Chapter 6: Time to Take Action, Boy

Restricted Fantasy Invasion

When did Ye Shiyu get this app?

She remembered that it was the morning of her second day after moving to Linmen. When she woke up from her deep slumber and unlocked her Mobile Phone to check the time, that purple app had abruptly appeared on her home screen.

''Is there something wrong with the Mobile Phone? Or did it get a virus?''

Ye Shiyu thought this way because when she long-pressed the app, she discovered that there was no option to delete it at all.

Driven by curiosity, she decided to open the app to see exactly what was inside. However, the moment she opened it, countless illusory messages flooded her mind, and fantastical text materialized right before her eyes.

[Welcome to the Tuner APP, Host Ye Shiyu]

[App Current Level: 1 — The level will increase with the frequency and number of uses. As the level rises, attributes such as app effects and duration will be enhanced.]

[App Effect: Individual Hypnosis — Places a single target into a temporary Hypnotic State. While in the Hypnotic State, the target will completely obey your commands. After the effect ends, the target will forget everything that happened during that period.]

[Usage: Twice a week, each lasting fifteen minutes. Simply form the desire to use the app in your mind, and then show the Phone Screen to the target you wish to hypnotize.]

[1. The existence of the app must not be revealed.]

[2. The app will appear on your most frequently used Mobile Phone, but you must ensure the phone has battery power when using it.]

[3. Any Delayed Command issued during hypnosis will not be retained after the fifteen-minute duration expires.]

[4. Although the app will perform Self-Correction on the hypnotized target''s illogical memories after the effect ends, ensuring they absolutely notice no anomalies, the Host still needs to be cautious of any Third-Party Presence. Please avoid making any mistakes that could lead to the app being exposed.]

Ye Shiyu''s pupils slowly dilated, her facial expression filled with disbelief as she stared at the final line of the illusory text. There, written in a pink, ornate font, was the message:

[Please use it without any hesitation!]

''Could this just be a stupid joke?''

The Mobile Phone had absolutely caught a virus. Back home, Ye Shiyu had heard that there was a lot of this kind of Cybercrime in Linmen...

Up until this moment, due to Yan Huan''s arrival, she had felt a sense of apprehension when using it for the first time, even disguising the process under the act of "exchanging contact information."

If it failed and the other party showed a confused expression, she was prepared to say,

"Sorry, I tapped the wrong thing."

Then she would just open plane, and that would be that.

However, looking at the handsome young man standing completely motionless in place, his eyes entirely devoid of focus, Ye Shiyu''s heartbeat began to accelerate bit by bit.

"Thump... thump..."

Her heartbeat was as frantic as densely beating war drums, symbolizing her utter disbelief.

"It is... actually real!"

Meanwhile, Yan Huan looked at the wide-eyed Ye Shiyu in front of him and realized that, just like Bai Yi, this must be her first time using a Modifier.

Because of his Resistance, although he felt a bit of discomfort when he first saw the app interface, he had basically returned to normal by now...

It was just that his entire body still had a slight tingling sensation, similar to the uncomfortable feeling of slowly recovering after hitting one''s funny bone.

Yan Huan was somewhat speechless. To think he had held onto a fluke of hope because of Aunt Ye, believing that Ye Shiyu might not necessarily possess a Modifier. In the end, he became the victim on the very first night...

And sure enough, the functions of these Modifiers were all this kind of unmentionable, restricted-level content.

''Alright, alright, alright. This is how you want to play, huh?''

''You started it!''

Activating Perfect Expression Management, he flawlessly acted out the dazed state of someone who had just been hypnotized, his body completely motionless.

Ye Shiyu took a deep breath, turning her head to carefully peek into the dim hallway.

After confirming that no one had noticed what was happening, she gently reached out and pressed her hand against Yan Huan''s chest, attempting to push him into the enclosed room to take things a step further.

However, this touch felt like pressing against a searing-hot wall. Not only could she not push him at all, but his body heat also made her yank her hand back as if she had been burned.

''Is a boy''s body temperature always this high?''

Being used to interacting with cold Dolls, it was only now that she realized the massive difference between a living person and a doll.

''What should I do? If I can''t move him...''

''Right, he has to listen to my words right now!''

