"Sweetie, sorry to keep you waiting so long. It was work, a call from back home I couldn't ignore..."
After another ten or so minutes, Ye Lan arrived at the ticket checkpoint with an apologetic smile.
"No worries, Auntie. My sister and I browsed the gift shop and picked up a few things."
Yan Huan stood up and handed over another cup of the newly-bought Big Banana Sweetness to her.
"Banana flavor, nice! Thanks, Xiao Huan~"
Ye Lan smiled and accepted the drink, noticing it was less ice with light sugar, her smile deepening.
Behind her, Ye Shiyu, also sipping on a Big Banana Sweetness, eyes roamed over Yan Huan's figure. Glancing at the same drink she held, she seemed to realize something.
Following that, she took another look at Yan Huan's smiling profile and the additional cup in his hand.
"..."
Slowing down her sipping pace, she followed her mother, silently taking the parasol from her hand.
They were ready to enter the venue.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lin Gate Oceanarium tourist area. Through professional marine ecological simulation, our facility presents a rich array of marine life to all visitors."
"Our exhibition houses over a thousand types of marine creatures, totaling tens of thousands, and we continuously engage with various sectors of society in cultural, economic, and academic exchanges..."
With the female voice's introduction, Yan Huan and his companions slowly stepped into the vast exhibition hall.
Descending into the hall, a huge underwater tunnel revealed itself to their views.
The glass-separated sea water, semi-translucent under the distant lights, painted the seawater a deep blue, casting shimmering patterns on the people walking through the tunnel.
Above them in the water, swathes of fish groups drifted by like clouds of shadows in the azure sky.
Drinking his beverage, Yan Huan looked down and stepped over the light patterns and shadows as if playing a game of hopscotch, pretending "never to step on them."
"It's so beautiful."
Ye Lan put away the parasol, touching her cheek with a chuckle,
"Come to think of it, I remember that a movie I invested in was filmed here."
A surprised Yan Huan turned to her, "A movie? Does Ye International also deal with entertainment-related content? I thought the business was all about..."
"Semiconductors, new energy?"
Yan Huan nodded, because Ye International was pretty famous in Lin Gate, referred to as "Semiconductor Giant" and "New Energy Leader" of Dragon Country.
In his previous life, either title alone would be impressive, yet Ye International held both, making Yan Huan consider them the top of the top in Different World.
The high-end equipment that tech-geek Yahashiki bought contained chips all made by Ye International, needing to stay up late, climb the 'ladder', adjusting for the time difference to snatch new products from Dragon Country's website...
Almost nine out of ten electric cars rushing on Lin Gate streets used their supplied batteries, and infrastructure like charging stations also depended on them...
When he joked about "swearing allegiance as a son" the day before, he wasn't kidding. The smiling, beautiful woman before him was truly the president, whether domineering or not, was another matter.
Just to cling to her coattails, a cry of "Mom, I don't want to hustle anymore" could lead to a life Yan Huan hardly dared to dream about.
"Well, the company doesn't plan to enter the entertainment industry yet, so it's 'I' who invested..."
Ye Lan explained with a smile,
"I personally invested in a few interesting media companies, one of which came to Lin Gate to film an art film called 'Love After Dusk' that won some minor international awards."
"That's impressive."
"Pfft, it's not much to do with me, I simply put in the money. Also, the girl who played the lead actress was quite pretty, her name was Bai..."
"Bai Yi?"
Before Ye Lan could finish, Yan Huan instinctively spoke the name.
Ye Shiyu, following behind Ye Lan, glanced at Yan Huan, and Ye Lan herself recalled the name with reminder,
"Right, seems it was Bai Yi... Is she famous in Lin Gate?"
"Um, somewhat. It's just that her surname is quite rare, and she also attends our school in eleventh grade, so I kinda know her."
Especially after yesterday, when she turned Carefree, recklessly scribbling on Zhou Bin's face during the exam.
Ye Lan turned to Ye Shiyu with astonishment,
"Wow, Shiyu, you could become schoolmates with a star."
But Ye Shiyu just responded with a disinterested nod, her demeanor perfunctory.
Her eyes were already captivated by the surrounding marine life.
Ye Lan covered her mouth with a light laugh, not wishing to disturb her daughter's serenity, simply following her, while Yan Huan too began to appreciate the ocean's beauty.
"Snap!"
Yan Huan took out his phone to capture a drifting shark, then posted it in the Yuan Yue Student Council management group chat,
Yuan Yue Student Council Group (5)
Yan Huan: "Fish, big fish, tiger-patterned shark."
Followed by an emoticon of a nodding cat.
It took a while before anyone replied.
Sakuragi Hitomi: "That should be a white-fin shark, not some tiger-striped shark. Tiger-striped catsharks don't grow that big, President."
Yuanlina: "President went to the oceanarium? What made you want to go there all of a sudden?"
Yahashiki: "@Yuanlina. The oceanarium, a holy dating spot! I bet he went with some girl."
Yahashiki: "[smirk]"
Yuanlina: "[smirk]"
Ashley: "[smirk]"
Ashley, the Discipline Committee Chairman of Yuan Yue Student Council. Together with her, all five management members were lively.
Yan Huan: "[smile]"
Yan Huan chose to break the pattern.