Chapter 369

Chapter 369

◎A Joyous Housewarming◎

"We're here!"

Before they came into view, Jiang Tangtang's lively voice rang out.

They hadn't even entered the front door yet, just stepping into the yard, when they burst into excited "wows."

"So many flowers! This garden is so beautiful—it’ll be perfect for photos! Academic god, can I bring a hanfu next time for a photoshoot?"

Ji Nanxing stood at the door, smiling at them. "Of course."

Chen Shiyi surveyed the entire house and nodded. "Pretty nice."

He’d heard that Xiao Ye had done all this himself, decorating it beautifully and warmly. At least he didn’t skimp on his best friend, so Chen Shiyi was moderately pleased.

Zhang Yuan handed over the gifts he’d brought to Xiao Ye. "Housewarming! You two don’t waste time—just confirmed your relationship after exams and already made a home together. Congrats!"

Xiao Ye accepted the gifts. "Come on in. Aren’t you guys hot standing out there in the sun?"

Jiang Tangtang had already pulled Lin Yi and Xiao Xiao into taking photos. Shedding their school uniforms and dressed in skirts, the girls looked effortlessly beautiful at their best age—every shot came out perfect.

Zhang Yuan glanced at them and said, "Let them be. Women on a mission for perfect photos. Did you hire a chef or are you cooking yourselves? I’ll help."

Chen Shiyi followed them inside. "I’ll help too."

Xiao Ye: "We’ve got a hotpot station and a grill set up. You can have hotpot if you want, or grill your own meat. Everything was delivered fresh this morning."

Lamb, fish, and even fresh venison, along with shrimp and crab that had just arrived by air—their claws still twitching in the foam box filled with water.

Zhang Yuan followed Xiao Ye straight into the kitchen to help, while Chen Shiyi opened the gift box placed on top of the fruit basket. "This is something we all pitched in for. We originally wanted to get a small deity statue, like an Earth God, but we were worried it might clash with your family altar, so we settled on a lucky cat instead."

Chen Shiyi opened the box to reveal a gold-plated lucky cat, about the size of a desk ornament. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the weight wasn’t light either—over 20 grams. For students like Chen Shiyi and the others, pooling together for such a gift must have made a dent in their savings.

Ji Nanxing said, "We invited you over to eat and have fun. You didn’t have to buy something so expensive."

Chen Shiyi: "It’s different. This is your and Xiao Ye’s official home together after confirming your relationship. It carries special meaning. Besides, it wasn’t that much—just a small contribution from each of us."

In the kitchen, Zhang Yuan tsk-tsked as he looked around the house. "You must be grinning in your sleep now, huh?"

Xiao Ye rolled his eyes at Zhang Yuan’s teasing, though the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably. Not wanting to indulge him further, he changed the subject. "Scores are out. Which school are you planning to go to?"

Zhang Yuan: "Lanzhou University, of course. Their clinical forensic medicine program ranks top three nationally. Why go elsewhere when I can stay local? The score’s enough, and I’ll have connections for internships later. Plus, you guys are all here. If Nan Xing ever runs into any especially bloody cases, remember to call me."

Xiao Ye couldn’t help but kick him. "Can’t you wish for something better? Go bother someone else."

The three girls finally finished taking photos and came inside, exclaiming all the way. "Did you decorate all this yourselves, or did you hire a designer?"

Ji Nanxing poured them some iced drinks. "Xiao Ye did it all."

Jiang Tangtang critiqued, "Wild Brother has a good eye. The asymmetrical arrangement adds depth to the space, and the overall vibe is warm yet minimalist—clean yet inviting. But it could use a few tweaks. That big frame could come down and be replaced with a collage of small photos, just casual life shots. A potted plant here would warm things up, and this wall by the stairs could be partially removed for a stair light and some figurines you like."

Lin Yi teased, "Quite the critic. What, planning to study interior design?"

Jiang Tangtang shook her head vigorously. "Not a chance! I just like watching home decor bloggers, but turning a hobby into a career? No thanks."

Ji Nanxing: "Then what's your major then?"

Jiang Tangtang grabbed Xiao Xiao’s arm: “Xiao Xiao and I both want to go into media! She wants to be a journalist, and I want to be a talent manager someday!”

Everyone turned to look at her: "That’s quite a challenging career goal—talent management isn’t easy."

Jiang Tangtang waved her hand grandly: "Life’s about facing challenges head-on!"

Ji Nanxing looked at Lin Yi: "What about you? Have you decided on a major?"

Lin Yi nodded: "I want to study literature. I want work that doesn’t involve much socializing."

Most jobs involve dealing with people, and Lin Yi isn’t fond of small talk and socializing. She still feels like a kid but has to act like an adult to survive. Fortunately, her family doesn’t pressure her—just being able to support herself is enough. So she wants to choose a lifestyle that feels comfortable for her.

Zhang Yuan: "That’s great. Everyone has their own goals. I’ve seen so many people struggle and feel lost when choosing a major."

Chen Shiyi sighed gloomily: "Lucky you all, having clear goals for the future."

Zhang Yuan: "You have one too. Your scores at least got you into a third-rate college—just get that diploma. Anyway, your career is definitely heading toward being a craft blogger."

At this, Chen Shiyi couldn’t help but feel grateful. Ji Nanxing had predicted some exam questions for him, hitting the mark for both English and math. He barely squeaked by the cutoff score—any lower, and he wouldn’t have made it to university at all, facing either a gap year or community college.

