Friday noon, outside the Student Council Office at Yuanyue Academy.
The slightly ajar door seed to form a distinct boundary, separating the inside and outside of the office into two opposing worlds.
Standing outside, Ye Shiyu tilted her head slightly in confusion after hearing Ying Gong Tong’s words from within. Her expressionless face gradually turned icy cold.
She looked at Ying Gong Tong, who was smiling before her, and asked,
"Xiaohuan is my younger brother... Why do I need you to pass a ssage?"
For soone who knew Ye Shiyu, it would be obvious that beneath her calm appearance, she was filled with raging turmoil.
However, Ying Gong Tong didn’t seem to notice at all. Covering her mouth with a hand, she maintained a polite and proper smile as she replied,
“Because this is the Student Council Office. Perhaps you should take another look at the sign on the door?”
With the door not open wide, Ye Shiyu stepped back slightly and saw the sign hanging on the door:
“Student Council Executive Office”
“Unauthorized Personnel Prohibited”
Ye Shiyu opened her mouth to speak, but Ying Gong Tong only smiled and continued explaining,
“This is the activity area for the Student Council Executive team. There are many important docunts inside, so unauthorized individuals aren’t allowed in. I’m not trying to make things difficult for you, senior.”
Rules were rigid, but people weren’t.
In reality, other students had often been allowed inside for discussions, like when Spencer was invited into the office to join a study group. Clearly, this was a deliberate obstacle set by Ying Gong Tong.
Ye Shiyu, no fool herself, quickly picked up on the sharp undertones in the other’s words.
One hand held a bag while the other grasped a phone. At so point, the screen lit up, emanating an unsettling aura that sent chills down the spine.
“I am Xiaohuan’s elder sister. I have sothing to discuss with him that has nothing to do with the Student Council. Please let
in.”
Ying Gong Tong didn’t reply directly and instead said,
“The President seed to have trouble resting yesterday and has only just fallen asleep. If senior doesn’t want
to pass on a ssage, does that an you want
to wake him up now?”
Ye Shiyu froze slightly, raising her eyes to glance at Yan Huan, lying on the sofa.
Because of the narrow gap in the door, she could only faintly make out his face.
His sleeping expression was serene, though faint dark circles under his eyes betrayed exhaustion. He looked utterly drained. Was it due to his part-ti job?
“...No need. I can co in and wait for Xiaohuan to wake up.”
Ying Gong Tong smiled again, adopting an official tone,
“I’m very sorry, senior. As I said, unauthorized individuals are not allowed into the Student Council Office. If there’s sothing urgent, please let
know, and I’ll pass it on when he wakes up.”
Great—an unbreakable loop.
To enter, she’d have to wake Yan Huan for permission. But she didn’t want to disturb his rest, especially seeing how tired he looked.
If she didn’t wake him, the Vice President wouldn’t allow her inside.
Communication… was such a hassle.
Hypnosis would be more efficient.
With that thought, Ye Shiyu’s gaze at Ying Gong Tong beca colder, less like looking at a person.
“What if… I insist on going in?”
Her phone screen glowed purple, a swirling vortex threatening to devour everything she loathed.
Unaware of the peril, Ye Shiyu also failed to sense the lurking danger within the barrier protecting the room.
Ying Gong Tong’s refusal may not have been entirely personal but a battle of reason against desire. If Ye Shiyu were to enter the barrier, who knew what Ying Gong Tong might do?
“Oh, by the way, Senior Ye. On Monday, the President ntioned you’re his elder sister…”
Suddenly, Ying Gong Tong’s eyes glimred, and she asked,
“Privately, can I ask what exactly the term ‘sibling’ ans in your case?”
“What does that… have to do with you?”
Ye Shiyu’s dislike for Ying Gong Tong grew, especially when she noticed the small blanket draped over Yan Huan. It was adorned with pink cherry blossoms, obviously belonging to a woman.
Her instincts were spot on—the blanket belonged to none other than Ying Gong Tong.
Covering her mouth, Ying Gong Tong chuckled gracefully,
“You don’t have to answer. I was just curious…”
Despite her polite words, her gaze silently appraised Ye Shiyu’s designer clothing.
