Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 33

*Diwu diwu. Diwu diwu.*

Not long after, several police cars arrived in the southern district, startling a few scantily clad customers at the hair salon across the street. They scattered in all directions.

Yan Huan stepped out of the pub with Bai Yi and saw Zuo Jiangqin, draped in a fur shawl and looking rather unwell.

She frowned, shooting a glare at her daughter, who kept her head lowered, then turned to look at the smiling young man beside her.

Zuo Jiangqin’s eyes lit up slightly as she said,

“It’s really been troublesome for you, Yan.”

“It’s nothing, Aunt. I didn’t expect to see Bai here, actually—I’m a fan of hers.”

Zuo Jiangqin looked at Bai Yi in surprise, then smiled and said,

“I see. Then let Aunt add your contact info. If there’s any event in the future, I’ll definitely invite you.”

“Sure thing, Aunt.”

Zuo Jiangqin cheerfully scanned Yan Huan’s face, but when she turned back to Bai Yi, her expression turned cold.

“Get in the car.”

"."

Bai Yi nodded. As she got into the car, she looked back at Yan Huan standing in front of the store.

Their eyes met, and Yan Huan gave her a small smile.

Her eyes flickered for a moment before she turned and entered the car.

The car door shut, and the police sirens wailed.

The police cars drove away, leaving Yan Huan standing at the entrance, his expression gradually fading.

A black cat had silently appeared on his shoulder again, unnoticed by anyone.

Meow-chan looked at the retreating police cars and let out a sigh of relief.

“Just now, I felt her desire spike all of a sudden—it nearly scared me to death, nya~”

“Yeah. That’s why I gave her the pudding that was meant for another table.”

The pudding wasn’t prepared for her specifically, but sensing something was off, Yan Huan had changed his plan on the fly.

Tilting its head in confusion, Meow-chan asked,

“So, how did you know she likes singing, nya?”

Yan Huan glanced at Meow-chan and rubbed its head.

“She did something bad this morning, so I tried using the same method I used on Ye Shiyu to make her feel guilty—but it didn’t work. She barely reacted. So, I had to try a different approach to suppress her aggression.”

As he walked back toward the pub, Yan Huan continued,

“I looked up a lot of her background info. She’s been in many variety shows and movies. Her looks are flawless, but her acting and variety show evaluations? Heh.”

“I overheard her on the phone with her mother. She said her mother’s current plans weren’t what she wanted. But when she spoke with Sis Tong just now, she said she wanted her mother’s approval.”

Looking at Meow-chan beside him, Yan Huan said,

“Meow-chan, you know, only when someone truly puts their heart into something and believes they’ve done their best will they long for recognition.”

“Since her mother’s plans don’t align with what she wants, she won’t give her all—and naturally, she won’t crave recognition for that.”

“But when we listened to her songs—everything from lyrics, composition, arrangement, recording, to singing—she did all of it herself. Those songs don’t get much attention, and they take a lot of effort, yet she kept releasing them. So I’m sure what she truly loves, and wants recognition for, is singing.”

Meow-chan nodded in sudden realization and said,

“So that’s why you pretended to be her fan—to give her the recognition she craved. That way, you could suppress her with the modifier, nya!”

“Exactly.”

“Then at this rate, won’t she soon drop a Charm Fragment like Ye Shiyu did, nya? You found a way to deal with her so fast—no wonder you’re you!”

But instead of looking pleased, Yan Huan rubbed Meow-chan’s head and sighed.

“It’s not that simple. This method works, but don’t forget—her mother doesn’t approve of her singing.”

Yan Huan’s gaze turned calm as he identified the core issue.

“Who am I? Just a stranger. But she’s her mother.”

“Between a mother’s disapproval and a stranger’s praise, Meow-chan, who do you think has more influence? Besides, I might not even count as a stranger—I’m probably someone she hates.”

By now, Yan Huan had returned inside the shop, rubbing his shoulder.

“This method only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Unless her mother eventually acknowledges her, or she earns enough recognition from others to overshadow her mother’s influence…”

There was actually one more way—to become someone important enough to replace her mother’s approval, like a lover.

But Yan Huan didn’t want to go that route, so he kept that thought to himself.

Meow-chan blinked, wanting to say something comforting, but couldn’t find the words.

“Nya~”

So instead, it meowed softly and rubbed its fluffy head against Yan Huan’s cheek.

Yan Huan gave a faint smile and turned to look inside the shop.

The atmosphere was calm. Tong Tingting had another cigarette in her mouth, ready to light up—it looked like her lungs were itching.

