Chapter 137: What on Earth?!

Chapter 137: What on Earth?!

“What’s Bai Yi?”

The moment Ye Shiyu saw this secluded space occupied solely by her and her brother interrupted by the outsider Spencer, her instinct to protect her food kicked into high gear.

Her face was expressionless, cold, containing an anger like thunder, but it turned into a stunned silence at Spencer’s earnest words.

She turned to look in the direction Spencer was pointing but saw nothing.

Where is this Bai Yi?

Did you come here just to mess with me?!

“Are you kidding me, Spencer?”

Ye Shiyu’s expressionless face suddenly erupted with terrifying pressure; she believed Spencer was here to pick a fight.

It was bad enough that this damn guy interrupted her alone time with Little Huan, but now she was being brushed off with some childish excuse?

“No.”

Spencer didn’t even have time to be annoyed with Ye Shiyu’s repulsive attitude; she just pointed towards the invisible figure with disbelief, her tone very certain,

“Are you blind, Ye Shiyu? She’s standing right there, how can you not see her?”

Upon hearing this, Bai Yi’s face turned paler, and her mind went blank.

Spencer can really see me in this state of indifference?!

Why?

Why is the effect of the pocket watch not working on her?

But it was too late to ponder the reasons!

At that moment, Bai Yi was nothing like the earlier sneaky looking at Ye Shiyu with malicious intent; she was pale, sweating, and her legs trembled uncontrollably.

It was as if the trolls barking online became real and soft in front of the righteous fist, instantly giving in.

She had seen Spencer fighting before.

If the other party could see her, she wouldn’t dare to act cocky; what if Spencer hit her with those giant fists…

She’d be black and blue for sure!

“…”

Thinking of this, she swallowed hard and tightened her grip on the pocket watch.

Even in a state of indifference, her instinct was to quickly cover her face, turn her head away, and hunch her body.

After covering her face tightly, she lowered her head and retreated, murmuring in a tone that was as obvious as if she had concealed three hundred taels of silver here,

“It’s not me, it’s not me, I’m not Bai Yi, Bai Yi isn’t me. I don’t know who Bai Yi is. You—you got the wrong person, you got the wrong person.”

“Huh?”

That ghostly look on her made even Spencer, not to mention the masked Yan Huan, struggle to contain themselves.

This is too embarrassing!

“Tick-tock… tick-tock… bam bam bam!”

But as Spencer raised a very obvious doubt, the ethereal clock ticking that had resonated in the space suddenly turned deafening.

“Ugh!”

That ear-piercing sound pierced directly into Spencer’s brain, making her cover her ears in discomfort.

Yet Yan Huan endured it, maintaining his expressionless mask without revealing even a hint of abnormality.

He simply cast a calm glance at the pocket watch in Bai Yi’s hands and saw the hour hand starting to move as if it had thawed, causing his heart to skip a beat.

In that moment, the inspiration enhanced by the Sakuraguchi Modifier sensed that Bai Yi’s Modifier was on the verge of exploding.

He couldn’t let Spencer keep provoking Bai Yi; he had to find an opportunity to let her calm down first.

So, Yan Huan quickly jumped in, bypassing Ye Shiyu to stand in front of Spencer,

“Bai Yi? Where? I don’t see her.”

“Huh?”

Spencer turned her head, about to point towards Bai Yi and drag her out.

But Yan Huan blinked at Spencer, catching her attention.

“…”

Spencer froze slightly, looking at Yan Huan.

Eh?

Why is Yan Huan looking at me?

Then she noticed Yan Huan’s eyes subtly glance towards Ye Shiyu, as if hinting at something.

What does that look mean?

Spencer’s mind began to whirl, processing his intention.

But while she was contemplating, her brain’s display reported an error.

“Buzz!”

“Runtime error, insufficient display memory!”

She stared at Yan Huan, scratching her head, her expression growing more confused,

“Why are you blinking at me?”

As soon as these words left her mouth, Ye Shiyu behind Yan Huan slightly stiffened, and the pressure erupted instantly.

Little Huan…

Is he winking at her?

Feeling the spine-chilling coldness prickling her back and glancing at Spencer, whose eyes were filled with innocence, Yan Huan nearly lost his breath.

“…”

Great, looks like I’m talking to a brick wall.

The next second, an icy hand suddenly landed on Yan Huan’s shoulder.

His shoulder stiffened immediately, and from the corner of his eye, he caught Ye Shiyu’s deathly expression.

