Chapter 20: President, You Wouldn''t Want This Photo to Leak, Right?

Restricted Fantasy Invasion

"Click!"

As Spencer tapped the screen, the shutter clicked, recording the compromising scene inside the equipment room.

Right before her eyes, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s black hair was somewhat disheveled from the deep embrace they had just shared.

Her clothes were messy, and she crouched on the ground, clutching her head as if suffering from a severe headache.

Right in front of her, Yan Huan was also covering his head with one hand, obscuring half of his face.

Through his scattered bangs, his eyes appeared somewhat glazed over from the sudden, intense headache.

The entire scene carried an indescribably ambiguous and intimate atmosphere.

Still nursing a slight headache, Yan Huan looked at the blonde girl standing before them. The memory of seeing her over the weekend instantly rushed back into his mind.

He suddenly recalled the keychain that had been drawn away by what seemed to be a supernatural force. And now, he and Sakuramiya Hitomi had been attacked...

"Hey!"

Realizing this, Yan Huan hurriedly called out, trying to stop her from taking any more pictures.

Meanwhile, Spencer simply stared at her phone screen, admiring the captured photo of Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi.

Her gaze lingered on the handsome boy''s somewhat disoriented expression for a moment, and the smile on her face grew increasingly wicked.

Like a little devil, she bared a sharp canine tooth in a mischievous grin.

Hearing Yan Huan''s shout, she showed no sign of holding back. She simply tucked her phone away and casually tossed the basketball she had been holding into the room, fulfilling her duty of returning the equipment.

"Ah, my bad, sorry for interrupting your good time. I''ll be leaving now."

With that, she actually turned around and ran off.

Yan Huan took a step to chase after her, but then he remembered something and quickly looked back at Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was clutching her head and appeared to be in a lot of pain.

He hurried to Sakuramiya Hitomi''s side first, unsure if the blonde girl''s Modifier would leave behind any strange aftereffects.

After all, even with his Resistance, his head had pounded terribly. He could only imagine how Sakuramiya Hitomi must be feeling.

"Sakuramiya, are you okay?"

However, what Yan Huan didn''t realize was that his headache was actually caused by his Resistance actively fighting off the Modifier''s memory-erasing effects.

In reality, Sakuramiya Hitomi didn''t have a headache at all. She was just secretly observing the blonde girl who had managed to shatter her Jiejiè.

Sakuramiya Hitomi was already incredibly cautious after years of maintaining her perfect facade, and seeing her Jiejiè effortlessly shattered set off blaring alarm bells in her mind.

Although she didn''t know exactly what had just happened, playing dumb and laying low was definitely the right move!

She silently swore to herself that unless she was one hundred percent certain she wouldn''t be exposed, she would never use this ability in front of others again.

Thus, her acting became even more flawless as she stammered,

"I... I''m fine. What just happened? Weren''t we coming here to return the equipment? Why did we suddenly..."

Seeing that Sakuramiya Hitomi had seemingly lost her memories of the past few minutes, Yan Huan was even more certain that the blonde girl was the culprit.

He shook his head and replied,

"I''m not exactly sure what happened either. I just remember that we seemed to have been locked in. It must be that girl''s doing... I''m going to chase after her."

"Ah? Wait a minute, President..."

Sakuramiya Hitomi subconsciously wanted to stop him.

If that girl could completely shatter her Jiejiè, was it possible that there was something fundamentally abnormal about her as well?

And the President didn''t know a thing. If she had malicious intentions and tried to do something to him...

Wouldn''t he be completely powerless to resist and end up...

No, no, no, absolutely not!

Thinking of this, Sakuramiya Hitomi hurriedly urged,

"Let''s go find the security guards first, President. That girl was wearing a sports uniform, so she''s definitely a student at our school. She won''t be able to get away."

"No, Sakuramiya. You go notify security and explain the situation. She just took a picture of the two of us. I don''t really mind, but wouldn''t it be extremely troublesome for you if you got dragged into a scandal like this?"

