Panicking

Lin Che's heart skipped a beat. The girl before him seemed to have truly become the shrewd, commanding Jinzhou advisor, like an empress.

"It... It's Chang Li."

"That's right!"

The smile on Gu Yilan's face grew even brighter. So far, everything had gone pretty much as she'd imagined.

Now all she had to do was transfer Lin Che's affection for Chang Li onto herself!

"Big brother likes Chang Li..."

"And I'm cosplaying as Chang Li right now, so..."

"That means the one Big brother really likes is me, right?"

Gu Yilan waited expectantly for Lin Che's answer.

But of course, Lin Che wasn't about to let her succeed so easily.

"No!"

"What do you mean, no?!"

Gu Yilan was getting anxious!

If Lin Che really became obsessed with the ACG world, then her happiness for the rest of her life would be at risk!

"Gu Yilan... You may look a lot like her, but you don't have Chang Li's essence..."

"Essence?"

"Chang Li is so gentle. If it were her, she'd indulgently agree to anything I did... But Gu Yilan would only look at me with disgust and call me a pervert. So Gu Yilan isn't Chang Li!"

Lin Che said this with a dazed expression.

Meanwhile, he was already laughing wildly inside!

Because he was afraid Gu Yilan would discover that he was pretending to be hypnotized, he had let her keep the initiative all along!

But now, Lin Che was going to make the first move and turn the tables!

Besides, it'd be nice if this could make Gu Yilan gentler.

"So... If I promise you, Big brother, that I'll accept anything you do to me, will you treat me as Chang Li?"

"Mm... Huh?"

Gu Yilan's words left Lin Che stunned.

Was this girl's ability to understand things really that terrifying?

What Lin Che meant was that Gu Yilan wasn't as gentle as Chang Li.

But Gu Yilan had taken it to mean that she wasn't as accommodating as Chang Li—that she wouldn't give him whatever he wanted!

"Th-Then go ahead, Big brother. I'll be as gentle as Chang Li..."

Gu Yilan was throwing caution to the wind!

Beneath the wig, Gu Yilan's lovely face flushed with shyness.

All this time, she had been hypnotizing Lin Che, keeping the initiative in her own hands.

But now Lin Che was going to take the initiative and make a move on her... Even knowing she was in a "hypnotized state," the threads of shame still made Gu Yilan's body tremble.

We've already done all kinds of things anyway. Surely nothing could be any more embarrassing...

That was what Gu Yilan thought.

But she had clearly underestimated Lin Che's imagination.

"Big brother... Why are you sitting on the floor?"

Before Lin Che could answer, he took hold of Gu Yilan's black-stockinged foot, still in its high heel.

This was the first time Lin Che had seen Gu Yilan in black stockings and high heels. The stockings were as rich and dark as black chocolate, giving off a sweet allure. Even at the Comic Exhibition, Lin Che had kept getting distracted by Gu Yilan's long, stocking-clad legs.

"Th-This is..."

Gu Yilan could already guess what was about to happen.

With her foot in Lin Che's hand, the warmth from his palm made her feel utterly embarrassed.

"So... Big brother likes black stockings?"

Gu Yilan bit her lip and bravely stretched out her stocking-clad leg a little farther. She looked as if she were offering her foot to Lin Che.

Lin Che unfastened the buckle on her high heel.

Gu Yilan's little foot was like a piece of warm jade. The matte black stocking lent her already exquisite foot a delicate texture, and every inch of skin glowed enticingly.

Through the stocking, he could see five smooth, jade-like toes lined up neatly, their pink nails gleaming with healthy color.

Lin Che couldn't hold back any longer.

Holding Gu Yilan's dark, chocolate-colored foot, he guided it to where it belonged...

The Stockings

The sound of stockings brushing against skin was like an elegant symphony.

Lin Che sat on the floor, bracing himself with both hands behind him, his breath growing hot.

He had only guided Gu Yilan's stocking-clad feet to where they belonged.

Who knew Gu Yilan would gradually get the hang of it herself? She didn't need Lin Che to teach her at all; she figured out how to work them on her own.

