"You... you guys..."
Bai Yi stood frozen at the doorway, staring at the two inside the director’s booth, her entire being in shambles.
It was the kind of frustration you feel when you spend hours rolling and dodging in a Souls ga, only to get combo-killed by the Valkyrie in seconds.
Yan Huan was still catching his breath, overwheld by the flood of sensations that had just hit him all at once.
Ye Shiyu, anwhile, turned her face toward the door. Upon seeing Bai Yi, she said nothing—instead, she silently wrapped her arms around Yan Huan, pulling him even closer.
"Mmph..."
His face, which had only been resting against her chest, was now completely buried in it.
"??"
Bai Yi's eyes widened.
She wanted to question it, but before she could even speak, Ye Shiyu calmly looked at her and asked first:
"...What's wrong?"
Her voice was steady, emotionless, as if stating an obvious fact.
Like a punch straight to the face.
One simple sentence.
Yet Bai Yi nearly rage-quit on the spot.
Her expression stiffened. She clenched her phone, montarily considering exposing the pictures she'd secretly taken of Yan Huan earlier.
"I..."
"Sh-... Shiyu-jie..."
But before she could act, Yan Huan hurriedly patted Ye Shiyu's back.
She looked down, confused, as he muttered from within her embrace,
"...I-I can't breathe..."
"Ah... sorry."
Ye Shiyu blinked, loosening her hold slightly.
"I was just... a little worried about you, Xiao Huan..."
Yan Huan seized the opportunity and quickly stepped back.
"......"
He could breathe just fine.
That was just a tactic.
After all, Ye Shiyu’s raw strength wasn’t overwhelming enough to suppress him.
If it had been An Le, maybe—but An Le wouldn’t have been this bold to begin with.
"I'm fine, Shiyu-jie," Yan Huan reassured her, smoothly transitioning the topic back.
"Just now, I felt a little unwell all of a sudden... Maybe allergies? Not sure..."
Then, flashing his signature disarming smile, he continued,
"As for Spencer, yeah, she’s a bit of a handful. But this is Student Council business—I can handle it. Still, thanks for having my back, Shiyu-jie."
Ye Shiyu blinked.
She stared blankly at Yan Huan, as if processing his words.
Just as his smile began shifting into confusion, Ye Shiyu suddenly reached out—pressing her palm flat against his chest.
"Shiyu-jie?"
Yan Huan froze, startled.
But Ye Shiyu simply remained expressionless, staring at his chest.
After a brief silence, she tilted her head slightly and asked,
"...Did Xiao Huan's heartbeat speed up?"
Her logic was simple:
Ye Lan had told her—if you want to stay in soone’s heart, you need to be there.
So, she was clumsily trying to confirm...
"Did Xiao Huan's heart race because of ?"
"......"
The irony.
Not once had his heartbeat changed—not even a little.
And if it did, it was from the sheer terror of being in close proximity to the "Hypnosis Queen."
But sohow, as he looked at her tilting her head, deadpan, genuinely waiting for his answer...
His heart actually did start beating faster.
Thump... thump... thump...
"...A little."
Weak-willed fool.
Yan Huan cursed himself internally.
Still, he quickly redirected the conversation.
"If you're feeling unwell, your heartbeat speeds up, too, right, Shiyu-jie?"
"......"
Bai Yi, watching this unfold, nearly spat out blood.
SHE had to go through an entire stealth mission just to get a little physical contact—anwhile, Ye Shiyu just goes straight in with no resistance?!
"I OBJECT!"
"THIS GA IS BROKEN!"
"PAY-TO-WIN PLAYERS ARE DESTROYING US F2Ps!!"
At this point, Bai Yi was contemplating going even further in front of Ye Shiyu.
But before she could put that thought into action, sothing unexpected happened—
Her pocket watch trembled slightly.
And that’s when she suddenly rembered sothing.
She had been so blinded by her frustration, she had forgotten that—
The mont "Indifference Mode" ended, all sensations would rush back to Yan Huan at once.
"......"
But as she watched him glance down at his own body in confusion, Bai Yi felt no guilt.
Instead—
It triggered a different sort of interest.
If Yan Huan suddenly got overwheld by the flood of sensations—his face heating up, his lips trembling slightly, his breath hitching—
Wouldn’t that be… incredibly tantalizing?
She made a ntal note:
Next ti, she needed to be even more careful.
The pocket watch erased his mories of what happened, so he wouldn't suspect anything.
But third parties, like Ye Shiyu, weren’t affected.
Keeping her expression composed, Bai Yi placed a hand over her chest, sighed in apparent relief, and asked,
"Oh? Should I call a dic for you?"
Yan Huan shot her a glance—internally gritting his teeth.
WHO said Bai Yi had bad acting skills online?
Step forward and say it to my face!!
She's got PERFECT acting skills, dammit!!
"No need," he said smoothly. "I feel fine now. It was probably just the heat from the costu."