Yan Huan casually reached out and plucked the cigarette from her lips, holding it in his hand.

Normally, when caught smoking by Yan Huan, Tong Tingting would surrender. But this time, she surprisingly extended her hand and said,

“Give it back.”

Yan Huan raised an eyebrow and said plainly,

“Still smoking? You just said two days ago you’d quit. And now you’re already breaking the promise? Besides, Sis Tong, you carry cigarettes and booze with you every day—trying to quit like this is just adding fuel to the fire.”

Tong Tingting lowered her gaze, unable to refute him. She leaned against the nearby desk.

“Right. How can someone like me, who reeks of smoke and alcohol, compete with those sweet, soft idols of the same age? Tsk tsk. Look at her when she cries—like a weeping flower, just like a drama’s female lead. So sweet~”

Yan Huan nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. Sis Tong, when your mom scolds you, all you do is ‘throw throw throw,’ tossing things left and right.”

“...You want me to electrocute you or what?”

Tong Tingting raised the stun baton in her arms with a dark expression. Yan Huan quickly smiled and raised his hands in surrender, handing back the cigarette.

“Forget it. I’m already exhausted from dealing with her, and now you might zap me too, Sis Tong. Here, if you still want to smoke.”

Tong Tingting, who had turned her head away, looked gleeful when she heard that Yan Huan found dealing with Bai Yi “exhausting” rather than “enjoyable.”

But she didn’t take the cigarette back. Instead, she suddenly said,

“I want to eat pudding.”

“Make it yourself.”

“Throw, I’m the boss and you’re the boss—believe it or not, I’ll dock your pay?”

“Boss, you’re the one who taught me how to make pudding step by step, and I’m still not as good as you—and now you want me to make it?”

“I don’t care. As long as I don’t make it myself, it tastes better.”

“Yes, yes.”

Yan Huan smiled faintly, while Tong Tingting hummed a tune with her arms crossed, secretly pleased.

There was a minor incident in the southern district that night, but aside from that, everything was normal.

Thursday noon, inside a stall in the girls’ restroom of the first-year division at Yuanyue Academy.

“Little Pinky, do you think it looks better like this?”

An Le examined her newly styled airy bangs in the makeup mirror.

Her long black hair was lifted slightly from her face, revealing a bare yet naturally beautiful appearance.

After adding Spencer as a friend earlier, she had mentioned her hairstyle—saying it made her look like a ghost, kind of scary.

So An Le thought of changing her style. Maybe it would make things easier when she delivered a letter to Yan Huan later.

On her shoulder, Little Pinky flicked its tongue and rolled its eyes angrily.

“Those bullies—you relied on Spencer to deal with them. And now, whatever she says, you just go along with it? Can’t you have a thought of your own?!”

An Le looked at Little Pinky innocently and murmured in her mind,

‘But Spencer is really amazing. Pu Shuwen and the others got beaten by her and couldn’t do anything—today, they didn’t even come to school. Besides, I always thought my hair was too thick. Maybe this new style is better.’

"."

Little Pinky wasn’t really concerned about whether she had her own opinion. What made it anxious was that this girl still hadn’t used the modifier—it was driving it mad.

‘Damn it. She’s got such a powerful golden finger and me—the world’s greatest genius strategist—but she’s still babbling nonsense.’

‘No. I’ve got to find a way to make her use the modifier!’

Little Pinky didn’t respond. Instead, it began brewing a sinister plan in its mind.

“Fine, I think it looks okay too. But aren’t you going to check it out?”

“Check what?”

“Didn’t Spencer say she’d report to the student council at noon? That study group thing is managed by Yan Huan.”

“Spencer doesn’t like Yan Huan—I’m not worried.”

Little Pinky exploded in frustration. It quickly patted An Le’s cheek.

“Are you stupid? She only got 66 points—like a pig! There’s no way she’ll obediently let Yan Huan tutor her. And this is school policy—Yan Huan can’t back out. If Spencer gets pushed too far and hits your Yan Huan, then what?”

“Xiaohuan... isn’t mine yet.”

An Le’s face turned bright red, while Little Pinky looked like it was about to have a heart attack.

“Is this the time to talk about whether he’s yours?! Did you even hear what I said?! Get up! We’re going to check things out—now!”

“Alright, alright.”

(*) Note for line 76: Yuanyue Academy is likely a fictional elite culinary or academic school common in Chinese webnovels.

Hearing Little Pinky say all that, An Le finally stood up timidly.

Actually, she understood what Little Pinky meant—she just wasn’t as clueless as Spencer.

