"..."
Facing An Le, who was smiling beautifully like a flower, Yan Huan appeared sowhat hesitant at this mont.
That was right.
Having experienced countless battles, he acutely sensed the "murderous intent" hidden beneath An Le's smile.
Although it was extrely faint, it could not hide from Yan Huan's eyes.
At this mont, Yan Huan was guilty of two sins.
First, imdiately after the hypnosis ban was lifted and he could finally provide sweet relief, he actually did not go to relieve the "long-drought-stricken" An Le, but instead shared it with Sakuramiya Hitomi, whose capacity and demand were already quite small.
Was this not simply ssing around?
It should be known that just a few days ago, Yan Huan had danced with Sakuramiya Hitomi in public.
Even then, An Le had not said anything.
And now, he was continuing to pour his attention onto Sakuramiya Hitomi...
Was this not a case of the starving dying of starvation, while the overfed died of gluttony!?
This was the sin of unfair distribution!
He deserved to be punished!
Second, Yan Huan had originally agreed with An Le that she would not interfere with whatever he did outside.
But here, she wanted to completely possess Xiao Huan...
Yet now, Sakuramiya Hitomi had co knocking on their door, invading what she considered to be her safe haven...
This was the sin of overstepping boundaries!
He deserved to be punished!
'Wahhhh!! Sinner Yan Huan, why do you not quickly confess your cris and stretch out your neck to be executed?! Restore a bright and clear sky to our Linn world!!'
At this mont, An Le's simple phrase, "Xiao Huan, hurry and co in," directly made Yan Huan feel as guilty as half a Reiner.
Why half a Reiner?
'Hold on!!'
Because Yan Huan also had sothing to say.
'Lord An Le, this-this-this is all Ye Shiyu's fault!!'
Naturally, even if Yan Huan thought this in his heart, he could not possibly say it out loud.
At the end of the day, blaming it entirely on Ye Shiyu was also unrealistic.
But using her as a temporary at shield to save his life could not be considered wronging her, the Hypnosis Master, right?
"...Ah, I am back. I got delayed at the staff dormitory for a bit. By the way, are you two hungry? I haven't eaten dinner yet. How about I order so takeout?"
At the entrance, Yan Huan walked inside while taking out his mobile phone, asking the Yezi AI,
"Yezi, please recomnd a few takeout restaurants with good reviews in the South Ward."
"..."
Although the Yezi AI in his phone was completely unresponsive as if it had crashed, Yan Huan acted as if he had received an answer and imdiately opened a food delivery app.
Did Yan Huan actually want to order takeout?
Not at all. He was actually reminding An Le that Ye Shiyu was still keeping them under surveillance, and that if she had anything to say, she should let Little Pinky and Myau-chan do it on her behalf.
However, judging from the Yezi AI's feedback and the fact that Ye Shiyu had been heavily damaged by his and Aunt Ye's combined ultimate attack earlier, there was a high probability that Ye Shiyu did not dare to continue her surveillance right now.
Therefore, this was rely a stalling tactic to extinguish An Le's anger.
This was what he ant by a "at shield."
"...Don't order takeout. Outside food isn't clean. Let
cook so noodles for Xiao Huan."
Hearing this, An Le smiled warmly but said nothing more, turning around to make the noodles.
Even Little Pinky did not appear to convey her words.
"..."
This eerie silence made Yan Huan feel like it was the calm before the storm, inexplicably filling him with a sense of panic.
'However, Hitomi is still here right now...'
"Hitomi, why are you here?"
"President, I was unable to contact you for a while. I was worried about you, so I ca to see you..."
Speaking of this, Sakuramiya Hitomi also harbored so complaints.
They had just... just done that kind of thing yesterday, and it should have been a ti when they were practically glued together, yet she couldn't reach him the very next day?!
Although she knew the President was not a scumbag man who would just pull up his pants and run, how could she not overthink things when he acted like this?
"I'm sorry..."
