Restricted Fantasy I Chapter 162: A Blessing in Disguise

"..."

As Spencer crossed the finish line first and secured the victory, everything around them fell eerily silent.

In the spectator stands, negative emotions surged like a dark tide, expressing sheer dissatisfaction.

"We won, Spencer, we won..."

Only Jiang Yun's faint, incredulous voice could be vaguely heard.

Yet, like a fragile bubble, it quickly dissipated, ignored by everyone else.

Watching Spencer collapse to the ground, covered in injuries but still holding the baton high, Yan Huan's heart could not help but tremble slightly.

He was just about to step forward and approach her when an anxious Ye Linna rushed over from the sidelines, leading a large group of people in white coats to surround Spencer completely.

"Aruiya, are you okay?!"

"Quick, get her on the stretcher and move her."

"..."

Seeing this, Yan Huan paused his steps.

Then, he simply remained standing right where he was.

At this mont, the Doujinshi Society had won, but the cheerless silence from the crowd made everything that had just happened feel like an illusion.

It was all just in vain.

Feeling the emptiness that followed the fading adrenaline, Yan Huan smiled helplessly. He silently turned around and walked away alone in another direction.

"Hey..."

Right then, a voice suddenly sounded beside him.

Yan Huan turned his head and saw Owen standing alone next to him.

One of his hands tightly gripped a ring box, while the other held the two pieces of clothing Yan Huan had taken off earlier.

Looking at the ring box in his left hand, Yan Huan seed to understand sothing.

However, he did not question closely, and Owen did not offer an explanation.

Owen raised his right hand, handing Yan Huan his clothes while speaking,

"You won, President."

"..."

Looking at the clothes offered to him, Yan Huan smiled slightly and reached out to take them, without saying anything else.

After all, he knew very well that he had only beaten Owen by using a cheat.

Although he had indeed been actively working out at the gym every day under Tong Yingying's supervision for over a month, Owen had endured countless years of grueling training in track and field. There was nothing to be proud of.

Thus, he rely said sincerely to Owen,

"Thank you."

"..."

Following that, he carried his clothes and left the bustling noise behind, walking out of the athletics field in the direction he had originally co from.

"ow~"

At that mont, the black cat he had left behind earlier appeared behind him like a ghost.

It looked up at him, then lightly hopped back onto his shoulder.

"ow-chan..."

Yan Huan draped his clothes over his other shoulder, glancing at ow-chan beside him as he walked.

ow-chan blinked, looking at Yan Huan, and suddenly asked,

"Do you regret it, choosing to help Spencer just now?"

"..."

Hearing this, Yan Huan raised his eyebrows.

He looked around at the dead silence in the spectator stands. The atmosphere was incredibly quiet, yet surging with dissatisfaction over the Doujinshi Society's victory.

Many people did not even want to attend the closing ceremony announcing the Doujinshi Society's victory, simply standing up to pull their parents along with the intention of leaving the athletics field.

At the sa ti, many people had recovered from their previous adrenaline rush and began to wonder why Yan Huan would stick his neck out for Spencer.

Their gazes drifted over intermittently, drawing Yan Huan's attention.

"..."

And on the other hand, what about the Modifier?

He had not obtained a single fragnt, let alone the fact that he had stood up for Spencer in public right in front of Ye Shiyu, whose mood had only just softened recently.

Whether the situation would take a turn for the worse was still completely unknown.

"Phew..."

Feeling the heavy reality pressing in from all sides, Yan Huan lowered his eyes slightly.

But soon, he raised them again, his gaze firm.

These consequences...

He had already considered them before deciding to join the Doujinshi Society to participate in the battle.

He lifted his gaze, suddenly looking at ow-chan on his shoulder and asking,

"ow-chan, do you know what it actually feels like to be a transmigrator?"

At those words, ow-chan tilted its head in confusion.

"What is it, ow?"

"Zhuangzi once dread of a butterfly, and when he woke up, he could not help but wonder: 'Was it I who dread of the butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming of ?'"

