Chapter 14: Despicable Me

Restricted Fantasy Invasion

"Clack, clack, clack..."

The sewing machine hummed on the desk, but Ye Shiyu''s gaze gradually lost its focus.

The originally rhythmic and pleasant sound only added to her irritation now. She suddenly raised her hand and pressed the switch, bringing the machine to a halt.

"..."

Her phone had been playing music on the side. Turning her head, she realized she had even forgotten to turn off the phone screen.

She really was a bit absent-minded tonight.

Ye Shiyu pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and stood up. She reached for the empty water cup beside her, intending to go downstairs for a drink.

Whenever she felt irritable or nervous, she would drink plenty of water.

''At this hour, Mom and he should still be talking, right?''

''Anyway, tonight...''

''She would also go find him for a good "chat".''

Clenching her phone and water cup, Ye Shiyu pushed open her bedroom door with an expressionless face and headed downstairs.

However, when she reached the second floor, she saw Yan Huan''s door wide open, revealing the unlit space inside.

"Sob, sob..."

Then, she seemed to hear her mother''s sobbing coming from downstairs.

Frowning slightly, she walked to the first-floor living room. There, she saw Ye Lan sitting on the sofa, her face buried in her hands as she wept, with that photo album resting on her lap.

Chen Yi sat beside her, patting her back and constantly handing her tissues. The coffee table was already littered with quite a few crumpled wads of paper.

Sweeping her gaze around, she didn''t see Yan Huan anywhere.

She didn''t speak, as if realizing something.

''He left?''

''Why?''

Even though she couldn''t immediately think of an answer, a sense of relief and joy was the first thing to bubble up in her heart.

Seeing Ye Shiyu come down, Chen Yi looked at her while continuing to pat Ye Lan''s back.

"Shiyu... Little Huan left. The double-skin milk dessert he made for you is right here. Why don''t you have a taste."

"..."

Hearing this, Ye Lan looked up. Her tear-stained face conveyed the overwhelming sorrow filling her heart.

Ye Shiyu hated seeing her mother like this more than anything. She glanced at the double-skin milk dessert on the table and asked,

"Left? Why?"

"Sob... I don''t know either. It was just so sudden... We were getting along so well before..."

Ye Lan pouted slightly as she looked at Ye Shiyu, causing the girl to unnaturally avoid her mother''s gaze, as if afraid the relief and joy hidden in her eyes would be discovered.

However, the teary-eyed Ye Lan was not an emotional detective, after all, and she couldn''t perceive the dark secrets buried deep within her daughter''s heart.

She simply lowered her head again and continued to cry.

"Sob... Mom came all the way to Linmen and searched for him for so long, just to bring him home... I promised his godmother that I would definitely take care of him. Yulu, what should I do?"

''Mother... whenever it concerned someone she loved, she easily became emotional, wishing she could pluck the stars from the sky to give them.''

''She was clearly so rational at work, so why couldn''t she just let him leave simply?''

"Sob, sob..."

But listening to her mother''s heart-wrenching cries, the expressionless Ye Shiyu stood rooted to the spot, caught in an internal struggle.

Honestly, she wished Yan Huan would never return and never contact her mother again.

Just seeing him, seeing him talk to her mother, seeing her mother smile at him... it all made her feel utterly annoyed.

''But...''

''Compared to my own annoyance, I probably hate seeing Mom make this kind of expression even more.''

Ye Shiyu slowly gritted her teeth. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked,

"When did he leave?"

Hearing this, Chen Yi chimed in from the side,

"Little Huan left about five or six minutes ago. Your mom wanted to drive him, but it''s not safe to drive this late, so he didn''t let her. He''s probably taking the bus back to the South Ward. The bus stop is quite a ways from here."

Ye Shiyu turned to her mother, who was still sobbing with her head bowed, and said,

"I''ll go persuade him to come back."

Ye Lan looked up at Ye Shiyu. Covering her mouth, she was a bit surprised by her daughter''s reaction.

''Our Shiyu really is a kind, good girl. She just doesn''t show it normally...''

"Shiyu... Let me go with you," Ye Lan offered.

"No need, Mom. Let me go... It''s easier for people of the same age to communicate."

Ye Shiyu set down her cup and walked toward the door.

Between her fair fingers, her phone flipped over so the screen faced inward, radiating a deep purple, demonic glow. This was her unique "method of communication among peers."

''To make Mom happy, even if I have to use Hypnosis...''

''As for my own annoyance?''

