Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

Feng Yi intended to firmly master his venom glands and proceeded with two steps simultaneously.

First, he would control the glands so they didn’t store venom. Modern appliances were all about “instant heat” technology, and his venom glands needed to be “instant venom” as well: available in a split second when needed, but not leaking a single drop when they didn’t!

Second, he would control not only the glands and their surrounding muscles but also the venom ducts. This way, even if the glands did store venom, external factors wouldn’t be able to easily force it out!

Attacking from both sides, he moved forward without conflict.

With both measures in place, he would be as steady as an ox!

Feng Yi was very satisfied with his venom gland control method. Now, he wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally harming his friends when they gathered for a meal.

To use an analogy: if a venomous snake lost its fangs, how many people would still fear it? As long as it wasn’t a large species, it basically posed no threat. Anyone bitten would only need to worry about preventing bacterial infection; antivenom wouldn’t even be necessary.

Feng Yi certainly didn’t consider himself a snake, but through this comparison, he felt that his current self, with mastered glands, wasn’t much different from his previous state, was he?

He wondered if his evolution had stabilized yet.

Feng Yi recalled the “one-month deadline” Mute Uncle had mentioned. Was the evolution complete?

However, according to the butler’s words, evolution certainly wouldn’t be restricted to such a short period of time.

Did that mean subsequent stages of evolution wouldn’t involve obvious symptoms of pain?

Just as he was wondering where the next stage of evolution would occur, Feng Yi received a new message notification. It was Lu Yue.

If he hadn’t seen the name, Feng Yi would have almost forgotten the man. He remembered Lu Yue’s “genuine leather” fake bag and fake watch. He hadn’t followed up on the aftermath of that incident and hadn’t been in contact with him since.

Lu Yue was reaching out this time to invite him to dinner, claiming he wanted to chat and strengthen their ties as alumni.

Feng Yi accepted. He guessed that behind this gratitude, there were surely other matters to discuss.

Afternoon tea at two-thirty, followed by a “chat” until five or six, and then dinner. Given Lu Yue’s level of busyness, how significant must the matter be for him to clear such a large block of time?

On second thought, Feng Yi realized it was an opportunity. Perhaps a big deal was coming his way!

In the afternoon, Feng Yi arrived on time at the tea shop Lu Yue had specified. Compared to Wu Ji’s grounded, family-oriented shop, this place exuded low-key luxury.

After giving Lu Yue’s name, Feng Yi was led to a tea room where Lu Yue was already waiting.

“The afternoon tea here is quite good. Some… quite famous star came here for tea and even showed it off on social media,” Lu Yue said with a smile.

He had researched Feng Yi’s past and knew he had originally planned to enter the entertainment industry, so he wanted to provide an example to give Feng Yi a sense of belonging. Unexpectedly, the words left his mouth, but he couldn’t remember the star’s name. He didn’t usually follow the entertainment industry, and he wasn’t familiar with many of the new faces, unable to match names to faces. He only paid attention when his brand was looking for spokespeople; otherwise, he wouldn’t bother expending energy on such things.

But that didn’t matter!

Choosing this place served two purposes. First, the taste was decent and the class was appropriate; a Chinese-style tea room was suitable for all ages. Second, and most importantly, the privacy was excellent, making it ideal for business discussions. Even the menus were handmade rather than the trendy electronic versions.

When discussing business, the fewer electronic products present, the more at ease he felt.

As for the afternoon tea itself…

He rarely had the time for a leisurely tea session. If he were to be here, it was inevitably work-related.

He handed Feng Yi an exquisitely crafted menu. “Please, don’t be formal with me!”

Feng Yi didn’t hold back and began ordering. To master his venom glands, he had been releasing a fair amount of venom lately, which made him get hungry quickly. He had eaten a large meal at noon, but his stomach was already empty.

Lu Yue scanned the menu. Seeing Feng Yi order so much, his expression remained unchanged. Regardless of what he thought inwardly, he had to maintain decorum on the surface. As for himself, the tea and snacks he ordered were all on the lighter side.

