Chapter 89

Chapter 89

◎Its Name is Tangyuan◎

As soon as Ji Nanxing finished speaking, Chen Shiyi and Zhang Yuan both glanced at the classmate's feet.

Chen Shiyi: "A dog?"

Zhang Yuan stayed quiet, first thinking it was a dog’s ghost, which likely didn’t involve any murders.

Except for Huang Baining, who paled and stepped back several paces, the others were more curious upon hearing Ji Nanxing's words. They crowded around Dong Xuan: "Really? Dong Xuan, did you have a dog?"

Dong Xuan was stunned for a moment, his first reaction not fear but disbelief.

He had just asked Ji Nanxing if he could see his deceased father. Although he had asked, deep down he was still somewhat skeptical about such things. But now, Ji Nanxing could actually tell him there was a dog by his side.

Dong Xuan’s heart raced, a mix of nerves and excitement as he pressed on: "What kind of dog?"

Ji Nanxing looked at his feet and said, "It looks like a Golden Retriever mix, similar in color and size to a Golden Retriever, but with shorter fur. Its ears are semi-erect with the tips drooping, and there's a patch of white fur on its chest."

Hearing this, Dong Xuan instantly burst into tears: "It's my dog! It's Tangyuan! Tangyuan is by my side? It’s been with me? Can I see Tangyuan? Is there any way to see it?"

The others were equally shocked: "Is it really your dog?"

Dong Xuan started sobbing uncontrollably: "Tangyuan lived to be eighteen. My family started raising it the year I was born. It grew up with me. I often wondered what would happen to Tangyuan when I went to college. It had never left my side since it came home. It would walk me to school and meet me every day. If I went to college in another city, what would happen to Tangyuan? But it didn’t live to see me go to college, wuwuwu, Tangyuan..."

Dong Xuan was wailing on the ground. It was the dog he’d raised, sharing milk as a pup and meat as they grew. Whatever he ate, if it was safe for dogs, he’d always share a bite with Tangyuan.

Sometimes his mother would scold him, saying dogs shouldn’t eat heavy oil or salty food, but Tangyuan would sit beside him with those pleading eyes, staring at him. He knew some foods weren’t good for dogs, but he couldn’t resist. Even a tiny bite for Tangyuan to taste was enough.

They ran in summer, snuggled in winter, and sneaked out for late-night snacks. Aside from school, he did everything with Tangyuan.

He’d never been away from home for more than a week. Anywhere he couldn’t take Tangyuan, he just wouldn’t go.

They say a dog’s lifespan is about ten years, and anything over that is long-lived. Dogs that live to fifteen are rare, so Tangyuan living to eighteen was extraordinary. Dong Xuan knew he should be grateful, but he couldn’t let go. Even though Tangyuan had been gone for almost a year, sometimes when he passed by a place selling Tangyuan (a type of food), he couldn’t help but cry.

Now, knowing Tangyuan had been with him all along, Dong Xuan cried so hard he gasped for air.

Although Dong Xuan's crying was heartbreaking, and it was indeed a sad situation, the sight of him wailing with tears streaming down his face made Chen Shiyi turn his head to stifle a laugh. The scene was somewhat amusing.

Zhang Yuan glanced toward the gym and reminded them, "The game is about to start."

A few of Dong Xuan's companions reached out to pull him up: "Stop crying for now, finish the game. Hey, classmate, maybe we can exchange contact info? His dog is still following him, and we don’t know if there’s some unfinished business. Maybe we can do a ritual or something? Let’s talk more after the game?"

Dong Xuan wiped his face with his sleeve and handed his phone to Ji Nanxing, sniffling, "Can we add each other? I’m willing to pay to help Tangyuan move on!"

Ji Nanxing took out his phone and scanned Dong Xuan's QR code.

Chen Shiyi, standing nearby, looked at Dong Xuan's friends and asked, "Aren’t you guys scared at all?"