''Anyway, later on, I can use the App to turn him into something like in those movies...''

''When Mom reaches a point where she won''t be sad to see him leave, then I''ll...''

With these thoughts, Ye Shiyu put on her shoes and walked out of the house.

Because Yan Huan had to pack his luggage before leaving, it was already approaching eight o''clock.

The bus stop was outside the residential compound. To catch Yan Huan before he boarded the bus and left, Ye Shiyu unconsciously quickened her pace.

The streetlights inside the upscale neighborhood were spaced very closely together, as if afraid the residents would be swallowed by the darkness at night.

However, once outside the compound, there was only one landscape light every dozen meters or so.

These landscape lights illuminated the road into isolated islands of brightness.

Between these isolated islands lay an ocean formed by the night''s shadows.

Ye Shiyu repeated the process of "landing on" and "leaving" these islands until she spotted the bus stop on the side of the main road ahead.

This bus stop heading to the South Ward was very deserted, with buses arriving only once every fifteen minutes.

The bus stop originally had lights, but half of them were broken, leaving the shelter half bright and half pitch-black.

With her excellent vision, Ye Shiyu quickly spotted the handsome young man. Slinging his school bag over one shoulder, he was wearing Bluetooth earphones and standing alone under the illuminated section of the stop further away.

He had the school uniform jacket he wore when he arrived on Friday draped over his shoulders, with that beige shirt underneath.

He hadn''t left yet. He was looking down at his phone, waiting for the bus.

Ye Shiyu looked at him, quickened her pace slightly, left her isolated island of light, and stepped completely into the darkness.

At the same time, she called out to him,

"Yan Huan."

Yan Huan was watching a celebrity speech on a video site. He hadn''t turned the volume up very high, so he immediately heard someone calling him.

He froze slightly and turned around, spotting Ye Shiyu standing in the shadows just outside the bus stop.

He was somewhat surprised, completely not expecting Ye Shiyu to actually chase after him.

But soon, Yan Huan adjusted his expression and revealed a smile.

"Sister Shiyu, why are you here?"

Soon after, he looked at the thin dress Ye Shiyu was wearing and added,

"It''s quite cold out here. Sister Shiyu, you''re wearing far too little..."

"Why are you leaving?"

Ye Shiyu cut straight to the chase, interrupting him.

Walking forward, she entered the area of the bus stop.

"Well, because I''m not really used to living here... I''m used to living in the South Ward, so suddenly moving to Kyogo Ward brings some trouble too..."

Yan Huan explained with a smile.

Hearing this, Ye Shiyu stopped in her tracks. She raised her eyes to look at Yan Huan under the light, as if scrutinizing his expression.

But his smile remained as sunny as always, devoid of any flaws.

Slowly retracting her gaze back into the darkness, she said,

"Go back with me. Mom is very sad, and she cares about you a lot."

Yan Huan blinked, not responding immediately. Instead, he pointed to the bench inside the bus stop.

"...Have a seat for a bit, Sister Shiyu."

Ye Shiyu didn''t move. Yan Huan took a seat first, removing his Bluetooth earphones and placing them back into their charging case.

Watching his actions, Ye Shiyu hesitated for a moment before also sitting on the edge of the bench.

She sat far away from Yan Huan, but the light from his side still managed to softly illuminate her breathtakingly beautiful face.

Yan Huan looked at the quiet road ahead and, smiling, suddenly asked,

"Sister Shiyu, you actually really hate me, don''t you?"

"..."

Ye Shiyu''s pupils contracted slightly, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around her phone, but she did not speak.

Yan Huan turned toward Ye Shiyu, his gaze meeting hers, though he looked somewhat embarrassed, his hands awkwardly clasped together.

"Don''t worry, I haven''t mentioned this to Auntie Ye, and she has never thought this way either."

"...You''re misunderstanding."

Ye Shiyu defended herself from the unlit side of the bus stop.

"Yeah, maybe it''s just my imagination, Sister Shiyu..."

Yan Huan didn''t stubbornly argue. He simply continued calmly,

"It''s just that, I''ve lived without parents since I was young. After all these years, to say I''ve never wished for a warm family would be a lie.

"So when someone as kind and gentle as Auntie Ye came to find me, I was genuinely happy, truly elated. I really longed to have someone like Auntie Ye—someone who cares about me, who is like a mother—by my side..."

Even without Hypnosis, his heartfelt words still made Ye Shiyu take a deep breath.

However, he wasn''t trying to say how miserable his life was. On the contrary, his topic revolved around another person.

