Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 20

*Ka-cha!*

As Spencer's finger lightly tapped the screen, the shutter clicked, and her phone captured the murky scene inside the equipment room.

In front of her, Yinggong Tong’s black hair was slightly tousled from the intense hugging just moments ago.

Her clothes were disheveled, and she appeared to be in pain, half-squatting on the floor while holding her head.

Right in front of her, Yan Huan covered his head with one hand, obscuring half his face.

Through the strands of his messy hair, his eyes appeared slightly dazed from the intense headache he’d just experienced.

The scene gave off an air of indescribable ambiguity.

Still wincing slightly, Yan Huan looked at the golden-haired girl in front of him, and memories of seeing her over the weekend rushed into his mind.

He suddenly remembered the keychain that had seemed guided by a supernatural force—and how he and Yinggong Tong had been attacked again today.

'That girl is definitely the Host of the modifier!'

"Hey!"

Realizing this, Yan Huan quickly called out to stop her from taking more photos.

Meanwhile, Spencer stared at the photo on her screen, showing Yan Huan and Yinggong Tong.

Her eyes lingered on the disheveled yet handsome boy, and her wicked smile deepened.

Like a mischievous little devil, she bared one of her canine teeth.

Hearing Yan Huan’s voice, she didn’t hold back. She simply pocketed her phone and casually tossed the basketball she was holding into the room—as if returning it.

"Ah, sorry to interrupt your little moment~ I'll be off now."

With that, she actually turned and ran off.

Yan Huan lifted his leg to give chase but suddenly paused, quickly turning back to check on Yinggong Tong, who was still clutching her head and looking unwell.

He rushed to her side, uncertain whether the modifier used by the golden-haired girl had any lingering effects.

After all, even with his resistance, the headache had been intense—who knew how Yinggong Tong was feeling?

"Yinggong, are you okay?"

However, what Yan Huan didn’t know was that his headache had been caused by the modifier resisting memory erasure.

In truth, Yinggong Tong wasn’t in pain at all; she had simply been observing the golden-haired girl who had shattered her barrier.

Yinggong Tong, already highly cautious from years of hiding her true identity, was now on high alert.

Though she didn’t know exactly what had happened, she was sure of one thing—staying hidden was the safest choice.

She secretly vowed never to use that ability again in front of others unless she had a 100% guarantee it wouldn’t expose her.

As a result, her acting became even more natural.

"I-I’m fine. What just happened? Weren’t we just here to return the equipment—how did it suddenly turn into...?"

Seeing that Yinggong Tong had also "lost" her memory, Yan Huan became more certain that the golden-haired girl was the culprit.

He shook his head and said,

"I’m not sure what happened either. I just remember we were locked in. It must’ve been that girl’s doing. I’ll go after her."

"Huh? Wait, President—"

Yinggong Tong instinctively tried to stop Yan Huan.

If that girl could shatter her barrier, could she also be carrying other abnormal items?

And the President didn’t know anything—if the girl had bad intentions and harmed him...

Then wouldn’t he be completely defenseless?

'No, no, no!'

Thinking that, Yinggong Tong quickly urged,

"Let’s go find the security guards first, President. That girl was wearing sportswear—she’s a student from our school. She can’t get far."

"No, Yinggong, you go notify the security guards and explain the situation. She just took a photo of the two of us. I don’t really care, but if you get dragged into this, it could be serious, right?"

But Yan Huan shook his head and refused. He looked at Yinggong Tong and reminded her,

"If we wait until we find the guards, and she transfers the photo or lies about deleting it, what then?"

Hearing this, Yinggong Tong froze.

That’s right—her reputation didn’t belong to just her.

Her family, deeply involved in politics back in their home country, placed great importance on such matters. Even though she had crossed the ocean to study abroad, she still hadn’t changed her surname.

If that photo got out and spread online—and her family found out—

The consequences would be unimaginable.

After all, Yan Huan had known Yinggong Tong for half a year and had even visited her home in Linmen. He understood her to some extent.

