Restricted Fantasy I Chapter 96: A Love Brain Battle Between a Few Geniuses and O

"Vice President Ying Gong! You're here too."

Bai Yi's gaze passed over Spencer and An Le, quickly landing on Ying Gong Tong, who was sitting beside Yan Huan.

Her face lit up with joy as she greeted Ying Gong and hurriedly sat beside her.

"Is Ying Gong in charge of the study group today?"

Ying Gong Tong smiled and nodded.

"Yes, Yaqiao isn't feeling well today, so I'm filling in for him."

"Then I'll be counting on your tutoring today, Ying Gong!"

"No problem~"

Yan Huan and An Le both secretly observed the scene of what seed like a budding friendship and had the sa thought simultaneously.

Ying Gong and Bai Yi seem to have a good relationship?

As for Spencer…

Spencer was checking whether Yan Huan had brought milk tea today.

From this, Yan Huan quickly ford a plan and spoke to ow-chan.

"'Three Heroes vs. Yan Huan' isn't exactly accurate, ow-chan."

"ow?"

Perched on his shoulder, ow-chan tilted her head and looked at Yan Huan, who was speaking in all seriousness.

"We already analyzed this before. Bai Yi and An Le aren't much of a threat. Right now, the main one we need to deal with is Spencer."

"I see, ow. So first, we can win over An Le and Bai Yi, then see how Spencer reacts?"

"Exactly."

With Ying Gong Tong's status, making friends with anyone should be effortless for her—it was just a matter of whether she wanted to.

The fact that she wasn’t well-liked at school had a lot to do with her pride as the direct heir of the Ying Gong family, always looking down on others.

Yet, she seed to get along well with Bai Yi, which was beyond Yan Huan’s expectations.

But this was actually a good thing. At least it showed that Ying Gong had changed since joining the Student Council.

Thinking that Bai Yi could be an ally, Yan Huan spoke up.

"Then, Ying Gong, I'll leave tutoring Bai Yi to you today."

Next up was An Le.

He turned to look at An Le and asked,

"An Le…"

"Ah… Little Huan, um… I was thinking, could I help? Maybe tutor Spencer or sothing…?"

Before he could even ask, An Le glanced at the three sitting at the table, forcing a smile as she replied.

The presence of Vice President Ying Gong and Bai Yi was simply too overwhelming, making her feel sowhat inferior.

This made her instinctively move closer to Spencer, seeking comfort in numbers.

Thus, in Yan Huan's eyes, the entire clubroom naturally split into two camps.

On one side were Yan Huan, Ying Gong Tong, and Bai Yi.

On the other side were Spencer and An Le.

Logically, the side with more people, especially with soft and fluffy An Le on the opposing side, should be dominating.

Yet, Spencer, sitting there with her arms crossed, stood like an unshakable pillar, completely holding her ground against both Ying Gong and Bai Yi in terms of presence.

"That's right, An Le is here to help ."

Inside, Ying Gong Tong scoffed at the idea, completely unimpressed.

The Student Council President and I, both top students, are here to tutor you, and that’s still not enough? You need soone ranked in the forties to help?

What exactly are you up to?

Since An Le was already here, Yan Huan couldn't turn her away, so he pulled out a test paper and handed it to her.

"This is the test she needs to complete today. Once she finishes, I'll grade it. An Le, you can help explain any mistakes she makes."

"O-okay."

An Le nodded, glanced at the difficulty of the test paper, then turned to look at Spencer, who was already sitting down with her arms crossed.

Spencer, however, motioned toward Yan Huan with her chin.

As if saying: Go on, start. You're not seriously here just to help

with my howork, are you?

An Le pursed her lips and glanced at Ying Gong and Bai Yi, who were also distributing test papers.

As if saying: They're here. I can't.

Spencer had no choice but to look over at them, muttering in her heart,

"What kind of plan should I co up with?"

She raised her pen, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face as she turned to look at the other group.

Then, as if sothing clicked, she suddenly raised her test paper impatiently and asked Yan Huan,

"Hold on, why is my test still at a middle school level? Hers is already high school level? Didn't I pass the test on Tuesday?"

Yan Huan looked at her and replied,

"Because you only completed three subjects on Tuesday. There are still two left. Also, just barely passing a middle school test—is that really sothing to be proud of?"

