Chapter 51: But the Scent in Front of Me is Clearly An Le''s |
"At four years old, Kong Rong knew to yield the larger pears to his older brothers."
"An Le, you are the host of this house. Your cousin came from so far away, so let her play with your toys."
"An Le, you are the older sister. You need to yield to your little brother."
"An Le, no one knows what the families of those kids in the South Ward do. It is chaotic out there, so don''t stoop to their level."
"An Le, you transferred back to the country from Linmen. You are unfamiliar with the place and the people, so just ignore everyone else and focus on your studies."
"An Le, the students at Far Moon Academy all come from extremely wealthy families. If something happens, our family can''t afford to compensate them, so..."
"An Le, just do your own thing and don''t provoke anyone, that will be enough."
An Le had heard this kind of advice from her teachers and parents more than once.
Since she was young, they had taught her to be kind and to yield to others.
Therefore, An Le never said anything that would make others sad, never did anything that would hurt others, never got into conflicts with anyone, and never actively fought for anything.
The children of the South Ward pulled pranks everywhere, stealing and snatching things from others. If she didn''t stop them, wouldn''t the people who were robbed feel sad?
Even if those children never played with her again and she ended up with no friends, it did not matter.
Park Seo-moon''s family was very rich. If she resisted her, wouldn''t that cause trouble for her hardworking parents?
Even if she was subjected to ambiguous sarcasm and mocked by her in class every day, it did not matter.
Xiao Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi seemed to have a very good relationship. If she confessed her feelings to him, wouldn''t it cause trouble for both Xiao Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi?
Even if Xiao Huan and that Sakuramiya stayed together forever...
Was doing all this wrong?
But why was it that every time An Le did this, she never received a return of favor from anyone?
In the past, whenever prioritizing others resulted in her suffering grievances, she always had an excuse ready:
At least others found happiness, and their happiness was her happiness.
But at this moment, the crystal...
No, it was inside the Nurse''s Office.
"Xiao... Xiao... Woo..."
"Pre... President..."
After An Le hesitated again and again, finally calling out to Xiao Huan like this.
Her heart seemed unable to believe such excuses anymore, transmitting a wave of intense pain.
"Riiiing..."
A sharp ringing filled her ears, until she could gradually no longer even hear the reactions of Little Finger beside her.
"President? You''re a student at Far Moon Academy too?"
"..."
"...Classmate? Classmate?"
It wasn''t until the next second, when Yan Huan''s face leaned in a few inches and completely filled her vacant gaze, that she finally snapped back to reality.
She hurriedly straightened her posture a bit, reacting like a trainee whose name had just been called out by an instructor during military training.
"Y-Yes!"
"...Are you feeling unwell?"
Yan Huan offered a helpless smile and asked.
"N-No... It''s just that I''ve never been inside a Haunted House before, so I''m a little... scared."
Yan Huan''s gaze swept over the beads of cold sweat trickling down her forehead, but he didn''t press the issue.
"I see."
Yan Huan retracted his gaze from her and looked around the space with a hint of confusion.
This time, no note explaining how to leave was slipped into the sealed room, which left him a bit puzzled.
''What does this mean? Are they letting us figure it out on our own?''
''Right, this is a Haunted House after all. As I analyzed earlier, it''s highly likely there''s an exit or something similar hidden in here.''
''I just don''t know how large an area Spencer''s ability can cover.''
"Let''s first try to see if we can find an exit. This place should be structured similarly to an escape room. If we look for clues, we should be able to get out."
"O-Okay."
An Le pursed her lips and hurriedly followed Yan Huan''s instructions, searching for any possible clues nearby.
She casually glanced at Little Finger on her shoulder and noticed its eyes had rolled back, looking as if it had died from sheer exasperation.
"..."
"Classmate, are you in the same class as Spencer?"
Yan Huan suddenly asked this while crouching in front of a bloodstained white bedsheet, examining the writing scrawled across it.
Behind him, An Le secretly cast a glance at his handsome side profile in the dim light. Even though he couldn''t see her, she nodded anyway.
