Chapter 364

Chapter 364

◎The Vanished at the Station◎

Twelve straight years of grinding—from elementary school all the way through—had led up to this one day: the college entrance exam. When it was finally over, some students returned to school so full of relief they were practically bouncing off the walls, ready to toss their books in celebration. Others joined in the chaos, tossing stacks of test papers across the floor like confetti.

Eventually, it took each class’s homeroom teacher stepping in to calm down the rowdy students.

Xiao Ye had already gotten his post-exam excitement out by hugging Ji Nanxing outside the exam hall, so now he was back to calmly sorting through his textbooks and piles of old tests and workbooks.

Ji Nanxing watched him pack them into stacks and asked, “Are you taking these with you or selling them?”

Most people kept their textbooks but sold the used-up workbooks and exams—they were just too many to carry home.

Xiao Ye: “I’ll keep them for now. It’s not like we don’t have space. What about the apartment across from school? Selling it or keeping it?”

The apartment opposite the school had been bought by the Ji family so Ji Nanxing could sleep in a little longer every morning. Now that he’d graduated, there was no reason to come back here. Besides, to the Ji family, a 100-square-meter place was way too cramped. If this hadn’t already been the biggest place available in the school district, they wouldn’t have put up with such a tiny place for Ji Nanxing.

Ji Nanxing: “We’ll sell it. This is a school district—housing is tight. Better to pass it on to someone who needs it more.”

They definitely wouldn’t be coming back to live here again. Though they had lived together here for three years, leaving behind traces of their shared life everywhere, neither university nor future jobs would bring them back. Keeping the place would only be a waste.

Xiao Ye said “Oh,” and felt a little wistful. After all, he and Ji Nanxing had lived here together for a long time. But that feeling faded when he thought about their new home—their four-year-long university life waiting ahead. As long as Ji Naonao was around, Xiao Ye would follow.

The last homeroom meeting, the final classroom cleanup, and the teachers’ parting words to the graduating class—many students and teachers teared up, and the more emotional ones couldn’t stop crying altogether.

While everyone else was crying, Ji Nanxing turned to look at Xiao Ye. The moment he moved, Xiao Ye looked right back. Their eyes met, and Xiao Ye smiled. “What? Checking if I’m tearing up?”

Ji Nanxing: “Checking if you feel even a little reluctant.”

Xiao Ye didn’t say anything. He simply reached for Ji Nanxing’s hand, interlacing their fingers tightly. “You’re right here, our friends aren’t going far, and the school’s still standing. What’s to miss? Once this goodbye mood wears off, wait a couple of years—nobody’s gonna miss this place. We were all the kind of people who woke up every morning wishing we could blow the place up.”

Zhang Yuan kicked Xiao Ye’s chair. “Want to grab a bite later?”

Xiao Ye glanced at Ji Nanxing, who nodded. “Sure.”

Watching how in sync they were, Zhang Yuan clicked his tongue in disapproval and turned away. *Whipped.*

After the final homeroom meeting, Ji Nanxing made one last trip to the run-down building, burning a few talismans for the cowardly ghost lingering inside. “Next time I come will probably be to pick up my scores and fill in my applications. After that, I won’t have much reason to come back. I don’t know what’ll happen to this place. Since you’ve decided to stay in the human world to watch over him, try doing more good deeds when you can. Maybe in your next life, you two can meet again.”

Yu Sixing, who had appeared silently at the doorway, said, “Now that you’ve graduated, no one will be around to talk to him anymore.”

He visited often, but without the ability to see ghosts, he could never truly communicate with Guo Xun. With the one who could see ghosts gone, Guo Xun would be left alone again.

Ji Nanxing turned around. “He hears you perfectly fine. Or, you could let go first—find someone, start dating, make him move on. Then he could finally cross over.”

Guo Xun crouched beside the burning talismans, inhaling the smoke as he looked at Yu Sixing.

Yu Sixing let out a dry laugh. If he could really let go, he wouldn’t have come back after so many years just for revenge.

