Experimental Subject

"Even so, I still ended up here." Looking at the hotel before him, Ye Shuang couldn't help but ponder, especially after noticing the "couples" sign above.

It wouldn't be like last time, where I got tied up directly, would it?

Suddenly realizing something was off, Ye Shuang simply stood at the hotel entrance and sent a message to An Shiyu:

Ye Shuang: I'm here. Come down.

Better not go up for now—after all, who knew what was waiting for him up there.

Soon, An Shiyu's reply came through.

An Shiyu: Come up.

Looks like there's no avoiding it.

"Hmm..." Ye Shuang thought for a few seconds. But it should be fine, right? Last time was different because he was at An Shiyu's house—in that environment, the two fishes might have wanted to use forceful measures.

But back in the country, if they really wanted to do something, they'd have done it by now. There was no need to drag it out this long. After all, the school infirmary also had a bed.

Having made up his mind, Ye Shuang walked straight into the hotel, took the elevator, and arrived at the room where An Shiyu was staying.

"Knock, knock." Arriving at the door, Ye Shuang raised his hand and tapped.

The next second, the door swung open, and Ye Shuang felt himself being pulled inside.

"Wait?!"

Before he could even finish speaking, he vanished from the hotel hallway in what felt like a zero-frame start.

By the time Ye Shuang stumbled a few steps and regained his bearings, he felt a restraint on his wrists, accompanied by a crisp clicking sound.

Looking down, he saw a pair of handcuffs had been placed on him at some point. They looked like toy handcuffs, but the metallic material made it clear they weren't something he could break through sheer strength.

"...?" Ye Shuang looked ahead. The two fishes were standing right in front of him—there was no doubt they were the ones who had put the handcuffs on him.

"Why are you putting these on me?" Ye Shuang asked.

"It's to deal with perverts," An Shiyu said as the two fishes led Ye Shuang over to the bed and sat him down.

"Uncle, you really came?" Anshi Yi reached out and poked Ye Shuang's abdomen, eliciting a ticklish sensation.

"Alright, stop fooling around. First, take these off me."

Ye Shuang still assumed the two fishes were just playing around and urged Anshi Yi to remove the handcuffs.

"Fooling around?"

"A game," Ye Shuang said.

"Oh?" Anshi Yi glanced at An Shiyu, who was standing with her arms crossed, looking somewhat awkward. "You say it's a game, but you're the one who came here yourself."

"I think you don't get it at all."

Ye Shuang: "..."

They're not really going to do something, are they?

"Uncle, let me tell you something," Anshi Yi said from beside him. "She's wearing the ones you like today."

Ye Shuang instinctively looked at An Shiyu. The short-haired girl paused for a moment, then blushed slightly and looked away.

"Secret technique: Rising Air Current!" Anshi Yi declared, as if putting on a show, and flipped up the hem of the girl's skirt.

A clock-patterned piece of fabric was revealed directly before Ye Shuang's eyes.

Realizing there was no escape, Ye Shuang made up his mind and stared intently at that underwear—

Inside his gaze, the clock began to spin wildly.

The surrounding scene instantly turned white, and soon the familiar whirring sound appeared in Ye Shuang's ears.

...

...

Gradually, his vision cleared.

Ye Shuang felt a bit dazed, but soon regained consciousness. He slowly stood up and began observing his surroundings.

This was An Shiyu's underwear world.

Well... to be precise, it was the clock world. Ye Shuang noticed it looked like a laboratory, filled with various instruments and carrying a faint smell of disinfectant.

"A laboratory?" Ye Shuang instinctively reached out to touch the instrument in front of him, but then noticed his own fingers.

Thin.

And very long.

Bewildered, Ye Shuang looked down at his clothes—a white lab coat, similar to the one he often wore in the school infirmary.

He took a few steps and caught sight of an unfamiliar face reflected on the polished surface of an instrument.

"Is this me?"

Ye Shuang touched his cheek reflexively and realized he was also wearing a pair of glasses.

"I can wear someone else's body?" Ye Shuang was confused, because the sensations from this body definitely weren't his own, and it was that of an adult of about 170 cm.

"It seems I don't have much time either." He glanced at the clock's countdown; the hands were still moving, albeit very slowly.

Just then, the laboratory's big door slid open, and a young man and woman entered, both wearing white lab coats. They seemed to be arguing.

"I told you, cloning technology is far more reliable and feasible than your plan to digitize life."

"But you have to sacrifice that many subjects? All of them are identical to Xiao Yu! The ones before this have already..."

"I know, I know, I know! But what choice do I have?! Damn it! That's my daughter!"

A heavy crash echoed as the man slammed his fist onto the table.

Ye Shuang suddenly realized they were speaking in what sounded like Sakura language, but strangely, he could understand it.

Was it because of this body?

[Character: An Shiyangqi

An Shiyu's father]

[Character: Suzuki Keiko

An Shiyu's mother]

Huh?

Little Yu's parents?

This unexpected window prompt surprised Ye Shuang. As he studied their faces more closely, he noticed there was indeed some resemblance to An Shiyu.

Ye Shuang recalled that in the novel's records, the two had apparently passed away due to some accident.

"Yamashita, sorry." The An couple seemed to notice Ye Shuang standing not far away and spoke to him.

"Oh, it's nothing."

Ye Shuang replied instinctively, but found his speech seemed automated.

"How is Subject 005 doing?" the man asked.

"She's resting. Vital signs are normal for now," Ye Shuang answered immediately, his body acting on its own.

"Please take care of her."

"Rest assured," Ye Shuang said. Then his body began to move on its own, bypassing the couple and exiting the laboratory, finally stopping before a room door.

The moment he steadied himself, Ye Shuang found he could control this body again.

"This is a strange experience. Am I playing a real-life cat game?" Ye Shuang mused. But from the conversation he'd just overheard...

So this is where Xiao Yi was born.

005...

Ye Shuang hesitated briefly but still reached out and opened the door.

What came into view was a pure white room. On a metal-framed bed sat a short-haired little girl in a plain white dress, staring blankly into space.

[Character: Subject 005

Experiment for saving An Shiyu]