Linmen, Luoqiao District, An Le's home.
Having changed into her pajamas, An Le returned to her room and looked at the folded clothes on her bed.
They were new too, but they weren't the outfit that had cost over a thousand earlier. They were a cheaper alternative An Le had bought after leaving.
Of course, neither the style nor the fabric came anywhere close to the one Little Finger had liked earlier.
But An Le was still very satisfied.
Looking at the new clothes on her bed, An Le unfolded them and examined them carefully.
Then she smiled warmly, planning to wash them tomorrow before wearing them.
Folding the clothes again, she turned toward the white snake on the bed that looked as though it had lost all will to live and called softly,
"Little Finger?"
"..."
At her voice, Little Finger gave An Le a listless glance.
Then it lowered its head again and let out an extraordinarily long sigh.
It said nothing, yet seemed to have said everything.
An Le climbed onto the bed and poked its head with a finger.
Normally, Little Finger would have blown up at this, but now it seemed to have lost its soul.
It lay motionless, letting An Le do as she pleased.
Thinking it was ill, An Le asked worriedly,
"Little Finger, can you get sick too? You look really unwell..."
"..."
Hearing this, Little Finger finally raised its head and looked at An Le, its eyes saying,
Are you serious?
An Le's concerned gaze remained unchanged. She apparently really did think that.
And under Comrade An Le's innocent gaze, our Little Finger finally broke down completely.
"Boo-hoo-hoo! Why is my life so miserable?! Why?! Why did I have to choose you as my host?! Waaaah!"
"Huh? Huh?"
An Le pressed her lips together, seemingly finally understanding why Little Finger was unhappy.
She glanced at Little Finger, which had begun banging its head against the mattress, and asked cautiously,
"But... Little Finger, didn't you say you wanted me to fulfill my wishes? Why... does doing this make you unhappy instead?"
"Bullshit! You clearly wanted that pretty outfit so badly too! Wasn't that your wish? You're going against your wishes!"
An Le blinked and said softly,
"That was indeed my wish, but not wanting that saleslady to suffer a loss because of me is my wish too... That doesn't count as breaking our agreement, does it?"
Little Finger gaped, utterly bewildered by An Le's single remark.
And An Le continued,
"Besides, doing that just doesn't feel very right... Once I've saved up some more money, I'll ask Mom for a little more, and we can go buy that outfit."
Little Finger sucked in several breaths, almost failing to recover and dying right there on the bed.
"...You're unbeatable."
Why on earth was this happening, dear God?!
I found two hosts in a row. One sent me flying with a beating without even giving me a glance, and the other was even more outrageous.
Other people got cheats and immediately started acting like ruthless tyrants, while you're still playing Miss Goody Two-shoes?
How is this any different from stopping at traffic lights while driving in a game?!
If you stay a law-abiding citizen and let your desires grow this slowly, how long will I have to wait to reach my complete form?
Why does someone as smart as me have such a miserable life?
Why on earth?!
"Don't worry, Little Finger. The new clothes are really pretty too~
"I had my hair done today and bought new clothes and... underwear, so I've made all the preparations I can.
"My biggest, biggest wish is to reunite with Xiao Huan... With everything ready so early this time, I'm sure it'll work!"
An Le could never bear seeing anyone look disappointed, and Little Finger was no exception.
She didn't regard it as an artifact spirit or anything of the sort at all, but as a friend.
So now, whether encouraging herself or comforting Little Finger, she blushed and clenched her fists as she spoke.
Yet Little Finger merely rolled its eyes enormously at her words.
Oh, thank heavens.
That Yan Huan has definitely been targeted by the other fingers.
He himself is superb nourishment for desire.
A cowardly, kindhearted host like you hasn't even laid a solid foundation. Can you guarantee you'll win against extremely powerful Modifiers like Index Finger and Thumb?!
Be practical. Get the whole concept of a Modifier straight first!
Even scum like Piao Shuwen could bully you however he wanted, and in the end you needed Spencer to save the day.
Go on, tell me how you explain that.
Seriously, you've dragged my lifelong reputation as the brilliant Little Finger through the mud...
All dignity gone!
At that thought, Little Finger collapsed onto the bed, twitching, on the verge of passing out.
An Le thought it was going to sleep, so she leaned closer and asked quietly,
"Are you going to sleep, Little Finger?"
"..."
"Then you sleep first. I want to play on the computer for a while longer."
"..."
This time, Little Finger wasn't even twitching anymore.
It was probably ded.
An Le got out of bed, walked over to the computer, and opened the browser.
She planned to browse a galgame forum and see whether there were any fun games.
