Chapter 26: Brother and Sister are Just Brother and Sister, Brother and Sister Cannot |
There is a saying that goes, "I could have tolerated the darkness, if I had not seen the light."
So if anyone were to ask Yan Huan how he felt right now, he would very likely tearfully recount a story that was essentially a retelling of The Farmer and the Snake.
However, it needed a simple modern twist, turning into Yan Huan the Computer Repairman and his Sworn Older Sister Ye Shiyu.
It was just that when Yan Huan raised his eyes and saw the phone screen Ye Shiyu held up, the purple vortex on it dragged his consciousness down like an abyss.
Exactly like when he was put under hypnosis last Friday, after a momentary loss of bodily control, Yan Huan''s body plunged into a tingling purgatory.
He could still control his body freely, but it was incredibly uncomfortable.
And beneath the mask forged by his Perfect Expression Management, Yan Huan was thoroughly bewildered.
''Hold on.''
''How did I offend her this time?''
''Where did you even learn such a bad habit? Japanese anime?''
Meanwhile, as Ye Shiyu watched the handsome young man before her gradually lose the light in his eyes and take on a vacant expression, her own face filled with regret.
She had clearly promised herself earlier that she would not use hypnosis on him.
Yet here she was, doing it again...
But if she had not done this, if Yan Huan had seen what was in her browser, it would have been worse than killing her.
The mobile phone held in her hand suddenly felt incredibly heavy. She pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and said with trembling lips,
"I am sorry..."
However, the consciousness of the young man before her seemed to have already been devoured by her greedy power, unable to comprehend the apology she wanted to convey.
''In that case, I should hurry up and delete the stuff in the browser, then release the hypnosis.''
Ye Shiyu hurriedly pulled the laptop on the desk toward her, swiping the touchpad to operate the mouse and open the browser, beginning her task.
However, the computer was still lagging because of the virus, not to mention she was practically computer illiterate.
Normally, even using a regular mouse felt like handling a hot potato to her; now, having to use a touchpad made her progress painfully slow.
"Hey, hurry up, Chris is already waiting for us!"
"Coming, coming!"
As luck would have it, the faint sound of classmates chatting outside the classroom suddenly made Ye Shiyu''s heart race.
"Thump. Thump."
She finally remembered that she was still in Yan Huan''s classroom!
Over the past two days at school, she had gained a rough understanding of just how popular Yan Huan was. If his classmates came back and saw him in this hypnotic state...
Ye Shiyu''s pupils shrank slightly, but the movements of her hands grew faster and faster.
After an agonizing struggle, the mouse finally clicked open the browser. A colorful search interface popped up, displaying the search history on the screen.
"Women''s Section:"
"Younger men," "Younger brother," "Older sister and younger brother," "Hypnosis"...
Yes, ever since she discovered this "treasure site" on Saturday, it was as if Ye Shiyu had opened the door to a whole new world.
A girl who had never before shown any interest in these restricted-rated materials or movies was now diving into the "Women''s Section" every day, completely unable to extricate herself.
She certainly knew these were not exactly decent materials, but...
The content was simply too captivating!
Especially when she watched the heroines in the movies engage in all sorts of stories with younger men, Ye Shiyu would always become unusually excited.
But returning to reality at this moment, looking at the search bar before her, Ye Shiyu felt a profound sense of wanting to find a hole to crawl into.
Her face flushed slightly, and she even hid her face behind the laptop screen, trying to avoid the gaze of Yan Huan, who currently looked like one of her dolls after being hypnotized.
"I am sorry, I will be done very soon..."
As for Yan Huan, when he saw Ye Shiyu frantically snatch the laptop away and start tapping wildly, he immediately realized something.
The browser he had almost opened probably contained content that would lead to Ye Shiyu''s social death.
''No wonder she reacted so intensely.'' Come to think of it, after he died of overwork in his previous life, was it possible the police had checked his browsing history?
''What if they found something, unlocked it, and handed it over to my family as my personal effects...''
