Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 14

*Ka-cha ka-cha ka-cha.* The sewing machine buzzed steadily on the table, but Ye Shiyu's gaze began to drift, gradually losing focus.

The once rhythmic and pleasant sound now grated on her nerves. She suddenly raised her hand and pressed the power switch, silencing the machine.

.

Her phone had been playing music nearby. Only when she turned her head did she realize the screen was still on—she had forgotten to turn it off.

She really was a bit distracted tonight.

Ye Shiyu pursed her lips, took a deep breath, stood up, and grabbed the nearby empty glass to go downstairs for some water.

Whenever she felt anxious or irritable, drinking water always helped.

'At this hour, Mom and he are probably still talking, right?'

'Let them talk. It's fine.'

After all, tonight...

She planned to have a good "chat" with him too.

Clutching her phone and glass tightly, Ye Shiyu pushed open the door with an expressionless face and headed downstairs.

But when she reached the second floor, she noticed Yan Huan’s door was wide open, revealing a dark, empty room inside.

*Wuu wuu wuu...*

Then, she thought she heard her mother sobbing from downstairs.

Her brows furrowed slightly as she walked toward the first-floor living room, where she found Ye Lan sitting on the sofa, a photo album resting on her lap, her face buried in her hands as she cried.

Aunt Chen sat beside her, gently patting her back and handing her tissues. The coffee table was already littered with several crumpled ones.

Ye Shiyu glanced around, but Yan Huan was nowhere to be seen.

She said nothing, as if she had already understood what had happened.

'He left?'

'Why?'

Though she couldn’t figure out the reason, the first emotion to rise in her heart was an inexplicable sense of relief—and joy.

When Ye Shiyu came down, Aunt Chen continued patting Ye Lan’s back and looked up at her.

"Shiyu... Xiaohuan left. He made double-layered milk custard for you. It’s on the table. Try it."

.

Upon hearing that, Ye Lan lifted her head, her tear-streaked face fully revealing the sorrow consuming her.

Ye Shiyu couldn’t bear to see her mother like this. She glanced at the dessert on the table and asked,

"He left? Why?"

"*Wuu wuu...* I don’t know either. It was so sudden... Things seemed to be going so well..."

Ye Lan pouted as she looked at Ye Shiyu. Her gaze made Ye Shiyu avert her eyes, afraid her sense of relief might be noticed.

But tearful Ye Lan was no emotional detective. She couldn’t sense the dark secret hiding in her daughter’s heart.

She simply lowered her head again and resumed crying.

"*Wuu wuu...* I went all the way to Linmen to find him, just to bring him home... I promised his godmother we’d take care of him. Yulu... What should I do?"

Her mother—when it came to those she loved—was always so emotional, as if she wanted to pluck the stars from the sky for them.

So rational in her career, yet she couldn’t simply let him go.

*Wuu wuu wuu...*

But hearing her mother’s heartbreaking sobs, Ye Shiyu, though expressionless, found herself in an emotional tug-of-war.

Honestly, she wished Yan Huan would just disappear and never contact her mother again.

Just seeing him, hearing him talk to her mother, watching her mother smile at him—it all irritated her.

But...

Compared to her own annoyance, she couldn’t bear to see her mother like this.

Ye Shiyu clenched her teeth slowly. After a long silence, she suddenly asked,

"When did he leave?"

Aunt Chen answered from the side,

"Xiaohuan left maybe five or six minutes ago. Your mom wanted to drive him, but he said it wasn’t safe so late. He insisted on taking the bus back to the southern district. The bus stop is a bit far from here."

Ye Shiyu looked at her mother, who still had her head down in tears, and said,

"I’ll go convince him to come back."

Ye Lan looked up in surprise, covering her mouth at her daughter’s unexpected response.

Her daughter Shiyu truly was a kind and good child—she just didn’t show it often.

"Shiyu... I’ll go with you," said Ye Lan.

"No need, Mom. Let me go. It’s easier for people our age to talk."

Ye Shiyu set the glass down and walked toward the door.

