CH 4

After taking care of the debts and the studio affairs, Feng Yi had another good night’s sleep.

But the other person wasn’t so lucky. Because of Feng Yi’s words, Lu Yue waited all night with extremely complicated feelings after handing over the items for testing, just to wait for the test results.

It wasn’t until dawn that Lu Yue received the call.

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to be hiding somewhere to secretly make the call. As if he was about to say something terrible, his voice was very low.

“Brother Lu, are you in some serious trouble!?”

Lu Yue’s heart sank, and he knew that something was wrong after hearing this sentence.

“Give me the result first!”

The person on the other end of the phone took a deep breath, then continued in a low voice. “It’s real snakeskin, and it’s probably from the wild. I don’t know the exact species. The leather has been treated and can’t be compared, but it’s probably a rare species.

“I used the latest instruments and test kits that the company has just introduced, which took a little longer. Fortunately, these instruments are still in the debugging stage, and I am the only person on duty here at night. I didn’t dare to keep the results. Brother Lu, how did you get it?”

Lu Yue shut his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were full of hostility. He practically squeezed his next words out of his teeth. “It was given by someone else!”

The person on the other side of the phone breathed a sigh of relief. “Brother, you should stay away from those people. I heard there is an investigation into a batch of wild animal skins that recently hit the market. Not long ago, your old man was in the official news, saying in an article that we should answer the country’s call to use more environmentally friendly and safer materials. If this is found out, there will be a lot of trouble. Given the nature of your company, do you know how many people are waiting to bring you down! It’s not easy to make a big brand, nor to climb to your current position. You can’t let something like this ruin it!”

“I know all of this! Get rid of any records on your side, and I’ll send you the money later.”

After hanging up and transferring the money, Lu Yue went through his contacts and sent a message to Feng Yi. “Thanks! I owe you one!”

When Feng Yi woke up in the morning, he saw the message and smiled. Although Lu Yue didn’t show it on his face, he still listened to what he said. As someone who was able to reach his current position in a big company, he was definitely not a simpleton. After giving a polite reply, Feng Yi put the matter aside. He had a big task to do next!

It was still dark outside, and the sun hadn’t come out. Feng Yi opened the balcony door of the living room, enjoyed the cool morning breeze for a while, and then went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

He cooked a plate of frozen dumplings and steamed three eggs, since that was all there was in the refrigerator. He had been too busy and hadn’t stocked much. Feng Yi stuffed a dumpling into his mouth and was lost in thought while cracking the eggshell. When he looked up, he saw a small figure appear from the balcony. Had it not been for this figure, Feng Yi would have forgotten that the neighborhood had recently been plagued by rats!

A taupe rat, longer than a palm, swaggered in from the balcony.

Feng Yi cracked the egg.

The sound made the rodent’s footsteps pause. The little guy looked up at Feng Yi, and then continued walking into the house.

Feng Yi: ?

Unafraid of humans? Even face-to-face they were so bold? No wonder the property owners of the community were so upset!

Remembering Wu Ji’s words, Feng Yi quickly stood up and closed all the doors, including those in the bathroom and kitchen. The gap at the bottom of the doors wasn’t big enough for the rat to crawl under. After closing the bedroom door, Feng Yi went back to the dining table and sat down to continue cracking the eggs.

Just now, when Feng Yi got up, the rat moved under the sofa in the living room. Now that Feng Yi sat down, the creature popped out from under the sofa after a while. It took a look at Feng Yi and began to dig through the wastebasket in the living room. Feng Yi stomped his feet, and the rodent that was rummaging in the wastebasket retreated under the sofa. However, it came out within five seconds and continued rummaging through the trash as if no one was there. This time, stomping was useless.

Feng Yi was stunned. As expected of the community’s tyrants!

He had no handy tools at home, and he had more important things to do than spend time catching a rat. After thinking about it, he peeled off a piece of egg white with chopsticks, wrapped it in a paper towel, and placed it on a low flower stand on the balcony outside. He retreated into the room and continued to eat his breakfast while watching the movement on that side.

Sure enough, after a while, the rat got tired of digging through the garbage. It followed the smell to the balcony and struggled to climb up the flower shelf to find the food. Feng Yi took the opportunity to quickly close the glass door of the balcony to keep the rodent out, then took a photo through the glass door and sent it to Wu Ji——

“Please watch out downstairs.”

“…Fuck! Early morning and I woke up scared to death!”

“I don’t know if it came from upstairs or downstairs. It climbed the outer wall, and then entered from the air-conditioning unit next to the balcony. I didn’t close the window on that side and had only remembered the balcony door yesterday.”

“I told my parents to quickly check the doors and windows! Especially the balcony! By the way, last night’s group chat said that the community-organized rodent cleanup will be held in the next two days, so make a note of that,” Wu Ji said.

“I’m going on a long trip today, and I won’t be home. I’ve checked the doors and windows; they won’t get in.

After talking to Wu Ji, Feng Yi opened the group chat of the community property owners and checked the chat logs to see the progress of the rodent eradication. When he looked out on the balcony after breakfast, the rat had already eaten the egg and left. After checking the doors and windows again to make sure no food or other items were exposed, Feng Yi packed his bags and rushed to the airport.

He took a nap on the plane, and when he woke up, he had already arrived at the border of Yangcheng. He had left this place after the college entrance examination. Now, five or six years later, he had returned. Standing at the airport in Yangcheng, Feng Yi didn’t know how he felt. But there was no time for sentimentality. After searching the nearest outdoor goods stores, Feng Yi took a taxi to buy some equipment.

