Chapter 267

Chapter 267

◎The Money-Finding Dream◎

Qi Ruifang stayed at home to collect his thoughts, repeatedly recalling the scene when Xiao Ye gave him the talisman. No matter how hard he tried to rationalize it, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Xiao Ye must have noticed or foreseen something, which was why he specifically gave him the talisman.

But this incident truly shattered his deep-seated beliefs.

His aversion to such things stemmed entirely from his grandmother—a fanatic steeped in superstition, who believed that without a son, the family line would end.

His mother wasn’t his father’s first girlfriend. The previous ones had all been broken up by the old woman, who stirred up relentless drama, insisting their birth dates were incompatible. When she finally approved of his mother’s birth date, she then threw fits about the wedding date.

His father, not wanting to push the old woman to do something drastic, complied with her demands whenever possible. For example, if she said they could only return home at a certain time, they would obediently follow when visiting. From the color of clothes to wear that day, to the exact hour a child must be born—everything had to be done according to her will.

His father wasn’t blindly filial. After starting his own family, he rarely returned to his hometown, visiting just once a year. He knew exactly what kind of person his mother was, so he didn’t even tell her when his wife was pregnant.

The first child was a daughter, which broke the old woman’s heart. She constantly complained that the conception time was wrong, the birth time was wrong, and that the eldest granddaughter took up the slot meant for a grandson—meaning as long as the granddaughter lived, they would never have a grandson.

Qi Ruifang only heard about this from his mother, who said they’d kept a close watch back then. Otherwise, the old woman would have taken the granddaughter away to abandon her more than once.

Later, his mother became pregnant again, but unfortunately, the old woman found out. With her bulging belly, there was no hiding it. This time, the old woman camped out and wouldn’t budge, scheming nonstop, insisting that the baby born at a certain time would definitely be a son.

She completely ignored science—whether it was a boy or a girl was determined at conception. But she wouldn’t listen, stubbornly fixated on the timing, saying that if labor didn’t start naturally, they should get a C-section. If it started early, his mother should hold back the labor.

As it turned out, his mother went into labor prematurely. The old woman, believing the time wasn’t right, frantically blocked her way from going to the hospital. In the end, his father called the neighbors and the police to restrain the old woman before rushing his mother to the hospital. Qi Ruifang almost suffocated in the womb, and his mother nearly died from severe bleeding.

After that, his father cut her off in disgust. He stopped visiting altogether, just sending money and care packages now and then. After all, she was still his mother—he couldn’t completely abandon her—but he refused to see her again.

As a child, Qi Ruifang’s understanding of his grandmother came entirely from his mother and sister’s retellings. Since he had no real connection to her, he had no tangible feelings about her.

Until one day, his grandmother turned up. He knew it was her—she came almost every year to take stuff from their place, though his father never allowed her inside.

That day, his mother wasn’t home, and his sister was at school. His grandmother stood pitifully at the door, weeping pitifully, carrying a bundle of things wrapped in tattered cloth and bags, claiming they were for him.

Qi Ruifang was young, not even in elementary school yet. Seeing his grandmother like that, his heart went out to her, and he opened the door.

At first, his grandmother acted normally, giving him food and drinks, saying sweet words about loving him, slipping him cash. Then she tried to sweet-talk him into going back to their hometown with her.

Of course, Qi Ruifang refused and tried to push her out.

But the previously pitiful old woman suddenly changed. She pulled out a bottle of some unknown liquid from her ragged bundle, clutched his throat, and forced his head back, trying to make him drink it.

She said he was "possessed by ghosts," which was why he didn’t want his grandmother. Once he drank the spirit-cleansing potion, he would obey.

Terrified, Qi Ruifang cried hysterically, his screams alerting the neighbors. Though someone intervened, most of the liquid had already been forced down his throat.

His memories of what followed were hazy. That half-bottle of water landed him in the hospital for nearly a month. Doctors said it was some kind of infection—filthy liquid had flooded his lungs, and he almost died.

After that, they moved away, and his father never had anything to do with the old woman again.

Because of this, Qi Ruifang had despised superstition and unscientific beliefs since childhood, seeing them as tools for ignorant people to delude themselves.

But recent events forced him to reconsider—was this truly ignorant nonsense, or were there genuinely skilled individuals among the people?

When Qi Ruifang returned to Yulan City, Xiao Ye and the others were drawing lots in the small, rundown building.

Jiang Tangtang had listed several summer vacation destinations—a log cabin resort, a rafting park, a grass-sliding hot spring, and a food street specially set up for the summer tourism season.

