My Gorgeous Neighbor Is Cooking Every Day - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Seeing Xia Xingye’s concern, Jiang Yingyue nodded, took out a handful of talismans from her arms, and threw them all out in one go.

The black shadow initially didn’t dodge until the talismans stuck to it. Only then did it let out an unearthly scream. It looked at the talismans around it warily, and then consciously began to avoid them.

But Jiang Yingyue’s talismans seemed endless, one after another. In no time, there were talismans everywhere the shadow could step.

The black shadow hesitated for a moment. In the end, perhaps feeling it couldn’t win against Xia Xingye, it gave up and tried to escape. To its surprise, when it turned around, it saw Xia Xingye standing behind it.

Even though the entire ghost was shrouded in black mist, Xia Xingye could feel the opponent’s shock.

If it weren’t in such a strange place, its face would probably be screaming the four words—You are so shameless.

Xia Xingye took out the protective talisman Jiang Yingyue had given her and said with a smile: “Don’t run. Although I don’t know if you can understand what I’m saying right now, if you run, your fate will only be worse.”

The black shadow ignored Xia Xingye’s words and suddenly jumped onto the ceiling, trying to escape.

Xia Xingye sighed, finally realizing that the black shadow couldn’t understand what she was saying.

In the time Xia Xingye stalled, Jiang Yingyue had already drawn a small formation, casting a huge net from the ceiling to capture the black shadow attempting to flee.

The black shadow was covered by the net and struggled relentlessly.

The net emitted a white light, which grew blindingly bright the more the black shadow struggled.

Xia Xingye looked at the struggling black shadow, then at Jiang Yingyue.

Jiang Yingyue skillfully took out a box and sealed the black shadow inside.

The surroundings returned to normal. Students walking in and out were startled to suddenly see the two of them there, but no one thought much of it, assuming they had just been distracted and hadn’t noticed them earlier.

“Let’s leave here first,” Jiang Yingyue said, putting the box away.

Xia Xingye, however, held her back, reaching out her hand and saying: “Sister, give the box to me.”

Jiang Yingyue frowned, confused, and said softly: “It’s very dangerous.”

Xia Xingye said: “I won’t mess around. I just think it’s better not to put her and Ren Ruofang together.”

Ren Ruofang, who had been hiding like a turtle, suddenly spoke: “Why can’t she be put with me?”

Xia Xingye chuckled: “Didn’t you not believe she was Dong Yiyu? Then why would you want her to be with you?”

Ren Ruofang didn’t say anything. Xia Xingye smoothly took the box and placed it on her own person. She even winked at Jiang Yingyue and said: “Don’t worry, I have the protective talisman you gave me. Even if she breaks out, she can’t harm me.”

After the two left the dormitory, Xia Xingye saw Yin Nianyun following them and asked curiously: “We’re leaving the school. Are you going to leave with us?”

Yin Nianyun had always stayed in the school. She wasn’t trapped there; she simply chose to stay. Now that they were leaving, Yin Nianyun didn’t seem to want to go back, so Xia Xingye couldn’t help but ask.

“I helped so much, can’t I just see what happens?”

“Didn’t you say you don’t know Dong Yiyu?” They had asked Yin Nianyun if she knew Dong Yiyu when they were in the school, and Yin Nianyun had said no.

“I really don’t know her,” Yin Nianyun said with a hurt expression, “She was already dead when I came to this school.”

At first, Xia Xingye and Jiang Yingyue thought Dong Yiyu was still alive, so they asked Yin Nianyun. Since Dong Yiyu wasn’t a recent student, it was normal for Yin Nianyun not to know her.

“Do you know what happened at the school before?” Xia Xingye asked.

Yin Nianyun shook her head: “I don’t know. I just heard rumors that the place was haunted before, but no one knew what kind of ghost it was, and the school doesn’t allow us to talk about it.”

“Then don’t listen,” she tried to push Yin Nianyun away. “It’s enough for my sister and me to know. Children shouldn’t listen.”

“Why? I’m not a child anymore,” Yin Nianyun protested. “I’ve been dead for so many years. How can I be a child? I’m at least much older than you. You should be calling me ‘Sister’.”

Xia Xingye looked at her meaningfully. Was Yin Nianyun trying to take advantage of her?

Yin Nianyun realized her mistake and quickly tried to please her: “Can I just listen? I really want to know what happened.”

Even though she was dead, she loved all kinds of interesting things. She often eavesdropped on gossip at school. Now that there was such a big event that most people at school didn’t know about, she could only pester Xia Xingye and Jiang Yingyue if she wanted to know. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have a chance.

Yin Nianyun promised: “Are you sure? I won’t tell anyone else.”

“Can you even tell anyone else?” Xia Xingye asked curiously.

“No…” Yin Nianyun wasn’t a medium, and there were no Taoist priests or psychics at the school. Even if she wanted to chat with someone, she wouldn’t have the opportunity.

Xia Xingye thought for a moment and still refused: “If you listen, we’ll send you to be reincarnated afterward.”

Yin Nianyun looked at her in horror and asked, puzzled: “Why?”

“No ‘why’. Because we’re afraid you’ll learn to do bad things,” Xia Xingye said, looking at Jiang Yingyue.

Jiang Yingyue nodded obediently. She also didn’t plan to let Yin Nianyun know what happened.

Yin Nianyun had no choice but to say, looking back with every step: “Then come and play with me when you have time.”

