Chapter 50
'Rong was only four years old and still gave up the pear.'
"An Le, you're the master of the house. Since Cousin came all this way, let your sister play with your toys, okay?"
"An Le, you're the older sister—you should give in to your younger brother a little."
"An Le, those kids in the southern district… who knows what their families are like? It’s chaotic down there. Don’t argue with them."
"An Le, you just transferred back from Linmen and don’t know the area well. Don’t worry about others—just focus on studying."
"An Le, the students at Yuanyue Academy all come from wealthy families. If anything happens, your family can’t afford the consequences, so..."
"An Le, as long as you do your part and don’t provoke anyone, that’s enough."
An Le had heard this kind of advice from both teachers and parents more than once.
Since childhood, she’d been taught to be kind and modest.
The rules said: as long as you consider others, they’ll surely repay you.
So, An Le never said anything hurtful, never did anything that could harm others, never got into arguments, and never fought for what she wanted.
The kids in the southern district played pranks and stole from others—if she didn’t stop them, wouldn’t the victims feel even more hurt?
Even if those kids never played with her again and she ended up with no friends, it didn’t matter.
Pu Shuwen’s family was rich—if she resisted her, would it cause trouble for her hardworking parents?
Even if she was mocked daily in class with biting sarcasm, it didn’t matter.
Xiaohuan and Yinggong Tong seemed close—if she confessed to him, would it trouble them both?
Even if Xiaohuan stayed with Yinggong forever—
Was it wrong to think this way?
But why was it that every time An Le acted like this, she never received the "pear in return"?
In the past, when she prioritized others and ended up feeling wronged herself, she always had an excuse:
'At least others are happy, and their happiness is my happiness.'
But now, the crystal—
No, it was in the infirmary.
"Xiao Xiao... wuwu."
"President."
After hesitating again and again, An Le finally called out to Xiaohuan.
But deep inside, it felt like she could no longer believe that excuse, and a sharp pain surged through her.
*Weng*
The ringing in her ears grew louder, and she could barely hear Little Pinky’s reaction beside her.
"President? Are you also a student at Yuanyue Academy?"
"..."
"...Classmate? Classmate?"
It wasn’t until Yan Huan’s face moved a little closer and completely filled her blank, unfocused gaze that she snapped back to reality.
She quickly straightened up, like a trainee being called out by an instructor during military drills.
"Y-yes!"
"Are you not feeling well?"
Yan Huan gave her a helpless smile as he asked.
"N-no, it’s just… I’ve never entered a haunted house before, so I’m a little... scared."
Yan Huan’s eyes swept over the cold sweat dripping down her forehead, but he didn’t press further.
"I see."
He withdrew his gaze and looked around the room with some suspicion.
This time, there wasn’t a slip of paper in the sealed room explaining how to exit, which left him puzzled.
'What does that mean? Are we supposed to figure it out ourselves?'
'Oh right, this is a haunted house after all. We analyzed earlier that there’s likely an exit hidden here.'
'No idea how large of an area Spencer’s ability can cover either.'
"Let’s try to find the exit first. This place probably follows an escape room setup—if we find the clues, we should be able to get out."
"Alright."
An Le pressed her lips together and quickly followed Yan Huan’s instructions, searching around for any possible clues.
She glanced at Little Pinky on her shoulder and saw its eyes had rolled back—it looked like it had fainted from fury.
"..."
"Classmate, are you and Spencer in the same class?"
As Yan Huan crouched before a bloodstained white bedsheet, studying the handwriting on it, he suddenly asked.
Behind him, An Le sneakily peeked at his handsome profile in the dim light. Even though he couldn’t see her, she still nodded slightly.
"Mm… about Spencer earlier, I’m sorry."
"She’s the one who made the mistake—why are you apologizing for her?"
"Because… Spencer is my only friend."
Yan Huan raised his eyebrows in surprise and turned back to look at An Le.
"You’re actually friends with her?"
An Le bit her lip awkwardly and once again put Spencer first, offering an explanation for her.
"Spencer may be a bit reckless, but I don’t think she’s a bad person."
"Not bad?"
Joke of the year: Spencer isn’t bad.
If she’s not bad, I’ll eat my—
From Yan Huan’s perspective, among the three confirmed modifier Hosts, Spencer was the hardest to deal with.
