Chapter 378

Chapter 378

◎Entangled in Yin Energy◎

*(Note: "Yin energy" refers to a metaphysical or supernatural force recurring in the narrative.)*

University life was different from high school, where every moment from waking to sleeping was consumed by study and taking leave felt nearly impossible—requiring parental explanations for absences. University schedules were more flexible. Ji Nanxing hadn’t bothered preparing fake medical records in advance to cover future absences, so the mandatory freshman military training couldn’t be avoided.

Lanzhou University started on September 2nd, with twenty days of military training required. Ji Nanxing and Xiao Ye arrived just one day early to check in and settle into their dorms.

Xiao Ye had always been independent—handling his own enrollment and payments even during high school. Now attending university locally, he certainly didn’t need parental accompaniment. His older brother and sister-in-law assumed he’d stick close to Ji Nanxing, so they didn’t come along either, simply transferring him extra spending money to treat Nanxing to a nice meal once things were sorted at school.

Xiao Ye’s personal savings were steadily growing, and he was even starting to consider investment opportunities. With expenses only increasing from here, having some financial cushion never hurt.

Ji Nanxing’s family group was much larger. Since childhood, his parents had always personally accompanied him on the first day of school, and this time was no exception. Since both he and Xiao Ye had kept their dorm rooms—even though they wouldn’t live there regularly—they still needed essentials stocked, so two assistants came along to help organize everything.

Though not assigned to the same room, Ji Nanxing and Xiao Ye were placed nearby, both on the third floor.

The dormitory building was already mostly occupied, with many returning students bustling up and down the floors moving luggage—making for a lively scene.

When Ji Nanxing’s mother peeked into an open dorm room, she turned to her Xiao Bao *(lit. “Little Treasure,” a term of endearment)* with a worried expression. “Four people to a room? And lofted beds with desks underneath? What if you fall? It’s so high.”

She glanced at the assistant trailing behind them, who handled Ji Nanxing’s daily affairs. “Can’t we apply for a different dorm? Aren’t there apartment-style double rooms available?”

The assistant shook his head. “Those are for graduate students, and they’re already full. There are vacancies in the doctoral dormitories, though.”

“Then let’s apply for one,” Ji Nanxing’s mother insisted. “If that doesn’t work, we’ll just donate an entire dorm building if we have to!”

Ji Nanxing quickly cut in, “I’m not even staying on campus.”

Mrs. Ji: "If you're not staying overnight at school, don't you need to come back for a nap at noon? Four people squeezed into one tiny room—it's like sardines in a can."

Xiao Ye followed behind and said, "It takes less than ten minutes to drive home from school. If there's enough time during the break, we could even go home to rest. It might actually save more time than walking over from the classroom building."

That seemed to satisfy Mrs. Ji. She took Xiao Ye's hand and said, "I'm so glad you're looking out for Xiao Bao. Every time he goes somewhere new, I worry he won't adjust well or might get bullied."

Childhood memories of being betrayed by his best friend because of his ability to see ghosts—and then being ostracized—had become a deep scar in Mrs. Ji's heart. She always worried her quiet son would end up all alone again in a new environment. Fortunately, Xiao Ye was with him.

Xiao Ye smiled and nodded. He remembered how just two nights ago Ji Nanxing had nearly kicked a ghost until it spat black blood. Still smiling, he assured her, "Don't you worry, Mrs. Ji. With me around, no one will ever pick on him."

Watching the two of them walk arm in arm—one comforting, the other happily comforted—Ji Nanxing gave a small smile and quickened his pace, pushing open the door to his dorm room.

His future roommates were already busy unpacking. The door was left open for easy access, and Ji Nanxing double-checked the room number before stepping inside.

The three young men looked up at the newcomer, clearly surprised. One was clearly an introvert; seeing someone enter, he instinctively retreated to his own space, pulled out his phone, swiped to unlock it, and silently started tapping away on various apps.

Another observed quietly but didn’t speak, offering only a polite smile when his eyes met Ji Nanxing’s.

The biggest guy among the three was clearly an extrovert. As soon as someone walked in, he grinned and called out, "Damn, you're handsome! Are you our roommate?"

Ji Nanxing nodded slightly. "Hello."

The guy introduced himself enthusiastically. "Hey, I'm Fang Bei." Then he pointed to the quiet one. "That's Han Qiu."

Then he gestured toward the other. "This is Yang Mulin. You arrived late, so the only bed left is the one next to the bathroom door."

Ji Nanxing replied calmly, "No problem. I'm Ji Nanxing."

Fang Bei's eyes lit up. "So you're Ji Nanxing! The top science student from Yulan! Why did you choose Lanzhou University? I heard Peking University and Tsinghua University were practically staking out your house trying to recruit you!"

Ji Nanxing: "There was no blockade, all rumors. I chose Lanzhou University because it's conveniently close to home."