At that thought, even though so much time had passed, Yan Huan felt a sudden urge to crawl back to his past life and snatch his phone away.
However, Yan Huan was genuinely a bit surprised. He completely had not expected Ye Shiyu to look at such things.
''Besides, what could Ye Shiyu possibly be watching?''
''Dolls stacking on top of each other?''
''Not gonna lie, I am actually a little curious...''
Yan Huan, keeping his vacant expression, discreetly shifted his gaze, locking it onto Ye Shiyu''s face in front of the computer.
Website page, closed.
History, deleted.
After finishing all of this, Ye Shiyu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
''Thank goodness, I managed to do it before Xiao Huan discovered...''
''Huh?''
Ye Shiyu''s expression suddenly blanked, as she just realized that she had subconsciously referred to Yan Huan using the same affectionate nickname her mother used.
''However...''
''I do not hate calling him that.''
It felt somewhat like giving a pet name to her most beloved doll.
"Xiao Huan..."
Looking at the now completely clean browser, Ye Shiyu suddenly murmured this aloud, as if savoring the feeling of addressing him by this nickname.
Yet right before her eyes, the dull-eyed Yan Huan seemed to have received a signal, giving a lifeless response,
"Sister Shiyu..."
"..."
''Did he take my words as a command?''
''That is right. While in a hypnotic state, Xiao Huan will obey whatever I say.''
Ye Shiyu blinked. She had originally planned to release the hypnosis right after putting the laptop back, since her goal had already been achieved.
But when she raised her eyes and looked at the handsome young man before her, who was currently completely subservient to her commands, an indescribable dark feeling suddenly took root.
Especially since the teaching building was incredibly quiet right now. Inside the classroom, there were only the two of them.
Early afternoon was the hottest part of the day, but since it was only early spring, the temperature was surprisingly perfect.
The warm and cozy temperature tickled the skin like a light feather, making one''s heart itch...
Ye Shiyu opened her mouth, but the command to "stop hypnosis" that she was supposed to say got completely stuck in her throat.
''I really want to hear Xiao Huan call me "Older Sister"...''
The kind of title emphasized in those movies to blur the boundaries of identity.
Desire began to spread formlessly, making the mobile phone gripped in her hand glow even brighter.
''Then...''
''I will just issue this one command, listen to Xiao Huan call me "Older Sister" once, and then end the hypnosis.''
Thinking this, Ye Shiyu spoke softly to Yan Huan, her voice betraying an impatient eagerness,
"Xiao Huan, call me... Older Sister."
''Older Sister?''
The hypnotized Yan Huan was a little baffled, but an itch immediately traveled up the muscles of his throat.
Feeling the compulsion urging him to speak, Yan Huan had no choice but to open his mouth,
"Older Sister..."
Upon hearing Yan Huan open his mouth and softly utter the title she had been eagerly anticipating, Ye Shiyu''s pupils inevitably shrank bit by bit.
In her ears, the rhythmic sound of her heartbeat echoed once again,
"Thump. Thump. Thump."
''This... This is amazing...''
''But, he is not looking at me, and his expression is very vacant.''
''Even though this is great too, but...''
''It is still missing a little something.''
''Then...''
''I will just issue one last command.''
''After this command, I will definitely end the hypnosis.''
Ye Shiyu thought this to herself once more.
"Xiao Huan..."
Ye Shiyu parted her lips, her voice trembling slightly,
"Please look at me, and then smile while calling me ''Older Sister,'' okay?"
In an instant, the command swept through swathes of his facial muscles, only to silently disintegrate under the presence of Yan Huan''s Perfect Expression Management ability.
When he had called out "Older Sister" the first time, Ye Shiyu''s expression had actually revealed a slight flaw, allowing Yan Huan to read the trace of excitement leaking from her heart.
''No way...''
Having figured something out, Yan Huan felt a bit of disbelief in his heart, as if he had just discovered someone''s particular fetish.
After a moment of silence, Yan Huan slowly raised his eyes to meet Ye Shiyu''s gaze.