His "special edition Yezi AI" had crashed, but Yan Huan was not sure if Sakuramiya Hitomi had one on her, so he did not ntion the matter regarding Ye Shiyu.
But clearly, both Sakuramiya Hitomi and An Le already knew full well the reason why Yan Huan had returned so late, so they would not bla him for it.
At this mont, An Le, who was boiling water, walked back and sat beside Yan Huan,
"We even specifically asked Aruiya earlier, but we didn't expect her to go directly to look for you, Xiao Huan... She even said that you were sleeping soundly in the staff dormitory."
'No wonder Aruiya ca knocking on the door!'
'However, I really have to thank them; otherwise, Ye Shiyu wouldn't have dropped fragnts.'
"So that's how it is..."
'Having teammates really makes a difference...'
Yan Huan sighed with emotion in his heart, but it seed to trigger a telepathic connection with Myau-chan on his shoulder, who gave him a deadpan look with dead-fish eyes.
The aning was clear: 'Am I not your teammate, ow?!'
"President..."
As she spoke, Sakuramiya Hitomi casually slid her mobile phone over to Yan Huan's hand, revealing the airplane mode icon on the screen.
Although Yan Huan knew that Ye Shiyu was unlikely to continue using her hypnosis tonight, he still followed her example and did the sa.
It was perfect timing anyway, as his phone was almost out of battery.
"..."
Only after Yan Huan had done so did Sakuramiya Hitomi speak up,
"Just now, An Le explained more details about the Modifier to ... Previously, the President had kept it rather brief..."
While saying this, she cast a seemingly casual glance at An Le, her face flushing slightly red.
"..."
Uh, that was because they were taking a shower together at the ti.
So...
Yan Huan's mouth had been a little too busy to explain.
"Mm, after all, Xiao Huan used to co back every night to discuss these things with , so I just explained it to Vice-President Sakuramiya on Xiao Huan's behalf..."
An Le stood up to go cook the noodles, but she did not forget to reply to Sakuramiya Hitomi.
"..."
In their seats, Yan Huan and Myau-chan looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi for a mont, then at An Le...
Yes, both of them could feel it...
Although it was very faint, there was definitely a sll of gunpowder in the air.
Their words clearly carried hidden anings.
Hearing this, Sakuramiya Hitomi took a deep breath, but still looked at Yan Huan and got straight to the point,
"If Ye Shiyu can remotely hypnotize users through the Yezi AI, then President, this is a very dangerous situation.
"When I was at work today, I organized the data. This software is performing exceptionally well in Linn. The download volu and user coverage rate are hitting new highs every day...
"Not just in Linn, but in the entire international market, the Yezi AI's download volu is ranking at the top. You have to realize, it hasn't even been that long..."
"So correspondingly, the stock prices of the Jinshi Group and Ye International are also continuously soaring."
Yan Huan stroked his chin and murmured,
"I still don't know what Ye Shiyu is trying to do, but it's very obvious that she is the one pushing this..."
To be honest, Yan Huan could not understand it either.
The Yezi AI being upgraded by her Modifier to a level that leaped several generations ahead of competing products completely contradicted Ye Shiyu's personality and logic.
Because Modifier hosts would involuntarily avoid exposing their abilities, broadly releasing a product whose technological advancent was driven by such an ability would undoubtedly increase the risk of exposure...
Ye Shiyu's personality was risk-averse, yet she was willing to take such a risk...
Unless the benefits of the goal she wanted to achieve completely outweighed such risks in her eyes.
"Perhaps she wants to help Aunt Ye boost her performance trics?"
This was the only objective Yan Huan could think of.
After all, if it were for her own sake, she absolutely did not need to promote the Yezi AI like this. Just installing a transparent software on her own phone was already more than enough to handle.
"That shouldn't... be it, right? Even if there is such an intention, judging from the news I received from my mother, this is not Ye Shiyu's main goal..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi pursed her lips and looked at Yan Huan,
"Mother said that Ye International's strategic goal in Linn is not expansionary.