One of them smiled and said, "Why would we be scared of our own dog? Besides, the dog is following Dong Xuan, not us. Can you really see it? Can you see if there’s anything following us?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "No, your surroundings are clean."

Some of them even seemed a bit disappointed. They weren’t really that scared, and some even thought it was amazing that seeing ghosts was real.

Chen Shiyi glanced at Huang Baining and chuckled again: "Well, you guys are much better than some people. Some are even scared of their own grandfather."

Before Huang Baining could get angry again, Chen Shiyi pulled Ji Nanxing toward the gym: "Hurry, the game is about to start."

At the venue, Xiao Ye strained his neck to look towards their school's section of the stands, but after a long time, he still couldn't find the person he was waiting for. He kept wanting to sneak out for a look, but each time he was stopped by the coach.

Seeing that the match was about to start and Ji Nanxing still hadn't arrived, he ran back to the chair where his bag was placed, intending to call Ji Nanxing to ask if they had arrived.

Before he could take his phone out of the bag, Xiao Ye heard someone calling him. He looked up and saw the three of them walking over.

Xiao Ye quickly ran over: "You guys are really pushing it, huh? I thought you weren't coming."

Zhang Yuan: "It's not a big match, are you still on the bottle?"

Xiao Ye kicked him: "You're the one still on the bottle, you asking for a fight?"

Ji Nanxing: "Alright, the match is about to start, your coach is calling you."

Xiao Ye led them down, specifically reserving seats for them in the logistics viewing area: "This spot has the best view, you guys sit here."

Then he placed his jacket over Ji Nanxing's legs: "There's water and snacks in my bag, grab something if you're thirsty or hungry."

Just before Xiao Ye returned to the field, Chen Shiyi whispered to him: "See that guy in the number seven jersey?"

Xiao Ye: "What about him?"

Chen Shiyi: "That guy was Nanxing's elementary school classmate. Because Nanxing could see ghosts, he bullied Nanxing when they were kids. He just tried to cause drama with us outside."

Xiao Ye narrowed his eyes: "Got it."

Chen Shiyi sat down, and Zhang Yuan smiled: "Snitched, did you?"

Chen Shiyi snorted: "Yeah, told Xiao Ye to wipe the floor with them!"

Then he looked at Ji Nanxing: "Did that guy bully you when you were kids?"

From the looks of it today, he probably talked smack about Ji Nanxing back then.

Ji Nanxing said: "Not really. I was rarely at school in elementary school, and we were on good terms. But after his grandfather's incident, he started avoiding me. However, that was already sixth grade, and we never saw each other again after starting middle school."

Ji Nanxing spoke simply, but Chen Shiyi understood the pain of being left out the most, especially by a good friend. Watching the two teams on the field shaking hands all friendly-like, he only hoped that Xiao Ye would be ruthless and teach that jerk a lesson!

Although it was a friendly match, the outcome was about school pride, so both teams took it seriously. However, this seriousness was only about the match itself, and there was no personal grudge involved. The game started off quite peacefully.

But at some point, the number seven player from the fifth high school kept getting smacked by the ball. The ball wasn't directly hitting him, but it kept rebounding off the backboard and hitting him.

Being hit by the ball repeatedly made Huang Baining's temper rise, but every time he looked back, he couldn't find who was hitting him. Seeing Ji Nanxing sitting in the opposing team's stands, Huang Baining started thinking Ji Nanxing had cursed him, making him so unlucky as to keep getting hit by the ball.

Once again, while going for the ball, someone scored before him, and the ball rebounded heavily, hitting him directly in the face, knocking him down mid-air.

The crowd gasped, then broke into laughter. Laughter spreads fast; those who didn't find it funny at first started laughing along with others, and soon the entire venue was filled with laughter.

Even Huang Baining's teammates thought it was just an accident. As they helped him up, they laughed: "Who runs straight into it like that? You should have dodged."

