Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Tong Yingying:

"Fell asleep early last night—what's up?"

Yan Huan sat in the hushed, air-conditioned luxury of the discreet black electric car outside the gate, staring at the message on Plane. Tong Yingying owning the fourth Modifier had seemed logical—until he noticed the timestamp. She'd sent it at 8:28 a.m. For someone whose body clock lived in reverse, that was practically dawn. Unless she'd pulled an all-nighter, there was no way she'd be awake, let alone texting. Yet she claimed she'd slept through everything?

"Getting up early? That's rare."

"Kids always make a fuss over nothing."

Same old snark. Yan Huan replied with a speechless-sticker and left it there.

Bai Yi's chat window was next. He scrolled to their morning exchange.

"Are you Bai Yi?"

He'd tacked on a cat-face sticker.

"Yes~"

A chibi girl emoji bobbed its head adorably before her real reply came through.

"My mom told me to add you. If you're coming to Sunday's event, here's a backstage QR—just scan it at the entrance and you can skip the line~"

A code followed.

"Thanks a ton!"

"No problem."

"Keep it up—I'll be in the audience."

"See you there~"

Nothing more.

Inside the car, Meow-chan materialized on Yan Huan's shoulder, yellow scarf fluttering. The black cat peered at the phone.

"Weren't you supposed to play the devoted fan? That chat was awfully calm, meow."

Yan Huan didn't look over—Ye Shiyu sat beside him, thumbs dancing across her own screen as she messaged Ye Lan.

"Different kinds of fans, Meow-chan. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Offline enthusiasm, online restraint."

"Meow?"

Yan Huan offered no further explanation and slipped the phone into his pocket.

Beside him, Ye Shiyu finished typing: Mom, Xiao Huan's in the car. Can I invite him to dinner tonight?

If things went smoothly, she could welcome him back in private, then have Mom seal the deal. He'd never leave.

Her breathing quickened. Rationality yanked the reins and screamed inside her head.

Rationality: Ye Shiyu, you're disgusting. You know what will happen if Xiao Huan moves back in.

Desire: What could happen? He won't lose an arm. With Mom and Auntie Chen looking after him, he can quit his part-time jobs and actually rest—no more tired eyes. A big sister caring for her beloved little brother is natural, right?

Rationality: That's not "caring"—you just want his body, you degenerate! Didn't you swear off the hypnosis app?

Desire: Come on, wasting such a handy tool would be a crime. It was literally made to grant wishes.

Rationality: Bullshit! This obsession isn't how normal people treat others! Ye Shiyu, get a grip. You know using hypnosis on Xiao Huan is wrong—right?

Desire: Besides, if you don't act fast, that Sakuramiya Hitomi will steal him away.

Rationality: ...

Desire: Xiao Huan's sleeping face, his gentle smiles, the way he looks after you—all of it will vanish the moment he falls for someone else.

Rationality: ...

Desire: At the end of the day, you're only special because he's kind to everyone. The second he finds someone he truly loves, you'll be nothing.

Rationality: ...

Desire: Look, Sakuramiya had the nerve to speak to you like that before they're even dating—does her mom sell audacity wholesale?

Rationality: ...

Desire: Hypnotize him. Own him like you own those dolls. Make him think only your thoughts. Wouldn't that be perfect?

Rationality: ...Actually, Desire has a point.

Ye Shiyu's last shred of resistance crumbled at the memory of Sakuramiya's smug smile. The message she'd meant to send—"Let's eat out tonight"—twisted under Desire's grip.

"I'll tell Auntie Chen we're eating at home, okay?"

After dinner, Xiao Huan wouldn't be going anywhere. South District was a long ride back from Jinghe at night; once he stayed over...

Wait. She'd already used the hypnosis app for fifteen minutes when he fixed her laptop on Tuesday. That left only one more fifteen-minute charge this week.

But the weekend was still ahead.

Her expression soured. If only duration and uses could be upgraded.

Dark vapor—Desire itself—coiled around her. The cat on Yan Huan's shoulder hissed, "Meow?"

Hearing it, Yan Huan glanced over. Ye Shiyu's aura vanished instantly. She stared back, expression blank, almost adorably dazed—as if asking, "What is it, Xiao Huan?"

Yan Huan flicked a look at Meow-chan: "Tell me she's up to something."

Meow-chan's slow blink replied: "No need to tell me, meow."

Yan Huan smiled faintly. "Shiyu sis, are we still heading back to Jinghe for dinner?"

Before she could nod, the driver—immaculate suit, Bluetooth in one ear—tilted her head and spoke up.

"Yes, Shiyu and Yan Huan are both in the car."

Someone had called. She tapped the earpiece and turned to them.

