Chapter 87: Cousin (1)

In the early morning, at the Ye family’s Little Wave Bottom—Ye Lang’s small courtyard—it was unclear when he bestowed such a grand name upon his modest dwelling. Many people asked what the name meant. Ye Lang would simply reply, “It’s just a name, nothing special.”

Within the courtyard, Ye Lang sat staring ahead, lost in thought, as if he could see Hu Niu dancing here. He wondered about her now. Was she still the same as before? Surely she’d grown much in the past five years, just as everyone else had during their adolescence.

He chuckled to himself, thinking perhaps Hu Niu’s little buns had now become big buns...

“Brother, what are you laughing at? Why do you look so strange?” Ye Lan Yu asked as she entered, catching Ye Lang’s somewhat distracted smile.

“It’s nothing! Judging by your situation, I doubt they’ve gotten bigger,” Ye Lang shook his head, casting a glance at Ye Lan Yu’s chest—a fair size, but not particularly large.

“What big buns?” Ye Lan Yu was baffled. Had she known what Ye Lang was thinking, she would have kicked him out of the courtyard.

“Big buns, obviously the kind you eat!” Ye Lang replied with a straight face. “Sis, I’m not going to the academy today; didn’t I tell you yesterday?”

“I know, you’re avoiding those people from Lian. But they’ve already tracked you here, right at the gate. Do you want to see them?” Ye Lan Yu asked with a smile.

“No. Tell them I’ve nothing left to give them. I’ve already given enough; they can research the rest themselves,” Ye Lang frowned and shook his head.

“I know, so I chased them away,” Ye Lan Yu continued to smile. She knew Ye Lang well enough to understand when he didn’t want visitors, and she didn’t want anyone bothering her brother either.

“Then why are you here asking me?” Ye Lang asked casually.

“I just came to see you—is that not allowed?” Ye Lan Yu pinched his cheek and smiled.

She simply wanted to see Ye Lang. She never missed a chance to be with him. One could say she cherished her brother, or, less kindly, that she spoiled him too much.

“Come…”

“No saying it’s not allowed!” Ye Lan Yu pinched his nose and smiled.

“I never said it wasn’t. I just said—well, I have no objections,” Ye Lang mumbled, still sounding dazed.

“That’s better,” Ye Lan Yu said with a smile.

“It wouldn’t matter if I objected. Before you have a boyfriend, I can only play this role. Sigh, I wonder if you’ll ever get married. If you don’t, I’ll be in trouble!” Ye Lang looked up at the sky, feeling a bit aggrieved.

He didn’t realize that his words were slowly provoking his sister beside him…

*Bang!*

Ye Lan Yu struck Ye Lang hard and snapped, “The reason I don’t have a boyfriend is because of you, you troublemaker! Always chasing them away with a million excuses!”

Ye Lan Yu was young and beautiful, powerful, and had a formidable background—naturally, many pursued her, and she encountered a few suitable candidates.

But those whom Ye Lan Yu deemed suitable, Ye Lang always found fault with, or if he couldn't, he’d simply act up, making sure her romances ended before they began.

This situation troubled both Long Anqi and Ye Lan Yu. Yet neither could bear to scold Ye Lang, so they simply let things be. If forced to choose, Ye Lan Yu would always pick Ye Lang over love. Even true love might be sacrificed, let alone these mere crushes.

“Really? I don’t remember anything like that,” Ye Lang feigned ignorance—not pretending, but genuinely forgetting those trivial matters.

“Forget it, I won’t argue with you. If your sister never marries, you’d better figure something out!” Ye Lan Yu pouted and left for school, but not before habitually kissing Ye Lang’s cheek. In her eyes, Ye Lang’s face was eternally that adorable, never-growing little boy’s face.

“If you never marry, then so be it. I can take care of you for a lifetime. I’ll never let anyone hurt you or make you cry,” Ye Lang murmured, not realizing how selfish this was, denying Ye Lan Yu the happiness she deserved.

