"Rustle... rustle"
At this mont, in the stairwell directly above and behind Ye Shiyu and An Le, the faint sound of clothing rustling could be heard, entirely failing to cover Yan Huan's suppressed shock.
"Aruiya, you... where did you learn all this?"
"An Le taught !"
'She even taught you this?!'
'An Le, aren't you taking teaching without discrimination a bit too far?!'
Hearing this, Yan Huan found it hard to bear. He raised a hand to cover his face, suddenly at a loss for how to even begin criticizing this situation.
But at least he now had a rough idea of how things had escalated to this point.
A second later, he shifted his forearm slightly, revealing eyes filled with the tornt of desperately fighting against his biological urges, and couldn't help but want to explain.
'Now might be a good ti to explain the Modifier to Aruiya.'
For example:
'I only ca out with Ye Shiyu to hold steady her desire to turn over a new leaf, and equally to hold steady the Modifier. This isn't a date at all, and I have zero feelings for her.'
Yet, for so unknown reason, just as the words reached his lips, Yan Huan paused.
The image of Ye Shiyu looking out the window at the jellyfish with an expressionless face suddenly surfaced in his mind.
At this mont, he had to admit that this Ye Shiyu, who was trying to turn over a new leaf, possessed a unique charm.
If he said those words, Aruiya wouldn't even need to use her Lie-Detecting Double. Yan Huan himself could identify it first:
'That would be a lie!'
"No matter what, doing this kind of thing outside..."
Therefore, he cunningly swapped to a completely irrelevant excuse.
"Because... earlier, I don't know why, but when I saw you going on a date with Ye Shiyu, I felt really upset..."
Hearing his voice, Aruiya gently retracted her hand. She interrupted Yan Huan, describing her previous feelings with a hint of naive confusion.
"It's just... I was feeling empty inside. Like when I first arrived in Linn and my mother wasn't by my side... And back then, I didn't even have a mobile phone, so I couldn't play Angry Little Pigs!"
"What kind of weird analogy is that?"
Yan Huan's lips twitched slightly. However, in the next second, Aruiya looked down at her own dress, then cast a glance at a certain area on Yan Huan, and revealed a silly smile.
"Hehe, but wearing this pretty dress... and seeing that you like it, makes
feel a bit happy again."
"..."
Caught off guard by this direct hit, the budding feelings Ye Shiyu had just managed to build in Yan Huan's heart were completely overrun by the Golden Bomb Pig, leaving those feelings in imminent danger of crumbling.
But a mont later, Aruiya's expression turned hazy again. She looked down, gripping her dress with both hands, and stared at her tummy as she began to murmur,
"Besides, I don't know why... but whenever I'm near you, this spot always feels... so hot."
"..."
Seeing this, Yan Huan's pupils shrank, and he inevitably swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
His gaze trembled, and even his voice grew hoarse.
"Is it uncomfortable?"
Aruiya blinked. Shaking her head, she suddenly closed the distance and tightly hugged Yan Huan.
Enveloped by her warm and cozy body temperature, Yan Huan completely forgot about Ye Shiyu's cold deanor in that instant.
"No... Actually, it feels really comfortable. I really like this."
"Rustle... rustle."
Feeling the hands of the girl in his arms becoming restless again, Yan Huan's face darkened. He grabbed her wandering hands beneath him, gritting his teeth as he whispered into her ear,
"If Auntie finds out..."
"What Auntie?"
"Your mother!"
"Oh..."
Hearing this, Aruiya lifted her head to look at Yan Huan. After a second of thought, she surprisingly revealed a mischievous smile.
Imdiately after, she stood on her tiptoes, leaning close to Yan Huan's ear, and softly declared,
"I won't tell my mother~"
"..."
"We can do it secretly. Mother won't find out."
Naturally, neither would Ye Shiyu.
With that voice echoing in his ear, Yan Huan imdiately felt his ears and scalp go completely numb.
"Rumble—"
Clearly, the fortress Ye Shiyu had just built by turning over a new leaf could not withstand the sudden ambush of the Golden Bomb Pig, and it completely collapsed.
"Hmm?"
Down below, Ye Shiyu tilted her head, looking on, completely oblivious to why An Le—who was avoiding her gaze and sweating profusely—was suddenly making such an expression.
"Is sothing wrong?"
"Nothing!"
The mont she spoke, An Le panicked. She hurriedly waved her hands to prove she was fine and planned to continue talking.
"...Back then, the orphanage dormitory Xiao Huan stayed in... I think it was six or seven people to a room..."
