In the six months since Ruan Bei acquired the ability to see ghosts, he has seen many ghosts, both good and bad, but he has only seen one child, Niu Niu, and he hasn't seen a single animal ghost.
This is related to the formation of ghosts. Excessively strong obsessions, whether love or hate, are all based on a complete emotional worldview.
Most children are innocent by nature. Like Niu Niu, the obsession that drove her to become a ghost was her desire to go home and see her mother, not to take revenge on her grandmother who killed her.
As for small animals, it's even more difficult for them to become ghosts.
Ruan Bei pondered for a moment, perhaps the dog named Pudding wasn't actually a ghost? Isn't there an old saying that animals have very keen eyesight?
However, he couldn't directly ask Niu Niu: "Is Pudding like you? Did it also die and become a ghost?"
Ruan Bei softened his voice: "Niu Niu, can you tell your brother about your new friend?"
"OK."
Without hesitation, Niu Niu chirped like a little bird, "Pudding is a really big dog, just as big as Niu Niu!"
The little girl gestured, and Ruan Bei understood that she was referring to height; it seemed that Pudding was a large dog.
“Its fur is very long, and the color is like pudding.” Niu Niu licked her lips, and as she spoke, she became hungry: “Brother, I want to eat pudding, the round pudding, not a dog.”
Niu Niu can eat, so the food we provide for her doesn't need to be cooked; once it's cooked, it's gone.
Just place it in front of her small memorial tablet or tombstone. She can taste it, but only taste it. Food that she has eaten will have no taste at all and will taste like wood chips.
The same applies to other ghosts. If it is a descendant worshipping an ancestor and specifically mentioning that the offering is for the ancestor, that is also acceptable.
It doesn't matter who provides the food; anyone who wants to give it is welcome. Niu Niu's mother sometimes buys food for her daughter.
Niu Niu is very sensible and rarely asks Ruan Bei for things. Of course, Ruan Bei readily agrees to this small request.
"Okay, I'll buy Niu Niu pudding tomorrow. And what about your new friend? Should we give it some food?"
Niu Niu sighed like a little adult: "No, you can't eat pudding."
"Why?" Ruan Bei asked.
"Because Pudding doesn't have a small nameplate." Niu Niu's mother kept a nameplate for Niu Niu, and Ruan Bei also placed a very, very small one in Niu Niu's dollhouse. Qin Gu specially commissioned someone to carve it, and it's not even as big as a finger joint.
Niu Niu thought that you had to have a small sign to get food.
"I see." Ruan Bei understood. It really was a dog ghost.
"Then go ahead, say goodbye to Pudding. Tomorrow your brother will take you home, and you can come back to play with Pudding after school starts."
“Okay!” Niu Niu happily agreed and went back to the dormitory with Ruan Bei. Ruan Bei opened the door and let Niu Niu go out.
Although ghosts can pass through walls and break windows, the little girl is well-mannered. Ruan Bei was worried that she would see things she shouldn't, and told her that it was impolite to enter other people's houses casually, so Niu Niu still habitually uses the door.
When Qin Gu saw Ruan Bei open the door, even without the eye-opening talisman, he guessed the reason and asked Ruan Bei in a low voice, "Why did you leave again?"
Ruan Bei mumbled, "I went to say goodbye to my friends."
He was quite curious about the dog ghost, and he planned to find an opportunity to meet the dog named Pudding with Kunkun when he returned from the National Day holiday.
The next morning, the alarm clock rang, and of the three who had agreed to get up early and leave school together, only Qin Gu got up.
Ruan Bei, with her eyes closed, called out, "Kun Kun, turn off the alarm clock, I want to sleep for another half hour..."
Bai Miaomiao didn't wake up at all; she was fast asleep.
Zeng Peng stayed at school, so he didn't have to get up early anyway. He turned over, making the bed creak, and then fell asleep again.
Qin Gu smiled helplessly, quietly got out of bed to wash up, ate breakfast, and then brought one to Ruan Bei, while also buying two other ones.
It was almost ten o'clock by the time Ruan Bei and Bai Miaomiao got up, ate, and packed their things, they could set off.
Bai Miaomiao's family had a car to pick them up, and he offered to take Ruan Bei and Qin Gu back, but they refused.
It's a coincidence that the Bai family and the Ruan family are not in the same direction. Their family is in the same villa area as the Ran family, and the Bai family is the developer of that villa area.
