“Yun’er… what is this…?”
“Huh? Sis, you’re saying weird stuff again. This is our home—what else could it be?”
“…”
Home?
The home in her memory was definitely nothing like this!
Ye Zhibai blinked her wide, bewildered eyes.
Everywhere she looked was a spectacle.
An endless manor courtyard blending Eastern and Western styles, with fountains, pavilions, and colonnades.
A majestic standalone villa standing tall, winding paths of flowers, grasses, and stones.
And… right in front of her, a massive iron gate taller than three Ye Zhibais stacked together!
These extravagant manor-style buildings, the kind seen only in movies, would have seemed fictional to Ye Zhibai if she weren’t seeing them with her own eyes right now.
She had imagined that she must be quite wealthy in this life, so maybe their new home was in some ultra-luxurious gated community.
But reality proved her imagination was too limited.
“Welcome home, Eldest Miss!!”
In front of the open iron gate, two burly bodyguards flashed bright smiles as they shouted the welcome phrase they’d just rehearsed together.
The bodyguards’ imposing presence was even more exaggerated than in the movies!
Ye Qinghe stepped out from the driver’s seat and handed the car keys to one of the bodyguards, instructing him to park it in the proper spot.
Then, with a beaming smile, he walked to the front, glancing back halfway. It was clear he was in an exceptionally good mood now that his daughter was home from the hospital.
“You two sisters can catch up once we’re inside. What are you doing standing around at your own front door?”
Ye Qinghe strode forward proudly, crossing the iron gate first and stepping onto the gravel path inside the manor with familiar ease.
“Sis, let’s go.”
“Okay…”
Ye Zhiyun unceremoniously took Ye Zhibai’s hand, her walking posture even bolder and more unreserved than Ye Qinghe’s proud stride—she didn’t care who was watching!
Ye Zhiyun was deliberately walking with extra flair.
She figured her sister, having lost her memories, might feel a bit lost coming home.
So Yun’er decided to act casual, helping her sister adjust quickly and get that warm, homey feeling.
That said… when Ye Zhiyun tilted her head to glance at Ye Zhibai beside her,
Oh no, sorry—she was smitten again!
Even without her old memories, Sis still walked with that deliberate, slowed pace, elegant and aloof!
Ye Zhiyun felt like she wasn’t holding a person’s hand—
Ahem, not that she was insulting her.
What she meant was, Sis didn’t seem human; she was more like a celestial fairy descended from the ninth heavens!
But in reality,
Ye Zhiyun didn’t know the truth.
Ye Zhibai was walking like this… simply because her body was stiff with tension—she couldn’t walk any faster!
Okay, okay… this was so nerve-wracking!!
It wasn’t like her previous life as a half-shut-in with some social anxiety hadn’t prepared her for this.
And now, as they walked forward, the maids sweeping the courtyard or folding linens would occasionally pass by. Each one stopped their work in delighted surprise.
They paused, bowing slightly or lowering their heads in greeting.
“Is the Eldest Miss feeling better?”
“Eldest Miss! We heard you were discharged! Tonight, the kitchen staff will prepare a feast to celebrate!”
“The Eldest Miss is really home?!”
Hey! The last one—your info network is a bit slow!
Ye Zhibai was flustered beyond belief, managing only small waves in response.
It was clear the maids, though respectful, smiled with genuine warmth, as if welcoming back a long-lost friend.
The trio traversed the several-hundred-meter gravel path, skirting the fountain at the manor’s center.
Finally, they arrived in front of a two-story standalone building in a quaint Western style.
So… wasn’t this place a bit excessively spacious?
Ye Zhibai looked up at the structure and couldn’t help swallowing hard.
For someone whose mind was still filled with images of her old rundown apartment, this was overwhelmingly shocking.
The villa was a two-story white-painted building, surrounded by flowers, grasses, and even small trees.
Enclosed by a fence, with a vibrant flower field right in front of the main door, full of life.
Ye Qinghe pushed open the fence gate and looked up with a sigh.
“We’re here, Zhibai. Do you remember this place?”
“Nope…”
What was there to remember?!
“Well…” Ye Qinghe crouched down carefully, pulling out the few stray weeds inside the fence.
He explained,
“This little building… used to be where you and Yun’er lived. These past two years while you were away, it’s just been Yun’er living here alone.”
Hearing this,
Ye Zhiyun must have recalled a lot too— the sparkle in her sapphire eyes dimmed instantly.
“Heh… those two years without Sis at home… heaven knows how I survived… it was worse than death…”
Whoa—?!
That serious?!
Ye Zhibai was startled. Did her disappearance cause her that much distress?