Yan Huan smiled faintly and said,

"To , my past life and this current one are just like the butterfly and Zhuangzi.

"Occasionally, I feel that everything from my past life was an illusion. That there was no past life before transmigration at all, just a dream.

"That I am just a young university student, and nothing more."

ow-chan looked at him and simply stated,

"Treating this life as your first and forgetting everything from before is not a bad thing, ow."

Yan Huan lowered his gaze, abruptly changing the subject.

"ow-chan, you know what?

"In my past life, when I first started working, there was a senior colleague who treated

very well.

"He taught

the ropes of the business, cared about my personal life, and even showed

how to grow roses in my spare ti...

"But later, when he was laid off by the company and broke down, pointing at our departnt and questioning the managent about all his years of hard work...

"I did not say a single word."

ow-chan blinked and consoled him,

"In life, things rarely go as planned.

"You had to consider that if you spoke up for him, you would have been kicked out too.

"Making that choice for the sake of making a living was not wrong, ow."

Perhaps it was just like Owen had said—one always had to weigh the pros and cons.

Even if he had spoken up, he probably could not have changed anything. He might have just lost his job and been kicked out along with him.

It was clearly against his conscience, yet he was helplessly forced to do so.

Wasn't this exactly what people called the harsh beatings of society?

Yan Huan nodded, smiling helplessly.

"Yeah... It is just that, even now, I am still brooding over it."

"..."

"But ow-chan, it is exactly these lingering regrets buried deep in my heart that make the past life I experienced real, rather than just an illusion."

Yan Huan reached out his hand, brushing his fingers against the sunlight, and smiled slightly.

"So ever since then, I have been thinking, what does living a second life really an to ?

"In my past life, I was just an ordinary person who followed the crowd.

"Was I gifted or exceptionally brilliant? Not entirely. I guess I was only slightly better than Spencer."

"Did I co from a wealthy family with superior conditions? My family had been farrs for three generations, and my looks were the type that would instantly disappear if tossed into a crowd."

"Did I try my absolute best and work tirelessly? It did not seem like it. I do not think I ever reached the level of pushing myself to the absolute limit through sheer diligence.

"Did I properly experience youth and fall in love? I never even interacted much with girls. I could only read doujinshi to imagine them.

"..."

Yan Huan clenched his fists, grasping the sunlight in his hand.

"Therefore, since I get to live a second life, every extra day is a boon.

"I want to try everything I never did or never dared to do in my past life."

ow-chan looked at Yan Huan, its tone seemingly carrying a hint of a smile.

"So, that is why you can accept putting in so much effort today and doing all this, yet gaining absolutely nothing, ow?"

"Heh..."

Yan Huan sneered, snapping back at ow-chan in exasperation,

"I am not so true saint who doesn't care about personal gains and losses! Working for you for free to save the world already makes

want to submit you to Love Cat TV!

"And yet here you are making sarcastic remarks. Believe it or not, I will..."

Hearing this, ow-chan blinked.

Then, it hurriedly rubbed its fluffy head against Yan Huan's face, acting cute to beg for rcy.

"ow~"

"You useless little furball!"

Yan Huan had absolutely zero expectations left for ow-chan.

At this mont, complete silence surrounded Yan Huan.

All by himself, he looked at the lonely, cold, and endlessly long road ahead and could not help but take a deep breath.

Shortly after, he murmured,

"If I said I wasn't disappointed today, that would definitely be a lie, but...

"I do not regret doing this."

Since blindly pursuing pros and cons required paying the price of going against one's conscience, wouldn't stubbornly following one's true nature also demand a price in terms of benefits?

Yan Huan wasn't sure, but touching his chest at this mont, he was absolutely certain that everything he did just now ca from his truest intentions.

Since that was the case...

That was enough.

Yan Huan continued to walk forward silently, his back view appearing incredibly desolate.

As they walked, ow-chan on his shoulder looked ahead, suddenly blinking and speaking to him,

"But Yan Huan, the world is unpredictable. The way many things unfold in this world might just exceed your expectations in the end, ow~"

"Heh, if you keep feeding

this motivational garbage, I will stuff a dragon fruit down your throat."