Her fair fingers flipped her phone over so the screen faced inward, releasing a deep purple glow—her own unique way of "communicating among peers."

To make her mother happy, even if it meant using Hypnosis—

As for her own irritation?

Well, she could just use the app to turn him into *that*, like in the movies.

Eventually, when Mom saw him leave again, she wouldn’t be sad anymore. She’d just...

With that thought, Ye Shiyu put on her shoes and stepped outside.

Since Yan Huan had packed his bags before leaving, it was already close to 8 o’clock.

The bus stop was outside the neighborhood gates. If she wanted to catch him, she had to hurry.

The streetlights in this upscale neighborhood were tightly spaced, as if trying to ward off the dark.

But once outside, the landscape lights were placed more than ten meters apart.

They turned the road into a series of bright islands.

Between those islands stretched a sea of shadows.

Ye Shiyu kept repeating the pattern of stepping into light and then darkness until she saw the bus stop by the main road.

The stop for buses heading to the southern district was quiet, with buses coming only every fifteen minutes.

Though the stop had lights, half were broken, casting it into uneven patches of light and dark.

Thanks to her sharp vision, Ye Shiyu quickly spotted a handsome boy under one of the working lights—a backpack slung over one shoulder, Bluetooth earpieces in, standing alone.

He wore the school uniform jacket he’d had on since Friday, with the same beige shirt underneath.

He hadn’t left yet. He was looking at his phone, waiting.

Ye Shiyu stared at him, then quickened her pace, stepping out of the light and into the shadows.

At the same time, she called out,

"Yan Huan."

Yan Huan had been watching a famous speech video. The volume was low, so he immediately heard the voice.

He paused, slightly stunned, and turned his head—there was Ye Shiyu standing in the dark outside the stop.

He was surprised—he hadn’t expected her to come after him.

But soon, he composed himself and smiled.

"Shiyu-sis, what brings you here?"

Then, noticing her thin clothing, he added,

"It’s really cold out. Shiyu-sis, you’re not dressed warmly enough."

"Why are you leaving?"

Ye Shiyu cut him off, getting straight to the point.

She stepped forward and entered the bus stop area.

"Mm, I’m just not used to living here... I’ve always lived in the southern district. Suddenly moving to Jinghe is a bit inconvenient."

Yan Huan explained with a smile.

Ye Shiyu stopped and looked up at him under the light, studying his expression.

But his smile was as bright and flawless as ever.

Her gaze drifted back into the shadows as she said,

"Come back with me. Mom’s really upset. She cares about you."

Yan Huan blinked, paused, then pointed to the bench inside the shelter.

"...Have a seat, Shiyu-sis."

Ye Shiyu didn’t move at first, but Yan Huan sat down and took off his Bluetooth earpiece, placing it in its case.

Watching him, Ye Shiyu hesitated, then sat at the far edge of the bench.

Though she sat far from him, the light on his side slightly illuminated her strikingly beautiful face.

Yan Huan looked out at the quiet road and smiled. Then he suddenly asked,

"Shiyu-sis, you actually really dislike me, don’t you?"

.

Ye Shiyu’s pupils shrank slightly. Her fingers subconsciously tightened around her phone, but she said nothing.

Yan Huan turned to face her, meeting her eyes. He looked a bit embarrassed, nervously folding his hands together.

"Don't worry, I never told Aunt Ye about it. She's never thought that way either."

"You misunderstood."

From the shadowy end of the platform where no light reached, Ye Shiyu spoke up to explain.

"Mm... maybe I was just imagining things, Shiyu-sis."

Yan Huan didn’t argue. He simply continued calmly,

"It’s just that... I’ve never had a mom or dad since I was little. After all these years, saying I never longed for a warm family would be unrealistic."

"So when someone as kind and gentle as Aunt Ye came to find me, I was honestly really happy—genuinely happy. I truly wished I could have someone like Aunt Ye, someone who cares for me like a mother, by my side."

Even without using Hypnosis, his sincere voice made Ye Shiyu take a deep breath.

But he wasn't trying to make himself sound pitiful—on the contrary, his words were meant for her.