Yan Huan shook his head in refusal. He looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi and reminded her,

"If we wait until we find security to go after her, what if she transfers the photo somewhere else, or lies and says she never took it or already deleted it?"

Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi''s body instantly stiffened.

He was right. Her reputation wasn''t just her own.

Her political family back in her home country placed great importance on such matters. Even though she had crossed the ocean alone to study abroad, it didn''t change her surname.

If that photo leaked onto the internet and her family found out...

The consequences would be unimaginable.

After all, having worked alongside Sakuramiya Hitomi for half a year and having visited her residence in Linmen, Yan Huan had a decent understanding of her background.

Moreover, Yan Huan was heading out to deal with Modifier-related business anyway. He didn''t want to drag an innocent person like Sakuramiya Hitomi into this mess.

Both of these exceptional actors were secretly considering the supernatural threat of the Modifier, and at the same time, both desperately wanted to keep the other from being caught in the crossfire.

So at this moment, the two of them spoke almost simultaneously.

"I''ll quickly chase her down. Sakuramiya, go notify security."

"I''ll go with you, President."

But Yan Huan just shook his head and said,

"I''ll go alone. You''re not feeling well, Sakuramiya. I won''t be able to catch up to her if I have to bring you along."

With that, Yan Huan turned and hurried away.

"I..."

Sakuramiya Hitomi parted her lips and subconsciously reached out a hand, attempting to stop him from leaving.

For some reason, her intuition was screaming at her that if she let the President go after that girl alone...

Something terrible was going to happen!

She gritted her teeth and stood up, but due to her weak constitution, merely standing up after crouching for a while made her extremely dizzy.

Moreover, she really needed to use the restroom.

Clutching her head with a pale complexion, Sakuramiya Hitomi stumbled out the door, still desperately wanting to call Yan Huan back.

But when she looked outside, Yan Huan was nowhere to be seen. She had no idea which direction he had chased the girl in.

''Myau-chan!''

''Meow?''

Outside the gymnasium, Yan Huan sprinted furiously while calling out to Myau-chan in his mind.

From a nearby bush, a black cat instantly responded to his summons and leaped out.

It ran alongside him, looking up with a confused expression.

''What''s wrong, meow?''

''I found the third Modifier host! She''s a student at our school! It''s the same girl who made Ye Shiyu drop her keychain over the weekend. She just used her Modifier to attack me and someone else! Myau-chan, tell me where she is right now!''

Pattering along on its four paws, Myau-chan immediately understood. It had just sniffed the girl''s scent over the weekend. Its little nose twitched, and it quickly darted off in a specific direction.

''This way!''

With Myau-chan leading the way, Yan Huan soon arrived near the Teaching Building.

Classes had ended nearly half an hour ago. Many students had already left the campus, while those remaining had gone to the activity buildings for their club activities.

As a result, the Teaching Building was currently empty and eerily quiet.

Myau-chan led Yan Huan at a brisk trot, finally stopping in front of a room. It turned its head back to look at him.

''It''s right here, meow!''

"Here..."

Yan Huan looked up at the room in front of him, hesitating slightly.

Because the plaque on the door clearly indicated the room''s purpose:

"Women''s Locker Room."

Fortunately, there shouldn''t be anyone else inside at this hour.

Yan Huan glanced at the open door of the locker room and noticed that the lock had also been completely destroyed. He could even see the indentation on the door panel where she had kicked it.

She had entered the locker room the exact same way—by kicking the door down.

Just like the Equipment Room, the locker room was locked up right after classes ended.

And since she was a full half-hour late to return the basketball and change her clothes, she had naturally been locked out.

A normal person seeing a locked door would either turn around and wait until tomorrow to return the ball, or, if in a hurry, go find a staff member to open it.

Only this girl would violently kick down two locked doors in a row. It was a glaring testament to her personality.

This was a girl with an exceptionally terrible attitude.

''Myau-chan, I''m going in to take a look. Remember to stay hidden.''

''Meow~''

Yan Huan didn''t back down. He stepped inside without a hint of fear.