"Yan Huan, I am being serious."

ow-chan's eyes suddenly brightened like brilliant eralds as it slowly leaned closer to Yan Huan.

Its tone was so peaceful that it beca tinged with a touch of divinity.

It stared straight at Yan Huan and said calmly,

"A blessing in disguise. Who knows if it is a fortune or a curse?"

"..."

After saying this, ow-chan gradually reverted to its usual cute, furball appearance.

It licked its paws, then suddenly jumped off Yan Huan's shoulder, sat on the grassy lawn beside him, and looked up, speaking adorably,

"Yan Huan, have you never considered...

"If you had actually stuck your neck out for that matter you keep brooding over...

"Perhaps later on, you wouldn't have dropped dead from overwork at your job, ow."

Hearing this, Yan Huan froze slightly.

But before he even had ti to ponder ow-chan's profound words, a burst of intermittent footsteps suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Tap, tap... tap."

He blinked, turning his head out of reflex.

However, what entered his vision was the figure of Spencer lunging right at him.

'Was she not on the stretcher?'

'Why would she suddenly...'

Just as Yan Huan was blankly processing this thought, those sky-blue eyes suddenly closed in on his field of vision.

Inch by inch, until they were as close as they could possibly be, re fractions of an inch from his own eyes.

"Muah~"

And the next second, he suddenly felt his lips being forcefully kissed by hers.

Spencer threw herself into his arms at that very mont, tightly wrapping her arms around his neck and forcing him to take a half-step backward.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz~"

High in the sky, Yabashi Ki's drone had been closely following Spencer ever since she broke out of the encirclent of countless dical personnel.

As a result, it suddenly captured the shocking footage of Spencer recklessly hugging Yan Huan and kissing his lips.

Unsurprisingly, that footage was directly broadcasted onto the giant screens overlooking the athletics field.

Originally, everyone had been silently exiting, unwilling to participate in the closing ceremony celebrating the Doujinshi Society's victory.

But soon enough, soone glanced up and saw the appalling scene. "Gasp!!"

"L-look at that!!"

This included Yurianna, who was originally holding the microphone in the dia room.

Her eyes went wide, and her jaw completely dropped.

"The... the P-President is... is being... by Spencer..."

In her sheer horror, the microphone slipped uncontrollably from her grasp.

Pulled by gravity, it crashed directly onto the control panel below, accidentally hitting the button that started the background music prepared for the closing ceremony.

"Thud!"

With the click of the button, the massive, dead-silent athletics field was instantly flooded by the blazing intro of a song.

In less than a second, the musical accompanint surged out.

"I want it so badly, everything about you~"

"In the cradle of love, burn fiercely like a dazzling fla!"

Like a nuclear bomb detonating, it completely shattered the silence that had blanketed the stadium.

"A cute kiss, 1, 2, 3~"

"Looking away at a ti like this, how truly cunning~"

At that very mont, the beautifully dressed Bai Yi had just stepped onto the stage, prepared to perform for the closing ceremony.

As she looked up, she happened to lock eyes perfectly with the massive screen right in front of her, broadcasting the close-up shot of Spencer kissing Yan Huan.

"..."

She froze instantly, looking completely dumbfounded, as if her very soul had been violently knocked out of her body by the image.

But when the background music suddenly kicked in, her deep-rooted professionalism toward music snapped her violently back to reality.

Gritting her teeth, she was utterly beyond tears, with no choice but to open her mouth and sing along.

"It is as if you are rely toying with"

"My wildly throbbing heart~"

Up in the second-year spectator stands, Ye Shiyu's eyes went completely blank the mont she saw this scene.

She had already taken her seat, but now it was as if she had sat on a coiled spring. Clenching her fists, she fiercely tried to stand back up.

Beside her, however, Ye Lan firmly pressed a hand down onto her shoulder, forcing her to slowly sit back down.