"President Ye just wrapped up in South District and was planning to visit Yan Huan anyway. Since you're both here, she'll pick a restaurant down south."

"Sounds great—though South District never has much to choose from," Yan Huan remarked.

Ye Shiyu opened her mouth, but no words came.

...Mom?!

Right—Friday evening, Mom's schedule had finally cleared. The last time Ye Shiyu hadn't changed clothes, Mom kept saying she wanted to see the place Xiao Huan rented, fussing over how he lived.

With Ye Lan making arrangements, Ye Shiyu couldn't object. The plan was already in motion.

The car changed lanes, abandoning the route to Jinghe and gliding toward South District.

Yan Huan attempted small talk along the way, but Ye Shiyu's conversational skills were abysmal. Even when he led, she managed two or three replies before the thread died. Eventually, they both retreated to their phones.

In the student-council group chat, the conversation had already moved on.

Hashimoto: "Everyone, I'll introduce you to some industry friends at Sunday's expo!"

He followed up with a gif of an anime girl whose—assets—bounced enthusiastically.

Secretary Yua Lina was first to reply.

"Yay! It's my first time cosplaying—can I dress up?"

"No problem, the place is crawling with cosplayers. But the con's in two days—Yua Lina, do you even have time to get a costume?"

"Hehe, I'm tight with the school anime club. I'll just borrow a few sets from them. What about the rest of you—want to cosplay together?"

She @'d everyone in sight.

Sakuramiya Hitomi: "I'll pass. I don't really know the characters; I'll just wander and look."

Yan Huan: "I'll sit this one out. I can't think of anyone I want to cosplay."

Ashley: "Hold up—did any of you actually invite me? And now you're tagging me for cosplay?!"

Yua Lina dropped a "mind-blown" sticker.

"I-I-I forgot! I bought two scalped bundle tickets. I was going to invite you, because I figured Sakuramiya wouldn't come, but then she actually said yes!"

Sakuramiya spends every weekend at home with her kitten and usually turns these things down.

Clumsy Yua Lina had clearly planned to go with Ashley from the start, then blurted an invite to Sakuramiya on impulse—and promptly forgot Ashley.

Yan Huan could map that train of thought without even trying.

Hashimoto fired off a shocked-loli meme in monochrome.

"I also scalped a bundle; gave one to the prez."

His phone was nothing but perfectly curated anime-girl reaction gifs.

Sakuramiya typed,

"Ashley, you go. I'm not that into it anyway; I thought Yua Lina just had an extra ticket."

Ashley waved it off too.

"Vice-President, really, it's fine. You all go. I've got stuff this weekend."

"No, no, no! This is terrible! Sakuramiya, Ashley! Waaah—you guys go, I'll stay home! Don't do this to me!!"

Yua Lina actually sent a voice note, half laughing, half wailing.

Ashley: "Are you an idiot?"

Sakuramiya: "Definitely an idiot."

Yan Huan, amused, dropped a "stop the violence" cat sticker.

"Sakuramiya, I've got a spare ticket. Let's all go together."

"President?! Where'd you get a ticket?"

"Yeah, those things were impossible to snag. Scalpers jacked the price sky-high."

Yan Huan thought for a second, then added,

"A friend had an extra. One more means all five of us can make it."

"Hehe, awesome! Cosplay squad, assemble~"

"Where should we meet?"

Reading Ashley's follow-up, Yan Huan replied,

"Near the subway exit. Hashimoto and I are taking the metro—Ashley, you too, right?"

"Roger that."

Carefree Yua Lina was instantly satisfied; Hashimoto exhaled in relief; Ashley didn't really care about the ticket.

Only Sakuramiya, alone in the student-council office, straightened in her chair.

She blinked, flipped open her laptop, and searched the current scalper prices for the Linmen Game Expo.

Bundle tickets had already hit two thousand yuan apiece—and even those were sold out.

Think back: Hashimoto had handed the president his ticket last Wednesday inside the office. Her Room Boundary logged everything.

At that moment Yan Huan had accepted the ticket—meaning he hadn't had one before.

So he'd obtained a new ticket in the past two days.

From Ye Shiyu's sister? Unlikely.

If Ye Shiyu were going, she'd ride with him.

Therefore, the ticket came from someone else—someone she didn't know.

And she kept meticulous surveillance on every move Yan Huan made: when he left home, when he reached school, when he entered the classroom, when he stepped into the student-council office, when he left for his part-time job.

When had Yan Huan befriended a new contact who could hand over a scalped ticket?

Brows furrowed, Sakuramiya pulled up camera footage.

Mysterious paint splashed across desks—who had the nerve?

She scrubbed backward and forward, found nothing.

Only a brief glimpse of police entering and leaving the school gate; later she learned they were looking for a student named Bai Yi.

Another "paranormal incident"?