"Mhm... Regarding what happened with Spencer earlier, I''m sorry..."
"She made the mistake, so why are you apologizing for her?"
"Because... Spencer is my only friend."
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked back at An Le.
"You actually managed to become friends with her?"
An Le pursed her lips shyly. Once again prioritizing Spencer, she began to explain on her behalf.
"Although Spencer can be a bit reckless... I think she isn''t a bad person."
''Isn''t a bad person...''
''Joke of the year: Spencer isn''t a bad person.''
''If she isn''t bad, I''ll eat a shoe.''
From Yan Huan''s current perspective, among the three revealed Modifier Hosts, Spencer was absolutely the hardest to deal with.
Her behavioral logic was incredibly difficult to predict, and she was extremely aggressive.
The guilt that suppressed Ye Shiyu''s desire to use the Hypnosis APP, and the sense of acknowledgment that worked wonders on Bai Yi, would probably be completely useless against Spencer.
The most terrifying part was that other people''s Modifiers seemed to have a cooldown period and couldn''t be used continuously.
But for some unknown reason, whenever he encountered Spencer, the effects of her Modifier would immediately trigger.
''No cooldown?''
''She acts like a berserker who popped her ultimate the entire time. She''s completely immune to crowd control and just charges headlong from start to finish.''
''Aside from her brain not working too well, she truly qualifies as a pentagon warrior.''
"It''s true. Spencer helped me when I was at my most helpless before, and I''m very grateful to her... I don''t want to lose my only friend, so..."
Yan Huan didn''t turn around, simply asking,
"So, no matter what she says or does, you''ll follow unconditionally? You''ll even apologize on her behalf for her mistakes?"
"..."
''Is it possible that Spencer is just using you to achieve this current situation?''
''She might pop out of nowhere later and start taking pictures again...''
''However, given her intelligence, is that really possible?''
While Yan Huan was deep in thought, he successfully found a plastic severed hand under the bloodstained bed.
The severed hand pointed toward the other side of the bed. Yan Huan took out his mobile phone, turned on the flashlight, and shined it in that direction, where he spotted a button marked with a blood-colored rune.
"Found it."
Yan Huan gently pressed the button. The bed at the far end of the Nurse''s Office slowly slid aside, revealing a waist-high narrow passage.
''It really is an escape room.''
Leaving his phone''s flashlight on, Yan Huan illuminated the low passage and said to An Le,
"Even if you are friends, you shouldn''t be the one to pay for her mistakes. Apologizing for her is the absolute bare minimum of bearing her burden.
"In other words, classmate, if she commits a very serious mistake later, are you going to pay the price for those far more severe consequences too?"
An Le clutched the bag in her arms, looking at Yan Huan foolishly as she murmured,
"I... I will do my best to repay it..."
Yan Huan stared blankly at the masked An Le, who was crouching in place, and couldn''t help but say,
"...Are you serious?"
''Could this girl have been affected by Spencer''s idiot halo after spending too much time with her?''
"Eh?"
"It''s nothing... Although I shouldn''t interfere with how others conduct themselves in society, as the Student Council President of Far Moon Academy, I still advise you to keep your distance from Spencer.
"Besides, always prioritizing others like this won''t lead to a good ending for you."
''It''s not just about Spencer''s character; more importantly, it''s the issue of the Modifier.''
''Staying by a Modifier Host''s side without any Resistance truly makes you no different from a plaything.''
However, in the darkness behind him, An Le seemed genuinely touched after hearing Yan Huan''s words.
It felt like she had heard those exact words somewhere before.
She just couldn''t remember exactly where.
Without waiting for An Le to respond, Yan Huan shrugged Myau-chan off his shoulder and spoke to it telepathically,
''Myau-chan, I need you to scout the path ahead. If you find anything, give me a heads-up.''
"Meow~"
Myau-chan trotted inside with a swift patter of paws.
Yan Huan braced himself against the entrance of the passage, which required him to bend his waist and lower his head, and glanced back at An Le.