"Shiyu-sis, you also lost your father when you were young, and you’ve relied on Aunt Ye ever since. Maybe because our situations are kind of similar, I can really understand how you feel."

"If my mother were still alive and I had only her to depend on, and then she brought home another child... no matter who that child was, just seeing her care for them so attentively—I’d probably feel jealous and upset too."

Hearing this, Ye Shiyu looked up at the handsome boy in front of her. His gaze had lowered slightly, and her lips parted instinctively.

Even while sharing such a painful story, Yan Huan's smile remained unchanged.

He simply said,

"I know how it feels to have precious love taken away—it’s incredibly painful. My parents were taken by natural disasters, by fate, when I was little. I couldn’t do anything. I had no power."

"But because I understand that pain, when I realized I might be the source of your pain, Shiyu-sis... how could I bear to go through with it?"

Ye Shiyu's hand trembled slightly. Her phone, gripped tightly, nearly slipped from her fingers.

"..."

She couldn’t say anything. She just stared at Yan Huan’s smile, as if trying to understand something incomprehensible.

That incomprehensible thing was tearing her heart apart, cutting her open and revealing what lay inside—

And inside... there was a faint throb.

*Thump... thump...*

Just as her eyes widened slightly and her lips parted in confusion, Yan Huan suddenly seemed to remember something. He pulled his backpack around to the front.

"Right, Shiyu-sis, this is for you."

He opened his backpack and took out a folded gift bag.

Then, opening it, he carefully pulled out a few items.

First was the jellyfish keychain she had been searching for yesterday. It still had her name tag, proving that Yan Huan hadn’t bought it afterward.

The other two items had clearly been bought later.

One was a square resin model of a jellyfish, as if a real, shimmering jellyfish had been sealed inside, dancing underwater.

The other was an adorable plush jellyfish doll.

"This."

Ye Shiyu stared blankly at the keychain he placed in her hand. As for the other two items, Yan Huan only showed them briefly before tucking them back into the bag.

"Ah, I noticed yesterday how much it mattered to you, so I went back to the aquarium this morning to look for it. It looked like you dropped it there—I found it. As for the other two, Auntie said you really like jellyfish, so I picked a couple that I thought were cute. If you don’t like them, just ignore them."

So he had gotten up early this morning just to go to the aquarium and find her keychain?

And yet, that very morning, she had secretly watched him change and let wicked thoughts creep into her heart...

"Why... didn’t you give it to me earlier?"

If he’d given it to her sooner, maybe she wouldn’t have ignored him all day or treated him so coldly.

"I was planning to give it to you at school."

Yan Huan gave a sheepish smile and looked at Ye Shiyu.

"But I was worried that if I gave it to you today, Auntie might see it and be even more unwilling to let me leave."

"..."

Ye Shiyu just stared at Yan Huan in confusion as he handed her the gift bag from the light.

And her hand, reaching out from the shadows to accept it, moved ever so slowly.

In that slowness, confusion and emotion surged wildly within her heart, nearly overwhelming her.

It was only then that she remembered—he had been quietly taking care of her these past two days.

The day before yesterday, he greeted her politely when he arrived.

Yesterday, when she was arguing outside over the keychain, he helped her get it back. When she lost it again, he spent hours helping her search without complaint.

This morning, he got up early to find the keychain, bought her gifts, made her dessert at noon, helped her secure a class, noticed she didn’t want to watch a movie, and suggested going to the supermarket instead.

Even when he was about to leave, he made double-layered milk custard for her and her mom.

She had noticed all of this—so why had she never acknowledged it until now?

Because disgust and anger are like tides.

When those tides rise, the seashells on the shore—the beautiful things—get submerged, invisible no matter how bright they shine.

That’s why when we argue with someone close to us, even the best memories vanish in that moment.

And all that's left are insults and resentment.

*Thump... thump... thump...*

That strange throb grew stronger. Ye Shiyu lowered her head slightly, feeling breathless, as if something was pressing on her chest.

But Yan Huan didn’t notice the subtle change in her. Like his mother, he seemed used to her silence.

