Chapter 38
"President, please enjoy." It was Friday noon in the Yuanyue Academy Student Council Office.
As Yan Huan was reviewing student council documents, a cup of rich coffee was gently placed in front of him.
He looked up from the paperwork and turned to his side, spotting Yinggong Tong with a faint smile on her face.
"Thanks, Yinggong."
Yan Huan blinked, quietly admiring her beauty before turning his head and brushing his fingers along the rim of the cup, feeling its warmth.
The coffee was at the perfect temperature for drinking.
"Not at all. Did you not sleep well last night, President?" Yinggong Tong asked with a gentle nod.
"A bit. I didn’t sleep well," he admitted.
Last night had been his first time using Learning Conqueror. He got so absorbed in studying that he stayed up until 2 a.m., and with the school bus leaving at 7:30, he only managed five hours of sleep.
Lack of rest was one thing, but Yan Huan also suffered from the Curse of Drowsiness.
The combination left him feeling incredibly sleepy.
Ironically, because he was forcing himself to stay awake to fight the curse, he looked more energetic than usual, even compared to the days he spent yawning nonstop.
But even so—Yinggong Tong still noticed he hadn't rested well?
Yan Huan glanced at Yinggong Tong and took in her appearance for the day.
She wore a black, kimono-style sailor uniform with long sleeves and a flowing skirt.
Below the skirt, she wore long black stockings paired with leather shoes.
Her long hair was tied up behind her head, adorned with a fabric ribbon that served as a lovely hair accessory.
Yinggong Tong tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked, "President, is something off about me?"
Yan Huan blinked and replied honestly, "No. I just thought your outfit today is really cute."
"..."
Yinggong Tong looked slightly stunned before asking, "Are you saying my usual outfits aren’t cute enough?"
"Exactly."
Yan Huan smiled and nodded. Just as she raised her chin as if to respond, he added thoughtfully,
"Hmm, Yinggong, on Monday you looked elegant, on Tuesday you were gentle, yesterday’s outfit was beautiful, and today’s is definitely the cutest."
On Wednesday, she had been absent from school due to kitty-related matters.
As Yinggong Tong's eyes gradually widened, Yan Huan concluded,
"It’s not that one is better than the other. They just each give off a different vibe, don’t they?"
"So that’s how it is... Thanks for the compliment, President."
She placed a pink fist to her lips and gave a fake cough, smiling.
A perfectly normal reaction to being praised.
After all, she was the famous Yinggong Tong—praised since childhood so many times that the line of admirers could stretch to another continent.
In reality, her heart was boiling like a kettle!!
'The President remembered all of my outfits from Monday to Friday?!'
'Doesn't that mean he’s been paying close attention to me?!'
Suddenly feeling weak all over, Yinggong Tong struggled to sit back down on the sofa.
She tried to pick up her coffee and sip it gracefully, trying not to show any cracks in her composure.
But the moment she grasped the handle, her hand trembled. To avoid making the cup clink against the saucer, she quickly let go.
Meanwhile, Yan Huan lifted his cup and took a light sip—it was a delicious latte.
'It’s still more comfortable being with the normal Yinggong.'
'A world untouched by the modifier is truly wonderful.'
He set the cup down and let out a long sigh.
Somehow, Meow-chan, wearing a yellow scarf, had appeared on his shoulder.
Looking at Yinggong Tong on the sofa, it asked Yan Huan telepathically, "Yan Huan, do you like this 'Yinggong Tong' Vice President?"
Yan Huan continued sipping his latte calmly and replied telepathically, "Why do you say that?"
"Last Saturday night, you sounded really close when you called her. On Monday, when you were trapped in the equipment room, you took good care of her. Now you're openly praising her. It just feels different from how you treat other girls."
Meow-chan hopped onto the desk, sat upright, and said,
"She’s not even a modifier owner. You don’t need to act around her, meow. You’re as natural with her as you are with Tong Tingting, yet your words to her are way sweeter."
Tong Tingting got hit out of nowhere.
Yan Huan took another sip of coffee and smiled.
"It’s not like I’m a monk or a saint. Having feelings for the opposite sex is totally normal, right?"
Besides, Yan Huan had a soft spot for petite and cute girls—they made him want to protect them.
"Meow~"
That meant "Fair enough."
"But I’m afraid it can only go as far as having feelings."
"Why, meow?"
"Because the gap is just too big."
Yan Huan stirred his coffee and replied telepathically,
"Yinggong joined the student council to experience school life. She’s not only talented, but her family background is incredible.