During holidays, the buses in the university town are almost always packed. It's still hot and humid at the tail end of summer, and the smell inside the buses is unbearable.
Ruan Bei and Qin Gu hailed a taxi. They both had money, so they didn't need to skimp on this.
After returning home, there was nothing important to do. I rested for a day, ate and drank at home, practiced my skills and drew talismans, and also previewed my professional books.
The next morning, following the address Zhou Linlin had sent them, they took Niu Niu to see her mother.
Zhou Linlin has moved. The new house is not as big as the old one, but she still left a room for Niu Niu, where Niu Niu's favorite clothes and toys are kept.
After leaving Niu Niu with her mother, Ruan Bei went to her alma mater to visit Teacher Li and Wang Bufan.
Teacher Li told them that Wang Bufan had recently come up with some ideas about a certain conjecture and was working on proving that difficult problem. If he succeeded, he might persuade Wang Bufan to write the proof into a paper and submit it for publication.
This was beyond Ruan Bei's comprehension. Although he was good at math, high school math and university math were two different things, especially for those who majored in mathematics.
However, he supported Teacher Li's suggestion. Wang Bufan was talented, and his future should not be completely ruined because of his death.
He may have lost his body, but his mind and his thoughts have never died out; they can still climb the peaks of mathematics.
Ruan Bei was happy for Wang Bufan.
On their way back, they brought back the custom-made little house for Niu Niu. It was a small villa with a garden, and they had spent a lot of money to make it.
Looking through the open doors and windows, you can see tables, chairs, sofas, coffee tables, bookshelves, and even a tiny mouthwash cup the size of a fingernail in the washroom.
Because the little house is made of ebony, it is entirely in the color of natural wood. There is a sign on the gate outside the yard that reads: "Niu Niu's Little House". From now on, anything placed inside the house can be used by Niu Niu.
Qin Gu had inscribed Yin-gathering and Yin-locking talismans on the wooden planks used as the base beforehand, so that the Yin energy would be gathered in the small house to nourish the owner, while preventing the Yin energy from dissipating and affecting ordinary people.
Qin Gu also drew several Yin Qi talismans. These talismans are a type of high-level talisman. They have little offensive power and only one function. They were originally used by ghost keeper to raise ghosts.
As mentioned before, ghosts are a collection of yin energy. Giving ghosts yin energy talismans is like giving them a tonic.
In short, the Yin Qi Talisman is a talisman that is beneficial to ghosts. It is difficult to draw and has a narrow range of uses. Only ghosts can use it, but ghosts cannot and do not know how to draw talismans.
Since the lineage of ghost-raising masters almost died out, there are even fewer people who draw these talismans.
Qin Gu hadn't paid much attention to it before, but when he returned to Xuanqing Temple during the summer vacation, considering Ruan Bei's situation, he re-examined all the remaining talismans he had previously picked out, in case he didn't know how to draw them when needed.
"How do you use this talisman?" After listening to the explanation, Ruan Bei held the long Yin Qi talisman and examined it back and forth.
Qin Gu casually stuffed a Yin Qi talisman into Niu Niu's little house: "You'll know when Niu Niu comes back."
Ruan Bei looked at the talisman that had been crumpled up and blocked Niu Niu's doorway. After a moment of silence, he carefully took the talisman out and placed it on Niu Niu's desk.
Just this one talisman completely covered the entire desk.
On the fourth day of the holiday, Ruan Bei received a phone call from Bai Miaomiao at home.
On the phone, Bai Miaomiao excitedly told him that when his brother returned from his business trip, he had told him all his innermost thoughts.
“My brother wasn’t impatient at all. He listened very attentively, kept encouraging me, and told me that I could tell him anytime I had any ideas.”
I didn't think he was childish or throwing a tantrum.
"My brother is really, really good!" Bai Miaomiao was so excited she was almost incoherent: "My brother told me that he doesn't like Lu Sibai either. He knows that Lu Sibai bullies me, and he has never believed anything Lu Sibai says. He told me not to worry, and that he won't be fooled by Lu Sibai."
Ruan Bei was overjoyed; it hadn't been easy!
The reason Bai Sen was able to speak his mind like this was probably because he realized that Bai Miaomiao had developed a crisis of trust in him, which made Bai Sen wary and dare not let things continue.
In addition, Bai Miaomiao's honesty influenced Bai Sen, who opened his heart, allowing the two brothers to grow closer.
Ruan Bei felt that he had done a great thing.