There was a common saying: “Sweet with green, sour with red, melon seeds with oolong.” At a tea table, the pairing of snacks and tea was very specific, with different kinds of tea requiring suitable pastries. This shop had a good reputation among the elite because it put a lot of thought into these details.

Feng Yi smelled the tea aroma and looked at the snacks, feeling a strong appetite. Of course, he had been feeling a strong appetite constantly lately.

Because they were going to talk business and didn’t want to be disturbed, Lu Yue gestured for the tea master to leave.

This left just the two of them in the room. The table in front of Feng Yi was covered in pastries, while in front of Lu Yue stood a pot of clear tea and a delicate, simple plate of snacks.

Feng Yi glanced at Lu Yue.

Lu Yue, feeling somewhat puzzled by the look, explained with a smile, “I’ve been feeling a bit of ‘internal heat’ lately, so I’m eating light.”

“…Mhm.” Feng Yi lowered his head. You have a very light palate indeed, considering you had beef vermicelli for lunch.

Although Lu Yue had been very careful to dissipate the scents on his body and had even sprayed men’s cologne to mask it, he couldn’t hide it from Feng Yi’s nose.

Someone who had just eaten beef vermicelli and Mao Xue Wang at noon was now saying they were “eating light due to internal heat”?

Fine, then, let it be light.

They were both men of decorum; he wouldn’t expose the lie to his face.

Lu Yue had no idea all his disguises had been seen through. He maintained his professional elite-style friendly smile, took a sip of tea, and said, “I haven’t heard from you lately. What have you been busy with? If you need help with anything, just say it! Your Brother Lu still has a bit of face in certain circles.”

“I’ve recently found a side hustle,” Feng Yi said.

“What side hustle?” Lu Yue perked up and sat a bit straighter. He thought that if Feng Yi needed help, he would lend a hand to repay the previous favor and lead into the next matter.

“Catching rats.”

“…”

The smile on Lu Yue’s face froze. This keyword was a leap too far, exceeding the scope of his professional expertise.

However, Lu Yue quickly resumed his friendly smile. “There are indeed more pest control companies lately. The market demand is large and profitable.”

It was just that Lu Yue looked down on such profits and felt it lacked sufficient decorum.

Feng Yi thought of the bank transfer he had received and nodded. “Indeed. It’s ten thousand yuan per rat.”

Lu Yue’s hand holding the teacup trembled, and the smile on his face nearly collapsed.

Ten thousand per rat?

Are the rats you’re catching gold-plated?!

During the rat plague, Lu Yue’s company had also hired a professional, top-tier pest control team to clean the premises. Although the price was high, it wasn’t nearly as high as ten thousand per rat!

“How many people are on your team?” Lu Yue asked. If there were many people, each person wouldn’t get much.

“Just me. I take jobs as they come; it’s quite flexible.”

“Oh, haha, I didn’t know you had such skills. I’ll have to see it sometime if there’s a chance.” Lu Yue laughed awkwardly, intending to change the subject to the real business of the day.

Feng Yi picked up his chopsticks. “I can demonstrate. Look, Brother Lu, there’s a piece of osmanthus cake on this saucer.”

“There’s no need for such haste, let’s first talk about…” 

Lu Yue had just opened his mouth to discuss the main point when he saw Feng Yi’s hand flash. The piece of osmanthus cake on the saucer seemed to teleport, appearing between his chopsticks.

Lu Yue: “…”

Feng Yi stuffed the cake into his mouth. After finishing, he saw that Lu Yue was still staring at him.

“Brother Lu, what were you going to say?”

“…Let’s first talk about this ‘ten thousand per rat’ thing!”

NOTES

Decorum (体面 – tǐmiàn): A key cultural concept involving dignity, social standing, and saving face. Lu Yue is obsessed with it, while Feng Yi is becoming more practical. 

Mao Xue Wang (毛血旺): A spicy Szechuan dish made with duck blood, tripe, and other offal. It has a very strong, distinct spicy and savory scent. 

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