“Wait a moment,” Jiang Yingyue called out to her, took out some incense she carried with her, and burned it for her. “Eat this and keep a close watch. If any strange people come to the school, remember to contact me.”

As a ghost wandering the school, Yin Nianyun rarely received such a benefit. She quickly agreed: “If any strange people appear, I will definitely tell you.”

After Yin Nianyun left, Xia Xingye told Jiang Yingyue about what she had heard at her school.

Jiang Yingyue pondered: “She was taken advantage of.”

“Life borrowing?” Xia Xingye asked uncertainly.

“Something like that,” Jiang Yingyue explained, “Dong Yiyu had a very good fate. Except for a difficult childhood, everything after that was smooth sailing. It’s a very good fate, but she died early, which means her life was exchanged.”

“So, what should we do now? Should we look for the other person whose life was exchanged?”

“No, we won’t look for that person. We need to look for the person who helped with the life exchange.”

Xia Xingye frowned, somewhat confused: “Someone would do such a malicious and heartless thing? That’s too evil.”

Jiang Yingyue suddenly stopped. She looked at Xia Xingye, who felt a little uncertain under her gaze and asked: “Isn’t it evil?”

“Don’t follow me after this. It could be dangerous,” Jiang Yingyue didn’t answer Xia Xingye’s question but instead voiced her own thoughts. “I’ll find you after I’ve resolved the problem.”

“But…” Xia Xingye wanted to say she was worried about Jiang Yingyue, but Jiang Yingyue didn’t give her a chance to speak. Instead, she gently shook her head, looking at her helplessly.

Seeing Jiang Yingyue like this, Xia Xingye sighed and said reluctantly: “Okay, I understand. I won’t follow, but Sister, you have to promise to protect yourself.”

Jiang Yingyue didn’t respond to Xia Xingye’s request. Xia Xingye was a little anxious, her voice becoming slightly emotional: “Sister, promise me, or I won’t let you go.”

However, her answer was a long period of silence. Xia Xingye didn’t understand why Jiang Yingyue wouldn’t promise her. She pursed her lips and said sadly: “Sister, can’t you even promise me this small thing?”

“I want to promise you,” Jiang Yingyue said softly, “but I can’t guarantee that I won’t get hurt.”

If it were the usual problems that could be easily solved, she would promise Xia Xingye without a second thought. But today, she was facing not just a ghost, but the heart of a person more sinister than the ghost who was manipulating things behind the scenes.

Perhaps lying would put Xia Xingye at ease, but she was not used to lying and had always felt it was unnecessary. Yet, when she saw Xia Xingye looking at her with a pained expression, she thought that telling a small lie wouldn’t change anything.

Just as Jiang Yingyue was about to say that she would try her best to protect herself, Xia Xingye said: “I understand, but Sister, you must come back on time. If you really can’t handle it, remember to run away.”

She tried her best to force a smile. “Didn’t you say you would run away if you encountered danger?”

Jiang Yingyue subconsciously clenched her fist. After a while, she released it, nodded, and said: “I will run away if I encounter danger.”

“Good. Then I’ll wait for you to come home.”

Another long period of silence followed.

Xia Xingye couldn’t help but ask: “Does it have to be today? Can’t we prepare and go tomorrow?”

“I’ve already prepared,” Jiang Yingyue saw Xia Xingye wanting to speak again. She took out Little Jiang and said, “Little Jiang will tell me how to find the person.”

Xia Xingye opened her mouth but finally took a deep breath, stepped forward, and hugged Jiang Yingyue tightly. She pretended to be cheerful and said: “Then come back soon. I’ll throw you a welcome-back party.”

Xia Xingye had always thought of herself as a decisive person, but the thought of Jiang Yingyue going to deal with potentially dangerous matters made her want to find an excuse to keep her and prevent her from going.

Before she could figure out how to get Jiang Yingyue to wait a while longer, Jiang Yingyue slipped a key into Xia Xingye’s hand and said: “Take the key and wait for me at home.” With that, she turned and left.

Little Jiang in her pocket hesitated: “Are you really just going to leave like that? She’ll be sad.”

Jiang Yingyue tapped the Little Jiang in her pocket: “Do you want to go back and keep her company?”

“If I go back, she’ll definitely worry about you and ask me to follow you,” Little Jiang said very certainly. “Since that’s the case, why should I go keep her company? Then she’ll ask me difficult questions again. Do you want me to answer?”

“Don’t say anything you shouldn’t,” Jiang Yingyue warned softly.

“I know. I won’t say anything I shouldn’t. Do I look like the type to talk recklessly?”

“If I hadn’t stopped you just now, were you planning to tell her everything?”

Little Jiang immediately fell silent. If Jiang Yingyue hadn’t stopped it, it probably would have told Xia Xingye everything.

Meanwhile, Xia Xingye listlessly returned to Jiang Yingyue’s home. She took out the key. She had two sets of keys in her hand: one was her own, and one was Jiang Yingyue’s. After unlocking the door, Xia Xingye placed the keys on the table and sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the two sets of keys.

She had successfully obtained the key to Jiang Yingyue’s home, but she couldn’t feel happy at all. She wanted Jiang Yingyue’s key so she could find her anytime, not to enter an empty room and stare blankly all alone.

Xia Xingye couldn’t sit still, her mind consumed with worry for Jiang Yingyue. She thought for a moment, took out her phone, and called Xia Wenyao. Xia Wenyao answered and immediately asked: “What is it? Are you going to ask about Jiang Yingyue again?”

“How do you know I want to ask about her?”