Chapter 157

Chapter 157

◎First Meeting, Eternal Farewell◎

The obituary not only announced Xia Ying's death but also mentioned the time of her passing and how her account was taken over by a friend who exploited her death for sympathy and donations. Buying her works was a legitimate transaction, but all donations received after her death would be verified and fully refunded.

The release of this obituary created quite a splash in the online novel community. Old posts resurfaced, where some had previously expressed envy over Xia Ying's higher platform revenue share. Almost every year, certain individuals would bring up these old grievances. Since Xia Ying rarely spoke about her illness and mostly shared positive aspects of her life, there were still those who believed she was a fraud.

Now that she had passed away, those who had vehemently accused her of deceit fell silent, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Some even dug up the novel Xia Ying had updated during the period she was cyberbullied. The comments under that work still bore the scars of that storm, and someone had screenshotted and posted them, asking if those who had spoken out felt any shame now.

Death seemed to act as a switch, instantly shutting off all the malice in human nature. What remained in sight was an outpouring of goodwill—wishes for a painless heaven and a smooth next life. The once overwhelming flood of insults vanished like a gust of wind, completely dissipated.

While alive, she was surrounded by malice, with only occasional glimpses of kindness. But in death, the malice disappeared, and a path of flowers was laid out for her.

Fortunately, Xia Ying was luckier than many. Though she had passed away, she was fortunate enough to witness this path filled with blessings. Even though she had already been hurt and no longer needed this path of flowers, she still felt content.

As a small, unknown author with an incomplete family and the misfortune of illness, she had fought for her dreams in this lifetime. She had been known by many, and her works would continue to exist in this world. In the end, her life was not in vain.

She had no regrets, but Lin Shan found it hard to accept this reality. Though she and Xiao Yingdeng were merely author and reader, and they had never even met, there was a kind of connection between them—a soulful resonance and harmony despite the distance.

Lin Shan felt that she and Xiao Yingdeng shared this bond. Over the years, she had followed Xiao Yingdeng's works, leaving comments of encouragement or sharing snippets of her life. In return, Xiao Yingdeng would weave warmth into her stories for Lin Shan.

For example, when the female protagonist cut a sunflower, Lin Shan knew it was Xiao Yingdeng writing about her, as her reader name at the time was "Sunflower in the West." When she changed her name to "Little Goldfish Who Loves Cats," the protagonist in the story chose a tank of goldfish as her pet.

This was their unspoken understanding, a form of communication across the internet and the platform.

Yet, this friend who resonated with her soul, who had supported and encouraged her through countless days and nights, had never even had the chance to meet her.

Lin Shan regretted not being more persistent, not insisting on getting Xiao Yingdeng's address to meet her in person.

After crying for a long time, her head aching from the tears, Lin Shan suddenly thought of something. She reopened the obituary and looked at the time of Xiao Yingdeng's death. A sudden intuition struck her—the ghost that had been protecting her must have been Xiao Yingdeng!

When Lin Shan called, Ji Nanxing was watching Xiao Ye make dumplings, from mixing the filling to rolling out the dough and shaping them into little ingots, neatly lined up on the table.

"How about it? My skills aren't bad, right? Look at these plump little dumplings, so cute. You better eat a lot when they're cooked."

Listening to his self-praise, Ji Nanxing chuckled. "Teaching you how to make dumplings—did Wang Ma suffer a work-related injury?"

Xiao Ye didn't catch on at first. "What injury?"

Ji Nanxing: "A mental injury."

Xiao Ye clicked his tongue and dabbed a bit of flour from the table onto Ji Nanxing's face. "Ji Naonao, that's too much. Even though you're the top of the class, I still made it into the top 30. I do have a brain, you know."

Ji Nanxing let him do it, knowing that if he resisted, Xiao Ye would only get more playful. If he didn't resist, Xiao Ye would stop after one dab.

Sure enough, after brushing a bit of flour onto Ji Nanxing's cheek, Xiao Ye stopped. But as he made each dumpling, he kept glancing at Ji Nanxing, who found it odd. "What?"

Xiao Ye grinned. "Don't move."

He then reached out and dabbed flour on Ji Nanxing's other cheek, even dotting his nose. "There, now you're a real little cat. Don't move, I'm going to take a picture."