Spencer scoffed and pointed at Bai Yi.

"Fine, I admit I'm bad at academics. But is she any better? If you ask , she's about the sa as !"

"?"

Bai Yi blinked in confusion and pointed at herself, wondering why she was suddenly being dragged into this.

She didn’t even dislike Spencer that much, and at the very least, she kept up appearances.

Wasn't Spencer supposed to do the sa?

Yet this girl just straight-up called her out.

Ying Gong Tong frowned and spoke up in Bai Yi’s defense.

"About the sa? Bai Yi juggles work on top of studying and still scores nearly 230 points higher than you. How do you have the nerve to compare yourself?"

"I don’t care about the past. If you don’t believe , let's take the sa test right now and see who scores higher."

Spencer lifted her test paper and then pointed at Ying Gong Tong.

"You be the judge. Watch us do it in real-ti. If I win, I get to take the sa level test as her!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yi's temper flared.

She had never provoked Spencer.

Yet Spencer kept pushing.

Fine. You want a challenge?

I refuse to believe that an idiot who barely passed a middle school test can beat .

She picked up her pen and said,

"I have no objections."

Ying Gong Tong's frown deepened. She sensed sothing off.

This girl… she knows she’s weaker, yet she’s still pushing forward…

She must be up to sothing.

However, despite being soone adept at scheming, Ying Gong Tong carefully observed Spencer, whose expression was as blank as a sheet of paper, and found nothing.

She had absolutely no idea what Spencer was thinking.

For now, she could only wait and see.

So, she made her decision.

"Alright."

anwhile, behind her, on An Le’s shoulder, Little Finger gasped in shock.

"This guy... actually self-destructed for you and them."

She fell for it~

Spencer activated Taunt, hard-controlling Bai Yi and Ying Gong Tong.

What was supposed to be a simple study session had now turned into a high-stakes battlefield, as tense as an actual exam hall, all thanks to Spencer.

For the sake of victory, Bai Yi would undoubtedly devote herself completely.

And as the judge, Ying Gong Tong, who was well aware of Spencer's capabilities, would be too focused on preventing her from cheating to pay attention to anything else.

Under these circumstances, a perfect opportunity for Yan Huan and An Le to be alone had been created!

Little Finger watched Spencer holding up the test paper and murmured,

"...Such self-sacrifice… Did this idiot read too many Plunder-Type doujinshi and actually empathize with the victims?"

"What are you mumbling about, Little Finger?!"

"Ahem..."

Little Finger flicked its tail, realizing the golden opportunity at hand and hurriedly reminded,

"Anyway, Spencer already set things up for you. You better take advantage of it!"

"I-I'll do my best!"

An Le clenched her fists and looked toward Yan Huan, who was sitting nearby.

Yan Huan was also considering Spencer's motives, but because he already understood the nature of Spencer's Modifier, he saw further than Ying Gong.

He had a vague sense that Spencer was acting as a decoy, drawing Ying Gong and Bai Yi’s attention away.

And given how she had dragged An Le here for no apparent reason today…

"I get it now, ow-chan."

"ow?"

Yan Huan's eyes lit up as he rubbed his chin, analyzing,

"Spencer figured out my connection with An Le and deliberately set up this alone-ti between us. The closer our bond gets, the more 'victims' she can add to her imaginary suffering."

In his mind, countless study materials from his past life resurfaced.

Among them, there were also stories about Childhood Friend tropes, classified under the so-called Plunder-Type category.

In these cases, you didn’t even need an official relationship. As long as one person "wavered," the bitterness of plunder could still be savored.

"She’s aiming to plunder both Ying Gong and An Le? That’s downright evil!"

ow-chan was horrified.

This Spencer—on the surface, she seed like a clueless fool, but who knew she had such a talent for scheming in this area?!

"What should we do now, ow?"

"The plan stays the sa. In fact, we can even let her have her way—just make sure she doesn’t get too cocky. As long as she loses and gets punished, that’s enough. With her la little tricks, the worst she could do is block the bathroom."

Yan Huan lifted his gaze, looking straight at Spencer as he asked,

"Fine, but what if you lose?"

Spencer's body stiffened slightly.

Sweat broke out on her forehead as she turned her head toward him.

