Feng Yi’s face flushed as soon as he sent the text.

The amount of money he needed to “borrow a little” was, in fact, enormous.

For an ordinary person, borrowing fifty to a hundred thousand was already a significant favour, but the amount he needed was a sky-high price to most.

Sighing deeply, Feng Yi scrubbed his face hard and added a few more lines: [It would be even better if you could advance it. A signed IOU is fine, too. I will travel to Yangcheng within three days to attend to the Family Register matter. If what you say is true, it shouldn’t be difficult, and even if it is, I will complete it. Can you advance a portion of that one hundred million? Just a temporary emergency loan?]

He expected to be ignored, but a reply came back immediately….

[An advance is not permissible, but I will personally lend you some. An IOU is unnecessary. Please wait.]

Feng Yi began typing, trying to organise his thoughts: [The amount I need is not small…]

Before he could finish the message, he received a bank notification text stating that three million yuan had been deposited. It was exactly enough to cover his immediate debts.

The signed agreement mentioned his bank card number, so the account number wasn’t a surprise.

The other party had observed him for over a month and knew the amount of debt he had, so matching the amount wasn’t surprising either.

But…

A transfer of such a large sum happened so fast?

No counter transactions or special channels required?

Feng Yi took a deep breath, searched his phone for the nearest ATM, and ran there to check his balance.

It was absolutely, definitely three million yuan deposited!

It was not a fake text message!

Also, the old butler had said, “I will personally lend you some”?

Clutching his phone, Feng Yi fell into deep thought.

This was a butler?

A butler who could lend three million as casually as three thousand?

Most people would ask a few questions before lending even three thousand! Yet the old butler had lent this amount so easily?

In Feng Yi’s eyes, the profession of “butler” was now radiating dazzling golden light.

Naturally, this also meant that the inheritance left by his never-before-seen great-aunt might be beyond anything he could imagine.

With a complicated mix of feelings, Feng Yi texted the old butler: [Aren’t you afraid I’ll take the money and run?]

Butler: [Smiling emoji]

Feng Yi: [Pleased/Obedient emoji]

Though he was sending cute emojis on his phone, Feng Yi’s internal alarm bells were ringing louder than ever.

The old butler wasn’t afraid he’d run.

Because running was impossible.

That newly merged Zodiac Charm Coin probably had a tracking function. Even if it didn’t, anyone who could employ this level of technology was absolutely not simple.

Realising this, Feng Yi let out a heavy sigh, walked to the parking lot, and drove home.

Overthinking was useless; he needed to solve the problem at hand first.

He had appointments to pay compensation to the collaborating companies tomorrow. Feng Yi decided to go home and catch up on sleep to fully replenish his energy.

He hadn’t slept properly in a week, and today’s events had been a massive shock. His head was spinning. However, the heavy rock that had weighed on his chest for so long had been temporarily moved. He felt a rare sense of ease; even his breathing was smoother.

Upon arriving home, he immediately went to bed to catch up on sleep.

Though it was daytime, he slept soundly until he was woken by the doorbell.

The visitor wasn’t a debt collector, but Wu Ji, his university classmate who lived in the same building.

“Are you okay? I called you a dozen times, and you didn’t answer or reply to my messages. I was about to call the police!”

Wu Ji scrutinised Feng Yi. Feng Yi looked half-asleep, but his mental state was much better than in the previous days. Even looking this way, his appearance still crushed most people; he really was worthy of being the one the Tony-sensei at the barbershop fought over to shoot ads for back in freshman year.

Knowing Feng Yi was fine, Wu Ji relaxed. Living so close and being so familiar, he didn’t stand on ceremony with Feng Yi. Wu Ji poured himself a cup of water and sat down.

“Did you find the guy who ran off with the money from your studio?”

Feng Yi hadn’t gone into too much detail, so Wu Ji only knew that Feng Yi’s partner had betrayed him and run away with the funds, leaving Feng Yi to pay a considerable amount in compensation. Feng Yi hadn’t specified the amount, but from the last few days, Wu Ji knew it was no small figure.

“Not yet,” Feng Yi said. “But I’ve found a solution.”

“Wha-wha-what kind of solution?” Wu Ji stammered, worried.

Feng Yi was standing on the edge of the entertainment industry now, and Wu Ji was afraid he might take a wrong turn, a path from which it would be difficult to return.

Feng Yi thought for a moment, then answered, “I found a rich relative.”

Wu Ji was half-sceptical, half-relieved.

“Well, that’s good. How much more do you need? I can help you figure something out.” Wu Ji offered.

He had spent a lot of money renovating his own shop last month and had been extremely busy, so he was currently a bit tight on cash, but he still didn’t want to see Feng Yi make a mistake.

Wu Ji’s family had gotten wealthy through real estate demolition and compensation. They had bought two units in the same building: one on the 5th floor for his parents, and one on the 29th floor for himself, directly below Feng Yi. He later took out a loan to buy a commercial storefront near the community entrance to run his own business after graduation. Although he was tight on cash, he could still manage a few hundred thousand.

“Thanks, but I can solve the money problem myself.”

Feng Yi knew Wu Ji’s situation, which was why he hadn’t given him the details. If it were just a few hundred thousand in debt, he could have borrowed it from Wu Ji and the others in an emergency, but twenty-plus million was beyond their help. Furthermore, this matter was complicated, and he didn’t want to involve too many unrelated people.

Seeing that Feng Yi didn’t seem to be faking his composure and that his mental state was genuinely improving, Wu Ji dropped the subject.

“Alright, it’s good that it’s solved… Oh, by the way, I’m staying on the 5th floor for the next few days. If you need me, come down there,” Wu Ji said. “The community has been having a rat plague lately… You know about the rat plague in the entire area, right? The owner group has been arguing about it for days.”

Feng Yi nodded. “I heard a little, not much. I haven’t been checking the owner group because of the studio troubles.”

Wu Ji continued: “Well, let me tell you. There’s been a rat plague in many areas of the city recently. Last week, the two adjacent communities hired people to exterminate the rats, but instead of killing them, they just scared them off into other communities. We’re the closest, so we’re the most affected. I heard a child got bitten, but I don’t know if that’s true; there are so many rumours, it’s a mess… Anyway, my parents, who live on the 5th floor, are being driven crazy by the rats. They can’t sleep at night. The lower floors are being hit the hardest.”

“Your place has three bedrooms too. You could just have your parents stay with you on the 29th floor,” Feng Yi suggested.

Wu Ji waved a hand. “Our routines are different from the elderly; it’s too much trouble. We’re just switching flats for now to get through this rat plague. Oh, did you get rats in your place?”

Feng Yi thought carefully, then shook his head. “I haven’t seen any, but I might not have noticed.”

NOTES

Rat Snake (菜花蛇 – Càihuā Shé): A large, non-venomous snake species common in China, often colloquially called a “Rat Snake” or “Flower Snake.” It’s considered the least threatening type of snake in the story’s context.

Owner Group: I think it’s like a resident group chat.