novelraw Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Chapter 50
"Rong, at four years old, could give up his pears."
"An Le, you're the lady of the house. Your older cousin came all this way—give her your toys to play with."
"An Le, you're the big sister. Let your little brother have his way."
"An Le, who knows what those South District kids' families do? The streets aren't safe. Don't stoop to their level."
"An Le, you transferred back from Linmen—you don't know anyone here. Focus on your studies and leave others alone."
"An Le, the Yuanyue students all come from money. If anything happens, our family could never afford to pay. So..."
"An Le, just mind your own business and don't provoke anyone."
She had heard this advice countless times—from teachers, from parents.
Since childhood they'd taught her to be kind, to yield.
The lessons hammered into her: consider others first, and they will surely repay your kindness.
So An Le never spoke words that might hurt. Never took actions that might wound. Never entered conflicts. Never reached for what she wanted.
When South District kids ran wild—pranking, stealing—wasn't it kinder to let them be rather than cause them distress?
Even if it meant they stopped playing with her, leaving her without friends.
Park Seo-mun's family was wealthy—would standing up to her only bring trouble to her hardworking parents?
Even if it meant daily mockery and taunts in class.
Xiao Huan and Sakuramiya seemed so close—would confessing only make them uncomfortable?
Even if it meant watching Xiao Huan stay with Sakuramiya forever...
Was this wrong?
Yet each time she chose others over herself, where was their reciprocation?
When her heart ached from this self-denial, she'd always found excuses:
At least they were happy. Their happiness was her happiness.
But now, in the crystal—
No, in the infirmary.
"Xiao... Xiao..."
"Pre-President..."
When An Le finally forced the words out, her heart rebelled against these lies, pain lancing through her.
A high-pitched whine filled her ears, drowning out even Xiao Muzi's reactions on her shoulder.
"President? You're a Yuanyue student too?"
"...Classmate? Are you alright?"
Only when Yan Huan's face filled her blurred vision did she snap back.
She jerked upright like a cadet called to attention.
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Yan Huan smiled gently, noting the cold sweat beading on her forehead.
"N-no... I've just never been in a haunted house before. A bit scary."
His gaze swept the sealed room—no instructions this time, just blood-stained sheets. Interesting.
Right, this was the haunted house. Earlier analysis suggested possible exits nearby.
No telling how far Spencer's abilities reached.
"Let's look for a way out. This seems like an escape room—find clues, solve puzzles."
"O-okay."
An Le pressed her lips together and began searching, glancing at Xiao Muzi. The snake had rolled its eyes back, apparently fuming.
As Yan Huan knelt by the blood-stained sheets examining writing, he asked suddenly:
"You and Spencer are classmates?"
An Le peeked at his profile in the dim light, nodding despite knowing he couldn't see.
"Mm... About what Spencer did—I'm sorry."
"She made the mistake. Why are you apologizing?"
"Because... Spencer's my only friend."
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, turning to her.
"You're actually friends with her?"
An Le bit her lip, instinctively defending Spencer.
"She's reckless, but... I don't think she's a bad person."
"Not bad"—the year's best joke. Spencer wasn't bad? I'd eat my words.
Among the three known Modifier hosts, Spencer was the most unpredictable and aggressive.
The guilt that worked on Ye Shiyu, the validation that affected Bai Yi—probably useless against Spencer.
Most terrifying: other Modifiers had cooldowns, but Spencer's seemed always active.
No cooldowns? She fought like a berserker with ultimates permanently enabled—utterly uncontrollable.
Only her questionable intelligence kept her from being a perfect pentagon warrior.
"Really. When I was most helpless, Spencer helped me. I'm grateful. I don't want to lose my only friend, so..."
Yan Huan didn't turn around.
"So you'll follow her unconditionally? Even apologize for her wrongs?"
Could Spencer be using her to set up this situation? She might burst in any moment with her camera.
Though given her IQ...
As Yan Huan pondered, he found a plastic severed hand beneath the bloody sheets. It pointed to the far side of the bed. Shining his phone's flashlight revealed a button marked with crimson symbols.
"Found it."
He pressed the button. The bed at the room's end slid aside, revealing a half-height passage.
Definitely escape room mechanics.