But even so, Ye Shiyu showed no other reaction. She simply stared wide-eyed at the screen in pure disbelief and murmured,

"How dare she... she... Spencer..."

"Even though I know in my heart, the one who initiates first is the loser..."

"Yet my body simply will not listen~"

Over in the first-year section, the mbers of the Student Council all dropped their jaws.

anwhile, Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was originally nestled in her mother's arms, directly bit into her mother's kimono, instantly unable to hold it in anymore.

'It should have been ...'

'If only I had been earlier... If I had confessed earlier, if I had told the President earlier...'

'How could this happen?'

"Once you take that step forward"

"There is no turning back"

At Shengxin Hospital, inside An Le's hospital ward where the live broadcast was playing.

"Oh my, so that little girl is Yan Huan's girlfriend. No wonder he stuck his neck out for her like that just now."

"I have to say, they are quite a good match. Hey, An Le, she is a friend of yours too, right?"

An Le's parents smiled warmly at the television. Before they knew it, the little boy from their mories had already grown to the age of romance.

Imdiately, they could not help but sigh at how ti flew by like an arrow.

They turned their heads, hoping to get more information from their daughter.

Only to see An Le staring blankly at the scene of the two kissing on the screen.

Her eyes dimd bit by bit, gradually turning completely hollow.

"An Le?"

"..."

"Take off the mask, a single forbidden word"

"And let the fake play turn into reality!"

At this mont, inside the VIP viewing platform, Hers's mood today was a hundred tis more thrilling than riding a roller coaster.

One mont Spencer was betrayed, the next Yan Huan had entered the battle.

One mont everyone was mocking Spencer, the next Yan Huan erged victorious.

One mont Spencer took a severe fall, the next the Doujinshi Society finally secured the victory...

Now, without even a few minutes of rest, an even bigger bomb had just dropped down below.

The eldest miss of the Jinshi Group was actually kissing Yan Huan in front of the entire public crowd.

"..."

Hers completely collapsed into his chair, losing all sensation in his legs.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Sweating profusely, he turned his head toward the golden lion head beside him and stuttered,

"P-President Spencer... th-th-this..."

"..."

The golden lion head still showed no reaction. However, at that exact mont, halfway across the world, it was midnight.

Ying Country, New York City.

Beyond the dim golden lights lay Central Park, quietly resting in the curtain of night.

Inside the room, a golden lion was roaring towards the sky.

Imdiately after, it leaped into the living room, gradually overlapping with the figure of a real, stuffed male lion specin placed there.

It turned out to be rely a holographic projection.

Right beside the specin, a woman wearing a white nightgown with dazzling blonde hair draped over her shoulders was holding a glass of red wine, sitting directly in front of the projection displaying the scene of Yan Huan and Spencer kissing.

"Swish..."

Upon seeing this scene, the wine in her hand, previously as calm as a placid lake, rippled layer by layer.

Reflected upon those ripples was a pair of blue eyes suspended upside down in the crimson liquid.

Only, unlike Spencer's clear sky-like color, this pair of eyes was as deep and dark as a freezing abyssal cave.

"..."

"Daddy! Daddy! Do!!"

"I want it so badly, everything about you~"

"Even if it is a lie, I do not care at all~"

"Give

just a little more of that heart-pounding sensation!"

As Bai Yi's voice—still sickeningly sweet even with its subtle sobbing tone—pushed the verse to a close, the entire song arrived at its ultimate climax.

At this mont, in a corner of the grassy field, at the very center of everyone's attention...

Were the stunned Yan Huan and Spencer, who was hugging and kissing him.

With his neck wrapped in her sudden flying embrace, Yan Huan's eyes widened, instinctively feeling the shape of her pink lips.

This was not his first ti kissing Spencer. After all, this girl was the one who had stolen his first kiss.

But the feeling right now was entirely different from the last ti.

The shape of those lips and that kiss felt so profound, as if they were being deeply carved right into his soul.

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

"Muah~"

However, the very next second, sounds of uproar and furious yelling erupted all around them.

