"Thump, thump, thump..."
Hospital elevators always had to be spacious enough to accommodate hospital beds. Without a bed or other passengers, just one or two people riding inside usually made it feel incredibly empty and vast.
Yet at this moment, Zuo Jiangqin, standing inside like a lifeless doll, did not feel the elevator was spacious at all.
On the contrary, she felt overwhelmingly suffocated and desperate...
"Aunt Zuo, right?"
From behind her, a female voice spoke faintly, ringing out like the mournful toll of a death knell.
The moment she heard that voice, Zuo Jiangqin's expression twisted into even deeper terror.
Her consciousness desperately tried to command her limbs, but her body no longer belonged to her. She could not do a single thing.
Even though her mind was perfectly clear, her body...
'What in the world is wrong with me?'
'Have I been possessed by some evil spirit?'
'Just what exactly is Ye Lan's daughter...'
"Mmph..."
Amidst her absolute panic, Zuo Jiangqin could not help but recall what had just happened.
She had been waiting outside the room for her daughter to finish her medical examination when Ye Lan's daughter walked up to her, completely expressionless.
She had originally intended to put on a friendly face. After all, getting a little closer to the girl could not possibly hurt...
But the only response she received was the girl raising her phone screen, displaying a ceaselessly spinning purple vortex.
Right after that, it was as if she had fallen under a dark spell.
Her body slipped completely out of her control, strictly obeying whatever the girl commanded.
"Bzz... Bzz..."
"Clunk, clunk..."
The elevator steadily climbed. Accompanied by the faint rattling noises echoing in the shaft, the digital display showed the floor numbers continuously rising.
Yet right now, as the girl's voice rang out, all the electronic equipment inside the elevator began flickering wildly, as if suffering from severe signal interference.
And amidst that erratic, flickering light, Ye Shiyu stood firmly behind Zuo Jiangqin, gripping her mobile phone with a deadpan expression.
"Ding!"
Eighth floor. They had arrived.
Saying the eighth floor was the top floor was not entirely accurate. In reality, it was merely the highest floor currently in operation.
The ninth floor was still under construction, left in a rough, unfinished state. As a result, its corresponding button inside the elevator was dark and inactive; it could only be reached via the emergency exit stairs.
"Get out,"
Ye Shiyu commanded softly. Right before her eyes, Zuo Jiangqin marched out into the hall, her face plastered with sheer horror.
As Ye Shiyu followed her out, mobile phone in hand, all the electronic devices in the corridor flickered violently before dying entirely, taking every security camera down with them.
Ye Shiyu did not linger. She simply guided Zuo Jiangqin briskly toward the emergency exit.
"Click."
Taking the stairs step by step, she reached out to test the handle of the ninth-floor door. Confirming it was unlocked, Ye Shiyu pushed it open.
"Whoosh..."
The unfinished ninth floor was dusty, its windows not yet sealed off. The fierce sea breeze of Linmen blew in recklessly, sending Ye Shiyu's raven-black hair fluttering the moment she opened the door.
After silently taking in the chill of the ocean wind, Ye Shiyu turned her emotionless face back toward Zuo Jiangqin and asked,
"Tell me in detail once more. What were you and Bai Yi talking about just now?"
To the current Zuo Jiangqin, Ye Shiyu's words were an absolute edict. The moment the demand was voiced, the seal over Zuo Jiangqin's lips was undone.
With no one else around, she spoke, her face a mask of utter dread,
"I... I didn't say anything..."
She tried to spit out a lie, but in the next second, her mouth moved completely out of her control,
"I saw that Yan Huan and Ye Lan have a very good relationship, so I wanted to see if Bai Yi could foster some feelings with him. If she could, she might be able to marry into a wealthy family later and get a share of Ye Lan's fortune..."
Spilling all of this in one breath, Zuo Jiangqin's expression grew increasingly horrified.
