Having settled the debt and the studio issues, Feng Yi slept well for another night.

However, another person did not enjoy such high-quality sleep.

Because of Feng Yi’s words, Lu Yue sent the items for testing and spent the entire night waiting, with extremely complicated feelings, for the results.

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

The person on the other end sounded as if they were hiding somewhere to speak in secret, their voice hushed, as if about to deliver terrifying news.

“Brother Lu, have you gotten yourself into some huge trouble?”

Lu Yue’s heart sank. Just hearing that sentence told him the situation was dire.

“Just give me the results first!”

The person on the other end took a deep breath, then continued in a suppressed voice, “It’s real snake skin. Most likely wild. I don’t know the specific species; the leather has been processed so it can’t be matched exactly, but it’s likely a rare species.”

“I used the company’s newly imported latest-model equipment and testing kits. It took a bit longer, but thankfully, these machines are still in commissioning, and I was the only one on duty last night. I didn’t dare save the test results. Brother Lu, where did you get this?”

Lu Yue squeezed his eyes shut tight. When he opened them again, they were filled with ruthlessness. He practically squeezed the words out through his teeth: “A gift from someone else!”

The person on the phone let out a long sigh of relief. “Brother, you’d better stay away from those people. I heard there’s been an investigation recently into a batch of wild animal skins entering the market. Given the nature of your company, and how your family’s patriarch just appeared in the official news responding to the national call to use more environmentally friendly and safe materials… if you get tangled up in this now, even if you clear your name, it’ll be a lot of trouble. So many people are waiting to find fault with you guys! Building a brand isn’t easy, and reaching your current position wasn’t either. You can’t let a stain like this stick to you!”

“I know all of that! Delete the operation records on your end. I’ll wire you the money in a bit.”

After hanging up and transferring the money, Lu Yue pulled up his contacts and sent a message to Feng Yi: [Thanks! I owe you one!]

****

Early in the morning, Feng Yi saw the message after waking up and smiled.

Although Lu Yue hadn’t shown it on his face, he had listened to the words. Anyone who could fight their way to such a position in a major conglomerate was no simple character.

After sending a polite reply, Feng Yi tossed the matter aside. He had a big mission ahead of him!

Outside, the sky was still a bit dim; the sun hadn’t risen yet.

Feng Yi slid open the glass door to the living room balcony, enjoying the cool morning breeze for a moment before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

He boiled a plate of frozen dumplings and steamed three eggs. That was all that was in the fridge; he had been too busy lately to stock up.

Feng Yi stuffed a dumpling into his mouth and was cracking an eggshell while thinking about things when he looked up and saw a figure appear on the balcony.

If he hadn’t seen this figure, Feng Yi would have almost forgotten: the community was suffering from a rat plague recently!

A gray-brown rat, longer than a human hand, swaggered in from the balcony.

Feng Yi cracked the egg on the table.

The sound made the rat pause.

The creature looked up at Feng Yi, then continued walking into the room.

Feng Yi: ???

Not afraid of people?

So bold right to my face?

No wonder the community owners were complaining endlessly!

Remembering Wu Ji’s words, Feng Yi quickly got up and closed all the room doors, as well as the bathroom and kitchen doors. The gaps under the doors weren’t significant; the rat couldn’t get in.

After closing the bedroom door, Feng Yi returned to the dining table, sat down, and continued cracking his egg.

When Feng Yi had gotten up earlier, the rat had scurried under the living room sofa. Now that Feng Yi was sitting down, the creature poked its head out from under the couch again, glanced at Feng Yi, and started rummaging through the living room trash bin.

Feng Yi stomped his foot. The rat, rummaging through the trash, shrank back under the sofa, but less than five seconds later, it came out again and continued digging as if no one were there.

Stomping was useless this time.

Feng Yi was stunned.

Worthy of being a neighbourhood tyrant!

He didn’t have any handy tools at home, and he had more important things to do today; he wouldn’t waste time catching a rat.

Thinking for a moment, he peeled off a piece of egg white with his chopsticks, wrapped it in a tissue, and placed it on a low flower stand on the balcony. He then retreated into the room to continue eating breakfast while keeping an eye on the movement over there.

Sure enough, a moment later, the rat abandoned the trash bin, followed the scent to the balcony, and struggled to climb the flower stand to get the egg.

Feng Yi seized the opportunity to quickly slide the balcony’s glass door shut, locking the rat outside. He then took a photo through the glass door and sent it to Wu Ji

“Attention downstairs.”

“…Fuck! Scared me awake this early in the morning!” Wu Ji asked, “How did it climb up to your place?”

“I don’t know if it came from upstairs or downstairs. It climbed along the outer wall, then came in from the air conditioner platform next to the balcony. I didn’t close the window over there; I only focused on closing the balcony door yesterday.”

“I’ll tell my parents to check all the doors and windows immediately! Especially the balcony! By the way, the owner group said last night that the community is organising rat extermination over the next two days. Keep an eye out,” Wu Ji said.

“I have to travel far today, so I won’t be home. I checked the doors and windows; they can’t get in.”

After notifying Wu Ji, Feng Yi opened the community owner group chat and scrolled through the chat history to check the progress of the rat extermination.

When he looked at the balcony again after finishing breakfast, the rat had finished the egg and left.

Checking the doors and windows one last time to ensure no food was left exposed, Feng Yi packed his luggage and rushed to the airport.

He dozed off on the plane and woke up in the Yangcheng territory.

It had been five or six years since he left here after the college entrance exam. Now, he was back.

Standing in Yangcheng Airport, Feng Yi’s mood was indescribable.

