“Yun'er... what is this...?”

“Huh? Sis, you’re saying weird things again. This is our home. What else would it be?”

“...”

Home?

The home I remember was absolutely nothing like this!

Ye Zhibai blinked her big, bewildered eyes.

Everything within sight was a marvel.

An endless estate garden, with fountains and covered walkways blending Eastern and Western styles.

A grand, freestanding mansion. Winding paths of flowers, plants, and stone.

And... the enormous iron gate in front of her, taller than three Ye Zhibaies stacked together!

These extravagant estate buildings looked like something straight out of a movie. If Ye Zhibai weren’t seeing them with her own eyes, she’d have thought they existed only on screen.

Ye Zhibai had figured she must be pretty rich in this life, so maybe her new home would be in some ultra-luxurious, high-end complex.

But as it turned out...

She’d been thinking way too small.

““Welcome home, young miss!!””

In front of the open iron gate, two burly bodyguards beamed as they shouted the welcome they’d just rehearsed together.

They were even more imposing than the bodyguards in the movies—aaah!

Ye Qinghe got out of the driver’s seat, handed the car keys to one of the bodyguards, and told him to park the car where it belonged...

Then he walked to the front with a warm smile and glanced back at them. It was clear he was in an incredibly good mood now that his daughter had been discharged and was coming home.

“If you two want to catch up, do it inside. What are you standing around outside your own front gate for?”

Ye Qinghe strode through the iron gate first, then set off along the estate’s gravel path as if he knew it by heart.

“Come on, Sis.”

“Okay...”

Ye Zhiyun took Ye Zhibai’s hand without a hint of hesitation. Compared to Ye Qinghe’s confident stride, she walked with even more of an I-don’t-care-who’s-watching attitude!

Ye Zhiyun was deliberately walking a little more freely.

She figured her sister must be feeling at least a little lost, having lost her memories and come home.

So Yun’er thought she’d act more casual and help her sister get used to the feeling of being home as soon as possible.

Speaking of... when Ye Zhiyun turned her head to look at Ye Zhibai beside her...

Waaah, sorry—she was falling for her all over again!

Even without her old memories, her sister still walked with those deliberately measured steps, so elegant and aloof!

Ye Zhiyun felt like the hand she was holding wasn’t attached to a person...

Ahem, she didn’t mean that as an insult.

She meant her sister didn’t seem human, but more like a celestial maiden descended from the heavens!

But the truth was...

She had no idea.

Ye Zhibai walked like that... only because her body had stiffened up and she couldn’t walk any faster.

S-s-so nervous!!

It wasn’t that... In her previous life, she’d been something of a shut-in, and she was a bit socially anxious.

Now, as she made her way forward, the maids passing through the garden to clean or change the bedding would all stop what they were doing in surprise and delight.

They’d pause and bow slightly or lower their heads to greet her.

“Young miss, are you feeling better?”

“Young miss! We heard you were discharged! The kitchen staff will prepare a feast tonight to celebrate!”

“The young miss is really home?!”

Hey! You there at the end—are you seriously that out of the loop?!

Ye Zhibai was panicking like crazy. She managed a small, awkward wave in response.

The maids were respectful, but their smiles were clearly heartfelt. They looked as delighted as if they were welcoming a dear friend back after a long absence.

The three of them walked along the gravel path, which stretched for hundreds of meters, and circled around the fountain at the center of the estate.

At last, they stopped in front of a freestanding, two-story villa in a European style.

So... was this place just a little too spacious or what?

Ye Zhibai looked up at the building and couldn’t help swallowing.

For Ye Zhibai, whose mind was still full of memories of her old, run-down apartment, this was a bit too much to take in...

The white-painted, two-story villa was surrounded by flowers, greenery, and even small trees.

A fence enclosed the property, and a flower bed in full bloom stood before the front door.

Ye Qinghe opened the gate and looked up with a sigh.

“We’re here, Zhibai. Do you remember this place?”

“I don’t...”

How on earth would I remember?!

“I suppose not...” Ye Qinghe crouched down carefully and pulled a few stray weeds from inside the fence.

Then he explained:

“This little villa... used to be where you and Yun’er lived. While you were away from home these past two years, Yun’er was the only one living here.”

At that...

Ye Zhiyun seemed to be remembering quite a lot. The light in her sapphire-blue eyes dimmed at once.

“Heh... Those two years without you at home, Sis... Who knows how I managed to get through them... It was worse than being dead...”

Uh... what?!

Was it really that bad?!

Ye Zhibai was startled. Did her disappearance cause her sister some huge problem?

Ye Zhiyun turned around, her black hair sweeping out in a beautiful arc.

She indignantly complained to Ye Zhibai.

“With you gone, Sis, I had to sleep hugging a pillow! Aaaah, what kind of divine punishment is that?! And that’s not all—I couldn’t even wake up to see your face in the morning! For the past two years, I’ve forgotten what the meaning of life is!”

