Chapter 36
"It's done, Shiyu-sis."
Yan Huan picked up the finely crafted cloth bundle from the desk and handed it to Ye Shiyu beside him for inspection.
Ye Shiyu took it, examined it for a moment, then nodded.
Since she didn't say anything, Yan Huan kept watching her. After a pause, she finally opened her mouth to comment,
"Looks nice."
Only then did Yan Huan look away. He casually asked,
"Not going to write your name on it, Shiyu-sis?"
"..."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu didn’t look at the cloth bundle in her hand. Instead, she turned to look at Yan Huan’s profile.
Her gaze wandered over his neck and Adam's apple exposed by the collar, seemingly searching for some open space.
It wasn’t until Yan Huan turned his head back to look at her that she withdrew her gaze, shook her head, and said,
"No, this is something we made together."
"Then is it alright if you keep it, Shiyu-sis?"
"Mm."
They still had to hand the cloth bundle to the teacher for grading later. Glancing at the other classmates in the hands-on class, most of them looked completely defeated.
In this class, Ye Shiyu was killing it—her crafting skills were no joke.
After completing the cloth bundle required by the teacher, she even had spare time to make a yellow pet scarf for Yan Huan at his request.
You could say Yan Huan was riding her coattails—getting an A for the finals wouldn’t be a problem.
For Yan Huan, core subjects with exams were easy to ace, but these strange and chaotic electives were the real challenge.
"Alright, class is almost over. No matter how your final product turned out, everyone stop now. Once I come around to check, you're free to leave the classroom."
"Okay~"
Yan Huan sat down at his seat, took out his phone, and snapped a photo of the cloth bundle.
Just then, a message came through:
[Something came up tonight, the pub is closed. You get a day off.]
It was from Tong Tingting.
Yan Huan replied with an "okay" emoji.
He had originally wanted to open the Mahjong Club group chat, but after thinking for a bit, he returned to Sis Tong’s chat window and typed,
"Sis Tong, what's up? Your family pestering you to get married again?"
The other side was typing...
"Kids shouldn't ask about adult stuff. Be good~"
Figures. He already knew she'd reply like that—shouldn’t have bothered asking.
Sis Tong was actually quite mysterious. She often disappeared, didn’t open the shop, and always claimed she was busy.
Yan Huan figured she probably just didn’t want to get out of bed and gave herself a day off.
All Yan Huan knew about Tong Tingting was that she had come to Linmen from Longguo a long time ago to study and had even attended college there—a top student for sure.
Don’t be fooled by how she lies around these days—either smoking, drinking, sleeping, or being nagged to get married by her parents overseas.
In truth, Sis Tong was actually pretty rich.
That pub she owned on the streetfront—even though it was in the southern district—was no small investment in land-scarce Linmen.
And it wasn’t even rented—she had bought it outright.
She was also generous with wages, handing out red envelope bonuses during holidays.
She claimed all that money came from stock trading back in the day—no clue how she managed it, given her infamous status as the little idea machine.
Did it really take someone like Sis Tong to dominate the stock market crammed with investors?
Yan Huan was completely baffled.
'Forget it, I’ll just go home and study today.'
He hadn’t really made use of the Learning Conqueror yet, and he just happened to have an idea he wanted to try out earlier.
"Mm, this group did pretty well."
The teacher came over, examined their final product in detail, and gave praise—mostly thanks to Ye Shiyu.
"By the way, Shiyu-sis, are you in any clubs?"
While packing up, Yan Huan turned to see Ye Shiyu also tidying up to go home and asked out of curiosity.
Ye Shiyu expressionlessly shook her head and asked in return,
"What’s the point of joining a club?"
"Well, it’s not exactly super useful. But personally, it lets you do activities with classmates who share your interests."
As Yan Huan folded the pet scarf made by Ye Shiyu, he explained,
"On a more practical level, if you join a club, you'll have a faction during the Club Wars. If your club places, you can even win rewards and stuff."
"Rewards?"
Ye Shiyu’s eyes shifted upward as her mind pictured the competitions held in Longguo.
Were there rewards for placing?
Certificates.
That’s it.
Then a look of disinterest appeared in her eyes. But seeing that Yan Huan was still explaining, she didn’t show it and let him continue.