Much like last Friday's turtle doodle on the math teacher's face.

Then a memory struck her.

On Monday, when she'd locked Yan Huan inside her Room Boundary, he'd wondered aloud if a ghost were responsible.

The memory had since been edited out, but—

What if the apparent prankster was someone like herself?

She might not be unique; others could possess supernatural abilities.

Including that Spencer girl who shattered her boundary with one kick.

And this unknown artist who painted faces and splashed desks.

All of them might have powers.

All of them might be watching the oblivious president.

Sakuramiya's breath caught.

Her own use of the boundary—round-the-clock surveillance, locking Yan Huan inside just to confirm his feelings—was already extreme, yet still within bounds.

What lines would others cross?

She had to protect him.

The "dark-forest dilemma" closed around her.

She scrolled faster through the recordings, eyes flicking across Yan Huan's breadcrumb trail.

Wednesday night, outside the bar where Yan Huan worked—her cursor froze.

Police cars—unusual for South District—lined up in front of the tavern.

Yan Huan escorted a girl out and handed her to the officers and a middle-aged woman.

The girl kept looking back at him.

Sakuramiya zoomed in, frame by frame.

High-end cameras—night vision crisp.

The tear-streaked, bowed head belonged to a face she recognised.

She frowned, narrowed her eyes.

To confirm, she opened her drawer and pulled out the ticket Yua Lina had given her.

Sunlight slid across the back; her gaze skimmed the guest list under "VIP."

One name stopped her.

"Bai Yi."

The name slipped from her lips.

Everything clicked.

The "friend" who gave Yan Huan the ticket was almost certainly Bai Yi.

Sakuramiya set the ticket down, silent.

She opened her surveillance folder and created two new directories.

One: "Aria Spencer."

Two: "Bai Yi."

Then she dragged both into another folder labelled:

"Priority Threats."

"Xiao Huan, I haven't seen you in ages! Have you lost weight again?!"

In a private dining room of an upscale South-District hotel, Auntie Ye rose from the head of the table the moment Yan Huan walked in.

She wore a tailored women's suit—sharp, capable—yet her expression melted into the same delicate warmth she'd shown a week earlier.

Even more animated than her daughter Ye Shiyu.

"Auntie Ye, we saw each other last week. Hardly 'ages.'"

Yan Huan laughed helplessly and spread his arms.

"And I've actually put on a little weight. Must be the different clothes—last week's uniform was baggy."

Ye Lan's gaze slid over Yan Huan, a small smile tugging at her lips. Seeing he was still the same bright, sunny boy, she let out a quiet sigh of relief and settled back into her seat at the head of the table.

The vast room held only the three of them.

"We were planning to drop by your place tonight," she said, voice light, "but who'd have guessed your sister would take the initiative to invite you home for dinner?"

Yan Huan knew it had been Ye Shiyu herself who'd extended the invitation—he'd been planning to come anyway. Mostly, he'd noticed her phone screen light up.

Ye Shiyu sat down, fingers smoothing her dark hair as though embarrassed, eyes avoiding his.

Yan Huan took the opposite chair with unhurried grace, offered her a quick smile, then spoke.

"Whether it's Auntie Ye or Shiyu sis inviting me, I'd still come."

"Such a sweet talker," Ye Lan laughed behind her hand.

"Still, Auntie Ye, please don't visit my flat. I don't tidy much—it's basically a dog kennel. I'd be mortified."

"No excuses. Even boys need hygiene; you can't live like a slob. What if Xiao Huan wants to bring friends over someday?"

"I've never really had friends in the South District," Yan Huan answered, smile polite.

The words were on his tongue when a memory flashed across his mind: a petite girl trailing him on drowsy afternoons, one small hand clutching the back of his shirt as though afraid she'd lose him. Whenever he turned, she'd snatch her hand away, cheeks scarlet, and murmur in that soft, sticky voice,

"Xiao Huan, want to come to my house? Mom bought ice pops—she says they're super sweet. I saved mine in the freezer... to share with you."

The recollection caught him off guard; the sentence he'd been about to speak died in his throat.

"Xiao Huan?" Ye Lan asked, puzzled. The question tugged him back to the present.

"Sorry, Auntie Ye."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing much—just a childhood friend from the orphanage."

Ye Shiyu's eyes lifted sharply, a glint of something keen and unreadable. Ye Lan cupped her chin, sighing theatrically.

"A childhood sweetheart? Do you two still keep in touch?"

Yan Huan gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"She moved away from Linmen years ago. I doubt we'll ever meet again."

Ye Shiyu seemed to exhale in relief, lowering her gaze. Ye Lan propped her cheek in her hand, lamenting,

"What a shame."

"Yeah," Yan Huan echoed softly. "What a shame."