Of course, there was no time for sentimentality.

After searching for a few nearby outdoor supply stores, Feng Yi took a taxi to buy some gear.

Little Phoenix Mountain was a “Snake Mountain.” Even if there were isolation barriers, there was no guarantee a snake wouldn’t flip over the barrier and cross his path. Adding some extra gear made him feel more secure.

After buying the gear, he changed into clothes and shoes with better protection. He didn’t wear the helmet; he hadn’t reached the location yet, so wearing it would look strange. He only wore a disposable mask bought from a pharmacy.

With so many people wearing masks nowadays to prevent dust, respiratory allergies, and infectious diseases, Feng Yi didn’t stand out at all. Besides, he had been briefly popular recently, and this was the place where he had lived for eighteen years; being recognised would be a little awkward.

He ordered a ride-share on his phone, setting the destination as Little Phoenix Mountain: metered fare, around 200 yuan.

However, after waiting for ten minutes, no one accepted the order.

The only driver who accepted called to say it was a mistake and asked him to cancel, offering to send a red envelope as compensation.

Feng Yi sat on a public bench, staring at his phone screen.

They actually refuse to take the order!

Thinking of the online posts saying many people were unwilling to go to Little Phoenix Mountain, Feng Yi clicked the “Add Tip” option. Still, a pop-up appeared stating that this function was currently being updated and would be available after midnight tonight.

What Feng Yi lacked right now was time!

He had told the old butler he would finish the task as soon as possible!

He searched for subway and bus routes.

Some of the gear he just bought couldn’t be taken onto the subway, and none of the public transport options went directly to Little Phoenix Mountain. The nearest bus stop was at least two kilometres from the destination.

Because there was a conservation area near Little Phoenix Mountain, netizens said it was also outside the shared bike operational zone. Riding there would trigger a warning pop-up or even automatically lock the bike.

Feng Yi looked around. Just then, a taxi stopped nearby to drop off a passenger.

He rushed over and stopped the car before it could leave.

“Master, do you go to Little Phoenix Mountain? I’ll add money.”

The driver intended to refuse as soon as he heard Little Phoenix Mountain, but upon hearing the last three words, he paused, lifted his eyelids to glance at Feng Yi, and said, “500. Deal, and we go.”

“Deal!”

As long as he could get a ride, it saved him the trouble of renting a car himself. He was pressed for time.

“Scan this QR code. First, tap ‘Add Tip 300’ on the operation page, and check ‘Passenger Voluntary’,” the driver said.

Feng Yi put his large backpack in the trunk and, hearing this as he got into the car, replied, “Sure. That’s how it works? Your company won’t say anything if they find out?”

“Once I finish this order, I’ll just submit a note; the company understands. No one wants to go to Little Phoenix Mountain.

“It’s fine in winter, but once the weather warms up, people are unwilling to go. It is Snake Mountain, after all. Although there are isolation barriers, they aren’t guaranteed to completely isolate everything. Just a while ago, a colleague of mine took an order to drive two people there. They said they were going to inspect some companies; there are quite a few agriculture and animal husbandry companies near Little Phoenix Mountain. I don’t remember which specific company, but anyway, after dropping them off, he was invited to stay for a meal. On the way back, his car got impounded.”

“Why?” Feng Yi asked.

“He picked up another order when entering the city, and the passenger found a snake in his car. The passenger screamed, filed a complaint, called the police, and reported him, the whole package!”

The driver lamented, “Bad luck!

“After that, the company gave him ‘excessive care,’ the police invited him for tea, and he even attracted the attention of relevant departments. Rumours started flying that same day that he was a ride-share driver by day and a wild animal trafficker by night!

“Luckily, there was surveillance footage, and there were witnesses at Little Phoenix Mountain, otherwise ten mouths couldn’t explain it clearly!

“Fortunately, there was no fine that time, just a lecture. The company even held a meeting specifically to mention that cars going that way shouldn’t stay too long and should double-check everything before leaving, or else they’ll end up on the social news.”

The driver sighed, feeling that humans were less important than snakes.

“My grandparents’ generation ate snakes. By the time my parents’ generation reached adulthood, policies tightened slightly. By my generation, forget it, we run away as fast as we can. The Strictest Protection Law is hanging over our heads. It’s not just fear of snakes; it’s really that, if you get involved in something, you sometimes can’t explain it clearly. Some reporters are just itching to stir up trouble.

“Take my colleague’s case. A self-media marketing account targeted him and made a video about it. They made it sound bizarre and convoluted, with ups and downs in the plot, mysterious and eerie background music, flashback effects, twist after twist, and boom, it hit the trending search!

“Although it technically helped clear my colleague’s name in the end, not everyone wants to become famous that way.”

Feng Yi understood now. So that was it. Because of the studio issues, he really hadn’t paid attention to this kind of news online. No wonder so many drivers refused to go to Little Phoenix Mountain; there was a real story behind it.

While waiting for a red light, the driver glanced at Feng Yi in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

“Are you a celebrity?” the driver asked.

Feng Yi was startled. He had only played a supporting role in one web drama. Although it aired recently and he got a bit of popularity, he hadn’t had time to manage his image due to studio trouble, and the hype had already cooled. Surely the driver couldn’t actually recognise him?

Thinking it over, Feng Yi coughed lightly and said with certainty, “No.”

How can a washed-up, minor internet celebrity from beyond the 18th tier count as a star?

I am not worthy!!!

NOTES

Rat Guts: Literally “Rat Gall/Guts,” it is an idiom for cowardice, but here it plays a double meaning, referring to the boldness of the actual rat.