Indeed, in order to stall for ti, An Le was completely out of options. She had no choice but to start telling Ye Shiyu stories about Yan Huan's past.
Of course, her superficial excuse was:
Since she acknowledged Sakuramiya Hitomi's ceasefire proposal, as long as Ye Shiyu didn't use her hypnosis on Xiao Huan anymore, it wouldn't hurt to share so things about his past.
However, watching Ye Shiyu listen with such keen interest and unwavering focus, An Le, who was on the verge of being crushed by her guilty conscience, lost her conviction and found it hard to continue.
And that was when she revealed a flaw.
"..."
Ye Shiyu scrutinized her with an expressionless face. Suddenly realizing sothing, a faint look of interrogation broke through her newfound desire to turn over a new leaf, spilling out from the depths of her eyes.
"Speaking of which, An Le... why are you here?"
'I knew it!'
'This is entirely a flaw deliberately left behind by capitalism!!'
'For an Outer Court Student like , aside from saying I ca with Spencer, there seems to be absolutely no other reason...'
"I..."
Right in front of her, a faint, eerie dark purple began to surface in Ye Shiyu's black eyes.
"Buzz—"
But in her mont of desperation, An Le glanced at the sowhat familiar-looking hotel out on the sea in the distance, and the black cars driving toward it from the roadside. She seed to rember sothing.
'I rember now!'
'I saw a classmate post about this place in the group chat this afternoon, saying it was an announcent from the Principal's Office!'
'The Student Council is in charge of this year's High Table Dinner, and the location was finalized at a Luxurious Island Hotel. I think it's that exact one!'
"Because this afternoon, I saw a classmate post the hotel address for the High Table Dinner, so I thought I'd co over early to take a look."
"...The High Table Dinner?"
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu paused slightly, her gaze following An Le's line of sight.
She tilted her head, assessing the hotel on the island with a hint of confusion.
"The High Table Dinner... is being held there?"
'Thank goodness!'
'Ye Shiyu doesn't know about this!'
"Ah, of course..."
Seeing this, An Le also looked toward the hotel, murmuring with seemingly casual anticipation.
"The ball... I wonder who Xiao Huan will choose as his dance partner..."
"..."
At those words, Ye Shiyu secretly glanced at An Le.
Then, the corners of her lips curled up imperceptibly, yet she pretended to know absolutely nothing about it as she replied,
"I'm also... very curious."
At the sa ti, she lowered her guard.
After all, why should she be vigilant against a bystander who didn't even know that Xiao Huan had already been presented with flowers for a dance?
Ye Shiyu thought An Le was on the first level, but in reality, An Le was in the stratosphere.
She had absolutely no intention of fighting over being his dance partner, and she already knew the inside story!
"..."
Watching Ye Shiyu's slightly upturned lips, seemingly thinking about how she would get to dance with Xiao Huan at the High Table Dinner while hugging her knees and quietly waiting for Yan Huan's return like a Husband-Gazing Stone...
An Le didn't feel relaxed in the slightest.
'Instead, I feel even more guilty now!!'
'What... what have I done?!'
"Ring—"
Right at that mont, Ye Shiyu's mobile phone suddenly rang.
It wasn't a ssage on plane, but an actual phone call.
"...Hello, Mother?"
It was Ye Lan.
"Mhm... It's perfect timing, Xiao Huan is here too. Today, Xiao Huan invited
out..."
Even when speaking to her most beloved mother, Ye Shiyu ended her sentence with a tone of joy for the first ti ever!!
Listening to this, An Le felt deeply ashad, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her.
She wiped her sweat, painfully gripping the hem of her skirt, desperately praying that Spencer would finish up quickly.
But...
'I know exactly how long Xiao Huan takes!'
'Even if he's fast, it'll probably still take a while, right?'
"Okay..."
But right then, Ye Shiyu suddenly hung up the phone.
Following that, she dropped her doll-like Husband-Gazing Stone posture. She glanced at her phone, frowning in confusion.
"It's been so long. Has Xiao Huan still not returned?"
'Oh no, why is she suddenly so anxious? Could it be because of Auntie Ye, there's a change in the schedule?'
"Wait, Xiao Huan is here too?"
An Le was truly worthy of the title "Imperial Tutor". Even though she was on the verge of collapsing, she was still holding on bitterly, full of acting skills!
"...Mhm."
Ye Shiyu swept a glance over An Le, her face still expressionless, but the pitch of her "mhm" was noticeably raised. She was completely showing off!!
An Le didn't possess Yan Huan's perfect expression managent. Her face twisted, on the verge of completely breaking character.