Remembering this detail, Ye Shiyu hesitantly whispered to Yan Huan,

"Go into the room."

"..."

Yan Huan instantly detected a faint throb coming from his tingling body, as if it was urging him to walk back into the room.

On the surface, he maintained his hollow, dazed expression, walking back into the room by himself before turning his head to look at Ye Shiyu.

Ye Shiyu glanced toward the staircase one more time, then stepped into the room herself, turning around to shut the door completely.

"Click."

Still feeling as though it wasn''t secure enough, she gave the lock a gentle twist, locking the door.

"Phew..."

In the confined space, the young woman''s flower-like scent wafted over, making Yan Huan unable to resist seeking out its source, his gaze ultimately landing on her long black hair.

When Ye Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief and turned around, Yan Huan hurriedly emptied his gaze again.

Now in what felt like a completely secluded state, the expression on Ye Shiyu''s face was finally no longer the emotionless mask she wore during the day. Instead, it showed obvious fluctuations.

Her brows would furrow, her snow-white skin seemed to gain a bit of color from her quickened heartbeat, and those normally placid eyes were now actively looking him up and down...

She was as vivid and lively as a figure stepping right out of a painting into reality.

"So, how should I deal with you?"

She stroked her chin, pacing back and forth in front of Yan Huan. It seemed she hadn''t even thought about what to do after hypnotizing him, constantly muttering to herself.

"Hypnotize him tomorrow and make him tell Mama to cut off contact? No, even if the app can perform Self-Correction on his memories, Mama will keep calling to ask him about it. If something goes wrong and she notices something off..."

Yan Huan watched her, listening quietly like a doll, silently tucking away all those words in his heart.

"What about hypnotizing him to do bad things around the house? That would make Mama hate him... Right... Let''s do that... Besides, this guy definitely..."

Ye Shiyu lifted her head. Having seemingly made a decision in her heart, she turned and suddenly looked at Yan Huan.

She approached him, bringing a fragrant breeze with her. Gazing at his face, she asked softly,

"What is your purpose for coming here?"

"To eat dinner at Aunt Ye''s house."

Hearing Yan Huan''s completely flat voice, Ye Shiyu, who apparently hadn''t gotten the answer she wanted, opened her mouth. She deliberated on her phrasing and tried asking in a different way.

"Then, what were you thinking when you came here?"

The question ended up being just as ambiguous. If someone were genuinely hypnotized by Ye Shiyu, they probably wouldn''t even know how to answer it...

She truly wasn''t good at interacting with people; it was palpable just from her few words.

Yan Huan''s dazed eyes twitched slightly, and he said,

"I''m a little scared..."

"Scared... What do you mean?"

Ye Shiyu paused, completely failing to understand his words, only to hear him continue.

"I''m scared of associating with people related to my parents... In the past, right in front of my eyes, they took away my home, took away everything belonging to my Mama and dad, acting as if I didn''t even exist... Even though they were all my parents'' relatives and friends, why... I don''t know why it turned out like that. I''m afraid this time will be the exact same. I finally managed to walk out of the Orphanage..."

Ye Shiyu''s fingertips slowly clenched. Watching Yan Huan, whose face trembled as if trapped in some agonizing memory even while under hypnosis, she couldn''t help but say,

"Alright, stop. Don''t think about it anymore!"

"Yes."

Yan Huan''s expression slowly returned to normal, breaking free from that quagmire of pain and reverting to a chaotic haze.

Seeing this, Ye Shiyu finally let out a long breath, muttering as if speaking to herself,

"Mama would never do something like that..."

Despite saying this, Yan Huan''s seemingly heartfelt words appeared to have thoroughly scrambled her thoughts, making her completely forget what she had been planning to do. She had no choice but to raise her eyes and look at him again.

''Right, I need to add him on plane first. That way, after the hypnosis ends, the app should help perform Self-Correction on his memory.''

''Anyway, today was originally just an attempt to see if the effect actually works. As for everything else...''

''The Future is Long.''

"Unlock your Mobile Phone, open plane, and give it to me."

Yan Huan watched Ye Shiyu standing there, unsure of what she was pondering. Hearing her command, he still obediently pulled his Mobile Phone out of his pocket.

