novelraw Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Chapter 89
The Monday night air was cool. Ever since Saturday's crushing punishment from her mother, Ye Shiyu had spent every waking hour haunted by the dread of further retribution.
But tonight was a small mercy: Mother had flown out at dawn to inspect the outlying islands of Linmen and wouldn't return until Wednesday.
Even with Mother gone, the watchers who reported her every move would not vanish, yet Shiyu could at least breathe.
She washed up early, determined to sleep. In her white nightgown she perched on the edge of the bed and reached for the bedside-lamp switch.
As her fingers brushed the toggle, her gaze snagged on the jellyfish plush sitting on the night-stand.
"."
The chibi jellyfish beamed its adorable smile, a stark contrast to Shiyu's blank expression.
After a long silence she stroked its soft head, then finally turned off the light.
Click.
Darkness swallowed the room. She slipped beneath the covers, curling her tall frame until only her wide-open eyes peeked above the blanket.
She didn't close them. Instead she pulled out her new smartphone.
On the home screen the ghostly violet app waited, exactly as advertised, daring her to tap it.
"."
After another pause she opened Plane instead.
The chat window with Yan Huan glowed.
Shiyu sis, have you decided about the club?
Shiyu sis, did something happen over the weekend? You kept avoiding me today.
Did I do something wrong?
Reading the last message, Shiyu pressed her lips together and buried her face in the pillow.
She squirmed under the blanket, fingers clutching quilt and pillow alike.
Only after a long while did she lift her eyes again to the screen.
Xiao Huan
You didn't do anything wrong.
It was my fault.
I let myself be possessed last weekend. I knew bringing you home would lead to... that.
Mother was right.
What I feel for you isn't love—it's just the ugly urge to possess something pretty and precious.
I made that mistake, and now, because I can't confess, you're left thinking you did something wrong.
The guilt clawed deeper.
She locked the screen, set the phone face-down on the pillow, and sighed.
She didn't resent Mother's punishment; she feared that if she kept ignoring Xiao Huan—kept hiding—even if Mother never told him the truth, he would sense something was wrong.
What should I do?
Amid the spread of her black hair, Shiyu's pale, aloof face twisted in turmoil.
Buzz~
Her locked phone vibrated, lighting up beneath the blanket.
She blinked, then stared wide-eyed.
A message from Xiao Huan. This late?
With both hands she raised the phone.
Shiyu sis, are you awake? I need to talk.
"."
She didn't reply, only bit her lip as she read.
Part of her tensed, certain he had guessed.
Part of her foolishly hoped for good news.
Still bound by Mother's orders, she sent nothing.
Buzz~
After a long wait—just as she resigned herself to having disappointed him again—another message popped up.
Not on Plane. Let's talk face to face.
I'm downstairs, outside your room.
Shiyu held the phone aloft, blinking at the words—then gasped.
Her grip slipped; the phone thudded onto her forehead and clattered to the floor.
"!!"
Pain forgotten, she scrambled up and tiptoed to the curtain-shrouded balcony.
She dared not step outside; instead she lifted a corner of the curtain and peeked down.
Through the railing she glimpsed a familiar figure in the courtyard, head bowed over his phone.
"Eep!"
A soft, nonsensical squeak escaped her reddening face. She clapped a hand to her chest, yanked the curtain shut, and fled back into the room.
He—he came all the way to Jinghe District this late?!
What do I do?
If I keep ignoring him, do I just leave Xiao Huan standing down there?
That would be...
Shiyu wavered, gnawing her lip. She crawled to the bed, retrieved the phone, and reopened his chat.
Her frantic thumbs hovered over the keyboard, mind racing: Even if Mother sees him here, she'll have to intervene.
With that flimsy reassurance, she began to type—then froze.
How could she explain her week-long silence since Saturday?
"."
Clutching the phone, she eased the curtain aside again.
Yan Huan happened to look up. Their eyes met.
"!!"
Heat flared in her cheeks; she spun away and stared at the screen.
Buzz~
You're still awake, right, Shiyu sis? I saw you.
