Chapter 33: Oops, Accidentally Added Too Much!

Restricted Fantasy Invasion

"Wee-woo... wee-woo..."

It did not take long for several police cars to arrive in the South Ward, frightening a few disheveled patrons in the hair salon located in the alley across the street and sending them fleeing in all directions.

Yan Huan led Bai Yi out of the bar, immediately spotting Zuo Jiangqin draped in a woolen shawl, her expression looking rather displeased.

She frowned and glared at her daughter, who kept her head lowered, before shifting her gaze to the smiling young man beside her.

Zuo Jiangqin''s eyes brightened slightly as she spoke.

"Thank you so much for the trouble, Student Yan."

"It was no trouble at all, Auntie. I never expected to run into Classmate Bai here either. I am a huge fan of hers."

Zuo Jiangqin cast a surprised glance at Bai Yi beside her, then replied with a smile.

"Is that so? Then let Auntie add your contact information. If there are any events in the future, Auntie will definitely invite you."

Zuo Jiangqin chuckled as she scanned Yan Huan''s Plane QR code, but her expression instantly turned ice-cold when she looked back at Bai Yi.

"Get in the car."

"..."

Bai Yi nodded, yet as she climbed into the vehicle, she turned to cast one last glance at Yan Huan standing by the entrance.

Their eyes met, and Yan Huan offered her a gentle smile.

Her eyes flickered briefly before she finally turned around and got into the car.

The doors shut tight, and the sirens began to wail once more.

The police cars drove away one after another, leaving Yan Huan standing at the entrance, the smile on his face slowly fading.

Upon his shoulder, a black cat had appeared at some unknown point.

Myau-chan watched the departing police cars and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I felt her desire suddenly skyrocket just now. It scared me half to death, meow!"

"Yeah, otherwise I would not have abruptly handed her the pudding meant for another table."

That pudding was not actually made specifically for her, but sensing the atmosphere taking a turn for the worse, Yan Huan had hurriedly changed course halfway.

Myau-chan looked a bit puzzled, tilting its head to look at Yan Huan.

"So, how did you know she likes singing, meow?"

Yan Huan glanced at Myau-chan and gave its head a gentle rub.

"She did something bad this morning. I tried to replicate the method I used on Ye Shiyu to make her feel guilty, but the effect was terrible. She felt almost nothing, so I had to change tactics to suppress her aggression."

As he walked back into the bar, Yan Huan elaborated.

"That is why I looked up a lot of her background information. She has participated in quite a few variety shows and movies. Her appearance is flawless, but as for the reviews on her extensive acting and variety show appearances... Heh."

"I overheard her talking to her mother on the phone. She said her mother''s current arrangements were not what she wanted. Yet, during her conversation with Sister Tong just now, she mentioned hoping to gain her mother''s approval."

Pausing here, Yan Huan looked down at Myau-chan by his side.

"Myau-chan, did you know? People only crave someone else''s approval this desperately when they have genuinely poured their hearts into something and believe they have done their absolute best."

"Since everything her mother arranged is not what she wants, she definitely would not give it her all, nor would she thirst for acknowledgment so intensely."

"But when we listened to her songs just now, she was solely responsible for the lyrics, composition, arrangement, recording, and vocals. Those songs had low engagement and required a massive workload, yet she released them one after another. Therefore, I am certain that singing is what she truly loves and hopes to be recognized for."

Myau-chan nodded, an expression of sudden realization dawning upon it.

"So that is why you pretended to be a fan of her music! By giving her the validation she desires, you can actually suppress her use of the modifier, meow!"

"Exactly."

"Then if this keeps up, won''t she drop a fragment soon, just like Ye Shiyu, meow? To find a way to deal with her so quickly, as expected of you!"

However, Yan Huan did not look pleased by the praise. He rubbed Myau-chan''s head and let out a heavy sigh.

"It is not that simple. This method is definitely useful, but do not forget—her mother does not approve of her singing."