Ji Nanxing pulled out a tissue to wipe the flour off his face, but Xiao Ye quickly stopped him. "Hey, don't move! Let's keep it as a memory."

Ji Nanxing: "What memory? I didn't make the dumplings."

Xiao Ye: "But I did! It's my first time making them from scratch, so we have to keep a memory. Don't move, I'll just take one picture, just one."

Ji Nanxing squirmed left and right, trying to block the camera: "Why are you taking my ugly photo for a keepsake?"

With a click, a snapshot was captured on Xiao Ye's phone. In the photo, Ji Nanxing's dissatisfied glare, paired with his flour-covered face, looked incredibly cute.

"It’s not ugly at all, look how great it is. I'll send it to you, and you can show it to your parents. They'll definitely like it!"

Ji Nanxing grabbed his phone, saw the photo, muttered something incoherent, and immediately tried to delete it.

Xiao Ye, quick as a flash, snatched the phone back. Just as Ji Nanxing was about to grab it again, his phone rang.

Xiao Ye quickly saved several copies of the photo and sent one to Ji Nanxing's second sister. Although he also had the WeChat of Ji Nanxing's eldest and third brothers, the eldest was too serious, and the third was too sharp. The second sister was much easier to get along with.

As soon as the call connected, Lin Shan said, "Master Ji, I think I know the identity of the female ghost. It's just a possibility, but I'm not entirely sure."

Ji Nanxing replied, "I've already found her. Her name is Xia Ying, and her pen name is Xiao Yingdeng."

Hearing her suspicion confirmed, Lin Shan couldn't hold back her tears and sobbed, "You, you said last time that I could see her. Does that still count? I want to see her, wuwuwu..."

Ji Nanxing glanced at the time: "If you don't mind it being late, come over around eleven. I'll give you the address. She's not here right now; she went to watch a dance performance with someone."

Lin Shan was stunned. Even after hanging up, she was still in a daze. Watching a dance performance after death? Life after death is so vibrant.

After hanging up, Lin Shan immediately left the house. Although it was still early before eleven, she wanted to prepare something for Xiao Yingdeng—buy some beautiful dresses and the like. She wasn’t sure if burning physical clothes would actually deliver them, but in TV shows, clothes would appear on the ghost's body as soon as they were burned, so it should be possible.

She also bought a lot of snacks. She knew that Xiao Yingdeng had been craving some spicy or flavorful foods due to her illness but couldn't eat them. She hoped Xiao Yingdeng could finally enjoy these treats.

By almost eleven, Lin Shan had already driven to the building. She parked, grabbed her purchases, and stood downstairs, steadying herself for a moment.

Xie Paner, who had just finished watching a dance performance with Xia Ying, grabbed her hand and said, "Look, it's Lin Shan! Is she here to see you?"

Seeing Lin Shan ahead, Xia Ying paused. She knew Lin Shan wouldn't appear here without a reason. Seeing her obituary, Lin Shan might have guessed something, but she didn't expect her to come so quickly.

Xia Ying tugged at Xie Paner and asked, "Do I look scary? Will I appear too ghostly and frighten her?"

Xie Paner circled around Xia Ying and said, "You definitely won't look as flushed as a living person, but you're not ghostly either. Oh, I told the guy at the management bureau to develop a beautification filter for the camera, but he just wouldn't listen to me."

The two spirits didn’t stay downstairs for long and soon floated back inside. Not long after, before Lin Shan could press the intercom, Xiao Ye opened the door from inside.

Lin Shan was surprised. Xiao Ye stepped aside and said, "Come in."

Lin Shan smiled and thanked him. Nervous about meeting Xiao Yingdeng, she tried to ease the tension by casually asking, "How did you know I was here? Is the Master so powerful that he can predict such small things?"

Xiao Ye smiled, "Xia Ying just came back from outside and saw you."

Lin Shan was even more nervous.

Upon entering, the environment was different from what Lin Shan had imagined. She expected a Master’s residence to be filled with incense, yellow talismans, or perhaps a shrine.

But the place looked like a typical luxury home—no statues, no shrines, just clean and tidy, radiating understated luxury. Lin Shan couldn't help but think that talented individuals are indeed remarkable, able to live in such a mansion at a young age.

