Chapter 280

Chapter 280

◎Another Encounter◎

The barbecue grill was set up, and the smell of grilling meat filled the air. The mountain breeze at night had dropped the temperature by several degrees, making it so comfortable outside that fans weren’t even needed. Anyone who got cold easily bundled up in blankets to block the wind.

In such a cozy atmosphere, a group of people sat together telling ghost stories. Whether these were their own experiences or spiced up for effect, in this setting, even moderately scary stories were amplified tenfold.

The nighttime ghost story session finally ended when Beibei, startled by a stray cat that had darted out from nowhere, let out a yelp, giving everyone a fright.

Beibei’s owner rubbed the dog’s head vigorously. “The ghost stories didn’t scare me, but you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

Beibei stuck out its tongue, wagging its tail happily and nudging its owner’s palm, hoping for more head rubs.

Jiang Tangtang stretched and stood up. “It’s already eleven. I’m so sleepy. You guys keep having fun—we’re going back to sleep.”

Xiao Xiao also got to her feet and said to the group, “Thanks for the thrilling stories. You all carry on—we’ll head back first.”

The others waved at them, and Beibei’s owner suddenly called out, “We’re going plant identification fieldwork tomorrow. Want to join us?”

Jiang Tangtang shook her head. “We’re going rafting tomorrow.”

Seeing they already had plans, Beibei’s owner didn’t press further.

When they returned to their own cabin, they found everyone still in the living room. Jiang Tangtang exclaimed, “Oh! You’re all still awake?”

Chen Shiyi, leaning over the armrest of the sofa, looked at them. “Finished with the ghost stories? I heard you scream earlier—was it that scary?”

Jiang Tangtang: “No, it was Beibei suddenly barking that startled us. The ghost stories themselves weren’t the scary part.”

Zhang Yuan: “Why did the dog suddenly bark? Did your ghost stories attract something that only the dog could see?”

Jiang Tangtang and Xiao Xiao instantly felt goosebumps prickling and quickly turned to Academic God Ji Nanxing. “Academic God, Academic God! Just listening to stories shouldn’t be a problem, right? We didn’t actually attract anything, did we?”

Ji Nanxing glanced at them. “Nothing this time. But try not to indulge in such thrills late at night in the future. There’s wisdom in the old saying—don’t speak of people by day, don’t speak of ghosts by night. Alright, it’s late. Everyone should get some sleep.”

They all returned to their rooms. Since they had already showered after dinner when they first got back to the cabin, there was no need to wash again. Changing into pajamas was all they needed before bed.

Watching Ji Nanxing yawn as he walked, Xiao Ye got his pajamas ready for him. “Even if any otherworldly visitors show up, you’d probably sense them from inside the room. No need to stay up waiting for them when they return.”

Ji Nanxing stood by the bed, peeling off his T-shirt. As he lifted the hem, his arms stretched, the shoulder blades on his back like wings ready to take flight. The dip between them when he moved was mesmerizing.

When he bent to pick up his pajamas, his toned waist was visible, even hinting at the faint traces of abdominal muscles.

Xiao Ye instantly turned his head away, forcing himself not to stare, afraid the overwhelming sight might trigger some uncontrollable, embarrassing reaction. Yet, his peripheral vision betrayed him, stealing glances at that glimpse of pale skin, making his pulse race.

He cursed himself inwardly for his lack of restraint. They shared a room every night—how could just one look rattle him so much? Pathetic.

Ji Nanxing buttoned up his pajamas. “Even though this is a resort, it’s close to the back mountains. Who knows what might wander out for fun? It’s no trouble to take a quick look.”

As he turned around, he saw Xiao Ye facing the wall, forehead pressed against it, fingers fidgeting with something.

Ji Nanxing gave him a puzzled look. “What are you doing? Is there something on the wall?”

Xiao Ye didn’t dare turn around, only staring at the patterned wallpaper with a sigh. “Just clinging to the last shreds of my dignity.”

Ji Nanxing: “What the hell.”