"They know very well that they are not a match for the Jinshi Group, so the task given to Aunt Ye Lan has always been to stabilize market share and establish a firm foothold...
"Cooperating with the Jinshi Group and achieving such performance is naturally the icing on the cake, but given Aunt Ye Lan's familial relationship with the leaders of Ye International, she completely doesn't need these trics.
"Even I know this point; it's impossible for Ye Shiyu not to know."
Over there, Sakuramiya Hitomi and Yan Huan were analyzing the situation with clear logic and reason.
anwhile, to the side, An Le, who was cooking the noodles, blinked but could not help lowering her eyes.
Yes, she could not interject in this kind of topic at all.
After all, given Sakuramiya Hitomi's status as an Eldest Miss, it was fundantally impossible for a kid like her from the Outer Campus living in the Luoqiao District to understand such major affairs.
Moreover, she was not skilled in interpersonal relationships...
The only person she had a relatively good relationship with, Aruiya, could indeed access this kind of information...
But did anyone really think Aruiya would bother to morize these things?
Therefore, when analyzing how to resolve the Modifier with Xiao Huan, An Le often could not offer much help. She could only encourage Xiao Huan and fully cooperate with his strategies.
For example, playing the good cop and bad cop, or helping Xiao Huan cross the sea under false pretenses.
But Vice-President Sakuramiya...
"..."
As she cooked the noodles, An Le glanced at Yan Huan and Sakuramiya Hitomi over by the table. She felt that their atmosphere was harmonious, making it look much more like they were "holding a eting to resolve the Modifier."
Compared to the scenes of her and Xiao Huan discussing things previously...
Well, every ti she and Xiao Huan held a eting, they would always end up inexplicably lying on the bed.
Although displeasure surged in An Le's heart, she would not interrupt Sakuramiya Hitomi.
After all, she knew that the information Sakuramiya Hitomi was providing was very likely to help Xiao Huan.
Clunk.
Even when she brought the noodles over, she did not make a sound to disturb them. She simply sat quietly beside Yan Huan, continuing to listen to Sakuramiya Hitomi.
"Thank you, An Le."
"Mm... Eat slowly, it's still a bit hot, Xiao Huan..."
An Le smiled slightly and said.
"If it's not salty enough, I can add a little more soy sauce for you?"
"It's enough, it's enough..."
Yan Huan took a bite of the noodles and hurriedly shook his head, while An Le covered her mouth and chuckled, simply watching him.
"..."
Little did they know, this scene was extrely much of an eyesore to Sakuramiya Hitomi.
She pursed her lips and could not help but glance around this rental apartnt, which was full of the atmosphere of daily life.
Inside, traces of An Le's living presence were everywhere.
Not only were there pieces of clothing hanging to dry—which seed noticeably fewer in fabric than what Sakuramiya Hitomi had seen previously... Uh...
A nurse uniform, a little zombie costu, a wedding dress, a black silk dudou, a bathrobe, a bunny girl suit, a little devil outfit, a short-skirt police uniform, and even a nun's habit...
There were two toothbrushes and two cups placed in the bathroom, her computer and water cup in the living room, and two pairs of slippers placed at the entrance...
Sakuramiya Hitomi looked down at the shoe covers she was wearing, making her even more furious.
She kept feeling like she was just a "guest" visiting their ho!
Even though her relationship with the President was clearly on that level!
Yet it felt as though she was just a business partner here to discuss official matters, forced to watch a virtuous wife showing affection to the President?!
Was this right?!
"Vice-President Sakuramiya, do you want to eat a little? If you want, I can cook so more..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi gritted her teeth, her eyes staring blankly, but she was snapped back to reality by An Le's question.
Her expression hurriedly returned to normal as she waved her hand at An Le,
"No need, no need. It's already so late, and I usually don't eat late-night snacks..."
"Yeah, it's already so late... Hitomi, what about your family..."
ntioning this, Yan Huan suddenly thought of the ti they watched the fireworks.