Moreover, Yan Huan had initially acted to deal with modifier-related incidents. He didn’t want to drag the innocent Yinggong Tong into it.

Both of them, skilled at hiding their true thoughts, were considering the supernatural nature of the modifier—and didn’t want the other to suffer because of it.

So at that moment, they both spoke nearly in unison:

"I’ll catch up to her quickly. Yinggong, you go notify the security guards!"

"I’ll go with you, President."

But Yan Huan shook his head again and said,

"I’ll go alone. Yinggong, you’re not feeling well—you won’t be able to keep up with her."

With that, Yan Huan turned and left.

"I..."

Yinggong Tong opened her mouth and instinctively reached out her hand, trying to stop Yan Huan from leaving.

For some reason, her instincts screamed that if the President went after that girl alone—

Something terrible might happen!

Gritting her teeth, she stood up. But due to her weak constitution, the sudden movement made her dizzy.

Also, she really needed to use the restroom.

Holding her head, Yinggong Tong walked out the door with a pale face, still trying to call Yan Huan back.

But when she looked outside, he had already disappeared, chasing after the girl.

"Meow-chan!"

"Meow?"

Outside the gymnasium, Yan Huan sprinted as he mentally called out Meow-chan’s name.

From the bushes nearby, a black cat instantly responded and leapt out.

Running alongside him, it looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"What’s going on, meow?"

"I found the third Host of the modifier—she’s a student at our school! She’s the one who made Ye Shiyu drop the keychain last weekend, and she just attacked me and someone else with the modifier! Meow-chan, tell me where she is now!"

Meow-chan, running on her soft pink paw pads, understood instantly. She had picked up that girl’s scent over the weekend, so she twitched her nose and ran in a specific direction.

"This way!"

With Meow-chan leading, Yan Huan quickly arrived near the teaching building.

By now, classes had ended nearly half an hour ago. Some students had already gone home, while others were at the activity hall for club events.

The teaching building was completely deserted.

Meow-chan trotted ahead and finally stopped in front of a door. She turned and looked at Yan Huan.

"It’s here, meow!"

"Here..."

Yan Huan looked up at the door in front of him, hesitating for a moment.

The plaque on the door read:

"Girls' Changing Room."

Fortunately, there probably wasn’t anyone else inside at the moment.

Yan Huan noticed the door was slightly ajar—and the lock had been broken, with visible marks from being kicked.

She had entered the changing room by force, just like she’d done with the equipment room.

Normally, the changing room would be locked after classes ended.

And since she arrived more than thirty minutes late to return the ball and change, she was locked out.

A regular person would either come back tomorrow or find a staff member to unlock it.

But this girl had kicked down two doors in a row—this alone revealed something about her personality.

She was a girl with a truly nasty temperament.

"Meow-chan, I’m going in to check. Stay hidden."

"Meow~"

Without hesitation, Yan Huan stepped inside.

First, because the photo of him and Yinggong Tong couldn’t be allowed to spread—he had to make sure she deleted it.

Second, he needed to understand the modifier’s effects and the Host’s intentions while his resistance could still suppress most of the influence.

Avoiding it wouldn’t help. If he didn’t stop her now, would he just wait for her to grow stronger and dominate the worldlines later?

He turned a corner after entering the girls' changing room and saw a spacious interior divided by rows of lockers.

The lockers were spaced just far enough apart to form narrow corridor-like paths.

It was utterly silent all around. If not for the broken door lock at the entrance, Yan Huan would’ve seriously doubted whether anyone was inside.

*Dong!*

Just as he was surveying the interior, the sound of something falling to the ground caught his attention.

He turned his head and saw a glass rolling across the floor.

'A glass? Over there?'

Just as he was about to walk toward it, a pale arm suddenly shot out from the side corridor.

*Bang!*

It slapped hard against the locker beside him, blocking his path.

Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, turned, and gave the golden-haired girl in front of him a wicked smile.

Spencer smiled back, a sharp white canine tooth peeking over her lip, instantly catching his attention.

