
They had initially planned to send her away. However, they then received a letter from Prince Rensong, who stated that Saori was his daughter and instructed the Matsumotos to raise her well.
From then on, the couple treated Saori as if she were their ancestor.
However, Saori was already seven years old by then. Having been neglected and unloved since birth, she suffered from extremely low self-esteem.
She kept her head bowed all day, wishing she could shrink away and become invisible.
Despite the Matsumotos’ best efforts, she changed very little.
Half a month ago, Mrs. Yuri took Saori to a temple to pray for blessings. While there, the abbot told her that an opportunity awaited Saori in Z Country, one that might broaden her horizons.
The Matsumotos arranged for her to go. They had wanted to accompany her, but Saori adamantly refused.
Then, Saori had an accident there.
When they received the call about the incident, the couple was nearly frightened to death!
Fortunately, it was only a false alarm.
Otherwise, they truly wouldn’t know how they would explain it to Prince Rensong.
Quiet returned to the car.
An Yan noticed Mr. and Mrs. Matsumoto exchanging several significant glances.