"Let''s go. The doors nearby are all locked, so let''s check out this way."
"Mhm... okay... President."
An Le slowly approached the back view she had constantly yearned for. The sharp pain in her heart, caused by addressing him as ''President,'' tore at her even further.
In the darkness, clutching the black paper bag without reaching for her mobile phone, she quietly followed behind Yan Huan''s stooped figure.
Inside the narrow passage, an eerie wind howled toward them, but it was completely blocked by Yan Huan''s broad back.
Staring at his back in the dark, An Le''s lips trembled, and she couldn''t help but ask,
"President... considering others... is that wrong? Why does it never... never lead to a good ending?"
Walking in front, Yan Huan''s footsteps paused slightly. He initially hadn''t wanted to say too much, but considering the issue with Spencer''s Modifier...
''Forget it. I''ll save whoever I can.''
''Who told me to be such an exemplary three goods youth?''
''Especially when it comes to having good morals.''
With a sigh, Yan Huan continued to inch his way forward, taking the initiative to mention a piece of personal history.
"When I was very young, I lived in the South Ward. I had a childhood sweetheart there, and we were very close."
Behind him, An Le, whose head had been lowered, felt her pupils contract as she heard Yan Huan''s words. She looked forward in absolute disbelief.
"Childhood... sweetheart?"
''I knew it! When Xiao Huan was little, he only played with me!''
''According to what he said back then, it was because he thought the other kids were all too childish...''
''Though looking back now, I probably wasn''t any more mature than the other kids either, was I?''
''After all, I wanted to play house with him every day, making him play the daddy while I played the mommy...''
''But, doesn''t this mean...''
''Xiao Huan...''
''He still remembers me?!!''
"Thump... Thump... Thump..."
In the darkness, her head, which was usually lowered out of habit, lifted bit by bit. The eyes staring at Yan Huan''s back seemed to brighten.
Unfortunately, Myau-chan had already run ahead to scout, and Yan Huan didn''t have eyes in the back of his head, so he couldn''t see the look in An Le''s eyes right now.
"Yeah. She was very much like you—someone who always liked to consider others... She was afraid of rejecting people, afraid of seeing disappointment in their eyes, and afraid of getting into conflicts."
"Considering others... is that... wrong?"
"Of course, there is nothing wrong with considering others. But you have to realize that considering others will inevitably go against your own wishes sometimes."
He originally just wanted to persuade the girl behind him to stay away from Spencer. Yet, as he spoke, he couldn''t help but think of the little girl who had constantly followed behind him when they were kids.
He still remembered that her name was ''An Le.''
Yan Huan''s footsteps paused slightly, and his speech slowed down.
"Generally speaking, someone who constantly acts like that is simply used to satisfying others in the hopes of begging them to show charity in return.
"If someone actually reciprocates, they feel an immense sense of joy.
"Even if the return is far less than what they gave, it doesn''t matter.
"And if the other person doesn''t reciprocate, even if they feel pain, they''ll just lie to themselves and continue the cycle, waiting for the next handout..."
''When it comes down to it, why did I notice that girl back when I was young?''
''Because I was the only one who saw it—how she always gave silently, and how she always hoped silently.''
''Call me selfish if you want. After all, in an orphanage where no one took care of you, who wouldn''t like a childhood sweetheart who always thought of you and hung on your every word?''
''But deep down, I always knew the reality of it. That''s why, in the past, I never got tired of explaining this principle to that silly childhood friend of mine.''
And today, these words would likely strike a chord with the friendless girl behind him, who treated Spencer as her last desperate hope.
"That way of thinking is cowardly. Always prioritizing others like that won''t lead you to a good ending.
"People need to become a bit stronger, a bit braver. Actively pursue what you want instead of constantly wronging yourself and waiting for destiny to drop it into your lap."
It wasn''t until this exact moment that An Le was finally certain she had heard these words before.
Who was it that said this to her?
She suddenly remembered the day she was forced to separate from Xiao Huan.
