Chapter 1 You're so unlucky! You almost died just now.
A thick fog filled the sky, and pedestrians on the road staggered in one direction or another. Although the road was packed with people, the world was eerily silent. Chang Xile followed the crowd and walked slowly forward, feeling as if he had forgotten something, but he couldn't remember what it was.
Until she crossed a small river and sat down at a long table. Opposite her sat a man, dressed in a purple robe and a black hat, with a lock of his long black hair hanging down and hooked on the brush in his hand.
He didn't even glance at Chang Xile. He just yawned and asked weakly, "What's your name?"
Chang Xile subconsciously felt that telling her name to a stranger was not a good thing. However, the longer she remained silent, the heavier her chest felt, as if some force was constantly urging her to answer.
"...Why should I tell you?" Chang Xile gritted his teeth, refusing to do what the man in front of him wanted.
When the man heard this, he finally looked up at her. He was immediately surprised and asked, "Why is it a living soul?"
Chang Xile took a deep breath and, with all his strength, asked him back, "Before asking someone's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"
"My name? ... Ha, I'm afraid you'll scare yourself to death if I tell you." He sneered, picked up the brush, pointed the brush at the spot between Chang Xile's eyebrows, and asked again coldly, "What's your name?"
"Chang..." Now her brows felt as if there was fire burning and a knife piercing them, and Chang Xile felt that her soul had escaped at that moment, so much so that she couldn't even finish a sentence.
"What's this?" The man frowned and raised his hand to flip through the booklet on the table.
Chang Xile glanced down and saw that the booklet was filled with different names, followed by a string of times.
"That's not right." Before Chang Xile could take a closer look, the man closed the book. He carefully looked at the girl in front of him and frowned, saying, "There's no one named Chang on this list."
However, before Chang Xile could speak again, she heard the sound of a bell from far away. Although it was very far away, it was very clear to her ears. After listening carefully, she could hear the murmur of a call.
As the two of them stared at each other, Chang Xile watched as the man, his eyes wide open, moved further and further away from her. In reality, it wasn't the man's position that had changed, but rather Chang Xile's body that was rapidly retreating.
The man naturally refused. He hadn't figured out what this living soul was, so if he let her go, wouldn't that be considered dereliction of duty?
He hastily slammed his brush down on the table, intending to recapture the person. However, as he raised his hand, he was inexplicably knocked back by some force. He gasped and pulled his hand back, only to find something scratching the back of his hand fiercely. The cat's shrill cry still echoed in his ears.
You know, ordinary things can't leave scars on him.
When he looked up again, the girl surnamed "Chang" had disappeared.
"Tsk." The man sat back in his seat dejectedly and wrote the word "Chang" alone on a blank piece of paper. After a while, he added the words "Chang" and "Chang".
"We have to work overtime again." A voice sighed slowly in the night.
When Chang Xile woke up again, she felt a splitting headache. The sound of a bell rang in her ears again. She blinked, and when the two images in front of her eyes merged into one, she finally saw who was standing by the bed.
The woman in front of him looked to be in her thirties. She was wearing a blue coat, her long hair was tied into a bun on top of her head, she was holding a bell in her hand, her eyes were closed, and she was muttering to herself.
She had delicate features and, at first glance, bore a 50% resemblance to Chang Xile. However, if one were to delve deeper, it would be more accurate to say she bore an 80% resemblance to Chang Xile's mother, Tang Shixin.
"Aunt." Chang Xile sat up and obediently called out to his aunt, Tang You, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
Tang You slowly opened her eyes and looked at her niece whom she hadn't seen for many years. Her expression was not very warm. She just asked her, "How long have you been in Shancheng? How did you get yourself into this state?"
Chang Xile had just started her freshman year at the end of August this year and had been accepted into a university a million miles from home. Since she'd been accepted, even though Tang Shixin was extremely reluctant, there was no reason to stop her from studying. As she packed her daughter's luggage, she muttered to herself, "What a coincidence! Your aunt lives in Shancheng now. If anything happens, she'll be able to look after you."
Chang Xile was actually quite unfamiliar with this aunt. All he knew was that she had been a rebellious child since childhood, and when she grew up, she insisted on becoming a nun, much to the chagrin of her grandparents. She never returned home after that, and even during the holidays, she would only send a letter, addressed specifically to Tang Shixin, which infuriated her parents even more.
In this family, if there is anyone Tang You can listen to, it is probably her elder sister Tang Shixin.
Before Chang Xile left, Tang Shixin was packing her luggage. Then, as if remembering something, she reminded him, "But she's busy. Don't bother her if you have nothing else to do."
"Maybe it's because I'm not used to the climate here..." Chang Xile recalled this and scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. He didn't expect that when he saw his aunt again after so many years, she would be in such an embarrassing situation.
Chang Xile was in the mountain city for the first time, and she wasn't used to anything here—the terrain, the weather, the food, and so on. It would take her a while to adjust. Furthermore, she hadn't known what had happened recently; Mercury was in retrograde.
Life is supposed to be smooth sailing, and it's normal to encounter some bad luck. But Chang Xile has been having a bit too much luck lately!