She stared at Ye Shiyu, who had listened to the entire confession while maintaining her chilling apathy. Terrified out of her wits, Zuo Jiangqin's voice cracked with a sob,
"I... I was just saying it! After all, who wouldn't want their daughter to marry well? I was just hoping to enjoy a little wealth and glory along with her...
"But honestly, I didn't hold much hope! After all... after all, Yan Huan would have to be completely blind to fall for that useless daughter of mine!!"
Ye Shiyu continued to stare blankly at Zuo Jiangqin. She waited for a long time, but the woman's mouth did not spout any further truths.
Which meant she was telling the absolute truth right now.
"..."
Upon realizing this, Ye Shiyu, who had been standing before Zuo Jiangqin like a soulless doll, finally showed a hint of life, revealing a trace of faint confusion.
'I find Bai Yi annoying, so it makes sense for me to think that way.'
'But aren't you her mother? Why would you think of her like that too?'
Ye Shiyu did not understand. But soon enough, even that fleeting wisp of confusion vanished without a trace.
'Regardless, what I need to do remains the same...'
She turned her gaze to the deserted surroundings and softly commanded,
"Follow me."
"M-Child... child, please calm down. Y-You can't do anything illegal... I was really just talking, I never planned to actually do it... I..."
Ye Shiyu glanced back at the miserably weeping Zuo Jiangqin, saying nothing.
In truth, she had no intention of committing murder or forcing the woman to jump off the building.
However, she definitely intended to teach the woman a severe lesson...
Because only by doing so could she ease the burning fury ignited by the words she had just overheard.
And conveniently, she could also test out her newly acquired hypnosis abilities.
"...Aunt Zuo, do you know... what the most important thing in this world is to me?"
Standing before the unsealed windowsill, Ye Shiyu stared blankly at the foreign land below. After a moment of silence, she suddenly posed the question.
The winds at such a high altitude were already strong, let alone the fact that Linmen was a maritime nation. The sea breeze was outrageously fierce, slashing across Zuo Jiangqin's face like invisible knives and stinging her skin.
She even felt a twisted sense of awe toward the young girl standing in front of her. How could she maintain absolutely zero expression in such a harsh environment...
"I-Is it... your family?"
"..."
Ye Shiyu was just about to answer, but Zuo Jiangqin's guess forcefully choked the words right back down her throat.
Seeing her falter slightly, hope quickly bloomed on Zuo Jiangqin's face as she begged,
"I-I guessed right... Can you let Auntie go now, please? Auntie is getting old, my heart can't take these kinds of jokes..."
"..."
But Ye Shiyu remained completely unmoving and deadpan, nearly frightening Zuo Jiangqin into bursting into tears.
"Even if I guessed wrong, please just let Auntie go, okay? I was just making a joke earlier, I didn't mean any of it... Boo-hoo-hoo..."
Looking at Zuo Jiangqin's pathetic, utterly spineless display as she did nothing but sob, even someone as coldly detached as Ye Shiyu felt speechless.
She narrowed her eyes with a trace of impatience and commanded,
"Shut up."
"Mmph—"
"I can let you go. But from now on, you and Bai Yi are to stay far away from my mother and Xiao Huan."
"Mmph, mmph, mmph!!"
Hearing this, Zuo Jiangqin's eyes lit up slightly. She was about to say something, but as if suddenly recalling a harsh reality, she began shaking her head vehemently instead.
"...You refuse?"
Seeing her shake her head, Ye Shiyu assumed Zuo Jiangqin had finally grown a backbone for once.
'That works too. I was just worrying about not having a test subject for the new hypnosis techniques I learned online.'
But just as she voiced her question, Zuo Jiangqin began frantically shaking and nodding her head, her face completely desperate to express her willingness.
"..."
Ye Shiyu had no idea what was going through the woman's head. Taking a deep breath, she had no choice but to issue another command,
"Speak."
"Auntie promises you, Auntie promises! I never said I'd refuse! Auntie will definitely stay far, far away from your entire family from now on! You have to believe Auntie!"
"..."