"First place gets the right to make a wish to the school board. Second place gets a big club budget plus the right to host school-wide club events. Third place just gets funding."
'Wishes, huh.'
Ye Shiyu thought for a moment and suddenly felt a tinge of interest. She abruptly asked,
"Does the student council answer to the school board?"
"Ah, strictly speaking, no. We have a lot of autonomy. Things like Club Wars, sports day, and many other events are fully handled by us."
Hearing this, Ye Shiyu looked away, clearly having lost all interest in Club Wars.
Still, she didn’t dampen Yan Huan’s enthusiasm and simply said,
"I’ll look into it later."
"Okay, Shiyu-sis."
Once Yan Huan finished packing and got ready to leave, knowing that Ye Shiyu would soon take a ride home, he parted ways with her and headed for the school bus back to the southern district.
There weren’t too many or too few people on the bus. Yan Huan found a quiet spot to sit—the last row where no one would pay attention.
"Meow-chan."
"Meow~"
After a soft call, a chubby black kitty suddenly leapt up from who-knows-where and sat upright beside him.
Yan Huan then pulled out the yellow fabric scarf Ye Shiyu had made and said,
"Look at this, Meow-chan. I made you a scarf to wear."
The fat cat tilted its head and touched the scarf with its paw pads, puzzled.
"Mmm, what’s the point of this, meow?"
"Mainly, your whole body is pitch black. Sometimes at night, you totally disappear. Wearing a yellow scarf makes you stand out more—and it’s cuter."
"Meow?"
Meow-chan stared speechlessly as Yan Huan wrapped the scarf around its neck and tied a neat knot on one side.
Strangely enough, once the scarf was on Meow-chan’s neck, it seemed to become phantom-like too—as if it wouldn’t be noticed unless Meow-chan wanted it to be.
'Mm, the little kitty is pretty great.'
Yan Huan held Meow-chan in his arms and looked out the window—the vehicle was starting up, and the engine noise came through.
"By the way, Yan Huan, yesterday I found this at the part-time job store where you work."
As Meow-chan sat there, it suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Yan Huan.
Just as Yan Huan looked over curiously, it suddenly lowered its head and began retching.
*Bleh bleh*
It looked a lot like when a kitty coughs up a hairball.
"What the heck?"
Worried it might puke something unspeakable on him, Yan Huan tried to move it to the seat beside him.
The next second, a scale glowing with a milky white aura was spat out.
The scale looked completely phantom-like—Yan Huan couldn’t touch it at all.
"What is this..."
"A fragment of a modifier, meow. Same kind that dropped from Ye Shiyu before," Meow-chan explained.
"Huh?"
Hearing that, Yan Huan was shocked.
He originally wanted to pick up the snake scale and take a closer look, but his hand passed right through it—completely untouchable.
"Told you, meow—I can’t interfere with the world. Since these falling fragments are something I can interfere with, that means you definitely can’t touch them."
"...Is that so."
(*) Note for Line 41: "Red envelope bonuses" refer to traditional gifts of money given during holidays or celebrations, often in red envelopes, common in East Asian cultures.
Yan Huan blinked and rubbed his chin in confusion.
"Wait a second... could this be the modifier fragment that dropped from Bai Yi yesterday? Even though I gave her the recognition she wanted, the damage shouldn’t have been this bad, right?"
"I don't know either, meow. But this fragment looks way bigger than the one I swallowed last time. It must've been a serious blow to the modifier."
Meow-chan circled around the fragment, then looked up at Yan Huan with her big, adorable eyes—wearing a clear 'of course it’s you' expression.
'No, no, no...'
'The real issue is—I don’t remember anything at all!'
Yan Huan genuinely didn’t feel like his actions toward Bai Yi yesterday had any major impact. At most, it was a temporary fix. It didn’t even come close to what he did for Ye Shiyu.
But now, such a massive fragment had dropped. No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem like it came from anything he did.
"Why does this fragment look like an animal scale? Like from a lizard or a snake or something. Was the one that dropped from Ye Shiyu last time like this too?"
"A scale?" Meow-chan tilted her head in confusion as she stared at the fragment, then suddenly realized something.
"Ah! That’s because the modifier is essentially the power of a god from another world, meow. You guys can’t comprehend its true form, so it appears in a form you can understand."
