Restricted Fantasy I Chapter 373: Bitter Fruit

"Tap... tap... tap..."

As the door to the basent slowly opened, a long staircase leading to the surface was revealed.

When Yan Huan's foot stepped onto the soft-carpeted steps, completely different from the concrete floor of the basent, he inevitably swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

His gaze shifted to Ye Shiyu's tall back view in front of him, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the tension just monts ago.

To be honest, before today, Yan Huan never thought he would say sothing as suicidal as "Then hypnotize " to Ye Shiyu.

Especially since tis had changed; previously, when he was hypnotized, he only felt a tingling sensation, but now, if he were to be hypnotized, it would be the real deal!

He would completely beco a mindless toy, almost like being under general anesthesia—it was terrifying.

But...

As Yan Huan drew closer to the ground floor completely unscathed, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Ye Shiyu...

Had actually not hypnotized him.

Not only that, but the scenes from the Battle Defeat CG...

Chains, hypnotizing An Le and Sakuramiya into forgetting him—it was all pure nonsense!

This made Yan Huan increasingly certain of one thing:

The Battle Defeat CG was total bullshit.

In that case, the implications behind this were quite intriguing.

His ability ca from Myau-chan's Modifier, which ant it indirectly ca from the Index Finger.

In other words, Ye Shiyu definitely possessed the Battle Defeat CG ability as well...

He wasn't sure if these false illusions were deliberately created by the Index Finger out of malice, or if the Index Finger's ability had its limits and wasn't a true future sight...

But Yan Huan could be certain that Ye Shiyu was also affected by the sa CG that influenced him.

No matter which way you looked at it, it probably wasn't a good thing.

Since his test was successful, she wasn't as terrifying as depicted in the Battle Defeat CG.

Then he... perhaps needed to tell her about this.

"Clack..."

Carrying various supplies as he walked up to the first floor, Yan Huan subconsciously scanned his surroundings, as he hadn't had the chance when he first arrived.

He had previously seen the interior decoration of this villa; it belonged to the more exquisite category.

However, since no one had lived here for a long ti, almost all the furniture was covered in dust sheets, adding a touch of desolation.

"Tonight, Xiao Huan can sleep on the bed in the master bedroom. I'll make a bed on the floor..."

There were many rooms in the villa, so there was no need for the two of them to squeeze into one.

But Ye Shiyu was likely afraid that Yan Huan would run away while she was asleep, so she made this arrangent.

Yan Huan had no objections, so he agreed.

"...Alright."

Removing the dust covers in the master bedroom, Yan Huan glanced back at Ye Shiyu, who was laying out her bedding by the bed.

She had taken off her shoes and was kneeling on the floor, her two small feet wrapped in black stockings tucked beneath her, presenting a beautiful shape.

Yan Huan watched for a few seconds before seeing Ye Shiyu, who had finished laying out the sheets on the floor, turn sideways and pull two pillows from the bags. Those were what she had bought when she went out earlier.

She placed one on her side of the floor bed to rest her head on, and hugged the other in her arms.

It seed... she had a habit of sleeping tightly embracing sothing in her arms.

After doing all this, Yan Huan watched as Ye Shiyu slipped under the duvet and lay down completely.

'Is she going to sleep without taking off her stockings?'

Having observed the entire process, Yan Huan subconsciously felt curious.

At this mont, Ye Shiyu suddenly turned her head.

Reacting extrely quickly, Yan Huan hastily withdrew his gaze, looked toward the nightstand, and asked,

"Should I turn off the lights?"

"...Mhm."

She nodded, responding softly.

Yan Huan was just about to reach out, but abruptly paused mid-air.

After hesitating for a mont, he said softly,

"Ye Shiyu, I have sothing very important to tell you..."

"..."

Ye Shiyu didn't reply, but Yan Huan could feel her gaze still resting on him, indicating that she was listening.

So, Yan Huan took a deep breath and looked at her.

"I know you have an ability similar to future sight—a Battle Defeat CG. And, it definitely must have triggered earlier..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Shiyu's eyes flickered slightly, clearly affected.