This summer trip had been arranged by Ji Nanxing. The cabin rental wasn’t expensive—about a thousand yuan per day. Split among them, it came to under two hundred each. With transportation costs saved, they could afford both the rafting and food market adventures they wanted.

The rafting location isn't far from here, just over an hour's drive. We'll head out in the morning and be back by evening. Then we’ll spend one day each on grass skiing and the forest park. Our last stop will be the food street, where we'll stay overnight before wrapping up this summer trip.

The schedule is quite relaxed, so there's no rush at all. By the time they woke up, the neighbors had already left. Jiang Tangtang had wanted to play with Beibei in the morning.

Returning with meat buns meant to feed Beibei, she took a big bite while walking: "Beibei won't get to eat these, so I guess I'll have to finish them myself."

Lin Yi was preparing for the rafting trip—spare clothes, sunscreen, insect repellent, and some basic first-aid stuff. Rafting can easily flip the boat, and with rocks everywhere, it's easy to get bruised or scraped, so some medicine was necessary.

Hearing Jiang Tangtang, Lin Yi smiled and said, "You can catch up with them when they get back tonight."

Jiang Tangtang quickly finished her bun and shouted upstairs, "Hurry up! You guys take longer than us girls doing our makeup!"

Ji Nanxing, who had been up for a while, sat leisurely in the living room sipping the latte Xiao Ye had specially made for him. Zhang Yuan came downstairs and said, "What's the point of makeup? It's not like it makes you look better. It'll just wash off in the water, and you might even end up with panda eyes."

Jiang Tangtang rolled her eyes at him. "No sense of style at all. It's waterproof—won't come off. Where's Chen Shiyi and Xiao Ye?"

Chen Shiyi ran out of his room with a bag. "Coming! I could hear you yelling from the second I woke up."

Once Xiao Ye was also ready, Jiang Tangtang waved her hand. "Time for rafting—let’s move!"

Lin Yi and Xiao Xiao exchanged glances and smiled helplessly. She never runs out of energy.

They left pumped but came back completely wiped out. Even Ji Nanxing dozed off on Xiao Ye’s shoulder. By the time they made it back to the cabin, everyone collapsed onto the sofa, too wiped to move.

Xiao Ye grabbed a few bottles of water from the fridge, twisted one open for Ji Nanxing, then downed half of his own in one go. "Who knew rafting would be this exhausting? It’s tougher than a full-court game."

Zhang Yuan said, "It didn’t have to be this tiring. Someone flipped their own boat and took the rest of us down too."

Xiao Ye grinned proudly. "If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right. Otherwise, what's the point?"

Chen Shiyi, the least physically fit among them, was completely wiped out. He weakly raised a hand. "There’s no way I’m cooking tonight."

Ji Nanxing took out his phone. "I’ll order food from the resort. No need to cook."

Chen Shiyi dropped his hand onto the sofa in relief. "Perfect. I’m crashing. So beat."

Xiao Ye turned to Ji Nanxing. "Go shower. I’ll handle the food."

Ji Nanxing nodded, casually pulling a blanket over Chen Shiyi before heading upstairs to shower.

After eating, everyone headed straight to bed. They had grass skiing the next day, and after such an exhausting day, they needed an early night.

In the middle of the night, Ji Nanxing was woken by a dog's warning bark—not playful, but more like a cautionary sound. He opened his eyes and was about to get up to check when Xiao Ye pulled him back down.

"It's just the neighbors coming back. I heard them talking."

Ji Nanxing checked the time—2 a.m. "They rolled in super late last night."

Xiao Ye yawned. "Probably the mountain roads were tough. Since they're back, it should be fine. Go back to sleep."

The next morning, the neighboring cabin was quiet as they left. Jiang Tangtang wanted to check if they had returned, but Xiao Ye said, "They rolled in super late last night. They're probably still sleeping."

Jiang Tangtang nodded. "Then I won't disturb them."

She’d been afraid they got into trouble up in the mountains, but since they were back, she didn't need to fret.

The sound of their car leaving woke the late-returning neighbors in the next cabin.

Beibei's owner woke up exhausted and was surprised to find Beibei curled up in a corner of the room. Normally, Beibei liked to sleep on the bed or at least right beside it—never in a corner like this.

