Futile Devices Scans

“Hello, A-Auntie,” everyone greeted her respectfully.

In return, Lan Yin rolled her eyes.

“Am I already old enough to be called ‘Auntie’?”

“N-No, you only look a few years older than us,” Chu Hao Yu hurriedly flattered her.

“What do you mean a few years older? She looks about the same age as my little sister, and my sister’s only in middle school,” Zhang Luo immediately outdid him.

“Just call me Lan Yin.”

“But wouldn’t it be a little inappropriate to address you directly by name?”

“I said, just call me Lan Yin.”

“Y-Yes.”

“In this world, only one man is allowed to call me Yin.”

No one had asked that question. Ke Bu guessed that man must be Zhi Li’s father.

“Yin, go change your clothes.”

So the one and only man in the world was right here?!

Ke Bu immediately protested, “Isn’t it a little rude for you to address her like that?!”

Zhi Li seemed genuinely puzzled by the question, as if calling her Yin was the most natural thing in the world. Lan Yin waved a finger.

“I taught him to call me that since he was little. Think about it—if he calls me Yin, people will think there’s a handsome young man constantly following me around and pursuing me. But if he calls me Mom, people will just think I’m a woman dragging around a burden.”

At last, Ke Bu understood where Zhi Li’s complete lack of common sense came from. Not only was Lan Yin vicious at heart, she showed no mercy when she spoke. What kind of mother called her own son a burden? Wouldn’t that hurt his feelings?

“Then this burden will reduce the number of times he comes to visit you.”

The son in question looked completely unhurt.

“I was joking! Every day you’re not here, I feel like dying.”

“Then how are you still alive?”

Lan Yin pouted.

“You’re no fun. I miss the days when my son used to follow me around everywhere.”

“I miss the young woman you used to be.”

“I’m going to change my clothes!”

Lan Yin abandoned everyone and stormed upstairs in a huff. They had all thought it was impossible to find a weakness in Lan Yin’s defenses, but it was now painfully obvious that her greatest weakness was Zhi Li.

Lan Yin had acted as though she hadn’t heard a single word of Ke Bu’s confession earlier, which relieved him enormously. Yet there was still something constricting his chest, preventing him from calming down. He had just admitted his relationship with Zhi Li in front of Zhi Li’s mother. What did she think of it? Would she find him disgusting? Would she try to separate them? Like Zhi Li, Lan Yin’s true emotions were impossible to read, making Ke Bu feel even more uneasy. He had never expected to face reality this soon. There was a price to be paid when two boys chose to be together.

“You’ll all be staying here tonight. I’ll go prepare the rooms.”

A middle-aged man and woman appeared at the doorway, apparently the butler and the housekeeper. Hearing their voices reminded Ke Bu of the angry shouting from when they had broken the window earlier.

“And which bastard broke my window?” Lan Yin shouted from upstairs.

“I’ll go fix it immediately, ma’am!”

Ying Xiu Jie bolted outside at top speed.

Lan Yin liked peace and quiet, so after her divorce she had lived alone in this villa, employing only a married couple as butler and housekeeper. Because of Lan Yin’s eccentric behavior and unique aura, she had gradually become the legendary Witch of Yinguo Town. Even wearing a fur shawl in winter was enough for people to imagine she was a fox spirit. Adventurous young people often came up the mountain looking for excitement, so Lan Yin had placed two fake skeletons outside the entrance. When she was in a particularly good mood, she’d come out personally and scare them half to death for her own amusement.

After everyone had left the room, Ke Bu walked over to Zhi Li.

“You’re the one who suggested coming to Yinguo Town in the first place, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“I know it was you. Stop pretending.”

“What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?! My heart is already fragile enough as it is. When did you decide to come?”

“The last time she called, you were standing right beside me. I thought you knew.”

Ke Bu searched his memory and suddenly recalled the phone call Zhi Li had received during their argument. At the time, he had assumed Zhi Li had exchanged phone numbers with that girl. So that had been the setup all along!

“How was I supposed to know?! By the way, do you think I’ll survive this winter?”

“How are you going to enter my family if you’re this timid?”

“I’d rather die than enter your family’s house.”

What had happened earlier had left a deeply traumatic scar on Ke Bu’s psyche.

Zhi Li reached out and ruffled his hair.

“Don’t worry. It’s only Yin.”