And after thinking long and hard, Yan Huan still told her,

"I also have this ability, so I know very well: the contents within it are fake, or at the very least, inaccurate... Therefore, no matter what it showed, it's..."

However, Ye Shiyu listened with an expressionless face.

While listening, she suddenly interrupted in a soft voice,

"Liar..."

"..."

Hearing this, Yan Huan's pupils couldn't help but contract, his words catching in his throat.

A few seconds later, he looked at the expressionless face of Ye Shiyu and stated, convinced,

"What I'm saying is true."

But Ye Shiyu rely looked at him, her voice trembling slightly as she continued,

"Everything Xiao Huan told

before, I believed to be true."

"..."

"On the night we left ho, Xiao Huan said you saw

as an older sister, and I believed it; in the bookstore, Xiao Huan said you might see

as the opposite gender, and I believed it; on the day of our date, when Xiao Huan took the initiative to invite

and said you were very happy, I believed that too..."

Ye Shiyu hugged her pillow, lying on her side among the bedding.

Amidst the spread of her black hair, only half of her face, with those confused eyes, was visible.

In the shadows beside her face flowed her indescribable sorrow,

"But now, I don't believe you anymore."

"..."

Yet for so unknown reason, upon hearing those words, Yan Huan's heart skipped a beat.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at Ye Shiyu in the bedding, seemingly spotting traces of scars within her eyes.

On every scar reflected the image of him previously choking her, ferociously cursing and declaring his hatred for her.

She had been deeply hurt...

Extrely hurt.

It was ironic; before, Yan Huan feared Ye Shiyu, always terrified she would harm him, so he constantly tried to stay away from her.

Now, Yan Huan had seen through the truth behind the Battle Defeat CG, overco his fear of her, and voluntarily stayed behind...

But Ye Shiyu no longer trusted him.

"..."

Sensing Yan Huan's montary silence, Ye Shiyu turned her head away, her back to him.

"Don't worry, Xiao Huan. You don't need to think of any way to escape. From now on, I won't do anything to you, nor will I hypnotize you again...

"Once I finish what I need to do, I'll let Xiao Huan leave, and I won't disturb your life anymore after that...

"Okay?"

'What she needs to do...'

Such phrasing made Yan Huan intuitively uneasy.

But at this mont, looking at her back view turned away from him—a figure representing "rejection" and "injury"...

Yan Huan knew that saying more would be useless.

She didn't even ask why he had an ability that could resist her hypnosis...

"Click~"

Consequently, Yan Huan didn't reply; he rely reached out and silently turned off the room's lights.

The darkness tinted the complex atmosphere between them, and the silence played the tune of their distant yet connected relationship.

Yan Huan lay down, seemingly imitating her as he hugged the warm and cozy chubby black cat in his arms.

Imdiately after, he turned on his side, facing Ye Shiyu's direction, swallowing the bitter fruit born from his previous lies.

Little did he know that Ye Shiyu, with her back to him and tightly hugging her pillow, had also shed a single tear.

It seed those resolute words were a double-edged sword, piercing Yan Huan on one side while sinking into her own chest on the other.

"..."

Yet Ye Shiyu beca increasingly convinced that Yezi AI's deduction was real.

When she leaned against the door to review the deductions of the future, she had seen three video clips.

The first clip among them showed Xiao Huan, in order to escape, accusing everything she saw of being fake!

Now, it had truly beco a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Then...

The remaining two future clips...

"..."

From within the pristine white pillow, Ye Shiyu raised her profound eyes, her thoughts unknown.

...

...

"Not bad, living in a villa feels really not bad, ow!"

"Pitter-patter..."

The next day, morning.

In the corridor of the second floor of the villa, an invisible black cat bounded back and forth with its tail held high, frolicking happily.

Yan Huan followed behind with his hands behind his back, staring speechlessly at the Divine Lord ahead who disdained the poor and loved the rich, not knowing what to say.

However...

Yan Huan couldn't help but turn his head to inspect the vacant rooms all around him.

Speaking of which, this was the exact place he had originally considered moving to.