Keeping his flashlight on, Yan Huan examined the passage, speaking to An Le:
"Her mistakes aren't yours to pay for. Apologizing is the bare minimum of taking responsibility."
"If she commits something truly serious later, could you really bear the consequences?"
An Le clutched her bag, answering earnestly:
"I-I'll do my best to make it right."
Yan Huan stared at the masked girl crouched in the darkness.
"Are you serious?"
Had Spencer's idiocy become contagious?
"Eh?"
"Nothing. While I don't usually judge others' choices, as student-council president, I recommend keeping your distance from Spencer."
"And constantly putting others first won't end well for you."
Beyond Spencer's character, there was the Modifier issue. Staying near a host without resistance was like being a toy.
But in the darkness behind him, An Le's heart trembled at his words.
She felt she'd heard this advice before somewhere.
She just couldn't remember where.
Without waiting for her response, Yan Huan shook Meow-chan from his shoulder and spoke to it mentally.
"Meow-chan, scout ahead for us. If you spot anything, give me a heads-up."
"Meow~"
Meow-chan trotted off, paws padding softly as she disappeared into the gloom.
Yan Huan ducked beneath the low tunnel, one hand braced against the ceiling so he wouldn't scrape his head. He glanced back at An Le.
"Come on. The side doors are locked; let's try this way."
"...Okay, President."
An Le inched closer to the silhouette she had dreamed of for years. Addressing him as "President" sent a fresh stab of pain through her chest, but she followed anyway, clutching a black paper bag in the dark.
A cold wind whistled down the service passage, yet every gust seemed to break against Yan Huan's back before it could reach her.
She studied the outline of his shoulders and, voice trembling, asked, "President... is it wrong to care about others? Why does it always end badly?"
Yan Huan's steps faltered. He hadn't planned on talking, but Spencer's Modifier issue weighed on him.
Might as well save whoever I can.
Call it a civic duty.
Especially the part about morals.
He exhaled and continued shuffling forward, letting a rare piece of personal history slip out.
"When I was little, I lived in South District. I had a childhood friend there—someone very close."
Behind him, An Le's eyes widened in disbelief.
"A childhood... friend?"
She knew—she had always known—that Little Huan only played with her. He said the other kids were too childish.
Looking back, she probably hadn't been any more mature, always begging him to play house: he'd be the dad, she'd be the mom.
But that meant—
Little Huan...
still remembered her?!
Thump. Thump. Thump.
In the darkness, An Le slowly lifted her bowed head. Her gaze, fixed on Yan Huan's back, seemed to glow.
Ahead, Meow-chan had already bounded out of sight; Yan Huan had no rear-view mirror and couldn't see the change in An Le's eyes.
"She was a lot like you—always putting others first, terrified of saying no, terrified of disappointing anyone, terrified of conflict."
"Is it wrong... to care?"
"There's nothing wrong with caring," he said. "But sometimes, in trying to please everyone, you end up betraying your own wishes."
He hadn't meant to open up this much. He only wanted to steer her away from Spencer. Yet the words kept coming, dragging him back to the girl who used to trail behind him years ago.
He still remembered her name: An Le.
His pace slowed, his voice softened.
"Most people who act like that have trained themselves to satisfy others first, then hope for scraps of kindness in return. If they get even the tiniest reward, they feel ecstatic—even if it's a fraction of what they gave. And if they get nothing, they lie to themselves and keep waiting for the next crumb."
Why had he noticed her back then? Because he alone saw how quietly she gave, and how quietly she hoped.
Selfish, maybe—but in an orphanage with no one to watch over you, who wouldn't cherish a devoted childhood sweetheart?
He had always known one thing, and he had never tired of telling that clueless girl.
Today, the same advice might save the lonely girl behind him who clung to Spencer like a lifeline.
"That mindset is cowardice. Keep living for others and you'll never get what you truly want. People need to be strong—bold enough to reach for what they desire instead of waiting for fate to hand it over."
Only then did An Le realize she had heard these words before.
Who had said them?
The memory surfaced: the day she and Little Huan said goodbye.
She had cried and cried, her mind drowned in the terror of never seeing him again. She didn't know how to place an international call, how to return to Linmen, how to reach him. Fear swallowed her whole, so she forgot what the boy in front of her kept repeating.