They all wanted to go to these places, but except for Xiao Ye and Ji Nanxing, who had money to burn, the others couldn’t just bankroll their every whim. So, they could only choose one or two out of the options.

With so many differing opinions, they decided to write down their top choices and draw straws—wherever the pick landed, that’s where they’d go.

No one trusted anyone else to draw fairly, so in the end, they let Ji Nanxing do it.

As Ji Nanxing reached into the specially sealed bucket, Jiang Tangtang rubbed her hands together excitedly, chanting, "Log cabin, log cabin! We can relax, stargaze, camp, and barbecue!"

That scaredy-cat Guo Xun, who often hung around the old building, squatted nearby and asked Ji Nanxing, "Where do you want to go? I can help you find the right lot."

Ji Nanxing smiled but declined the ghost’s offer to cheat, randomly drawing one instead.

Jiang Tangtang eagerly unfolded the slip: "Rafting! Sweet, it’s cheap—tickets are just over a hundred, and we can go and come back in a day. Draw another one!"

Ji Nanxing stepped aside. "You do it."

Jiang Tangtang glanced around, and when no one objected, she grinned. "Me, me! Bless me, I want the log cabin!"

Guo Xun, still crouching nearby, poked a finger into the box just as Jiang Tangtang grabbed a crumpled slip. Unfolding it, she cheered, "It’s the log cabin!"

Zhang Yuan rolled his eyes. "Grass sledding’s way more fun than a log cabin. The cabin’s just sleeping somewhere else for two days."

Chen Shiyi chimed in, "The food street sounds amazing. I heard it’s a full-scale Tokyo-themed setup—supposedly the most accurate recreation of ancient Bianjing based on old texts and paintings. You can even wear Song dynasty outfits. Aren’t you guys all about dressing up in period costumes?"

Jiang Tangtang corrected, "Not just any historical outfits—they’re called Hanfu!"

But Chen Shiyi’s description got her hooked. A custom-built set meant they could wear beautiful Hanfu and take stunning photos.

Ji Nanxing suggested, "Hand me your budgets, and I’ll sort it out."

Jiang Tangtang immediately protested, "Nuh-uh! If you handle it, you’ll just end up footing the bill. We agreed on going Dutch—if we can’t afford it, we’ll just visit fewer places. We can’t keep letting you pay extra."

Ji Nanxing clarified, "Not covering costs—just maximizing resources. Like saving on transportation. If we book rooms with my family’s card, we can get free upgrades and VIP freebies."

Hearing this, Jiang Tangtang glanced at Xiao Xiao and Lin Yi. After they nodded, she relented, "Fine, but no covering costs. We’ll only spend what we can afford. Any places we miss this time, we can visit during winter break or next summer."

Ji Nanxing smiled. "Don’t worry, I’ll plan it well without spending extra."

Xiao Ye, kicking back in a chair nearby, watched Ji Nanxing with a grin. The same Ji Nanxing who kept to himself at the start of freshman year was now helping friends plan trips. It was pretty great.

After settling their summer plans, they were about to decide on lunch when Xiao Ye’s phone buzzed. He checked it, replied, then turned to Ji Nanxing. "We’re having lunch with Qi Ruifang. He’s back—probably saw the power of those talismans."

Chen Shiyi’s curiosity flared. "Did you guys run into something again?"

He quickly added, "If it’s confidential, don’t tell me. Though I’m dying to know."

Xiao Ye shrugged. "Not confidential. A friend of mine—someone’s siphoned off his money luck."

Chen Shiyi and Jiang Tangtang gasped in unison. "Stealing someone’s money luck is like murdering their folks!"

Chen Shiyi, who now took online orders for handmade plush dolls, knew the struggles of business and nodded firmly. "Take my romance luck, whatever. But my cash flow? Hell no!"

Knowing Xiao Ye and the others had classes, Qi Ruifang picked a restaurant, sent the address, and put in the order ahead so the food’d be ready. They could eat, talk, and still make it back for afternoon classes.

In a back booth at a restaurant across from the school, Qi Ruifang waited. Xiao Ye, toting three iced teas in one hand and tugging Ji Nanxing along with the other as they crossed the street, warned him, "His family isn’t from here. If this requires going to his hometown, leave it to the Bureau. Don’t even think about going."

Ji Nanxing wasn’t allowed to leave the city before eighteen. A quick overnight trip might slide, but Xiao Ye didn’t want him gone at all—just stay put in Yulan till he hit eighteen.

Ji Nanxing nodded. "Don’t worry. Wu Yang and Xia Junyan have been whining about being strapped for cash lately. If we need to leave the city, I’ll see which of them is free to handle it."