Ye Zhiyun spun around, her black hair tracing a beautiful arc.
Indignant, she vented to Ye Zhibai!
“With Sis gone, I had to sleep hugging a body pillow at night! Ahh, what kind of Heavenly Punishment is that?! And in the mornings, no Sis face to wake up to! These two years, I forgot the meaning of life!”
You’re so fragile! At least you had a body pillow!
Think about my previous life… curling up freezing at night, pitifully hugging myself!
Be grateful!
Ye Zhibai ranted internally.
Ignoring the major crisis looming: from now on, she might replace that body pillow and get hugged by Ye Zhiyun while sleeping!
Hmm…?
On that note,
Ye Zhibai glanced puzzled at Ye Qinghe, who was still diligently clearing weeds by the fence.
“Um… don’t you live…”
“Zhibai?” Ye Qinghe turned back in surprise. “What did you just call me?”
“You”?!
Poor old dad Ye Qinghe had tears welling up in his eyes.
The weed he’d just pulled slipped from his unsteady hand and fell to the ground.
He couldn’t take this blow!
This elite man of society was way more fragile and troublesome than expected!
Your whole family is so fragile!
Even though Ye Zhibai still wasn’t used to familial terms,
She had no choice but to dutifully correct herself.
“Then… Dad, I wanted to ask… don’t you usually live here?”
Ye Zhibai genuinely had no clue.
In her mind, families lived together, right? Earlier, Ye Qinghe had said this was
Exclusive to her and Yun’er.
Implying he didn’t live here?
Ye Qinghe shook his head and pointed not far off.
About thirty meters away stood another standalone building, similar in style but with different colored walls.
“I live in that one. Unless there’s something important, I don’t come over here. The household maids and bodyguards are the same—no special reason, and they generally stay away.”
Huh?
Even more confusing!
Ye Zhiyun grinned mischievously, gripping Ye Zhibai’s hand tighter.
Amid her cheerful chatter, she explained the reason in a perfectly natural tone that was terrifying upon closer thought.
Her words sounded lighthearted, yet brimmed with a chaotic, unimaginable possessiveness.
“Yep! This is the love nest just for me and Sis! No one else can come near, okay? It’s common sense and house rule in our family! Totally normal!”
What kind of common sense is that?! Never heard of such a bizarre house rule!
Now, Ye Zhibai looked at the fence around the building—earlier it had seemed picturesque.
Now! After Yun’er’s words, it was just an isolation barrier from the outside world!
Locked in, no going out, huh?!
Wait—no… she said that in front of Dad—cough, my dad too.
Anyway, love nest? In front of Dad?!
As a parent, he’d surely get mad hearing that!
But Ye Qinghe just gave a wry smile and spread his hands.
“Sigh, that’s how it is. When you were little, your mom and I lived here too. But a few years ago, Yun’er suddenly wanted to live alone with you. So we let her—sisterly bond is good, as long as you’re happy.”
He spoke like a laid-back old dad.
But his eyes… clearly held wariness toward Yun’er.
The subtext was—can’t control her, whatever!
You’re that chill?!
Hmm?
Wait… did he just mention “Mom” earlier?
Ye Zhibai wasn’t in a rush to head inside and crash.
She hadn’t met all her family yet.
With a bit of anticipation, a faint warmth crept into her icy tone, barely noticeable.
“Dad… Yun’er… is Mom here? I’d like to say hi first.”
Heh heh… no mom in my last life. Wonder what having one feels like this time.
At her words,
Ye Qinghe and Ye Zhiyun both stiffened.
They even held their breath.
Ye Zhiyun slowly turned back, shaking her head lightly at Ye Qinghe.
As if reminding him to tread carefully with this question.
But Ye Qinghe’s expression was resolute.
No need for caution on this.
It was something Zhibai should know… and had to face.
A hurdle the whole family must overcome.
Even if not now, you can’t keep it hidden forever—she’d find out eventually.
Thus, his tone laced with endless regret and reminiscence,
Ye Qinghe came clean.
“Zhibai… your mom, she’s… she’s not here anymore… she’s gone to a very distant place.”
“……”
Ye Zhibai froze in place.
A moment later, she slowly lowered her head, finally processing his words.
Dad.
I suggest you just say it straight.
I can understand.
What that really means is—
—I’ve spent this whole life without a mom again.
But even as Ye Zhibai processed it that way, Ye Zhiyun piped up from the side.
“Dad! Can’t you stop being so ambiguous? The way you put it, it sounds like Mom passed away! She’s just missing—she might not even be dead!”
Oh.
Now the translation needed a slight tweak.
—I’ve probably spent this whole life without a mom.
But maybe not.