Yan Yue didn't dwell on it, assuming the unfamiliar environment might have made Beibei feel insecure. She slipped on her slippers and got out of bed, feeling a bit hungry. Seeing her companions still asleep, she went downstairs alone to find something to eat. They had brought plenty of food themselves, and the cabin fridge also had some frozen items provided by the resort. Yan Yue glanced at them and boiled a few dumplings.

Remembering Beibei hadn't eaten, Yan Yue went upstairs and softly called for Beibei.

Beibei's eyes snapped open, but unlike before, it didn’t wag its tail and rush over at its owner’s call. Instead, its eyes were wary.

Yan Yue thought it was odd, but only briefly. "Come here, Beibei. I made dumplings. Want some?"

Beibei didn’t approach. Yan Yue left the door open and walked out. "Come on, Beibei, or I’ll eat them all!"

Only after Yan Yue left did Beibei cautiously follow, but it still didn’t get close to her, sitting instead by the wall and watching her.

Yan Yue put some dog food in its bowl along with two dumplings. Too exhausted to fuss over the dog, she went back upstairs to sleep after eating.

Sometime later, Yan Yue woke up with a sudden, sharp stomachache. The room was empty. Clutching her stomach, she lay in bed for a while, but the pain only worsened. A wave of nausea overwhelmed her, and she barely had time to put on shoes before rushing to the bathroom to vomit violently.

Grass sledding took less out of them than rafting. Though they had been exhausted the day before, today they still had energy to chat on the way back. As they reached the cabin, they noticed a few people from the neighboring cabin talking outside. Jiang Tangtang enthusiastically waved and greeted them, "Hey there! Did your collection trip go well yesterday?"

One of the men came over with a smile. "Pretty smooth. Where did you guys go today?"

Jiang Tangtang replied, "Grass sledding! Where’s Beibei? Can I play with it?"

He shook his head. "Beibei and its owner left earlier."

Jiang Tangtang gasped. "Left already? Weren't you staying here for five or six days?"

He explained, "The frozen food from the resort wasn’t clean. Yan Yue ate a few dumplings and got gastroenteritis. It was serious enough to require hospitalization this morning. Her family came to pick up Beibei."

"That’s awful! Shouldn't the resort take responsibility? If someone got sick from their food, they’re liable, right?"

He shrugged. "Not sure. Yan Yue’s family is negotiating with them. But since she got sick from eating here, they should be responsible."

After that, staying didn't seem appealing. With food safety concerns, it wasn’t safe to remain. It all depended on how the resort handled it.

After chatting a bit more, they bid each other goodbye. Back in their own cabin, Jiang Tangtang rushed to the kitchen to check the frozen items provided there. The expiration dates all seemed fresh, within two months.

Lin Yi was washing fruits when she saw Jiang Tangtang going through the fridge. "Hungry? I can boil some for you."

Jiang Tangtang dismissed the idea. "No way! The neighbor—Beibei’s owner—wound up in the hospital from eating the food here. Let’s not risk it."

Lin Yi was shocked. "That serious?"

Jiang Tangtang nodded. "She wound up in the hospital. Let’s just avoid it. For dinner, let’s go to that local chicken place we saw on the way back. The aroma was incredible!"

Since they had only met by chance and connected because of the dog, they soon put the incident behind them, unsure if they’d ever see those neighbors again after the short vacation.

Until a few days later, when they ran into each other again on the Old Tokyo-style food street.

They were eating on the second floor of a bamboo-themed restaurant when Ji Nanxing looked over and sensed a faint trace of Yin energy. Glancing down, he realized it was coming from their former neighbors at the cabin resort.

As he looked down, Jiang Tangtang instinctively turned as well. Recognizing a few familiar faces, she immediately called out enthusiastically, "Rong Rong!"

Hearing her name, Rong Rong looked up and smiled, waving back at the lively girl.

Ji Nanxing lowered his gaze, puzzled. Just days ago, these people had been perfectly fine. Now, not only were they tainted with Yin energy, but they were shrouded in deathly energy. What had they encountered in such a short time?