Then, he smiled faintly and spoke softly to Ye Shiyu once again, "Older Sister."
A quiet lunch break, a classroom with just the two of them, and a handsome young man bathed in backlighting.
At the moment he smiled, it was as if he merged seamlessly with the sunlight outside.
The lifelessness of the hypnosis was masked by the feeling of his smile, making it seem as though Ye Shiyu had never used the App on her phone at all.
Yan Huan''s incredibly vivid and beautiful smile made that uttered "Older Sister" transcend mere friendliness, gradually turning intimate...
"Thump. Thump. Thump."
It was as if a scene from a movie had become reality, urging her to perform the actions the heroine would take.
Some kind of impurity within Ye Shiyu''s heart seemed to manifest physically on the phone screen; the deep purple on the display appeared to grow exceptionally viscous.
She blinked, her long eyelashes providing cover as her eyes darted downward in retreat. Her cascading black hair perfectly highlighted her flushed skin.
''No... I cannot.''
''I already said that the last one was my final wish. How can I go back on my word?''
Ye Shiyu''s face reddened. As a result, her right hand, which had just been itching to reach out toward Yan Huan, was suddenly pinned down by her left hand.
Her heart plunged into a struggle, as if her conscience and desire were fighting in an octagon ring.
She glanced at her mobile phone and realized that only a few minutes had passed. There were still nearly ten minutes left where she could do whatever she wanted...
''Then, what if I issue one more final command and then end the hypnosis?''
''No, no, you have already issued two commands...''
''What else do you plan to do?''
''This is a classroom! Plus, he just so kindly helped you fix your computer problem.''
''You were the one who carelessly messed up your computer by looking at that kind of website, and you were the one who asked for his help. And now you are repaying his kindness with enmity...''
''Ye Shiyu, are you truly such a despicable person?''
Her conscience threw a heavy punch, brutally knocking her desire to the floor, unable to rise again!
''Perfect!''
On the figurative boxing ring, Ye Shiyu''s panting conscience stared at the fallen desire.
Unexpectedly, the desire did not even try to dodge; it seemed to have prepared a trump card.
The next moment, her desire took a deep breath and suddenly shouted in her mind,
''But you can do whatever you want right now!! He is hypnotized! His memory will be altered by the App after he wakes up anyway, so what does it matter?!''
''What?!''
Her conscience was thoroughly horrified, its momentum gradually overwhelmed by desire.
''That is right. I have an item like this. Even if I do it, it does not matter. It will not cost Yan Huan a piece of flesh.''
''As long as he does not notice anything unusual when he wakes up, does not that mean nothing ever happened?''
''The App still has time left. Within this duration, I will just issue one last command...''
"Xiao Huan..."
After undergoing quite a period of struggle, Ye Shiyu seemingly finally made up her mind and spoke to Yan Huan.
Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, but not from the regret and guilt she had at the beginning. Instead, it was...
Excitement.
Just like a viewer witnessing the most thrilling second act of a movie.
With a slightly flushed face, Ye Shiyu tightly gripped the mobile phone, looked up at Yan Huan, and commanded,
"Could you please become a younger brother who likes his older sister the absolute most, and then act coy with her?"
''???''
''Hold on.''
''Huh?''
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Yan Huan''s brain felt as if it had been violently struck by a blunt object, instantly flooding his mind with question marks.
''Sister Shiyu, your fetish is getting a little weird.''
''Brother and sister are just brother and sister, brother and sister cannot become...''
''Whatever. Sister, you have the hypnosis App. You are the boss.''
The most absurd part was that it was not just Yan Huan himself who crashed; even the hypnotized part of him seemed to crash a bit, as no command was transmitted for a moment.
It seemed that even the power itself did not know how to act like "a younger brother who likes his older sister the absolute most" and "act coy."
A few seconds passed before an itch traveled up his throat, relaying words that gave Yan Huan goosebumps just thinking about them.
The kind of words that practically guaranteed social death if spoken aloud.