"W-what do you an?"

"You said Bai Yi and you were about the sa, right? Then if you lose, you have to admit that you’re worse than Bai Yi."

"Hah?"

Spencer opened her mouth, about to argue, when Bai Yi suddenly chid in,

"If I lose to you, I’ll admit that I’m worse than you."

Spencer stood frozen in place, feeling the triple Death Stare from Yan Huan, Ying Gong Tong, and Bai Yi.

This was... a guaranteed loss.

Though she always acted tough, Spencer knew her own capabilities perfectly well.

When it ca to academics, she was barely smarter than An Le’s pet gecko. At best, she could perform basic cognitive functions.

An Le, her mouth slightly open, clearly knew Spencer’s level too.

She instinctively reached out, as if wanting to say sothing to save her.

But at that mont, Spencer resolutely turned away, leaving An Le with the tragic silhouette of a warrior marching toward her final battle.

"Fine! Let’s do this!!"

Little Finger was completely dumbfounded. It smacked itself in the face with its tail and exclaid,

"Th-this… Did I actually misjudge her?!"

Yan Huan nodded in satisfaction and picked up another high school-level test paper.

"Alright, then let’s begin. Just complete this short test."

Spencer gritted her teeth, snatched the test paper from his hands, and with her body trembling, walked toward the execution site—no, the exam table.

To soone like Spencer, who loved plundering others, admitting inferiority was a fatal blow.

If you wanted to steal what soone else loved, you had to surpass the "victim" in so way.

Even if nothing else was taken into account, you needed at least one advantage.

That way, you could create the illusion of superiority, making it seem as though external factors could crush emotional bonds, thus dealing a psychological blow to the one being plundered.

Spencer’s actions toward Yan Huan weren’t driven by any particular feelings for him.

Did she like his personality?

Not really.

Did she like his looks?

Didn’t seem that way.

Essentially, Yan Huan was just a dium—a tool for Spencer to prove that even with her terrible personality and idiocy, she could still toy with others effortlessly.

"So, let

be the one to shatter that illusion of superiority."

Watching her trembling figure walk toward the exam table, Yan Huan thought to himself.

Beside him, Ying Gong Tong picked up her watch and said,

"There aren’t many questions. The ti limit is thirty minutes. You can submit early, but only the final scores will count."

Spencer was drenched in cold sweat, while Bai Yi confidently picked up her ballpoint pen, determined to utterly crush the annoying Spencer.

The battle raged on, leaving the space behind them slightly emptier.

The veteran Yan Huan sat in place while An Le, clutching her water bottle, quietly moved closer to him.

"Superconductor mode only lasts a few minutes, but the effect of this water is totally different—it’s crazy strong!"

Little Finger's breathing grew rapid. Fixating on An Le’s profile, it whispered,

"An Le, with this water and Superconductor Mode, I guarantee you'll hit a ho run tonight! And he won’t even realize anything happened afterward!"

"R-really?"

"Why would I lie? What happens in doujinshi happens in reality. I promise, you'll be eating good."

An Le pursed her lips, her gaze inevitably drifting toward Yan Huan’s profile.

He sat with his arms crossed, fully focused on the competition.

His bangs, slightly ssy and fluffy, frad a pair of sharp, bright eyes. His lips were on the thinner side, looking incredibly enticing.

Since he usually had a faint smile on his face, the lack of one now made An Le want to force one onto him with a kiss.

His jawline was sharply defined, leading down to a prominent Adam’s apple.

What kind of sound would pass through there if he were overwheld with pleasure?

The saying goes, "A man ard with a lethal weapon will inevitably develop the desire to use it."

At this mont, An Le, holding that bottle of mineral water, felt the sa way.

Like a serpent whispering temptation to Eve, Little Finger enticed her deeper into her desires.

And so, with trembling hands, Eve lifted the bottle, about to offer it.

But before she could say anything, Yan Huan turned his head first.

Seeing her flushed face, he spoke up on his own.

"An Le."

"Y-yes!"

"What do you an 'yes'? I haven't even said anything yet."

"O-oh… right…"

She was way too nervous.

Noticing her tension, Yan Huan glanced at the unopened bottle of water in her hands and asked,

"Have you opened this?"