He looked up at the traffic waiting at the distant light and said,

"Looks like the car’s coming, Shiyu-sis."

Ye Shiyu’s downcast eyes suddenly widened, and she instinctively lifted her head.

Her gaze met his smile as he turned around.

*Thump... thump... thump...*

"See you at school, Shiyu-sis."

Looking at that smile, Ye Shiyu's lips trembled. Her blank expression cracked. Her throat moved as if she wanted to speak.

'This is the moment... the moment I’m supposed to say something, right?'

'But why...'

'Why can’t I speak, Ye Shiyu?'

'Is it because of that unfamiliar feeling? Because of the pressure in my chest? Because it’s hard to breathe?'

*Thump... thump... thump...*

"Wait—"

Just as he was about to leave, Yan Huan heard Ye Shiyu’s voice. Though she said only one word, he stopped for her.

"Wait a moment."

He turned to her and asked,

"What is it?"

"..."

'Say something.'

'He’s looking at you, asking.'

'Say it.'

'But what am I supposed to say?'

*Thump... thump... thump...*

Ye Shiyu opened her mouth, but her throat felt stiff, as if it didn’t belong to her.

Looking at the boy in front of her, he felt like the one thing she had never wanted so badly before.

Something one-of-a-kind in the world, as if made just for her.

Even though she knew better than anyone that he wasn’t an object—not some doll.

She was supposed to respond—to return the kindness and warmth he offered.

That’s how humans connect—with one heart responding to another.

Not by treating him like a product, picking him up and heading to the checkout.

But—

But still, she couldn’t say a word.

So instead, she clumsily tried to claim him in another way.

Her hand, holding her phone, instinctively lifted, pointing the screen at Yan Huan.

"!?"

After raising the phone, she suddenly realized what she had done.

He had been so kind, had opened his heart to her—and yet she...

Was going to use Hypnosis on him?

Ye Shiyu’s eyes widened as she panted, but her raised hand showed no sign of pulling back.

Regret, excitement, and the strange throb inside her all tangled together, leaving her nearly out of control. All she could hear was the fierce sound pounding in her ears.

*Thump... thump... thump...*

Yet after she raised her phone, Yan Huan only paused for a second, looked at the screen, then blinked at her in confusion.

No—

"It didn't work?"

"Why didn’t it work?"

In an instant, an overwhelming fear nearly gripped her heart.

Her pupils contracted slightly, and an imperceptible, terrifying desire seemed to swell within her. The surrounding shadows began to writhe as if reacting to it.

Fortunately, at that moment, Yan Huan suddenly asked,

"Is your phone out of battery, Shiyu-sis?"

"Eh?"

The fear in her heart shattered instantly. She looked at her phone screen—an enormous "empty battery" icon was glaring back at her.

She froze.

'Was it because I got so distracted while sewing, playing music the whole time and leaving the screen on... that the battery died?'

Her face flushed red with embarrassment.

Ye Shiyu quickly averted her gaze. As she turned her head, a delicate ear peeked out from beneath her black hair.

Her hands trembled as she lifted the phone, awkwardly trying to use it as a shield to block Yan Huan’s intense gaze.

But the phone was far too small to hide her lovely face.

Instead, it only exposed more of her blushing skin, her watery eyes, and the longing in her gaze—as though she wanted to disappear into the ground.

She opened her mouth, her voice trembling like a small, timid creature.

"M-my phone... ran out of battery."

Amid her long, flowing black hair, even her earlobes had turned a soft cherry blossom pink.

The darkness could no longer hide her face, fully revealing her shyness and unease.

Seeing Ye Shiyu like this, Yan Huan stared wide-eyed, momentarily stunned.

At that moment, he felt a bit envious of those self-media vloggers with cameras strapped to their heads—if only he could capture this shy and adorable version of Ye Shiyu.

(*) Self-media: refers to independent content creators, often vloggers or influencers who post on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Chinese equivalents like Bilibili.

[Ding ding. Bus arriving, please board in order and hold on securely.]