"Sister Shiyu, you''ve also been without a father since you were young, depending solely on Auntie Ye for survival. Perhaps because our circumstances are somewhat similar, I can strongly empathize with you.

"If my mother were still alive, and we depended on each other... if she suddenly brought another child home, regardless of who that child was or what they were like, just seeing my mother shower them with meticulous care would make me feel incredibly jealous and sad..."

Hearing this, Ye Shiyu hastily looked at the handsome young man whose gaze was gradually lowering. Her lips parted unconsciously.

Even while recounting such sorrowful feelings, Yan Huan''s smile remained constant.

He simply said,

"I know that having such precious love snatched away is an agonizingly painful thing. My parents were taken from me by a natural disaster, by fate, when I was young. I couldn''t fight it; I was completely powerless...

"But, precisely because I understand this kind of pain, when I realized I might become the source of your pain, Sister Shiyu... how could I possibly bear it?"

Ye Shiyu''s hands trembled slightly. Her phone, shaken by her quivering grip, seemed almost ready to slip from her fingers.

"..."

She was speechless, merely staring at Yan Huan''s smile as if witnessing something completely incomprehensible.

That incomprehensible force was tearing her heart apart, slicing her open to reveal what lay within...

From within, a faint throbbing echoed out.

Thump... Thump...

And just as her eyes widened slightly and her lips parted in bewilderment, Yan Huan suddenly remembered something and brought his school bag to his front.

"Oh, right, Sister Shiyu. This is for you."

He opened his backpack and pulled out a neatly folded gift bag.

Opening the gift bag, he took out several items.

First was the jellyfish keychain she had searched for so long yesterday. The keychain even had her name tag on it, proving it wasn''t a replacement Yan Huan had bought later.

As for the other two items, they were recent purchases.

A square resin model of a jellyfish, looking as if a genuine, crystalline jellyfish dancing in the water had been sealed within it.

And next was a cute, plush jellyfish doll.

"This..."

Ye Shiyu stared blankly at the keychain he had placed in her hand. Yan Huan merely displayed the other two items briefly before putting them back into the gift bag.

"Ah, because I saw how much you cared about it yesterday, Sister Shiyu, I went back to look for it again this morning. It seems you dropped it in the Aquarium, Sister Shiyu; that''s where I found it. As for the other two, Auntie Ye mentioned you really like jellyfish, so I just bought some stuff based on my own taste. Please don''t mind it if you don''t like them."

''So, he woke up so early this morning just to go to the Aquarium to help me find my keychain?''

''Meanwhile, this morning, because I peeked at him changing clothes, I actually harbored wicked intentions in my heart...''

"Why... didn''t you give this to me earlier?"

''If he had given it to me earlier, maybe I wouldn''t have given him the cold shoulder all day, and I wouldn''t have been so irritable toward him.''

"I originally wanted to give it to you at school, Sister Shiyu..."

Yan Huan smiled wryly and told Ye Shiyu,

"Because if I gave it to you today, I was afraid Auntie Ye would see it and be even more reluctant to let me leave..."

"..."

Ye Shiyu just stared at Yan Huan in utter confusion, looking at the gift bag he extended to her from the bright side.

The hand she reached out from the shadows to accept the gift bag moved so sluggishly.

Amidst that sluggish movement, a profound incomprehension and deep emotional stirring spread wildly in her heart, nearly devastating her.

Only now did she remember that over the past two days, he had clearly been taking care of her all along.

When he arrived the day before yesterday, he had greeted her politely.

Yesterday, when she was fighting with someone outside over the keychain, he stepped forward to help her out of the situation and retrieved it; when she lost her keychain, he also followed her around without a single word of complaint, searching for several hours.

This morning, he woke up incredibly early to help her find her keychain and bought gifts; at noon, he made dessert for her, helped her register for classes, and, sensing she didn''t want to watch a movie, suggested going to the supermarket instead...

Even right before he left, he still made double-skin milk dessert for her and her mom.

She had clearly noticed all of this, so why had these thoughts never surfaced in her heart before? Why was she only just recalling them now?

Because disgust and anger were like the tide.

When the tide surged, the seashells on the beach that represented "goodness" would be submerged, entirely hidden from sight no matter how hard one looked.

Therefore, whenever people argued furiously with their loved ones, despite having so many beautiful memories with the other party, all those memories would vanish in that heat of the moment.

Thus, only slander and insults would be left behind.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

That eerie throbbing grew increasingly intense. Ye Shiyu lowered her head slightly, feeling as though she couldn''t catch her breath, a severe tightness gripping her chest.