“Senior, every piece you’re wearing costs over five figures. And this sester, as soon as you transferred here, the school announced a ‘Ye International’ scholarship…
“Given your affluent background, why is the President, your supposed younger brother, working part-ti to the point of exhaustion?”
At the sharp question, Ye Shiyu’s pupils shrank, her heart pierced like by a sharp blade.
She knew why.
Her mother had planned to adopt Yan Huan, but Ye Shiyu had sabotaged it, trying to drive him away. Yan Huan, perceptive as ever, had quietly chosen to leave.
Even now, with no ill will toward him, she still hadn’t persuaded him to co back. Why?
Because she feared herself.
She knew if Yan Huan moved back in, she wouldn’t be able to resist her twisted thoughts.
Even now, they haunted her, surfacing in their brief encounters.
She had driven him away to the South District out of selfishness. And now, her hesitation to bring him back stemd from the sa selfishness.
Her shaful desires consud her.
Lost in her guilt, Ye Shiyu looked at Ying Gong Tong with frozen lips. No retort ca.
Instead, she thought of a phrase she’d once seen online:
“Hypnosis exists to fulfill dirty desires, doesn’t it?”
This dark urge, filling the void left by her sha, emboldened her.
Tightly gripping her phone, black mist began to spread.
“You’re Ying Gong Tong, right?”
Ying Gong Tong’s eyes narrowed, noticing the danger.
“Indeed, Senior Ye,” she replied, tightening her grip on the door handle.
Just as Ye Shiyu was about to act, ow-chan, who had been watching alertly, suddenly hissed,
“ow!”
Yan Huan jolted awake, his hand calming the agitated ow-chan as he sat up.
His long lashes lifted, cold eyes sweeping toward the door. Though his view was limited, he imdiately guessed the situation.
“Shiyu-jie?” His sleepy voice cut through the tension.
The thick aura around Ye Shiyu vanished, and her phone lowered as though it had grown impossibly heavy.
Both won turned to the couch, hearts pounding as they glimpsed Yan Huan’s adorably drowsy face.
It must have been our conversation that woke him.
Blaming each other inwardly, they grew even more resentful.
Yan Huan sighed,
“Ying Gong, can you let Shiyu-jie in?”
Reluctantly, Ying Gong Tong stepped aside, maintaining a perfect fa??ade of professionalism.
Ye Shiyu entered with her bag, her expression softening.
“Sorry for waking you…”
Ye Huan smiled lightly and replied casually,
“It’s fine. I was just planning to take a quick nap... Shiyu-jie, are you here to return the school uniform?”
His gaze shifted to the paper bag Ye Shiyu was carrying, as if he already knew why she had co.
A school uniform? Ying Gong Tong, who had quietly walked back into the office, showed a thoughtful expression.
So, the President had stayed at her place last week, leaving his clothes behind? But the real question remained: what exactly was the relationship between Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu?
Siblings? Certainly not biological. That made the term far more intriguing.
“Mm, Aunt Chen already washed it,” Ye Shiyu nodded, then sat on the sa sofa as Yan Huan. This subtle move made Ying Gong Tong frown slightly.
“Ah, thanks, Shiyu-jie. But for sothing like this, you could’ve just ssaged
on Plane and left it in the classroom. No need to make such a trip.”
He was mostly worried about how she almost used the Modifier on Ying Gong Tong just because she had been denied entry due to the rules.
Ye Shiyu didn’t respond to his words. Instead, her eyes stayed fixed on the small blanket draped over Yan Huan’s legs—Ying Gong Tong’s blanket.
She gently pushed it aside and placed the bag on Yan Huan’s lap.
“I brought you so new clothes. Mom picked out a few more online after you left, so I brought them along too...”
Yan Huan blinked, while the smile on Ying Gong Tong’s face stiffened slightly.
So, you just casually push my blanket aside, huh? Fine.
After Ye Shiyu finished speaking, the atmosphere in the office suddenly grew tense. She had completed her task, but she made no move to leave, sitting still as if rooted to the spot.
Ying Gong Tong maintained her perfect Vice President deanor, quietly observing their interaction.
