Chapter 114: Calm but Reassuring
When Yang Guisi came back from the mountain, she heard about Ren Qing's incident. She took the Sanshui Qingzi and carefully checked it before returning it to her. She sternly criticized her: "You are too dangerous. You must be careful not to do such things again. What's the difference between this and playing with the pen fairy?"
Ren Qing looked at the still sweet smile on Sanshuiqing's face, pinched its ears reluctantly, nodded and said "I understand".
"Pen Fairy?" Fang Xinai became excited when she heard these two words. She leaned over and asked Yang Guisi, "Master Yang, do you also know this?"
"Yes," Yang Guisi looked at Fang Xinai. In her early years, she wasn't very good at communicating with Yang Junyi in his ghostly state; she could only vaguely sense his presence. Later, she learned some techniques for communicating with ghosts, and for a long time, she used the summoning pen fairy method to communicate with Yang Junyi. As a result, she was quite familiar with this kind of thing.
"The so-called Pen Fairy doesn't actually refer to a specific ghost. Whether or not you can successfully summon the Pen Fairy depends solely on your surroundings," Yang Guisi patiently explained. "By giving up control of your pen, or even part of your body, nearby ghosts might be invited to come."
"The problem is, you can't be sure whether the ghosts around you are good or bad, strong or weak." Yang Guisi glanced at Ren Qing and emphasized, "At this time, it's easy to invite the spirits in but difficult to send them away."
Ren Qing nodded obediently.
Meanwhile, Fang Xinai suddenly thought of something: "Guisi, I remember you saying before that there are fewer ghosts wandering the world than people, so it's rare for ordinary people to encounter true paranormal events... And you're even nicknamed the famous "Approaching Science" anchor."
Yang Guisi was embarrassed for a moment, then curled his lips and said, "This nickname is just a rumor spread among the people. I don't believe it."
"But the strange things we encountered this year are indeed much more than in previous years." Yang Guisi recalled the events of the past few months, thoughtfully.
"Yes, and the four of us in the dormitory have all encountered ghosts for different reasons. Don't you think this ratio is abnormally high?" Fang Xinai said.
"It seems so." Yang Guisi thought for a moment and then said, "But it could also be that my physical condition has affected you?"
"And me." Chang Xile raised his hand weakly.
"What kind of constitution? A constitution prone to ghosts?" Fang Xinai touched his chin and asked, "Is this innate?"
"That should be right? My grandma always said that I have a weak destiny and need to ask someone to calm me down." But Chang Xile didn't quite understand the specific principle.
"Does the eight characters refer to birthdays?" Ren Qing pulled out his phone and searched the calendar, suddenly asking, "How do you determine that?"
Yang Guisi is not good at fortune-telling, and Chang Xile said that he would go home and ask his grandmother during the winter vacation.
After Ren Qing and Fang Xinai went out arm in arm to buy milk tea, Chang Xile looked at Yang Guisi and asked her, "Where's Junyi?"
Yang Guisi spread his hands and said, "He's not with me."
Chang Xile knew, of course. She was in no mood to joke. She looked at Yang Guisi seriously and said, "You know what I'm asking."
Yang Guisi sighed and answered her truthfully, "She can't accept that my aunt is her mother, and I don't want to force her. Besides, Master won't let me take her down the mountain..."
Personally, Yang Guisi wasn't ready to send his sister off to the afterlife. Therefore, he didn't express any strong resistance to taking Yang Junyi down the mountain. Before sending her down, the usually cold Tang You even stuffed a cake into her bag as a farewell gift.
Chang Xile suddenly felt something was wrong and asked, "What do you mean?" It was just the distance between the top and bottom of the mountain. The master and disciple would have many opportunities to meet each other. There was no need to use the word "farewell", right?
"Ahem." Yang Guisi coughed a few times guiltily and said, "Master is going to travel again, and I don't know when she will be back. She will definitely bring Chang Leguan and her group with her, so I'm going to say something for Master."
At this point, Yang Guisi cleared his throat again and imitated Tang You's tone, saying, "Don't come over if you have nothing else to do. Your aunt is working hard to find the way to become an immortal. Goodbye, and give my regards to your mother."
Chang Xile asked, "Are you so confident that you think I can't catch up with her if she runs?"
When she was little, Chang Xile was not afraid of anyone among her relatives, except her aunt. She used to think she was a cool and steady elder, but how could she suddenly start to act like a spoiled brat?
Yang Guisi nodded and said, "That's right. She said: You're amazing if you can find it."
Chang Xile looked at Yang Guisi silently.
After a few seconds of silence, Yang Guisi immediately declared, "Once I come down the mountain, I'll never know her whereabouts. There's no point asking me."
Chang Xile asked her, "Do you think this is really okay?"
Is it because she has always thought about this matter from the perspective of impermanence that she feels uneasy about such a large number of wandering souls being out of the order of reincarnation?