Meow-chan made a gagging motion, then coughed up a small bit of illusory material that looked like spider silk.
"Look at this—this is the fragment that dropped from Ye Shiyu last time. See how it's totally different from this one?"
"Yeah, to me, this one looks like spider silk, and the other one looks like a snake scale."
As Yan Huan kept watching, something clicked. He turned to Meow-chan and said,
"Wait, according to what you just said, Meow-chan, the modifier can't be detected, right?"
"That's right, meow."
"Then is it possible that someone else, under that condition, did something to the modifier or the Host, causing it to drop a fragment?"
"In theory, that’s possible. But if someone managed that without knowing anything, then that person must be..."
*Hiss—*
'No joke—that’s a real master.'
But the strange thing was, when Bai Yi left the pub yesterday, she didn’t seem any different. Yan Huan doubted the fragment came from her.
Which meant... there might have been another modifier present at the pub earlier.
Was it the fourth one? Or the fifth one who still hadn’t shown up?
Who else could it have been?
Sis Tong?
Just the thought gave Yan Huan chills.
'If Tong Tingting got her hands on a modifier—with her terrifying creativity as the little idea machine—wouldn’t that mean...'
'No peace ever again?!'
With that disturbing thought, Yan Huan quickly opened Plane and sent a message to Tong Tingting.
"Sis Tong, are you there?"
[🐱]
But the name on the other end didn’t show any activity, and no reply came even after a long wait.
'Ugh, so annoying.'
Plane is just like WeChat from my previous life—you can’t even tell if someone’s read your message!
(*): WeChat – A popular Chinese messaging and social media app.
'Well, I guess that design makes sense... especially when your boss messages you at midnight asking if you’re resting.'
Yan Huan put down his phone, rubbed his temples, and started sorting through his thoughts.
'Don’t panic.'
'So far, three modifiers have been confirmed.'
Spencer’s "Looting System."
That one’s insanely powerful—not only can it alter minds, but it can also create bizarre, sealed spaces. Too bad its Host is a total idiot.
Ye Shiyu’s "Hypnosis App."
That one’s strong too. The sudden, overwhelming control is hard to resist. But after my intervention, Ye Shiyu’s possessiveness has been tamed... probably?
Bai Yi’s "No Concern."
This one feels the weakest. I still have a lot of freedom to maneuver, and I’ve gotten to know the Host pretty well. Let’s just say—the future looks promising.
Which means two more are still unaccounted for.
One is the modifier that ambushed me at noon today—seems to have something to do with manipulating pleasure.
The other might be the one that dropped this snake-scale fragment at the pub—possibly linked to Tong Tingting?
'Sis Tong, please reply. I miss you. And—not even mainly because of the modifier.'
"Forget it."
Tong Tingting still hadn’t replied. Yan Huan even tried calling, but she didn’t answer. Maybe she was asleep.
With no other choice, Yan Huan turned to Meow-chan.
"So this fragment can enhance my modifier too, right?"
Meow-chan nodded cheerfully and said,
"And this one’s even bigger than the last, so the boost should be even stronger! You’ll see this weekend. I’ll keep it safe till then."
"Sounds good. Honestly, I didn’t even use Learning Conqueror properly last time. I just felt super refreshed after a bit of studying. I’ve got more time this afternoon, so I really want to test how powerful the full-layer effect is."
"Meow~"
After patting Meow-chan on the head, Yan Huan was about to open his phone and browse some videos when the school bus suddenly stopped.
*Di di!*
It wasn’t just the school bus—every car around had come to a halt. The confused drivers behind them kept honking in frustration.
"What’s going on?"
"Looks like the road ahead is blocked."
Yan Huan frowned and looked forward.
The bus had stopped in front of an intersection, which had already been cordoned off. Several traffic police officers were directing vehicles to take alternate routes.
"Emergency traffic control. The intersection ahead is closed. Please detour to either side. Thank you!"
Yan Huan leaned against the window and glanced at the blocked intersection. He was surprised to see flames on one of the building’s floors, with firefighters working to put out the blaze.
Not only had Linmen’s fire department arrived—ambulances, criminal police, and traffic officers were all on the scene.
'What happened?'
Stretchers were being carried out one after another—many of them stained with blood. Some even exposed people clutching knives and other weapons.