Huang Baining covered his nose, making sure it wasn't bleeding, and stood up with their help: "Damn it, is Yulan out of their mind? Do they have a grudge against our backboard, hitting it so hard?"

His teammate didn't know how to respond. If you don't hit the ball hard, it won't even go out, so what's the point of playing?

But since he wasn't the one who got hit, he didn't say anything and ran off after helping him up.

Huang Baining just complained a bit. On the court, every point was a battle, and soon another intense scramble for the ball began.

Yulan's players charged forward, getting the ball right under the backboard. The fifth high school players immediately blocked them. In the chaos, Huang Baining felt a sharp pain in his side ribs, screamed, and fell to the ground. The fall made the already painful spot even more painful, and he writhed on the ground in agony.

The crowd scrambling for the ball immediately dispersed, with Yulan's team retreating several steps, putting on innocent faces as if it had nothing to do with them, afraid the guy on the ground would blame them.

Soon, the fifth high school's coach and the school doctor on standby rushed over. After a quick examination, they suspected there might be an issue with the ribs, whether they were broken or cracked. There was no way the game could continue. They had to sub him out and carry him off before resuming the match.

Xiao Ye smiled as he watched the person being carried off, thinking to himself it was a shame. This guy couldn’t take a hit. If he’d known, he would’ve gone easier on him, keeping him on the court to hit him a few more times.

Aside from a few people on the court, like Qi Kang, who’d been on the receiving end of Xiao Ye’s fists twice and was also a participant this time, no one noticed Xiao Ye's actions.

Qi Kang noticed because he himself was afraid of physical contact with Xiao Ye. Whenever Xiao Ye wanted the ball, Qi Kang would even act as a stepping stone to deliver it to him. It was just instinctive sucking up that made him realize Xiao Ye seemed to be targeting the guy in the number seven jersey.

He covered for Xiao Ye and set him up.

Others just saw it as an accident, but someone off the court knew.

Chen Shiyi whispered to Ji Nanxing, "I see they're recording over there. Will they replay it to see who hit him? Will Xiao Ye be discovered?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head, "No."

Ji Nanxing had been keeping an eye on Xiao Ye as he lined up his shots to hit Huang Baining several times. In the chaos, Xiao Ye didn't directly attack Huang Baining but used the cover of opponents and teammates to make his move.

Even with the cameras rolling, it wasn't a formal large-scale match with full coverage. No amount of replay would show it was Xiao Ye.

Chen Shiyi chuckled, "Typical of the school bully, he’s got a knack for handling people. Well done."

Ji Nanxing asked amusedly, "Since when is he the school bully?"

Xiao Ye hadn't caused much trouble at school. He’s just really strong. His classmates both loved and feared him, but calling him the school bully is pushing it.

Chen Shiyi said, "How is he not? You don't know, but our class doesn’t get bullied much because we have Xiao Ye in our class. People know Xiao Ye’s got our backs, so they didn’t mess with us much."

Ji Nanxing really didn't know about this and replied, "Are there many bullies at school?"

Thinking about what he had seen on the forum, Chen Shiyi said, "Not many, but they do exist. Like in the class next to ours, there's a guy named Liang Qiao who I heard has been shaken down by seniors more than once."

Although high school students seem to focus mainly on studying, as if there's nothing else in life besides academics, the school isn't as peaceful as people think. Not everyone is buried in their books.

The small cliques and intrigues aside, shaking people down happens a lot.

Chen Shiyi even thought that if it weren't for Xiao Ye in their class, and if he weren't close to Ji Nanxing, appearing to be part of Xiao Ye's circle, he would probably have been a target himself.

Ji Nanxing didn't say anything more. He went to school and came home every day, rarely leaving the classroom during breaks, so he hadn't encountered such things much. But he knew bullying existed in every school, and in severe cases, it could drive people to death.

With the warm spring weather, he decided to wander around the school more during breaks.