He knew letting go was what was best for Guo Xun—but knowing and doing were two different things.

When Guo Xun was alive, he had never been truly chosen, which left him always uncertain. Now, as a ghost clinging to unfinished business, Yu Sixing refused to hurt him again under the guise of doing what was “best.” Since both of them were stuck in their obsessions, they might as well stay stuck together—ghost and all.

“They’ll probably start construction here over the summer.”

Yu Sixing had donated a new teaching building to the school, and the site he chose was this very spot. The reason they hadn’t started yet was because Ji Nanxing and the others were still enrolled, giving Guo Xun some company.

Now that they had graduated, Yu Sixing couldn’t bear to leave Guo Xun alone anymore. So he decided to tear down the old building and rebuild it. The new structure would house the teachers’ offices, and he had already planned it out—this exact spot would be his office. That way, he could stay with Guo Xun all the time, and Guo Xun wouldn’t have to be stuck here alone anymore.

The sound of running footsteps approached, and Yu Sixing turned to see Xiao Ye running up.

Upon spotting him, Xiao Ye let out a playful "Yo!" and said, "Old Yu’s here too? Nice! Here to check on your man?"

Yu Sixing ignored him with a cold expression, but Xiao Ye continued teasingly, "I’m here to pick up my boyfriend. Naonao, you finished with the talismans? Lao Zhang and the crew are waiting for us at the school gate."

Ji Nanxing gave a soft "Mhm" in response. "Done."

Xiao Ye walked over, dusted the talisman ash from Ji Nanxing's hands, then grabbed hold of him. "Let’s go."

As they passed Yu Sixing, he couldn’t resist another jab. "We won’t interrupt you and your boyfriend anymore. Bye-bye."

Yu Sixing couldn’t stand his smugness. "Scram."

Xiao Ye cackled and took off cheerfully. Yu Sixing stood upstairs, watching them walk away hand in hand, and couldn’t help but smile.

After a simple meal with a few friends, Ji Nanxing and Xiao Ye returned to the apartment across from the school. Having lived there for three years, there was still a pile of things to pack.

Clothes and shoes were already boxed up. Ji Nanxing carefully took down the ancestor’s shrine statue. The new house near the university was mostly set up, so the statue could be moved there first.

The garden outside was still being arranged. Xiao Ye had hired a landscaping team to create a flower arch, a blossom wall, and a whimsical Wonderland-style garden.

When Ji Nanxing arrived carrying the statue, he saw the garden in progress and remarked, "This’ll need constant care. Without attention, it’ll just get weedy."

Xiao Ye reassured him, "Relax—you just soak in the beauty. I’ve got it all planned out. They’ll send someone every week to maintain it."

Xiao Ye had spent more time at this house than Ji Nanxing, handling all the interior design himself. He pulled Ji Nanxing inside. "Last time, you said the ancestor’s shrine doesn’t need a sunroom, so I set up a cozy dim-lit room next to it. It gets a bit of western sun but not too much. See if it works for you."

"The study on the first floor, near the garden, originally had floor-to-ceiling windows. I replaced them with sliding patio doors. That way, if the weather’s nice while you’re reading, you can open them for fresh air. Or if you’re tired, you can step right out and enjoy the flowers."

Ji Nanxing examined the sunlit study. "Didn’t you say you wanted a gamer den?"

Xiao Ye grinned. "Right next door."

He pushed open a decorative false wall. "Look! Gamer den!"

He had connected the two rooms with a sliding divider. Now, he could game on one side while Naonao could read, write, mix incense, or paint on the other. They could glance up and see each other anytime—perfect.

After touring the first floor, Xiao Ye pulled Ji Nanxing upstairs. "I planned the rooms up here too. One’s our bedroom, one’s a walk-in closet, and the last is a tatami-style spare room."

Though they might not have many visitors, the small room had a separate layout that couldn’t merge with the bedroom or closet, so Xiao Ye kept it as a tatami space without a bed. If friends ever stayed over, they could just lay out bedding.

But the most important room was the bedroom.