First, the compromising photo of him and Sakuramiya Hitomi absolutely could not be allowed to leak; he had to force her to delete it immediately.

Second, he needed to gather as much information as possible about the Modifier''s effects and its host''s Desires while his Resistance was still strong enough to withstand most of the impact in these early stages.

Retreating was useless. If he didn''t suppress her now, wouldn''t he just be waiting for her to grow stronger and eventually dominate the Worldline?

Stepping through the locker room doors and rounding a corner, a spacious area separated by rows of metal lockers revealed itself.

The lockers formed a series of narrow aisles between them.

It was deadly silent all around. Had it not been for the shattered lock at the entrance, Yan Huan would have genuinely doubted if anyone was actually inside.

Thud.

As he surveyed the area, the sound of something dropping onto the floor caught his attention.

He turned his head and saw a water bottle rolling across the ground.

''A water bottle? Is she over there?''

Just as he was about to walk in that direction, a pale, slender arm suddenly shot out from the side aisle.

Bang!

A hand slammed forcefully against the locker right next to him, blocking his path.

Yan Huan raised an eyebrow and turned his head to look at the blonde girl standing before him with a wicked smile.

Spencer grinned, her white canine tooth slightly overlapping her lower lip, instantly capturing his attention.

"To actually chase me all the way into the women''s locker room... You''ve got quite the nerve."

She had just finished changing her clothes. She was now wearing a tight-fitting white graphic T-shirt and black athletic shorts, perfectly accentuating her impressive figure.

Standing this close, Yan Huan could even faintly make out the outline of her undergarments.

She hadn''t put on her socks or shoes yet, so she stood barefoot in front of him.

She seemed to be trying to pin Yan Huan against the lockers. Her wicked, teasing smile made her intentions blatantly obvious.

However, because she was significantly shorter than him, she had to crane her neck to look up into his eyes, which actually made Yan Huan appear incredibly calm and unbothered.

He looked down at the girl with fluffy blonde hair, his demeanor just as cold and indifferent as it had been over the weekend, and simply asked,

"Where''s the phone?"

"What phone?"

"The phone you just used to take those pictures."

Hearing this, Spencer suddenly tilted her head.

A few strands of golden blonde hair fell across her forehead, resting lightly on her fiercely beautiful and aggressive face.

Her blue eyes gleamed with a predatory amusement, radiating an intimidating light through the gaps in her bangs.

It was like adding a splash of tequila to a glass of lemonade, intoxicating the atmosphere with a subtle, heady vibe.

Even though they were indoors, in that fleeting moment, her blonde hair seemed to reflect the sunlight, becoming almost blindingly radiant.

"That''s right, I took them. What are you going to do about it?"

An unknown fluctuation began radiating from the girl''s body, silently enveloping Yan Huan before he could even realize it.

He merely felt that the girl in front of him suddenly seemed visually taller, and her wicked smile became increasingly obnoxious.

Even the sound of her voice became unbearably grating to his ears as she spoke:

"Are these photos really that important to you?"

"Those photos are..."

Despite his intense internal disgust for the wretched girl standing before him, his mental defenses felt as though they had been completely stripped away, forcing him to speak his truest thoughts.

All of his emotional barriers and calculated maneuvers were silently dissolving. This jarring sensation quickly made Yan Huan realize that something was terribly wrong.

''This girl''s Modifier can manipulate a person''s consciousness!''

If he didn''t have his Resistance, he could easily imagine what sort of embarrassing confessions his defenseless mind would have blurted out.

''The photos aren''t important to me, but they are extremely important to Sakuramiya...''

''Whatever it takes, I have to make her delete those photos...''

''For Sakuramiya''s sake... as long as she deletes the photos, I''ll do absolutely anything...''

Yan Huan was internally deeply shaken. Thanks to his Resistance, he was able to act as a calm observer, rationally analyzing the portion of his mind that was currently being influenced by the Modifier.

His mental state was incredibly contradictory right now.