Her behavior was wildly unpredictable and intensely aggressive.
The guilt that suppressed Ye Shiyu’s urge to use the Hypnosis APP, the emotional resonance that worked on Bai Yi—none of it worked on Spencer.
The scariest part was that other people’s modifiers seemed to have cooldowns; they couldn’t be used constantly.
But for some reason, whenever Spencer appeared, her modifier’s effect would activate.
No cooldown?
She was like a berserker with a permanent ultimate skill—immune to all control, charging recklessly from start to finish.
Aside from her brain being slightly off, she could honestly be called a pentagon warrior.
(*) Note: "Pentagon warrior" refers to someone with balanced, top-tier abilities in five attributes—like strength, speed, intelligence, etc.
"R-really, Spencer helped me when I was at my most helpless. I’m very grateful to her... I don’t want to lose my only friend, so..."
Yan Huan didn’t turn around. He just asked,
"So, no matter what she says or does, you’ll follow her unconditionally? Even apologizing for her mistakes now?"
"..."
'Is it possible Spencer is just using you to get where she is now?'
'She might pop out again any moment and start taking photos.'
'But then again… with her level of intelligence, is that even possible?'
While Yan Huan was thinking, he found a plastic severed hand under the bloodstained bed.
The severed hand pointed to the other side of the bed. Yan Huan took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and shone it in that direction—there, he saw a button covered in blood-red talismans.
"Found it."
Yan Huan gently pressed the button, and the bed at the far end of the infirmary slowly moved aside, revealing a half-person-high passage.
It really was like an escape room.
Without turning off his flashlight, Yan Huan pointed it into the narrow passage and said to An Le,
"Even if you're friends, her mistakes aren’t yours to pay for. Apologizing for her is the bare minimum of repayment."
"To put it another way, classmate—if she makes an even worse mistake later, are you going to repay that too?"
An Le clutched the bag in her arms and looked at Yan Huan blankly, saying,
"I-I’ll try my best to repay it."
Yan Huan stared at An Le squatting there, wearing a mask, and couldn’t help but ask,
"...Are you serious?"
'Could this girl have been infected by Spencer’s idiot aura from spending too much time around her?'
"Eh?"
"Nothing… Although I shouldn’t interfere with how others handle things, as Student Council President of Yuanyue, I still advise you to stay away from Spencer."
"Also, if you keep thinking only about others, nothing good will come of it."
It wasn’t just Spencer’s character—the more important issue was the modifier.
Staying close to a modifier Host without any resistance was no different from being a toy.
But in the darkness behind him, when An Le heard Yan Huan say that, her heart stirred.
It felt like she had heard those words somewhere before.
She just couldn’t remember exactly where.
Before An Le could respond, Yan Huan shook Meow-chan off his shoulder and spoke to it telepathically.
"Meow-chan, could you go ahead and scout the path? Let me know if you find anything."
"Meow~"
*Deng deng deng*—Meow-chan scurried off into the darkness.
Yan Huan held onto the narrow passageway that required stooping to enter. He turned back to An Le and said,
"Let's go. All the side doors are locked. We’ll try this way."
"Mm, okay. President."
An Le slowly approached the back she had longed for day and night. Calling him "President" tore deeper into her heart.
In the dark, she hugged the black paper bag tightly. She didn’t even take out her phone—just quietly followed Yan Huan's hunched figure.
The eerie wind howled through the corridor, but Yan Huan's back completely shielded her from it.
She stared at his silhouette in the darkness. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't help asking,
"President... Is it wrong to think about others? Why is it that... nothing good ever seems to come of it?"
Yan Huan, walking ahead, paused slightly. He hadn’t intended to say more, but thinking of Spencer’s modifier issue—
'Forget it. Saving one is better than saving none.'
After all, he considered himself a model youth.
Especially one with good character.
With a sigh, Yan Huan continued shuffling forward and voluntarily shared a bit of his past.
"When I was very young, I lived in the southern district. I had a very close childhood sweetheart there."
Behind him, An Le, who had been staring down at the ground, widened her eyes little by little in disbelief.
"Childhood... sweetheart?"
Even back then, she knew Xiaohuan only played with her.
According to him, it was because he thought the other kids were too childish.
Looking back, she probably wasn’t any more mature than them.