If he encountered bullies, he’d slap a curse talisman on them.

Xiao Ye was fierce in both playing and fighting. On the court, several seniors had been beaten by him, so the game naturally revolved around Xiao Ye, with the team adjusting their formation according to him.

Xiao Ye didn't hold back, aggressively attacking and focusing on scoring after knocking Huang Baining out, quickly winning the game by a large margin.

The fifth high school's coach said to Yulan's coach, "Is he a freshman this year? He's quite fierce."

Yulan's coach smiled, "Him? He's from the academic class, not a sports student."

The fifth high school's coach was surprised, "From the academic class? It's a pity he's not in sports with that physique. Your sports students actually follow his lead? I saw several formations adjusted according to him."

Yulan's coach just laughed without saying anything. What could he say? That they had been beaten twice and no one dared to disobey?

A high school senior sports student beaten by a freshman from the academic class—he was too embarrassed to say it out loud. It was humiliating.

Yulan has weekends off, so after finishing the game, Xiao Ye changed his clothes and left right away.

The coach, unlike their homeroom teacher who watches over them like a mother hen, didn’t insist on them returning to school together, as these guys can get home on their own, so he let them go right then and there.

Xiao Ye, after changing his clothes, dragged Ji Nanxing to the back gate of Wugao High: "They're still in class right now, so there aren’t many people around. There are lots of snacks back there. Come on, I’ll show you around, and I’ll treat you to whatever you want to eat today!"

As soon as they got to the gate, Dong Xuan, who hadn’t even changed his clothes, came running after them: "Ji Nanxing!!"

Ji Nanxing turned to look, and Xiao Ye pulled Ji Nanxing behind him, looking at the person running towards them: "What’s going on?"

Dong Xuan panted: "Tangyuan, my Tangyuan!"

Xiao Ye looked confused and asked Ji Nanxing: "What Tangyuan? Did you take someone’s Tangyuan?"

Chen Shiyi said: "It’s not the food; it’s a dog named Tangyuan, its spirit."

Hearing this, Xiao Ye looked at Dong Xuan again, though he couldn’t see anything.

Ji Nanxing said: "We’re heading to the fried chicken shop, you can come find me later."

Dong Xuan nodded, then grabbed his clothes and ran back to the gym.

On the way to the fried chicken shop, Chen Shiyi went over the incident again, especially criticizing Huang Baining: "He was scared stiff by his own grandfather and blamed Nanxing, it’s absurd. Look at that guy, the one just now, who was so overjoyed to know his dog was with him that he burst into tears."

Zhang Yuan: "You can’t be happy and crying at the same time."

Chen Shiyi: "I know, I’m not illiterate, I was just painting a vivid picture of the situation."

Xiao Ye ignored their bickering and just asked Ji Nanxing: "There isn’t going to be a murder case or anything, right? Like the dog being killed?"

Even if the dog killer is found, all they’ll get is a moral slap on the wrist. No matter how much the pet owner loves their furry child, even as much as their life, in others’ eyes, pets are just pets and can’t be compared to human lives.

Zhang Yuan also perked up to listen. To be honest, he was somewhat looking forward to a murder case but also not, looking forward because it’s an opportunity to gain experience, not looking forward because if there’s a murder case, it means someone has died tragically.

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "That dog passed away from old age, eighteen years old, with no malice, only obsession."

Xiao Ye let out a sigh of relief: "So as long as we fulfill the dog’s obsession, it’s fine, right?"

Ji Nanxing nodded.

Chen Shiyi was curious: "What usually drives a dog’s obsession?"

Zhang Yuan said: "Not wanting to leave its owner? I remember reading a report before, when a dog faces its owner, it secretes a hormone in its body, which can be considered as a love value. A dog’s love value for a person can even reach 120% to 130%, you know, the most beloved between people is only 60% to 70%."

Chen Shiyi: "Then if the dog is reluctant to leave, how to deal with it, let it be?"