He unlocked it with his fingerprint, revealing a home screen with a deep blue ocean background.

Opening plane, Ye Shiyu was startled by the dense cluster of chat boxes and red notification dots inside.

''So... so many chat boxes?''

''What kind of groups are all these?''

''Student Council General Management Group? Math 1001 Group 1? Boxing Club Exchange Group? Track and Field Club Group? Fencing Group? Drivers'' Group? Mahjong Group...''

It was Ye Shiyu''s first time seeing a plane account like this. She typically only had a scarce few chat boxes—with Mama and with Chen Yi. Even back when she attended school in her home country, she had never joined any classmates'' groups...

"Ding!"

Right at that moment, Yan Huan''s Mobile Phone suddenly rang.

"!"

Ye Shiyu was startled. She hurriedly looked over and saw that someone saved under the alias "Vice President Sakuramiya," with a white cat as their profile picture, had sent a message.

"I have a matter I need to discuss with you, President. Do you have time right now?"

''What should I do?!''

''Who is this now...''

Ye Shiyu stared at the screen, then looked up at Yan Huan, who remained motionless with a hazy gaze.

''Ah, whatever. I''ll just let him reply himself once the hypnosis ends.''

She turned a blind eye to it, preparing to tap "Add Friend" in the top right corner.

Seeing this operation, Yan Huan couldn''t help but feel a suffocating sense of stupidity on her behalf.

''How about you try letting me reply for you?''

''Haven''t you already hypnotized me? Yet you''re just leaving me to stand here pretending to be a doll?''

However, this also seemed to prove that Ye Shiyu was completely different from a seasoned gentleman like Yan Huan, who had been thoroughly exposed to such things in his previous life. She knew absolutely nothing about this area, which was why her first attempt appeared so hopelessly clumsy and stretched thin.

Just as Ye Shiyu''s finger was about to touch "Add Friend," the entire screen suddenly went black, subsequently overtaken by a voice call interface.

"Ring, ring, ring~"

"Voice Call: Vice President Sakuramiya"

!!!

''She... She actually called?!''

The abruptly enlarged white cat avatar gave Ye Shiyu a fright. Listening to the loud, obnoxious ringtone, her entire body flinched, appearing exceptionally flustered.

A thief invariably suffers from a guilty conscience, and this was exactly the case for Ye Shiyu, who was in the middle of committing a misdeed.

She hastily extended a finger and pressed the reject button, cutting off the noisy ringing.

"Beep, beep..."

"Phew..."

With the phone''s ringing finally silenced, Ye Shiyu let out a sigh of relief.

Then, in order to prevent the other party from calling again, she hesitantly typed in Vice President Sakuramiya''s chat box, "Sorry, I am busy right now and cannot answer the phone."

There was no immediate reply from the other side. Believing she had successfully smoothed things over, Ye Shiyu reached out, preparing to tap the button in the top left corner to close the chat box.

Right at that moment, the other party''s plane name changed to "The other party is typing..."

"Ding~"

The notification chimed, and a message from the other party arrived. It consisted of just three simple words:

"Who are you?"

!!??

Ye Shiyu was shocked completely motionless, looking as if she had died on the spot.

''Hilarious...''

Seeing her standing there as if she had been struck by lightning, Yan Huan nearly broke character.

Right then, within the depths of Yan Huan''s dazed eyes, a glimmer of sympathy surfaced. Her soft pink lips actually began to pout bit by bit. Although the movement was slight... she was undoubtedly pouting, looking as if she had suffered some massive, unjust grievance.

''Huh?''

It was only now that Yan Huan realized Ye Shiyu actually made the exact same expression as Ye Lan!

''Vice President Sakuramiya, you''ve done exceptionally well! Exceptionally well!''

Ye Shiyu shakily raised her hand, wanting to scroll through their previous chat history in an attempt to find the characteristics of how Yan Huan usually spoke with this Vice President Sakuramiya. But all that met her eyes was a long list of voice call logs...

''No wonder she called directly!''

''As for the rest, it''s just various documents issued by the school. The two of them basically never chat via text?''

''Then how on earth did the other person know that it wasn''t Yan Huan on this end of the phone from just one sentence?''