Mount Xiaofeng was a snake mountain. Even if there was an isolation zone, it was uncertain whether he would encounter a snake that was able to get out. It was more reassuring to be better equipped.

After buying the equipment, Feng Yi put on clothes and shoes with better protection, but he didn’t wear a helmet. He hadn’t reached the place yet, so it would seem strange to wear one. He just wore a disposable mask that he bought from a drugstore. Nowadays, many people wore masks to prevent dust, respiratory allergies, and infectious diseases, so Feng Yi didn’t stand out at all. Besides, he was indeed famous for a brief time, and this was the place where he had lived for eighteen years. Being recognized by others would be a little awkward.

Using a car rental app, Feng Yi booked a ride and chose Mount Xiaofeng as his destination. The fare was calculated according to the distance and came to about thirty dollars. But after waiting for ten minutes, no one took the booking. The only driver who accepted actually called to say that he made a mistake and asked if Feng Yi could cancel the booking. He was willing to send a red envelope in compensation.

Feng Yi sat on the public bench and stared at the phone interface. No one was actually willing to take the booking!

Remembering the post on the Internet that said many people were unwilling to go to Mount Xiaofeng, Feng Yi tapped on the option to raise the fare. However, a box appeared to inform him that this function was being updated and could only be used after midnight.

Time was what Feng Yi lacked right now! He had told the old butler that he would finish the task as soon as possible!

He decided to look into public transportation. Some of the equipment he had just bought couldn’t be taken on the subway, and none of the public transportation went directly to Mount Xiaofeng. The nearest bus station was at least two kilometers away from his destination.

There was a protected area on the mountain, but it wasn’t within the possible range for shared bicycles according to netizens. If someone tried to ride over there, a window would pop up in warning, and even lock the bike automatically.

Feng Yi looked around and happened to see a taxi parked not far away with the passengers getting out. He rushed over and stopped the car before it left.

“Mister, can you take me to Mount Xiaofeng? I’ll add extra to the fare.”

The driver was about to refuse when he heard the location, but hearing the last sentence, he paused and glanced up at Feng Yi. “Seventy, deal?”

“Deal!”

As long as he could take a car there instead of having to rent one himself, he would take whatever the price was. After all, he was in a hurry.

“Scan this QR code. Tap the raise fare button on the screen and put in seventy, then check the passenger voluntarily added box,” the driver said.

After Feng Yi put his big backpack into the trunk, he got into the car and heard this. “Okay. But that’s it? Won’t your company have something to say when they find out?”

“After completing this trip, I’ll just file a report in advance, and the company should understand. No one wants to go to Mount Xiaofeng.

“In the winter, it’s fine. But as the weather gradually warms up, people are reluctant to go. After all, it is Snake Mountain. Although there is an isolation zone, it may not be completely isolated. Just recently, my colleague took a trip and drove two people there for some company inspection. There are a lot of agriculture and animal husbandry companies near Mount Xiaofeng, but I don’t remember which one they went to. Anyway, after he drove them there, they offered him a meal. On the way back, the car was impounded.”

“Why?” Feng Yi asked.

“He had picked up another booking when he entered the city, and then the passenger found a snake in his car. The passenger was screaming and reporting to the police about seeing a dragon at the same time!”

“What bad luck!” the driver lamented.

“Following that, the company was overly concerned about the matter, the police requested a meet, and he also attracted the attention of relevant departments. On the same day, there were rumors that he was a rideshare driver in public but secretly selling wild animals!

“Fortunately, there was surveillance and witnesses on Mount Xiaofeng. Otherwise, there was no way for him to get out clean.”

“He didn’t have to pay a fine and was let off after getting a few words. The company also specifically mentioned in a meeting that the cars going there shouldn’t stop for too long in the future, and that they should double-check the vehicle before leaving to avoid being on the news.”

The driver sighed, thinking that humans were no better than snakes.

“My grandparents were all snake eaters in their generation. When it came to my parents’ generation, the policy was tightened a bit. In my generation, it’s don’t even think about it. We can’t even hide in time, let alone try to eat them. On top of that, we’ve got the strictest conservation law hanging over our heads. It’s not that I’m afraid of snakes, it’s just that it’s hard to explain things clearly when it comes to snakes. And some reporters are always looking for blood.”

“Take my colleague’s incident for example, he was targeted by a paid freelance journalist who made a video about his incident. It had all kinds of twists and turns, a rollercoaster plot, a mysterious and eccentric soundtrack, and flashy special effects. It was shared so many times that it quickly became a top trending search!

“Although in the end it did help my colleague a little bit in dispelling the rumors, not everyone would be willing to become famous in that way.”

Feng Yi finally understood what had happened. He didn’t pay attention to this kind of recent news on the Internet because of his work studio affairs. As it turned out, there really was a reason why so many drivers refused to take his booking and go to Mount Xiaofeng.

While waiting at the red light, the driver glanced at Feng Yi sitting in the back row through the rearview mirror. “Are you a celebrity?” the driver asked.

Feng Yi was surprised. He had only played a supporting role in a web drama. Although he was lucky enough to become famous when it aired not long ago, he didn’t have the mental capacity to ride the wave due to his work studio affairs. His popularity had long died down, there was no way the driver recognized him, right?

Thinking about it, Feng Yi coughed lightly and said in a firm tone, “No.”

How could a barely popular Internet star that’s no longer famous be considered a celebrity? He was not worthy of such a title!!!