Perhaps this was just a fleeting thought, an unwillingness to let his sister leave him, wanting to keep her close and pampered; or maybe, deep down, he enjoyed monopolizing Ye Lan Yu, selfishly ensuring she never married…

Ye Lang seemed to be speaking to himself rather than to Ye Lan Yu, who had already disappeared beyond the courtyard gate. Unexpectedly—

“Remember what you said! Don’t forget!” Ye Lan Yu’s cute face popped back around the door, smiling at Ye Lang.

Actually, after hearing Ye Lang’s words, she had paused outside for a moment before doing so.

Ye Lang remained silent for a moment. “How are you like Hu Niu, with such sharp ears? You heard that too!”

“Of course! Women have sharp ears. So, from now on, you’re not allowed to say bad things about me behind my back—only nice things, like praising my beauty and charm…” Ye Lan Yu giggled.

“You’re shameless!” Ye Lang retorted bluntly.

“...You little rascal, I’ll deal with you when I get back!” Ye Lan Yu’s smile faded as she threw out a threat and finally departed for real.

After a while…

“Brother…”

A warm call rang out. Could Ye Lan Yu have returned again? No, definitely not, as Ye Lang’s reaction showed.

“Damn, not here!” Ye Lang immediately dashed inside and slammed the door, loudly announcing his absence as if trying to hide.

“...What an idiot. If you’re not here, who answered me?” A young girl appeared in Ye Lang’s courtyard, walked up to the door, and kicked it open.

“You little rabbit, dare to pretend you’re not here. If you don’t agree to your sister’s request today, I’ll show you why the flowers are so red!”

“Why?” Ye Lang poked his head out, curious, then quickly realized he shouldn’t have shown himself and should have stayed hidden.

“Caught you!” The girl seized Ye Lang and dragged him out.

What a fool—asking why, indeed!

The girl felt helpless toward Ye Lang’s ways. Call him foolish and he possessed extraordinary talent; call him clever and he always acted silly and confused!

“Let go, let go! I can’t promise you anything. You’d best go home,” Ye Lang protested, patting her hand.

“My request isn’t that difficult. Why won’t you agree?” she grumbled, letting go.

“Not difficult? Come on, cousin. You want me to craft you a perfect image—not only am I unwilling, but you want me to do it at your house? That’s impossible. This project would take at least a year or two!” Ye Lang replied, rather annoyed.

Cousin? Indeed, this girl was Ye Lang’s cousin—not a paternal cousin, so not one of the Ye family’s young ladies. She was from Long Anqi’s family, not Ye Cheng Tian’s side.

She wasn’t a stranger, visiting Ye family every few years to see Long Anqi, usually spending time with Ye Lang and Ye Lan Yu, and was quite fond of Ye Lang.

This time, upon hearing Ye Lang had helped Zhen Xiao Yan become a perfect lady in a short time, she immediately dropped everything to demand why he wouldn’t do the same for her, and sought a perfect figure and temperament.

Ye Lang, however, had no interest in the matter and ignored his cousin.

Why bother? She was already a rare beauty, with elegance and an ethereal air, yet she still wanted perfection—how could others compete? Ye Lang firmly refused her request.

Yet, she did have one flaw—a long scar across her forehead, which she always concealed with bangs or a headband. Without it, her appearance would be greatly diminished.

The scar, it seemed, had something to do with Ye Lang. When they were young, Ye Lang had wandered off foolishly and nearly got hit by a carriage. Not knowing to avoid it, he was saved by his cousin, who received the scar in the process.

Ah, painful memories best left untouched.

Ordinarily, such a scar could easily be removed—whether by magic or alchemy, there were ways to heal without a trace. But her constitution was peculiar; none of the methods worked.

This revealed her unique trait: only natural healing worked, anything else was ineffective. Because of this, she became very cautious about treating wounds, fearing more indelible marks.

Perhaps the scar symbolized the bond between Ye Lang and her, but even without it, the memory would remain.

Because it could never be erased.

Had Ye Lang truly forgotten? Perhaps…

Haha, it’s the first chapter of the magazine. Who knows what will come of it—so anxious, ah ah~ oh ah ah~ hey…

Ahem, why am I singing that tune now!