Mature Fantasy Power Invasion

Chapter 7

The window had been left open last night, and the curtain fluttered slightly in the morning breeze, waking the boy lying in bed.

He drowsily opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. Yan Huan felt his body heavy and tingling all over.

The sensation brought back unpleasant memories from the night before, prompting him to rub his brow helplessly.

*Awoo~*

From within the warm blankets, a hot black furball struggled to crawl out. It shook itself at the edge of the bed, then stretched with its front paws down and rear raised, clawing at the sheet as it yawned wide with its cat-like mouth.

Yan Huan propped himself up slightly, picked up the fully charged phone from the bedside, and saw that it was just past nine.

After checking the time, he sighed and collapsed back onto the bed, burying his face deep into the pillow.

The night before, he'd fallen asleep thinking about how to handle Ye Shiyu’s modifier, which had plagued him with nightmares.

He dreamt he was standing at the edge of a cliff, his body moving uncontrollably forward, step by step, toward the brink.

The feeling of knowing he was in danger but unable to stop himself was pure torture, ending with him shattered into pieces.

No doubt it was the effect of having confronted Ye Shiyu’s modifier head-on last night that left him so unrested.

If he truly had to stay here long-term, not only would he have to deal with Bai Yi’s "No Concern" at school, but also be subject to Ye Shiyu's hypnosis at home.

'Seriously, this life already feels like it’s over.'

'No, I’ve got to get out of here.'

With his face buried in the pillow, Yan Huan’s thoughts weighed heavy as iron.

The good news was that yesterday, driven by a sense of crisis, he hadn’t immediately agreed to stay. The bad news was that he still had to spend the weekend here.

If he suddenly left without reason, Ye Lan might only be confused, but Ye Shiyu would likely suspect something and realize he knew about the hypnosis.

So, for now, he could only endure.

*Sigh...*

A muffled sigh escaped from within the pillow.

Normally, even on weekends, he got up early for morning training. But today, he was clearly out of commission and decided to treat it as a day off.

*Meow~*

Meow-chan let out a soft meow and snuggled over, prompting Yan Huan to reach out and rub its head. Thinking of something, he asked,

"Meow-chan, you don’t need to eat either, right?"

"No need, meow."

"What a pity. You won’t get to enjoy tasty cat sticks and canned food."

'Isn’t it you who can’t feed me those things? That’s why you think it’s a pity.'

Meow-chan, already having seen through everything, solemnly declared,

"But if you insist on feeding me, I could eat just a little bit."

"Alright then, what a greedy little cat."

*...*

Yan Huan sat up, ignoring Meow-chan’s howl and its attempt to pounce and bite him. He got out of bed and went to wash up in the bathroom.

After freshening up and heading downstairs, he found Ye Lan and Aunt Chen already in the sunlit living room.

"Xiaohuan, you're up? Did you sleep well last night?"

Ye Lan, dressed in a white sheer home dress, sat elegantly at the dining table. The bright morning light painted a soft silhouette of her slender figure through the fabric.

With her back to the sunlight, she crossed her legs, her toes struggling to keep her slippers from slipping off.

Yan Huan masked his fatigue with a perfect smile. "I slept well. Nothing to get used to."

If it weren’t for the restrictions around the modifier, he would’ve reported Ye Shiyu for hypnotizing people without permission—it was unforgivable.

"That’s good. Come have breakfast. Your older sister is still sleeping. She’s a little lazybug who loves staying in bed."

Ye Lan's tone remained soft and gentle. Despite being mother and daughter, she and Ye Shiyu seemed like night and day.

One was an angel, the other a demon.

Aunt Chen brought out a breakfast rich in Longguo flavor—pastries, soy milk, and a plate of boiled eggs.

(*) Longguo: A fictional or stylized country name, possibly representing China in this context.

Ye Lan took only one egg and unsurprisingly had a banana-flavored milk beside her.

Noticing that Yan Huan was still wearing the white shirt from his school uniform, Ye Lan peeled an egg and smiled.

"I forgot to buy you some clothes yesterday. Let’s go shopping today. I heard there’s a big aquarium nearby, next to a famous shopping center. Let’s head out later!"

"Sure, Aunt Ye."

Ye Lan smiled at the boy seated in front of her. Seeing the moisture at his temples, she knew he had just washed up.

His hair was still a bit messy, clearly not styled.

Still, with looks like Yan Huan’s, he looked good regardless. If he paid more attention to his appearance, he could drive girls crazy.

After all, he was a boy—not as meticulous as girls in that area. She’d have to guide him hands-on later.

"Here, eat an egg."

Thinking that, Ye Lan handed Yan Huan an egg with a bit of shell left on the bottom for easier holding.

"Thank you, Aunt."