Xiao Ye led Ji Nanxing inside. "This bedroom originally had a closet connected to the bathroom. I expanded both the room and the bathroom a bit, adding a soaking tub with jets for you to relax in. The bed’s new, but the mattress is the one from the school apartment—I didn’t want the firmness to change and mess up your sleep."

Ji Nanxing nodded. "Nice job. Balancing college prep and all this—you weren’t worried about getting distracted and failing?"

Xiao Ye scoffed. "Pfft. Except with you, I’m always 100% confident in what I do."

Ji Nanxing raised an eyebrow. "Except me?"

Xiao Ye pressed Ji Nanxing onto the bed, kneeling over him, trapping him before gazing down. "Yeah, except you. Anything involving you makes me overthink—afraid you won’t like it, afraid you’ll be unhappy, afraid you’re just tolerating it, afraid I’ll mess up and upset you."

He leaned down, brushing a light kiss on Ji Nanxing’s forehead. "Afraid I’ll come up short, afraid I’m not giving the best."

Looking at the man beneath him, so willing, Xiao Ye couldn’t resist murmuring, "Naonao... let me kiss you."

Ji Nanxing laughed. "Since when do you warn me?"

Xiao Ye lowered his head again, nuzzling lightly against his ear: "Babe, I like you so much—so, so much. Did you put a spell on me?"

Ji Nanxing laughed again at his words: "What if I have?"

Xiao Ye: "Then don’t break it. Never break it."

After saying this, Xiao Ye nuzzled against Ji Nanxing’s cheek and kissed him on the lips.

Ji Nanxing tilted his head slightly, raising his hands to hook around Xiao Ye's neck, deepening the kiss in response.

············

It took them a few days to get their new home in order. They didn’t ask for help or hire a moving company for the things left at the old place. Xiao Ye ran a few trips himself to move everything, which was just as well since he was still practicing his driving and didn’t mind the extra effort.

Since they were busy unpacking, they ended up staying late. While arranging the study, Ji Nanxing realized his set of perfume-making tools hadn’t been brought over yet. Xiao Ye, who was setting up the esports room, immediately put down what he was doing: "The set in the cabinet? I remember packing them into a box. There are still a few boxes left to bring over—I’ll go get them."

Ji Nanxing wasn’t in a hurry: "Never mind, it’s too late. I’ll sort them out next time you bring them over."

Xiao Ye grabbed the car keys and headed to the door to put on his shoes: "It’s not late. Do you want the stewed snacks from the place downstairs? I’ll buy some back for a midnight snack."

Seeing he was already putting on his shoes, Ji Nanxing didn’t stop him: "Drive carefully."

Xiao Ye grinned, leaned in, and kissed him on the cheek: "Anything else you want? Think about it and shoot me a message on WeChat."

After picking up the items and buying the stewed snacks, Xiao Ye noticed Ji Nanxing hadn’t messaged him, so he bought a small cake and two cups of grape slush tea as well.

In the past, Ji Nanxing always felt cold, even in summer, so Xiao Ye never let him have anything icy. But over the past year, his condition had improved—he even started feeling the heat now. So, a cold drink and some braised snacks were fine. Later, they could watch a movie together.

He had specifically installed a large projector screen in the living room for a great movie-watching atmosphere at night.

Near the university, there were several road sections—some near the commercial district were bustling even late at night, while others, with more residential areas, were much quieter.

At around 11 p.m., Xiao Ye was driving down the road. The wide lanes were nearly empty, and the cold, quiet streets made the lines of streetlights and the glow from bus shelter ads stand out.

Turning onto a straight stretch, Xiao Ye spotted someone waiting at a bus stop in the distance. He instinctively checked the time—11:30 p.m.—and wondered if buses still ran this late.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the girl at the stop took two steps forward, lifted her leg as if boarding, and then disappeared into thin air.

Xiao Ye blinked hard. His car passed the stop, now empty, and the road ahead was deserted.

Xiao Ye: "???"

Had he just gotten second sight?