She shot Yan Huan a glance, then lifted her gaze towards Spencer,

“Are you saying she’s over there, the idol who sings horribly and has terrible stage presence?”

Over there, Bai Yi, who was cautiously planning to retreat quietly, had her eyes widen instantly upon hearing Ye Shiyu’s words.

Her face flushed right up.

Just like when she had been triggered by an online troll with the word “urgent.”

What does a perverted brother-complex know about music?

And you dare to criticize me?!

“Creak.”

Listening to the increasingly harsh ticking of the pocket watch, Yan Huan forced a stiff smile, patted Ye Shiyu’s hand, and said,

“Shiyu, I’m a fan of Bai Yi; she actually sings really well.”

Ye Shiyu nodded in response, saying,

“Sorry. I’m not very good with music, Little Huan. It’s just my opinion.”

Upon hearing Yan Huan’s words, Bai Yi’s previously angry expression softened a bit, revealing a touched look.

Yan Huan…

He really likes me!

Bai Yi felt more certain of this fact.

At that moment, in Bai Yi’s eyes, Yan Huan was like a “princess” caught between two ferocious dragons.

Faced with the threats from the dragons, he refused to change his mind and insisted on his “liking the hero” stance.

But…

The hero who should’ve come to save him…

Thinking of this, Bai Yi’s backward motion, attempting to slip away during Ye Shiyu and Spencer’s entanglement, faltered slightly.

No, I must help Yan Huan obtain Ye Shiyu’s incriminating evidence!!

And when she overheard Ye Shiyu’s taunt, Spencer grit her teeth, her sky-blue eyes locking onto the sneaky Bai Yi by the entrance.

“You don’t believe me, huh? I’ll bring her over for you to see, let’s see if you believe it!!”

With that, Spencer stepped toward Bai Yi.

The moment Bai Yi saw Spencer coming toward her, the pocket watch in her hands began to tremble violently, as if sensing great fear.

Along with that, the courage she had just summoned began to fade away.

She instinctively wanted to avoid it—avoid the argument, avoid the fight.

Just like every time she argued with her mother, she’d slam the door and hide.

But…

It was because of that time when Yan Huan encouraged her to step onto the stage and sing that she had today’s happiness.

Clearly, it was the first time she could pursue something she loved, clearly, it was the first time she had someone she liked.

Yet not only was she being attacked online by trolls, but these two girls with better family backgrounds could bully Yan Huan like it was nothing?!

Even her greatest reliance, the effect of the pocket watch, could be seen through by that Spencer?!

Why?!

Why, why, why, why, why, why?!

I…

I’ll fight you all!!!

“Creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak!!”

Seeing the hour hand spin rapidly again, the next second, it explosively released a massive translucent wave.

Secret Technique: What on Earth?!

Buzz buzz buzz!!

Seeing this, Yan Huan’s expression shifted slightly, and he quickly reached out a hand,

“Spencer!”

Yan Huan’s warm hand grabbed hold of the petite hand of Spencer, causing her body to jolt slightly. She turned her head to look at him, her words coming out in a stutter,

“Yan Y-yuan, what are you d-doing…”

Behind them, witnessing Yan Huan extending his hand to Spencer, Ye Shiyu’s pupils slightly contracted, and the phone in her hand burst forth with light.

Great, great, great…

Then let’s hypnotize Little Huan first, so he won’t see the collapse of my “perfect sister” image.

Then I can have a solo performance with that Spencer and teach her a good lesson.

“Creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak!!”

The hour hand was spinning at its limit; the ear-splitting clock expanding sound bizarrely transformed into a freezing noise.

When that freezing noise erupted, Ye Shiyu’s original thoughts instantly turned blank.

Yan Huan’s eyes shrank slightly; he could no longer even look toward Bai Yi.

Because, in the next second, when that freezing sound rang, the whole world suddenly became…

Deathly quiet!

Eyes and body lost all power of movement.

No, not even breathing…

No need to breathe, no need to blink.

He tightly held onto Spencer’s hand, and along with the whole space, they were frozen in place.

What the hell…

Time paused?!

“Haha… ha.”

Everything became silent.

Everything stood still.

In the whole world, only the sound of Bai Yi still gasping, tightly gripping the pocket watch.

She raised the pocket watch, aimed it at Ye Shiyu and Spencer, panting heavily.

The next second, Bai Yi realized that everything around her had fallen silent.

