“Hear the Wind,” drifting from the subway and the sea of people.
I queued up, clutching my love-number ticket, tee-hee.
The Comic-Con hall’s speakers had been cycling through BGM nonstop since noon, no repeats!
Just moments ago, it was super anime-obsessed vibes—even “Just Because You’re Too Beautiful” popped up. Now, it had shifted to the nostalgic playlist.
The lyrics mentioned the wind.
And Ye Zhibai was truly hearing—and feeling—the wind right then!
Whoosh!
It came the moment her little angel suddenly grabbed her hand and whisked her away from the doujinshi exhibition hall. The sound was pure cool-factor: the rustle of the windbreaker her companion wore, mingled with the silky sweep of her long black hair slicing through the airflow.
Wow! Yun’er, that trench coat is so badass… cough, Yun’er, you’re so badass!
Anyway, you really didn’t stay home after all!
Come to think of it… Yun’er had only said she wouldn’t tag along with them, never that she wouldn’t show up at the Comic-Con venue at all.
To be fair, this deus ex machina rescue wasn’t just perfectly timed—it felt downright divinely orchestrated.
Talk about impeccable timing!
You’ve bailed me out, and I’m beyond grateful, but—
“Hold on, Yun’er. My little online buddy’s still back there. She’s got mad social anxiety and is kinda fragile.”
“No worries, sis. Relax—I had Lin Zihan go fetch her.”
Zihan was here too?!
Too busy for maid duties to call out, but plenty of time to wander Comic-Con, huh!
Guang Yu chimed in via mind transmission: Everyone’s got company, and here I am, lost in this endless Comic-Con sea, dashing around willy-nilly with no trace left behind.
Relax, mind transmission’s still on.
Ye Zhibai could hear it: Guang Yu was currently roaming the figure zone, apparently fascinated by all those plastic figurines.
I’ll swing by to pick you up soon. You’re a scummy little fox, sure, but I won’t ditch you. Promise.
But if you snap any of those figurines, you’re on your own. Capisce?
Ye Zhibai had no clue where Yun’er was leading her. She just followed blankly, letting that small hand tug her own as they covered about a hundred meters from their starting spot.
No need for questions.
If it’d been Guang Yu yanking her off on some wild chase, she’d have earned a solid smack—she was too much of a rascal. But Yun’er? No issue. Yun’er was steady. Reliable.
They hadn’t gone far or taken long when Yun’er glanced around.
~~~
She’d spotted a circular seating rest area that, compared to everywhere else, had way fewer people.
Ye Zhiyun halted, pivoting in place.
Even after turning to face her, though, she didn’t let go of Ye Zhibai’s hand.
And so, Ye Zhibai caught sight of Yun’er’s stunning… utterly flawless sunglasses!
Those sharp-angled, trendy shades you’re rocking today out-cool even Old Dad’s pair!
Trench coat plus sunglasses: full stealth kit. Ye Zhibai finally confirmed it.
Yun’er showing up here wasn’t some coincidence—it was a calculated, premeditated op.
With that, Yun’er kept gently holding her sister’s hand as they sat side by side on the empty bench.
Ye Zhiyun glanced back toward the spot they’d fled. The Maid Corps had dispersed, redeploying to cover the perimeter.
Only then did she have a moment to explain what had gone down.
“Huff… Sis, you were way too careless. That spot you were standing in? Total photo commemoration zone at Comic-Con. You had no idea how many people were lurking around, plotting their chance for a pic with you!
I didn’t wanna crash your fun, but with the crowd closing in like that… I had no choice but to step in!”
“Eh?”
Just from Yun’er’s word choice—”lurking” and “plotting”—Ye Zhibai could glimpse her mindset and the reason for the intervention.
Ah, got it… My bad for parking myself in the wrong spot. Can’t really blame those two otakus.
But why put a photo zone right by the doujinshi hall?! Like this con needs the cops raiding it any faster!
Eh… hold up?
A ton of people wanting pics with me?
That… doesn’t add up, does it?
Ye Zhibai said nothing.
Instead, she raised both hands at once: her left nudged up the brim of her baseball cap, her right gave a light tug on her mask’s strap.
Her message to Yun’er was clear: See? I’m disguised to the nines. Should be incognito.
But that gesture?
It earned her only a speechless headshake from Yun’er.
She let out a sigh, one brimming with helpless exasperation at her sister’s utter lack of self-awareness.
“Sis… don’t tell me you actually think a hat and a mask are enough to hide your charm? You’re dreaming if that’s the case. No way it’s that easy… If you really wanna go undercover, at least tuck that silver hair under the cap. Worst case, slap on some shades!”
With that, Yun’er fished a brand-new pair of sunglasses from her pocket.
No way! I’m not wearing those! You even brought backups?!
I’m just here strolling Comic-Con—I don’t wanna look like some shady creep!
Okay, okay, she got it. Yun’er was sporting shades partly for stealth tracking… and partly to mask her own killer looks.
Being drop-dead gorgeous was such a hassle in every damn way!
But what did that have to do with her, a total tough guy? Damn it!
As Ye Zhibai puzzled over why her hat-and-mask combo wasn’t foolproof camouflage, another sunglass-wearing suspect arrived on the scene.