Yan Huan''s gaze was calm, instantly pinpointing the crux of the issue.

"Who am I? Just an irrelevant passerby. But that is her mother."

"Between a mother''s denial and a stranger''s affirmation, which do you think holds more weight, Myau-chan? Not to mention, I might not even qualify as a passerby; to her, I am probably considered a hated enemy."

By now, Yan Huan had walked all the way back into the establishment, massaging his shoulder.

"Continuing like this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Unless, either we get her mother to acknowledge her, or we get the vast majority of people to recognize her, enough to completely overwhelm her mother''s disapproval."

There was actually another way: making himself an important person whose validation could replace her mother''s, such as a lover.

But Yan Huan had no desire to do that, so he kept that thought to himself.

Myau-chan blinked, wanting to say something to help Yan Huan, but it was at a loss for words.

"Meow~"

So, it let out an adorable mew and nuzzled its fluffy little head against Yan Huan''s cheek.

Yan Huan smiled faintly and turned his gaze back to the interior of the bar.

The atmosphere inside was peaceful. Tong Yingying had another cigarette perched between her lips, ready to light up, clearly craving a drag.

Yan Huan reached out with practiced ease, plucking the cigarette right out of her mouth and holding it in his hand.

Usually, when Yan Huan caught her smoking, Tong Yingying would not put up a fight. But this time, uncharacteristically, she held out her hand and demanded,

"Give it back."

Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, retorting flatly,

"Still smoking? Just the day before yesterday you said you were quitting, and today you are already breaking the streak. Moreover, Sister Tong, carrying tobacco and alcohol on you every single day while claiming to quit—isn''t that like trying to put out a fire with dry firewood?"

Tong Yingying lowered her eyes despondently, unable to refute him. Ultimately, she leaned against a nearby table.

"Right, right. How can someone reeking of smoke and booze like me compare to a fragrant, soft young idol your own age? Tsk, tsk. Look at her when she cries—like pear blossoms bathed in spring rain, just like the female lead in a drama. So sweet~"

Yan Huan nodded, looking as though he deeply agreed.

"That is true. If you got scolded by your mom, Sister Tong, you would just keep spewing curses left and right, never-ending. Either cursing at this or swearing at that..."

"...I will electrocute you to death, do you believe me?"

Her face dark, Tong Yingying raised the stun gun from her coat. Yan Huan immediately raised his hands in smiling surrender, casually handing the cigarette back to her.

"Never mind. I was almost exhausted to death dealing with her, and now I am going to get tased by you, Sister Tong. Here, take it back, if you still want to smoke."

Hearing that Yan Huan found dealing with Bai Yi to be "exhausting" rather than "enjoyable," Tong Yingying, who had looked away, turned her head back with an expression of schadenfreude.

She did not take the cigarette he offered, but suddenly declared,

"I want to eat pudding."

"Make it yourself."

"Damn it, are you the boss or am I? Do you believe I''ll dock your pay?"

"Boss, you were the one who taught me how to make pudding hand-in-hand. I am not even as good at it as you are, and you want me to make it?"

"I do not care. As long as I do not have to make it myself, it tastes better."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Yan Huan smiled faintly, and Tong Yingying crossed her arms, humming a tune, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

Aside from a minor hiccup tonight, the South Ward remained as chaotic and normal as ever.

Thursday noon. In a stall inside the girls'' restroom of the Far Moon Academy''s first-year division.

"Little Finger, do you think... it looks a little better this way?"

An Le stared into a compact mirror, examining her newly styled wispy bangs.

The long black hair covering the front of her face had been lifted slightly, revealing her face—unadorned by makeup, yet undeniably pure and beautiful.

After adding Spencer as a friend earlier, Spencer had pointed out the problem with her hairstyle, saying she looked as terrifying as a female ghost.

Thus, An Le decided to change her hair, thinking it might make things easier when she eventually sent a letter to Yan Huan.

Coiled on her shoulder, flicking its tongue, Little Finger rolled its eyes and huffed angrily.