''Wh-whatever. I''ll just let him handle it himself.''

Ye Shiyu chose to deceive herself, casually unsending the message she had just sent.

"?"

After she did this, the other party sent back a question mark. That question mark was like the scythe of the Grim Reaper; just seeing it was enough to make one tremble in fear.

But Ye Shiyu had already feigned blindness, backing out of the chat box. She opened his plane QR code, used her own phone to scan it and add him as a friend, and then tapped accept...

"Ding~"

It was done.

"Phew..."

Ye Shiyu let out another breath of relief, closing Yan Huan''s unlocked phone as if she were slamming shut the gates to hell.

Having finished all this, Ye Shiyu glanced at her own phone and realized that ten minutes had already passed. Yes, an excruciatingly long ten minutes.

''That''s enough for today.''

Looking at Yan Huan in front of her, she placed the Mobile Phone back into his pocket. However, at the same time, a trace of hesitation flickered in her eyes.

In reality, Mama had been inquiring for information about Yan Huan several days before they even came to Linmen. Naturally, she had shared this information with her. Furthermore, since she was young, Mama had always told her about a very dear friend she had.

Ye Lan had spoken so much about him, yet it was only now, facing him in person, that Ye Shiyu finally felt she understood this young man a little better.

''He might indeed be a very outstanding person, and his past experiences are pitiful, but...''

The hesitation in Ye Shiyu''s eyes was gradually swallowed by a certain Desire. She picked up her Mobile Phone again and spoke to Yan Huan,

"Sit well right here and don''t move. When you wake up, you should forget everything that happened just now, and then just like that..."

"Yes..."

Waiting until Yan Huan had sat down, Ye Shiyu turned around and left. She unlocked the door and stepped outside.

"Click..."

Yan Huan glanced at the doorway, stretching out the tingling sensation in his body as he waited for the Modifier''s effect to pass completely.

A few minutes later, the tingling sensation receded from his body like a receding tide. Exactly fifteen minutes had passed since the Hypnosis began.

In that mere split second, an extra segment of memory appeared in his mind.

In this memory, Ye Shiyu had come to knock on his door. After he opened it, she took out her Mobile Phone and added him as a friend. Following a few casual words of conversation, she turned and left.

For some reason, after returning into his room, he felt a bit sleepy, so he prepared to sit down and rest for a moment, ultimately nearly dozing off.

In his drowsy state, he heard a message from Vice President Sakuramiya on his Mobile Phone. But because he was too sleepy, he rejected her call and sent a message completely unlike how he would normally phrase things.

After receiving a confused inquiry from Vice President Sakuramiya, he belatedly unsent the message, and it wasn''t until now that he finally woke up completely.

Yan Huan chewed over this fabricated memory in his mind, unable to suppress a sense of horror.

The crucial point wasn''t just that Ye Shiyu''s Modifier could implant memories. It was that this extra memory actually made Yan Huan feel as if it was something he would logically do and genuinely had done.

The memory flawlessly covered up everything that had happened over the past fifteen minutes. Moreover, Yan Huan felt that if his Resistance didn''t exist, he absolutely wouldn''t have noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Unless an unaffected Third Party pointed out the contradictions between memory and reality, it would be nearly impossible for an individual with an implanted memory to grow suspicious.

''These Modifiers are truly ruthless...''

Yan Huan''s expression grew more serious. As he examined his completely recovered palm, he began sorting through the details of what had actually occurred just moments ago.

It seemed that Ye Shiyu didn''t want him to stay. Or rather, it wasn''t merely that she didn''t want him to stay; taking it a step further, she didn''t even want him associating with Ye Lan.

Well, if Modifiers were linked to Desire, then Ye Shiyu using the Modifier to hypnotize him was also to satisfy some aspect of her own desires.

''Desire... Desire, huh?''

Yan Huan unconsciously recalled what Chen Yi had mentioned earlier: Ye Shiyu had to write her name on every single thing she owned.

He raised an eyebrow as an answer faintly formed in his mind. But right at that moment, a knock sounded at the door again.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

''You''ve got to be kidding me, again?''

Yan Huan braced his hand against the sofa, pausing for a moment before calling out,

"Who is it?"