You’re so fragile, you know that?!

At least you had a pillow to hug!

Think about my last life... I’d curl up from the cold when I slept, and all I could do was miserably hug my poor, lonely self!

You should be grateful.

Ye Zhibai ranted furiously to herself.

She completely overlooked the looming danger that she might end up taking the pillow’s place and getting hugged by Ye Zhiyun whenever they slept.

Hmm...?

Speaking of...

Ye Zhibai looked a little puzzled at Ye Qinghe, who was still diligently clearing debris from beside the fence.

“May I ask... do you not live...”

“Zhibai?” Ye Qinghe turned back in surprise. “Y-you just called me what?”

“You”?!

Ye Qinghe, the poor father, had tears in his eyes.

The weeds he’d just pulled slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

He couldn’t take a blow like that.

This high-flying professional was way more fragile and troublesome than she’d imagined, hey!

Your whole family is so fragile!

Ye Zhibai still wasn’t used to calling them family.

But... she could only be sensible and correct herself.

“Then... Dad, I wanted to ask... do you not usually live here?”

Ye Zhibai genuinely wasn’t sure.

She’d thought the whole family lived together. But Ye Qinghe had just said this was a home just for her and Yun’er.

Which meant he didn’t live here?

Ye Qinghe shook his head and pointed into the distance.

A few dozen meters away stood another freestanding villa. It had a different-colored exterior, but a similar design.

“I live in that one. Unless there’s a reason, I don’t come over here. The maids and bodyguards are the same; they generally won’t come near this place unless something special happens.”

Huh?

Now she was even more confused!

Ye Zhiyun grinned and held Ye Zhibai’s hand even tighter.

Then, amid all the cheerful chatter, she explained the reason in a voice that sounded perfectly casual—though what she said was chilling if you thought about it.

Her words sounded light, yet brimmed with a possessiveness so consuming it was hard to imagine...

“Yeah! This is the love nest that belongs just to me and Sis! No one else is allowed near, okay? That’s just common sense and a house rule in our family! Totally normal!”

What kind of common sense was that?! She’d never heard of such a bizarre house rule!

A moment ago, Ye Zhibai had thought the fence around the villa looked quaint and charming.

But now! After hearing Yun’er say that, it looked like a barrier separating them from the outside world!

So it’s “fence her in and don’t let her out,” is it?!

Wait... what did she just say?

You said that in front of your dad... Ahem, my dad too.

Anyway, you said “love nest” in front of Dad!

Can you even say something like that?

Wouldn’t he get mad hearing that as your father?!

But Ye Qinghe only gave a wry smile and spread his hands.

“Well, that’s how it is. When you two were little, your mother and I lived here too. But a few years ago, Yun’er suddenly said she wanted to live here alone with you. So I let her have her way. You sisters are close, and as long as you’re happy, that’s what matters.”

Those were the words of a doting father.

But Ye Qinghe’s eyes... clearly showed how wary he was of Yun’er.

What he really meant was: I can’t do anything about it, so whatever!

You’re really that laid-back, Dad?!

Huh?

Wait... had he just mentioned “Mom”?

Ye Zhibai wasn’t in any hurry to go back to her room and sleep.

She still hadn’t met and gotten to know all of her family.

With a little hope in her heart, a faint warmth—almost impossible to notice—entered Ye Zhibai’s usually icy voice.

“Dad... Yun’er... is Mom here? I’d like to say hello to her first.”

Hehe... I didn’t have a mom in my last life. I want to know what it feels like to have one in this life.

At that...

Ye Qinghe and Ye Zhiyun both stiffened.

They even held their breath.

Ye Zhiyun slowly turned around and gave Ye Qinghe a slight shake of her head.

It seemed to be a warning to answer the question carefully.

But Ye Qinghe looked resolute.

There was no need to be careful about this.

It was something Zhibai deserved to know... and had to face.

It was a hurdle the whole family had to get past.

Even if they didn’t tell her now, they couldn’t keep it hidden forever. She’d find out sooner or later.

So, with boundless regret and longing in his voice...

Ye Qinghe told her the truth.

“Zhibai... your mother is no longer with us... She went to a very distant place.”

“...”

Ye Zhibai froze.

A moment later, she slowly lowered her head, processing what he’d said.

Dad.

I suggest you say that more directly.

I understand.

To put it another way...

—I don’t have a mom in this life either.

But just as Ye Zhibai had understood it that way, Ye Zhiyun added:

“Dad! Could you stop putting it so ambiguously? The way you said it makes it sound like Mom died. She’s only missing—she might not even be dead!”

Oh.

Then that needed a slight correction.

—There’s a pretty good chance I don’t have a mom in this life either.

But it’s not certain.