Volume Two: The Youth of a Thousand Faces, Reality or Illusion Chapter Forty-Five: Love, Unaware of Its Origin

Huo Ye didn’t continue his training that afternoon. He simply couldn’t figure out Huo Xialan’s purpose—how could anyone guess it? Who would imagine that a powerful president, with nothing else to do, would seek him out for a fight just to obtain a lock of his hair?

That evening, as usual, Huo Ye cooked dinner. After the meal, he washed the dishes, while Alice dragged Shangguan Yudie into her room.

“Xiao Yu, come, sit.” Both Alice and Shangguan Yudie sat on Alice’s bed. Alice smiled at her, saying nothing.

Suddenly, Shangguan Yudie felt a chill run down her spine. Alice’s emotional waves… hesitation mixed with happiness, and even shyness? Are your thoughts and feelings as complicated as your brother’s? And why is there shyness?

For the first time, Shangguan Yudie regretted awakening this psychic ability; accidentally sensing things felt unpleasant.

She hugged a pillow, about to clarify that she was straight and liked boys, and though she wouldn’t judge Alice, she had no romantic interest. But Alice spoke first:

“Xiao Yu, you seem quite busy lately. Are you working on Night Rain Crow’s signing event?”

Shangguan Yudie realized she’d misunderstood. Alice just wanted to gossip, but was too shy to ask directly.

Shangguan Yudie thought for a moment and nodded. For many things, she could simply use nods and shakes to answer. Speaking required both words and expression, which felt troublesome.

Alice teased, “You really like someone you’ve never met.”

Shangguan Yudie’s cheeks flushed, and she buried her face in the pillow. Her muffled voice came out: “Liking is just liking… If you meet someone enough times, you get to know them.”

“How many times have you met him, really? He has so many fans—whether he remembers you or not is another matter!” Alice shook Shangguan Yudie’s shoulder.

Shangguan Yudie glared at Alice and declared, “He remembers. He definitely remembers!”

Alice nearly lost it. Yes, he remembers you—he just cooked for you, and you ate with gusto. But what I really want to know is whether you like Huo Ye instead of Night Rain Crow! I want to know if you could become my sister-in-law!

Alice was straightforward by nature; she didn’t beat around the bush. But her brother’s affairs couldn’t be spoken of directly, or she might not taste lasagna for a whole year. No, not just lasagna—she might be stuck with takeout for a year.

Her brother’s situation was so troublesome! After a long pause, Alice finally squeezed out another question:

“Xiao Yu, let me ask you something. If—just if—you and Night Rain Crow never work out, or if Night Rain Crow never existed, would you consider my brother?”

Shangguan Yudie was stunned. What did this have to do with Huo Ye?

Alice’s emotional intelligence—hopeless.

Huo Ye finished washing the dishes, and as he took off his apron, he called out, “Just say what you want to say. You’ve been hiding there forever.”

Alice tiptoed out from behind the kitchen door, giggling like a child with candy.

“What’s got you so happy?” Huo Ye asked.

“Nothing… um, brother…”

“Wait!” Huo Ye pressed his hand to Alice’s forehead, comparing its warmth to his own. “No fever. Why are you calling me brother out of the blue? Did you eat something strange?”

Alice puffed her cheeks, humming and transforming into a hamster ball.

Huo Ye deftly poked the hamster ball until it deflated. Alice immediately bit his hand, mercilessly.

Huo Ye pulled his fingers back, exclaiming, “Are you part dog?” He sighed, “What do you want? Just say it. I need to train my abilities tonight.”

Alice snorted and then asked, “How did today’s blind date go?”

“Don’t even mention it. She’s the big sister’s younger sibling. She didn’t blame me, so I’m grateful for that. A blind date?” Huo Ye sighed. Whenever he thought of that big-hearted, big-appetite girl, his stomach ached again. Was she really the big sister’s little sister? Aside from appearance, what else was similar?

Alice’s eyes widened. “Big sister? You mean the time you came home with torn clothes, and Sister Kazama sacrificed herself to protect you?”

“Mm.” Huo Ye nodded, saying no more.

Alice drew a sharp breath. Her brother’s affairs were indeed troublesome. She’d just wanted to find a light topic, but now it was so heavy. Brother, do you have some special talent for making conversations difficult?

Alice’s mind raced to steer the topic back. At last, she found a way: “So, the blind date wasn't great. But have you ever thought about, instead of a blind date, looking at someone close to you?”

“Someone close?” Huo Ye raised his eyes, thinking. “I don’t really know many girls.”

Alice’s smile became sly. She pointed sneakily at Shangguan Yudie’s room. “Xiao Yu—she’s always liked you, and she’s your favorite natural type. Haven’t you considered her?”

“Her?” Huo Ye hesitated. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Why not? Isn’t Xiao Yu pretty?”

“It’s not about looks. We’re too familiar.” Huo Ye said, “She’s like my second sister. I’ve never thought about her that way. Maybe because we’re so close, I feel like, if we ever got together, we wouldn’t even know how to interact.”

“But… Xiao Yu doesn’t see it that way,” Alice said with a laugh. “I just asked her, if things didn’t work out with Night Rain Crow, or if he never existed, would she like you? Guess what she said?”

“What did she say?” Huo Ye asked casually.

Alice replied in Shangguan Yudie’s tone: “If Night Rain didn’t exist, gentle Huo Ye would probably be the best person to spend my life with, because no other boy understands me better. Her exact words!”

Upon hearing this, Huo Ye felt a sudden melancholy. After a long silence, he said, “Why does it feel like… I’m just her backup?”

“Uh…” Alice was stumped. “Why are your conclusions always so odd and yet so convincing?”

That night, Huo Ye sat in meditation, but his mind was restless. His abilities surged and ebbed like tides. This bottleneck had lasted over a year, and he still couldn’t break through. Unable to focus, his breathing was unstable, and his powers didn’t flow smoothly.

Ability users are vessels for supernatural energy. Growing stronger means making the vessel wider and tougher, so it can hold more intense power. The stronger the energy, the greater the techniques one can wield.

Huo Ye’s mind kept replaying Alice’s words.

“Xiao Yu—she’s always liked you, and she’s your favorite natural type. Haven’t you considered her?”

Thinking carefully, maybe it was true. Shangguan Yudie looked cold on the outside, but inside, there lived a cute and innocent soul—Huo Ye knew that well. Thinking about it… no, no, his thoughts were wandering.

“That troublesome Alice, gossiping for fun. No lasagna for a month!” Huo Ye grumbled.

In her room, Shangguan Yudie read her book, gazing at Night Rain Crow’s signature on the title page. Just a simple character, yet written with such flair, like the masked man himself.

She suddenly remembered that the book was a gift from Huo Ye. She closed it, feeling a strange urge to return it, but thought that would be inappropriate. With Alice’s big mouth, she’d surely gossip to Huo Ye.

Unconsciously, Shangguan Yudie glanced toward Huo Ye’s room. Their rooms weren’t far apart, still within her emotional sensing range. At this moment, Huo Ye’s mood was… agitated.

Ha! That big-mouthed Alice! Best to avoid Huo Ye for the next couple of days.

Alice’s meddling had left both Huo Ye and Shangguan Yudie deep in thought. The idea of becoming a couple had never crossed their minds. The other always felt like family—living together now seemed so natural, simply because they were family.

Two days later, Night Rain Crow’s signing event arrived as scheduled.