"Before, you relied on that Spencer girl to deal with the bullies, and now look at you! You just listen to whatever she says? Can''t you have a mind of your own?!"

An Le looked at Little Finger innocently and mumbled in her mind,

''But, Classmate Spencer is really amazing... She beat up Park Seo-moon and the others, and they couldn''t do a single thing about it. They did not even come to school today. Besides, I always felt my hair was a bit too thick. I thought styling it might make it look better...''

"..."

Whether she had a mind of her own or not was actually of no concern to Little Finger. The main issue was that she had not used the modifier even once, and it was driving the snake crazy with anxiety.

''Damn it! You carry such an overpowered cheat on you, along with the smartest advisor in the world—me—and yet you''re just dawdling around like an idiot!''

''No, I have to figure out a way to make her use the modifier!''

Little Finger did not respond aloud, merely brewing up malicious schemes in its head.

"Fine, I suppose this works too... But aren''t you going to go check on things?"

"Check on what?"

"Didn''t Spencer say she was going to report to the Student Council at noon? That Yan Huan guy is in charge of the Study Group."

"Spencer doesn''t like Yan Huan, so I''m not worried."

Furious, Little Finger quickly smacked An Le''s cheek with its tail.

"Are you an idiot? She scored a 66, dumb as a pig! How could she possibly sit obediently and let Yan Huan tutor her? This is a school arrangement, so Yan Huan cannot refuse. If Spencer gets pushed too far, what if she beats up your Yan Huan?"

"Xiao Huan... is not mine yet."

An Le''s face instantly flushed crimson, while Little Finger was practically on the verge of a heart attack.

"Is this the time to discuss whether he belongs to you?! Did you even listen to a word I said?! Hurry, get up! Let''s go! We need to see what''s happening over there!!!"

"A-Alright..."

Hearing Little Finger put it that way, An Le timidly stood up.

It wasn''t that she didn''t understand what Little Finger meant. She wasn''t as dense as Spencer.

The main issue was that she still felt deeply inferior and terrified, lacking the courage to face Yan Huan directly, which was why she kept making excuses to avoid it.

But since Little Finger had pushed so hard, she could only leave the restroom and quietly make her way upstairs.

''The Student Council...''

''I remember it being upstairs?''

"Thump... thump... thump..."

An Le''s heart beat faster and faster. She quietly crept to one side of the hallway, finding a spot by the windowsill where she had a clear view of the corridor outside the Student Council Office.

"Why are you standing here?! Go over there!"

"I-I don''t dare. Let''s just watch from here..."

"Oh my god, I can''t take this anymore. Just kill me now..." An Le pursed her lips, stealthily peering across the way, though she could not see the situation inside the Student Council Office at all.

But before long, Spencer swaggered upstairs with an arrogant, strutting gait, kicking the door with her foot to announce her arrival.

To An Le''s surprise, not only did Spencer not enter, but Yan Huan actually walked out alone.

An Le widened her eyes, and Little Finger on her shoulder widened its eyes in disbelief as well.

"No way, you actually predicted this?! How did you know they were going to come out?"

"Huh? I didn''t know either..."

An Le sheepishly rubbed her head, plunging Little Finger into a stunned silence.

On the other side, Yan Huan walked out, looked at Spencer standing there with her arms crossed, and pointed to the opposite end of the hallway.

"Let''s talk over there."

Right now, he was the only one in the Student Council Office, but Sakuramiya Hitomi might return at any moment.

She had mentioned in the group chat that the kitten was mostly recovered and that she would be back at noon.

So, to prevent this troublesome Spencer from crossing paths with Sakuramiya Hitomi, Yan Huan decided to discuss the matter outside.

Spencer furrowed her brow and reluctantly followed him in that direction.

In the distance, the stealthy An Le quietly shadowed them, moving to the opposite hallway where she could observe from afar.

"Have you received the email that was sent to you?"