"Eep!"
At last she tapped trembling fingers to the keyboard.
Xiao Huan, why are you here?
Rather than that—why did you ignore me all day and avoid me at school?
Because...
If Mother finds out, you'll stop calling me "Shiyu sis" and start calling me "pervert"!
Shiyu bit her lip, thumbs hovering uselessly.
"Still not answering?"
"."
Down in the courtyard, Meow-chan glanced at the silent phone, then at Yan Huan.
"Rational Shiyu's even more timid than I thought. Another cold-shoulder blackout?"
"Or maybe Auntie Ye's coat-hanger beat the last scrap of courage out of her."
"But this can't drag on. I trekked out here at midnight; going home empty-handed would suck."
"Wh-what are you planning, Meow?"
Meow-chan blinked as Yan Huan locked his phone and downed the last of his protein shake, then rolled up his sleeves.
Inside, Shiyu—back pressed to the balcony door—still chewed her lip, crafting excuses not to reply.
"I'm sick." Too fake.
"I fought with Mom." But that has nothing to do with Xiao Huan; why would it make me avoid him?
"That night you came over, I lost control and snuck into your room. Mother caught me and punished me severely."
The moment she typed that, her face drained of color and she frantically deleted it.
If...
If Xiao Huan ever found out she'd snuck into his room that night, she might as well jump off the balcony right now.
What am I supposed to do? He's here demanding an explanation, and he won't leave until he gets one.
But if I do see him, how on earth do I explain?
At the moment, Ye Shiyu's brain felt ready to short-circuit. Her hand shook so badly the phone nearly slipped, tears pricking her eyes.
"..."
While she stared at the chat screen, the room suddenly dimmed—moonlight swallowed by a looming shadow.
Huh?
She glanced toward the curtains; the fabric had turned pitch-black, and the balcony-door handle, poking through the cloth, began to turn.
Click... click...
Eek! She hadn't locked the balcony door!
"Eep!"
Startled, Ye Shiyu scrambled backward, eyes squeezed shut, and kicked blindly.
Thud! The sudden motion sent her phone skittering across the floor.
The kick never landed; a hot, calloused palm caught her foot mid-air.
"..."
She opened her eyes to see the curtains billowing and the balcony door wide open. Framed in moonlight stood Yan Huan—tall, handsome, breathing hard, sleeves rolled up, a smudge of dust on one hand.
That same dust now streaked the pale arch of her foot like a brand.
"Shiyu-sis, talk to me. Staying silent and hiding isn't helping either of us."
"U-um, Xiao Huan, that—"
Her face flamed. She hadn't expected him to scale three floors of balconies like a parkour stunt.
A night... night raid?!
Right—her room sat above the second-floor guest room, each floor sporting its own balcony. With decent stamina, the climb was doable.
Yan Huan started to release her foot, but Meow-chan on his shoulder hissed, "Look out! She's going for the phone!"
Not a chance. Yan Huan's expression darkened; he stepped forward, casually blocking the phone with his body.
"Even now that I'm right in front of you, you still won't say a word?"
"I... Xiao Huan, I—"
"I texted Auntie Ye; she told me to ask you directly. But when I do, you shut me out."
He frowned, closing the distance inch by inch.
Shiyu wore only a thin nightgown; her phone lay out of reach. She was cornered, both literally and emotionally.
Guilt over the night raid choked her; the memory of nearly losing control that evening made every breath tremble. Without hypnosis to command him to stop, she felt utterly exposed.
"Even after I've come all this way, you won't explain?"
"I..."
"Did I do something wrong that weekend?"
"N-no, Xiao Huan—"
With every question, she inched backward until the bedframe stopped her.
Thump.
A sudden thought seemed to strike him. Yan Huan stilled, studying her, then asked quietly, "Is it because I came that weekend—just like the first time Auntie Ye invited me—that upset you?"
"Eh?"
Shiyu blinked up at him; understanding dawned—he'd misunderstood. He believed her silence mirrored her initial jealousy, fearing he'd steal her mother's love.