Yang Guisi shrugged and said, "Master has taken them into hiding in the mountains and forests. They don't interfere with the karma of the human world, and they don't bother anyone, right?"
Seeing Chang Xile still struggling, Yang Guisi patted her shoulder and said, "Well, it's already happened. And neither you nor I have the time or the means to change it right now, right?"
There is no use thinking too much.
The discussion ended with Chang Xile's phone ringing.
Chang Xile looked at the flashing note "Senior Sister Zhong Timeng" on his phone, put on his headphones and went to the balcony.
"Hello, senior sister. Is there anything wrong?" Chang Xile asked.
"Would you like to go out for a cup of coffee? I found a really nice shop." Zhong Timeng said with a smile, not hiding her purpose. "I have something I want to ask your opinion on."
Chang Xile happened to have nothing to do, so he readily agreed.
People were coming and going in the coffee shop. Chang Xile was sitting by the window sipping a cup of coffee. Zhong Timeng, sitting opposite her, just watched her drink with a smile.
"What do you want to talk about?" Chang Xile was still thinking about this matter and asked.
"Xi Le, I heard that you quit the photography department partly because of Chen Moxin, right?" Zhong Timeng did not answer, but asked another question.
"I guess so." Chang Xile thought for a moment and added, "I don't really want to get involved in interpersonal disputes within the department."
Whether intentionally or not, several key figures in the department did discriminate against Chen Moxin because of her attitude. In this situation, simply managing interpersonal relationships was exhausting enough, so how could she find the energy to discuss photography with fellow enthusiasts? It would be better to just be alone.
Zhong Timeng nodded in understanding, then said, "After Chen Moxin left, several people in the department who had close relationships with him also left. Some members came for Chen Moxin himself, but after being disillusioned, they didn't want to stay anymore."
"So I think the photography department now is quite similar to when I was there." Zhong Timeng finally picked up her coffee and took a sip. "So, would you consider rejoining our department?"
"I really, really like your work." Zhong Timeng looked into Chang Xile's eyes seriously.
She spoke so sincerely that Chang Xile felt a little embarrassed.
In fact, due to the recent urgent matters one after another, Chang Xile hasn't picked up the camera to take pictures for a long time.
She nodded, smiled, and said, "Why not?"
…
There was a sound of raindrops outside the window. Chang Xile turned over, took out his cell phone from under the pillow and checked the time. It was four o'clock in the afternoon. The room was very quiet.
She pulled aside the corner of the bed curtain and peeked out. Since there were no classes this afternoon, the lights in the dormitory were off and the curtains were tightly closed. Four pairs of slippers were neatly placed on the floor, indicating that everyone was in bed.
Chang Xile immediately felt relieved. She lay back on the bed and enjoyed this rare leisure time.
It's already mid-December. It's okay in the dormitory, but as soon as I go out, I feel the cold wind. No matter how thick the clothes I wear, I can't stop shivering.
She turned on the small bedside lamp and looked at her phone in the light. Suddenly, her eyes widened. Oh! It turned out that she had something planned for this afternoon and had to go out.
Chang Xile sighed softly, got up in the dark and changed his clothes.
Fang Xinai heard some noise, poked her head out from behind her own bed curtains, and whispered, "Are you going out?"
Chang Xile nodded and waved goodbye to her.
When Chang Xile walked out of the dormitory gate, he hesitated for a while whether to ride the electric scooter.
The cold wind blew past, making Chang Xile shrink his neck... He became even more conflicted, so he stood back inside the dormitory building.
Seeing her standing at the door for a long time, the dormitory manager sighed and said, "It's getting colder and colder."
Chang Xile nodded in agreement. Shancheng University is located in the suburbs of Shancheng, where the temperature difference between day and night is large, and it is much colder in winter than in the city.
"Hey, little girl, you look thin, don't catch a cold." Auntie took out a few hot packs from the drawer and handed them to her. "You can stick them on your clothes or use them to warm your hands. But don't stick them directly on your skin, or you'll get burned."
Chang Xile smiled and said thank you.
The dorm manager remembered her and asked with a smile, "Is the chair pretty sturdy lately? Did you break your legs and collapse from sitting on it?"
Chang Xile was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's right!"
Thinking of this, she seemed to have unknowingly gotten out of her bad luck.
Chang Xile put on the heat pack and mustered up her courage to go out again. When she reached the garage, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a black bell.
I haven't seen Wessel for a long time. If Chang Xile's luck is getting better now, does it mean that he is getting closer to a real person?
There was another chance to ring the bell, and Chang Xile put the bell back into the bag safely.
She rode her electric scooter slowly towards the school gymnasium.
About a few weeks ago, Zhong Timeng found Chang Xile and asked her if she had any plans for New Year's Eve.
Chang Xile thought about it and said no.
