My Family Is Very Odd

The conference room.

Twelve people sat on both sides of a long rectangular table. On the right side, in the first seat, was Zhao Zhao, the radical director from the North Bureau, who was at odds with Shen Yan, who sat in the first seat on the left.

In Zhao Zhao's view, the dead were no longer human. They were merely pathetic, aggressive creatures clinging to their last shreds of consciousness. The act of using ghosts to control ghosts, of bringing these aggressive, non-human entities into the Bureau to work alongside humans, was ludicrous.

He couldn't deny, however, that these ghosts possessed considerable strength. With their help, the casualty rate of Spirit Controllers had plummeted, and the progress of sealing away evil spirits had accelerated significantly.

However, the sheer power of Director Shen's ghosts, while convenient, was also a cause for concern. They were like ticking time bombs lurking nearby.

And if these bombs were to explode, the Spirit Bureau would suffer heavy losses!

Zhao Zhao, in particular, had always been suspicious of these five ghosts, believing they had deep ties to the Abyss. This suspicion led to frequent meetings targeting Shen's ghosts.

Wen Yuanrui sat at the far left end of the table. As the long-time tutor of the little ghost and the guardian of the five ghosts, as well as their colleague for many years, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing.

Based on Zhao Zhao's vague suspicions, it was utterly unreasonable to constantly target his family's ghosts. Not to mention, the five ghosts had worked with him for over a decade, dealing with countless ghosts and Abyssal threats. Their efforts in maintaining stability should have earned them some respect, not constant scheming behind their backs.

Regardless of their motivations, even if it was just for the little ghost, it was thanks to the five ghosts that the town had remained peaceful! This alone proved that the five ghosts were on their side.

Wen Yuanrui pushed up his glasses and said, "Director Zhao, even if the information is true, even if the Abyss is wary of my colleagues and refrains from acting, it only proves their strength, not their connection to the Abyss. Besides, don't their current actions speak for themselves? As long as they are here, the Abyss won't run rampant. We don't fully understand the Abyss, nor the consequences if they were to wreak havoc in the human world. In other words, it's thanks to my colleagues that we have this temporary stability. Instead of targeting them, I believe we should focus our attention on investigating the Abyss."

Zhao Zhao leaned back and said provocatively, "No, quite the opposite. The fact that an entity capable of making the Abyss wary is lurking among us, isn't that terrifying enough? Loyalties can change, you're too young to understand."

Wen Yuanrui retorted, "They're not like that!"

Zhao Zhao glared at Wen Yuanrui with disgust and sneered, "They? You're calling ghosts 'they'?"

Wen Yuanrui countered, "Regardless of what they are, they haven't harmed humans. On the contrary, they've been maintaining stability! What good will come from targeting them? Can you guarantee you can handle the Abyss if you get rid of them as you wish?"

Zhao Zhao's eyes widened, and he slammed his hand on the table. "Are you looking down on us?"

Wen Yuanrui realized his words were inappropriate and froze. "…"

Shen Yan, with his arms crossed, said coldly, "Wen Yuanrui."

Wen Yuanrui lowered his head. "I apologize."

Zhao Zhao snorted.

Shen Yan slowly took out a silver restraint bracelet and a document, placing them on the table and pushing them towards Zhao Zhao. "This is the latest restraint bracelet and its information. We update their bracelets annually. You should be aware of its function: to suppress a ghost's power. This latest version requires a fingerprint to unlock and suppresses two-thirds of their power when locked. It also monitors their magnetic field fluctuations. I can submit a monthly monitoring report for your peace of mind."

Zhao Zhao stared intently at Shen Yan, not accepting the documents. He knew the function of the restraint bracelets.

Shen Yan then tossed another document onto the table.

"These are their files from when they were alive. They were all ordinary humans, clean backgrounds, no special identities or connections. In conclusion, I can assure you they pose no threat. Unless you can provide concrete evidence proving otherwise, or proving their direct connection to the Abyss, we cannot hand them over."

Zhao Zhao had no evidence, but he remained unconvinced. "What about that child? I don't understand how you can be so at ease with a ghost! Don't you suspect their motives for raising a human child? There must be some conspiracy!"

Shen Yan lifted his chin. "Li Xiaogui's information is also in the files. She's just an ordinary orphan."

Zhao Zhao frowned deeply.

Shen Yan continued, "They simply want to raise a child, Director. That's their motive. There's no conspiracy."

The meeting ended in discord once again. This wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last. But at least it would keep Zhao Zhao quiet for a while.

As long as the ghosts kept their promise and didn't do anything wrong, Shen Yan would protect them. This was the agreement they made over a decade ago, when they came to his bedroom and personally put on the restraint bracelets.

They became his arms, exorcising evil spirits for humanity. In return, he helped Li Xiaogui learn about the spirit world, placed a certain degree of trust in them, and allowed them to exist in the light, accompanying Li Xiaogui as she grew up.

xxx

Two weeks later, Li Xiaogui successfully got a part-time job at the bubble tea shop where Xia Xia's friend worked. She even became friends with Xia Xia's friend. She couldn't stop thinking about the cake from the shop and Xia Xia's friend.

She glanced at the calendar. It was the day she and Shen Chen planned to watch the meteor shower.

Li Xiaogui changed into the black shirt and pants required for her part-time job, packing her nice clothes and perfume in a bag beforehand. Shen Chen said he would pick her up after work, have dinner together, and then go watch the meteor shower.