But Yan Huan didn''t seem to notice her subtle changes at this moment. Like her mother, he seemed to have grown accustomed to her taciturn nature.

He glanced up at the flow of cars waiting at the distant traffic light and said,

"The bus seems to be coming, Sister Shiyu..."

Ye Shiyu''s lowered eyes contracted slightly, and she lifted her head almost instinctively.

Her gaze immediately collided with his smiling face as he turned his head toward her.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

"Then I''ll see you at school, Sister Shiyu."

Looking at that smile, Ye Shiyu''s lips quivered faintly, and she could finally no longer maintain her expressionless facade.

As her throat worked, she seemed to want to say something. ''I should say something at a time like this, right?''

''But why...''

''Why can''t you speak, Ye Shiyu?''

''Is it because of this unprecedented feeling in my heart? Because of this tightness in my chest? Because I can''t breathe properly?''

Thump... Thump... Thump...

"Wai-"

Yan Huan, who was just about to stand up, heard Ye Shiyu''s word. Even though it was just a single syllable, he halted his movement for her.

"Wait a minute..."

He looked at Ye Shiyu and asked,

"What''s wrong?"

"..."

''Say something...''

''He''s looking at me, asking me...''

''Say it...''

''What am I supposed to say?''

Thump... Thump... Thump...

Ye Shiyu opened her mouth, but her throat was so stiff it felt as if it didn''t belong to her.

Looking at the handsome young man before her, she felt as if she were in a store, gazing at an item she desired more than anything else in her life.

The only one of its kind in the entire world, as if it belonged exclusively to her...

Even though she understood better than anyone that the young man in front of her was not an object or a doll.

She should speak, to respond to his kindness and gentleness.

This was the way a human being responded to another heart, to another person.

Rather than taking him off the shelf like a purchased item and heading to the counter with a phone to pay.

''But...''

But she surprisingly couldn''t utter a single word.

So, she could only clumsily resort to other methods in an attempt to possess him...

Thus, her right hand gripping the phone rose instinctively, aiming the phone screen right at Yan Huan.

"!?"

Only after raising her phone did she belatedly realize what she had just done.

Even though he had been so wonderful just a moment ago, even though he had bared his kind and sincere heart to her, she had...

...chosen to use Hypnosis on him?

Ye Shiyu''s eyes widened and she gasped for air, yet the hand she had raised refused to draw back.

Remorse, excitement, and that bizarre, violent throbbing in her heart intertwined, pushing her to the brink of losing control, leaving only the fierce pounding sound echoing in her ears.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

However, when she raised her phone, the Yan Huan before her simply froze slightly, staring at the phone screen, before turning back to her with a perplexed blink.

''It...''

''It didn''t work?''

''Why was it unsuccessful?''

In an instant, an immense terror threatened to completely overtake her heart.

Her pupils shrank. Formlessly, some kind of terrifying desire seemed to expand, actually causing the surrounding shadows to begin churning.

Fortunately, right at that moment, Yan Huan suddenly asked,

"Is your phone out of battery, Sister Shiyu?"

"Eh?"

The terror in her heart crumbled instantly. She looked at the phone screen, where a massive "empty battery" icon was displayed conspicuously.

''She...''

''Because I was so absent-minded while making clothes earlier, leaving the music playing without turning off the phone screen, my phone ran out of battery?''

Her face abruptly flushed, turning incredibly hot.

Ye Shiyu''s gaze instantly became evasive, and she turned her head away following that evasive gaze, exposing the ear amidst her black hair.

Her hands shakily held up the phone, actually trying to use it as a makeshift shield against Yan Huan, attempting to block his burning gaze.

But given the small size of the phone, it fundamentally couldn''t block her beautiful side profile.

Thus, large swaths of her blushing skin were revealed, along with her misty, water-tinted eyes, and a gaze that practically wished it could dig a hole and bury itself into the ground.

She opened her mouth. Her voice trembled, sounding like some sort of cute little animal letting out a faint plea for mercy.

"Yeah... My phone ran... ran out of battery..."

Amidst her long, ink-black hair, her earlobes had completely turned cherry pink.

The darkness could no longer shroud her face, fully exhibiting her shyness and evasiveness.

Seeing Ye Shiyu like this, Yan Huan couldn''t help but widen his eyes, momentarily spellbound.

Right now, he felt a little envious of those vloggers who walked around with cameras strapped to their heads; that way, he might have been able to record this shy, adorable version of Ye Shiyu.