"Do you like me now, Big brother...?"

"I do~"

Half an hour later, Gu Yilan finally heard the answer she wanted.

But then came the awkward problem.

To portray the character perfectly, Gu Yilan had indulged Lin Che to the extreme, stopping him from doing nothing.

So Lin Che had gone and dirtied Gu Yilan's black stockings.

The entire cosplay costume had been prepared for her by Luo Xue!

How was she supposed to return the soiled clothes to Luo Xue?

Gu Yilan was fretting over it.

But just then,

her phone rang.

"Hello, hello, Little Yilan, is your foot feeling better?"

"Mm... Mm, it's a little better..."

Gu Yilan's voice was full of guilt. She had pretended to sprain her ankle and left her best friend behind, only to do something secret with Lin Che in the changing room. She felt terribly guilty!

"That's great!"

Luo Xue sounded excited on the other end of the phone. She hadn't noticed anything strange in Gu Yilan's voice.

"Little Yilan, come find me quickly. There's an event here at the Comic Exhibition that needs two people to complete!"

"Ah... Well..."

Gu Yilan glanced at her stocking-clad legs.

In her current state, she couldn't go find Luo Xue. She'd even get her high heels dirty if she put them on.

How could she join Luo Xue for an event like this?!

"Sorry, Xiao Xue... My ankle still hurts a little, so I can't walk..."

"What a shame... The prize for the event is a limited-edition figurine set..."

Luo Xue's voice immediately turned dejected over the phone.

Gu Yilan knew Luo Xue was a seasoned ACG fan. As her best friend, she should have gone with her to the event.

But in reality, she'd not only lied to her, she'd also dirtied her clothes.

Her guilt was overwhelming!

"How about I ask Lin Che to join you?"

"Huh? But this event is..."

Luo Xue fell silent for a moment, as if she were hesitating over something.

"Forget it! For that limited-edition figurine set, I'll put up with it! Send Lin Che over!"

"Hurry, okay!"

With that, Luo Xue hung up.

"Sorry, Big brother. I'll have to trouble you to go help Xiao Xue..."

Using hypnosis, Gu Yilan gave Lin Che an order.

"I know you and Xiao Xue don't get along, Big brother, but please."

"To make it up to you, I'll..."

Gu Yilan bit her lip.

"I'll buy a few pairs of sexy little socks to keep at home. I'll get both black and white stockings..."

Well...

Lin Che had been quite reluctant at first.

But since Gu Yilan was being so sincere, he supposed he could agree.

So Lin Che, pretending to be hypnotized, nodded as if accepting Gu Yilan's order.

"Great. Now, the hypnosis is lifted. You'll forget everything that happened while you were hypnotized."

Three minutes later, Lin Che left the changing room and arrived at the center of the Comic Exhibition venue.

There was a huge stage here.

An event was clearly underway, and almost every cosplayer in the venue had gathered around it.

"Hey, come over here!"

The petite beauty cosplaying as Jin Xi stood out in the crowd.

With her white twin tails, pale eyes, elegant pleated miniskirt, and white-and-gold boots, Luo Xue looked like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world.

As soon as Lin Che arrived, Luo Xue dragged him to the edge of the stage.

Luo Xue found a staff member and spoke with her for a few moments. Then the staff member invited them up onto the stage.

A lot of people were already standing onstage.

Like Lin Che and Luo Xue, they were all paired up and standing together.

"What kind of event is this?"

Luo Xue was clearly treating Lin Che like a tool, which annoyed him.

He couldn't just go along with her for no reason! Lin Che felt he had a right to know what was going on!

"D-Don't ask... You'll find out in a bit..."

Unexpectedly, the voice that came from this bratty girl was cute and bashful.

Lin Che looked down and saw that even Luo Xue's translucent white skin had taken on a rosy tint.

What kind of event could make her blush?

Lin Che was stunned.

This was a Comic Exhibition!

A proper public venue, with so many people watching from below the stage. Surely they couldn't be about to do something embarrassing!