"Little Huan, it''s Chen Yi. I heated up some milk for you."

"Coming."

Hearing her voice, Yan Huan completely relaxed his body, standing up to open the door.

Outside the door stood a beaming Chen Yi, holding a glass of milk. Not far behind her stood Ye Shiyu, who was similarly holding a glass of milk and looking at him expressionlessly.

There is a theory stating that a Criminal will usually return to the Crime Scene to survey the situation.

The same was likely true for Ye Shiyu. She was probably checking to confirm whether Yan Huan noticed any anomalies after the effect ended.

"Here, both of you drink your milk. It''ll help you sleep better. I added a little Honey, so try it and see if you like the taste. If you don''t, I won''t put it in tomorrow."

"It''s perfectly fine, Chen Yi."

Yan Huan acted completely oblivious to what had just occurred. Seeing his completely normal demeanor, Ye Shiyu finally seemed satisfied. Holding her milk, she turned around in silence and walked away.

Chen Yi also spoke up, "Little Huan, take it inside to drink. There are a toothbrush and toiletries in the bathroom, all brand new. If you feel like anything is missing, just let me know."

"Will do, thank you, Chen Yi."

"Go to sleep early, Little Huan."

Yan Huan took the milk, turned around, and walked back into his room. After placing the milk on the table, he pulled out his Mobile Phone once again.

First, he opened the newly added chat window with Ye Shiyu. Because they had just added each other, the chat was completely empty.

He thought for a moment and sent a message,

"Sister Shiyu, if you have any questions about the school from now on, you can ask me anytime."

He followed it up with a Subtextual Smile Emoji from his past life.

After a brief pause, the other side replied with an "OK" hand gesture emoji.

It gave off an atmosphere of an Affectionate Sister and Respectful Brother, totally Harmonious and Friendly, as if the scene straight out of a Japanese Anime/Drama that had just transpired never even existed...

Speechless, Yan Huan leaned back on the sofa and took a sip of milk. Then, suddenly remembering something, he quickly opened Vice President Sakuramiya''s chat log.

There, a glaring question mark stood out prominently.

Yan Huan couldn''t help but smile. He opened the chat box and brought up the emoji panel.

Inside were countless categorized stickers of all themes—Cat Emoji, anime ones, Panda Person Emoji, Animated Image stickers—he had everything.

Swiping rapidly with practiced fingers, he sent a Sweating and Looking Down Cat Emoji, with text on it reading,

"Sorry."

The other party is typing...

"Was the President''s Mobile Phone in someone else''s hands just now?"

''A reply within seconds? Is she worried I was silenced by some thug?''

He sent a Cat Emoji nodding its head over: "Mhm, mhm."

"I was working. A friend replied for me since I was busy with something just now."

''Speaking of which, do I love sending stickers too much normally? To think Vice President Sakuramiya instantly saw through the charade just because a sticker wasn''t sent...''

''Well, Vice President Sakuramiya knows everyone on the management team very well. She has an excellent memory, so it''s quite normal for her to be capable of something like this.''

At this thought, Yan Huan typed out a question,

"What was the urgent matter you mentioned earlier?"

Following this sentence was another Cat Emoji with a question mark.

The other party is typing...

But after a long while, no message came, nor did a call ring in—she generally preferred communicating with people over the phone. According to her, communicating that way was far more efficient.

Just as Yan Huan was preparing to open his other group chats to browse while waiting for her message, she finally replied belatedly,

"It has already been resolved, President."

Yan Huan glanced at the chat box and sent the nodding Cat Emoji from earlier once again,

"That''s good. Rest early, Sakuramiya."

"Understood."

With the milk finished and his Mobile Phone tossed aside, Yan Huan''s body finally relaxed a bit as he stretched out on the sofa.

"Meow~"

The chubby Myau-chan quietly appeared once more, tilting its head and looking at him from the side with quite a bit of worry.

Yan Huan glanced at it and reached out to pat the sofa beside him.

Understanding the gesture, Myau-chan jumped up and leaned its soft, fluffy body into his embrace.

Reaching out to stroke its silky fur, Yan Huan gave a helpless smile.

"It seems that if I don''t take action soon, I might not have a way out in the future, Myau-chan."

"Meow~"