"Our school will hold a New Year's Eve party from 7 to 9:30 this year. There will be free registration and departments and clubs will organize according to their own club attributes." Zhong Timeng said.
Chang Xile said "eh" and asked, "What can the photography department perform at the New Year's Eve party?" It's impossible for everyone to take their masterpiece and walk around the stage like a fashion show.
Zhong Timeng smiled helplessly and said, "That's what I said too. In the end, some of the people in our department were incorporated into the dance club to rehearse together."
Chang Xile blinked and said in surprise: "Dancing?!"
"right."
Chang Xile was so frightened that she quickly waved her hands and said, "No, no, no, I can't do it. I've never danced before."
Zhong Timeng comforted her: "We're not professionals when it comes to dancing. The dance club found someone to teach us, and I think no matter how talented you are, your appearance alone makes you particularly suitable!"
Without waiting for Chang Xile's reply, Zhong Timeng sighed again and said, "I've also asked a few people in our department, and they've all made plans for New Year's Eve."
Each department has a target number of people to perform at the New Year's Eve Gala, and Zhong Timeng is in a difficult position.
"Then I'll try it." Chang Xile doesn't know how to dance, but she doesn't reject it.
After the discussion, she curiously asked, "What do you usually do on New Year's Eve?"
This is her first New Year's Eve as a college student. In the past three years, she has stayed at home with her parents. This is her first time to celebrate New Year's Eve so far away from home.
"Hey... I know some people are going to see a movie with their boyfriends, and some are going to the Bell Tower with their friends to watch the fireworks... It seems like a lot of places in Shancheng will be organizing New Year's Eve activities by then." Zhong Timeng glanced at her phone and said with a smile, "I'm going to go after the performance that day. There's an iron flower show at Lakeside Jiangyuecheng, and my boyfriend asked me to go too."
Chang Xile nodded seriously and inexplicably thought of Anping.
How did he spend the last day of the Gregorian calendar every year in the past?
When Chang Xile asked this question, Anping was still cleaning the cups at the cat cafe. He put the cup down, thought for a moment, and repeated the term: "New Year?"
"Yeah, that's right." Chang Xile looked at Anping, very curious about his answer.
"I don't really remember." Anping said, "Every day is the same to me. Which day is New Year's Eve?"
"Eh?" Although Anping said this calmly, Chang Xile touched his hair with pity and said softly, "Poor little thing."
Anping blinked. Although he didn't understand why he was pitiful, looking at Chang Xile's rare expression of mixed emotions, he didn't refute, but just rubbed her palm.
"Would you like to spend this year with me?" Chang Xile asked. "The school is organizing a New Year's Eve party on December 31st. Do you want to come and see me perform?"
Anping nodded: "Of course."
…
Chang Xile rode his electric scooter, squinting his eyes at the man standing in front of the gymnasium a few hundred meters away, and broke away from his memories.
Is she dazzled? Why is Anping here?
The mountain city's freezing winters were a daunting prospect for many, but Anping wasn't one of them. Perhaps cat fur was indeed incredibly repellent, or perhaps Anping's magical powers had some protective properties, but in any case, even in short sleeves during this harsh winter, he didn't feel the cold.
But Chang Xile still dragged him along to choose some seasonal outfits. Today, he wore a brown jacket and washed jeans, a refreshingly different look from his summer days. While it didn't look like it would protect him from the cold, it was at least less conspicuous.
Chang Xile parked the car, trotted over to Anping, and asked him with bright eyes, "Why are you here?"
Anping naturally covered Chang Xile's hand with her palm. Her hands had been blown by the cold wind all the way and were particularly cold.
"A kitten told me there was a girl riding her bike on the main road along the school lake, her neck hunched. She looked like she was freezing," Anping said, opening the glass door of the gymnasium and asking her, "Are you coming to rehearsal today too?"
"That's right!" Chang Xile smiled and raised his face. "Let me tell you, my dancing skills have improved by leaps and bounds."
An Ping curled his lips: "I'm looking forward to it."
When the two of them reached the door of the dance studio, a girl standing at the door whistled, "Xi Le, your boyfriend is here to rehearse with you?"
Several girls in the dance studio also heard the noise and ran to the door, watching happily.
After a period of rehearsals, Chang Xile discovered she had some talent for dancing. The club president, feeling they'd met too late, shook her hand and asked, "Would you consider joining our club? I'd like to pass on my legacy to you!"
Zhong Timeng stopped him and said coldly, "Xi Le is my team member. I advise you not to try to poach her!"
In short, the girls in the dance club all like Chang Xile very much. Now they found out that the little beauty actually has a boyfriend, and they rushed to gossip about her.
Chang Xile was stunned for a moment, intending to say "no", but then she saw that her hands were still in Anping's pockets. She looked at him, speechless for a moment, and then she heard the girls at the door teasingly say "oh~".
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