She didn't find a game, but she did spot a post that interested her.
"Apparently they'll be selling White Horse Society's new game, 'The Bound Dragon,' at Sunday's Linmen game expo. Anyone going who could pick up a copy for me?"
White Horse Society specialized in niche, adult-rated otome games, and An Le was a devoted fan.
So she clicked the post and began reading the replies below.
"Where would you even get a ticket? Scalpers have jacked the prices through the roof. Over a thousand each! How many games could you buy with that?"
"Sigh, just wait until it goes up on the website and buy the digital version."
The Linmen game expo...
White Horse Society will be exhibiting too?
An Le blinked and searched in the browser, bringing up the expo's official introduction.
"The Linmen GL Game Expo is a large annual ACG Expo sponsored by the Golden Lion Group.
"This year's event is the largest ever, with more invited companies and doujin circles than any previous year!
"One main venue and twelve secondary venues will present the most comprehensive, lively cultural extravaganza to every sector of Linmen society..."
Wow, it looks really lively, but...
The tickets are so expensive!!
Looking at the price that ran beyond four figures, An Le instantly abandoned the idea despite her initial interest.
Disappointed, An Le went to close the browser, but accidentally clicked the words "Golden Lion Group" on the page.
The browser immediately redirected her to the Golden Lion Group's official website.
Against a lavish gold background, a lion-head logo with a golden mane bared its fangs and claws.
That was the Golden Lion Group's logo, and the source of this behemoth's name.
The glittering gold logo caught An Le's attention for a moment. She had evidently heard of this world-famous company.
She watched the image on the page as the lion in the logo raised its head and roared.
"Roar!"
As the lion logo roared, its shape gradually distorted, eventually merging little by little with a lion mural on a marble wall in a luxurious apartment in Jinghe District.
The lion on the wall quietly watched the vast room before it, watching the blonde girl lying on a sofa before the floor-to-ceiling windows at the far end of the apartment.
The room was dimly lit, but her golden hair remained bright and looked especially beautiful.
She wore a sporty T-shirt and shorts, her long, fair legs resting straight against the wall.
She lay on the sofa cushions, her head extending over the edge of the sofa, facing the ceiling.
Her mouth was wide open, as though she were preparing for something.
The next second, she tossed a jelly bean into the air.
Her open mouth below was like a net, and she stretched her head out to catch the falling jelly bean precisely.
"Omnom~"
Having caught the falling jelly bean, the girl named Aria Spencer chewed the sweetness in her mouth and looked bored.
"I'm so bored."
In the vast, luxurious apartment, only her voice echoed, without any response.
Swallowing the jelly bean, Spencer sat up and took out her phone.
She searched for cartoons on a video site, planning to cast one onto the screen.
But none suited her tastes, and the longer she searched, the more irritated she became.
She had already finished watching Peppa Pig, and none of the other cartoons seemed interesting anymore.
Spencer wasn't in a very good mood today.
Her blue eyes, clear as the sky, turned toward the enormous 115-inch screen, where a golden-maned lion head was looking at her.
It was her mother's AI butler, which had delivered a message to Spencer earlier that day.
"Miss, the chairwoman has received feedback on your recent performance at school.
"She is very angry."
Remembering those words, Spencer narrowed her eyes, grabbed a bag of chips from the table, tore it open, and began eating.
"Please make certain to pay attention in class from now on, complete your schoolwork on time, and attend a study group as requested in the email from the Student Council.
"If you require any assistance from me, please contact me at any time. I will also keep the chairwoman updated on your circumstances in real time."
Spencer clicked her tongue, ate a chip, and pressed the smart remote again.
The Golden Lion Butler's voice came from the television once more.
"Is there anything you need, miss?"
"When is she coming back?"
"I am not aware of the chairwoman's itinerary. However, based on the answer received the last time you asked, I estimate that the chairwoman will return to Linmen within two months and stay for two to three days."
"..."
Spencer looked out at Linmen's nighttime skyline with an expression that said, "Just as I thought."
Then she ruffled her long golden hair and said irritably,
"I'm bored this weekend. Find me something fun."
"I recommend visiting places such as the library or the gym this weekend, miss. As people often say, reading cultivates one's character. I believe..."
Ugh, this stupid AI...
A vein bulged on Spencer's forehead. Folding her arms and turning her head aside, she declared loudly,
"I want to go out and have fun! Somewhere fun!! Tell me where there's somewhere fun in Linmen this weekend! Otherwise, I'm going out to smoke, drink, and find a boyfriend!!"
"...Understood. One moment, please, miss."
The Golden Lion Butler paused, then seemed to find the relevant information.