The stoic mask on Ye Shiyu's face cracked ever so slightly. She reached up to rub the space between her eyebrows and said,
"Then why were you just..."
"But I can't control my daughter! She doesn't listen to a single word I say anymore, she's completely disobedient! If I promise you now, but Bai Yi doesn't listen later, you'll just drag Auntie back here again—"
"..."
As she rambled on, the cowardice on Zuo Jiangqin's face slowly warped into indignation, seemingly provoked by the thought of her rebellious daughter.
"If only my daughter were as well-behaved and obedient as you. She is so immature, treating my words like wind past her ears every single day. I really don't know..."
The more she listened, the uglier Ye Shiyu's expression became.
By the end, even her usual apathy had thoroughly morphed into deep resentment, her jaw clenching visibly tight.
"Shut up!"
"Mmph, mmph, mmph!!"
On the ninth floor, inside the emergency exit stairwell.
In the gloomy corridor behind the handrail, Yan Huan slowly poked his head and chest out, scanning the situation on the ninth floor with high vigilance.
It was rather unsightly for a young man like him to make such a terribly sneaky gesture, but trusting in Yan Huan's experience...
He was genuinely terrified of that horrifying god-tier hypnosis expert. Observing carefully to avoid detection was definitely the smart play.
"..."
A second later, right beside him, Aria Spencer's head popped out in perfect imitation, her clear blue eyes blinking curiously.
Due to the difference in their heights, their peeking heads were stacked one high and one low, creating an incredibly comical sight.
"Mmph, mmph, mmph..."
Zuo Jiangqin's muffled, tearful sobbing faintly drifted from the ninth floor, causing both Yan Huan and Aria Spencer's expressions to shift slightly. Yan Huan's face turned dead serious as he firmly gripped the railing.
If Ye Shiyu really intended to commit murder, he would absolutely have to stop her, no matter the consequences.
But after listening to a few more lines of dialogue between Zuo Jiangqin and Ye Shiyu, Yan Huan's expression shifted into something truly bewildered.
'This...'
'How should I even evaluate this?'
'Like daughter, like mother?'
Although it sounded a bit backwards, Yan Huan had witnessed Bai Yi's spinelessness first, so chronologically speaking, it was incredibly fitting.
"Yan—"
"!!"
Seeing Yan Huan unresponsive for so long, Aria Spencer opened her mouth to ask a confused question.
This nearly scared Yan Huan half to death. He immediately reached out and clamped his hand tightly over her mouth.
Feeling Yan Huan's hand pressing against her lips, for some reason, Aria Spencer suddenly recalled the day they had kissed.
Perhaps because it had been far too overwhelming, her memory of the event had become completely blurred...
She only remembered that her lips had felt a numbness and tingling sensation, and it had been incredibly pleasant.
"..."
Lost in those thoughts, her lips trembled slightly against Yan Huan's palm, making even deeper contact with his skin.
Keeping her mouth covered, Yan Huan slowly backed away, retreating down to the eighth floor. Only when the heavy emergency door closed securely behind them, cutting off all sound, did he finally let go of Aria Spencer's mouth.
The moment he released her and his hand met the open air, he realized his palm felt cool and wet.
Yan Huan's face instantly darkened. He demanded,
"Seriously? Are you part strainer? Why are you leaking drool?"
"Huh?! W-Where am I leaking drool?! A person's lips are naturally wet, alright!"
"..."
Hearing her defense, Yan Huan was briefly taken aback.
If it had been before, when he had yet to experience his first kiss, he would have definitely doubted such a claim.
But now, thinking back carefully on it...
'Human lips really are wet, warm, and soft!'
At the very least, Aria Spencer's lips were exactly like that.
As for the rest, Myau-chan said Tong Yingying had kissed him, but he had been unconscious at the time, so that didn't count.
And the incident with Bai Yi was just a massive rush of sensory input flooding his brain the moment her Time Stop ended, so he didn't really retain any specific details other than how stimulating it was.