After everyone finished speaking, they belatedly turned to Ji Nanxing: "What about you, Nanxing? What major are you choosing?"

They only remembered that Ji Nanxing had excellent grades—this time, he aced the exams, with banners celebrating his achievement still hanging at school. They also knew he was set to become a Taoist, his future career already set. But when it came to his university major, he had never mentioned it before.

Ji Nanxing said: "Computer science."

Everyone: "???"

Zhang Yuan: "You’re studying what?"

Ji Nanxing looked puzzled at their shock: "The top popular major—computer science. What’s the problem?"

Chen Shiyi: "I thought you’d study something like religious studies, philosophy, or funeral science."

Computer science and being a Taoist—those are practically from different dimensions.

Ji Nanxing: "Not at all. Ghost-hunting methods are becoming more scientific these days. In the past, Taoists could only rely on their abilities to sense *Yin energy*. Now we have *Yin energy* detectors. In the future, we might develop even more high-tech products, like ghost-hunting robots or EMF shields."

Jiang Tangtang looked confused: "EMF shields?"

Ji Nanxing: "Both humans and restless spirits have energy—that is, magnetic fields. When these fields overlap, you see ghosts. If we can block a ghost’s magnetic field, we might be able to repel them. Of course, this is still in development. So, technology and the supernatural can actually merge. We might even reverse-engineer supernatural phenomena."

Everyone was still lost. Jiang Tangtang asked again, baffled: "Reverse-engineer supernatural phenomena?"

Ji Nanxing nodded: "We could also research making magnetic fields visible. For example, many people encounter supernatural activity when staying in hotels. If we had a device that makes magnetic fields visible, you could scan the room and check if there are any unusual energy fields in the corners. If there are, that means there’s a ghost."

Everyone: "..."

Who in their right mind would want that thing?!

Chen Shiyi gave Xiao Ye a disdainful look: "So, you two are going to be classmates in the same major again?"

But maybe that’s for the best. Nanxing is so good-looking and comes from such a well-off family—once he’s in university, he’ll definitely attract attention. These days, people with ill intentions are everywhere, and neither guys nor girls are safe. At least Xiao Ye is someone they know well. With his territorial streak, no sketchy people will get within an inch of Ji Nanxing.

No longer just high schoolers, they finally raised their glasses at the steaming dinner table. The beer, fragrant with malt, was frosty with condensation. Glasses clinked, and they cheered with wishes for the future: "Cheers to us! To brighter futures!"

Xiao Ye placed a few slices of tender meat in Ji Nanxing’s bowl: "Don’t drink on an empty stomach. Eat some meat first."

Ji Nanxing: "Beer’s basically water."

There's always alcohol on the dinner table every New Year—red wine, spirits—and he occasionally joins the adults for a drink. Beer’s so weak it’d take a lot to actually get drunk.

Jiang Tangtang took a sip of beer and stuck out her tongue, saying, "I don’t get the hype about this stuff. It’s not as good as cola."

Xiao Xiao swapped her beer for cola: "Then drink cola."

Jiang Tangtang immediately protested, "Seriously? No way! This is our first proper gathering after crossing the milestone of senior year. We have to do something that fits our new adult status."

With that, she downed the remaining half-glass and held out her empty cup to Zhang Yuan: "Top me off!"

Chen Shiyi couldn’t drink, so after a light toast with them, he stuck to his soda. Even without alcohol, sitting by and watching their goofing around was fun enough.

Zhang Yuan clinked glasses with Xiao Xiao beside him: "You and Jiang Tangtang are the only ones going to another city, and to the same school at that. Take care of each other out there. If anything comes up, just reach out—just book a flight. Easy. We’ll be there in no time."

Xiao Xiao glanced at Jiang Tangtang, who was messing with Chen Shiyi, and nodded: "Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her."

Skewers sizzled on the grill, and the hot pot was boiling with spicy broth. The young men and women, just starting their next chapter, laughed and played boisterously. A group with little drinking experience, they were already getting wild after just a few glasses of beer.

Seeing everyone gathered around the dining table while the skewers on the grill went untouched, Ji Nanxing went over to put out the coals and gathered the skewers to bring to the table.

Xiao Ye, who’d slipped up behind him unnoticed, suddenly wrapped his arms around Ji Nanxing from behind, nuzzling his cheek against Ji Nanxing’s neck: "Naonao."

Ji Nanxing tilted his head slightly: "You barely drank anything. Don’t tell me you’re drunk too?"

Xiao Ye had been sensible—hosting meant staying sober. Besides, a few glasses of beer were no different from water to him, so he was perfectly sober.

But the lively noise inside, the rich aroma of food in the air—it all gave Xiao Ye the illusion that he and Ji Nanxing truly had a home of their own. Just the thought made his chest burn, and he couldn’t resist clinging to Ji Nanxing.

Ji Nanxing set down what he was holding and turned to face Xiao Ye: "What’s wrong?"

Xiao Ye wrapped his arms around Ji Nanxing’s waist, resting his forehead lightly against his: "Just wanted to hold you."

Ji Nanxing chuckled and hugged him back: "Such a clinger."

With his arms full and his heart full, even as their friends were about to part ways, Xiao Ye felt little sadness. His lover was by his side, their friendships wouldn’t fade, they had a warm home, and a future brimming with hope. At this moment, only one thought filled Xiao Ye’s mind: life was worth living—every bit of it.