Restricted Fantasy Invasion

Chapter 50

"An Le, you're the master of the house. Your cousin came all this way to visit, so let your sister play with your toys."

"An Le, you're the older sister, so you should give in to your younger brother a little."

"An Le, no one knows what those kids in the southern district's families do, and it's messy out there. Don't get into it with them."

"An Le, you just transferred back from Linmen, you're not familiar with anything here, so don't worry about others-just focus on your studies."

"An Le, the students at Yuanyue School all come from wealthy families. If anything happens, your family can't afford to pay for it, so..."

"An Le, as long as you do your own thing and don't cause trouble for others, that's enough."

Advice like this was something An Le had heard more than once from her teachers and parents.

Ever since she was little, they taught An Le to be kind and to yield.

The rules told An Le: as long as you think of others, others will definitely repay you.

So An Le never said anything that would upset others, never did anything that would hurt anyone, never got into conflicts, and never tried to compete for anything.

The kids from the southern district were always playing pranks and stealing from others-if she didn't stop them, wouldn't that make the ones being stolen from feel bad?

Even if those kids never played with her again and she lost all her friends, it didn't matter.

Pu Shuwen's family was very rich-if she resisted her, would that cause trouble for her parents, who worked so hard every day?

Even if she got mocked and snarked at by her every day in class, it didn't matter.

Xiaohuan and Sakuramiya Hitomi seemed really close-if she confessed to him, would that make Xiaohuan and Sakuramiya Hitomi feel troubled?

Even if Xiaohuan and that Sakuramiya were always together-

Was it wrong to do this?

But why is it that every time An Le acts this way, she never gets any "repayment" from others?

In the past, when she put others first and ended up feeling wronged herself, she always had an excuse:

At least others are happy-other people's happiness is her own happiness.

But right now, the crystal-

No, it was in the infirmary.

"Xiao Xiao. Mmm."

"President."

After hesitating for a long time, An Le finally called out to Xiaohuan like this.

But deep down, she could no longer believe that old excuse, and a sharp pain surged inside her.

"Bzzzz"

The ringing in her ears grew louder, to the point where she could barely hear Little Finger's reaction beside her.

"President? Are you a student at Yuanyue Academy too?"

"."

".Classmate? Classmate?"

It wasn't until the next moment, when Yan Huan's face moved a little closer and completely filled her empty gaze, that she snapped back to herself.

She hurriedly straightened up a bit, just like a cadet being called out by an instructor during military training,

"Y-yes!"

".Are you feeling unwell?"

Yan Huan gave a helpless smile and asked her that.

"N-no, it's just that I've never been in a haunted house before, so I'm a little... scared."

Yan Huan's eyes swept over the beads of cold sweat on her forehead, but he didn't press the issue,

"I see."

Yan Huan withdrew his gaze from her and looked around the space in confusion.

This time, there wasn't a slip of paper in the sealed room telling them how to get out, which made him a bit puzzled.

What does that mean, are we supposed to figure it out on our own?

Oh, right, this is a haunted house after all. We analyzed before that there's probably some kind of exit here.

I wonder how far Spencer's ability can reach.

"Let's see if we can find an exit first. This place is probably structured like an escape room-if we look for clues, we should be able to get out."

"Okay, okay."

An Le pressed her lips together and quickly began searching for any possible clues nearby, following Yan Huan's instructions.

She also glanced at Little Finger on her shoulder and found its eyes had rolled back, looking like it was about to faint from anger.

"."

"Classmate, are you in the same class as Spencer?"

Just as Yan Huan was squatting by the bloodstained white sheet, examining the writing on it, he suddenly asked.

Behind him, An Le stole a glance at his handsome profile in the dim light. Even though he couldn't see her, she still nodded.

"Um... about what happened with Spencer before, I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing for her mistake?"

"Because... Spencer is my only friend."

Yan Huan raised his eyebrows in surprise and turned to look at An Le.

"You actually became friends with her?"