There were plenty of rooms, enough to accommodate the needs of every girl. Moreover, outside there was a spacious outdoor pool and courtyard. Hosting a picnic or throwing a party during free ti would be a breeze.

Faintly, a vision seed to appear before Yan Huan's eyes,

"ow~"

A black cat running around the house.

"Ahaha, President~"

Myau-chan was chasing after Sakuramiya Hitomi, who was holding a cat treat in front of him.

"I'm gonna go diving, rawr!!"

Outside, Aruiya had changed into a swimsuit and was preparing to go diving by the pool,

"Bang!"

But the very next second, from a room on the first floor, Bai Yi poked her head out and yelled, flying into a rage at Aruiya,

"You idiot, stop interrupting my vocal practice!"

Seeing this, An Le covered her mouth and giggled,

"Bai Yi, do you want to have so barbecue?"

He and An Le had set up a grill by the pool side, roasting at for everyone to eat.

It was incredibly beautiful, to say the least.

Looking at the vibrant scene before him, Yan Huan couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart.

'Crab Coins...'

Thinking about the miraculous concept bestowed by the demon on that shore, an imperceptible shadow flashed across Yan Huan's eyes.

"Xiao Huan, ti to eat."

Ye Shiyu's voice rang out, causing Yan Huan to startle slightly.

Was he really this greedy?

Just last night, he had shattered the false phantom of Ye Shiyu from the Battle Defeat CG, and yet today she was appearing in his beautiful fantasies?

"..."

But a second later, looking at Ye Shiyu holding the breakfast, with her tilted head and expressionless face staring at him, the fantasy bubble above Yan Huan's head instantly burst, bringing him back to reality.

Right now, inside this massive villa, aside from him and Ye Shiyu, there was absolutely no one else.

And Ye Shiyu had just returned from buying breakfast...

Looking questioningly at him as he wallowed in his dreams of a bright future.

"...Thank you."

Feeling a bit awkward, Yan Huan had no choice but to take the stead buns and soy milk she handed him.

"Co on, co on, over here..."

As he was eating, he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening downstairs, accompanied by the voices of other people.

Yan Huan's expression shifted slightly, and he couldn't help but look at Ye Shiyu.

But Ye Shiyu maintained an expressionless face, simply turning her head to say,

"Let's go, the things I bought for you have arrived, Xiao Huan."

"...Bought for ?"

Confused, Yan Huan followed Ye Shiyu downstairs and saw delivery workers carrying items inside one by one.

A ga console, a computer, monitors, controllers, a huge TV...

Watching them bring everything in and imdiately start mounting things on the walls, Yan Huan's mouth twitched slightly as he looked at Ye Shiyu,

"I was worried Xiao Huan would be bored here, so I prepared so things to relieve your boredom... As well as Xiao Huan's phone..."

"..."

Yan Huan raised an eyebrow and took the phone Ye Shiyu handed over.

Unlocking it, he saw that after a whole night, not a single ssage had co through on Plane.

'Was this right?'

Yan Huan remained silent, realizing sothing, and backed out to the ho screen.

Right there, prominently displayed, was a brand new version of the Yezi App.

"..."

Well, it seed that even if he wanted to contact anyone to attempt an escape, it would be impossible. The Yezi AI would monitor him around the clock.

However, he hadn't planned on leaving anyway.

"Now I'm even more curious how you managed to get this villa..."

This villa cost tens of millions. Even for Ye Shiyu, it was absolutely impossible to pull out that kind of money while hiding it from Ye Lan.

So without a doubt, she had likely used her noble hypnosis again.

"...You don't need to worry about anyone else noticing. It's very safe here."

Ye Shiyu didn't elaborate; she only offered that single sentence.

Yan Huan observed Ye Shiyu's expressionless side profile, sensing beneath it her subtle but definite shift in attitude towards him compared to the past.

Yan Huan nodded, choosing not to invite further snubs. He ate his bun and resud touring the villa.

'Hmm, this room on the first floor can be left for Sakuramiya...'

'Her health is poor, so climbing stairs would definitely be a hassle.'

'This room is a bit larger, maybe leave it for Bai Yi as an instrunt room?'

'Who knows how she would react if she found out?'