Yan Huan sighed inwardly, ready to start a conversation to ease the mood, but Ye Shiyu mustered her courage and spoke first.
“Xiaohuan... Is your part-ti job very tiring?”
Ying Gong Tong’s gaze lingered on Ye Shiyu’s side profile.
Yan Huan didn’t answer imdiately. Instead, he glanced at ow-chan sitting nearby.
“Vice President Ying Gong seems very curious about your sibling relationship with Ye Shiyu, ow,” ow-chan’s voice rang in his mind.
“She even questioned why, despite her wealthy background, her so-called ‘brother’ still needs to work part-ti.”
Ah, so that’s what happened...
Thanks, ow-chan.
Yan Huan found it odd that the Vice President had delved into his private affairs. When he turned to Ye Shiyu, the guilt in her expression confird his suspicions—she was thinking about how her actions had driven him out of the Ye family ho.
Strangely, her guilt seed to suppress her urge to use the Modifier, yet when Ying Gong Tong unknowingly prodded at the sa point, it had the opposite effect.
Was the Modifier only restrained when it ca to him?
“It’s alright. The part-ti laws in Linn cap work hours at 28 hours a week, so it’s not too bad. The boss is generous, too.” He gestured to his eyes and added, “I just stayed up too late last night working on my own stuff, so I didn’t sleep well.”
“Is that so...”
Ye Shiyu opened her mouth, but the words “Why not co back ho?” refused to co out.
Emotionally, she knew she should say it. He had expressed a longing for familial warmth.
Desires urged her to bring him ho, whispering promises of closeness and intimacy.
But rationality pulled hard on the reins, weighing the consequences.
“I...”
Ding ding ding~
Her phone rang suddenly, breaking her hesitation.
Answering the call, she nodded twice and hung up.
It was the family driver coming to pick her up.
“...Shiyu-jie, are you leaving?” Yan Huan asked.
Ye Shiyu nodded, her eyes still on him.
“I’ll walk you out then. I need to wait for the school bus anyway.”
“Mom said she wants to take us out for dinner tonight.”
“Huh?”
That was odd. The driver hadn’t ntioned anything about Ye Lan’s plans during the call, had they?
Yan Huan blinked, and Ying Gong Tong’s hand paused mid-sip of coffee, her gaze falling on Ye Shiyu.
That look—like soone had caught her lying—made Ye Shiyu a bit flustered. She avoided their gazes, her lips pouting slightly.
“It’s true! Mom said it.”
Her stubbornness made Yan Huan chuckle. Still, his eyes caught the odd way her phone screen lit up briefly.
“...Alright. If Aunt Ye is inviting us, I’ll go.”
“Mm...”
Ye Shiyu nodded and stood up. She glanced at Ying Gong Tong, who sat sipping her coffee without drinking, and then left without a word.
Once outside the office, Ye Shiyu felt an oppressive weight lift.
“Let’s go, Xiaohuan. The car will arrive soon.”
The suffocating atmosphere dissipated as soon as they stepped out.
Yan Huan glanced back at Ying Gong Tong, folding the borrowed blanket neatly.
“Let
handle it, President.”
“It’s fine. I’m heading out anyway. I’ll leave early this afternoon. Just ssage
on Plane if anything cos up.”
“Understood, President.”
Ying Gong Tong replied dutifully, but her gaze flickered between Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu outside.
Sothing about their dynamic didn’t sit right with her. It wasn’t romantic. But it wasn’t sibling-like either.
How strange...
Yan Huan packed his things, picking up the bag Ye Shiyu had brought, but paused at the door.
“Oh, Ying Gong...”
“Ah?”
Distracted, Ying Gong Tong quickly snapped back to attention.
“President?”
He smiled warmly. “Thanks for the blanket and coffee. I slept really well at noon. Also... see you at the weekend’s Linn Ga Expo.”
“Ah, sure, President.”
Click.
The door closed as Yan Huan left.
Ying Gong Tong stood frozen for a few seconds, wide-eyed.
Then, as silence filled the room, a blush slowly spread across her pale cheeks, consuming her entire face.
Her fingers brushed her face, tingling from the warmth. Finally, she buried her face in her hands, leaving only her pink-tinted ears visible.
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