After all, she always wanted to play house—he’d be the dad, and she the mom.
But didn’t that mean—
Xiaohuan...
Still remembers me?!
*Thump... thump... thump.*
In the dark, her usually lowered head began to rise. Her eyes sparkled as they locked onto Yan Huan's back.
Unfortunately, Meow-chan had gone ahead to scout, and Yan Huan couldn’t see the gaze fixed on him from behind.
"Yeah, and she was a lot like you—always thinking of others, afraid to say no, scared of letting people down or causing conflict."
"Is it... wrong to care about others?"
"Of course not. But you have to recognize that sometimes, caring about others means going against your own wishes."
He had only meant to warn the girl behind him to stay away from Spencer. But as he spoke, he couldn’t help thinking about the little girl who used to follow him everywhere.
He still remembered her name—An Le.
Yan Huan’s steps faltered slightly, and his voice slowed.
"People like that are usually just used to pleasing others, hoping to be appreciated in return."
"If someone does give back, even a little, it brings them immense joy."
"Even if what they receive is far less than what they gave, it doesn't matter."
"And if they get nothing in return, even though it hurts, they lie to themselves, keep going, and hope the next time will be different."
So why had he noticed that girl back then?
Because he was the only one who saw her quietly giving and constantly hoping.
Call him selfish if you want, but in an orphanage where no one looked after you, who wouldn’t want a childhood sweetheart who always thought of you and did whatever you asked?
Deep down, however, he had always known one thing, so he had never grown tired of explaining it to that silly childhood friend.
And today, maybe those same words could help the lonely girl behind him who saw Spencer as her lifeline.
"That kind of thinking is cowardly. Always putting others first—you won’t get anything good from it."
"Everyone needs to become stronger, braver. Take the initiative to chase what you want instead of always compromising and waiting for fate."
Only then did An Le realize—she had heard those words before.
Who had said them to her?
She suddenly remembered—it was the day she was about to be separated from Xiaohuan.
She had cried and cried, her mind filled only with the pain of parting and the fear of never seeing him again.
She didn’t know how to make an international call, didn’t know how to return to Linmen, didn’t know how to find him again—
All kinds of fears crushed young An Le, leaving her with nothing but tears. So, she forgot what the boy in front of her had kept saying.
He had told her,
"Be strong. Don’t always think only about others."
Be strong.
That line—Xiaohuan had said that to her.
Xiaohuan still remembered her. So why had she been so cowardly all this time?
Everything else—it didn’t matter.
Everything else—she could endure any grievance.
But this—this one thing—no matter what, she just couldn’t—
An Le’s trembling body gradually calmed.
She took a deep breath, as if she had finally made up her mind.
After finishing his last sentence, Yan Huan realized he had talked too much.
Maybe it was because he thought of the childhood sweetheart who had long since left Linmen, and now, meeting someone so similar, he couldn’t help but say more.
Or maybe he just needed an excuse.
Like solving the modifier issue.
"Meow~"
Up ahead, Meow-chan came bouncing back, wagging its tail and blinking its green eyes as it meowed at Yan Huan.
The message was clear: *The exit is just ahead, meow.*
Yan Huan shone his phone flashlight forward. Sure enough, he saw a spacious area dimly lit by faint lights.
So he said,
"We’re almost there."
He was just about to continue walking forward.
But in the very next second, his expression froze.
A soft little hand had suddenly grabbed the back of his clothes, holding on tightly.
As he moved forward, the girl behind him was pulled along.
Like she was afraid of getting lost, afraid of being separated—
The familiar sensation made Yan Huan’s heart skip a beat. His sharp mind quickly linked it to a cherished memory from long ago.
Such a similar personality—even the way she grabbed his clothes was the same?
Could this really be just a coincidence?
"You—"
"Xiaohuan."
Just as Yan Huan was about to speak, the soft, sticky voice of the girl behind him called out at the same time.
Her warm breath brushed against his back, and in that moment, he realized—she had taken off her mask.
That intimate nickname pierced right through Yan Huan’s mind, and he instinctively tried to stand and turn around.
But he forgot—they were still in a half-height corridor.
*Thud!*
His head slammed into the wall with a dull thump.
"Hiss!"
"Xiaohuan!"
Yan Huan staggered and crouched to the side. But An Le was still clutching his clothes tightly.