"Scumbag man! Big jerk!!"

'She would probably say sothing like that, right?'

Yan Huan was unable to help but laugh. Through the window of this bedroom, he looked outside, vaguely hallucinating Bai Yi saying exactly that.

"..."

"Co, Miss Bai, right this way..."

'Hm?'

But while listening, as the voice of another person in front of Bai Yi drifted over, Yan Huan's expression suddenly changed.

'Wait...'

'It's not fake?!'

Yan Huan suddenly realized that the Bai Yi walking outside wasn't his hallucination—she was real!

He saw Bai Yi outside, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and sporting sunglasses on her head. Under a real estate agent's guidance, she walked over to...

'The opposite side?!'

Yan Huan's gaze subconsciously chased after her, but as soon as he turned his head, he saw the expressionless Ye Shiyu standing right behind him.

Yan Huan's scalp subconsciously tingled. He wanted to don his mask of perfect poise to defend against the enemy.

But, he suddenly rembered what had happened last night.

So, bit by bit, he took off the mask and sighed, saying,

"Don't worry. I won't do anything, nor will I let her discover we're here."

"..."

Seeing her remain silent, Yan Huan had no choice but to add,

"I said it before: I'm not leaving."

Right now, Yan Huan was very focused on the "thing to do" Ye Shiyu ntioned last night.

But Ye Shiyu didn't trust him at all anymore, so she wouldn't believe a word he said, and she wouldn't listen to anything he uttered.

If he wanted to uncover the truth behind "that thing," and even resolve the Modifier, Yan Huan first needed to earn Ye Shiyu's trust.

"Smack!"

However, in the very next second, Ye Shiyu suddenly reached out, grabbing Yan Huan and pulling him into her embrace.

"???"

Startled, Yan Huan felt her body right up against his and caught the crisp, floral scent radiating from her. He lowered his head and stole a glance at her.

Only to see that she wasn't looking at him; instead, she was using her peripheral vision to look toward the window side.

Outside, at the entrance of the villa across from them, Bai Yi just happened to be turning her head to look around.

"Huh? So many workers?"

'The villa opposite...'

'Is undergoing renovations?'

'It already sold?'

'Ningxue even said there was no one nearby. To suddenly get neighbors like this... won't they file a complaint against

if I sing here later?'

"...Miss Bai, would you like to co in and take a look?"

Just at that mont, the real estate agent behind her spoke up, drawing her attention.

"Has the villa opposite been sold?"

"Ah, it seems... yes."

The agent's eyes went blank for a fleeting second before he quickly nodded, completely convinced.

"I see..."

Bai Yi wasn't good at socializing anyway, let alone engaging in the old-fashioned practice of visiting neighbors upon moving in.

It was best to not disturb each other. If they filed a complaint later, she would just go over to handle it then...

Thinking this, Bai Yi walked into the house.

It didn't take long for her to walk back out,

"It really is quite nice. I'll take this one."

"Alrighty! Let's go sign the contract. Once everything is settled, I'll give you the keys. You can move in with just your bags this afternoon..."

"Mhm."

In the room directly opposite, Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu leaned against the wall, face-to-face, watching the completely oblivious Bai Yi slowly walk away in the distance.

The next second, the two exchanged a glance.

Imdiately following that, Ye Shiyu actually released her grip on Yan Huan first, even taking a step back to proactively maintain her distance.

"..."

Seeing her act so distantly, Yan Huan lowered his eyes and tidied up his clothes where she had grabbed them.

"I'll go figure sothing out... Xiao Huan, whatever you do, please don't try to contact her, okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry."

"There will be a refrigerator and a washing machine delivered later. Xiao Huan, just supervise them while they install everything."

"Mhm."

Seeing she was still guarded and uneasy, Yan Huan smiled and nodded once more in agreent.

However, even if Ye Shiyu said she was leaving to figure sothing out...

Yan Huan had already seen Bai Yi, resolutely and quickly walking back with a key in hand not far away.

It seed the contract was already finalized.

'Wanting to stop her at this point is probably too late, isn't it?'

Or so Yan Huan thought.