But terror over his counter-night-raid froze her tongue. The words loaded too slowly; in the silence, Yan Huan took her hesitation as confirmation.
After a beat, he lowered his gaze. "I get it. Tomorrow at school I'll return the credit card Auntie Ye gave me.
"Sorry for climbing in without permission.
"I won't come again."
He turned to leave, disappointment etched in every line of his silhouette under the cold moonlight.
She read the hurt in his eyes: the boy who'd finally glimpsed the family he'd never had, only to be rejected by the sister who'd once tried to drive him away.
Mom said he hadn't spent a single yuan on that card—afraid they'd think he was after Ye International's fortune. At school, at home, he'd walked on eggshells, desperate for acceptance.
She knew all this... yet she'd still—
Watching his retreating back, Shiyu's heart clenched as if a demon had seized it. One more second and it might stop; if she did nothing now, she'd regret it forever.
"Xiao Huan—"
He halted at the trembling call, half-turning.
Behind him, Shiyu rushed forward in a burst of desperation, reaching for his hand. The move was so fierce it caught them both off-guard—he hadn't expected her to chase, she hadn't expected him to pause.
Momentum carried her straight into his chest, knocking him backward onto the floor.
Thud!!
Her long, silky black hair spilled across his face, cool and fragrant, a stark contrast to her flushed, panting panic.
"I didn't think that way! That weekend—I never thought that about you, Xiao Huan! Maybe at first, but not anymore!"
In the hushed, moonlit room, walls lined with dolls in every outfit, all eyes on the scene, the living doll above him gasped out the words.
Face scarlet, eyes wide, she stared into his startled gaze and declared, "I never told Mom my first thoughts! No matter what you believe, both Mom and I welcome you. Your being here doesn't make us unhappy!"
As if fearing he wouldn't believe, she pressed on, voice trembling but resolute.
She bit her lip, as if trying to prove her point. But no matter how she turned it over in her mind, only unspeakable filth surfaced. A pained expression crossed her face, and she whispered, trembling, "D-don't misunderstand, Xiao Huan. Please, please don't."
Yan Huan's eyes widened as he stared at Ye Shiyu, who clung to his clothes as if her life depended on it. He looked as though he was seeing her for the first time. Even the illusory Meow-chan beside them gaped, her emerald eyes round with shock, frozen in place. The black tail that had been swaying behind her turned to stone, afraid a single breath might give them away.
"..."
Yan Huan studied Ye Shiyu for a long moment, then smiled. "So that's how it is. I thought I'd done something wrong to make you treat me like this. I'm glad that's not the case."
At his words, the panting Ye Shiyu finally lifted her gaze. In the darkness, she watched the warm smile bloom across Yan Huan's handsome face—a smile born entirely because of her. But her phone had slipped from her grasp and landed too far away; she couldn't use hypnosis now. She hadn't used hypnosis at all. She'd simply spoken her heart. And just because she didn't hate him, he looked relieved?
She stared at Yan Huan in disbelief. That same thundering heartbeat from their first meeting returned—faster, louder, drowning everything else. Thump. Thump. Thump. Only then did she realize how close they were. His warmth seeped into her until she burned. The heartbeat consumed her, bleaching her thoughts white. Just as Ye Lan had warned, she couldn't tell the difference between love and possession.
She stared at the relieved Yan Huan and murmured, "Yes... that's wonderful." She was happy—overjoyed—that he wouldn't misunderstand her. The simple fact sent her spinning. In that instant, a thousand possibilities for their future bloomed and filled her mind.
[Defeat~]
[After successfully keeping Xiao Huan by your side, you quickly mend your ways under Mother's guidance and reconcile with him.]
[Though you know nothing of love, you decide to learn slowly alongside Xiao Huan, using your kindness and sincerity to claim his heart.]
[You vow never again to defile Xiao Huan's body with hypnosis, realizing that keeping the hypnosis app near you is like adding fuel to fire—it will only feed your desires.]
[So you lock your phone in the safe and swear never to use a smartphone again.]