A flash of golden hair swept into the edge of Ye Zhibai’s vision, followed by a bright, upbeat call.
“Heya! Little Bai’er, over here! I brought your little pal!”
“Zihan…?”
Lin Zihan strode up front, shades firmly in place.
Tailing her warily was Little Qiu, who only relaxed the instant she spotted Yezi again. Su Loli’s tense expression vanished in a blink. At this point, Ye Zhibai totally got it.
A mask, shades, hat—they hid the face fine, but not the vibe.
Case in point: Zihan and Yun’er. They stuck out like sore thumbs in this Comic-Con crowd. Their aura screamed peak normie!
Su Yuqiu hurriedly poked her head out from behind Lin Zihan, then sidestepped and clutched the two bags of doujinshi in her arms.
Clearly, she hadn’t fully shaken off the panic from earlier.
“Yezi! D-do you know these two? This big sis said she’s your friend! Oh… and Little Guang Yu? We got separated!”
“Easy, Little Qiu. Guang Yu’s off with her folks—happy and safe. The one who brought you? Total friend of mine. Chance encounter, good people, no danger.”
Yun’er blinked in confusion.
“Sis… who’s Guang Yu? You mean that little girl who was with you two? Another online buddy?”
“Kinda.”
Su Yuqiu tilted her head. “Eh? But Yezi, didn’t you say she was your distant cousin?”
“Temporary kin. Didn’t click till we chatted more.”
“No way…!”
“Uh… sis, how come I never heard about this distant cousin?”
“Maybe I got it wrong. Kinship claims are risky—no big deal. She’s home now anyway.”
“R-right?”
When it came to dodging questions, Ye Zhibai had skills.
Hah! Me against two—flawless defense!
Until Lin Zihan jumped into the fray.
“Ah…! Now I remember—that kid looked so familiar. Little Bai’er, remember? Back at the flower shop, she swooped in to bail us out. What’s she doing here now? Talk about popping up everywhere!”
“Cough… y-yeah, that’s when we met.”
“Small world.”
“Uncanny.”
Bring it! Think I can’t handle one against three?!
My random-encounter kid-friend-plus-distant-cousin-plus-netizen-plus-deity-plus-scummy-fox Guang Yu? She’s got layers, okay?
Just drop it!
Guang Yu’s situation wasn’t the point anyway.
Yun’er tucked the topic away for later.
If it was someone sis knew, they’d cross paths again sooner or later. No rush.
The real priority? Don’t embarrass her sister.
Her online buddy was right here. As the little sister, skipping a proper greeting would be a total face-loss for sis.
And so…
Even decked out in a trench coat, when Yun’er rose, she positioned her feet just so—one forward, one back—lifting the hem slightly in a flawless curtsy. It was Eldest Miss poise, elegant as if she were in a gown!
“Miss Su Yuqiu, my sister has been in your care. I’m Ye Zhiyun, here to take her home. Sis talks about you all the time at home—thank you so much for looking after her.”
“Uh…? N-no, don’t mention it! Seriously, I’m the one who—!”
Ye Zhibai gave a slight shake of her head.
Told you—Little Qiu’s got social anxiety and is fragile. Don’t spook her.
Look at her going—bowing so furiously she’s blurring!
For maximum politeness, Ye Zhiyun couldn’t keep her shades on the whole time. She slipped them off briefly, then slid them back on.
Catching sight of Ye Zhiyun’s ethereal, faintly aloof beauty…
Combined with Yezi’s even more jaw-dropping looks from moments ago…
Little Qiu couldn’t help but think:
Are all the world’s treasure-tier beauties just piling into one family?!
This… this is ridiculous!
Eh?
Wait… just now, she said… she’s Yezi’s sister?
She could still hear Yezi’s words from not long ago, echoing in her ears.
“My closest family torments me every day, scares me half to death, and hauls out a whole bag of tools. I end up lying in bed all day long, nothing but misery.”
There it was!
The root of all domestic abuse!
You really couldn’t judge a book by its cover.
If Yezi hadn’t tipped her off ahead of time, Little Qiu really would have been fooled by this woman’s friendly facade and polite gestures!
No wonder Yezi’s sister always shot her those looks loaded with outright hostility—they’d only just met, after all.
She must have harbored a seriously vicious temperament deep down; how else could she spout such amiable words while her eyes burned with menace?
The socially anxious Little Qiu suddenly felt a swell of some unfamiliar sense of duty welling up inside her.
Yezi… even if my strength was next to nothing, I would still try to save you!
She stopped bowing her head.
No more groveling or fawning.
A steely resolve and unshakeable determination flickered to life across Su Loli’s soft, cute little face—cute with just a hint of handsomeness.
The only hitch was that she’d been too flustered just now to catch the name. Awkward.
“Ye… Ye Zhi…?”
“Ye Zhiyun.”
“Right, Miss Ye Zhiyun. Before I introduce myself, could I make a suggestion first?”
“Let’s hear it.”
“If it’s not too much to ask, could you go a little easier on Yezi… on Ye Zhibai? Hear me out—I really think violence isn’t the way to go. If you keep at it anyway, even as a total outsider, I… I’ll have to call the police!”
“?”