An Le bit her lip shyly, and once again started thinking of Spencer first, explaining for her,

"Spencer may be a bit reckless, but I think... she's not a bad person."

"Not bad, huh."

Joke of the year: Spencer isn't bad.

If she's not bad, I'll eat my hat.

From Yan Huan's perspective, among the three modifier hosts whose identities were known, Spencer was by far the hardest to deal with.

Her behavior was incredibly unpredictable and extremely aggressive.

The guilt that suppressed Ye Shiyu's desire to use the Hypnosis APP, the sense of recognition that worked wonders on Bai Yi-none of that would work on Spencer.

The scariest thing is, everyone else's modifier seems to have a cooldown and can't be used all the time.

But for some reason, as soon as Spencer is around, the modifier's effect appears-

No cooldown?

She acts like she's on a permanent berserker buff, completely immune to control, just charging ahead from start to finish.

Aside from being a little slow in the head, she's honestly a five-dimensional warrior.

"R-really, Spencer helped me when I was at my lowest. I'm very grateful to her... I don't want to lose my only friend, so..."

Yan Huan didn't turn around, just asked,

"So, no matter what she says or does, you'll follow her unconditionally? You'll even apologize for her mistakes now?"

"."

Is it possible that Spencer is just using you to get to this point?

In a bit, who knows where she'll pop out from to start taking pictures again.

But honestly, with her IQ, is that even possible?

While Yan Huan was pondering this, he managed to find a plastic severed hand under the bloodstained bed.

That severed hand pointed to the other side of the bed. Yan Huan took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and shone it over there, where he saw a button marked with a blood-red charm.

"Found it."

Yan Huan gently pressed the button, and the bed at the end of the infirmary slowly slid aside, revealing a passage about half a person tall.

So it really is an escape room, huh.

Without turning off his phone's flashlight, Yan Huan shined it into the short passage and said to An Le,

Even if you're friends, her mistakes aren't yours to pay for. Apologizing for her is the bare minimum.

"In other words, classmate, if she does something really serious in the future, are you going to pay an even bigger price for her?"

An Le clutched the bag in her arms, looking at Yan Huan in a daze, and said,

"I-I'll try my best to make it up to her."

Yan Huan stared blankly at An Le, who was squatting there with a mask on, and couldn't help but say,

"...Are you serious?"

Could it be that this girl's been around Spencer so long, she's caught her idiot aura?

"Eh?"

It's nothing... Even though I shouldn't interfere with how others live, as the student council president of Yuanyue, I still suggest you stay away from Spencer.

"Besides, always thinking of others like this-nothing good will come of it."

It's not just about Spencer's personality; the real problem is the modifier.

Staying close to a modifier host, if you don't have resistance, you're basically just a toy.

But when An Le heard Yan Huan say this from the darkness behind her, she seemed moved inside.

She felt like she'd heard those words somewhere before.

She just couldn't remember where-

Before An Le could respond, Yan Huan shook Meow-chan off his shoulder and said to it in his mind,

"Meow-chan, could you go scout ahead for us? If you find anything, let me know."

"Meow~"

Meow-chan "deng deng deng" ran inside.

Yan Huan supported the passageway that required bending over to enter, turning back to speak to An Le,

"Let's go, the side doors are all locked, let's check this way."

"Okay. President."

An Le slowly approached the back of the person she had longed for day and night, the pain in her heart from calling him "President" further tearing her apart.

In the darkness, she held the black paper bag without her phone, following behind Yan Huan's bent-over figure.

In the corridor, a chilling wind howled through, but was completely blocked by Yan Huan's back in front of her.

An Le gazed at his back in the darkness, her lips trembling as she couldn't help but ask,

"President... Is it wrong to consider others? Why... why has it never led to good results?"

Yan Huan's steps paused slightly ahead. He didn't want to say much, but considering Spencer's modifier issue...

Whatever, saving one is better than none.

Who told him he was such a model youth?

Especially in moral character.