Her family used to have a curfew; otherwise, Yan Huan would not have had to sneak her out.
Earlier, Yan Huan had slept in the staff dormitory for a long ti, followed by Ye Shiyu's night raid, and the sudden arrival of Ye Lan and Aruiya.
Then he had to take a taxi back from Kyogo Ward, and now it was already almost ten o'clock...
"It's fine, it's fine. Ever since my internship, the curfew hasn't been a thing anymore. Especially... especially after starting the internship..."
Speaking of this matter, Sakuramiya Hitomi's face blushed again.
Well, in truth, it had absolutely nothing to do with "ever since her internship."
It was because after the rain that day, Sakuramiya Hitomi had returned ho limping but with a flushed red face...
Anyone with discerning eyes would know what had happened at a glance, let alone her mother.
Sakuramiya Lily did not say much, rely lifting the curfew while advising,
"Oh my, I made a mistake back in the day and had you with your father very early on, so you absolutely must make sure to use contracep— Mmph!"
Those were Sakuramiya Lily's exact words before she was interrupted by a blushing Sakuramiya Hitomi.
"So that's how it is..."
In two or three bites, Yan Huan finished the noodles.
Sakuramiya Hitomi stared in astonishnt at the bowl, which was as big as her face. She visually estimated the amount of noodles, and her eyes could not help but widen slightly.
"However, going from here back to Kyogo Ward would take over forty minutes even by taxi, and the place Vice-President Sakuramiya lives is quite out of the way..."
"Mm, so I was thinking of finding a slightly better hotel or sothing nearby later..."
"A hotel in the South Ward?"
Yan Huan's mouth twitched slightly, finding it hard to bear.
Although Sakuramiya Hitomi had her Barrier, adhering to the principle of "avoid using it whenever possible," Yan Huan still considered the matter of where she would stay the night.
'At Sister Tong's?'
'Speaking of which, ever since the High Table Dinner, Sister Tong doesn't seem to have been around these past few days. I wonder where she went.'
'So, the Lullaby Tavern is most likely empty.'
'However...'
'Letting Sakuramiya stay at Sister Tong's place...'
For so reason, Yan Huan inexplicably felt a shudder of fear down his spine.
"Otherwise, how about Vice-President Sakuramiya stays and sleeps here with us tonight?"
Suddenly, An Le smiled faintly from the side, raising her index finger as she dropped a bombshell of a statent. Hearing these words, Yan Huan widened his eyes, and Sakuramiya Hitomi glanced left and right at Yan Huan and An Le, her face instantly turning unbelievably red,
"T-T-Together?! No, no, no, no... I can't do that..."
Her eyes began to spin into tangled, mosquito-coil spirals, presumably having already imagined all sorts of colorful scenes.
"Pfft! What are you thinking about, Vice-President Sakuramiya? I ant the two of us girls sleeping together~"
An Le covered her mouth and giggled, leaving Sakuramiya Hitomi covering her face and blinking as she froze in place,
"Eh?"
'So it's An Le and Sakuramiya Hitomi sleeping together...'
"What are you feeling disappointed about, ow?!"
Beside him, Myau-chan pushed Yan Huan's face with its paw pads, ruthlessly pointing this out.
Even though Yan Huan hadn't said a single word.
"That works. You two can sleep on the bed, and I'll just squeeze onto the sofa in the living room," Yan Huan said.
Hearing Yan Huan speak, Sakuramiya Hitomi looked toward the single square sofa in the living room.
"...How can that do? Why don't I just..."
"No need, Xiao Huan can just make a bed on the floor in the bedroom. Besides, it's been so hot at night lately, and only the bedroom has an air conditioner."
An Le clapped her hands as she said this.
Promptly, she turned to look at Sakuramiya Hitomi again,
"What do you think? Plus, we can even go to work together tomorrow~"
"Well... then..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi's small face was flushed red, but after thinking it over carefully, she found nothing wrong with the arrangent.
Moreover...