"Beep, beep... The bus is entering the station. Please board in an orderly fashion, hold the handrails, and sit securely."

Just then, the bus heading to the South Ward arrived.

Right as Ye Shiyu wanted to run away, Yan Huan thought for a moment and stood up.

Swoosh.

He didn''t board the bus. Instead, he took off his school uniform jacket and draped it over Ye Shiyu''s shoulders in one fluid motion.

"Eh?"

''Someone else''s...''

''No, Yan Huan''s jacket was suddenly covering me.''

Ye Shiyu''s eyes went wide as she was instantly enveloped in his scent.

But it was as if she had suddenly forgotten to resist. She merely held her phone up blankly, gazing at him standing there.

Yan Huan simply offered a slight smile and surveyed their surroundings.

"The road back to the compound from here is too dark. Without a phone flashlight, it might be a bit troublesome. I think there''s a convenience store up ahead; I''ll go rent a power bank. Wait here for a bit, Sister Shiyu. It''s a little cold, so keep the jacket on for now."

"...Okay."

Ye Shiyu nodded in a dazed yet obedient manner.

Seeing that Yan Huan wasn''t boarding, the bus bound for the South Ward closed its doors and departed.

Meanwhile, Yan Huan trotted across the road and headed toward a spot further in the distance.

Ye Shiyu kept her head down, feeling Yan Huan''s jacket.

''Even though it doesn''t have my name written on it, and it''s not even my own belonging...''

''...wearing it isn''t unpleasant. It''s very warm.''

Thump... Thump... Thump...

That bizarre sound in her ears grew more and more violent until it abruptly went quiet, and only then did she remember—

This was actually the sound of her own heartbeat.

She clenched her hand tight. Not looking at her phone anymore, she instead pressed the phone screen flat against her chest.

She just focused entirely on feeling the warmth the school uniform jacket brought her.

As a result, she failed to notice her phone screen lighting up at this very moment.

A demonic purple vortex illuminated, but it flickered brightly and dimly, flashing with static snow as if the signal was poor.

Shortly after, the screen went dark again.

After waiting for what felt like quite a while, a warm and cozy Ye Shiyu finally heard Yan Huan calling out.

"Sister Shiyu!"

She looked up, and her body stood up uncontrollably in response.

Yan Huan walked over and handed her the power bank.

"Here you go, Sister Shiyu."

"Mhm..."

Hearing the word "Sister" in his speech, Ye Shiyu''s gaze flickered evasively once more.

She plugged in the power bank. Since the bus had already passed again, they could only sit down and wait for the next one.

Ye Shiyu''s mind was completely blank. She had even forgotten that she came here to call Yan Huan back.

She just gently gripped Yan Huan''s school uniform jacket, cradled the gift bag he had given her in her arms, and listened to him instruct her,

"Sister Shiyu, just wear the jacket on your way back. You can return it to me at school later."

"Mhm..."

"As for the power bank, it might be a bit of a hassle. You''ll have to go outside the compound to return it. If you honestly forget, it''s fine."

"Okay..."

She kept her head lowered. Between the strands of her falling black hair, her already cherry-pink skin would occasionally peek out as she nodded.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

Very soon, the second bus arrived.

"Beep, beep... The bus is entering the station. Please board in an orderly fashion, hold the handrails, and sit securely."

Yan Huan looked at the bus, picked up his school bag, and turned back to smile at Ye Shiyu.

"Sister Shiyu, I''m heading off. I''ll see you at school later."

"..."

She stood up and opened her mouth, but still couldn''t say a word.

However, as Yan Huan finally got up to leave, her subconscious gesture of reaching out hinted at her desire to make him stay.

It was just a pity that Yan Huan didn''t see it.

He boarded the bus, then took a window seat. Waving to Ye Shiyu, he exhorted,

"Be careful on your way back, Sister Shiyu! Send me a message when you get home."

"..."

The vehicle drove into the distance. Ye Shiyu sat under the gloomy bus shelter for a long time before finally rising to her feet, turning around, and walking toward home.

Just as she arrived at the front door, she saw Ye Lan and Chen Yi, who had also changed their shoes and were preparing to go out and find her.

"You''re finally back... Sob, you weren''t answering your phone. If I hadn''t called Little Huan, I wouldn''t have known your phone was dead."

"...He brought me a power bank."

Seeing the jacket draped over Ye Shiyu and the gift bag hugged in her arms, Ye Lan''s mouth puckered slightly, and she gently pulled her daughter into a hug.