Ji Nanxing: "As long as it doesn’t harm anyone, any soul has the freedom to choose."

If Tangyuan’s obsession is to guard its little owner, then let it guard, it doesn’t bother anyone, as long as the living don’t mind.

Just as the four of them sat down in the fried chicken shop, Dong Xuan came with his good friend.

Dong Xuan introduced them: "This is my friend, also Tangyuan’s godbrother, named Jiang Lei. He heard that Tangyuan is still by my side and is very concerned, wanting to come and see."

Xiao Ye looked at Jiang Lei, who was smiling but his eyes were full of scrutiny, clearly afraid that Dong Xuan was being deceived and wanted to come along.

Dong Xuan pulled out a chair and sat down: "Order whatever you want, it’s on me."

Xiao Ye said: "No need, we’ve already ordered."

Jiang Lei looked at Ji Nanxing. He had noticed him earlier in the gym. Even though he had been sitting quietly the whole time, his presence naturally drew people's attention.

But just because someone’s good-looking doesn’t mean they’re not a liar. He still needed to confirm things: "Can you see Tangyuan beside him?"

Ji Nanxing: "If you can keep it together and not bawl your eyes out in public, I can let you see it too."

Jiang Lei didn’t expect him to say that. He thought the guy would give some vague answer and then try to con them into some kind of ritual. On the way here, he’d come up with some specific questions to test him.

He didn’t expect the guy to just let them see it, which surprised him a bit.

Ji Nanxing took out two charms and said, "You’re students, so I’ll cut you a deal. Three grand for a Heaven's Eye Charm."

Dong Xuan had money. If he could see Tangyuan, he wouldn’t hesitate to pay thirty thousand, let alone three grand. He jumped at the offer: "Three grand it is, I'll transfer it to you right away!"

Jiang Lei said, "No problem. You said Tangyuan is right beside him, so let us see first. We’re not going anywhere."

Xiao Ye, hearing this, curled his lips slightly and exchanged a glance with Zhang Yuan. Jiang Lei was pretty sharp, wanting to see first before paying.

Ji Nanxing lightly traced his finger over the two charms, activating the symbols on them, and then stuck them onto the two.

Dong Xuan immediately looked down at his feet. For a moment, he felt a pang of disappointment when he didn’t see anything, but soon he saw his Tangyuan squatting under the table next to them.

Dong Xuan immediately pounced: "Tangyuan!!!"

The shout made Chen Shiyi jump—it was gut-wrenching.

Jiang Lei's pupils also contracted the moment he saw Tangyuan. He thought it was a hoax, but it was the real deal. It really was Tangyuan.

Tangyuan was already dead; it was just a ghost now. So Dong Xuan lunged at nothing, missing Tangyuan and ending up sprawled on the floor.

They were sitting in a quieter corner of the fried chicken joint. It was still class time, so there weren't many people in the shop, but the commotion inside still prompted a staff member to come over and check.

Jiang Lei, seeing Dong Xuan, who was now completely focused on Tangyuan and wailing again, said helplessly, "Sorry, my friend is a bit too emotional. Don't worry, we're not causing trouble or fighting."

The staff member looked at the boy kneeling on the floor, crying bitterly, and then at the table next to them eating fried chicken, wondering if he was being bullied. He handed him a box of tissues: "Are you okay? Do you need me to contact your parents?"

Dong Xuan wiped his tears haphazardly and shook his head: "I'm fine, thank you, bro."

The staff member said, "If you need any help, just call out."

Dong Xuan nodded repeatedly. When the staff member left, he looked at the dog in front of him and couldn't hold back his tears again. But this time, he controlled his volume, stuffing his sleeve into his mouth to stifle his sobs, though he still couldn't help whimpering.

Tangyuan, his precious Tangyuan, the furry buddy that, even as a ghost, couldn’t let go and still stuck by him.