She also sowhat wanted...
To stay overnight at the President's ho.
"Then, excuse my intrusion..."
"Mm-hmm!"
"Lights out~"
Click~
That night, after washing up, the bedroom door was gently closed.
The air conditioner, running on the lowest fan setting, humd softly. As the lights went out, the entire bedroom settled into quiet.
Yan Huan lay on the bed on the floor, resting the back of his head on his hands, and stared at the bedroom ceiling.
Speaking of which, when Self-Doubting Sakuramiya ca to the house previously, she seed to have slept on a bed on the floor as well.
Though, in the end, the two of them still slept together.
Now, it could be said that the tables had turned...
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Xiao Huan."
"Goodnight, President..."
Down on the floor, Yan Huan closed his eyes.
anwhile, on the inner side of the bed, Sakuramiya Hitomi could not help but take a deep breath.
Subconsciously, she turned to sleep on her right side, following her most comfortable sleeping posture at ho.
"Mmph..."
As a result, the mont she turned over, her face was buried into a patch of warm softness.
"Hmm?"
Sakuramiya Hitomi's face darkened. She pulled back slightly and looked up, only to see An Le, who was also sleeping on her side, looking at her with a confused expression.
"..."
Sakuramiya Hitomi glanced at what was in front of her, then looked down at herself, and promptly fell into silence.
After a long silence, she silently turned her head away and slept with her back facing An Le.
Out of sight, out of mind.
"ow~"
In the darkness, free from the annoying Modifier hosts disturbing their bond, Myau-chan could finally sleep with Yan Huan once again.
It let out a big yawn, then raised its paw pads and began making biscuits on Yan Huan's chest.
"..."
After repeating this a few tis, it elegantly curled its tail, wrapped itself up within it, and lay on Yan Huan's chest, closing its eyes comfortably.
"..."
There was another period of silence, and it was unknown how much ti had passed.
Regardless, Yan Huan had already developed a strong sense of drowsiness.
"Vice-President Sakuramiya? Vice-President Sakuramiya?"
Until, in the darkness, a couple of soft calls rang out, instantly jolting Yan Huan fully awake from his thoughts right before he drifted off to sleep,
"..."
There was no response, as if the person being called was sleeping soundly.
Rustle... rustle.
Swish, swish.
In the next second, the sound of clothes rubbing against bedding echoed out.
In the pitch-black room, Myau-chan, who had been sleeping sweetly, instantly opened its dead-fish eyes and turned its head to the side,
"ow?"
Through the darkness, An Le, with a slightly flushed face, got out of bed and crouched down beside Yan Huan.
A question mark had just popped up over Myau-chan's head, but in the very next second, An Le scooped it up with both hands,
"ow, ow, ow?"
"Heave-ho~"
Promptly, our dear Myau-chan was casually tossed to the side.
"ow?!?"
"Hmm?"
Feeling the cat on his chest being moved away, Yan Huan opened his eyes.
The mont he opened his eyes and clearly saw the rosy-cheeked An Le right beside him, his eyes widened instantly.
"An Le?"
He hissed, keeping his voice as low as possible, yet still unable to conceal his shock.
Rustle... rustle.
Seeing that Yan Huan was awake, a beautiful and warm smile appeared on An Le's face.
Soon after, she silently reached out and lifted Yan Huan's blanket, clearly intending to slip inside.
But Yan Huan quickly reached out to stop her, even raising his head to pout his lips in Sakuramiya Hitomi's direction.
The aning was obvious:
'There's soone else here!!'
"..."
Seeing this, An Le looked at Sakuramiya Hitomi on the bed, whose back was turned toward them. Promptly, she leaned down to Yan Huan's ear and whispered sweetly,
"It's okay... The child is already asleep..."
What the hell do you an 'the child is already asleep'?!
Are you roleplaying right now?!
Upon hearing these words, the faces of all three individuals in the room darkened.
Yan Huan, lying on the bed on the floor, had his face darken instantly.