"..."

''In the end, I still couldn''t bring him back.''

Ye Lan didn''t say anything more. She simply brought Ye Shiyu back inside the house.

Yan Huan''s school uniform was handed over to Chen Yi to wash, while Ye Shiyu took the power bank and the rest of her gifts back to her room.

Flipping the switch, bright and warm light flooded the entire room.

She didn''t return to her chair to sew clothes; instead, she went limp and lay down on her bed.

Picking up her phone, she sent Yan Huan a message.

"I''m home."

Just as she was about to set her phone down, it suddenly dinged.

Ding!

Startled, her hand jolted, bumping into the gift bag beside her and causing the plump, round jellyfish doll inside to roll out.

It didn''t have her name written on it, yet it landed right there on her bed.

"Got it! Rest early, Sister Shiyu. I''ll see you at school."

Immediately following that was a "Good Night" cat emoji.

Blinking her long eyelashes, she tapped on her phone''s keyboard, carefully weighing the words for her reply.

She typed, deleted, and typed again...

In the end, she just replied with an "Mhm."

Having finished all this, Ye Shiyu rolled over and lay on her stomach on the bed.

Under the exceptionally bright light at the head of the bed, her slightly rosy cheeks and slightly moist eyes were fully illuminated.

Seemingly finding the ceiling too monotonous, she shifted her gaze to the jellyfish beside her.

Pouting, she tentatively reached out a finger.

Moving closer bit by bit, nearing that jellyfish doll that lacked her name but carried Yan Huan''s scent...

Until finally, she completely touched it, her finger pressing deeply into its soft body.

Looking at the adorable appearance of the jellyfish, she didn''t get up to grab a name tag or do anything else for a long time. She merely stared at it.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

After a long period of silence, she suddenly recalled how she had actually tried to use Hypnosis on Yan Huan just a moment ago.

This prompted her to hurriedly bury her head in the crook of her arm.

"Ugh..."

''How could I have done such a thing back then?''

Surrounded by the warm light, from amidst the waterfall of her floral-scented black hair, a muffled girl''s voice slipped out.

"You''re really despicable, Ye Shiyu..."

The swaying bus heading toward the South Ward didn''t have its interior lights turned on, making the quiet atmosphere inside the cabin seem incredibly dim.

The only passenger on the bus was Yan Huan. He sat by the window, his body hidden in the darkness of the cabin, devoid of any expression.

Inside the cabin, a pair of emerald-green cat eyes suddenly lit up. Its body, perfectly blended into the darkness, slowly approached Yan Huan.

"So that''s how it is..."

Inside his mind, Myau-chan''s voice echoed,

"No wonder you''ve been acting out of character since this morning, interacting with Ye Lan and displaying your most sensible, considerate side. The more you do this, the more you infuriate the excessively possessive Ye Shiyu... However, right at the critical point when she was about to erupt, you chose to leave on your own accord. Thus, her anger landed on empty air, stimulating her remorse instead."

The lights outside the window swept by, forming reflections on the glass. As a result, looking from the outside, the face of the handsome young man sitting in the gloomy cabin appeared obscure and indiscernible.

Listening to Myau-chan''s words from behind, Yan Huan sighed and said,

"Because Ye Shiyu inherently has a conscience and morals. At least, that''s the case right now, while the Modifier hasn''t influenced her too deeply yet... What I''m doing is essentially acting, playing the role of a perfect, kindhearted little brother, utilizing her morality to suppress her desire to use the Modifier."

In the darkness, Myau-chan heard the sigh in Yan Huan''s tone and said with a tacit understanding,

"You don''t need to feel guilty about acting to deceive her. She was literally just preparing to use the Modifier on you, meow. Besides, a large portion of those emotions wasn''t fake to begin with; you merely exaggerated them."

"Yeah, but I honestly didn''t expect her to chase after me, seeing as she hates me so much... She really loves Auntie Ye; she was willing to wrong herself just to come out and urge me to stay. And as for me, even though Auntie Ye was so sincere, I still left like this without even a reasonable excuse..."

"Meow~"

Myau-chan jumped onto him, pressing its chubby body against him in an attempt to comfort him.

Yan Huan, who was looking out the window, smiled helplessly. Yet he couldn''t help but reach out and rub Myau-chan''s warm, fat head.

He leaned against the window, gazing at his own reflection.

Wrapped in deep darkness, before the dizzying neon reflections on the window glass, a sigh echoed within his mind.

''You''re really despicable, Yan Huan...''