"That's good. Just like I told your brother, if anything happens or you have any ideas, don't hide them from him. Your brother is so capable, he can definitely handle things better than you, right?"
Bai Miaomiao didn't mind Ruan Bei saying that Bai Sen was better than him at all; on the contrary, she agreed wholeheartedly: "Yes, my brother is super awesome."
"By the way, did you give that recording to your brother?"
“I gave it to him,” Bai Miaomiao said. “My brother told me not to get involved in this anymore, to pretend I don’t know anything, and to let him handle the rest.”
Bosen clearly didn't mean to let the matter drop; he just didn't want Bai Miaomiao to get her hands dirty.
Moreover, Bai Sen can think of the same things as Bai Miaomiao. If the Qin, Chu, and Lu families become angry and want to retaliate, he will be the one to bear the consequences.
Ruan Bei was relieved to hear Bai Miaomiao say that; Bai Sen's methods were far superior to Bai Miaomiao's.
In his previous life, the Lu family and the Bai family were rivals for many years, with each side winning and losing. However, Lu Minghai had the help of the Feng family and the Qin family.
The Feng family is Feng Zhihui's maternal family and Lu Minghai's in-laws' family. Whenever there is a chance for cooperation, it will definitely be with Haiming Group, not the Bai family.
Although Qin Shen himself didn't have much power, he was known as Young Master Qin, and everyone in the business world would give him some face.
They might not necessarily sacrifice their own company's interests to curry favor with him, but given a choice, they would definitely choose Haiming Group, which Qin Shen openly supports, and do Qin Shen a favor.
If Qin Shen inherits the Qin family in the future, and remembers this incident, he can give them a little help, and they will rise to prominence.
Even if the investment fails, or Qin Shen doesn't inherit the Qin family, or doesn't remember this favor, it doesn't matter. At least they haven't offended Qin Shen.
Under such circumstances, the fact that Bo Sen could fight Lu Minghai to a standstill demonstrates his strength.
He promised Bai Miaomiao that he would do a good job, and he definitely would, and he would do a good job that no one could find fault with.
Not long after hanging up with Bai Miaomiao, Ruan Bei's phone rang again; it was a local number he didn't recognize.
Ruan Bei answered the phone, and as soon as he said "hello," the person on the other end introduced himself: "Hello, Ruan Bei, I am Bai Miaomiao's brother, Bai Sen."
Ruan Bei: "..."
Qin Gu asked him, "What's wrong? Who called?"
Ruan Bei said silently, "Bai Miaomiao's brother!"
Ruan Bei was a little confused. What did Bai Sen want with him?
Qin Gu covered the microphone and whispered, "It's probably about Bai Miaomiao talking to him. He knows it was you who asked Bai Miaomiao to say it."
Ruan Bei thought it was quite possible. Bai Miaomiao didn't hide anything from his brother, and if he suddenly went to Bai Sen to confide in him, Bai Sen would definitely find it strange.
"Hello..." Ruan Bei inexplicably lacked confidence.
"I apologize for calling so abruptly. Do you have any free time recently? Would you be willing to meet with me? I have something I'd like to discuss with you in person."
Ruan Bei: "..."
He covered the microphone, frantic like a cat on a hot tin roof: "What should I do? Bosen asked to meet me, but I can't see him!"
Unlike Bai Miaomiao, Bai Sen was not easily fooled. Even if he claimed to have no connection with Lu Minghai, it would be up to Bai Sen to believe him.
Qin Gu comforted him, "Don't worry, I don't think this is a bad thing. If Bo Sen is really as you say, I think you might as well meet with him and see how things go."
Given how much Bai Sen values Bai Miaomiao, her roommates will inevitably meet him sooner or later.
Previously, it was because Bai Sen was away on a business trip abroad; otherwise, Ruan Bei would not have been able to get by on the day Bai Miaomiao reported for duty.
Since that's the case, it's better to take the initiative and arrange a private meeting place with Bosen, and be flexible with the situation, rather than being forced to run into Bosen, which would be even more difficult to handle.
Although still flustered, Kunkun's words made sense, so Ruanbei accepted Baisen's invitation over the phone.
Bai Sen said the time and place were up to him, but Ruan Bei thought it was better to end it quickly than to suffer for a long time, so he made an appointment for that afternoon at a teahouse he knew that was quite private.
Of course, he told Bosen in advance that he would be bringing people over.
Bo Sen immediately recognized him: "You're Qin Gu? Welcome."