Because she had kept crying and crying, her mind entirely consumed by the fact that they were separating and wouldn''t be able to see each other. She hadn''t known how to make an international phone call, didn''t know how she could return to Linmen, and didn''t know how she would ever see him again...
All sorts of fears had crushed the young An Le, leaving her with nothing but tears.
Because of that, she had forgotten what the boy standing in front of her had kept saying to her.
He had told her,
"Be strong. Don''t always prioritize others."
''Be strong...''
''Xiao Huan was the one who said those words to me.''
''Xiao Huan clearly still remembers me. Why have I been so cowardly all this time?''
''Anything else... I don''t care.''
''I can endure any other grievance.''
''But this... no matter what, I...''
Behind him, An Le''s constantly trembling body gradually calmed down.
She took a deep breath, as if she had finally made a certain resolution.
Having said his final piece, Yan Huan realized he had spoken a bit too much.
Perhaps it was because he remembered his childhood sweetheart who had long since left Linmen. Meeting a classmate in a similar situation made him want to say a few extra words.
Or perhaps brushing it off with another excuse was more reasonable:
''This is all to resolve the Modifier.''
"Meow~"
In the narrow passage ahead, Myau-chan cheerfully trotted back, wagging its tail and blinking its emerald eyes as it called out to Yan Huan.
Its meaning was clear: ''The exit is right ahead, meow.''
Yan Huan aimed his phone''s flashlight forward and sure enough, he saw a broad space illuminated by dim lights.
So, he spoke up,
"We''re almost at—"
As he spoke, he was just about to continue walking forward.
But in the next second, his expression suddenly froze.
Because behind him, a small, soft hand had at some point tightly gripped his clothes.
With his forward motion, the girl behind him was pulled forward right along with him.
As if she was afraid of getting lost... as if she was terrified of being separated...
This familiar sensation made Yan Huan''s heart skip a beat. As sharp as he was, he quickly associated it with a certain beautiful memory from the past.
''Their personalities are so similar, and even the way she grips my clothes is exactly the same?''
''Is this really just a coincidence?''
"You—"
"Xiao Huan..."
Yan Huan, who was just about to speak, opened his mouth at the exact same time as the soft, sweet voice of the girl behind him.
Her voice, accompanied by a puff of hot breath, washed against Yan Huan''s back, making him realize that she had taken off her face mask.
That intimate term of address instantly pierced through Yan Huan''s mind, causing him to instinctively try and stand up to turn around.
But he forgot that they were currently bent over, crouching inside a waist-high narrow passage.
"Thump!"
With that, Yan Huan''s head smashed directly into the ceiling, letting out a muffled thud.
"Hiss!"
"Xiao Huan!"
Yan Huan stumbled sideways and dropped to a crouch, but don''t forget, An Le was still clutching his clothes behind him in a death grip.
Yan Huan''s forward lurch ended up directly pulling An Le down with him.
"Meow!"
Startled, Myau-chan jumped backward quite a distance before curiously looking back.
"Wah!"
In the darkness behind it, Yan Huan lay on his side, staring blankly at the girl sprawled across his chest.
A softness akin to water balloons pressed firmly against his abdomen, deforming under the pressure.
His phone had slipped to the ground a short distance away, its flashlight pointing aside, making it hard for Yan Huan to clearly see her face right now.
The only things he could feel were her breaths, her burning body temperature, and her faintly trembling body.
"An Le..."
"Xiao Huan..."
The two of them instinctively spoke at the same time again, which made An Le even more nervous.
She hurriedly lowered her head, her voice trembling,
"Y-You go first... Xiao Huan."
"No... An Le, you go first?"
"Mhm..."
After she agreed, Yan Huan felt two legs in the dark nervously clamp down on his own thigh.
An Le closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tightly clenched her fists... This was her usual reaction to being nervous.
But she forgot that her hands were still resting on Yan Huan''s body, so her tightly clenched feminine fists ended up violently squeezing Yan Huan''s abdominal muscles.