Xiao Ye walked in behind, arm-in-arm with Ji's mother. Although privately she found the dorm a bit small, she only dared to complain about it to her own child. In front of strangers, she naturally maintained a warm and friendly demeanor: "Hello everyone! This is Star's first time living on campus. From now on we're all family in this dormitory. Please take care of each other and offer help when needed."

The assistant approached, handing out large bags of snacks to everyone: "Don't be shy, just some small treats. Military training starts soon, which consumes lots of energy. Having snacks in the dorm for nighttime hunger is convenient. There's beef jerky and pork jerky here. If anyone has religious or dietary restrictions, feel free to exchange with others."

The Ji family doesn't eat beef, but they never impose their preferences on others nor do they mind others eating beef in front of them. Therefore, they wouldn't fuss over such gifts intended for others.

The assistant was overly enthusiastic, practically forcing the snacks into the hands of the three roommates—even the most introverted one murmured a quiet thank you.

Yang Mulin also accepted smilingly, though he couldn't resist rolling his eyes once he turned around, thinking: "Another mama's boy who's academically brilliant but helpless in daily life. Living with someone like this will definitely bring endless troubles."

After introductions, two housekeepers quickly cleaned the bed frames. Seeing the worn-out bed frame, Ji's mother frowned and leaned close to whisper to her son: "If you don’t change dorms, should we replace this bed?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "No need, I won't fall off."

Ji's mother gave up.

They laid out the bedding, disinfected everything including the wardrobe and desk. The assistant, experienced, quickly took out several locks and replaced them effortlessly.

Xiao Ye also brought up a suitcase from the car downstairs filled with clothes of various thicknesses, ensuring there were always clean clothes available at the dorm.

This whole process left the other three roommates speechless—this was their first time seeing a young master from a wealthy family.

After hanging up the clothes, Xiao Ye greeted everyone: "Hi, we're in the same class, so please take care of us from now on."

Fang Bei asked: "Are you also in our department?"

Xiao Ye nodded: "Same department, same class. My name’s Xiao Ye, living in Room 305 right across from you. Feel free to find me anytime if you need anything."

Within those few sentences, Ji Nanxing hadn't even added his roommates on WeChat yet, while Xiao Ye had already connected with all of them, even making plans to play ball with Fang Bei, judging by his physique, probably quite well.

Ji's mother remarked: "Good thing Xiao Ye is with you; now Mom can rest assured."

After settling Ji Nanxing, the two housekeepers went to tidy up Xiao Ye's bed and desk. Among his three roommates, one looked very studious, keeping his head down reading throughout the housekeepers' coming and going as if nothing happened.

Another was deeply immersed in an online battle game, briefly looking up to greet them with his name before returning to focus on capturing the dragon.

As for the last one, he was thin, not short, features unremarkable but neat and fresh-looking. When Ji Nanxing saw him, his eyes dimmed slightly.

Xiao Ye didn't completely leave everything to others either, running up and down twice himself to organize things. The assistant also distributed snacks to Xiao Ye's classmates, while Ji's mother, like a caring elder, reminded everyone to get along well.

However, the others were busy with their own affairs. Only You Shu’ang stayed to chat politely, preventing the atmosphere from turning awkward.

Xiao Ye exchanged WeChats with his new roommates, telling them to contact him whenever needed, then prepared to leave.

You Shu’ang hesitated: "You guys aren't staying here tonight?"

Xiao Ye: "We live at home nearby, convenient for coming and going. But if there are any notices you receive that we miss, please let us know."

You Shu’ang nodded: "Okay, I'll make sure to tell them."

For convenience tomorrow, they returned that day to a house near the school. While gently stroking both boys' hair, Ji's mother said: "You two behave yourselves. Call me anytime if anything happens. Military training is exhausting. These days, Auntie Xin will stay here to cook for you. Try to avoid the school cafeteria—it's full of oil and salt. Alright, Mom is leaving now. You two go back soon too."

Before departing, she reminded them again to come home for dinner on the weekend, then finally got into the car, escorted away by two security vehicles, one ahead and one behind.

Holding the keys, Xiao Ye stretched with a yawn: "Back to hard study again."

Ji Nanxing climbed into the car: "Which window have you been studying from?"

Xiao Ye leaned over after he fastened his seatbelt: "You kept looking at You Shuang just now. What were you staring at? Is there something wrong with him?"

Ji Nanxing: "It wasn’t that many."

Xiao Ye: "It was! At least three times!"

Looking at the person practically climbing into his lap for answers, Ji Nanxing pushed him away with amusement: "Didn’t I tell you before? There was an evil spirit possessing a living person, squatting by the roadside eating burnt talisman ashes."

Xiao Ye couldn’t help but glance up at the dormitory building: "Him?"

Ji Nanxing nodded: "Yeah, it’s him."

Xiao Ye let out an "Oh": "Then he’s pretty unlucky. He doesn’t look too healthy—probably has too much Yin energy, which made him an easy target. Were you checking if he’s better?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "I was looking at how he’s drenched in Yin energy, looking like death warmed over."