"Ah, true. MV shoots take a long ti, and you're wearing heavy layers with makeup on. No wonder you'd feel uncomfortable."
Bai Yi smiled sweetly—throwing a subtle jab at Ye Shiyu and Ye Lan for delaying the shoot earlier.
Yan Huan caught the shade but chose to ignore it, simply smiling and shaking his head.
Ye Shiyu, expressionless, observed the two acting as if they were in a drama—silently contemplating sothing.
Later That Day
"Cut! That take was perfect! Just a few more shots and we’re done! Everyone, reset the scene!"
By the ti the filming wrapped up, the sun was already setting.
"Props in place!"
"Actors in position!"
The director, who had previously been hypnotized, still couldn’t figure out how to achieve the "one-take" effect he wanted.
Eventually, he gave up on it entirely.
So crew mbers were disappointed, but Yan Huan let out a sigh of relief.
With his part done, he could finally leave the set and stop dealing with the MV’s "chaos gremlin" idol.
Outside the set, Yan Huan ran into Ye Lan and Ye Shiyu.
Ye Lan, sitting in an office chair at Golden Lion Entertainnt, was interrogating her overly possessive daughter.
"Wait, so you're saying Spencer constantly causes trouble for Xiao Huan at school?"
"Mm. That’s why I—"
Yan Huan walked in just as Ye Lan, arms crossed, was pressing her daughter for answers.
But the mont she saw him, her intimidating aura instantly softened.
"Xiao Huan, all done?" she asked with a smile.
"Yep. Even took my makeup off."
Curious, Yan Huan glanced at Ye Shiyu.
"What were you two talking about?"
Ye Lan tapped her cheek in thought.
"Mm, Xiao Huan, Shiyu says Spencer is constantly bothering you at school. Is that true?"
Yan Huan shot Ye Shiyu a look—then let out a helpless chuckle.
"Sort of. She’s headstrong, and as the Golden Lion heiress, she makes things... difficult for the Student Council."
"Hmm... I thought she was just an innocent kid, but turns out she’s a troublemaker..."
Then Ye Lan added, as if in passing—
"Which is funny, because her mother is the complete opposite."
"Her mother?"
Yan Huan’s eyes flickered with curiosity.
Ye Shiyu is already like this... but who would’ve thought the cold-faced Golden Lion's daughter would turn out like that?
Guess every family has its own problems, huh?
Listening to Ye Lan sigh, Yan Huan caught onto sothing.
Casually, he asked, “Aunt Ye, you seem to like Spencer?”
Ye Lan blinked, then smiled knowingly as she countered,
"She’s just a kid. Why would I dislike her?"
"......"
Yan Huan studied Ye Lan’s expression, pausing for a second before continuing,
"But the other students at school find her unbearable. Everyone hates her, so—"
"Is that true, Shiyu?"
Ye Lan looked at Ye Shiyu in mild surprise.
Unsurprisingly, Ye Shiyu nodded firmly.
"...I hate her."
"Hm, is that so? I actually think she’s kinda cute. Maybe it's because I only see her from a distance, so I’m spared from her mischief."
Ye Lan chuckled, as if concluding her own reasoning.
But as Yan Huan watched her smiling face, he sensed sothing deeper.
Spencer’s Modifier side effect… didn’t affect Aunt Ye?
She didn’t instinctively hate Spencer at all?!
Why?
Ye Lan was just an ordinary person—she shouldn’t have any immunity to Modifier effects.
This only further confird Yan Huan’s previous suspicions:
Spencer’s Modifier side effect doesn’t apply to everyone.
There had to be a filtering chanism, selectively excluding certain people.
Yan Huan rubbed his chin, analyzing how Spencer’s Modifier might work.
But no matter how long he thought about it, he couldn’t find a clear answer.
If it was based on the Modifier’s the, then maybe "victims" or "female leads" wouldn’t instinctively hate Spencer.
But both Ying Gong and himself still felt intense dislike toward her.
It was the first ti Yan Huan had ever seen Ying Gong genuinely despise soone.
And it was impossible that Ying Gong’s gentle and refined personality would act that way without Modifier influence.
If it depended on whether soone had a Modifier, then other Modifier hosts should be immune to the side effect.
But both Ye Shiyu and Bai Yi clearly felt its effects.
Ye Shiyu even fought Spencer directly—dropping a Fragnt in the process.
If it was based on power levels, then maybe Ye Lan was unaffected because she was strong enough to crush Spencer easily.
But An Le, who was timid and weak, still got along just fine with Spencer.
"......"
The more Yan Huan thought about it, the more confused he beca.
What kind of targeting chanism does Spencer’s Modifier even use?!
Did An Le and Aunt Ye have sothing in common?
Wrapping Up the Shoot
"Alright—CUT! That was perfect! No issues, everyone—wrap it up!"
"Yay!"
"Great work, everyone!"