She didn’t dare to look around too openly, set aside the things she bought for Xiao Yingdeng, and handed a gift basket to Xiao Ye: "This is for you. I'm not sure what you like to eat."

Ji Nanxing noticed the package that looked like clothes beside her and asked, "Is this for Xia Ying?"

Lin Shan was a bit unfamiliar with the name Xia Ying; she felt more connected to the name Xiao Yingdeng. After a brief pause, she nodded, "I bought some clothes and snacks. Can she get these, or do I need to buy paper replicas?"

Ji Nanxing said, "No need, she can receive them."

Xiao Ye had already fetched a burning basin from the storage room. Ji Nanxing told Lin Shan to fold the clothes and put them in. He then casually pulled out a spell paper, gave it a flick, and it caught fire.

Ji Nanxing placed the burning talisman on the dresses. Since it was summer, the dresses were made of thin gauze and caught fire easily. Miraculously, the burning produced no smoke, and the dresses gradually turned to ashes.

Xia Ying sat obediently on the sofa, watching Lin Shan, and soon found several sets of clothes appearing beside her. Xie Paner exclaimed excitedly, picking up each piece and comparing it to Xia Ying: "This one looks good, this one, the colors are vibrant but not too flashy. What a beautiful skirt! Put this on, quick, change into it. Let Lin Shan see you looking beautiful. It's your first meeting as netizens, so the first impression should be good!"

Xia Ying felt moved as she looked at Lin Shan, but she also found Xie Paner's excitement amusing: "What do you mean by 'first meeting'?"

Xie Paner: "Isn't it? Not only is it your first meeting, but it's also a meeting that transcends life and death. That's much harder than those ordinary meetups!"

As a ghost, Xia Ying didn't need to take off her dresses to change. With just a thought, her outfit transformed into the beautiful skirt Lin Shan had bought for her.

It was a very elegant strapless skirt with warm-toned patterns, which seemed to soften the ghostly pallor of her complexion.

After she changed, Ji Nanxing said to Lin Shan, "Turn on the camera, and you’ll see her."

Lin Shan was surprised, but before she could voice her thoughts, Xiao Ye explained, "It's a specially designed camera. Ordinary electronic devices can't capture ghosts."

Of course, if the magnetic field happens to align, it might still be possible.

Lin Shan thanked them, walked over, and took a deep breath before turning on the camera.

Not wanting to startle Lin Shan by appearing suddenly, Xia Ying didn't stand directly in front of the camera. Instead, she waited until it was turned on and then softly called out from the side, "Lin Shan."

Hearing the voice, Lin Shan immediately looked around but didn't see anyone. She moved the camera slightly, and soon Xia Ying's image appeared on the screen.

Although this was her first time seeing Xia Ying, they had been spiritually connected for a long time. The moment Lin Shan saw Xia Ying, she felt that Xiao Yingdeng looked exactly as she had imagined.

Xia Ying adjusted her dress and smiled at her, "Thanks, it’s lovely. I really like it."

Lin Shan held back tears and smiled back, "Hello, Xiao Yingdeng. I'm Lin Shan. I'm so happy to meet you."

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Shan was already sobbing.

Xia Ying took a few steps closer, leaning on the coffee table and speaking into the camera, "Don’t cry. I’m fine now. At least I can go out and have fun without having to take medicine or endure pain anymore. You should be happy for me."

Lin Shan wiped her tears and picked up another bag of snacks, "I bought a lot of delicious food for you, things you said you wanted to eat but couldn't before. Do I need to present it to you? How do I give it to you?"

Xia Ying looked at the Young Celestial Master, and Lin Shan also looked at him with pleading eyes, "Master Ji, could you help me give her these snacks?"

Ji Nanxing took a blank talisman and wrote Xia Ying's name and birth date on it, then offered the bag of food to Lin Shan.

Xie Paner, not wanting to interrupt their reunion, stayed quietly out of the way but was still curious to see what snacks Lin Shan had bought for Xia Ying.

Seeing her look over, Xia Ying smiled at Lin Shan, "I’ve made a good friend too. Do you mind if I share some with her?"

Lin Shan shook her head, "Of course not. Is she here too?"

Xia Ying waved Xie Paner over, "Come here. Her name is Xie Paner. She’s just eighteen."