"Why would Xiao Huan..."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu looked at An Le, the corners of her lips curling up imperceptibly once more.
"I didn't use hypnosis on Xiao Huan. It was Xiao Huan who took the initiative... to invite ."
'So please stop showing off!!'
An Le's expression twitched, yet she still managed to squeeze out an expression of anxious urgency.
Her determination was so firm that even a veteran actor would probably feel ashad of their inferiority if they saw her.
"Shiyu, I'm back!"
Fortunately, at that very mont, Yan Huan—with slightly rumpled clothes and faintly glistening with sweat—ca running back from another direction behind An Le, carrying a high-end cloth bag.
Seeing An Le, Yan Huan even paused in slight surprise.
"An Le?"
It seed the true veteran actor had returned.
After casting a glance at An Le, who finally seed to have found her mainstay upon seeing him, Yan Huan imdiately looked at Ye Shiyu.
Seeing that her expression was normal, still tilting her head and looking at him with an expressionless face, he offered an explanation to An Le.
"I haven't hung out alone with Sister Shiyu for a long ti, and I just happened to be free today..."
"Ah, I... I ca here because..."
An Le breathed a sigh of relief and also opened her mouth to explain why she was there.
On the surface, they were explaining things to each other, but in reality, the two were colluding to give false testimony.
Standing to the side, Ye Shiyu couldn't tell at all. She simply stared at the bag in Yan Huan's hand, subtly raising her toes as she glanced at him again.
"Xiao Huan, the shoes..."
Clearly, she was still secretly showing off to An Le!
Yan Huan also picked up on this. He never expected Ye Shiyu to actually harbor such cute little sches.
It seed that winning by turning over a new leaf rather than relying on hypnosis gave her a trendous sense of accomplishnt.
But realizing this only made Yan Huan and An Le feel even more guilty.
Yan Huan felt guilty because of what Aruiya had just done to him...
And An Le felt guilty because she had just helped Aruiya...
Regardless, this "Savior Duo" of the South Ward vaguely displayed the exact sa hint of awkwardness.
"Sorry, I wanted to find a more comfortable pair of shoes for Sister Shiyu to walk in, so it took a little extra ti."
"Mhm, thank you, Xiao Huan."
An Le, on the other hand, only wanted to slip away quickly now, but she naturally used a retreat to advance strategy.
"Um, Xiao Huan, Senior Student Ye, I happen to be free later. Have you two eaten yet? How about we grab a bite together?"
"We've already eaten, thank you... Besides, Mother just called. She wanted
to familiarize myself with the environnt for my sumr internship early. Since Xiao Huan is also here, we might as well go and take a look together."
The latter half of the sentence was directed at Yan Huan.
Hearing this, Yan Huan shot an apologetic glance at An Le.
"Since that's the case, An Le, how about we hang out next ti?"
"I see... Alright."
An Le showed a disappointed expression, though she managed a forced smile to show off her strength, then waved goodbye to Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu.
"Then I'll... walk around a bit more before heading back."
"..."
Watching An Le hurriedly leave all by her loneso, Ye Shiyu inexplicably found herself in a very good mood.
She suddenly felt a strong sense of hope for the future.
Because, right at this mont, she truly experienced the benefits of turning over a new leaf.
Whether it was Xiao Huan accepting the flowers and agreeing to dance with her at the ball; or just now, when she won easily without a single casualty, defeating An Le completely—the sa An Le she couldn't beat no matter what back in Sakura Country...
"Then, shall we go, Xiao Huan?"
Thinking like this, Ye Shiyu beca even more convinced:
She was walking on the correct, brightly lit path.
She lowered her head and opened the shoe box Xiao Huan had bought; inside was a pair of comfortable flat shoes that were perfect for walking.
"Mhm, okay."
anwhile, as Yan Huan watched An Le leave, he couldn't help but reflect on his own actions.
Actually, when he heard Spencer ntion earlier that An Le was around, Yan Huan knew this whole situation was absolutely orchestrated by An Le.
It seed to be primarily driven by Aruiya's mood, but her mood was rely the catalyst; the one who truly caused the chemical reaction was An Le.
But fundantally speaking, Yan Huan had brought this upon himself, and the reason was that he hadn't told the truth.
Yan Huan knew better than anyone that An Le had a bit of a mischievous, dark side to her personality.
Perhaps because he felt it was a bit awkward to talk about going on a date with another girl, Yan Huan subconsciously chose not to tell An Le the truth. Instead, he just told her, "I have so business and will be back late."