Sighing, Yan Huan inched forward while casually mentioning something personal,

"When I was very young, I lived in the southern district, where I had a very close childhood friend."

Behind him, An Le, who had been hanging her head, slowly widened her eyes in disbelief upon hearing his words,

"Childhood... friend?"

She knew everything about Xiaohuan when he was little - he only played with her!

According to him, it was because he thought other kids were too childish.

Though looking back now, she probably wasn't any more mature than those other kids, was she?

After all, she always wanted to play house with him, where he played the father and she the mother.

But this meant...

Xiaohuan...

Still remembered her?!

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

In the darkness, her habitually lowered head gradually lifted, her eyes gazing at Yan Huan's back seeming to brighten.

Unfortunately, Meow-chan had already run ahead to scout the path, and Yan Huan couldn't see An Le's expression behind him.

"Yes, and she was very much like you - someone who always considered others, afraid to refuse, afraid to see disappointment in others' eyes, afraid of conflict."

"Is it... wrong to consider others?"

"Considering others isn't wrong at all, but you must understand that sometimes it inevitably goes against your own wishes."

He had only meant to persuade this girl behind him to stay away from Spencer, but speaking these words, he couldn't help recalling the girl who always followed him as a child.

He still remembered her name was "An Le."

Yan Huan's steps faltered slightly, his words slowing.

Generally speaking, people who always do this are just accustomed to satisfying others, then begging for the same treatment in return.

If others do reciprocate, they feel immense joy.

Even if the return is far less than what they gave, it doesn't matter.

"And if others don't reciprocate, they'll deceive themselves through the pain, continuing to wait for the next handout."

Ultimately, why had young Yan Huan noticed that girl?

Because only he saw how she silently gave, how she silently hoped.

Call him selfish - in an orphanage with no one to care for them, who wouldn't love a childhood friend who always considered you and obeyed your every word?

But deep down he'd always known one thing, which was why he tirelessly repeated this lesson to that silly childhood friend.

And today, these words might actually help this friendless girl who saw Spencer as her lifeline,

This mindset is a weak mindset. Always considering others like this won't bring you good results.

"People need to be stronger, braver. Actively pursue what you want, don't keep compromising while waiting for fate to deliver it."

Only now did An Le finally believe she'd heard these words before.

Who had said them to her?

She suddenly remembered - the day she was separated from Xiaohuan.

She had cried and cried, her mind filled only with being separated, unable to meet.

Not knowing how to make international calls, how to return to Linmen, how to see him again...

These fears crushed young An Le, leaving her only with tears. So she forgot what the boy before her kept saying.

He told her,

"Be strong, don't always consider others."

Be strong...

Those words... Xiaohuan had said them to her.

Xiaohuan still remembered her, so why had she remained so weak?

Everything else... didn't matter.

Everything else... she could endure any hardship.

Only this... she absolutely couldn't...

Behind him, An Le's trembling body gradually stilled.

She took a deep breath, as if finally resolving herself.

Having said this much, Yan Huan now felt he'd spoken too much.

Perhaps because he remembered that childhood friend who'd left Linmen long ago, meeting someone in a similar situation made him say more.

Maybe another excuse would be more reasonable:

It was all to fix the modifier.

"Meow~"

From ahead in the corridor, Meow-chan came trotting back, wagging her tail, blinking her emerald eyes at Yan Huan.

Meaning: The exit is just ahead, meow.

Yan Huan shone his phone light forward, indeed seeing a dimly lit open space ahead.

So he said,

"We're almost at..."

As he spoke, he started moving forward again.

But the next second, his expression froze.

Because behind him, a soft little hand had somehow tightly grasped his clothes.

As he moved forward, the girl behind was pulled along.

As if afraid of getting lost, afraid of being separated...

This familiar feeling made Yan Huan's heart skip a beat. His quick mind recalled a beautiful memory.

Their personalities so similar, even how they grabbed his clothes...

Could this be coincidence?

"You..."

"Xiaohuan."

Yan Huan's words overlapped with the soft voice behind him.