He felt profound disgust for the girl in front of him, yet for some inexplicable reason, a wave of submissiveness washed over him, making him feel as though he couldn''t resist her sheer aggressiveness. At the same time, he was developing a bizarrely intense, more-than-platonic affection for Sakuramiya, feeling as though he would sacrifice everything for her sake.

This disturbing psychological shift quickly led Yan Huan to find a bizarre parallel in his memories, making him feel utterly incredulous beneath his emotionless facade.

''No way. Could this girl''s Modifier be...''

Even though she couldn''t clearly hear what Yan Huan was mumbling, the wicked gleam on the girl''s face didn''t diminish in the slightest.

She took a step back and pulled out her phone. The screen prominently displayed the photo she had just taken.

"You acted so sweet and gentle with your girlfriend over the weekend, but by Monday, you''re already hooking up with another girl in the equipment room. And here I thought you looked familiar. You''re the famous President Yan Huan of Far Moon Academy, aren''t you?

"I wonder what would happen if this photo got leaked? What would happen to the reputation of the Vice President in this picture... oh, right, ''Sakuramiya Hitomi''? Oh my, I would really hate to do something so cruel."

Spencer lifted her chin, confidently delivering the exact line Yan Huan had been anticipating.

She stared at him excitedly, gripping her phone as she issued her threat.

"President Yan, you wouldn''t want this photo to leak, right?"

"..."

''Damn it!!''

''Run for your lives! It''s an NTR plot!!!''

Yan Huan was utterly horrified internally.

Looking at the blonde girl in front of him, her fiercely attractive face and insanely proud figure were gradually aligning perfectly with a very specific, overly familiar trope.

Back when he used to read that kind of material, Yan Huan often saw a specific saying:

''Ordinary people insert themselves as the blonde bastard, a minority insert themselves as the tragic victim...''

''And the true gods usually insert themselves as the heroine.''

Right now, Yan Huan kind of wanted to write a book titled:

"On Why Yan Huan is a True God."

He finally had a rough understanding of what her Modifier''s effect was. The bizarre compulsions that had bubbled up in his mind offered a massive clue.

''But she must have other abilities aside from just mental manipulation. Otherwise, how did she create that locked room earlier?''

The problem was, he absolutely could not expose the fact that he possessed Resistance. He couldn''t let her realize her Modifier had failed.

Therefore, he had no choice but to play along with the mental effects her Modifier was trying to force upon him.

Fortunately, the girl standing before him didn''t know that he and Sakuramiya were strictly just friends.

Sakuramiya had no romantic feelings for him, and he harbored no inappropriate thoughts toward her. Naturally, this meant the blonde girl wasn''t actually ''NTR-ing'' him and Sakuramiya.

Thinking of this, Yan Huan already had a solid plan forming in his mind.

''Alright then. Let the performance begin, Yan Huan.''

''Perfect Expression Control, activate!''

The disgust on his face toward the girl before him became even more pronounced. A mix of sheer fury, cold indifference, and profound worry for a certain girl blended together, giving him a deeply conflicted and pained expression.

Seeing him reveal such an expression, Spencer could barely contain the sheer excitement on her face.

''Yes, President. Only when you show that kind of expression does it truly prove that you belong to someone else...''

''And only then will my plundering be truly meaningful!''

Spencer licked her lips, eagerly awaiting his response.

"..."

After a brief moment of deliberation, Yan Huan''s cold expression finally softened into a defeated sigh.

He shot Spencer a sideways glance and asked simply,

"...What do I have to do for you to delete Sakuramiya''s photo?"

The wickedness on Spencer''s face surged even stronger; she seemed to have reached the absolute peak of her excitement.

But in the very next second, her expression suddenly morphed into blank confusion.

''Wait, what should I actually make him do?''

Deep down, Spencer actually had a vague answer to that question.

Over the weekend, she had watched Yan Huan flash that incredibly patient and gentle smile at Ye Shiyu. That was exactly what she wanted. She wanted to snatch that warmth for herself.

But was a mere smile really all she wanted?

No. Her instincts told her that it wasn''t quite right.

She knew that beneath that smile lay something far more precious.