As he ate halfway through the egg, cheeks puffed out, Ye Lan had already peeled another and handed it to him.

Yan Huan blinked and looked up at her. The sight made Ye Lan chuckle behind her hand.

"Be good, eat slowly. Finish this one before starting the next."

She put down the peeled egg and picked up a tissue to wipe something from Yan Huan’s face.

At that moment, light footsteps came from the staircase. Yan Huan didn’t look back, but somehow, like a "spider sense," he already knew who it was.

Quickly, he reached out and took the tissue from Ye Lan’s hand. "Thank you, Aunt, I can do it myself."

With that, he wiped his mouth.

Ye Lan blinked and chuckled softly.

She pulled out another tissue. While Yan Huan held the half-eaten egg in one hand and wiped his mouth with the other, she gently began wiping his temple.

"Didn’t dry your face properly—want to be a little kitty?"

Looks like Yan Huan’s so-called 'manly' spider sense didn’t work on Ye Lan.

'Come on, anyone would’ve thought the tissue was for wiping my mouth. Who knew there’d be a second round?'

Yan Huan’s eyes widened. Unfortunately, Ye Shiyu had already appeared behind him, dressed in a black chiffon dress.

Her emotionless gaze was sharp as a blade, making cold sweat break out on Yan Huan’s back.

'Oh great Hypnosis Goddess, stop staring at me—I beg you.'

"Good morning, Shiyu-sis."

Forcing himself to remain calm, he greeted Ye Shiyu. Ye Lan quickly waved her over.

"You’re up. Go grab a bowl and chopsticks from the kitchen for breakfast."

"Mm."

Ye Shiyu nodded and silently went to the kitchen to get her unique black ceramic bowl and utensils.

Once she arrived, Ye Lan stopped feeding Yan Huan and turned her attention to her daughter instead.

Yan Huan suddenly felt like he and Ye Shiyu were two baby birds in a nest, mouths open for food. The only difference—one of them could hypnotize the other.

Yet somehow, he felt Ye Shiyu’s peripheral vision kept glancing toward him.

It wasn’t the look of someone watching an enemy—nor even a human.

'I’m already behaving. Please spare me.'

Yan Huan buried his head and focused on his food. The meal passed in quiet tension.

After breakfast, there was a long break. Ye Lan discussed the day’s plans with Ye Shiyu. She didn’t object, so everyone went to get ready.

Women always had more to prepare before going out—makeup, hairstyle, outfit, shoes—everything had to be considered.

Meanwhile, Yan Huan was ready to go after just brushing his teeth and washing his face. If he bathed, washed his hair, and changed clothes, it usually meant a major event—or a date.

While the ladies were still upstairs, Yan Huan idled in a group chat and took the chance to message his boss for leave. He had forgotten to do so last night thanks to the hypnosis incident.

"Sister Tong, can I get two more days off? Something came up this weekend, and I’m not in the southern district."

"[That counts as skipping work—400 deducted.]"

"So ruthless. Weren’t we the best duo in the world?"

He added a 'raising otter head' emoji.

"[Heh, what do you think?]"

Just as Yan Huan flipped off the heartless chat window, Ye Lan’s voice called from the staircase.

"Xiaohuan, time to go~"

"Coming, Aunt!"

Yan Huan stood up from the sofa and looked up to see Ye Lan descending in a white pleated chiffon dress.

Her face had light makeup, and her hair was styled in a princess bun, adorned with crystal hairpins and earrings.

If yesterday’s cheongsam made her a classical Eastern beauty, today she looked like a European royal princess.

It was clear she dressed this way because following behind her was Ye Shiyu, also in a black chiffon dress, carrying a small handbag.

It was a mother-daughter outfit—a symbol of their bond.

Unlike the casual homewear Ye Shiyu wore yesterday, this one featured more intricate designs at the chest and a longer skirt.

Her long black hair was tied up high. With no piercings, she wore no earrings or accessories—but a girl like her didn't need them.

Youth itself was beauty. Just standing there made it hard to look away.

Even though she had ambushed him last night, it was a fact Yan Huan couldn’t deny.

They really did look like a pair of sisters.

Originally, Yan Huan had planned to compliment them on that, but he hesitated, fearing it might hit a nerve with Ye Shiyu. So he held back.

'What if all the interaction in front of Ye Lan pushed Ye Shiyu over the edge, and she came over that night to hypnotize me into jumping off a building? Then I’d really be stuck between a rock and a hard place.'

'If I jump, I die. If I don’t and she finds out the modifier didn’t work, it’ll evolve… and I’ll still die.'

Yan Huan decided to endure it.

So, today’s Yan Huan was low-EQ Yan Huan.

(*) EQ stands for Emotional Quotient, or emotional intelligence.

“Got it, Aunt,” he said awkwardly.