"A gang fight?"
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, thinking.
Linmen’s southern district used to have a lot of gangs. It wasn’t just about poverty; it had more to do with geography and history.
The southern district is by the sea. When Linmen was first founded, many illegal immigrants smuggled themselves in and settled there.
With people from different countries and cultures, all sorts of groups formed and established gangs to fight for their interests.
It was a lot like Harbor Island from my previous life before reunification. For a long time, the southern district was entirely gang-controlled.
(*): Harbor Island – A fictional or alternate reference to Hong Kong before reunification with China.
Things have improved a lot since then. Once Linmen developed, the government launched a strict crackdown.
Tons of gangsters were executed—so many that even the yolks in their hideouts got scrambled.
So, are there still thugs in the southern district today?
Of course there are. Why else would I have warned Bai Yi yesterday not to wander through alleys alone?
But organized gangs are pretty rare now.
Most of them just work part-time. A few days of brick-lifting and they mellow out.
Still, I never thought I’d witness such a large-scale gang fight again.
Guess the hair salons near Sis Tong’s pub won’t be getting much business anytime soon.
Yan Huan shook his head and followed the school bus on a detour. By the time he got home, it was twenty minutes later than usual.
He didn’t cook. Instead, he picked up some fried rice downstairs and watched the news with his headphones on.
"Urgent report from Linmen: At 15:23 this afternoon, a fire broke out on the third floor of Sterling Tower on Longyang Road in the southern district."
"Eyewitnesses said a violent conflict occurred just before the fire. Sources believe it may be related to the Feather Gang, a group formed by locals from Longguo in the southern district. The Linmen police have launched a special—"
(*): Longguo – Likely a fictional or alternate name for China.
Yan Huan didn’t finish listening. He paid the bill, bought some juice, cat treats, and canned food, then went upstairs.
Sitting in front of his computer, he cracked his knuckles and opened the desktop version of Plane.
Typing in the keyword "Freelance-Zhangsun Studio (Ghostwriting)," Yan Huan opened a chatbox and typed,
"You there?"
[🐱]
After a moment, the other side showed: [Typing…]
"Here."
A few seconds later, another message came through:
"But there’s no work lately. We barely take those easy filler-paper assignments anymore—everyone uses AI for that now."
Sipping his juice, Yan Huan replied,
"Nah, I’m not looking for that. I just want to know if you have digital versions of college math textbooks or lecture slides. Send them to me if you do."
"Perfect timing. I just got some advanced math lecture slides from top universities. As for textbooks—we’ve got calculus, linear algebra, and stats, but they’re from different countries. Not much from Linmen. Hope that’s okay."
"Thanks."
A kitty nodding "thank you" emoji was sent over.
Shortly after, the other party sent a batch of digital lecture slides and textbooks.
They also included a grinning emoji.
"You're seriously grinding. Damn—working part-time isn’t enough to keep you busy?"
"It’s okay, not too exhausting."
"Alright, let me know when you finish reading. There are tons of math orders, especially from Jiu Country. They dump all their exams, assignments, and quizzes on us. Do you know how much you can earn in just one semester?"
(*) Jiu Country likely refers to a fictional or coded name for a wealthy region or country with high demand for academic outsourcing.
"Even exams can be outsourced?"
"Where there's demand, there's business—especially now, with everything moving online. Online courses, online exams... They just want an easy degree. And us? We just fish a bit of cash out of these rich boys and girls. Who cares about so-called academic integrity?"
It had been a while since he last chatted with Yan Huan, so the boss from the ghostwriting studio was particularly talkative.
"Knowledge is power, my darling. When you finish studying, let me know—I’ll assign you some orders. It'll get easier for you too."
"Mm-hmm, let me take a look first."
"No worries, no rush. I’ll set you up with a test later, just to check your level."
"OK."
Yan Huan replied perfunctorily, then downloaded all the files one by one and neatly sorted them into folders.
He took a sip of juice, the cold glow of the PowerPoint slides casting light across his sharp, handsome face.
Lines of text, symbols, and theories flickered in his eyes.
Without realizing it, a mysterious force stirred within him, pulling him into complete focus. His brilliant mind began operating as efficiently as a high-speed engine.
[Ability: Learning Conqueror activated!]
[End of this chapter]