"I recommend attending Sunday's Linmen GL Game Expo, miss. It is a grand cultural event that we sponsor."
"The Linmen GL Game Expo?"
Spencer blinked, sat up straight, and looked at the television screen with a hand on her chin.
Then, as though her interest had finally been piqued, some of the boredom disappeared from her face.
"Oh~"
Mother, when are you going to ask Xiao Huan to stay?
In a suite at a luxurious hotel in the South District, Ye Shiyu thought this as she picked up food with the chopsticks she had brought in her schoolbag.
She looked up at Yan Huan and Ye Lan talking across the table, while inwardly considering something.
How about I bring it up first?
"Aunt Ye, were you already in the South District today?"
"Yes, I was discussing some matters with the relevant departments in Linmen and came to inspect the South District. We're going to provide Linmen with a range of supporting infrastructure, including charging piles. The situation in the South District is fairly typical... How should I put it? The current environment leaves something to be desired."
"The South District would indeed be a bit troublesome."
Perfect opportunity!
Ye Shiyu set down her chopsticks mid-meal, suddenly looked up at Yan Huan, and took the initiative to suggest,
"Xiao Huan is still working in the South District. Since the environment is so worrying, why don't we have him stay at our house? That way, he won't have to work so hard either."
Yan Huan froze slightly and looked up at Ye Shiyu opposite him.
He was a little surprised that she would actually take the initiative to invite him back home.
She had even brought up whether his part-time job was exhausting. It seemed that what Sakuramiya had said to her that afternoon had been extraordinarily effective.
Yet for some reason, watching Ye Shiyu say this, Yan Huan still felt a slight sense of foreboding.
So should I go back or not?
The benefits of going back were glaringly obvious. Yan Huan no longer wanted to stress Ye Lan's status and standing; going with her would truly send his life soaring.
Working for a living, the impoverished South District, more than a decade as an orphan-he could kiss all of it goodbye.
But he really was considering whether going back would help him deal with Ye Shiyu's Modifier.
"Meow~"
Under the table, the illusory Meow-chan stood beside the Paper Bags he had left next to his chair.
It poked its furry head inside, seemingly pawing through something.
Then, as though it had discovered something, it looked up at Yan Huan and called again.
"Meow!"
Did you find something, Meow-chan?
Yan Huan turned toward the Paper Bags containing the clothes Ye Shiyu had returned and saw Meow-chan persistently pawing at one garment with its padded paw, meowing nonstop.
"What are you trying to show me, Meow-chan?"
Yan Huan studied the garment it kept pawing at for a long time but found nothing, so he could only ask inside his head.
"Yan Huan, look inside the collar. Look a little closer, somewhere really well hidden."
Yan Huan did not immediately do so. He merely turned toward Ye Lan beside him and saw a thoughtful expression on her face.
He pretended to push his spoon off the table accidentally.
Clatter.
"Sorry."
Yan Huan smiled slightly, then bent down to pick up the spoon. In reality, he leaned close to the bag to examine the spot Meow-chan was pawing at.
Only with such a close look did he seem to notice something.
Inside his school uniform, in an extremely well-hidden spot, someone had embroidered three very hard-to-spot characters with tiny, densely packed stitches.
Without Meow-chan's reminder, an ordinary person could never have noticed that three impossibly tiny characters had been embroidered inside his clothes!
Hehe, guess what those three characters were?
"Ye Shiyu."
Looking at the extremely tiny name that had appeared on his clothes, Yan Huan swallowed, suddenly feeling the pressure.
"And it's not just this uniform, meow. The other clothes seem to have it too, all in different spots."
"..."
Hiss.
And here I was, still hesitating over whether to go back, thinking Ye Shiyu's condition had improved.
This wasn't fucking improvement at all. This was terminal!
Even I had become hers, so I hadn't noticed at all that this damned habit of hers hadn't changed one bit!
Thank goodness for Meow-chan. Otherwise, I'd probably have unlocked a defeat CG tonight as soon as I went back.
"Meow-chan, I love you."
"Meow?"
Yan Huan sat upright again with his spoon in hand, his smile growing even brighter. In reality, his mind had already begun frantically working on excuses.
Excuses that would keep him from going back to the mansion in Jinghe District.
A wealthy family was precious indeed, but for the sake of my own life and dealing with the Modifier...
Aunt Ye, I'm truly sorry. I'm afraid I'll have to turn you down again.
But after a brief moment of thought, Ye Lan sighed, shook her head, and said,
"Shiyu, I told you that spending more time with Xiao Huan would make you more cheerful. But before coming here, I'd already thought it over many times. Only later did I realize that I'd been far too impulsive before..."