In the afternoon, Ruan Bei and Qin Gu arrived at the agreed location twenty minutes early, ordered a small private room, and waited inside.
About ten minutes later, Bosen arrived.
This wasn't the first time Ruan Bei had met Bai Sen, but it was the first time in this lifetime.
Bosen wore a dark suit, and even in this weather, his tie was still tied meticulously, with every detail of his collar, cuffs, and sleeves carefully arranged.
He is tall with broad shoulders and long legs, and he can wear a suit very well.
Bai Sen was certainly not bad-looking; in fact, he could be described as handsome. He was brought back from the orphanage by Mr. Bai and Mrs. Bai as their heir.
With so many orphanages and so many children, Bosen's intelligence and appearance were both outstanding enough to catch Old Master Bo's eye.
Don't talk about it being for love. You might feel sympathy and pity for a child you've never even met, but if you adopt a child, you'd definitely choose the best one.
Bo Sen has handsome and deep-set features. His brow bones are low, which makes his eyes appear deep-set and his expression cold and aloof.
There are lingering fine lines between his eyebrows, indicating that he often frowns and seems unapproachable.
As Ruan Bei sized up Bai Sen, Bai Sen calmly looked at the two boys opposite him who were about the same age as his younger brother.
In the end, Ruan Bei spoke first: "Hello Mr. Bai, I am Ruan Bei, and this is Qin Gu."
Bai Sen nodded: "Hello, I'm Bai Sen, Bai Miaomiao's brother."
Ruan Bei hesitated for a moment: "Mr. Bai, what brings you here?"
Bosen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and replied, seemingly unrelated to the question, "Student Ruan looks somewhat familiar."
Ruan Bei froze, just about to use the same excuse he used to fool Bai Miaomiao to fool his brother again, whether he succeeded or not, when Bai Sen said, "Ruan, you may not know, this is not the first time I have seen you."
Ruan Bei's mind went blank for a moment, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
The hand resting on his knee was suddenly grasped, and Qin Gu said loudly, "That's strange. Our Xiao Bei has never met Mr. Bai before."
Bai Sen glanced at the nervous Ruan Bei as if by accident, and calmly said, "In April of this year, I saw you coming out of the Ran family's house at Hongrun Garden, and I saw you twice more after that."
Ruan Bei: "..." Yes, Bai Sen also lives there.
Then, as if he had suddenly forgotten the topic he had brought up, Bai Sen changed the subject: "Actually, the reason I took the liberty of inviting you to meet me today was to thank you in person."
“Miao Miao…” When Bai Sen mentioned Bai Miao Miao, his cold and hard eyebrows softened unconsciously, and his deep and indifferent voice seemed to be warmed up.
“Miao Miao said something to me last night that made me realize my oversights.”
He never imagined that his seemingly carefree and happy child actually had so many things hidden in his heart.
He always thought that by standing firmly on his brother's side when dealing with the conflict between Miao Miao and Lu Sibai, he had already made his stance clear.
But he didn't notice Miao Miao's fear and worry at all.
He was an incompetent older brother, and Bosen reflected on it all night yesterday.
“Miaomiao told me that it was you, Ruan, who persuaded him to come and say those things to me, so I must thank you. If you ever need my help in the future, please feel free to ask, as long as it doesn’t violate any principles.”
If people in the business world knew that someone could make a promise to the current head of the Bai family, they would be incredibly envious.
However, Ruan Bei felt that he could not accept this promise. He helped Bai Miaomiao resolve her inner conflict, which was essentially to repay Bai Miaomiao for speaking out against injustice in his previous life and confronting the idiotic trio of Lu Sibai, Lu Siyuan, and Qin Shen on his behalf.
Although Bai Miaomiao ended up criticizing him as well, she was already quite happy to see Lu Sibai being scolded. Bai Miaomiao did help him at the time.
"Mr. Bai, you're too kind." Of course, Ruan Bei couldn't tell him the truth, so she carefully said, "Bai Miaomiao is my roommate and also my friend. I just gave him a suggestion casually, and Bai Miaomiao made the final decision. It's such a small matter, you really don't need to take it to heart."
Bo Sen poured Ruan Bei some tea, his voice calm but firm: "It's a small matter for you, but it's very important to me."
Ruan Bei sighed silently to himself. Once Bai Sen made a decision, it was very difficult to sway him.
Forget it, at worst he won't make any demands on Bosen. A promise that isn't fulfilled isn't a promise at all.