"As for me? I have no background. I joined the student council solely for recommendation letters and access to resources. I’m already exhausted from studying and working part-time, and now I have to handle the modifier too.
"Even if she doesn’t care about my situation and only seeks companionship and emotion, I might still be too poor to offer even that.
"So instead of recklessly making eternal promises, I should focus on improving myself and resolving the modifier crisis first. Don’t you agree, Meow-chan?"
Meow-chan blinked and didn’t offer an opinion, simply letting out a "meow."
Yan Huan smiled softly and reached out to rub its tiny head.
But seeing that Yinggong was still in front of him, he gave up on the idea.
Though the modifier situation was frustrating and he was constantly on the edge, it was still manageable.
As the saying goes, misfortune may bring fortune. Thanks to Learning Conqueror, he had managed to self-study most of a calculus textbook last night.
Maybe through solving the modifier issue, he could gain even stronger abilities.
Just imagining the satisfaction of eliminating all those modifiers was overwhelming.
Still, he hadn’t rested well last night. Coffee and willpower weren’t enough.
Yan Huan glanced at the time, then stood up and said,
"There’s nothing else this noon, so I’ll take my leave now, Yinggong."
"Eh? Don’t you usually stay until the afternoon bus leaves when there’s no class, President?"
"Ah, true. But I plan to find a place to nap. Didn’t sleep well last night."
Yinggong Tong tilted her head and asked curiously,
"You could totally rest here, President. There’s a sofa—you can lie down."
"Hmm."
Yan Huan thought for a moment and replied,
"It just feels a bit awkward with you around, Yinggong."
"Eh?"
Yinggong Tong covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Does that mean you snore, grind your teeth, or talk in your sleep, President?"
"Not really."
"Hmm, or is it that you can’t sleep with me around? If that’s the case, I can go back to my class."
After all, there was a barrier here, so she could still keep an eye on things.
Since she offered, Yan Huan, who had originally planned to nap under a familiar tree, decided not to leave.
After all, it was just a nap—no big deal. He could afford to be generous.
"No, if it doesn’t bother you, I’ll rest here."
"Okay."
Yan Huan rubbed his shoulder and lay down on the sofa opposite Yinggong Tong. She walked over to the bookshelf and returned with a blanket.
"A blanket? Where did that come from?"
"I brought it. I usually read here at noon and it gets cold, so I brought one to wrap myself in."
Before Yan Huan could sit up to take it, Yinggong had already placed the blanket over him.
A faint fragrance drifted from the blanket, and Yan Huan’s fingers, which had been stroking the soft fabric, froze slightly.
'Should’ve just gone outside to rest after all.'
"Hmm, it’s a bit small. Is that okay, President?"
(*) Note for line 2: "Yuanyue Academy" is a fictional elite culinary school in the anime "Shokugeki no Soma."
(*) Note for line 11: "Learning Conqueror" likely refers to a fictional skill or system aiding in rapid learning.
(*) Note for line 12: "Curse of Drowsiness" is likely a supernatural or system-based condition that causes fatigue.
(*) Note for line 47: "Meow-chan" appears to be a sentient, possibly magical, cat-like creature that communicates telepathically.
(*) Note for line 65: "Modifier" refers to a supernatural element affecting the character's life, possibly from a game-like or fantasy system.
"It's fine. As long as it covers my stomach, it'll do."
Yinggong Tong tilted her head slightly, not quite understanding the phrasing.
But then, with a *pa* sound, Yan Huan was suddenly covered and laid down flat on the sofa, letting out a yawn.
He looked a little cute—like an oversized baby.
Yinggong Tong sat down on the sofa opposite him, thinking just that.
"Good afternoon, President."
"Mm, good afternoon."
Yan Huan closed his eyes in a relaxed manner. The blurry figure of Meow-chan lightly leapt up again, landing on his body.
With its paws tucked in, it sat comfortably on him, curiously scanning the surroundings.
Meow-chan didn’t need sleep. It usually stayed at Yan Huan’s side, monitoring their surroundings even when he was asleep.
Just like that night at Ye Shiyu’s house.
*Stare~*
Meow-chan stared directly at Yinggong Tong, though she didn’t seem to notice the cat's presence at all.
As Yan Huan’s steady breathing filled the room, Yinggong Tong, who had been reading, began glancing more frequently at his sleeping face.
'Hm.'
'So far, everything’s normal.'
'But... could it be that this girl also likes Yan Huan?'
'Ah, she’s not just sneaking glances anymore—she’s outright staring!'