''You call this acting coy?''
''Ye Shiyu, you carelessly forgot to clear your browser and were about to suffer social death, so you used your hypnosis App on me to save yourself. And now, I have done absolutely nothing, yet you are using hypnosis to give me social death?''
''Then do not blame me...''
Yan Huan''s inner thoughts instantly darkened. He had no intention of obediently spouting the shameful words transmitted by the hypnotized portion.
After a brief pause, Yan Huan revealed a bright, sunny smile.
Under Ye Shiyu''s expectant gaze, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand.
"Smack!"
The soft, boneless little hand was instantly engulfed by his scorching body heat. Her hand was very cool, the typical temperature for early spring, but compared to Yan Huan''s, it was far too cold...
"!!"
Ye Shiyu''s expression changed slightly, and in an instant, her entire face rapidly heated up as if scorched by Yan Huan''s body temperature.
This was the first time in a very long while that she had come into such close physical contact with a boy. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but his hands clamped down like a pair of iron pincers, preventing her from escaping.
"Xiao... Xiao Huan..."
Unable to bear it and feeling incredibly unaccustomed, she subconsciously wanted to speak up and refuse.
But before she could issue the command to "let me go," Yan Huan seized the opportunity and abruptly cut in.
He raised his eyes, looked at Ye Shiyu before him, and called out affectionately,
"Older Sister..."
This single call suddenly made Ye Shiyu freeze, causing her to completely forget to resist.
She stared blankly at Yan Huan. Then, the force on her hands abruptly intensified, actually pulling her toward him.
''Ah... Ah?''
''No... This is not the kind of acting coy I meant...''
''He is pulling so hard...''
''And it is... it is too sudden. I am not prepared at all...''
Ye Shiyu finally realized that perhaps the "acting coy" Yan Huan understood was direct physical contact.
The hypnosis would indeed execute her commands, but how they were executed required a much more detailed explanation.
It was like a somewhat clunky computer or AI that required repeated training to produce a model perfectly suited to one''s desires.
Even more terrifyingly, the dense sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from outside...
It seemed that some students from Class A had returned!
"Thump, thump, thump..."
''No... I cannot do this...''
Amidst her wildly racing heart, Yan Huan''s hand pulling on hers refused to let go.
Unable to break free from his grip, she became so anxious that she completely forgot to immediately issue the command to stop.
''If a third party discovers that Yan Huan''s current state is not normal, would I not just...''
Her face flushed slightly, and the corners of her eyes grew a little moist. It was impossible to tell whether she was excited or distressed.
It seemed that because of Yan Huan''s "Older Sister," that single phrase had transformed into a curse, rendering Ye Shiyu entirely incapable of rejecting Yan Huan''s current outrageous actions.
Seeing her like this, Yan Huan felt quite speechless instead.
Just like when he was put under hypnosis at Ye Lan''s house, she loved doing these brain-dead maneuvers.
''Say something already! Just issue a command to stop, and it will be over.''
However, at the very last moment, the one who saved this deadlocked situation was not Ye Shiyu, but a voice from outside the door,
"It is Bai Yi! She came to school today!"
"How rare..."
It turned out they were not students coming to Class A.
The voices outside the door jolted Ye Shiyu wide awake, and she hastily spoke up,
"Xiao... Xiao Huan, stop..."
Yan Huan''s movements suddenly halted, and the hands gripping Ye Shiyu instantly let go as well.
Ye Shiyu quickly backed up a bit, seemingly still harboring lingering fear, but her gaze kept darting back and forth between him and her own hands...
''This...''
''If Xiao Huan likes an older sister the absolute most, is this what he would do?''
Ye Shiyu felt somewhat puzzled, yet her heart swelled with an indescribable sensation.
Meanwhile, the clamor outside the door continued, standing in stark contrast to the quietness inside the Class A classroom,
"Where... Where did she go?"
"Did not some students from the fan support group just see Bai Yi heading toward the teaching building?"
"Fake news!!"
"Damn it!"
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