Ye Lan, hearing the commotion, stood up with a smile and said to Yan Huan,
"Looks like they’re done. Let’s go check on them, then grab dinner."
"Sure, Aunt Ye..."
Yan Huan nodded instinctively, then hesitated.
"Just the three of us?"
"Yeah, why? You got other plans tonight?"
"Not really. It’s just that earlier, Shiyu-jie ntioned you t one of Bai Yi’s relatives. I thought you might invite them along."
Ye Lan waved a hand dismissively.
"Nah. I don’t know that junior well enough. Work is work, but I don’t mix it with my personal life."
"I see..."
Yan Huan blinked, then glanced back at the set.
"Then I’ll just say a quick goodbye to Bai Yi, and we can head out."
"Alright. Don’t take too long."
"Got it."
With that, Yan Huan turned and walked toward the filming area.
Finally.
After surviving a battle royale-tier Saturday, Special Forces Soldier Yan Huan was ready to clock out.
At school, he had to constantly deal with Modifier users—the daily mind gas were more exhausting than a full-ti job.
And even on weekends, he couldn’t escape.
Two weeks ago? Ga expo.Last week? Trip to Ye Shiyu’s house.This week? Golden Lion Tower.
At this rate... was he still repaying karma from a past life?!
"......"
Yan Huan rubbed his chin, then glared at ow-chan on his shoulder.
His suspicious gaze made the chubby cat blink in confusion—as if sensing that, for a split second, Yan Huan considered getting rid of it.
"ow~"
Sensing danger, ow-chan quickly rubbed its chubby cheek against Yan Huan’s face, trying to look cute.
"Saturday’s over, ow! Tomorrow, we can finally upgrade the Modifier! And on Monday, we get to go to Ying Gong’s cousin’s birthday party, ow!"
"......"
Yan Huan rubbed ow-chan’s head, his irritation easing slightly at the ntion of Ying Gong.
But then, a new thought hit him.
"...But the first elimination round for the Club Competition is next week too."
"ow~"
"...Ugh, whatever. I’m not gonna stress about it this weekend. Tomorrow, I’ll just focus on picking out a nice gift for Ying Gong’s cousin."
"ow!"
As the one man, one cat approached the set, the MV shoot finally ca to an end.
Sunday Night
"Davison Spencer was undoubtedly a bold and visionary genius—but also an indisputable executioner."
"By distributing Golden Lion Petroleum stocks to Forest City bankers and enticing them to cut off loans for smaller refineries, he initiated a ruthless economic slaughter."
"From a corporate and capitalist perspective, Davison Spencer made the absolute right choice.
"And in doing so, he taught all future businessn the most fundantal truth of the world—
"The weak are destined to be trampled."
—South District, Yan Huan’s apartnt, Sunday night.
The bathroom door was slightly ajar, the sound of running water filling the air.
Yan Huan’s phone rested atop a stack of clean clothes on a stool outside, playing a docuntary on corporate history.
A fat black cat sat on the stool, arms folded, yawning widely.
"Awuuu~"
Ding-ding...
A notification tone suddenly chid.
ow-chan blinked, glancing down at the screen.
From inside the bathroom, Yan Huan’s voice called out,
"ow-chan, who ssaged ?"
"It’s Ying Gong, ow."
"Ying Gong?"
The water stopped, followed by the sound of footsteps and a towel rustling.
ow-chan stretched lazily, then—
The bathroom door opened.
Yan Huan stepped out, towel draped over his shoulders, steam curling around him.
Ever since acquiring the "Naturalist" buff, he had been training almost daily.
Six workouts per week—most of his living expenses went straight to food and protein powder.
But at least...
He’d started seeing results.
Right now?
He felt like he could punch a cow and send it flying.
"......"
ow-chan glanced at Yan Huan’s growing physique.
Its gaze slowly drifted downward—then imdiately snapped back up.
Twitching its tail, it turned away, leaping down from the stool.
"ow~"
Still dripping with water, Yan Huan grabbed his phone, pausing the Spencer docuntary and opening Plane.
Scanning the ssage, he muttered,
"Tomorrow’s a family dinner. Nothing like that birthday party last ti—thank god."
"Was Ying Gong’s birthday party that bad, ow?"
"Eh... a bit. Mostly because of her brothers. Each one worse than the last..."
His smile faltered slightly.
"ow?"
Yan Huan didn’t elaborate.
Instead, he glanced at a gift bag in the living room, then grabbed fresh clothes.
As he got dressed, he asked,
"ow-chan, is it almost ti?"
ow-chan bolted into the bedroom, rolling onto the bed with its belly up.
"Yep, ow! New week starts soon—ti to upgrade the Modifier!"
"......"
"Why are you more excited than ?"
But before ow-chan could answer—
It suddenly spat out two golden Fragnts.
Then—
It swallowed them whole.
Instantly—
A brilliant golden light filled the entire bedroom.
Yan Huan’s Modifier was evolving—again.
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