It was only the time with Aria Spencer...
That had left a truly profound impression.
At the thought of this, Yan Huan couldn't help but steal another glance at her lips.
Aria Spencer noticed him staring. Mistakenly believing Yan Huan was trying to verify the thesis that "human lips are actually wet," she generously puckered her lips, offering him a crystal clear view.
However, from Yan Huan's perspective, the gesture looked exactly like she was asking for a kiss.
He watched as Aria Spencer's puckered lips rippled with a moist, dewy luster. Combined with their plump, pink flesh, even without a trace of lipstick, they inexplicably filled Yan Huan with the sensation of something incredibly sweet and delicious.
As if suddenly starved, saliva eagerly pooled in his mouth, and his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.
"..."
A second later, he forcefully wrenched his gaze away and changed the subject.
"What were you going to ask just now?"
"Oh? Right!"
Aria Spencer, who had been puckering her lips for Yan Huan's inspection, finally snapped back to reality and hurriedly asked,
"I was going to ask, what exactly are we doing up here?"
Yan Huan gave her a sideways glance. He had originally intended to come up with an excuse—after all, he couldn't just say he saw Ye Shiyu about to murder someone using a Modifier.
But staring into her clear, pure eyes, and recalling the events from earlier, he fell silent for a second before telling her straight,
"Ye Shiyu is about to do something bad, so I came to see if I could stop her."
"...Something bad?"
Aria Spencer blinked. Watching the peacock illusion cloaking Yan Huan warp once again, she asked with a puzzled expression,
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"...Not for the time being. I can't even help right now."
"Huh? Then why did we come up here?"
Hearing this, Yan Huan simply smiled. He pressed a single finger against his lips in a 'shush' motion, and simultaneously held up his mobile phone for Aria Spencer to see.
Aria Spencer didn't understand what was going on, but she felt a sense of awe as she peered at his phone screen.
She had assumed he possessed some incredible trump card. But to take a quick glance, it was merely an ongoing call screen on the Plane app.
At the top, the contact name "Aunt Ye" was exceptionally glaring.
"...Aunt Pig?"
Aria Spencer voiced aloud, her face full of bewilderment.
"What do you mean, Aunt Pig? You're the Aunt Pig."
Yan Huan was utterly done with her. He didn't know what kind of misplaced hostility this girl held, actually daring to give the great and mighty Aunt Ye such an utterly disrespectful nickname.
'As the Chief Paladin of the Church of Ye Lan, I am the first to strictly object!'
"...Hello? Xiao Huan?"
The call suddenly connected. Yan Huan glared at Aria Spencer and pulled the phone back to answer.
Without wasting a single breath on small talk, he immediately said,
"Aunt Ye, I think I just saw Sister Shiyu take someone up to the top floor in the elevator. Yeah, that's right. I don't know what she's trying to do, but it just felt... pretty scary.
"Alright, then I'll wait here for you to come up, Aunt Ye."
"You stop right there!"
On the ninth floor, Ye Shiyu's face twisted grimly as she ground her teeth together, furiously spitting out the words. Her outburst thoroughly terrified the endlessly pleading Zuo Jiangqin.
"Auntie... Auntie has begged you so much... C-Can't you just spare Auntie?"
"Begging me? Do you honestly think I don't know exactly what you're scheming?"
Ye Shiyu closed the distance step by step, her deep, abyss-like eyes sweeping over Zuo Jiangqin's face as if completely seeing right through her soul.
"You're waiting for me to relent. The moment I let you leave, you're going straight to the police to expose me... aren't you?"
"..."
At these words, Zuo Jiangqin's face instantly drained of all color. Forcing a stiff smile, she shook her head and stuttered,
"H-How could I? Auntie is telling the truth. Auntie never tells lies..."
Ye Shiyu gave no response. She merely walked to stand perfectly expressionless behind the woman.