Spencer kept her hands tucked in her pockets and suddenly asked with a grin,

"You are in charge of this? Where is that Sakuramiya?"

Yan Huan looked back at her with a frosty expression and retorted,

"This matter has nothing to do with Sakuramiya."

"Yeah, yeah, sure..."

Yan Huan stopped at another corner and turned to face Spencer, strictly adopting a businesslike tone.

"The Academic Affairs Office made their intentions very clear. From now on, you must attend the Study Group I manage in person twice a week. You will also have to complete extra assignments, which I will grade and the Academic Affairs Office will review."

Spencer looked absolutely incredulous.

"I don''t even do the homework assigned by the teachers, and you think I will do your assignments?"

"Then you had better start doing your homework from now on."

Spencer crossed her arms and sneered,

"And if I don''t?"

"Then after I report you to the Academic Affairs Office, they will likely contact your parents."

Spencer''s cold smirk suddenly faltered. She guiltily shifted her gaze away, then rubbed the back of her head in immense frustration.

"Didn''t you promise me one request earlier? I am calling in that favor right now. I don''t want to join the Study Group!"

Yan Huan took a deep breath, somewhat speechless.

''Really? This is your grand strategy?''

''And you think of yourself as some kind of mastermind?''

''This is just embarrassing, isn''t it?''

In any case, Yan Huan had never seen a delinquent use blackmail just to get out of studying.

Would Yan Huan really let her off the hook that easily?

He pretended to ponder for a second, then allowed a hint of visible relief to slip onto his face.

"Alright. I will give it a try and see if I can report this to them and get you exempted."

"..."

Seeing his sigh of relief and how he looked as though he had finally gotten rid of her, Spencer ground her teeth in severe displeasure.

But compared to doing homework every week and risking her parents being called if she failed...

She reluctantly decided to use her request for this anyway!

She crossed her arms, nodded, and was just about to leave when Yan Huan called out to stop her.

"Let me make it clear first. I will try, but if it doesn''t work, there is nothing I can do. After all, this is a school requirement. Then, regardless of the outcome, you must delete the photos, and we will be completely even."

"What?"

Spencer''s eyes bugged out, her signature canine teeth flashing as she scowled.

"You can''t even guarantee it will work, and you still want me to use up my favor?!"

"There is nothing else I can do about it, is there?"

Yan Huan looked at her with blatant disgust and explained,

"Who told you to test so poorly? Only a 66—so much lower than even the second-to-last place! If you had scored even a bit higher, it would be negotiable. But with this score... I can only say I will do my best."

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you calling me stupid?"

"Are you not?"

Yan Huan stared back, looking as if he did not want to waste another breath on her.

His gaze swept over her from head to toe, as if secretly comparing her to someone he admired.

''It''s that Vice President, Sakuramiya Hitomi, right?''

''Hah! He definitely thinks she''s so brilliant at her studies and I''m such a hopeless case that I can''t even compare to a single strand of her hair, right?!''

The veins on Spencer''s forehead slowly began to throb. She was completely oblivious to the fact that she had just fallen straight into Yan Huan''s trap.

"Hehe... I changed my mind, Yan Huan."

"What do you mean?"

"I won''t use that request. I am joining that damn Study Group."

"Are you going back on your word?"

"Exactly! I will attend the Study Group! As for that request... Heh. Just you wait, Yan Huan."

Yan Huan, however, did not flinch in the slightest. Instead, he pulled out a pre-prepared slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.

"What is this?"

Spencer paused for a moment before taking the slip.

Upon taking a quick glance, she saw a list of books written on it:

"Three Years of High School, Two Years of Mock Exams," "One Hundred Exercises for Mathematics Mastery," and "The Ultimate Guide to Grammar and Reading."

"???"

Spencer''s mouth hung slightly open, her canine teeth glinting as she faced Yan Huan, who offered her a fake, mocking smile.

"Great. Then please have these workbooks ready before next Monday. They are required for our Study Group. If even one is missing next week... you know what happens."