Myau-chan, who had been inexplicably tossed to the side and was full of resentnt, already had a face as black as coal, but now it was as black as a black hole...
And Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was pretending to sleep on the bed because she didn't want to answer An Le earlier, also felt her face turn completely black.
Rustle, rustle...
But in the very next second, the faint sound of bedding rubbing ca from behind, clearly the sound of soone slipping under the covers.
This caused Sakuramiya Hitomi's pupils to shrink instantly, her face turning crimson red.
'No...'
'You can't be serious?!'
'An Le, you... you-you-you, are you really going to do it right in front of ...'
'This kind of thing...'
'Don't do it!!'
"..."
What should she do?
Continue pretending to sleep?
Wouldn't that be too incompetent?!
An incompetent wife?!
But if she got up...
That would be way too awkward!!
Ugh!!
Swish... rustle...
Listening to the sounds of the bedding trembling slightly behind her becoming more and more obvious, Sakuramiya Hitomi's small face grew increasingly red.
To the point that even more indescribable scenes had already begun to surface in her mind...
'Stop it!!'
It was so hard to bear that she was about to burst into tears, but at the last second, she simply couldn't hold back anymore.
Because she had thought of an absolutely brilliant thod!!
"!!"
In the next second, Sakuramiya Hitomi, amidst the darkness, tightly closed her eyes and rolled over.
"Mmph..."
As she rolled over, the bed fra let out a slight creaking sound. All movents from the bed on the floor imdiately ceased, obviously as they both looked toward her.
"..."
But on the bed, Sakuramiya Hitomi kept her eyes shut, looking exactly like soone who was fast asleep and had rely rolled over.
'This is a warning, President!!'
'Quick... quickly stop this... this lewd behavior!!'
In the silence, Sakuramiya Hitomi scread in her heart.
"An Le, we really should still..."
'Ah, President!'
'You really do have a conscience!!'
In the darkness, hearing Yan Huan's hesitant voice filled Sakuramiya Hitomi's heart with great joy.
"It's fine, Xiao Huan, she won't wake up. Let's mwah... continue, okay?"
Rustle... rustle.
'An Le!!!!'
Sakuramiya Hitomi kept her eyes closed, but her cheeks instantly puffed up in anger.
She truly never expected that An Le would actually choose to "ignore the risks and continue the installation"?!
"..."
'I'll roll again!!'
In the next second, unable to suppress her anger, Sakuramiya Hitomi rolled over once more toward the edge of the bed.
Creak.
"Xiao Huan..."
This ti, there was another slight pause over there.
But it only paused for a few seconds before the bold An Le's voice rang out again,
"Xiao Huan..."
'Ahhhhhhh!!'
Sakuramiya Hitomi was trembling with anger and rolled over yet again.
...Rustle, rustle.
A one-second pause, and then they continued.
'Roll again!!'
This ti, the story of the boy who cried wolf ca true.
Since she just rolled over without waking up the first few tis, An Le now felt confident and didn't even bother stopping!
'D-Dammit!!'
In the next second, Sakuramiya Hitomi's small face flushed beet-red as she decided to make one final struggle.
'I'm rolling!!'
Thump!
However, in the very next second, Sakuramiya Hitomi rolled right off the bed and crashed down right beside Yan Huan.
"..."
Every tiny sound in the room instantly ca to a screeching halt. Yan Huan imdiately looked over in worry, and beside him, An Le also turned her head to look at Sakuramiya Hitomi.
Talk about a coincidence...
She was still "not awake."
But she just so happened to land right beside Yan Huan, and her head just so happened to lean against Yan Huan's shoulder, seemingly sleeping soundly.
It was hard to tell whether she had knocked herself out from the fall, or if she was genuinely just sleeping that heavily.
Regardless, Sakuramiya Hitomi remained completely motionless.
"..."
In the darkness, both Yan Huan and An Le were completely out of options.
They could only look at Sakuramiya Hitomi, who lay beside them with her eyes closed, and fall into silence.
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