Yan Dongnuan had always had a good impression of Chu Yin—steady, not impulsive, rarely causing trouble. He shouldn’t be the type to say such inexplicable things for no reason.
“You really don’t hold back, do you? Why are you suddenly saying this? Is this some prank from a bet with Lingqi?”
Facing his aunt’s suspicious gaze, Chu Yin gave a sheepish smile before solemnly confessing:
“A few days ago, Aunt, you called us together for a late-night chat. You probably wanted to check on my hobbies during summer break, right?”
“After I understood that, I realized that all these years I haven’t been close enough to you, and your personality kind of scared me off.”
“Aunt, you’ve actually always cared about me, but I never noticed before. I didn’t even say thank you. I only saw Aunt Wen’s warmth and overlooked you, and that really wasn’t right of me!”
“When I was young, I missed the chance to be close to you. Now I want to make up for it, to get a little closer…”
Yan Dongnuan blinked, momentarily unsure how to respond to this kid.
Watching him sneak around tonight with a look like he was plotting something, it turned out he just wanted to thank her for her concern a few days ago.
This must be Chu Yin’s growth after working outside all summer—after experiencing the warmth and coldness of strangers, he truly realized how much his family cared for him. That was a pretty big gain.
Even though this seemed like a good thing, there was still a worrisome risk hidden in it!
“Chu Yin, since you’re being so serious, I need to confirm something with my sister first. Hold on a second.”
Yan Dongnuan didn’t want to leave the room, so she just made a phone call and asked directly:
“Sis, last time when Chu Yin had a high fever and you stayed with him in the hospital, did you find out he had some kind of incurable illness?”
Wen Chunhan replied irritably, “No, my Chu Yin is perfectly fine. He’s healthy, developing well—why are you asking about something like that?”
Yan Dongnuan breathed a sigh of relief, letting go of the doubt in her heart. She said:
“Then it’s nothing. Just now he seriously thanked me for caring about him, and it gave off this ‘a man’s dying words are kind’ feeling. I thought something had happened to him.”
“……” Chu Yin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
So this is what comes of not being close enough. Clearly, he was sincerely trying to thank her and get closer to his aunt, to accompany her and dispel the loneliness and boredom of her disciplined life, but she misunderstood it as him giving a final farewell!
That’s just too much~!
Chu Yin didn’t wait for his aunt to agree. Emboldened, he climbed up onto the bed and, imitating his younger sister, rested his head on his aunt’s soft lap.
His ice-cold, queenly aunt didn’t scold or push him away. She spoke softly:
“Chu Yin, when you were little you only clung to my sister’s side—was it because you always thought I was scolding you?”
Even though Chu Yin was a child brought home by her elder sister Wen Chunhan, Yan Dongnuan never treated him differently. She cared about his studies and exams just the same.
“Yes, Aunt, do you remember how you ‘cared’ about me when you checked my wrong answers on the test paper back then?”
Yan Dongnuan’s memory was sharp—she even recalled the exact mistakes. After repeating them, she said:
“I think I asked… how could you get such a giveaway question wrong? Are you distracted by something?”
“No, I wasn’t.” Chu Yin repeated his answer from back then, then signaled for his aunt to keep ‘caring.’
Yan Dongnuan replied without expression, “If you’re not distracted and still get it wrong, are you sick? Maybe not thinking clearly?”
Chu Yin said helplessly, “See? With words like that, how could I not misunderstand… It made me too scared to chat with you for a while. The pressure was too much~”
“I was worried about your mental health. Getting questions like that wrong is out of the ordinary—it’s only natural to wonder if something else was wrong.”
Listening to his aunt’s explanation, Chu Yin chuckled and didn’t argue further.
It was just a small misunderstanding, and it was all in the past. The important thing was, right now he could enjoy the ‘emperor’s treatment’ with his beautiful aunt’s jade-like legs as his pillow.
“Next time I come over to read, can I rest on your lap again?”
“No.” The ice-beauty aunt replied coolly.
“Huh? Why not? Aren’t we much closer now?” Chu Yin was a bit disheartened.
“Because next time you come over, I’ll be sitting at the desk, not on the bed.”
Yan Dongnuan’s care was mostly shown in silent ways, just like reading together tonight.
Knowing Chu Yin was coming, she specially gave up the desk for him and leaned on the bed herself. The bed seemed soft but wasn’t good for sitting long; it made her legs go numb, far less comfortable than sitting upright at the table.
Now that she knew Chu Yin just came to be a “reading companion,” she wouldn’t pamper him further. He could roll around on the bed and play with his tablet however he liked—she’d just keep reading at her desk as usual.
“Then if I bring a stool next to the desk, can I still rest on your lap?”
“Do you have some kind of obsession with my legs…” Yan Dongnuan shot him an exasperated look, then added, “Fine.”
As long as it didn’t disturb her reading, Chu Yin could do as he pleased.
After all, Yan Lingqi would often come and cuddle up too, so one more Chu Yin made no difference. They were all family, after all.
A few peaceful days passed. Yan Lingqi started school, and the house grew quiet and still during the day.
Chu Yin would occasionally check the class chat group. It had been lively during the summer, but as universities across the country began their new terms, activity in the high school group dwindled—everyone had new circles now.
The rest of his time was spent poring over the surviving fragments of the “Gan Shi Star Manual.”
Chu Yin gradually readjusted to real life, no longer thinking much about the dream world. But that overwhelming drowsiness soon returned.
He couldn’t help but complain:
“So it really was just a two-day leave after all. Time to spend a few more months in the dream again.”
The moment he closed and opened his eyes, the bedroom was entirely different.
The air was colder—and… there was a magical aura?
Chu Yin was surprised—he could actually sense the omnipresent magic in the air now!
While he was marveling at this new experience, Spider Sis’s worried voice came from nearby. She hugged Chu Yin’s child-sized body.
“Little unlucky egg, you’re finally awake! Thanks to the blessing of the Starlit Witch, otherwise if I couldn’t bring you back after summer, how would I explain to Mistress…”
Chu Yin was baffled, not knowing why Spider Sis was so agitated, but he could tell something serious had happened.
Otherwise, why would all the Castle’s maid sisters be gathered in his room, all staring at him in unison?
“Did something happen?” he asked.
“Little unlucky egg, a few months ago you took your magic potion as usual, but after your magic circuits were strengthened, your body absorbed too much of the potion’s toxins. Your health deteriorated rapidly, and you fell into a coma. Even though Lady Xingyu intervened to stabilize your life, you’ve been asleep until now…”
…Huh?
Just a few days without dreaming, and something so big happened?
No wonder Spider Sis was so worried and anxious.
“So what time is it now? Has the Polar Night Long Winter ended?” Chu Yin was rather looking forward to that—if only he could wake up and immediately go win more favor with Witch Aunt.
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