Spencer glared at the handsome youth before her, gnashing her teeth. No matter how she looked at him, he was thoroughly detestable.

''Just you wait, Yan Huan...''

''I am definitely going to...''

"Hmph!"

Spencer gave a cold snort, then turned on her heel and stormed off.

Meanwhile, Yan Huan maintained his frosty expression, looking just as fiercely confrontational and visibly enraged.

In the distance, although An Le had not heard clearly what they were saying, she still sensed that something was very wrong with the atmosphere.

"Did they... get into a fight? Xiao Huan looks incredibly angry..."

An Le had no idea that his expression was purely a theatrical performance designed to provoke Spencer.

She simply pursed her lips, suddenly feeling extremely anxious.

On one side was her childhood friend, and on the other was her newly made friend.

She didn''t want to see them fighting like this, especially when it made Xiao Huan so upset...

Little Finger noticed An Le''s shifting emotions and seemed to realize something.

''Could it be...''

''The opportunity has finally arrived?!''

Little Finger suppressed its wild excitement and quickly whispered,

"Do you want to make Yan Huan happy?"

"I do... But I am too scared to go over and see him... How about I go find Classmate Spencer later and ask her to stop fighting with Xiao Huan..."

"Stupid. Do you really think she''ll listen to you?"

"..."

That was true. Classmate Spencer seemed to do whatever she pleased and probably would not listen to her.

"I actually have a solution."

"Ah! Little Finger, you have a way?"

"Dummy. Didn''t I tell you before? You can manipulate others'' pleasure. Happiness is, in fact, born from pleasure. Why not just secretly give him a little bit of pleasure from right here?"

"R-Really?"

Little Finger gave a soft hum, patiently coaxing her.

"Of course. Besides, it isn''t a bad thing, right? You just want to stop Xiao Huan from being so angry. You might even prevent him from having further conflicts with Spencer."

"..."

An Le gulped, feeling a restless stirring in her heart.

''That''s right, I''m not doing anything bad...''

''I just want to help Xiao Huan feel a little happier, that''s all.''

''Then I''ll just...''

''Give it a try?''

"How do I use that ability, then?"

''Finally...''

''She finally took the bait!''

At this moment, Little Finger acted like a cunning demon tricking an innocent traveler. Suppressing its intense excitement, it simply instructed,

"Just think about it in your mind. Then, lock onto him and give him a little bit of pleasure to try it out..."

''Think about it?''

With a single thought from An Le, an invisible ripple spread outward, forming a massive circle with a fifty-foot radius.

Within this circle, An Le''s eyes instantly locked onto countless targets.

But she only wanted Xiao Huan to be happy...

Therefore, she focused all her attention, fixing her gaze solely upon Yan Huan.

Two trails of mist—one red, one white—illusively surfaced, as if awaiting her command. Seeing this, An Le revealed a confused expression. Little Finger hurriedly explained,

"The red mist is for manipulating pain sensation. Inject the red mist into someone''s body, and they will feel pain. The white mist manipulates pleasure, and it works exactly the same way..."

''Then, I just give Xiao Huan a little bit of the white mist?''

With this thought in mind, An Le directed the white mist, inching it closer and closer to Yan Huan.

However, she had not anticipated that, being her first time using it, the mist would be infinitely lighter and more volatile than she imagined. As a result, losing control for a mere fraction of a second, a massive deluge of white mist surged violently into him.

"Ah! I-I accidentally... added too much!"

An Le instantly slapped both hands over her mouth, while Little Finger''s jaw dropped wide open beside her, looking utterly shell-shocked.

''Sis...''

''You are far more ruthless than I ever imagined!''

In the very next second, Yan Huan, who had been about to walk back to the Student Council Office, suddenly froze, as if sensing something.

Following that, an overwhelmingly intense electrical current, rushing like a tidal wave, surged straight up his spine and violently crashed right into his brain.

"Boom!"

''It''s...''

''It''s over!!''