"Huh?"
Ye Shiyu and Yan Huan froze at the same time.
Ye Lan looked at Yan Huan with an apologetic smile, resting her chin in her hand as she said,
"Xiao Huan has lived in Linmen for more than a decade, and he's a boy on the verge of independence, yet I've kept treating him like a little child.
"We'd never even met before, yet I practically forced him to abandon the life he was used to just to satisfy my expectations. That really wasn't appropriate."
As she spoke, Ye Lan turned back to Ye Shiyu.
"This past week, I had someone learn more about Xiao Huan's life. I know now that he's already a very mature adult who can take care of himself.
"So this is what I'm planning: from now on, I'll give Xiao Huan more financial assistance to make his life easier, rather than insisting that he live with us.
"What do you think, Shiyu?"
Aunt Ye!!
Looking at the smiling Ye Lan beside him, Yan Huan felt as though she had sprouted angel wings and a halo, dazzling divine light shining behind her, supremely holy and beautiful.
That maternal gentleness poured down over him, making Yan Huan wish he could close his eyes devoutly, bask in it, and convert.
Not only had she saved me from going back tonight and getting hit with Ye Shiyu's grand hypnosis, she was even going to support me unconditionally...
Aunt Ye, you're my god!
"Xiao Huan, recite your prayer to the merciful deity (Aunt Ye)~"
"Aunt Ye, I don't want to work hard anymore."
"Hehe, how adorable~"
In stark contrast to Yan Huan, who had already converted to the Ye Lan Cult, Ye Shiyu was utterly stunned.
Mom?!
Ye Shiyu's eyes widened. After a moment's pause, she finally squeezed out a few words.
"But..."
"You just won't be living together every day. It doesn't mean you'll become less close. Shiyu, you go to school with Xiao Huan every day, and I can occasionally invite him over on weekends. Wouldn't that be even better?"
Ye Shiyu looked at her mother, then at Yan Huan beside her, who was nodding repeatedly, and said,
"But... the South District is a dangerous place. I even heard there were gang shootouts here before. I'm worried..."
Seeing concern appear on Ye Lan's face at those words, Yan Huan hurriedly explained,
"It's fine, Sister Shiyu. I've lived here for more than a decade. I can take care of myself. Besides, speaking of which, it's thanks to Aunt Ye that the South District will definitely get better from now on."
"Thanks to me? Why?"
Yan Huan smiled slightly and said,
"The Linmen Government wants to work with you on installing the relevant infrastructure, Aunt Ye, so they'll have to improve public safety in the South District.
"After all, that's real money being spent. If thugs keep smashing things and causing losses every other day, you certainly won't be the one taking the loss, right, Aunt Ye?"
Ye Lan covered her mouth and chuckled, clearly not having considered that aspect just now.
"That's certainly true. I don't know whether the South District will improve, but we certainly won't be losing money. At worst, you could rent somewhere else later, Xiao Huan. You don't have to live in the South District."
As she spoke, she took a white card out of her bag and handed it to Yan Huan.
"This is a credit card Auntie prepared for you. The PIN is six ones. Just use this for all your expenses from now on. I'll cover them~"
Looking at the white card being offered to him, Yan Huan blinked.
He looked up again at Ye Lan before him, with angel wings behind her and a loving smile on her face, and instinctively opened his mouth.
"Thank-"
"Shh, don't thank Auntie. Just take it, Xiao Huan."
"Sure thing, Auntie."
That display of a "loving mother and dutiful son" left Ye Shiyu, sitting across the dining table, with no chance at all to maneuver Xiao Huan into coming home tonight.
Neither Yan Huan nor Ye Shiyu had expected this series of moves from Ye Lan.
But...
Holding her phone, Ye Shiyu watched Ye Lan and Yan Huan smiling, and her heart gradually quieted.
Her mother had talked about Xiao Huan for so long, and Xiao Huan clearly yearned for the warmth of a family too.
Perhaps this moment was just right.
If he went back, she might end up doing something out of line and ruining this lovely moment.
In any case, they would still see each other often at school, and she could invite Xiao Huan home on weekends too.
There's no rush.
In the end, desire could not extinguish reason, and it resurfaced.
Holding her phone, she let out a long breath and silently accepted her mother's arrangement.
Between her fingers, the phone screen lit up again without being touched, transforming into a dark purple vortex.
But at that moment, the screen began frantically flickering with fragments of static, as though it had a bad signal.
A second later, the screen reluctantly went dark again, melting into the room's atmosphere, which was just right at that moment.
Before you continue