Just then, the bus heading to the southern district pulled in.

As Ye Shiyu was about to flee, Yan Huan hesitated for a second, then stood up.

*Whoosh*

Instead of boarding, he took off his school uniform jacket and gently draped it over Ye Shiyu.

"Eh?"

Someone else's—

No, it was Yan Huan’s jacket, suddenly appearing on her shoulders.

Ye Shiyu’s eyes widened, instantly enveloped in his familiar scent.

But she didn’t resist. She simply stood there dazed, still holding her phone and staring at him.

Yan Huan smiled faintly and glanced around.

"The road back to the complex is really dark. Without a phone flashlight, it could be tricky. Looks like there’s a convenience store up ahead—I’ll go borrow a power bank. Shiyu-sis, wait here a moment. It’s a bit chilly, so keep the jacket on."

"...Okay."

Ye Shiyu nodded blankly, obediently.

Seeing Yan Huan not board, the bus to the southern district closed its doors and drove away.

Yan Huan jogged across the street, disappearing into the distance.

Ye Shiyu lowered her head, feeling the warmth of Yan Huan's jacket around her.

It clearly didn’t belong to her, didn’t even have her name on it—

Yet wearing it, she didn’t mind at all. It felt warm.

*Thump... thump... thump...*

That strange sound in her ears grew louder and louder—then suddenly stopped.

It was the sound of her own heartbeat.

She clenched her hands, no longer looking at her phone, instead pressing it tightly to her chest.

All she focused on was the comforting warmth of the school jacket wrapped around her.

As a result, she didn’t notice when her phone screen lit up.

A purple, sinister vortex flickered on the screen, like static from poor reception.

Then the screen went dark again.

After a while, once her body had warmed up, she finally heard Yan Huan’s voice calling out.

"Shiyu-sis!"

She looked up, her body rising instinctively with the motion.

Yan Huan approached and handed her a power bank.

"Here you go, Shiyu-sis."

"Mm."

Hearing him call her "sis" again made Ye Shiyu's eyes dart away shyly once more.

She plugged in the power bank and began charging her phone. Since the bus had already left, she had no choice but to wait for the next one.

Ye Shiyu’s mind went completely blank—she even forgot why she came to find Yan Huan in the first place.

She simply clutched his school uniform jacket tightly, hugging the gift bag he had given her, and listened to his instructions.

"Shiyu-sis, wear the jacket home. You can return it at school."

"Mm."

"As for the power bank, it might be a bit of a hassle—you’ll need to leave the complex to return it. But don’t worry if you forget."

"Okay."

She lowered her head, and as her black hair fell forward, glimpses of her flushed skin showed with each nod.

*Thump... thump... thump...*

Soon, the second bus arrived.

[Ding ding. Bus arriving, please board in order and hold on securely.]

Yan Huan looked at the bus, then picked up his backpack and smiled at Ye Shiyu.

"Shiyu-sis, I’m heading off. See you at school."

"..."

She stood up and opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Still, as Yan Huan was about to leave, her hand moved subconsciously, as if trying to make him stay.

Unfortunately, he didn’t see it.

He boarded the bus, sat by the window, and waved at her.

"Be careful on your way back, Shiyu-sis. Send me a message when you get home."

"..."

As the bus drove away, Ye Shiyu sat on the dark platform for a long time before finally getting up and heading home.

Just as she reached the doorstep, she saw Ye Lan and Aunt Chen changing shoes, about to head out and look for her.

"You’re finally back... *sob sob* You didn’t answer your phone earlier. If I hadn’t called Xiaohuan, I wouldn’t have known your phone died."

(*) Xiaohuan: likely a nickname for Yan Huan.

"...He brought me a power bank."

Seeing the jacket draped over Ye Shiyu’s shoulders and the gift bag in her arms, Ye Lan pouted slightly, then gently pulled her into an embrace.

"..."

In the end, she still couldn’t get him to come back.

Ye Lan didn’t say anything more. She simply led Ye Shiyu back into the house.

Yan Huan’s school uniform was handed to Aunt Chen for washing, while Ye Shiyu took the power bank and the gift bag back to her room.

