Esper X Family – Chapter 391 – You’re Watching Me, Aren’t You?

A triumphant return!

Ye Yao let out a satisfied breath, the soft sensation of four lolis’ hair still lingering on her fingertips.

Her entire body was steeped in their scent.

It felt like she had just indulged with four clingy kittens at a cat café, her very soul steeped in a sweet, languid drowsiness.

It was truly something else.

Ye Yao had nearly burnt herself out.

“It was nothing!”

Of course, this was pretty much her limit.

If An Qi and Tang Lulu were added to the mix, she would probably have to enlist her fission body for help.

As for that weakling Xia Lian…

She wasn’t even a loli, so she didn’t get to join in. At most, she could just watch from the sidelines.

Right now, Ye Yao sat contentedly at her computer, contemplating what she could do before the day ended.

After all, she was currently using the identity of Ye Tong, which allowed her to do things that Ye Yao, her usual persona, wouldn’t be suited for.

It was undoubtedly the perfect cover.

Ye Tong was a flawless alt account that let her briefly step outside the lazy persona of “Ye Yao”, allowing her to do outrageous things without having to take responsibility.

And it definitely wouldn’t affect her plan to slack off later.

Ye Yao pondered for a moment.

Right, I’ve got it!

A mischievous, almost malicious thought sparked in her mind like an ember leaping from a fire.

Those guys… the ones who always liked to lurk behind the internet, watching her screen like ghosts.

With her old persona, the most she would do was accidentally open some bizarre videos to take them down with her, or maybe open some disgusting chat logs shared by friends in the group to gross them out.

That was about the extent of her interaction with them.

No one would notice anything unusual, much less suspect Ye Yao’s actions.

Reаⅾ οn ΚαtReaԁiոɡСafe

But now?

She was currently “Ye Tong”.

A hint of playful mischief curled Ye Yao’s lips.

The cold, sharp-edged aura belonging to Ye Tong subtly filled the atmosphere.

She opened a blank Notepad window.

Against the slightly dim wallpaper, the stark white background shone as glaringly as a court of judgment.

Her fingertips hovered above the keyboard.

Ye Yao could even imagine the staff in some monitoring room, routinely staring at this suddenly illuminated area, probably wearing very serious expressions.

“It’s time to say hello~”

Then, she began to type.

Clack… clack… clack…

Each keystroke was clear and deliberate, carrying a crafted, suffocating rhythm:

You’re watching me, aren’t you?

The cursor blinked coldly after the question mark, like a single eye.

Inside the cold surveillance room, the atmosphere instantly froze.

The massive screen displayed a device’s interface: Ye Yao’s computer desktop.

The suddenly opened blank Notepad, and that single line of stark black Songti font ¹ This font. Apparently the font was used back in the Song Dynasty for woodprinting. resembled a fissure opening in the abyss, swallowing all background noise.

“ Hiss —”

The technical staff in charge sucked in a sharp breath, his body jerking back so violently he nearly fell out of his chair.

His trembling finger unconsciously hovered over the edge of the alarm button, frozen, unable to press down.

His eyes were locked onto that line of text, his pupils dilated with shock, his back instantly drenched in cold sweat.

Rеαd οո ΚαtRеαԁіոɡСаfе

It felt like a security camera winking at you in an empty midnight elevator.

If that wasn’t a ghost story, what was?

The personality analyst, the gaming expert, the sociology specialist… all of them saw it too, all of them frozen in place.

Everyone felt as if they were being stared at by a pair of mocking eyes.

“Miss Ye Tong… is greeting us… she knows we…”

Someone stammered out the words.

No one responded.

The entire surveillance room fell into a dead silence.

Only the low hum of machinery and the heavy, stifled breathing of a few people could be heard.

That line of text on the screen pressed down on everyone’s heart like a lead weight.

The observed was now mocking the observer from across the intangible network.

Sweat trickled down their temples, sticky and cold.

In front of the screen.

Ye Yao tilted her head slightly, as if admiring her own handiwork.

She could already imagine the flustered reactions of those peeping toms.

How amusing!

This feeling of playing others in the palm of her hand, watching them sweat over a casual remark she made…

It was utterly delicious!

If it was Ye Yao’s personality, she might’ve stopped the prank here.

But Ye Tong wouldn’t.

Her mischief was like a poisonous vine. Once it broke through the soil, it had to spread wantonly.

Her fingers descended upon the keyboard again.

Rеaⅾ оո КatReаdіngCafе

This time, her movements were light and bouncy, carrying a childlike yet eerie casualness.

Heh

A single syllable emerged.

The cursor blinked, like a demon’s breathing.

Heh

Another syllable.

Then, she hit the Enter key.

Heh Heh

The two simple repeated words hung alone beneath the previous question.

There were no emojis, and there were no extra embellishments. Just the purest, most direct “heh heh”.

And yet.

Against this backdrop of deathly stillness and surveillance…

These two words carried more impact than any menacing expression.

“Heh heh”, as if to say: See, I know you’re there. I know you’re scared. And this… is just too much fun.

The sound of everyone swallowing was unmistakably clear.

They were finally confronting the pressure that individuals like Lou Wei and Fu Qi had been dealing with firsthand.

Things would be tolerable if they managed to stay off of Ye Tong’s radar. Staying on the fringes was actually a blessing. There were advantages to being low profile.

Not being targeted by Ye Tong was already a success!

But now…

There was no doubt that Ye Tong knew about the Ye Yao Circle’s existence.

She even knew what this group was doing, as if nothing could be hidden from her.

Rеαd οո KαtRеαԁіոɡCafe

Only Ye Tong could give people that feeling. It was truly terrifying.

The members of the Ye Yao Circle didn’t dare to move a muscle.

Even with a distance of time and an electronic screen separating them, no one dared to make any other moves.

Fortunately, Ye Tong didn’t continue typing.

Instead, she deleted all the text in Notepad, as if she was satisfied.

Gradually, the members of the Ye Yao Circle began to relax, although they were still shaken.

“…Is she not angry?”

“Maybe she just doesn’t care about us.”

“I hope that’s the case. Being on her radar isn’t a good thing.”

“At least we know it was Ye Tong typing those words. If it had been Ye Yao… I think I’d be having a heart attack.”

After calming down, the group began to analyze.

“From the looks of it, Ye Tong doesn’t seem to want to punish us. And it seems she doesn’t plan on telling Ye Yao about this either, otherwise she wouldn’t have deleted the text. Looks like she still wants to protect Ye Yao’s peaceful life.”

“But her attitude is still ambiguous. What exactly does she want?”

“Should we contact Luo Jianhua?”

“No. Having Luo Jianhua send messages right under her nose, how is that any different from betrayal?

She probably already know Luo Jianhua is a spy but is choosing to turn a blind eye.

Whatever you do, don’t have Luo Jianhua take any action right now. That kid is probably under a lot of pressure as it is.”

The group’s mood was very heavy.

They probably won’t sleep well tonight.

Author Note

Let’s open a bounty at the beginning of next month, that should motivate everyone to watch ads and send gifts.

Translator Note

Bounty! It’s time to 🐳!