As he stumbled, he accidentally pulled her down with him.
"Meow!"
Meow-chan jumped back in surprise, then turned curiously to look behind.
"Mmm!"
In the darkness, Yan Huan—now lying on his side—stared blankly at the girl who had fallen into his arms.
Her soft body, like a water balloon, pressed against his lower abdomen, gently shifting with the contact.
His phone flashlight had dropped nearby, making it hard to see her face clearly.
All he could feel was the rhythm of her breath, her burning warmth, and the slight tremble of her body.
"An Le."
"Xiaohuan."
They instinctively spoke at the same time again, making An Le even more nervous.
She quickly lowered her head and said in a trembling voice,
"Y-you go first, Xiaohuan."
"No, An Le, you go first."
"Mm."
After speaking, Yan Huan suddenly felt two thighs nervously clamping his in the darkness.
An Le closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and clenched her fists tightly—a habit she had when nervous.
But she forgot her hands were still resting on Yan Huan’s body, so her clenched pink fists ended up gripping his abs.
*Hiss—*
'No, wait a second, An Le, this upper-lower pincer move is a bit... intense.'
"Um, Xiaohuan, I actually came back to Linmen a long time ago... and I also enrolled in Yuanyue Academy."
"Wait, then why didn’t you come see me all this time?"
"I..."
That question made An Le’s already tense heart tighten further, her heartbeat pounding so loudly it felt like it might leap into Yan Huan’s chest.
She panicked and raised her head to explain—forgetting once again that the corridor was only half a person tall.
*Dong!*
*Ugh—*
With a muffled thud, she clutched her head and collapsed back into Yan Huan’s arms.
Hearing the soft, animal-like whimper from the girl in his embrace, Yan Huan felt as if he were dreaming.
It reminded him of his childhood sweetheart—prompting him to speak more than usual.
But turning to look again—she really was his childhood sweetheart?
What kind of miraculous twist was this?
The real question was: she went to the same school, so why hadn’t she come to see him all semester?
This semester, aside from Spencer, there hadn’t been any other transfer students in the first-year class.
Yan Huan looked helplessly at An Le, who was now groaning with a headache in his arms. He gently patted her back to comfort her.
"Are you okay?"
*Ugh...*
When she was little, An Le used to cry every time she got hurt, but if Yan Huan blew gently on the wound, she would stop crying.
Then she'd look up at him with her rosy, tear-streaked face.
Yan Huan’s gentle patting stirred Little Pinky, the creature on An Le’s shoulder, from its dazed state.
It opened its eyes with a hopeless expression, unwilling to face the cruel reality.
It made a decision—it would convince An Le to give up on it tonight.
'If I can’t win, can’t I just quit the game?!'
'I choose death!'
But just as it groggily opened its eyes, preparing to hurl one last insult at its useless Host—
"???"
'Wait, girl?'
'What the heck is going on?!'
'I just took a nap and suddenly...'
'Won?!'
'You think I don’t know how to operate, huh?!'
'Let’s review this whole sequence. It went something like this—'
'An Le kept making coin-flip mistakes.'
'An Le got pushed into a disadvantage.'
'An Le angered the Modifier and was on the verge of surrender.'
'And then An Le gave an award acceptance speech?!'
"Xiaohuan, all these years, I’ve always—always wanted to see you. But I’m sorry. Just like before, I still can’t do anything right."
"Wuwuwu... you’re right. I’ve always been this cowardly. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry."
"I just saw how amazing you’ve become, and I got scared. I was afraid you had already forgotten about me..."
At first, An Le was just sobbing softly. But feeling Yan Huan patting her gently, she suddenly couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into loud sobs.
One tear after another fell on Yan Huan, who gave a helpless smile.
"How could I ever forget you, An Le?"
*Wuwuwuwu—*
Little Pinky stuck out its tongue on the side, feeling like everything was finally going its way.
The narrow corridor now felt wide, the dim lighting turned bright, and even the bloody scent became sweet and fragrant.
'This world is just too wonderful!!'
Little Pinky was doing great. An Le was happily crying. Only Yan Huan...
He was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, being pressed down by the soft An Le in his arms.
Let’s just say—his yang energy hadn’t fully dispersed yet.