She turned on the light, flooding the room with a warm, gentle glow.

Instead of going to her desk to continue sewing, her body suddenly turned limp, and she collapsed onto the bed.

Picking up her phone, she sent a message to Yan Huan.

"I’m home."

Just as she was about to set the phone down, it suddenly rang.

*Ding ding!*

Startled, her hand jerked and bumped into the gift bag, causing a round jellyfish plushie to roll out.

It didn’t have a name tag—yet somehow, it had ended up on her bed.

"Alrighty, rest early, Shiyu-sis. See you at school."

That was followed by a “Goodnight” cat emoji.

Blinking her long lashes, she tapped her phone keyboard, trying to figure out what to reply.

She typed and deleted, deleted and typed...

In the end, she simply replied, "Mm."

After sending the message, Ye Shiyu turned over and lay flat on her stomach on the bed.

Under the soft glow of the headboard light, her slightly flushed cheeks and misty eyes were clearly illuminated.

Perhaps the ceiling was too plain, so she turned her gaze toward the jellyfish plushie beside her.

She pouted slightly and hesitantly reached out a finger.

Inch by inch, she moved closer—closer to that crystal jellyfish doll that had no name tag but carried Yan Huan's scent.

Finally, her finger touched it fully, sinking into its soft, squishy body.

Gazing at the jellyfish’s adorable appearance, she didn’t get up for a long while to fetch a name tag or do anything else—she just stared at it.

*Thump. Thump. Thump.*

After a long silence, she suddenly recalled that she had tried to hypnotize Yan Huan earlier.

The memory made her bury her head quickly into the crook of her arm.

*Mmph.*

'How could I have done something like that back then?'

Surrounded by warm lamplight and the scent of flowers, her voice emerged muffled beneath the cascade of her black hair.

"You're so despicable, Ye Shiyu."

On the swaying bus heading toward the southern district, the lights remained off, making the already quiet cabin feel even dimmer.

Yan Huan sat alone by the window, his body hidden in the shadows of the bus, his face expressionless.

In the darkness, a pair of emerald green cat eyes suddenly lit up. A body that had been completely camouflaged by shadows slowly approached Yan Huan.

"So that’s how it is."

In his mind, Meow-chan’s voice echoed.

"No wonder you’ve been acting unusually around Ye Lan since this morning—showing your most well-behaved, considerate side. The more you act that way, the more you provoke Ye Shiyu’s possessiveness. And just as she was about to break, you left on your own—leaving her fury nowhere to land, which only deepened her remorse."

Outside the window, city lights streamed past, casting blurry reflections on the glass. From the outside, the handsome boy sitting in the dim cabin appeared hazy and indistinct.

Listening to Meow-chan’s voice behind him, Yan Huan sighed and said,

"Because Ye Shiyu is moral and conscientious—at least for now, before the modifier fully takes effect. What I’ve been doing is acting, playing the part of a perfect, kind younger brother, using her morality to restrain her desire to use the modifier."

(*) Modifier refers to some form of mental or emotional influence tool in the story.

In the darkness, hearing the weary sigh in his tone, Meow-chan instinctively responded,

"You don’t need to feel guilty about deceiving her for the sake of acting, meow. She was about to use the modifier on you. Besides, many of those emotions weren’t fake—you just amplified them."

"Yeah, but I really didn’t expect her to chase after me. Even though she hates me that much... she truly loves Aunt Ye. She’d rather betray herself than let me leave. And me? Despite how sincere Aunt Ye was, I still left—without even a decent excuse."

"Meow~"

Meow-chan jumped onto his lap, pressing its warm, chubby body against him in a silent attempt to comfort him.

Looking out the window, Yan Huan gave a helpless smile, but couldn’t resist reaching out to rub Meow-chan’s soft, pudgy head.

He leaned against the window, staring at his own reflection.

Wrapped in deep darkness, framed by the silhouette of neon lights on the window, a sigh echoed in his mind.

'You’re so despicable, Yan Huan.'

[End of Chapter]