Chapter 227

Chapter 227

◎The Man Who Died in the Bathroom◎

Chen Shiyi went out with them in the morning, but given his frail health, even walking too much would leave him breathless, let alone climbing a mountain. So, he had to send Ji Nanxing and the others to the foot of the mountain and return to the hotel with the driving bodyguard.

Feeling bored and alone in the hotel, Chen Shiyi lay in various positions scrolling through short videos. After watching some of the DIY masters he followed, he aimlessly browsed other videos or live streams.

Perhaps due to algorithm-based recommendations, he stumbled upon a live stream hosted by someone named San Cunguang, who was explaining various facial characteristics and even connecting with viewers for fortune-telling and face-reading.

Because of Ji Nanxing, Chen Shiyi was particularly interested in this kind of stuff and stopped to watch when he came across it.

At first, the host was just normally analyzing various facial characteristics, like how big ears bring fortune or how eyebrows higher than the ears indicate good fortune. He even thought to himself, mocking the idea, since eyebrows are naturally higher than ears.

Just when he thought the host was full of hot air, she started connecting with people for fortune-telling, saying she would only randomly do three readings a day, either through video face-reading or character analysis.

Out of curiosity, Chen Shiyi stayed to see how she would do it.

The first two readings were quite standard, with the kind of talk that seemed to fit everything at first glance but upon closer thought, felt like nothing was actually said. It wasn't until the third reading that the host, upon seeing the Bazi sent by the person, stopped using vague language and directly asserted, "This person won't survive the night."

This declaration stunned everyone watching the live stream, whether they truly believed in such things or were just tuning in to kill time. Making such a definitive statement was very risky and could easily backfire.

The person seeking the fortune-telling probably didn't believe in it much either, having just randomly come across it and happened to connect. Being told they wouldn't survive the night, they started hurling insults in the live stream.

The host remained unbothered, simply smiling at the camera and said, "I hope you'll still be around to curse me out tomorrow."

The person seeking the fortune-telling, furious, laughed back, "Alright, I'm currently at the Maple Leaf Hotel above Yuchun Taoist Temple. If I don't survive the night, I'll definitely make the news tomorrow. If I don't make the news tomorrow, then it should be you making the news!"

Soon, the tags of fortune-telling, won't survive the night, and Maple Leaf Hotel were trending on the video-sharing platform.

Out of curiosity, Chen Shiyi checked out the host's past live stream recordings, but after browsing through them, he didn't find anything particularly special. Just as he was getting hooked, Ji Nanxing and the others arrived.

Chen Shiyi handed his phone to Ji Nanxing, "It's this part. Unfortunately, the host didn't reveal the person's Bazi, otherwise you could have taken a look too."

Zhang Yuan and Jiang Tangtang curiously leaned over, "So, if someone dies, wouldn't we be the first to know? But wouldn't such a video get banned? Publicly engaging in superstition, if someone really gets it right, wouldn't the impact be huge?"

Ji Nanxing: "It won't have much impact. Many fortune-telling bloggers have accurately predicted the marital outcomes of some celebrity couples in the entertainment industry, gaining a large number of followers, and nailing it didn't cause any trouble. Fortune-telling seems like mysticism, but it's actually quite scientific. The principles of Wu Xing and Bagua are profound. If she really can determine life and death from a Bazi, that's her skill."

However, out of habit, Ji Nanxing, fearing there might be something else involved, took out talismans from his bag and handed one to each person, "Keep it on your person. If you feel the talisman heating up while moving around the hotel, remember to tell me immediately."

They each took a talisman and kept it close. Jiang Tangtang looked at the yellow talisman and then at Ji Nanxing, "Every time I see it, I feel a mix of dissonance and an odd sense of harmony."

Chen Shiyi: "What do you mean? What dissonance and harmony?"

Jiang Tangtang, holding her face with both hands, looked at Ji Nanxing, "The academic god is a Taoist. Do Taoists have special clothes? In anime, Taoists have those clothes with a huge Bagua diagram on the back and a long sword, so cool!"

Ji Nanxing: "That's anime. If it's not drawn attractively, how can it attract viewers? In reality, although Taoists do have clothes, they are traditional Taoist robes. But not all Taoists have them. A true Taoist priest is definitely a Taoist, but a Taoist isn't necessarily a Taoist priest. These are actually two different professions."

Xiao Ye pulled Ji Nanxing out, "Alright, you guys rest and change clothes. We'll go out for a stroll and then eat later."

Jiang Tangtang: "It's my first time here. What's there to do?"

Ji Nanxing: "There's a water world, indoors."

Jiang Tangtang grabbed Lin Yi and Xiao Xiao's hands, "Let's go change into swimsuits!"

The Maple Leaf Hotel is at the mountain top, so the environment is naturally good. But if the entertainment facilities couldn't keep up, the hotel wouldn't thrive.

Besides the indoor water park, the hotel has several entertainment options, including spa rooms, a bar, a game arcade, and KTV.

The rooms Ji Nanxing and his friends booked came with spa experience cards. He and Xiao Ye weren’t interested, so they gave their spots to the girls. Chen Shiyi had already dragged Zhang Yuan to the arcade to start playing. Unfortunately, he wasn't very good at games and hadn't played much before. The only thing he could probably do was shoot hoops, but he wasn’t very athletic and his shots were slow.

Xiao Ye and Ji Nanxing sat by the hot spring pool with a view of the mountains, sipping drinks.

They weren’t sure if it was a real hot spring—it was just a shallow pool where you could soak your feet, and anyone could dip in. Ji Nanxing wasn’t a germaphobe, but he couldn’t bring himself to step into a place where anyone could soak. So, he just sat by the fire stove, enjoying the mountain breeze and the view.