"No, but… but it's drinkable."

For so reason, those words just slipped out.

"Thanks."

Yan Huan happened to be a little thirsty, so he reached out and took the water from her.

Taking a closer look, he realized it was actually a Golden Lion Group Exclusive.

As he twisted the cap halfway open, sothing ca to mind, and he asked An Le,

"How have things been in class lately?"

"You an… Piao Shuwen and the others?"

"Yeah, they used to pick on you. Even though they were punished, it's hard to keep track of everything. No one knows what might be happening in private…"

An Le shook her head and said,

"Actually, even before, they only really said a few an things…

"Before I ca to Yuanyue, my family was really worried about this. But ever since you beca Student Council President, things have gotten much better."

As she spoke, she intertwined her fingers and continued,

"Besides, Little Huan, you openly acknowledged our relationship and have been looking out for … just like before."

Yan Huan looked at her, thinking about Spencer’s sche, and couldn't help but reach out to ruffle her hair.

Surprisingly, she didn’t resist at all, just sat there like a wobbling roly-poly toy, letting him ss up her hair.

"Uuu~"

"You're still the sa as before. That's not necessarily a good thing."

"S-sorry…"

"What are you apologizing for? Be stronger. Make more friends. Having only

as your friend—what is that?"

"Maybe… maybe it ans I’m your exclusive friend?"

"……"

Yan Huan froze for a mont, staring at the adorable An Le looking up at him.

A sudden, primal urge surged within him.

He quickly averted his gaze from certain overwhelming assets, chuckled helplessly, and said,

"You should think about yourself more. Stop always worrying about others, got it?"

"G-got it…"

Thinking about herself, huh?

She lifted her gaze to the bottle in Yan Huan’s hand, watching as he was about to take a sip.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Thump… thump… thump…

Yeah, Little Huan just said it himself—she should think about herself more.

So, doing what she wanted… that should be fine, right?

An Le opened her mouth slightly, and the scene before her blurred, rging with a mory from years ago in the South District.

She rembered bringing a refreshing drink from ho for Yan Huan.

They had sat under the shade of a tree, letting the patches of light and shadow dance across their bodies.

Just like now, she had lifted her head and looked at Yan Huan as he was about to take a sip.

And then, she had suddenly asked,

"Little Huan…"

"Hm?"

"In the future, you’ll be the dad, and I’ll be the mom, okay?"

Yan Huan, thinking she was just talking about playing house, casually lifted his drink and replied while sipping,

"Sure."

But maybe only An Le knew—she wasn’t talking about playing house.

She ant… forever.

"I… I’ll work hard to make Little Huan happy forever!"

At this mont, the brightness in her once-clear eyes was suddenly covered by a deep shadow.

Perched on her shoulder, Little Finger flicked its tongue, and the heart-shaped pink scales on its back started glowing.

"Hiss~"

Drink up, Little Huan…

I’ll make sure you feel good, make you happy…

But she was completely unaware that over at the test area, Ying Gong Tong seed to have sensed sothing and turned her head.

And there she saw An Le holding a bottle of water, sweetly chatting with the president.

Not only that, but the president even reached out to ruffle her hair, looking dotingly at her.

"……"

Crap, ho was being invaded?!

Ying Gong Tong's eyes turned red instantly.

Especially when she saw that childhood-friend-style interaction, her teeth clenched with jealousy.

She imdiately strode toward Yan Huan, ready to reclaim her territory.

And so, just as An Le was watching eagerly, just as Yan Huan was about to lift the bottle and take a sip of its sweet contents—

Ying Gong Tong successfully intervened.

"President, what were you and An Le talking about just now?"

Hearing this, Yan Huan blinked.

Because the water bottle was blocking his view, he hadn’t noticed the black thigh-high stockings Ying Gong was wearing.

So he placed the bottle back on the table and said,

"We were talking about Piao Shuwen… An Le, it was Ying Gong who handled the disciplinary action for that."

"…Thank you."

An Le watched in a daze as the bottle, which had been so close to being sipped, was placed back down.

Not only was her plan ruined, but now she had to thank the one who ruined it?!

"Um… Vice President Ying Gong… doesn’t the test over there need a monitor?"

Ying Gong glanced at An Le, who was clearly getting anxious, and covered her mouth with a soft chuckle.