She still felt inferior and afraid, unable to face Yan Huan directly, so she kept avoiding him.

But since Little Pinky had gone on for so long, she had no choice but to walk out of the bathroom and quietly head upstairs.

'Student council...'

'I remember it’s upstairs, right?'

*Thump. Thump. Thump.*

An Le’s heartbeat gradually quickened. She quietly moved to the side of the corridor, just in time to peek through the windowsill at the hallway where the student council office was located.

"What are you doing here?! Go over there!"

"I-I don’t dare. Let me just watch from here."

"Aiyo, I can’t take this anymore—just kill me already."

An Le pursed her lips and continued watching from afar, but she couldn’t see what was happening inside the office at all. Soon after, Spencer came stomping up the stairs, as if she had no regard for decorum, kicked the door, and made her entrance known.

To An Le’s surprise, Spencer didn’t go in—Yan Huan came out alone.

An Le’s eyes widened. Little Pinky, still perched on her shoulder, did the same in disbelief.

"No way, you predicted this?! How did you know he’d come out?"

"Huh? I didn’t know either."

An Le awkwardly scratched her head, leaving Little Pinky completely speechless.

Meanwhile, Yan Huan crossed his arms and looked at Spencer before gesturing to the other end of the corridor.

"Over there. Let’s talk."

At the moment, he was the only one in the student council office, but Yinggong might return soon.

She had mentioned in the group chat that the kitty was nearly recovered and she would be back by noon.

To prevent Spencer from running into Yinggong, Yan Huan decided to speak with her outside.

Spencer frowned but reluctantly followed him in that direction.

From a distance, the sneaky An Le also followed quietly, heading to the opposite corridor to watch from afar.

"Did you get the email I sent you?"

Spencer asked with a sudden grin, her hands still in her pockets.

"You’re the one handling this, right? What about Yinggong?"

Yan Huan turned to her with a cold expression and replied,

"This has nothing to do with Yinggong."

"Yes, yes, yes."

Yan Huan stopped at a corner, giving Spencer a stern, businesslike look.

"The academic office’s instructions are clear. From now on, you must attend two in-person study group sessions each week, supervised by me. Then, you'll complete extra assignments, which I’ll grade, and the academic office will review."

Spencer looked completely incredulous.

"I don’t even do the teacher’s assignments. And you think I’ll do yours?"

"Then you’d better start doing them now."

Spencer crossed her arms and sneered.

"And what if I don’t?"

"Then I’ll report you to the academic office, and they might contact your parents."

Spencer’s sneer froze. She glanced away guiltily and rubbed the back of her head.

"Didn’t you promise me one request earlier? I want to use it now—I don’t want to join the study group!"

Yan Huan took a deep breath, a bit speechless.

'Seriously, with you like this...'

'You still think you can be a top student?'

'Isn’t this just embarrassing?'

Yan Huan had never seen a blonde try to avoid studying through threats before.

Would he let her off the hook?

He thought for a moment, then a trace of amusement appeared on his face.

"Fine, I’ll give it a try. I’ll see if I can get you exempted by reporting it."

"..."

Seeing the relieved look on his face—like he’d finally shaken her off—Spencer clenched her teeth in frustration.

But compared to doing weekly assignments and risking her parents being contacted...

It was probably better to reluctantly use her request now!

She crossed her arms and nodded. Just as she turned to leave, Yan Huan called her back.

"Let me be clear—I’ll try, but if it doesn’t work, there’s nothing I can do. After all, this is the school’s decision. Also, regardless of the outcome, you must delete the photo. Then we’ll be even."

"What?"

Spencer’s eyes widened, her little fang poking out.

"You’re not even sure you can do it, and you still want me to use my request?"

"It can’t be helped, right?"

Yan Huan gave her a look of disdain and added,

"Who told you to score only 66 points—even lower than the second-to-last? If you’d done a bit better, it’d be easier to negotiate. With that score... I can only promise to try."

"What do you mean—are you calling me dumb?"

"Isn’t it obvious?"

Yan Huan looked back at her, clearly unwilling to say more.

That up-and-down glance seemed like he was comparing her to someone he secretly admired.

Was it that vice president, Yinggong Tong?

'He must think she’s amazing at studying and I’m hopeless. I can’t even compare to a strand of her hair, right?'

The veins on Spencer’s forehead began to bulge. She didn’t even realize she had walked right into Yan Huan’s provocation.

"Heh, I changed my mind, Yan Huan."

"What do you mean?"

"I’m not using that request anymore. I’ll join the study group."

"You’re going back on your word?"