"You actually chased me into the girls’ changing room. You've got guts."

She had just changed clothes—wearing little more than a tight-fitting white printed T-shirt and black athletic shorts, both of which flaunted her confident figure.

Standing so close, Yan Huan could even make out the outline of her underwear.

She hadn’t put on socks or shoes yet, standing barefoot in front of him.

Her posture suggested she was trying to corner him against the wall, her wicked, teasing smile giving her intentions away.

But since she was a bit shorter than Yan Huan, she had to tilt her head up to look at him, which only made him appear more composed.

He looked down at the fluffy, golden-haired girl before him and asked in his usual calm weekend tone,

"Where’s the phone?"

"What phone?"

"The phone you used to take a picture."

Hearing this, Spencer tilted her head slightly.

A few strands of golden hair fell from her forehead, brushing against her bold and aggressive yet beautiful face.

Her blue eyes held a smile, but between the golden strands, a terrifying glint flashed.

It was like adding tequila to lemonade—suddenly, the atmosphere had a buzz to it.

(*) Note: Tequila and lemonade is an unusual mix, suggesting an unexpected and intense reaction.

Though they were indoors, her golden hair seemed to catch the light, becoming almost dazzling.

"Yeah, I took it. So what?"

A strange wave of energy quietly radiated from her, silently wrapping around Yan Huan, who remained unaware.

Suddenly, he felt like the girl in front of him had grown taller, her wicked smile becoming more unbearable.

Even her voice grated on his ears now:

"Is that photo important to you?"

"That photo, to me—"

Though he inwardly hated the nasty girl in front of him, his heart felt defenseless, as though it wanted to speak the truth.

All his walls and calculated thoughts seemed to melt away, and Yan Huan instantly realized something was wrong.

'Her modifier can affect consciousness!'

Without resistance, he could already imagine all the embarrassing truths his unguarded heart would blurt out.

"That photo isn’t important to me, but it’s very important to Yinggong."

"Whatever it takes, just delete that photo quickly."

"For Yinggong’s sake, as long as she deletes the photo, I’d do anything—"

Yan Huan’s heart trembled. Because of his resistance, he could calmly observe the part of himself being influenced, as if watching it from the outside.

His internal state was full of contradictions.

He deeply disliked the girl before him, yet felt strangely powerless against her aggression. At the same time, unexpected feelings for Yinggong rose—ones that went beyond friendship, as if he could give up everything for her.

That unsettling mindset made Yan Huan draw a strange connection in his mind, leaving him stunned beneath his calm expression.

'No way...could this girl’s modifier really be—'

Although he didn’t finish the thought, the wicked grin on the girl’s face didn’t diminish one bit.

She took a step back and pulled out her phone, displaying the photo she had just taken.

"Pretending to be so gentle with your girlfriend over the weekend, and now it’s only Monday and you’re already fooling around with another girl in the equipment room. I thought you looked familiar—you’re Yan Huan, the President of Yuanyue Academy, right?"

"What would happen if this photo got out? What would happen to the reputation of that Vice President, 'Yinggong Tong,' in the photo? Aww, I’d feel terrible letting that happen."

Spencer lifted her chin, casually saying what Yan Huan had already feared.

She held up her phone threateningly and looked at him with gleaming eyes.

"President Yan, you don’t want this photo to spread, do you?"

"..."

'Yikes!!'

'Run! There’s a bull!!'

Internally, Yan Huan was panicking.

And as he looked at the golden-haired girl in front of him, her proud figure and fierce expression began to feel eerily familiar.

In stories he’d read, Yan Huan had often come across this phrase:

'Most people relate to the golden-haired troublemaker, a few to the victims—'

'And gods—gods always relate to the heroine.'

Now, Yan Huan kind of wanted to write his own book:

'On Why Yan Huan Is the God.'

He was finally beginning to understand the effects of her modifier—just from the thoughts that surged within him, he could already guess a few things.

But this girl must have abilities beyond thought manipulation. Otherwise, how had she managed to build that secret room?