In disbelief, she looked up and saw everything around her turned completely dead.

Even Yan Huan and Ye Shiyu had their eyes fixed on the last movement before time paused, frozen in space.

“What… what did I do?”

Bai Yi gasped a few times, whispering, her breath misting in the cold air.

“Ah, it’s so cold… huff.”

The temperature of the air plummeted, making her feel extraordinarily chill.

【Congratulations, Host!】

【The level of the Modifier has risen; you have unlocked the hidden ability of the Modifier:】

【Time Pause】

“Time… pause?”

【Now, you can activate the time pause by turning the hour hand on the pocket watch】

【This ability has no usage limit, no duration limit】

【However…】

【Please note that turning the hour hand to activate the effect will cause immense consumption】

【Additionally, the longer you remain in the frozen time-space, the greater the burden on your body and spirit will become】

【Please be cautious!】

【In time pause, you can do anything to any object; the consequences of whatever you did will erupt in an instant after time resumes】

【But regardless, you absolutely won’t have any risk of exposure】

【Feel free to use it!】

Looking at the prompts emerging from the pocket watch, the previously dazed Bai Yi’s face turned crimson, her expression becoming extremely exhilarated,

“Hahaha, with this, you all… hahaha.”

She lifted her eyes, wanting to look mockingly at Ye Shiyu and Spencer, but instead saw something incredible.

Spencer’s body was trembling continuously, as if trying to move.

But with just a slight movement, the world line behind her would begin to collapse piece by piece, creating countless reflections, dragging Spencer back to the post-time pause stance.

Like being pulled by chains, like being stuck in the quagmire.

“Ugh!”

The more Spencer struggled, the more pronounced the “creaking” sound of space became.

It felt like space was repeatedly fracturing and then reassembling.

Yan Huan realized Spencer’s overall immunity was still active; Bai Yi’s time stop was continuously layering effects on Spencer, without pause.

Spencer’s immunity wasn’t about nullifying the effect but accelerating the decay speed of other modifiers’ effects.

This led to an intense confrontation between Spencer’s resistance and Bai Yi’s effect.

“What… what are you doing?!”

Spencer felt as if she were caught in an illusion; the world before her kept shattering and reassembling, making her think she had ingested some kind of poison.

Within that constantly fracturing world, Bai Yi’s previously cautious expression gradually became bolder.

She slowly advanced toward Spencer, whose face was attempting to move, yet whose surroundings were enveloped in shadows.

Bai Yi’s current expression…

Was incredibly smug!!

Watching her reddened face inch closer to Yan Huan, she reached out and grabbed his chest muscle.

While touching it, she moved downward, simultaneously leaning closer to Spencer,

“Spencer always wanted to see this look on you.”

“…”

Bai Yi tilted her head, getting closer to Spencer, and spoke,

“This jealous expression of yours!”

“…”

Buzz buzz buzz~

The space in front of Spencer continued to shatter, her consciousness growing increasingly blurry, but in that moment, her hair uncontrollably brightened.

An invisible wave radiated from her, enveloping the frozen space within.

Watching Spencer’s pained expression filled with struggle, Bai Yi touched her heated cheek, and her eyes landed on Yan Huan, holding Spencer’s hand.

“…”

Bai Yi’s cheeks puffed up, then, feeling displeased, she tried to pull their hands apart,

“Seriously! At this time, don’t hold her hand! You clearly like me, right?”

“Huh?!”

Yan Huan stood still, but inside, he was flooded with confusion.

Huh?

I like you?

I wasn’t aware of that!

“I know it all, Yan Huan. Though we’ve always interacted as fan and idol…

“Actually, you like me a lot, right?”

Bai Yi’s face flushed, reaching to grab Yan Huan’s hand, which was still connected to Spencer.

The next second, she exerted some force, attempting to separate them.

“…”

Straining, but to no avail.

“Mm?”

Bai Yi blinked, tilted her head, and tried pulling harder to separate them.

Still, no success.

“Mm-mm?!”

Bai Yi blinked again, turning to look at Spencer beside her.

Seeing Spencer’s expression, which was still slightly flushed despite the distortion, she turned back to Yan Huan, whose worried gaze was fixed on Spencer, and her mind went blank.

“…”

No. No, no…

Hadn’t I already… paused time?

Yan Huan, why are you still holding her so tightly?

You shouldn’t like Spencer, should you? Let her go!!