New Semester, New Plans

Two days had quietly slipped by since the unforgettable medicinal hot pot feast in the backyard of the Chen Clinic. There was only a little time left before the California Institute of Technology semester began.

Following the plan they had discussed before parting last time, Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry gathered once more in the backyard of the Chen-Style Chinese Medicine Clinic.

They were about to use Lin Hai's Portal to return directly to their shared home in Los Angeles.

They had set out early so they would have enough time to thoroughly clean the house, which had been empty for more than a month.

As for Mary Jane, who also attended school in Los Angeles, she had returned to campus several days earlier. According to her, the school drama club had important events planned for the new semester, and its core members needed to return early to prepare.

After the four said goodbye to Master Chen Bing, a golden Portal lit up. With one step through it, they were back in the familiar living room of their Los Angeles home.

Although no one had lived there for over a month, they had prepared well before leaving—the doors and windows had been tightly shut, and all the furniture had been covered with dust sheets. As a result, not much dust had accumulated, though the house carried a faint, chilly stillness unique to an unoccupied home.

"All right, guys, get moving!" Lin Hai clapped his hands, possessed by the spirit of a class labor monitor. "First, put away all the dust sheets. Then dust, mop, clean the windows, and air the place out! Let's finish by this afternoon!"

"Okay!" "Got it!" "No problem!" The four immediately got to work.

Peter gathered everything that needed washing and stuffed it into the