"It’s fine. At this level, neither of them would stoop to cheating, right?"

As she spoke, she casually added another remark,

"Unless… An Le, you don’t trust Spencer?"

"N-no! That’s not it!"

"Then do you not trust Bai Yi?"

"N-not that either…"

Poor little An Le had never faced Ying Gong Tong in this mode before.

Just two casual counter-questions nearly had her unraveling herself trying to explain.

Seeing An Le flusteredly waving her hands, Ying Gong Tong smiled and said,

"I'm just kidding… President, An Le is way too adorable~"

Yan Huan smiled slightly.

Since the conversation had shifted, he twisted the bottle cap shut again.

He thought that, given An Le’s personality, it would be good for her to make more friends.

At school, Ying Gong Tong wasn’t exactly soone who could command an army with a single word, but she definitely had status.

Everyone knew she was the eldest daughter of the Ying Gong family, powerful and influential.

Making friends with soone like her was all benefits, no downsides—definitely a much better option than that idiot Spencer.

So, Yan Huan had an idea.

"An Le has always been cute since she was little. She can be a bit socially anxious sotis, but she’s actually a really good person."

C-cute?

The president called you cute?

He only ever said that to

before!

You think being childhood friends ans you can do whatever you want?

Let

tell you—Yuanyue Academy is not a lawless land!!

Ying Gong Tong smiled on the outside, but inside, she was already thinking about stabbing An Le.

She quickly jumped into the conversation, looking perfectly friendly as she asked,

"An Le was cute as a kid too? Tell

more—about you two when you were younger."

Though the question started with "An Le was cute," the key was that she said "you two" instead of just "you."

Which ant—what she really wanted to hear about was Yan Huan’s childhood.

An Le imdiately sensed the hidden aggression in Ying Gong Tong’s words and started sweating.

This is bad.

She wasn’t strong enough to handle this.

Stamring, struggling to respond, she instinctively looked toward Spencer, who was busy answering test questions.

Help… Soone help … No one said I had to go head-to-head with Vice President Ying Gong in a battle of wits!!

On the other side, Spencer was chewing on her pen like she was enduring torture.

Then, suddenly, the golden strands of hair on her head perked up like antennas, flashing as if receiving a signal.

She glanced over—only to see An Le getting absolutely wrecked by Ying Gong Tong.

"……"

Spencer opened her mouth, looking utterly disappointed.

Seriously? I gave you the opportunity, and you can’t even use it?!

Forget it…

Might as well carry this all the way through.

Deciding to believe in her teammate, Spencer activated what little CPU power she had left after struggling through the exam.

She turned toward Bai Yi, who was intensely focused on beating her in this test.

This girl is so obsessed with winning and losing?

How sad. How pitiful.

Casting a glance filled with pity at the "straight-A student" Bai Yi, Spencer suddenly had an idea.

For so reason, her brain was full of brilliant plans today—so much so that even she was surprised by how smart she was feeling.

"Smack!"

"Agh, screw this, I’m done."

While An Le was getting completely obliterated by the mighty force known as Ying Gong Tong, Spencer suddenly threw her pen onto the table and leaned back in her chair.

Bai Yi blinked in confusion, looking up.

Even the three who had been deep in conversation turned their attention toward her.

An Le breathed a sigh of relief, while Ying Gong Tong imdiately frowned and asked,

"Spencer, what nonsense are you pulling this ti?"

Yan Huan tensed up internally, wondering if this idiot was finally done with the setup and was about to activate her Modifier to pull so crazy stunt.

"...So, are you just giving up?"

Seeing Yan Huan's completely unimpressed, unaffected expression—like he didn’t even consider her a worthy opponent—Spencer felt a naless rage rise inside her.

But when she glanced at An Le behind him, she forcefully swallowed her anger, turned to Bai Yi, and gritted her teeth.

"Yeah, I give up. You’re better than . Happy now?"

"Eh?"

Bai Yi pointed at herself, completely baffled.

Ying Gong Tong also looked confused. She sighed, massaged her temples, and said,

"Spencer, this is a voluntary study group run by the Student Council to help you. If you didn’t want to participate, you could’ve just said so. What’s the point of throwing a tantrum?"