The perfect smile on his face froze slightly, and he could only say,
"Um... An Le, maybe we should talk after we get out of here? Could you get up first?"
"Eh? Sorry, Xiaohuan! I-I didn’t crush you, did I?"
"Nope. Just watch your head."
An Le wiped her tears and stood up, her small face blushing bright red.
Meanwhile, Yan Huan turned around to retrieve his phone, which had slid far away with its flashlight still on.
As he flipped over the phone that had been pinned to the ground, the flashlight beam illuminated the nearby floor.
And in the next moment, lit by the flashlight, Yan Huan saw a black paper bag dumped on the ground—
Along with several scattered literary works spilling out.
"Eh? An Le, is this what you bought—"
Yan Huan couldn’t see clearly, so he picked up one book and looked at its cover.
Bound Dra...gon?
One glance—and his mind froze.
On the cover was a muscular man, shirtless, tightly bound with ropes, tears streaming down his face.
Looking at the book in his hands, Yan Huan’s brain briefly crashed.
'Did fighting the Modifier drive me insane? Am I hallucinating?'
'Let’s double-check.'
*Hiss—* It’s real!!
And right then, An Le, who had just stood up wiping her tears, looked up—only to see Yan Huan staring at the book she had just bought.
"Xiao—"
Her pupils contracted, and her rosy little face instantly turned deathly pale.
Next to her, Little Pinky was still excitedly wrapped around her neck, chattering like a sports commentator with a gold medalist.
"Whoa! How did you pull this off?! You’re amazing, An Le! I totally underestimated you before! You really are the child of fate, the chosen one! If only you could use more of the pow—"
Mid-sentence, it suddenly froze.
As if it realized something was terribly wrong.
Little Pinky looked down at its body in panic, only to find that its snake tail was swelling up like a balloon.
'Des... Desire?!'
'Too... too much!!'
'I’m gonna explode!!'
Just as Little Pinky opened its mouth to warn An Le, she was already too terrified by what she saw to move.
Her one overwhelming, terrifying wish at that moment was:
'Xiaohuan must never find out what kinds of things I’m into!!'
She didn’t even need to give the command—her overpowering desire triggered the Modifier on its own!
[Superconductor Mode, activated!!]
[Target: Yan Huan!!]
Yan Huan blinked, just about to force an awkward smile and quietly put the thing back in the bag.
After all, people are different—it’s normal to have different XP systems (*). No need to force conformity.
Just laugh it off and move on.
Though... yeah, still a bit awkward.
(*) 'XP systems' here humorously refers to people's personal preferences or fetishes, borrowing from RPG terminology where XP = experience system.
But in the very next second, a familiar sensation surged through his chest.
As the blurry white mist connected to Yan Huan, a jolt of energy shot from his spine straight to his brain!
Behind him, Meow-chan's fur bristled in the corridor. It let out a low growl at the An Le standing before them.
*"Meow!!"*
At the same moment, Yan Huan's entire body went limp. He collapsed to the floor, cheeks flushed and heart pounding wildly.
"Yan Huan, your resistance just dropped another thirty percent! The one who ambushed you in the corridor last Thursday was her! She’s the owner of the Fourth Modifier!!"
Meow-chan's warning still echoed in his ears, but Yan Huan’s mind felt like it was spinning.
He remembered what he had told himself before—if the Modifier’s host turned out to be someone like Ye Shiyu or Spencer, strangers he'd never met, he could have maintained his composure.
But what terrified him most was the thought of someone he knew being chosen as a Modifier host.
That fear was why he had kept calling Sis Tong earlier.
He had truly hoped the peaceful, beautiful days of the past wouldn't be distorted or shattered by the Modifier.
But now...
After such a long separation, this was his long-awaited reunion with An Le.
And now, the identity of the Fourth Modifier’s host was clearly revealed—an outcome he should have welcomed.
Both should have been joyful moments. So why... why did Yan Huan feel so conflicted inside?
Waves of pleasure kept surging through him, as if trying to make him forget everything. His mind went completely blank.
Yet deep inside, one dazed thought lingered.
'But...'
'Right in front of me, it’s unmistakably An Le’s scent.'
[The Fourth Modifier host makes a grand debut!]
[End of this chapter]
(*) Note: "Modifier" likely refers to a special ability or supernatural enhancement within the story's world.