"Hiss..."
''No, hold on a second, An Le. Being pincer-attacked from above and below is a bit...''
"Um... Xiao Huan... I actually returned to Linmen a long time ago, and I also attend Far Moon Academy..."
"Wait, then why haven''t you come looking for me?"
"I..."
This question made An Le''s already nervous heart even more frantic, to the point where her heartbeat felt like it was going to leap out of her chest and straight into Yan Huan''s.
She panickedly lifted her head to explain, once again forgetting that this was a waist-high narrow passage.
"Thump!"
"Ouch..."
With a dull thud, she clutched her head and flopped right back down onto Yan Huan''s chest.
Hearing the adorable whimper, like that of a small animal, in his arms, Yan Huan still felt a bit like he was dreaming.
''I thought she seemed a bit like my childhood sweetheart, so I ended up saying more than usual.''
''But looking back... she really is my childhood sweetheart?''
''What kind of godly development is this?''
''The main point is, she even goes to the same school as me. But why, after an entire semester has already passed, did she never come find me?''
''Aside from Spencer, there haven''t been any other transfer students in the first year this semester...''
Yan Huan looked helplessly at An Le, who was clearly suffering a nasty headache in his arms, and couldn''t help but reach out to gently pat her back in comfort.
"Are you okay?"
"Woo..."
''When we were kids, she always loved to cry whenever she got hurt. But as long as I blew on the wound, she would stop crying.''
''Instead, she would look up at me with a flushed little face.''
Yan Huan''s gentle patting on An Le''s back awakened the illusory Little Finger resting on her shoulder.
It opened its eyes with absolutely no will to live, thoroughly unwilling to face the grim reality.
It had decided: tonight, it was going to convince An Le to willingly abandon it.
''If I can''t win, can''t I just quit playing?!''
''I choose death!''
But as it hazily opened its eyes, just preparing to unleash one final insult upon its useless Host before dying, it looked up and saw... An Le lying in Yan Huan''s embrace, enjoying his soothing back-pats.
"???"
''No, wait, sister?''
''What is the situation here?!''
''I just took a nap, how did it... how...''
''We won?!''
''So you just refused to perform while I was watching, huh?!''
Reviewing the entire process, it went something like this:
An Le makes repeated blunder after blunder...
An Le falls into a severe disadvantage...
An Le pisses the Modifier off to the point of death, preparing to surrender...
An Le delivers her victory speech?!
"Xiao Huan, for so many years, I''ve always, always wanted to see you... But I''m sorry... I''m still the same as before. I can''t do anything right..."
"Wuuwuu... You''re right. I''ve always been this cowardly... I''m sorry... I''m sorry..."
"It''s just that when I saw how outstanding you had become, I got scared... I was so afraid that you had already forgotten me."
Initially, An Le had only been weeping softly, but feeling Yan Huan patting her back, it was as if she finally couldn''t hold it in anymore and burst into loud sobs.
Tears fell drop by drop onto Yan Huan, prompting a helpless smile from him.
"How could I ever forget you, An Le?"
"Wuuuuhhhhh..."
Little Finger flicked its tongue from the sidelines, feeling as though everything was taking a turn for the better.
The cramped narrow passage seemed spacious, the dim environment felt bright and sunny, and the bloody smell suddenly tasted incredibly sweet...
''This world is truly wonderful!!''
Little Finger was thriving, and An Le was weeping tears of joy. The only exception was Yan Huan...
He was starting to feel rather uncomfortable being pressed down by the soft An Le in his arms.
It could only be said that possessing untapped primal yang was just like this.
The perfect smile on his face stiffened slightly as he had no choice but to say,
"Um... An Le, how about we get out of here first and talk later? Could you get up..."
"Eh... I''m sorry, Xiao Huan... I-I didn''t crush you, did I?"
"No... watch your head."
Wiping away her tears, An Le stood up with her small face flushed bright red.
Meanwhile, Yan Huan turned around to retrieve his mobile phone, which had slid quite far away with its flashlight still on.