Bai Yi also put down her pen, looking at Spencer, who was sitting there with her arms crossed, completely unbothered.

"Yeah, what’s the deal, Spencer?"

Yan Huan remained an observer—after all, he was the only one who knew Spencer’s true goal here.

So, he picked up his water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and prepared to take a sip while listening to her explanation.

Seeing this, An Le tensed up, her fists clenching tightly, eyes fixed on the distance between Yan Huan’s lips and the bottle.

"X-Little Huan’s about to drink!!"

Little Finger practically popped champagne in celebration, cheering loudly,

"Spencer, you did it!! You did it!!"

The next mont, the bottle was at Yan Huan’s lips. A few bubbles ford at the top, signaling the liquid was entering his mouth.

Drink up!!

Now, which hotel should we go to tonight?

Ah, I wonder which lingerie set I should…

Just as An Le’s face turned completely red, Spencer suddenly turned back to Bai Yi and—out of nowhere—yelled,

"It’s all because of you!! Dragging Yan Huan into filming that A-sothing-V!! Saying he should be the male lead and you the female lead!!"

"PUH!!"

The mont those words left her mouth, Yan Huan spat out his water in a full-blown spray.

An Le, who had been all smiles just a second ago, and Little Finger, who had been celebrating like a champion, both completely froze, watching the liquid leave Yan Huan’s mouth.

Ying Gong Tong’s face went ghostly pale, her gaze turning sharp as she stared daggers at Bai Yi.

"SMACK!"

Bai Yi’s face instantly turned bright red. She slamd the table and stood up.

"Spencer, what the hell are you talking about?! You… you shaless idiot!!"

"Hah? What, you don’t have the guts to own up to it?"

Sohow, Spencer actually outmatched Bai Yi in sheer arrogance, standing up and throwing the question back at her.

That completely caught Bai Yi off guard.

"I… huh? ?"

What the hell?!

She felt like she was trying to argue with a complete moron.

anwhile, the atmosphere around Ying Gong Tong darkened—her whole vibe shifting into sothing terrifying.

In an eerily calm voice, she asked,

"Bai Yi, what is this about?"

"N-no, it’s not! I didn’t! I’m not!!"

Bai Yi, flustered and red-faced, hugged herself as if shielding her body and pointed accusingly at Spencer.

"It’s all her fault! Vice President Ying Gong, I—!"

And yet, Spencer, standing tall, puffed out her chest with absolute confidence…

Though what she was so confident about was anyone’s guess.

Yan Huan, his face now completely dark, stood up and glared at Spencer.

Just then, An Le, unable to hold it in any longer, shouted,

"It’s an MV!! An MV, not an A-sothing… mmm…!!"

Bai Yi, as if grasping a lifeline, clutched her pocket watch—she was so embarrassed she looked like she was ready to escape into Indifference Mode.

"Yes!! It’s just an MV!!"

Ying Gong Tong’s terrifying aura dissipated slightly. She let out a small breath and patted Bai Yi’s shoulder with a smile.

"I see. I misunderstood. For a mont, I thought Yuanyue Academy had beco that kind of place… An MV, huh? What kind of MV?"

Then, as if realizing sothing, her expression darkened again.

Just because it wasn’t an A-V, did that make it okay?!

Yan Huan’s face was still black with rage as he glared at Spencer.

"Are you a complete idiot? Can you think before you speak?"

Spencer wanted to argue but, seeing An Le behind him looking completely lifeless, finally realized—

She ssed up.

So, she pursed her lips… and had nothing to say.

"Tsk!"

Spencer, having her intentions exposed, couldn’t argue back and quickly turned around to leave.

An Le, as if all the strength had drained from her body, trembled as she walked out of the classroom.

Ying Gong Tong and Bai Yi, seeing this, hurriedly followed.

Out in the hallway, Ying Gong Tong watched as Spencer actually went into the girls' restroom instead of running off sowhere suspicious, and she finally let out a small sigh of relief.

But just then, behind her, Bai Yi reached out and poked her just as she was about to step inside.

"Ying Gong… do you… like President Yan Huan?"

Ying Gong Tong imdiately turned around.

Bai Yi observed as her eyes first widened slightly in shock, then gradually returned to normal as she calmly asked,

"Why are you suddenly asking

that?"