However, Ruan Bei realized that Bai Sen meant him no harm, so...
"What did you mean when you said I looked familiar?" Ruan Bei asked tentatively.
Bosen had met him long ago. If he really wanted to investigate his background, he would have done so long ago, not now.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything to hurt Miaomiao. No matter what your relationship with Lu Minghai is, I won't interfere." Bai Sen spoke frankly, revealing Ruan Bei's identity in one sentence.
Ruan Bei choked up for a moment, but all the worries in her heart disappeared.
Great, dealing with a brother-obsessed person, once you win over his younger brother, everything will be much easier.
"Aren't you worried that I'm using Bai Miaomiao to deal with the Lu family?" If Bai Miaomiao told Bai Sen everything, then everything he did was clearly on the opposite side of the Lu family, or rather, Lu Sibai.
Bosen twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a very subtle smile: "If you really wanted to use Miaomiao, you wouldn't have persuaded him to say those things to me."
Fine, you can't outsmart this old fox in the business world.
Ruan Bei and Bai Sen had said everything they needed to say. There was really nothing left to talk about. Chatting with someone like that would put too much psychological pressure on them.
I don't know how Bai Miaomiao managed to treat Bai Sen like a confidante, rambling on and on for quite a while.
After a few awkward words, Bai Sen asked about Bai Miaomiao's situation at school, and the two sides said their goodbyes, thus ending the meeting.
When he met with Bai Sen, he didn't ask Ruan Bei not to tell Bai Miaomiao, but Ruan Bei didn't intend to tell her either.
Before he knew it, the National Day holiday was over. Ruan Bei stayed at home cultivating and felt that the spiritual energy in his body had grown stronger again, which made him very satisfied.
But it couldn't compare to the speed at Xuanqing Temple. Maybe that's the difference between a feng shui treasure land and an ordinary road.
The day before returning to school, Ruan Bei went to pick up Niu Niu. Knowing that there would be another chance to meet, the mother and daughter did not part as reluctantly as last time.
Zhou Linlin was like a mother sending her child to school, earnestly reminding Niu Niu to listen to her teacher (Ruan Bei). Niu Niu happily waved goodbye to her mother.
After returning home, Ruan Bei took Niu Niu to see his little house. Niu Niu cheered, turned around and shrank, squeezed into the house, ran around in circles, and finally clung to the window and shouted to Ruan Bei, "Brother, is this big room all Niu Niu's?"
"Yes, everything inside belongs to Niu Niu."
“Crayons!” Niu Niu held up a box of crayons, which Ruan Bei had sharpened himself, making them fine and small.
"Brother, can I draw on the wall?"
"Okay, I'll put up some wallpaper for you first." Dark wood is not suitable as drawing paper.
As soon as she finished speaking, Niu Niu threw down her paintbrush, pounced on the desk, and frantically rubbed herself against the yin energy talisman: "Brother, brother, I love this painting so much, it feels so good!"
Ruan Bei: "...This was drawn by your older brother."
"Thank you, big brother!" Niu Niu's eyes narrowed, her dimples deepened, and her two short legs swung back and forth.
Ruan Bei couldn't resist reaching out and touching Niu Niu's hair, suddenly feeling the joy of raising a child.
The next day, Ruan Bei and Qin Gu returned to school, bringing a large bag of various snacks and treats prepared by Ruan's father.
Niu Niu had a sweet tooth and asked for a spiced beef strip. Ruan Bei wrapped it in paper and placed it in front of the small memorial tablet in the living room of the small house. Niu Niu rushed over, hugged the beef strip, and ate it for a long time.
Although the amount of beef was not less, she clearly enjoyed it, and her little face was full of satisfaction.
After finishing her meal, Niu Niu sat next to the beef strips, her round cheeks puffed out, and sighed, "The beef strips were so delicious, it's a pity I can't have pudding, otherwise I could share half with it."
Ruan Bei's heart skipped a beat: "Actually, there is a way. We can ask Big Brother. Maybe he can let Pudding eat some delicious beef strips too."
He wanted to see the ghost dog, at least to see if it would harm Niu Niu.
"Big brother, big brother, can you help us?" Niu Niu called out to Qin Gu from the windowsill.
Qin Gu glanced at Ruan Bei, who clasped his hands in a gesture of respect towards him and, mimicking Niu Niu's tone, said with a smile, "Big brother, please help us!"
Qin Gu smiled, propping his head up. How could he refuse? He had no choice but to agree.
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