The other five occasionally ran by, laughing and joking.

Ji Nanxing looked at Xiao Ye: "Why don’t you go play with them?"

Xiao Ye just snorted: "Too childish."

"Not interested."

Ji Nanxing smiled and pointed to a pair of glowing cartoon keychains at the prize counter in the arcade: "I want those."

Xiao Ye turned, immediately determined: "Wait, I’ll win them for you!"

As soon as Xiao Ye left, Xiao Xiao plopped down next to Ji Nanxing, downing half her drink: "I’m exhausted. I don’t know where they get all this energy."

Ji Nanxing pushed some snacks her way: "You’re already feeling the pressure before senior year. What’ll you do when you’re actually in it?"

Xiao Xiao was surprised: "How did you know I’m stressed?"

She had hardly spoken and hadn’t told anyone about her situation.

Ji Nanxing smiled: "I can read auras. Relaxed or tense, the energy’s different."

Xiao Xiao traced the rim of her cup, watching the others goofing around in the arcade: "My family listed a few schools for me. They said if I can’t get into them, I should go abroad to avoid wasting time here."

But the schools listed were for the city’s top students, with a minimum score of 680. Her grades weren’t bad—she could definitely get into a first-tier university—but that didn’t mean she could get into the top schools in the country.

Ji Nanxing asked, "You don’t want to go abroad?"

Xiao Xiao shook her head: "I don’t know anyone there. A foreign place, a foreign language—what’s the point? The education system’s different. Going abroad used to be about prestige, but now it feels like exile."

Ji Nanxing looked at the girl troubled by her youth, then turned to the noisy group frantically racking up points just because he’d pointed at something. Youth was wonderful, full of worries and laughter.

The arcade here was still the old-fashioned kind. Except for a few machines that didn’t give out point cards, most games would issue point cards based on the player’s skill. Even Chen Shiyi’s slow basketball shots had earned him a small basket of points.

Xiao Ye unceremoniously took Chen Shiyi’s small basket of points, then grabbed Zhang Yuan and Jiang Tangtang’s too.

Lin Yi didn’t wait—she handed over her meager points herself.

Xiao Ye nodded, satisfied: "Good move."

Jiang Tangtang rolled her eyes: "Thief!"

Combining his own points with the ones he ‘borrowed,’ Xiao Ye had just enough for the keychains. After the exchange, there was one point left—a small square ticket. Xiao Ye tossed it to Zhang Yuan: "Here, I’m returning it."

Zhang Yuan rolled his eyes even harder than Jiang Tangtang: "Thanks a lot."

Xiao Ye ran over to Ji Nanxing and handed him the keychains: "I won them for you!"

Seeing his eager expression, Jiang Tangtang snorted to Lin Yi: "Fine, consider it my contribution."

Lin Yi chuckled and nudged her: "Don’t say nonsense."

Even though the hike was tiring, teenagers are full of energy. After enjoying a spa session, the girls were fully recharged and dragged Ji Nanxing and the other three out for a late-night snack. They ate until past midnight, but the hotel remained peaceful and quiet.

Jiang Tangtang looked at Chen Shiyi: "It seems the streamer you were watching isn't that great, no one got hurt."

Chen Shiyi shrugged: "Isn't it better that nothing happened? There aren't that many truly capable people in the world."

Ji Nanxing had also been observing the people around him, and indeed, he didn't see anything problematic. Internet streamers, it's often hard to tell what's real and what's fake. Since nothing happened, it would be better to return to the room and sleep early.

In a room on the same side but two floors apart, a young man sat on the sofa in a bathrobe, drinking. The sound of running water came from the bathroom. The young man leaned back on the sofa, with nail scratches on his neck, his whole body radiating satisfaction and fatigue after the act.

The sound of water stopped, and the young man put down the empty glass, watching as a woman got dressed and walked out. Her curvy figure reignited his desire, but he clearly didn't have the strength for another round, so he playfully slapped her buttocks, which were wrapped in a short skirt, twice.

The woman smiled and gave him a flirtatious look. She bent down slightly to caress his face. Her bending posture revealed an impressive cleavage. Noticing his gaze, the woman smiled nonchalantly and kissed him on the cheek: "Let's meet again when we're free."

After saying that, she left the room swaying in her high heels.

The man felt his desire reignited, but his body was too tired, and he had to give up despite his desire.

He removed the bathrobe, exposing scratch marks across his back, and entered the bathroom to take a shower.

His gaze fell on the watch on the sink, the hands moving clockwise one by one. Seeing that it was almost past twelve, the man sneered, what an internet fraud, claiming he wouldn't survive the night. He wouldn't wait for dawn; he'd log in and start cursing as soon as the clock struck midnight!

After a quick rinse, the man didn't put on the bathrobe but casually wrapped a towel around himself. His figure wasn't great, no lines or muscles, at most not fat, but he didn't think so. When he looked in the mirror, he felt he looked particularly handsome and stylish.

He casually ruffled his hair and reached out to grab the watch when his heart suddenly spasmed with a sharp pain, so painful that he couldn't stand steady and fell backward, the back of his head hitting the ground hard.

The fall didn't even register with him, he only felt that his body seemed out of control, twisting involuntarily. He wanted to call for help, reaching out to grab the edge of the sink to pull himself up, but the seemingly close edge felt unreachable.

Before he completely lost consciousness, the voice echoing in his mind was the streamer's words that he wouldn't survive the night.

With a tick, the man's hand that was trying to grab the sink fell, and the watch on the sink passed twelve, welcoming a new day.