It was just that she was a bit slow, and for a moment, she genuinely couldn''t put into words exactly what that ''something'' was.

Consequently, she was completely unable to make a specific demand of Yan Huan at this very moment.

She rubbed her chin, racking her brains for a good while.

But perhaps the sheer act of thinking was simply too exhausting for her, because the mental effort actually started making her irritable.

"Ugh... I can''t think of anything right now. I''ll tell you once I figure it out."

Having completely given up, she unceremoniously blurted out her decision, turned around, and prepared to walk away.

But how could Yan Huan possibly let her leave like that? He immediately reached out and tightly grabbed her wrist.

Spencer''s face instantly darkened. Veins bulged on her hand as she looked ready to go completely berserk, just like a furious lion.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

In that split second, Yan Huan genuinely felt as if he was restraining an actual lion!

The sheer physical strength of the girl before him was monstrous!

But Yan Huan reacted swiftly. Instead of stubbornly trying to overpower her and hold her back, he let her momentum pull him closer just as she was about to break free.

Bang!

Mimicking her earlier move, he slammed his hand against the locker right behind her, creating a loud bang and effectively cutting off her escape route.

''He actually...''

''He actually dares to pin me against the lockers?!''

Spencer tilted her head back. Given the height difference, she had no choice but to look up just to meet his eyes.

Yan Huan stared at her with a frosty expression and said in a low, dangerous voice,

"You''d better wait right there... I don''t even know your name or what class you''re in, and you think you can just walk away?"

"Oh? And what if I insist on leaving?"

Spencer absolutely loved using rhetorical questions whenever she was angry.

However, by the time Yan Huan blocked her path, he already had a rough guess as to what her underlying Desire truly was.

Whenever he mentioned Sakuramiya Hitomi, her expression became overwhelmingly excited.

Spencer''s facial expressions were an open book; whatever she was thinking on the inside was broadcasted vividly across her face.

For example, her cold, bristling sneer right now clearly indicated that she was pissed off.

Therefore, Yan Huan decided to leverage her blatant reactions concerning Sakuramiya Hitomi to manipulate her into deleting the photos first.

Yan Huan stared down at Spencer. His face was twisted with coldness and pure disgust, but he intentionally averted his gaze to the side as he spoke.

"The girl you saw me with over the weekend wasn''t my girlfriend. That was my older sister. The only person I like is Sakuramiya.

"Delete the photo with Sakuramiya in it, and I''ll agree to one condition of your choosing. If you don''t delete it, and it ends up dragging her into a scandal, I swear to God, I will make you pay!"

As expected, the more Spencer listened, the more her burning rage faded, quickly replaced by that familiar, thrilling rush of excitement.

Because the more deeply Yan Huan demonstrated his affection for Sakuramiya Hitomi, the stronger Spencer''s urge and twisted pleasure in plundering him became.

When she heard that Yan Huan only liked Sakuramiya Hitomi—that he wasn''t a cheater but rather a fiercely loyal and devoted lover—she grew even more impatient.

''Hurry up! Hand over this devoted man who belongs entirely to a single person. Offer him up on a silver platter!''

Spencer''s tone softened slightly, her anger fully dissipating.

"No way. What if I delete it and you immediately go back on your word?"

Yan Huan had guessed right. Playing this angle was indeed highly effective.

"...Take a picture of me as collateral. I''m currently standing inside the women''s locker room, aren''t I? Once I fulfill your condition, you can delete this new photo."

Yan Huan feigned a moment of hesitation, making it appear as though he was agonizing over the potential destruction of his own reputation.

But that fleeting hesitation was quickly overshadowed and brushed aside by his overwhelming ''love'' for Sakuramiya.

He looked like a man who had resolutely decided to sacrifice himself to protect Sakuramiya Hitomi.

"Just... don''t let Sakuramiya find out..."

At the end, Yan Huan deliberately threw in that extra line for emphasis.

"...Alright, it''s a deal. By the way, my name is Aria Spencer. I''m the new transfer student in Class 1-C."