The instant she slipped out of her line of sight, Zuo Jiangqin's body lost all autonomy and began confessing on its own,
"Yes, I just wanted to hold steady first. I don't know how you did what you did, but there are security cameras everywhere. If I go to the police, I can definitely bring you to justice!
"In fact, your mother will absolutely want to settle with me to keep you out of trouble, which means I might even get a huge payout!"
Zuo Jiangqin was beyond tears. She wanted nothing more than to give herself a hard slap across the face, but her cursed mouth kept endlessly blabbering on its own,
"And I lie all the time! Like when my daughter was little, I promised her that if she attended her child star training on time and won an award, I'd buy her a limited edition guitar...
"But even though she actually did it, I thought the limited edition guitar was way too expensive, so I swapped it out for a normal one instead..."
Spilling everything in a single breath, Zuo Jiangqin completely broke down crying. Abandoning herself to despair, she bawled,
"Auntie was wrong! Student Ye, your powers are vast and terrifying, please just put them away! Auntie wouldn't dare anymore, Auntie will never dare cross you again..."
But from behind, Ye Shiyu's icy hands suddenly clamped firmly onto her shoulders.
Ignoring her frantic begging entirely, Ye Shiyu simply asked,
"Aunt Zuo, would you like to guess what happens next?"
"Auntie doesn't know..."
"Not only will you forget exactly how I treated you, but after you wake up, you'll believe that everything you promised me today was your own genuine idea."
Pressing down heavily on Zuo Jiangqin's shoulders, the tall and imposing Ye Shiyu lowered her head without a shred of emotion. Leaning right against the woman's ear, she enunciated every single word,
"Furthermore, every security camera along our path failed entirely. They didn't record a single shred of evidence that we were ever here."
Zuo Jiangqin wept profusely. The gales on the rooftop terrace were so violent that the wind smeared her tears and snot miserably all across her face,
"W-Who exactly are you... How could you... How is this possible..."
"Me?"
The moment this was brought up, the grip Ye Shiyu held on her mobile phone grew intensely tight.
At this moment, standing atop the high-rise, looking down at the sprawling architecture of Linmen below, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of supreme sovereignty.
It was as if as long as she possessed the Hypnosis APP, she could do whatever she pleased.
Therefore, she could righteously strike down and mete out brutal punishment to this wretched woman who dared to covet her most precious treasure, rather than helplessly watching her buzz around her like an annoying fly.
This granted Ye Shiyu an unprecedented, intoxicating high, feeling exactly as though with the Hypnosis APP in her grasp...
She would be...
A God!
"Creak..."
But just as Ye Shiyu's chest swelled with exhilaration, thoroughly basking in her supreme dominance, the distinct screech of the emergency exit door being pushed open abruptly echoed from afar.
She froze slightly. Her gaze turning utterly horrifying, she whipped her head around to see which blind fool dared to interrupt her...
"Shiyu? Are you here?"
But the very next second, the strict, questioning voice of her mother echoed through the air.
The moment she heard that voice, Ye Shiyu's body violently trembled. As if struck by a phantom pain across her back, her expression went completely blank.
The very next second, her previously stoic face actively shattered, revealing vivid, unfiltered panic.
"You are not allowed to make a sound,"
She quickly hissed at Zuo Jiangqin in a terrified whisper. Immediately after, looking utterly panic-stricken, she dragged Zuo Jiangqin to hide securely beneath a low brick wall in the unfinished room.
"Tap... tap, tap..."
With furrowed brows, Ye Lan descended upon the ninth floor, carrying the majestic aura of a reigning empress.
Right behind her, Yan Huan strode confidently onto the floor with his head held high and chest puffed out, leading Aria Spencer.
Much like a wildly arrogant meme template perfectly capturing an incredibly smug smile, Yan Huan could barely suppress the massive grin stretching across his face.
He wantonly scanned the seemingly empty and desolate unfinished floor. Though he didn't utter a single word out loud, his inner voice was roaring like thunder.
It was screaming just one thing:
'Sister Shiyu, time is almost up~'