Her warm breath brushed his back, making him realize she'd removed her mask.

That intimate address instantly pierced Yan Huan's mind, making him instinctively turn around.

Forgetting they were still hunched in the half-height corridor.

"Thud!"

His head hit the wall with a dull sound.

"Ouch!"

"Xiaohuan!"

Yan Huan staggered sideways into a crouch, but An Le still tightly held his clothes.

Yan Huan stumbled forward, pulling An Le down with him.

"Meow!"

Meow-chan jumped back startled, then curiously looked behind.

"Ugh!"

In the darkness behind, Yan Huan lay on his side, blankly staring at the girl now in his arms.

Her soft, water-balloon-like body pressed against his stomach, molding to his shape.

His phone flashlight had fallen nearby, so he couldn't clearly see her face.

All he could feel was her breathing, her burning body heat, and her slight trembling.

"An Le."

"Xiaohuan."

The two instinctively spoke simultaneously again, making An Le even more nervous.

She quickly lowered her head and said with a trembling voice,

"You... you go first, Xiaohuan."

"No, An Le, you go first?"

"Mmm..."

After saying this, Yan Huan felt two nervous thighs clamping onto his own in the darkness.

An Le closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and clenched her fists tightly - her telltale sign of nervousness.

But she forgot her hands were still on Yan Huan's body, so her clenched pink fists ended up gripping his abs instead.

"Hiss..."

Wait a minute, An Le, this pincer movement is a bit...

"Um, Xiaohuan... I actually returned to Linmen a long time ago, and I'm also attending Yuanyue Academy now."

"Wait, then why haven't you come to see me all this time?"

"I..."

This question made An Le's already nervous heart race even faster, her heartbeat so strong it felt like it might leap from her chest into Yan Huan's.

Flustered, she raised her head to explain, once again forgetting they were in a corridor barely half a person's height.

"Thud!"

"Oww..."

With a dull sound, she clutched her head and collapsed back onto Yan Huan.

Listening to the adorable animal-like sounds from the girl in his arms, Yan Huan still felt like this might be a dream.

Thinking she seemed somewhat like his childhood friend, he found himself talking more than usual.

Only to look back and realize she actually was his childhood friend?

What kind of divine plot twist was this?

The key point was - she attended the same school, so why hadn't she come to see him all semester?

Besides Spencer, there hadn't been any other transfer students in first year this semester...

Yan Huan helplessly looked at the pained An Le in his arms and couldn't help patting her back to comfort her,

"Are you okay?"

"Sniff..."

When she got hurt as a child, she used to cry until he blew on the injury - then she'd stop.

And look up at him with her little red face.

Yan Huan's gentle patting on An Le's back awakened the phantom Little Finger on her shoulder.

It opened its eyes with complete despair, unwilling to face this painful reality.

It decided - tonight it would convince An Le to voluntarily give up on it.

If I can't win, can't I just quit?!

I choose death!

But as it blearily opened its eyes, preparing to deliver final insults to this useless host before dying, what it saw was An Le lying contentedly in Yan Huan's arms, enjoying his patting.

"???"

Seriously, girl?

What's happening?!

I take a nap and suddenly...

We won?!

You think I don't know how to operate?

Let me recap the sequence:

An Le keeps making clumsy moves

An Le falls behind

An Le angers the modifier, ready to surrender

An Le gives a victory speech?!

Xiaohuan, all these 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...

Sniff... you're right, I've always been this cowardly, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...

"I just saw how amazing you've become and I was scared... scared you'd forgotten about me..."

At first An Le was just quietly crying, but feeling Yan Huan's patting, she suddenly burst into loud sobs.

Tears fell onto Yan Huan one by one, making him smile helplessly,

"How could I ever forget you, An Le?"

"Waaahhh..."

Little Finger flicked its tongue nearby, feeling like everything was working out.

The narrow corridor seemed wider, the dim environment brighter, the bloody scent sweeter -

This world was just too wonderful!!