Spencer could no longer suppress her gleeful laughter. She raised her phone and snapped a quick picture of Yan Huan.

Then, right in front of his eyes, she deleted the original compromising photo.

"Delete it from your ''Recently Deleted'' album too."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say, President Yan."

"What about the cloud? Did it sync to your cloud storage?"

"No... Tell me, do you really like that Sakuramiya girl that much?"

Yan Huan didn''t even bother answering her. However, seeing that every possible backup of the photo had been destroyed, he visibly breathed a deep sigh of relief.

To Spencer, his rapid-fire interrogation and final sigh of relief served as the perfect, undeniable answer.

Satisfied, she casually waved her hand, signaling that Yan Huan could leave.

She then sat down on a nearby bench and lifted her toes, preparing to pull on her white socks.

Yan Huan didn''t even spare her a second glance as he spun around and walked straight out the door.

Inwardly, however, he finally had a solid, basic grasp of this girl named ''Aria Spencer.''

''This girl... doesn''t seem to be very bright at all.''

In reality, he couldn''t care less if she leaked that photo of him. There were countless ways to defend himself and explain the situation away, and Sakuramiya fully understood the truth anyway.

Not to mention, Yan Huan had no intention of ever letting her leak the new photo either. He fully intended to exploit this so-called ''condition'' to force her Modifier into dropping Fragments.

Not only had he gained a much deeper understanding of her Modifier''s effects, but he had also successfully tricked her into deleting the photo of Sakuramiya.

Thinking about it carefully, this was basically a cost-free win-win situation for him!

Spencer eventually left in disappointment, walking away entirely empty-handed.

"President!"

Stepping out of the locker room, Yan Huan walked out of the Teaching Building and bumped right into Sakuramiya Hitomi, who had just led a group of security guards in a massive circle around the campus.

Seeing Yan Huan, Sakuramiya Hitomi hurried over and asked with deep concern,

"How did it go, President?"

"Ah, I found her. She deleted the photo right in front of me."

"She deleted it?"

Sakuramiya Hitomi found it hard to believe.

The terrifying girl who could literally kick apart her Jiejiè had just... deleted the photo that easily?

It wasn''t that Sakuramiya Hitomi doubted Yan Huan; if he said it was deleted, it most likely was. She was just terrified that the girl had done something to him behind his back...

Just like she herself had done.

"Then..."

Just as Sakuramiya Hitomi was about to ask further questions, Spencer walked out of the Teaching Building behind them, having finished changing her shoes and sporting a mischievous smirk.

When she spotted Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi—especially when her eyes landed on Sakuramiya—the malicious smile on her face deepened significantly.

That smile sent an inexplicable shiver of revulsion straight down Sakuramiya Hitomi''s spine.

Spencer strolled right up to Yan Huan. She shot him a glance, noting that he was completely ignoring her.

She didn''t mind in the slightest. Instead, she stared directly at Sakuramiya Hitomi and said,

"Don''t worry, I''ve completely obeyed the President''s orders and deleted the photo... Sorry about that, I didn''t mean to do it, Vice President Sakuramiya."

She deliberately emphasized the words ''Vice President Sakuramiya.''

However, Sakuramiya Hitomi just stared back with a freezing expression, glaring at Spencer''s incredibly obnoxious grin.

A second later, she suddenly turned her head, pointed an expressionless finger directly at Spencer, and calmly addressed the security guards standing beside her.

"That''s her. She''s the one who kicked down the doors to the gymnasium''s Equipment Room."

"Student, you need to come with us. We''re going to have to make a phone call to your parents."

Spencer''s smug expression completely froze as several burly security guards quickly surrounded her.

She immediately looked at Yan Huan standing next to her, seemingly crying out for help.

"President Yan?"

But Yan Huan simply let out a lazy yawn, pretending he didn''t see a thing as he allowed the security personnel to forcibly drag her away.

"Hey, I can just pay for the damages, alright?!"

"We don''t need to go to the office! And why do you have to call my parents?!"

"Hey!! Are you guys even listening to me?!"