Admittedly, An Le had said that as long as he belonged to her while in the South Ward, that would be enough. Plus, strictly speaking, his outing with Ye Shiyu was also to resolve the Modifier.
But no matter what, he still should have told An Le the truth.
If he had done so, absolutely none of this would have happened today.
Similar incidents would definitely happen countless tis in the future; he needed to be much more careful and cautious.
'I'll have to figure out a way to make it up to An Le when I get back tonight...'
'Though, I guess it could be considered a blessing in disguise?'
At the thought of what Aruiya had just done, Yan Huan couldn't help but cover his face and take a deep breath.
"Haha..."
On the other hand, relieved of her psychological burden, An Le fled as if running for her life toward the eting point she had previously agreed upon with Spencer.
At the entrance of a won's restroom, An Le wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked inside at Spencer, who was currently washing her hands.
"Spencer..."
"Oh, An Le, you're back! You have no idea, Yan Huan seed really..."
Spencer sniffed her wet hands. Hearing An Le's voice, she happily turned her head, her face still adorned with a shy pink blush, seemingly due to whatever shaful act she had just perford.
She walked toward An Le as if she had discovered a new continent, eager to explain what she had just done.
But An Le helplessly covered her face and whispered to Spencer,
"It's better... better if you don't tell ."
"Oh?"
"Let's... let's retreat quickly."
"Okay, okay!"
"Rumble—"
At this mont, at Ye International.
Completely unlike the resplendent luxury of the Jinshi Group, Ye International's office building in Linn was entirely dark-colored, as if hiding its talents and maintaining a low profile in the night.
However, the internal structure was highly futuristic, and the first floor even displayed models of products under Ye International's brand.
Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu took the elevator up from the underground parking lot. Ye Shiyu skillfully pressed the button for a floor in the twenties.
As soon as the doors opened, a female secretary waiting in the corridor smiled softly and approached them.
"Hello, Shiyu. Ah, and you must be student Yan, right? Even though President Ye ntioned you, seeing you for the first ti is still a bit surprising. You're quite handso~"
"Haha..."
Yan Huan gave an awkward smile but didn't dare to agree.
Sure enough, the very next second, Ye Shiyu shot the secretary an expressionless glance.
But the secretary's expression didn't change at all; she simply continued,
"Please follow . President Ye is still in an online eting."
Ye Shiyu finally spoke up,
"Mhm... about how much longer?"
"I'm not entirely sure about that."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu turned to look at Yan Huan. Seemingly afraid that he would get bored from waiting too long, she took the initiative to suggest,
"Mother told us to co over to familiarize ourselves with the new departnt for our internship. How about we go take a tour first and wait for Mother there?"
"Ah... no problem."
The female secretary smiled faintly, then walked back to the elevator, swiping her card to take Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu to another floor.
Visiting Ye Lan's workplace for the first ti, Yan Huan retracted his observing gaze and looked at Ye Shiyu with so curiosity.
"Even though we're here for an internship, I actually still don't know what aspect this new collaborative departnt is supposed to be working on?"
Ye Shiyu opened her mouth. Having seemingly heard a bit about it, she was just about to speak when the secretary in front turned around with a soft smile.
"Student Yan, have you ever heard of AI?"
Hearing the secretary interject and steal her chance to answer, Ye Shiyu glared at her again.
"AI?"
Yan Huan was confused, the image popping into his mind being the "true artificial intelligence" that accompanied Spencer earlier.
'Though judging from the situation before, the AI in this world must be quite different from the ones in my past life, right?'
Yan Huan didn't know for sure; he was only guessing.
But co to think of it, when it ca to their main businesses, Jinshi Group and Ye International were entirely incompatible as water and fire. There shouldn't be anything for them to collaborate on.
Fortunately, both massive conglorates had subsidiaries and other ventures under their belts, so a collaboration in this area wasn't completely surprising.
"Yes, we were previously attempting to independently develop our Large Model, but because we started late, the progress was a bit... well, we've basically just been piggybacking off others' open-source code."
The secretary smiled, speaking quite candidly.
The very next second, the elevator arrived at a certain floor and stopped.
The elevator doors slowly opened. In the darkened reception area of the floor, a clear logo and slogan prominently appeared before them.
"Independent AI Model: Leaf"
"Dedicated to becoming the top-tier intelligence that actively participates in every aspect of the public's daily life."
Yan Huan blinked, scanning his surroundings.
anwhile, Ye Shiyu remained completely expressionless beside him...
Yet, seemingly without her even realizing it, the phone screen she held in her hand abruptly lit up at this mont...
Radiating a faint, eerie purple halo.
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