Yinggong Tong was now thoroughly observing Yan Huan, clearly having lost interest in her book.
'The President’s sleeping face...'
*Hehe~*
Since she had never been inside the President’s home, she never had a chance to install surveillance there. So, she had never seen this sight before.
'Next time, if the President invites me to his home, I must set up a barrier like the one in the student council office!'
'That way, I can see what the President does when he’s alone at home.'
Unfortunately, the barrier had to be activated from within, or she would've just cast it from the entrance of his rented apartment.
Thinking this, Yinggong Tong pursed her lips and quietly took out her phone.
She had already set it to silent mode, apparently preparing to secretly snap a photo of Yan Huan's sleeping face.
Meow-chan stared at her, unsure of what she was doing with her phone.
But soon, she stopped her actions.
'No, using my phone is too risky. What if he wakes up while I’m taking the photo?'
'That would be impossible to explain.'
'Besides, my own barrier has a recording function. It can capture everything without any blind spots!'
So Meow-chan watched as she silently put her phone away again, though the smile on her face looked a little suspicious.
'Hm.'
'So far, everything’s normal?'
Unbeknownst to others, Yinggong Tong was already controlling the barrier to record every detail of Yan Huan sleeping.
Meanwhile, outside the entrance of Class 1-A...
Ye Shiyu stood at the doorway holding a bag. After a week's delay—and repeated urging from Aunt Chen—it was finally time to return Yan Huan’s school uniform jacket.
But right now, the familiar figure in the window-side seat was nowhere to be seen.
'He’s not here, huh.'
'Then I’ll come by again to return it.'
Just as Ye Shiyu turned to leave, a girl classmate who had just packed up and was heading out suddenly covered her mouth in surprise.
"Um... You wouldn’t happen to be Upperclassman Ye Shiyu, would you?"
"You know me?"
"Ah, because Upperclassman Yumi said you're President Yan’s older sister! President Yan is so handsome, and his sister is really beautiful too, hehe. I’m President Yan’s classmate, Fu Mengyao."
Hearing someone praise Yan Huan, Ye Shiyu felt a bit displeased.
But she still nodded politely and prepared to leave.
Just as she was about to go, something occurred to her and she turned back to ask,
"Do you know where Xiaohuan is?"
"Huh? President Yan?"
The girl paused for a moment, thinking, before responding,
"Since there’s no class this afternoon, I think President Yan is in the student council office, working on documents until the school bus leaves."
"How do you know that?"
The girl smiled awkwardly and scratched her cheek.
"President Yan’s schedule isn’t exactly a secret. He’s really popular, so everyone pays attention to him."
"."
*Displeased.jpg*
Still, Ye Shiyu didn’t make things difficult for the girl. She softly thanked her and turned to head upstairs.
She recalled that the student council office was on the top floor of the first-year division.
Arriving quietly, the area was silent as Ye Shiyu located the office precisely.
She gently knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.
A few seconds later, faint footsteps could be heard from within.
The office door slowly opened a crack, revealing Yinggong Tong.
"Hello, may I help you—"
Her sentence cut off when she saw Ye Shiyu. Ye Shiyu also froze for a moment, surprised to see a girl opening the door.
Then, she remembered—this was the Vice President of the student council. It was normal for her to be in the same room as Xiaohuan.
And Yinggong Tong also recalled that this girl was supposedly Yan Huan’s older sister.
Though introduced that way, Yinggong Tong always had a feeling that the way this girl looked at Yan Huan didn’t seem quite right.
"Upperclassman Ye Shiyu, right? May I ask what you’re here for?"
"I came… to find Xiaohuan."
She didn’t specify why—just left it at that.
"Ah, it might not be a good time right now. If there’s something, you can tell me, Upperclassman."
"Not a good time?"
Ye Shiyu blinked, then easily looked over the petite Yinggong Tong.
Through the narrow gap in the door, she could see Yan Huan sleeping inside.
'Xiaohuan, asleep?'
'His sleeping face...'
She wanted to see it.
She subconsciously tried to push the door open, but it wouldn’t budge—as if something was resisting her.
Only then did Ye Shiyu lower her gaze to meet Yinggong Tong’s, who was pressing against the door with a polite smile.
"If there’s something, Upperclassman, you can tell me. I’ll pass it on once the President wakes up."
"."
A quiet tension filled the air, like the scent of gunpowder. In his sleep, Yan Huan furrowed his brows slightly.
[End of Chapter]
(*) Note for line 157: "Displeased.jpg" is an internet meme expression, used here to humorously depict Ye Shiyu's annoyance.