It seemed like Shen Chen had already planned everything.

Li Xiaogui didn't want to go see the meteor shower in her work clothes, and her clothes would smell like the shop after work. She didn't want to carry that smell with her.

Li Xiaogui went downstairs with her bag, bumping into the Young Ghost at the bottom of the stairs. She smiled and said, "Dad, I'm going to work!"

If the Young Ghost had a sense of smell, he would have noticed the faint scent of perfume on Li Xiaogui. However, he couldn't smell a thing; his nose was essentially useless. But even without his sense of smell, he could tell that Li Xiaogui was different today.

As expected, he heard Li Xiaogui say, "Oh right, Dad, I won't be home tonight! I'm going to watch the meteor shower with Shen Chen!"

The Young Ghost immediately became alert, sensing something unusual about this meteor shower. However, he cunningly hid his displeasure with Shen Chen and the meteor shower, simply humming in acknowledgment and reminding Li Xiaogui to be safe.

While some ghosts might nod and say "mm-hmm" but secretly follow their little humans out the door, this wasn't the first time the Young Ghost had done this.

He stealthily followed Li Xiaogui to the bubble tea shop. The ghost and the girl met at the entrance and went in together. So far, everything seemed normal. The Young Ghost thought, at least that punk Shen Chen wasn't here.

Li Xiaogui pushed open the door and greeted Su Tiantian, Xia Xia's friend.

"Good morning, Tiantian!"

Li Xiaogui arrived at the bubble tea shop at eight o'clock, just as it opened.

"Morning, Xiaogui, why are you so early?" Su Tiantian asked in surprise. Li Xiaogui wasn't supposed to start working until eight-thirty.

"Because it's close," Li Xiaogui replied. "Are we the only ones here?"

"Suzhou is here too," Su Tiantian said. "He's in the kitchen making cakes. It's a new recipe today!"

Li Xiaogui's eyes widened in delight. She went to the kitchen and greeted Suzhou. Unlike Shen Chen, who was quiet but gentle and gentlemanly, Suzhou was solitary and, apart from Su Tiantian, disliked interacting with others. Therefore, Li Xiaogui didn't expect a response when she greeted him.

Suzhou was extremely tall and thin, resembling a human bamboo pole from afar. When he wasn't busy, he preferred to stand beside Su Tiantian. After Li Xiaogui started working there, she learned that he was the one who made all the cakes. Despite his intimidating appearance, his cakes were delicious.

Strangely enough, while he excelled at making cakes and bubble tea, he didn't enjoy eating them. He only took a reluctant bite when experimenting with new recipes. He seemed to detest eating, which explained his thin and sickly appearance.

However, seeing the rare softness in his eyes when he watched Su Tiantian eat his cakes, his aversion to food and his talent for baking no longer seemed contradictory. This was one of the few times he didn't look so gloomy.

Every time this happened, Xia Xia would stand protectively in front of Su Tiantian, glaring at Suzhou and yelling about him being a sickly, lovesick fool who was punching above his weight – all out of protectiveness for Su Tiantian.

The morning rush was slow, so Su Tiantian and Li Xiaogui had time to enjoy a small piece of cake. It was the new recipe, the one Suzhou had already taken a bite of.

Li Xiaogui held her face and exclaimed, "It's so good!"

"Right?" Su Tiantian agreed.

Xia Xia scoffed beside them. "What's so good about it? It's all just empty calories! You'll get fat and die."

Li Xiaogui rolled her eyes and repeated Xia Xia's complaints.

Su Tiantian burst into laughter. "Yes, yes, yes! That sounds exactly like something Xia Xia would say! She's so strict about her figure. Let me tell you, Xia Xia has abs!"

Suzhou's face darkened at Su Tiantian's side, while Xia Xia proudly raised her head. "That's right, I have abs!"

Taking advantage of being a ghost, she even lifted her shirt in front of the three of them.

Su Tiantian said, "Ah, I want to see! Xia Xia's abs are amazing."

Li Xiaogui's eyes sparkled as she stared ahead. Envious, she discreetly lifted a corner of her sweatshirt and reached inside to poke and prod at her own stomach, only to find soft, pillowy flesh.

Su Tiantian asked, "Where is Xia Xia now?"

Xia Xia gestured frantically in front of Li Xiaogui, trying to convey her message. "University! University!"

"Is it a performing arts school?" Su Tiantian asked.

More frantic gesturing from Xia Xia, which Li Xiaogui translated. "Just a regular university."

Su Tiantian sounded surprised. "But didn't she always want to be a celebrity?"

Li Xiaogui explained, "She says she just wants to focus on her studies for now. Finish university."

Su Tiantian sounded a little disappointed. "Ah, I know, I was the one who told her to study. But I thought she would apply to a performing arts school. She didn't like studying before, so I always told her to study hard and go to university. I think she thought I didn't want her to be a celebrity. It's not that I didn't want her to be a celebrity, but good performing arts schools have high academic requirements too. And if she just messes around, she'll have a lot of black history when she debuts, right? Bad grades, a lot of black history, people will laugh at her then. I don't want her to be laughed at."

She continued, "Actually, I think she can definitely be a celebrity. When she debuts and I see her on TV, I'm going to be the president of her fan club, hahahahaha."

Xia Xia looked like she was about to cry.

Su Tiantian asked, "Oh right, does she still want to be a celebrity?"

Li Xiaogui glanced at Xia Xia and shook her head. "Not anymore."

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