This bold act not only ignited the dissatisfaction of the entire audience, but it also snapped the dazed Yan Huan back to reality.

"What the hell! Biting the hand that feeds you, huh?!"

"Spencer!! Get the hell off him! Are you even worthy of kissing the President's lips?!"

"No... please no... don't kiss him anymore!"

"Ahhhhh!"

The sheer anger and indignation pouring in from all sides instantly caused Spencer's long golden hair to beco radiantly bright, dazzling as if it had just absorbed all that energy.

'Oh no...'

'The Modifier!!'

"Spencer, what are you do—"

Realizing this, Yan Huan hurriedly pushed her away slightly, just about to speak up in frustration.

But the mont he looked up, his pupils shrank slightly, and he instantly froze in place.

Because at this mont, what entered his eyes was Spencer's face covered in tears, her expression breaking down as she cried uncontrollably.

She just held onto Yan Huan tightly, weeping as she sniffled repeatedly.

Because she had just finished such an intense exertion, she was still panting, completely out of breath.

Let alone the fact that she had just taken a heavy fall and was covered in injuries from head to toe.

Her face covered in tears, she tightly bit her lower lip.

Her sky-blue eyes gazed into Yan Huan's as she sobbed out in a soft, muffled voice,

"Yan... Yan Huan... wu... wuuu...

"We won... we won... we finally, finally won...

"Wuuu... Yan Huan..."

Right now, she was entirely covered in dust, and her face was terribly dirty.

But her tears...

Her tears were so undeniably pure...

Yan Huan simply stared blankly at her tear-stained face looking down at him, feeling the warmth of her body tightly holding onto his.

Drop by drop, clear, scalding hot, salty tears fell directly onto his face.

It was like the sky-blue ocean he had always wanted to see in his past life, granting him—like a heavenly boon—drop after drop of the pristine seawater that symbolized such profound beauty.

Those teardrops hitting his face felt as if they were soaking straight into his heart, completely lting away every single lingering, unnecessary thought in his mind...

Ultimately leaving behind nothing but Yan Huan's equally pure soul.

Looking at her sincere and deeply moved expression, for so reason, Yan Huan suddenly found it a little hard to keep his eyes open.

Thus, he could only lower his gaze.

Bit by bit, he slowly raised his hands and placed them gently onto her back.

Yan Huan gradually pulled Spencer in his arms closer, wrapping her tight as if wanting to lock her entirely within his embrace.

The feeling of holding each other tightly was so warm and comfortable that it suddenly made him feel, right at this mont, that everything had been worth it.

Following that, he finally let out a happy smile as well...

Just like the aning of his very na.

He held tightly onto Spencer, murmuring happily,

"Yeah, Spencer...

"We won."

As Yan Huan lowered his head and hugged Spencer tightly, the tears from Spencer on his face had not dried up; instead, they continued to slide down his cheeks.

They slid all the way down until they gathered into a bead at his chin. Unable to hold on any longer, they were dragged down by gravity and fell toward the ground.

But in the end, those tear drops did not land on the green turf of the athletics field.

Instead, they fell onto a withering rose that should have been blooming inside a flower room.

The teardrop fell downward and was subsequently caught by the dull, lusterless petals.

The crystal droplet slowly slid down, eventually surging into and disappearing deep within the stan.

The very next second, the withered rose that had drank the tears miraculously swayed. As if coming back from the dead, it perked its flower up, instantly becoming bright and beautiful once more.

"..."

Truthfully, no one in this world could go forever without telling a lie, nor could anyone remain forever sincere and completely avoid hypocrisy.

Even soone like Spencer, who despised being lied to the most, was not immune to this.

A solemn oath heavily sworn with three fingers raised to the sky could easily turn into a aningless scrap of paper by tomorrow.

While a casually spoken promise made as a joke might be kept flawlessly until the very end of one's life.

It was just that at this mont, just for this one ti...

Spencer had, after all, not broken her promise.

Just as she had once jokingly promised Yan Huan.

She kept her word, making that dying rose within Yan Huan's heart...

Be reborn anew.