The problem was, he couldn’t let her know he had resistance. He couldn’t let her realize the modifier didn’t fully work on him.

So he had no choice but to keep acting like he was under its influence.

Fortunately, the girl didn’t know that he and Yinggong were just friends.

Yinggong didn’t like him, and he had no inappropriate thoughts about her—so technically, the girl hadn’t stolen anything from him.

With that in mind, Yan Huan quickly devised a plan.

'Then let’s begin the operation, Yan Huan.'

[Perfect Expression Control: Activate!]

The disgust on his face toward the girl intensified—anger, indifference, and concern for a certain girl all blended into a complex expression.

But Spencer only grew more excited as she watched his face.

"That’s right, President. Only when you make that face do you truly belong to someone else."

"And only then does my looting have meaning!"

Spencer licked her lips, eagerly waiting for his response.

"..."

After a brief pause, Yan Huan sighed, his expression cold.

He glanced sideways at Spencer and asked calmly,

"What do I have to do for you to delete that photo of Yinggong?"

The wickedness in Spencer’s expression seemed to reach its peak—until the next moment, when it morphed into a confused daze.

'Right—what should I ask him to do?'

Deep down, Spencer already had an answer.

Over the weekend, she had seen Yan Huan smile so patiently at Ye Shiyu. That—that was what she wanted to take for herself.

But was it really just that smile she wanted?

No. Her instincts told her it was something more.

She felt there was something truly precious beneath that smile.

But she was a little too clueless to figure out what it was just yet.

Naturally, she couldn’t make any specific demands of Yan Huan right now.

She rubbed her chin, thinking hard for a long while.

But maybe it was too mentally exhausting, because soon she grew irritated.

"Ugh—I haven’t thought of anything yet. I’ll tell you once I figure it out."

With no better option, she said that and turned to leave.

But how could Yan Huan let her go? He immediately grabbed her wrist.

Spencer’s face darkened instantly. Veins bulged along her hand—like a lion about to go berserk.

"What do you think you’re doing?!"

In that moment, Yan Huan felt as if he were grabbing a real lion.

The girl before him was incredibly strong!

But Yan Huan reacted quickly. He didn’t try to hold her back—just before she could break free, he leaned in close.

*Bang!*

Imitating her earlier move, he slammed his hand against the locker behind her with a thunderous noise, effectively blocking her retreat.

The corridor echoed with the impact, and the tension between them instantly intensified.

*Unexpectedly—*

"You actually dared to wall-pin me instead?!"

Spencer tilted her head up. Because of the height difference, she had to do that to see Yan Huan's face.

Yan Huan looked down at her with a cold expression and spoke in a deep voice.

"Just wait... I don't even know your name or what class you're in, and you think you can just walk away like this?"

"Oh? And what if I insist on leaving?"

Spencer had a habit of using rhetorical questions whenever she was angry.

When Yan Huan blocked her path, he already had some idea about her true intentions.

Every time he mentioned Yinggong Tong, her face lit up with excitement.

Spencer's expressions were incredibly transparent—whatever she was thinking was written all over her face.

Like now, she bared her teeth in a cold sneer—she was clearly furious.

Yan Huan knew he had to use her obvious reaction to Yinggong Tong to his advantage. First, he had to make her delete that photo.

He looked at Spencer, his face full of indifference and disgust, but his gaze shifted slightly to the side as he said,

"What you saw over the weekend wasn’t my girlfriend. That was my older sister. I only like Yinggong."

"Delete the photo of Yinggong, and I’ll agree to one condition of yours. If you don’t delete it and Yinggong gets affected, I swear I won’t let this go!"

As expected, Spencer’s anger gradually faded while she listened. Excitement began to take its place.

The more Yan Huan showed his feelings for Yinggong Tong, the more Spencer felt a twisted thrill—like she wanted to steal what wasn’t hers.

Hearing that Yan Huan hadn’t cheated and was actually devoted made her even more eager.

'Hurry up and hand over this loyal man who only belongs to one person!'

Spencer’s tone softened a bit; she wasn’t as angry anymore.