She choked on cold water, stumbled when walking on flat ground, had instant noodles without seasoning packets, and received takeout without chopsticks. She could tolerate all of this for a while, but yesterday, she and her roommates went out for a meal together. Everyone had the same food and drinks, but she was the only one to develop a high fever. After vomiting and diarrhea, she became exhausted and unconscious. This terrified her two roommates, who immediately contacted their counselor to have her taken to the hospital.
"You almost died just now." Tang You checked Chang Xile's pulse expressionlessly, and withdrew her hand only after making sure that she had stabilized.
The doctor said Chang Xile's illness was caused by food poisoning, and her condition had stabilized. However, when Tang You finally arrived to visit her niece at her eldest sister's request, she found Chang Xile dead upon arrival in the hospital room. A careful examination revealed that one of her three souls and seven spirits was missing.
After Tang You pressed the nurse's bell, she took out the bell she carried with her, trying to call back her scattered soul. However, her repeated calls were fruitless. It was not until the shrill cat cry that came from nowhere that Chang Xile slowly woke up.
Tang You watched the white cat at the door walk in as if no one was around, then it jumped lightly onto the hospital bed and was naturally held in Chang Xile's arms.
"That's too much, auntie." Chang Xile stroked the cat's fur rather smoothly, not taking Tang You's words to heart. After all, she was only a little weak, without any discomfort, so how could she be dying?
Although college students usually like to say things like "I'm dying", "I'm dying of laughter", "I'm so angry", "Oh, I'm dead", etc., but "wanting to die" is just a state, we can't really die, right?
However, I didn't expect that someone like my aunt, who seems old-fashioned, also likes to speak in such an exaggerated way.
"..." Tang You recalled her elder sister's warning not to teach Chang Xile the "feudal superstitions" she had learned after leaving home, and she refrained from explaining in detail how Chang Xile was "dying" just now.
But she looked at Chang Xile for a moment, and still couldn't help asking: "Have you encountered any strange people or things recently?"
Does being very unlucky count?
Chang Xile thought for a moment and replied, "I've been having dreams a lot lately, and I always dream of people I don't know."
When Tang You heard the word "dream," she pressed the issue, "Do you recognize the person in the dream? Can you see his face clearly?"
"I don't know, but I can see it clearly." Chang Xile answered honestly.
"..." Tang You was silent for a while, then took out a small purse from her body and handed it to Chang Xile.
"What is this?" Chang Xile took the small purse. The stitching on it was intricate and the appearance was very delicate. She was dazzled by it. After examining it for a moment, she wanted to open the purse to see what was inside, but was stopped by Tang You.
"This is..." Tang You paused, then found an explanation that the young man could accept. "I got this from the temple. It's very effective. Carrying it with you can protect your safety and bring you good fortune."
"Really?" As soon as Chang Xile heard the word "fortune", everything else was forgotten. Her love for this purse immediately reached a new level.
"Yes, be sure to carry it with you." Tang Youmu nodded with a stern face and added reluctantly, "Otherwise it won't work."
"Okay! I must take you with me even when I take a shower!" Chang Xile was agreeing when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps in the corridor. Her gaze shifted to the door and saw a nurse rushing in breathlessly, probably because she had just heard the nurse's bell.
"The patient is awake. Please check her out." Since Chang Xile was fine, Tang You didn't stay any longer. She politely nodded to the nurse to express her gratitude. When she reached the door, she turned back and reminded Chang Xile, "Remember, never tell strangers your name at any time."
Chang Xile was cooperating with the nurse's examination and nodded subconsciously when she heard this. When she remembered to ask, "What about in the dream?", Tang You had disappeared.
There is indeed no major problem with Chang Xile's health. He just has insufficient qi and blood and is too weak. He needs to stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation.
She leaned back on the pillow bored and took out her cell phone to check her messages.
From time to time, someone in the roommate group uploaded photos of the courseware, saving them for Chang Xile. Close classmates also came to ask about her recent situation. Her parents also video-called her.
After Chang Xile replied to the messages one by one, his fingertips slowly rested on a chat box that was pushed very far down the list.
The figure's profile picture was a photograph of a white-haired young man sitting by a lake. A thick morning fog enveloped everything, making his figure vague and indistinct. The man had an easel set up beside him, absorbed in sketching. A single ray of sunlight pierced through the mist, illuminating the top of his canvas and filling in the gap, bringing the entire painting to life.
This photo was taken by Chang Xile herself and was once regarded by her as the photo she was most satisfied with that year.
The note is "boyfriend".
However, the guy who occupied the boyfriend's identity last sent a message to Chang Xile a few days ago.
Chang Xile clicked into the chat box and looked at the last sentence on the interface. It was sent when Chang Xile was in great pain on the night he was sick.
[Happy]: Help, I really feel like I'm going to die.
And then there was no response.
Chang Xile frowned, not knowing what she was thinking. The white cat beside her rubbed against her arms, diverting her attention. Chang Xile simply put down her phone, out of sight and out of mind, and began to pet the cat peacefully.
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