Little Finger felt better, An Le cried tears of joy - only Yan Huan...

Found the soft An Le in his arms somewhat uncomfortable to bear.

Well, that's just how it is when you're still... inexperienced.

His perfect smile stiffened slightly as he said,

"Um... An Le, maybe we should get out of here first? You can get up now..."

"Eh? Sorry Xiaohuan... D-did I crush you?"

"No... watch your head."

An Le wiped her tears and stood up, her little face bright red.

Meanwhile, Yan Huan turned to retrieve his phone with its still-lit flashlight that had slid far away.

As he flipped over the flashlight that had fallen face down, its light illuminated the surroundings.

And in the next second, by that flashlight's glow, Yan Huan saw a scattered black paper bag

And several exposed... literary works.

"Huh? An Le, what did you buy he-"

Before he could see clearly, Yan Huan picked up one and read the title on the cover.

Dragon of... Bondage?

One glance was enough to scar him for life.

The cover prominently featured a muscular man, shirtless, tightly bound with ropes, and crying.

Looking at the work in his hands, Yan Huan's brain short-circuited momentarily.

Had fighting the modifier driven him insane to the point of hallucinations?

So weird... let me look again...

Hiss - it's real!!

Meanwhile, in front of him, An Le who had just stood up wiping tears raised her eyes - just in time to see Yan Huan examining her newly purchased literary works.

"Xiao-"

Her pupils shrank, her rosy face instantly turning deathly pale.

Nearby, Little Finger was still happily coiled around her neck, chattering excitedly like interviewing a gold medalist,

"Damn, how'd you pull this off?! Amazing An Le! I underestimated you - you're truly this world's chosen one, the child of destiny! If only you'd use more of the power I gave-"

Mid-sentence, it suddenly stopped talking.

As if realizing something was wrong.

Little Finger looked down in shock at its body to see its snake tail beginning to inflate like a balloon.

De... desire?!

Too... too much!!

It's gonna blow!!

Little Finger opened its mouth to warn An Le, but she was already frozen in terror at the scene before her.

Her one overwhelmingly expanding wish at this moment was:

Xiaohuan must never find out about these things she liked!!

Without her even needing to command it, the terrifyingly expanding desire activated the modifier!

[Superconductor Mode, activate!!]

[Target: Yan Huan!!]

Yan Huan blinked, about to put on an awkward smile and return the item to the bag.

After all, people have different tastes - it's normal for XP systems to differ, no need to force alignment...

They could just laugh it off.

Though it was still a bit awkward...

But the next moment, a familiar sensation surged through him.

As the ethereal white mist connected to Yan Huan's body, a feeling raced up from his spine straight to his brain!

Behind them, Meow-chan in the corridor instantly bristled, growling at An Le before her,

"Meow!!"

Meanwhile, Yan Huan's legs gave way, his face flushed and heart pounding as he collapsed to the ground.

"Yan Huan, your resistance has been shattered by another thirty percent!! The one who ambushed you in the hallway this Thursday was her! She's the owner of the fourth modifier!!"

Meow-chan's warning still echoed in his ears, but Yan Huan's brain seemed to tremble.

Remember what was said earlier-if the modifier's owner was someone like Ye Shiyu or Spencer, whom he'd never met before, Yan Huan would remain unfazed.

What he feared most was someone he knew being chosen as the modifier's host.

That's why he kept calling Sister Tong earlier.

He truly didn't want his beautiful daily life to be twisted or shattered by the modifier.

But now.

This was supposed to be a long-awaited reunion with An Le.

This was supposed to be the perfect scenario where the fourth modifier host was revealed outright.

Both were such joyful things, so why... why did Yan Huan's heart feel so complicated now?

As the overwhelming pleasure surged forth, threatening to make him forget everything, Yan Huan's mind went blank.

Yet deep down, he still thought dazedly,

"But...

"This scent... it's unmistakably An Le's."

The fourth modifier host makes her grand entrance!

(End of chapter)