He hadn’t expected Ye Lan to laugh just from seeing his expression. She playfully pinched his shoulder.

“If we buy anything later, Xiaohuan has to carry it for both of us~”

*Stare—*

Ye Shiyu’s gaze, which never looked directly at people, fell on him again. Yan Huan already felt like a dead man walking and was ready to give up struggling.

“No problem.”

“Xiaohuan’s such a good boy.”

"..."

Sitting in the car, Yan Huan noticed that Ye Lan spoke to him in a tone usually reserved for coaxing children. It wasn’t until she fed him banana-flavored milk for the second time from the front seat that he realized it.

The driver sat up front while Ye Lan was in the passenger seat. Yan Huan sat in the back with the 'jinx' Ye Shiyu, sipping his banana milk and subconsciously comparing how Ye Lan spoke to him versus how she talked to Ye Shiyu.

Only then did he notice—maybe because they were mother and daughter—Ye Lan’s tone with Ye Shiyu was clearly less doting.

This subtle difference made Yan Huan uneasy again. He sneaked another glance at Ye Shiyu, who was also quietly drinking her banana-flavored milk.

In that moment, she looked as calm as a doll. But he clearly remembered her liveliness last night—she could even adorably pout like Aunt Ye Lan.

While he was lost in these thoughts, they arrived at their destination.

The aquarium Ye Lan mentioned was quite large, likely the kind of place one could spend hours exploring.

Since it was the weekend, by noon the area was crowded with visitors, including many school groups doing team-building exercises. The plaza in front of the aquarium was packed.

Ye Lan looked at the crowd outside and said nothing, but her expression changed when she noticed the blazing sun.

“The sun’s too strong. Here, you two sweeties put on some sunscreen before going out.”

She took a bottle of sunscreen from her bag, squeezed some onto her palm, and turned with a smile to the kids in the back.

“Shiyu first?”

Ye Shiyu instinctively backed away and shook her head repeatedly.

But Ye Lan leaned over anyway, gently rubbing the sunscreen onto her daughter’s face.

*Mmm~*

The cool sensation made Ye Shiyu frown slightly and close her eyes. Her lips puckered in discomfort as her head lightly swayed under Ye Lan’s kneading-like motions.

Even after the application was done, a faint look of bitterness lingered on her face.

“Next, Xiao—”

Seeing that, Yan Huan stretched out his hand like a man facing execution and took the bottle from Ye Lan.

“I’ll do it myself, Aunt. I’m the best at applying sunscreen!”

“Really?”

“Guaranteed.”

He squeezed out some cream, dotted four spots on his face, and rubbed them in. Then, he spread his arms wide and presented himself to Ye Lan.

“All done.”

“Pfft—there’s still some on your hairline.”

"..."

He was indeed good at applying sunscreen—it wasn’t a lie.

In his past life, whenever he watched anime, there was always a swimsuit episode, and someone would need sunscreen. His experience came from that.

'Looking back now, the knowledge from books—or screens—is always shallow.'

'If only I had paid more attention to the technique back then, instead of just staring at all that soft, fair skin.'

After some internal reflection and finishing with the sunscreen, they got out of the car and walked to the aquarium entrance.

Ye Lan opened a sun umbrella. Since she had pre-booked the tickets, they only needed to queue for entry.

“Aunt Ye, the line is over here.”

Yan Huan quickly pointed out the ticket checkpoint.

Ye Shiyu stood beside Ye Lan holding the umbrella. Just as she was about to lead her over, Ye Lan’s phone rang inside her bag.

Ye Lan took a quick glance at the caller ID, then looked at Yan Huan and said helplessly,

“Xiaohuan, hold on. Aunt has to take a call—it might take a bit. You and your sister wait here for a moment, okay?”

“No problem.”

Yan Huan blinked, turned around, and smiled apologetically, gesturing behind him.

Perhaps understanding that Ye Lan needed privacy for a work call, Ye Shiyu gently handed her the umbrella and watched her walk off to a quieter spot.

Amid the bustling crowd, the two of them stood out—a handsome boy and a beautiful girl.

Ye Shiyu stood still, while Yan Huan naturally stepped forward and suggested,

“Shiyu-sis, shall we move somewhere else? It’s really sunny here, and we're blocking the path.”

“Okay.”

Ye Shiyu nodded slightly and scanned the surroundings before pointing to the souvenir shop next to the ticket counter.

The shop was quite large, filled with cultural and aquarium-themed merchandise. It also sold drinks.

She said, “That way.”

“OK.”

Yan Huan took the lead, and Ye Shiyu silently followed him to the shop entrance.

At the entrance, Yan Huan looked around while Ye Shiyu resumed her doll-like stillness, staring at the queue ahead.