"No way. What if I delete it and you don’t keep your word?"

Yan Huan realized his tactic was working.

"...Then take a photo of me instead. I’m in the Girls’ Changing Room now, right? I’ll fulfill your condition, and then you delete that photo."

Yan Huan hesitated for a moment—it seemed he was worried about his own reputation.

But that hesitation meant nothing when compared to his feelings for Yinggong.

It seemed he had decided to sacrifice himself just to get the photo of Yinggong Tong deleted.

"Just don’t let Yinggong find out."

At the end, Yan Huan emphasized that point once more.

"...Alright, deal. By the way, my name is Aruiya Spencer—I just transferred to Class 1-C."

Spencer couldn’t hold back her smile anymore. She lifted her phone and took a photo of Yan Huan.

Then, right in front of him, she deleted the previous photo.

"Also delete it from Recently Deleted."

"Alright, alright. Whatever you say, President Yan."

"What about the cloud? Did it get saved to the cloud?"

"Nope. By the way, do you really like that Yinggong girl that much?"

Yan Huan didn’t bother to respond, but seeing that all possible backup options had been ruled out, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

To Spencer, that string of follow-up questions and the final exhale were confirmation enough.

She waved her hand in satisfaction, signaling for Yan Huan to leave.

Then she sat off to the side, lifted her foot, and began putting on her white socks.

Yan Huan didn’t even look back at her—he turned and walked away.

Still, deep down, he had formed a basic impression of the girl named "Aruiya Spencer."

'This person... doesn’t seem very smart.'

He didn’t actually care that much if she leaked his photo—there were plenty of ways to explain or defend himself, and Yinggong already knew the truth.

Not to mention, Yan Huan never planned to let her leak it. He still intended to use this so-called condition to plan how to burst the modifier fragment.

Not only had he gained more insight into the modifier’s effects, but he had also successfully gotten her to delete the photo of Yinggong.

Thinking it over, it was truly a win-win situation—at zero cost!

Spencer left disappointed, without even taking a cloud backup with her.

"President!"

As Yan Huan walked out of the changing room and headed toward the school building, he ran into Yinggong Tong, who had just finished searching the area with the security guards.

Seeing him, Yinggong Tong quickly approached with concern.

"How did it go, President?"

"Ah, I found her. She deleted the photo right in front of me."

"Deleted it?"

Yinggong Tong found that a bit hard to believe.

That girl who could kick down a door just gave up and deleted the photo?

Of course, it wasn’t that Yinggong didn’t trust Yan Huan—if he said it was deleted, then it probably was. She was just worried the girl might’ve done something behind his back...

Just like she herself would have.

"Then—"

Just as Yinggong Tong was about to ask more, Spencer walked out of the school building, having changed her shoes, wearing a wicked grin.

When she saw Yan Huan and Yinggong Tong—especially Yinggong—her smile deepened.

That smile sent a chill down Yinggong Tong’s spine.

Spencer walked up beside Yan Huan, glanced at him, and saw he was ignoring her.

But she didn’t mind. She turned to Yinggong Tong and said,

"Don’t worry, I followed the President’s orders and deleted the photo. Sorry, really, I didn’t mean to, Vice President Yinggong."

At the words "Vice President Yinggong," her tone grew slightly heavier.

Yinggong Tong simply stared at her with a cold expression, clearly irritated by Spencer’s smug smile.

A second later, she turned her head and pointed at Spencer, her expression unreadable, and said to the nearby security guards,

"It was her. She kicked down the door of the gymnasium’s equipment room."

"Student, come with us. We need to call your parents."

Spencer’s expression froze as several security guards surrounded her.

She quickly turned to Yan Huan, seemingly asking for help.

"President Yan?"

But Yan Huan just yawned lazily, pretending not to notice, and let the security guards take her away.

"Hey, I’ll pay for the damages, okay?!"

"Do I really have to go to that place? You’re calling my parents too?!"

"Hey!! Are you even listening to me?!"

[End of Chapter]