Xie Paner floated over and smiled at the camera, saying to Lin Shan, "Thank you for buying so many delicious things. You're such a kind person!"

Lin Shan felt a twinge of sadness. Only eighteen—the prime of life. And Xia Ying, who had struggled for so many years, endured the hardships of obscurity, and finally started to gain some recognition in her writing, only to...

She hid her sorrow and smiled, "What else do you want to eat? I'll buy more for you tomorrow!"

Ji Nanxing, who was standing nearby, said, "Letting you meet was my promise to you. After this meeting, I'll have to send her away. So, say whatever you need to say tonight."

Lin Shan had already prepared herself mentally and didn't argue. She simply nodded and turned to Xia Ying and Xie Paner, "What else do you want to eat? I'll order takeout for you right now!"

Xia Ying smiled, "No need. Being able to meet you like this is already a huge win for me. Thank you so much for all these years—for your spiritual encouragement and financial support. Without you, I probably wouldn't have made it this far."

Lin Shan sniffled, wiping away her tears as she said, "What are you talking about? We’re friends. You even helped me avoid the car accident. Last time, you turned off the stove I forgot, right? And the clothes that fell outside, you picked them up for me, didn’t you?"

Xia Ying replied, "You shouldn’t be so careless in the future. Forgetting to turn off the bathtub water is one thing—it might just flood the floor. But forgetting to turn off the stove is serious. You must be more careful and pay attention to safety. I can’t be around to clean up after you anymore."

Lin Shan didn’t want their first and last meeting to be soaked in tears, but it was hard to control, especially when she heard Xia Ying say she couldn’t help her anymore. The heartache and reluctance in that moment made her emotions overflow.

Xia Ying comforted her, "Alright, stop crying. How’s your brother doing?"

Lin Shan, with a heavy nasal tone, said, "He’s okay. He’s scheduled for a second surgery. The worst-case scenario after the surgery is that he might need a wheelchair, but if rehabilitation goes well, there’s a chance he could stand again."

Xia Ying said, "I thought I could protect you both."

That day, during the car accident, she saw the cement truck almost hit them. She wanted to intervene and change the truck's direction, but it was too late. She could only try to shield the people in the car. But her brother, being male, had strong Yang Energy, and her ghostly aura couldn’t shield him much. She had to focus on protecting Lin Shan, thinking it was better to save at least one.

Lin Shan shook her head at her, "I should thank you. If it weren’t for you, my brother and I would have died that day."

Xia Ying said, "Alright, as long as you’re both safe, let’s not keep saying thank you."

Lin Shan said, "You don’t know, I never expected it to be you. I thought it was someone around my brother. Oh, by the way, I said I wanted to sketch you. I brought my sketchbook."

Lin Shan checked the time, then turned to look at Ji Nanxing, who was sitting by the kitchen counter, "How long am I allowed to stay here?"

Ji Nanxing, looking at the eager faces of one human and two ghosts, said, "Until dawn. Leave at sunrise."

Lin Shan immediately gave him a grateful smile, then turned to Xia Ying, "I can stay with you all night! I’ll draw your sketch!"

Xie Paner was very considerate. She stayed with them briefly, but after seeing the Young Celestial Master and Xiao Ye return to their rooms, she floated into another room, leaving the living room entirely to them.

Lin Shan and Xia Ying didn’t linger on the sadness of parting. Instead, they chatted like old friends, talking about their writing, interesting plots, and Xia Ying’s experiences as a ghost drifting around.

Lin Shan exclaimed, "You’ve been following me? That means you’ve seen me shower! That’s not fair—I’ve never seen you!"

Xia Ying laughed, "How could I possibly watch you shower!"

Lin Shan still felt a bit regretful, "It would’ve been nice to bathe together."

Xia Ying said, "You can imagine it and draw it, as though we did."

Lin Shan took her sketchbook and drew the first picture for Xia Ying. The second was a portrait of them together, which she planned to keep as a memento.

They talked all night. Though it was their first meeting, they had so much to talk about. They laughed together when they were happy and cried together when they were sad. Though Xia Ying couldn’t cry, she shared Lin Shan’s sadness.

As they talked, the sun rose, from a tiny speck of light until it illuminated the entire sky.

The camera on the coffee table had turned off, having run out of battery after a night of use. It happened just as the sun rose, the last bit of power drained.