Zhi Li’s reassurance helped Ke Bu recover a little.

Then Zhi Li continued,

“The reason you think Yin is terrifying right now is because you’ve never met my father.”

How was that supposed to be comforting?

One Lan Yin was already terrifying enough—what kind of monster was Zhi Li’s father?!

Ke Bu refused to think any further.

Even though he had known Zhi Li for years, their relationship had mostly existed within the confines of school. He knew very little about Zhi Li’s family.

“Zhi Li, Lan Yin…” It still felt incredibly, incredibly strange to call her by name directly. Zhi Li walked toward the door and glanced back over his shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about unnecessary things.”

Aunt Qing had prepared a lavish late-night meal for everyone. After changing into normal clothes, Lan Yin came downstairs. She somehow looked even younger now. She called out to Zhi Li, “Zhi Li, you’ve really made some remarkable friends. Their personalities are all so distinctive.”

“You didn’t stop me just to say that.”

“You mean Ke Bu’s matter?” Lan Yin smiled. “I was a little resistant at first, but who’s to blame when I gave birth to someone as smart as you? From the time you first told me until now, you’ve given me more than enough time to adjust. But that idiot still doesn’t know, does he? I really want to see the look on his face when he finds out. Since you’ve made this choice, you’ve probably already considered the consequences that come with it. Don’t think things will be easy. There’ll be more than one obstacle. Duo La will be coming back soon too. If something is important to you, then take responsibility for it properly.”

“You’re planning to just watch from the sidelines?”

Lan Yin laughed. “You could always ask your mother for help. Maybe I’d consider it.”

“What?” Zhi Li completely ignored her teasing.

“Don’t try that on me.”

“What?”

“I don’t do things that bring me no benefit.”

“I’ll visit you more often.”

“Deal.”

Everyone finished their meal in nervous apprehension. Ke Bu’s eyes never left Lan Yin’s expressions. Even the slightest movement of her lips tugged at his heart. He had become unusually quiet. Maybe he didn’t know what to say, or maybe he simply wanted to leave a good impression on Lan Yin. Even he couldn’t tell anymore. The intense feelings he had for Zhi Li had suddenly become flustered and directionless in front of Lan Yin.

Lan Yin sat on the spacious balcony outside the second-floor hall, smoking. Her pale fingers held a slender cigarette. The slightly crumpled filter bore faint traces of red lipstick. Exhaling a long stream of smoke, she said, “Do you have something to say?” Caught by Lan Yin, Ke Bu froze for a moment. After hesitating for a long time, he walked over to her. Beneath the moonlight, Lan Yin’s beautiful eyes rested on him. Ke Bu stood there uneasily. “What I said earlier…”

“Isn’t it a little late to explain yourself now?” There was hardly any emotion in Lan Yin’s voice, only calm narration.

“It’s not an explanation. What I said earlier was serious. I know I’m not a particularly good person. I’ve told a lot of lies. But you’re Zhi Li’s mother, and there’s only one thing I’ve ever wanted to tell you, only that one thing from beginning to end. I like Zhi Li. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve always acted like I didn’t care about anything, like I could just go with the flow. But this feeling is the one thing I take more seriously than anything else. He’s a man. I’m a man. He’s so wonderful, and I’m so ordinary. None of that matters anymore. Nothing can restrain this feeling anymore. Loving Zhi Li is something I have to do. So… so please don’t hate me.”

Lan Yin tapped the cigarette between her fingers and watched the glowing red ember. After a long silence, she finally spoke.

“Are you an idiot?”

“Huh?” Suddenly being insulted made Ke Bu nervous. He found himself staring at the cigarette ember too, not daring to meet Lan Yin’s eyes.

“A long time ago, I wanted to meet you.” Lan Yin’s voice softened. “I wanted to thank you, Ke Bu. Don’t make that idiotic expression. Thank you for meeting Zhi Li. Without you, there wouldn’t be the Zhi Li of today. There wouldn’t be so many people who love him, so many friends willing to stay by his side wholeheartedly. That’s already enough. That’s more than enough.” Lan Yin stood up and placed a finger on Ke Bu’s shoulder. “Just stay by his side like you always have.”

“Lan Yin…” Ke Bu was just beginning to feel moved when Lan Yin said coldly, “But if you make him unhappy, I’ll kill you.”

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