3. In the office, Lady Ye_2

Yan Huan understood the reasoning, but he was still unclear about what the other party meant by calling herself his "mother."

"Um, Lady Ye, hello... But, have we met before?"

Ye Lan covered her mouth with her hand and wiped the corner of her eye while quickly walking towards Yan Huan, preparing to say something else.

But as her throat tightened, the words she was about to say turned into sobs.

Unable to hold back any longer, she stretched out her arms and embraced Yan Huan, pulling him into her embrace.

Feeling the soft warmth pressing close, Yan Huan stiffened, almost jumping away, and even began to suspect whether the other person had some kind of modifier that needed close proximity to trigger.

Just as he was about to react, the trembling voice of Ye Lan reached his ears,

"I'm sorry... Wu wu, you look so much like your mother... Wu wu wu..."

"...Mother?"

Yan Huan was slightly startled, his movements relaxed slightly, but he still dared not move.

After a moment, Ye Lan finally managed to compose herself somewhat, and holding onto Yan Huan's shoulders, she stepped back a bit, her eyes reddened as she looked at him,

"Yes, your parents were my very good friends in Dragon Country, especially your mother, Wang Yulu; she was my best friend…

"I was classmates with your parents in college, after which they moved to Lin Gate to develop their careers, while I always stayed in Dragon Country. How could I have known after such a long time that they... Wu wu..."

So, these were his parents' friends from this lifetime...

Hearing the name of his mother, both strange and familiar, Yan Huan finally understood, and felt as if a weight had been lifted from his heart.

Honestly, since his transmigration, Yan Huan had not paid much attention to his previous generation's relationships.

The reason was simple, Yan Huan had only spent a very short time with the parents of this lifetime.

Cognitive underdevelopment during infancy made him disoriented upon arrival, and it was only much later, when he hadn't seen his parents for a long time, that he learned they had died in a plane crash.

An infant, left alone in a foreign land, had no direct relatives, but a whole host of dubious distant relatives came to Lin Gate, just to divide his deceased parents' estate.

This situation had an unsavory name: preying on orphans.

As he grew older, and the spirit from his transmigration fully awakened, the relatives had already taken everything and left, leaving Yan Huan to start his life in an orphanage under tough conditions.

Over the years, he had gotten used to being alone, until today, the true friend of his deceased parents finally appeared, though he didn't know why it took so long for her to find him.

Thinking this, Yan Huan immediately changed his address,

"Aunt Ye."

"Oh, what a good boy."

Ye Lan withdrew her hand from Yan Huan's shoulder, wiped the tears from the corner of her eye, and said joyfully,

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken of things that would sadden you. Since I came to Lin Gate, I've been trying to locate you, and I never imagined you'd be so strong and have become so excellent. Not only taking good care of yourself but also getting into such a renowned school, your mother would have been so comforted to see you now..."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but bring up Yan Huan's mother again.

Yan Huan could only agree with her words,

"I think my mother would also be very happy to see Aunt Ye again."

But no sooner had he spoken than Ye Lan's eyes reddened again, even her lips began to quiver, showing a demeanor that couldn't hold back tears.

Seeing that age-incongruent crying expression again, Yan Huan hurriedly waved his hands and said,

"I'm sorry, we agreed not to talk about these sad matters."

"Sob, Xiao Huan... May I call you that?"

"Of course."

He glanced at Principal Hermes standing behind Ye Lan, his laughter lines tight like chrysanthemum petals. He knew this was the principal's patented smile when drumming up investments, the exact same one he wore whenever someone donated money.

Feeling Yan Huan's gaze, Principal Hermes belatedly hurried to pull a few tissues from the table and handed them to Ye Lan,

"Lady Ye, please use these."

"Thank you, Mr. Hermes..."

While Ye Lan wiped her tears, she also blew her nose with a tissue, then pouted and looked up at Yan Huan.

But upon seeing Yan Huan's face, so similar to someone she once knew, the corners of her lips uncontrollably turned down.

Fortunately, at this moment, Yan Huan's newfound ability in Perfect Expression Management came into play.

He weighed his thoughts briefly, then pursed his lips and slightly furrowed his brow, his gaze anxiously circling near her reddened eyes,

"Aunt Ye..."

He seemed touched by the emotions Ye Lan expressed, yet felt confused due to the blanks in his memory of his deceased parents.

Even though he could sense the deep emotional connection she had with his parents, he struggled with a lack of strong resonance in his own heart, mixing bafflement with emotional touch, and ending up appropriately unsure of what to say.

Seeing his expression, Ye Lan's heart ached slightly, realizing her loss of composure might have pressured the child of her old friend too much. She quickly composed herself and suggested to Yan Huan,

"It's okay, Aunt has arrived at Lin Gate, and I will help with all your matters from now on... We've nearly finished with the arrangements here, and I'll take you home for dinner this evening. Principal Hermes, thank you for your help this afternoon."

Seeing Ye Lan finally relax, Yan Huan felt somewhat relieved inside.

This elder seemed very emotionally attached because of her close relationship with his late parents.

Although Yan Huan was not very skilled at handling such emotion-driven elders, the good news was, it seemed that Ye Lan had no connection with the modifier, and she was merely here at the academy to see him...

"It's no trouble at all, Lady Ye. It is Yuanyue Academy that should be grateful for Ye International's recognition and support."

Ye Lan perked up, unlocking her phone possibly to send a message, and with a smile, she turned to Yan Huan and said,

"Perfect timing, your sister also arrived at Lin Gate not long ago and doesn't know any peers here. Allow Xiao Huan and her to meet tonight. She'll be delighted about it, I'll talk to her right now."

Wait, what did you say?

A master?

His eased mind tensed up again, Yan Huan blinked, pinpointing a particular word in Ye Lan's statement,

"Sister?"

Ye Lan nodded cheerfully and after a thought added,

"That's right, Aunt's daughter, she should be a year older than Xiao Huan, previously studying in Dragon Country's second year of high school. Afterward, you will be schoolmates, and Aunt will introduce her to Xiao Huan later."

Seeing the eagerness in Ye Lan's eyes, Yan Huan couldn't think of any reason to refuse such a reasonable arrangement.

However, maybe influenced by Miao's portrayal of the situation earlier, a foreboding feeling suddenly surged in Yan Huan's heart.

But outwardly, he maintained a polite smile,

"Alright, Aunt Ye."