Lin Shan knew Xia Ying was still sitting across from her, but she could no longer see her.

As she tidied her sketchbook, Lin Shan said, "I’m leaving now, Xia Ying. I’ll always remember you. Thank you. I’m truly happy to have known you in this life. And congratulations on being free from pain and illness. In your next life, stay healthy, okay?"

Xia Ying looked at Lin Shan. Though she knew Lin Shan couldn’t hear her, she nodded and said, "Okay."

Lin Shan packed her things, then turned to look at the spot where Xia Ying had been sitting. She waved at the empty space, "Goodbye."

Xia Ying watched her, "Goodbye."

As the door closed, a tear fell from Xia Ying’s eye, but in the next moment, it flew into the room and landed in Ji Nanxing’s palm.

He opened the bottle by his bedside and placed the tear inside.

Xiao Ye, who had woken up at some point, reached over and hugged him in his arms, his voice still groggy: "Naonao."

Ji Nanxing: "Hmm."

Xiao Ye's hand moved down and rubbed his belly: "Should I make you some dumplings?"

Remembering the dumplings from yesterday, Ji Nanxing smiled and replied: "Alright."

Still drowsy, Xiao Ye immediately got out of bed. Feeding Ji Naonao was one of his favorite things to do.

Xia Ying didn't stay at Ji Nanxing's place for too long either. After breakfast, he took her to the management bureau to see what they had planned for her.

As soon as he got home, Xie Paner appeared before him holding a beautiful yellow printed dress: "Look, Young Celestial Master! Sister Xia Ying gave this to me!"

Ji Nanxing praised: "Hmm, it's lovely."

Xie Paner said: "That's a fashion designer for you, the clothes she picks are always so beautiful!"

Xiao Ye asked with a smile: "How come you're not saying 'I'm all alone and so lonely' this time?"

Xie Paner, delighted with her new dress, floated around happily: "I'm used to the comings and goings. Besides, Sister Xia Ying is at the management bureau now. As long as she hasn't gone to the underworld, I can visit her whenever I miss her. Hey, what do you think they'll do with Sister Xia Ying?"

Ji Nanxing: "If she doesn't have any special requests, she'll usually just stay in a jar to rest her soul. If she wants to work, the bureau can also provide her with a job."

But most ghosts, who didn't want to work while alive, prefer to just stay in a jar and daydream after they're gone.

...

Around 10 PM, Chi Xingyao, exhausted from overtime, just made it onto the last subway. She struggled to stay awake until she got home, grabbed some bread downstairs, ate two packs for dinner, and saved one for breakfast the next day.

It wasn't that she didn't have money, but she was just too tired. After a quick shower, she could crash straight into bed, and she really didn't have the energy to order takeout and wait for it.

After a quick shower, Chi Xingyao collapsed into bed, utterly exhausted. She could fall asleep the moment she closed her eyes, so tired that she couldn't keep them open. She fumbled a few times trying to plug the charging cable into her phone, and without checking, she put the phone down and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, just as she was in deep sleep, her phone on the bedside table rang.

Chi Xingyao struggled for a long time in her half-asleep state, but finally, pulled by her work ethic, she reached for the phone and answered it.

But after answering, there was no sound on the other end, only static. Chi Xingyao mumbled "hello" several times, but still, no one spoke. Frustrated, she threw the phone aside and buried herself back under the covers.

Before falling asleep again, she thought, "I curse those midnight prank callers to end up with instant noodles missing the seasoning packets!"

The next day, when the alarm went off, Chi Xingyao sat up yawning, turned off the alarm, and habitually picked up her phone to take a look.

Only then did she realize that her charging cable hadn't been plugged in properly the night before—it had gotten stuck in the phone case. She tried pressing it a few times, but the phone had no charge left. She tsked lightly, scratched her head, and plugged the phone back in, hoping it would have enough charge for her to use on the subway before leaving.

She hadn't noticed that her phone was completely out of charge when she left work yesterday. It was only when she entered the subway station that she realized, but luckily, she was with a colleague who helped her buy a subway ticket.

While brushing her teeth, Chi Xingyao suddenly paused. Her phone had been completely dead and unable to turn on yesterday. So, was the call in the middle of the night just a dream?