Just as he flipped the flashlight over from where it had been facedown on the floor, the beam illuminated the surrounding area.
And in the very next second, by the glow of the flashlight, Yan Huan spotted a scattered black paper bag...
Along with a stack of artistic works that had spilled out.
"Huh, An Le, what are these things you bou—"
Yan Huan hadn''t gotten a clear look, so he picked one up and glanced at the title on the cover.
''The Rope-Bound... Dragon?''
A single glance felt like ten thousand years.
He saw that the cover boldly depicted a muscular man, tightly bound by ropes, bare-chested, and streaming with tears.
Staring at the masterpiece in his hands, Yan Huan''s brain crashed for a split second.
''Have I truly been driven so mad dealing with Modifiers that I''m now hallucinating?''
''This is too weird. Let me take another look...''
''Hiss, it''s reality!!''
In front of him, An Le, who had just stood up while wiping her tears, raised her eyes to say something—only to see Yan Huan inspecting the artistic works she had just purchased.
"Xiao—"
Her pupils shrank to pinpricks, and her previously rosy face instantly turned deathly pale.
Beside her, Little Finger was still gleefully wrapped around her neck, chattering away as if interviewing a gold medalist,
"Holy crap, how did you do it?! Awesome, An Le! I underestimated you before. You truly are the Child of Fortune of this world, The Chosen One! If only you could use a little more of the ability I gave yo—"
As it babbled on, it suddenly lost its voice.
It seemed to have realized that something was wrong.
Little Finger quickly looked down at its own body in alarm, only to find that its snake tail was actually expanding bit by bit, inflating just like a balloon.
''De... Desire?!''
''It''s... way too much!!''
''I''m gonna explode!!''
Little Finger was just about to open its mouth to warn An Le beside it, but An Le was already paralyzed by the sight before her.
At this moment, her single, terrifyingly swelling wish was:
''I absolutely cannot let Xiao Huan know that I like these kinds of things!!''
She didn''t even need to issue a command; the terrifyingly swollen desire instantly fueled the Modifier to activate on its own!
"Superconductor Mode, Activate!!"
"Target: Yan Huan!!"
Yan Huan blinked. He was just about to reveal an awkward expression and put the item back into the bag.
''After all, people are different. Having a different fetish is perfectly normal; there''s no need to force everyone to be the same...''
''We can just laugh it off and move on.''
''Although it is still a little bit awkward...''
But in the next second, a familiar sensation welled up in his heart.
As the illusory white mist connected to Yan Huan''s body, a rush of sensation shot up from his spinal cord straight into his brain!
Behind him, in the narrow passage, Myau-chan''s fur instantly stood on end as it let out a low growl at An Le.
"Meow!!"
Meanwhile, Yan Huan went completely limp. With a flushed face and a racing heart, he collapsed onto the ground.
"Yan Huan, your Resistance has just been shattered by another thirty percent!! The one who ambushed you in the corridor this Thursday was her! She is the Host of the fourth Modifier!!"
Myau-chan''s warning still rang in his ears, but Yan Huan''s brain felt as though it was quivering.
As mentioned before, if the owner of a Modifier was someone he had never met, like Ye Shiyu or Spencer, Yan Huan would actually remain completely unfazed.
What he feared most was an acquaintance he knew being chosen as a Modifier Host.
That was exactly why he had kept calling Sister Tong earlier...
He genuinely did not want his beautiful, peaceful everyday life to be twisted and shattered by the Modifiers.
But now...
''It''s clearly a long-awaited reunion after being apart from An Le for so long...''
''It''s clearly a great situation with the fourth Modifier Host revealing herself...''
''Both of these are such joyful events. Why... why does my heart feel so complicated right now?''
Feeling that unending surge of pleasure that seemed to want him to forget everything, Yan Huan''s mind went completely blank.
Yet, deep down in his heart, he still blankly thought,
''But...''
''The scent in front of me is clearly An Le''s...''
The fourth Modifier Host makes her grand entrance!
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