"Be strong. Stop living for everyone else."
Be strong.
Those words—Little Huan had said them.
He still remembered her. Why had she stayed so weak?
Anything else she could endure.
Any other hurt she could swallow.
But not this.
Behind him, An Le's trembling slowly stilled.
She drew a long breath, as if settling on a decision she had postponed for years.
Yan Huan, having said more than he intended, felt the familiar tug of nostalgia. Maybe it was meeting someone in the same situation as that long-lost childhood friend. Or maybe he could excuse it as just another step in neutralizing Spencer's Modifier.
"Meow~"
Meow-chan came trotting back, tail high, emerald eyes blinking: Exit ahead, meow.
Yan Huan swept the flashlight forward; sure enough, faint light glimmered at the end of the tunnel.
"We're almost—"
He started to move—then froze.
A small, soft hand had latched onto his shirt from behind.
As he stepped forward, the girl behind him was pulled along, clinging as if afraid of getting lost, afraid of being separated again.
The familiarity made his heart skip a beat. Too many coincidences—same personality, same gesture?
"You—"
"Little Huan."
They spoke at once.
Her warm breath brushed his back; he realized she had pulled her mask down.
That intimate nickname struck him like lightning. Instinctively he tried to turn—
and forgot they were still hunched in a half-height passage.
Thud!
His forehead met solid concrete.
"Ow!"
"Little Huan!"
Yan Huan staggered, crouching sideways. An Le still gripped his shirt; the sudden lurch yanked her forward.
Crash.
"Meow!"
Meow-chan leapt back in alarm, then peered curiously into the dark.
"Ugh..."
Sprawled on the tunnel floor, Yan Huan stared at the girl now pressed against his stomach—soft as a water balloon, warming his abdomen with every shaky breath.
His phone had skittered away, its beam lighting only dust motes. He couldn't see her face, only felt the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the heat of her skin, the tremor running through her body.
"An Le."
"Xiao Huan."
Both of them spoke at once again, and An Le grew even more flustered. She ducked her head, voice trembling. "Y-you go first, Xiao Huan."
"No, An Le, you first."
"Mmm."
As the word left her lips, Yan Huan felt two slender thighs clamp around his own in the dark.
An Le squeezed her eyes shut, sucked in a breath, and balled her fists—her usual tell whenever nerves got the better of her. But she'd forgotten her hands were still on Yan Huan's body, so the clenched fists became a tight grip on his abs.
"Ah—"
Wait, An Le, this pincer attack is a bit much—
"Well, Xiao Huan, I—I actually came back to Linmen a long time ago, and I'm enrolled at Yuanyue too..."
"Hold on, then why didn't you ever come find me?"
"I..."
The question made her already racing heart threaten to leap straight into his chest. Flustered, she lifted her head to explain—and promptly forgot the passage was barely half a person high.
Thud!
"Ow..."
A dull knock, and she slumped back against Yan Huan, cradling her head.
Listening to the soft, wounded-animal noise in his arms, Yan Huan still half wondered if he was dreaming. It felt like the reunion of childhood sweethearts, so he'd spoken more than usual. And now—sure enough—it really was his childhood sweetheart.
Talk about a plot twist.
Worse, she attended the same school, yet an entire semester had passed without so much as a hello. The only transfer student this year besides Spencer.
Yan Huan sighed and patted the girl trembling in his arms. "You okay?"
"Ungh..."
When they were little, she'd cry over every scraped knee; one puff from him and the tears would stop, replaced by a red-rimmed, upturned face.
His gentle patting stirred the phantom serpent coiled on An Le's shoulder. Xiao Muzi opened its eyes in despair, unwilling to face the cruel reality.
It resolved to persuade An Le to abandon the fight tonight.
If I can't win, I can at least quit!
I choose death!
But as it blinked awake to deliver a final scathing rant before dying, it saw An Le lying in Yan Huan's arms, being soothed by those very pats.
???
Wait, sis?
What the heck?!
I take a nap and—bam—victory?!
Am I seeing this right?
Let's rewind:
- An Le fumbles repeatedly
- An Le falls behind
- An Le enrages the Modifier and prepares to surrender
- An Le delivers an acceptance speech?!