The two entered the private booth of the restaurant, and Qi Ruifang smiled as he handed over the menu: "Figured you'd be in a hurry for class, so I ordered a few dishes in advance for the kitchen to prepare. Let me know if you want to order more."

Xiao Ye said, "We're good, no need to add anything. Didn't you just go back? Why return so suddenly? Everything okay back home?"

Qi Ruifang didn’t mince words with Xiao Ye and asked directly, "Do you really not know why I came back?"

Xiao Ye grinned and handed him one of the fruit teas, then inserted a straw into another cup and placed it in front of Ji Nanxing before replying, "You didn’t believe in these things before. That day, I saw something weird going on with you, but knew talking directly wouldn’t help, so I had to let you experience it firsthand."

Qi Ruifang: "What did you see about me?"

Xiao Ye: "Your money luck’s being siphoned off."

Qi Ruifang went quiet for a good minute without speaking. The waiter brought out the dishes one by one, and Xiao Ye took an empty bowl to serve Ji Nanxing some rice: "Dig in, weren’t you hungry?"

Ji Nanxing gave a soft "Mm" and took the bowl, eating slowly.

Seeing how Xiao Ye fussed over every little thing, practically ready to hand him the chopsticks, and recalling how he always kept this classmate by his side, Qi Ruifang suddenly understood.

He averted his gaze and waited until Xiao Ye had finished looking after his boyfriend before saying, "Are ghosts even real?"

Xiao Ye helped himself to a bowl of rice and took a few bites to take the edge off his hunger: "Didn’t you experience it yourself? Still doubting?"

Qi Ruifang: "You know how I used to not just scoff at these things but hated them with a passion. Asking me to overturn years of belief—I need more proof."

Xiao Ye: "Then tell me what happened at home."

Qi Ruifang: "As soon as I got home, I felt weighed down for no reason—like I hadn’t done anything but my body felt unbearably heavy. But I was too focused on my family’s plummeting business to pay it much mind, blaming it on jet lag. The day after I returned, something happened at home. An elderly man choked on food at one of our hotels and died before the ambulance arrived. They tried everything to save him, but nothing worked."

Technically, the incident wasn’t the hotel’s fault—the man choked on his own food, not because of any issue with the dishes. But still, it was their responsibility since it happened on their premises.

On top of that, wild rumors spread online—just a photo of the collapsed old man, but all sorts of stories emerged. The already struggling hotel took an even harder hit.

Qi Ruifang: "Besides that, I’ve been having weird dreams every night."

Xiao Ye: "What kind of dreams?"

Qi Ruifang: "In them, I’m constantly gathering up money—so much scattered on the ground that I can’t help but collect it. Then someone comes and claims it’s theirs, so I hand it over. It’s not mine, so of course I return it. The thing is, I have this dream almost every night."

Ji Nanxing, who had already eaten half his bowl of rice, cut in, "That was your money. Only you can pick it up. When you give it away, you’re handing over your money luck."

Qi Ruifang looked at Ji Nanxing: "I handed over my own money luck? But I couldn’t help it—in the dream, I don’t remember having done this before. When they asked, I just handed it over."

Ji Nanxing: "Did these dreams start after you went back, or did you have them here too?"

Qi Ruifang shook his head: "Never here. Only after I returned."

Xiao Ye asked, "Do your parents or family have these dreams too?"

Qi Ruifang nodded: "Seems like they all do, but their memories are fuzzy. My sister, maybe because she’s young and sharp, kind of remembers bits, but not clearly. Only after I mentioned it did she have a faint impression—though unlike me, who remembers picking up and giving away money after waking, she just remembers giving something to someone in the dream."

Ji Nanxing: "You probably sleep with your phone nearby, right? The charm’s effect made your memory clearer. Someone is stealing your entire family’s money luck. Think carefully—has any relative or friend hit the jackpot, started a business, or seen a sudden upturn in their fortunes?"

Qi Ruifang glanced at Xiao Ye, who said, "Think hard. You came back to me—don’t keep doubting. Cooperate properly to solve your family’s problem. My classmate here is a highly skilled Taoist. Unless your family owes some debt, he can fix this."

Before Qi Ruifang could process the shock that the expert wasn’t Xiao Ye but his quiet, reserved classmate, another realization hit him.

But how could that be?

Xiao Ye noticed his expression and asked, "What’s wrong? Thought of something?"

Qi Ruifang: "I don’t know about relatives or friends hitting the jackpot, but my brother-in-law’s business has definitely skyrocketed."

I never thought twice about it before—just luck turning. But now, recalling how his nearly bankrupt company not only recovered but thrived, just as my family’s business started tanking...

But how? My brother-in-law is such a decent guy.