She was beautiful, but her emotionless gaze unsettled passersby, who instinctively looked away—and then avoided her entirely.

After a while, it was as if an invisible force field surrounded her, repelling tourists. Only Yan Huan still stood beside her, though clearly feeling awkward.

“Shiyu-sis, want something to drink?”

Trying to ease the silence, he glanced at the nearby drink cooler, feeling a bit tempted himself.

But Ye Shiyu turned her head and scanned the spacious souvenir shop. She seemed to spot something interesting and replied,

“I want to look around.”

'So… are you getting a drink or not?'

Speechless, Yan Huan said, “Then you go browse, Shiyu-sis—I’ll get the drinks.”

“Mm.”

She turned and walked into the souvenir shop.

Watching her leave, Yan Huan headed to the drink counter, glanced at the menu above, and muttered,

“Two Lemon Blue Blends, one Big Banana Sweet Sweet—what are these ridiculous names?”

“Alright, I’ll make them right away~”

“Welcome!”

The store played soft background music as many people browsed the shelves. The staff greeted every customer with a businesslike smile.

Ye Shiyu stood in front of a shelf, quietly scanning the merchandise one by one.

Whale models, dolphin plushies, shark dolls...

'Mm, these are the aquarium’s stars. When people think of the ocean, they think of these. No wonder they’re bestsellers.'

But Ye Shiyu only glanced at them before turning away.

'Not interested?'

'Then what about sea turtle tic-tac-toe or stingray puzzles?'

These were more niche but still cute—and quite popular.

Yet Ye Shiyu still quietly walked past them, heading deeper into the shop.

The items near the entrance were always the most popular, but they couldn’t hold her attention. Even the staff lost interest in her.

Just another customer casually browsing.

That’s how Ye Shiyu was categorized in others’ minds.

“Welcome!”

As another customer entered, Ye Shiyu continued silently browsing—until finally, in a corner, she saw something that had caught her eye earlier.

It was a sapphire-blue jellyfish keychain. The tentacles could hold many keys, and the crystal-like texture made it sparkle. It hung alone at the edge of a shelf.

Without hesitation, Ye Shiyu lit up like a treasure-hunting explorer, her eyes fixated on the jellyfish.

She eagerly reached out to take it and buy it.

But at the same moment, another fair hand reached out and grabbed the same jellyfish keychain.

One hand from each side. The keychain was caught mid-air, unable to leave the shelf.

Slightly stunned, Ye Shiyu turned her head and finally noticed the other customer she hadn’t seen before due to her focus.

Standing there was a girl about her age, who also looked momentarily surprised.

The first thing that caught the eye was her thick, slightly wavy, natural golden hair—followed closely by her strikingly beautiful face, only inches away.

Her facial features were more defined than Ye Shiyu’s, and her pupils gleamed a brilliant, crystalline blue—clearly highlighting their different ethnic backgrounds.

In contrast to Ye Shiyu’s delicate beauty, the golden-haired girl had sharper features and exuded a more assertive aura.

She was about the same height as Ye Shiyu, dressed in a breezy black athletic short-sleeved T-shirt, and wore a black baseball cap adorned with a signature of some sort.

Her figure was curvier, her muscles more toned—obviously someone who trained regularly.

When she noticed someone else also reaching for the keychain, her brows lifted slightly. As her pink lips parted, a prominent canine tooth peeked out.

Like a little golden-haired lion, she opened her mouth, her voice pitched slightly higher than most people's.

"Hm?"

*...*

Ye Shiyu remained motionless, her grip on the keychain firm.

The golden-haired girl also held on tightly, showing no intention of letting go.

Their identical reaction created a subtle tension in the air. After a brief silence, the golden-haired girl let out a soft *tsk*.

She glanced at the keychain’s price tag, then looked up at Ye Shiyu.

"I really like this one, okay? It’s mine. You pick something else of the same price—I’ll pay. Deal?"

The offer of a free souvenir might have been tempting enough to defuse the situation. Unfortunately, her seemingly generous proposal didn’t work on Ye Shiyu.

Ye Shiyu stared at her without moving. She didn’t seem to notice the irritation in the girl’s voice, and her tone didn’t suggest she was speaking to a rival.

In fact, it didn’t even sound like she was addressing a person at all.

She softly said,

"No."

"Huh?"

At that word, the golden-haired girl’s expression instantly darkened. She let out a cold laugh and said,

"Interesting. What if I insist on having it today?"

The pressure in her grip increased slowly, causing Ye Shiyu’s fingers to grow pale—evidence of the girl’s strength.

Ye Shiyu’s face remained expressionless. As if reacting to her shifting emotions, the phone in her hand eerily lit up on its own.

Yet her tone stayed calm and unchanged.

"I said no."

[End of Chapter]