"Xiao Huan, all these years I—I wanted to see you so badly, but I'm sorry. I'm still the same screw-up as before..."
"Boo-hoo, you're right, I've always been this coward—sorry, sorry..."
"I saw how amazing you've become, and I was scared—scared you'd forgotten me..."
What began as quiet sniffles turned into full-body sobs as she felt the steady rhythm of Yan Huan's hand. Tears splashed onto his shirt.
He gave a helpless smile. "How could I ever forget you, An Le?"
"Waaah..."
Beside them, Xiao Muzi flicked its tongue; suddenly the world looked rosy. The cramped tunnel felt spacious, the gloom bright, the metallic scent sweet.
Life was beautiful!
Xiao Muzi was healed, An Le wept with joy—only Yan Huan suffered, pinned under the soft weight.
Ah, the curse of still being... untapped.
His perfect smile twitched. "Um, An Le, maybe we get out first? If you could, uh, sit up?"
"Eh—sorry, Xiao Huan! D-did I crush you?"
"Nope. Watch your head."
She wiped her eyes, cheeks scarlet, and stood. Yan Huan retrieved his phone, still glowing, from where it had skittered away.
As he righted the flashlight, the beam swept the floor—revealing a scattered black paper bag and the glossy volumes that had spilled out.
"Huh? An Le, did you buy—"
He hadn't caught the titles, so he lifted one and read the cover.
Bound... Dragon?
A single glance lasted an eternity.
On the front, a muscular man bound tightly in rope, shirtless, tears streaming.
Yan Huan's brain blue-screened.
Had fighting Modifiers driven him to hallucinations?
Weird—let's look again.
Yep, still real.
An Le, having just stood, followed his gaze to the book in his hands.
"X—"
Her pupils shrank to pinpricks; her flushed face drained of all color.
Xiao Muzi, still draped around her neck like a gold-medal interviewee, rattled on:
"Whoa, how'd you pull that off?! Sick, An Le! I underestimated you—you're clearly the chosen one, the world's darling. If you'd just use a little more of the power I gave—"
It trailed off.
Something was wrong.
Xiao Muzi stared at its own tail in horror—watching it swell like a balloon, inflating rapidly.
L-lust?!
Too... too much!
Gonna pop!
It opened its mouth to warn her, but An Le was already frozen in terror.
Her one desperate thought: I can't let Xiao Huan know I like this stuff!
Before she could even form the order, the overcharged desire triggered the Modifier.
[Superconducting Mode, ENGAGE!]
[Target: Yan Huan!]
Yan Huan blinked, awkward smile ready as he moved to slide the book back into the bag.
Everyone has different tastes; no big deal. A quick laugh and they'd move on.
Still kinda awkward, though—
But the next second, that familiar sensation flooded him.
As the ethereal white mist connected to Yan Huan, a sensation shot up his spine and exploded in his brain!
Behind him, in the corridor, Meow-chan's fur stood on end as she growled at An Le.
"Meow!!"
Yan Huan's legs gave out. His face flushed, heart racing, he crumpled to the ground.
"Yan Huan, your resistance just got shredded another thirty percent!! The one who ambushed you in the hallway last Thursday—it was her! She's the fourth Modifier host!!"
Meow-chan's warning rang in his ears, but Yan Huan's mind felt like it was vibrating.
He remembered what he'd thought before: if the Modifier hosts turned out to be complete strangers like Ye Shiyu or Spencer, he wouldn't have batted an eye.
What terrified him most was when the host turned out to be someone he knew.
That's why he'd been calling Sis Tong nonstop.
He really, truly didn't want his precious everyday life to get twisted and shattered by these Modifiers.
But now...
This was supposed to be a joyful reunion after so long apart from An Le.
This was supposed to be the perfect moment to expose the fourth Modifier host.
Two things that should have made him so happy—so why, why did they leave his heart in such turmoil?
As waves of pleasure washed over him, threatening to make him forget everything, Yan Huan's mind went white.
But somewhere deep inside, he still thought dazedly:
"But...
"It smells like An Le right in front of me..."
The fourth Modifier host makes her grand entrance!