"Yes. I’ll join the study group. And as for that request—heh, just you wait, Yan Huan."

But Yan Huan wasn’t scared at all. Instead, he pulled a slip of paper from his coat and handed it to her.

"What’s this?"

Spencer paused slightly and took the slip.

At a glance, it was a list of books:

"Three Years of High School, Two Years of Mock Exams," "Math Mastery: 100 Drills," "Grammar and Reading: One Book to Rule Them All."

"???"

Spencer’s mouth fell open. Her fang peeked out as she stared at Yan Huan, who was smirking without smiling.

"Alright then. Please prepare all the workbooks listed here before next Monday. If even one is missing... you know what that means."

Spencer clenched her teeth, glaring at the infuriatingly handsome boy in front of her.

'Just you wait, Yan Huan.'

'I’m definitely going to—'

*Hmph!*

Spencer snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Yan Huan also maintained his cold look, like he was preparing for battle, his face full of restrained frustration.

Although An Le couldn’t hear what they were saying from a distance, she could tell something was off about the atmosphere.

"Are they... arguing? Xiaohuan looks really mad."

What An Le didn’t know was that Yan Huan had deliberately put on that expression to provoke Spencer.

She pursed her lips, anxiety rising in her chest.

On one side was her childhood friend, and on the other, a friend she had just made.

She didn’t want to see them like this—especially not when Xiaohuan looked so upset.

Little Pinky, sensing the shift in An Le’s mood, seemed to realize something.

'Could it be...'

'The chance has come?!'

Little Pinky suppressed its excitement and quickly said,

"Do you want to make Yan Huan happy?"

"I do, but... I don’t dare go see him. Maybe I can talk to Spencer later and ask her not to fight with Xiaohuan?"

"Idiot. Do you really think she’d listen to you?"

"..."

(*) Note for line 177: These book titles are fictional parodies of common Chinese cram-school or exam prep books, often with exaggerated titles promising academic success.

'True... Spencer does whatever she wants. She probably wouldn't listen to me anyway.'

"I actually have an idea."

"Ah? Little Pinky, you have an idea?"

"Idiot, didn't I tell you before? You can manipulate others' pleasure. Happiness is just a form of pleasure. Just give him a little bit of it, and it'll work, right?"

"Really? Really?"

Little Pinky gave a soft snort and gently coaxed,

"Of course. And it's not even a bad thing, right? You just want Xiaohuan to stop being so angry. Maybe this can even prevent a conflict between him and Spencer."

"."

An Le swallowed hard, feeling a wave of temptation rise inside her.

'Yeah... it's not like I'm doing something bad.'

'I just want Xiaohuan to feel a little happier.'

'Then—'

'Should I give it a try?'

"How do I use that ability?"

'Finally—'

'Finally took the bait!'

At that moment, Little Pinky transformed into a version of Sun Wukong played by Huang Bo, suppressing its excitement as it calmly explained,

(*) Sun Wukong: A legendary monkey king from the Chinese classic novel "Journey to the West." Huang Bo is a well-known Chinese actor who portrayed him in a film adaptation.

"Just think about it in your mind. Then lock on to him and try giving a little pleasure."

'Just think it...?'

As soon as An Le had the thought, an invisible ripple expanded outward, forming a massive circle with a 15-meter radius.

Within that circle, her gaze instantly locked onto countless targets.

But she only wanted Xiaohuan to feel joy.

So she focused and fixed her eyes on Yan Huan.

Two wisps of mist—one red, one white—appeared faintly, as if awaiting her command. An Le looked at them in confusion.

Little Pinky quickly explained, "The red mist manipulates pain. Inject it into someone, and they'll feel pain. The white one manipulates pleasure—it works the same way."

'So... give Xiaohuan a bit of the white mist?'

Thinking this, An Le began guiding the white mist slowly toward Yan Huan.

But unexpectedly, since it was her first time using the ability, the mist moved more lightly than she imagined. She lost control, and a huge surge of white mist flooded into him.

"Ah! N-No—too much!"

An Le quickly covered her mouth, while Little Pinky stood beside her, its jaw dropping in shock.

"Older Sister..."

"You're even more ruthless than I imagined!"

At that moment, Yan Huan, who had been on his way back to the student council office, suddenly paused—as if he sensed something.

Then, a powerful electric current surged up his spine like a tidal wave, slamming straight into his brain.

*Boom!*

*Ball.*

*Spicy Ball!!*

(*) "Spicy Ball" is likely a humorous or exaggerated exclamation, possibly referencing a sudden overwhelming sensation.

[End of this chapter]