"It just seed like… you were a little upset when I ntioned filming an MV with Yan Huan."

This girl had sharp intuition.

Even though Ying Gong Tong had only cracked her usual mask slightly out of sheer shock, Bai Yi still noticed.

What now?

Should she admit it?

Was the president still in the restroom? Would he overhear?

Or… if he did overhear, maybe she could just go ahead and confess?

But what about her persona up until now?

What about the reason she liked him?

There were so many reasons—but most of them ca from things she shouldn’t have known, things she saw through surveillance.

And she had explicitly stated before that she would never fall in love.

If she suddenly changed her mind now, she’d need a reason, an excuse.

Too many loopholes.

Caras, for instance—if she started getting too close to the president, soone could find out.

And after that?

How would she explain it to her family? Did her current persona even match up with a long-term relationship with the president?

If she admitted it now, there would be no ti to adjust.

She would need more lies, more excuses, to make the logic work.

One problem after another, stacking up on her carefully crafted mask.

And then—

Everything went quiet.

Because all of those complicated thoughts…

Were completely drowned out by a single, simple question.

"Do you like Yan Huan?"

She stared at Bai Yi, who was looking at her with pure, genuine curiosity.

And suddenly, the world felt quiet.

Instead of chaos, there was only warmth rising in her chest, only her heartbeat growing faster.

Thump—

Among the sweet aroma of caral pudding, under the dazzling burst of fireworks, with the soft purring of a cat in the distance—

Ying Gong Tong’s delicately sculpted face, pale and flawless, slowly turned pink.

The next second, she looked away slightly, her gaze flickering, and she mumbled in a small, hesitant voice,

"...I-I guess… I have… a little bit of a… um… soft spot… for him…"

Bai Yi’s eyes widened.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"……"

Before she could even process this shocking revelation, Spencer erged from the restroom, scowling as she glanced at them.

"Move, move, move… And you guys were saying I wasn’t using this as an excuse to go to the bathroom? What about you two? Just standing here not even going in?"

Ying Gong Tong’s face imdiately froze over.

She shot Spencer a glare and swiftly walked into the restroom.

Bai Yi, still a little dazed, followed, lost in thought.

Spencer, unsure whether Yan Huan had co out yet, couldn’t exactly barge into the girls’ restroom now that the other two were inside.

"Missed my chance."

"Tsk… this sucks…"

Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she turned and walked back toward classroom L501.

Inside the classroom, An Le seed to have stepped out for so fresh air, leaving Spencer alone.

Her eyes then landed on the bottle of water sitting on the table.

She hadn’t really paid attention earlier—when Yan Huan had been drinking, she had been watching Bai Yi talk.

Then, when things got heated, her brain had been overloaded, so she hadn’t noticed whether Yan Huan actually drank from it or not.

But now, she suddenly rembered—before that, An Le had been holding this bottle like it was a precious treasure.

Spencer had assud the water had never left An Le’s hands.

"……"

Standing before the desk, that itching feeling of plunder returned, like a cat scratching at her heart.

She glanced around, confirming no one was watching.

Then, she picked up the bottle, carefully examining it.

"What’s so special about this water?"

From the outside, it looked exactly the sa.

Or maybe… it just tasted better?

Spencer twisted off the cap, thinking, Did An Le secretly bring so special drink and hide it?

The next second, she tilted the bottle to her lips and took a big gulp.

Gulp, gulp, gulp—

A mouthful of cold water slid down her throat.

She blinked and muttered,

"It’s just water… but why does it taste better than the one I brought? What brand is this?"

It tasted like normal mineral water—but sohow, it was insanely refreshing.

So before she even realized it, she lifted the bottle again and—

Downed the whole thing in one go.

"Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp~"

Chugging.

"Ahh!"

Spencer let out a satisfied sigh, licking her lips and looking down at the now-empty bottle.

She actually felt like she wanted more.

"THUMP!"

The next second, a loud clatter ca from the doorway.

Spencer turned her head—

And there stood An Le, frozen, completely shell-shocked.

She had just co back from the vending machine, holding a new drink in her hands.

No—not holding it anymore.

Because the mont she saw Spencer finish that bottle, the drink had slipped from her fingers and hit the floor.

Her hands were now completely empty.