Chapter 11

"This rat isn't the one from the kitchen yesterday, but it definitely caused trouble in the house before."

There was a hole in the drawer. The miscellaneous items inside were damaged to varying degrees, and the notebook where the old man wrote down the passwords for his phone apps was half chewed.

The wardrobe might have several more holes. There were gnaw marks on the bedside table and the tea table in the room.

The old man had been away for a while, and the room door had been closed. He occasionally went in to clean but didn't look closely, so he didn't realize there was a rat inside!

"If it were a bit thinner, it might have squeezed out through the door crack," Hu Yi's wife said.

Hu Yi looked at Feng Yi gratefully, "Thank you, thank you so much! I don't know what to say! You're a savior!"

"…It's not that serious," Feng Yi said as he walked out of the room. "I just caught this one. If the holes in your house aren't sealed, the rats will still come. There are no rats in the kitchen now, so there must be a hole there. Get someone to seal it up."

Hu Yi nodded.

They knew this too. As long as the holes weren't sealed, the rats would keep coming.

But still, catching one boosted their morale! Their mindset was different now!

Hu Yi and his wife wanted to pay him, offering the price of a professional pest control service, but Feng Yi refused.

"It's just a favor between neighbors. I'm not in the pest control business," Feng Yi said.

Hu Yi understood and gave up the idea of recommending Feng Yi for pest control jobs. He wouldn't publicize it in the neighborhood group either.

The community was already taking action, and the rat problem would be resolved gradually. Since Feng Yi didn't want to go in that direction, they wouldn't cause him trouble, or it would be ungrateful.

"I understand your meaning. You have other aspirations."

Hu Yi looked at the tool in Feng Yi's hand.

"By the way, I need the same long-handled tongs."

Feng Yi checked his order records, sent the link, and left.

"Bring two boxes of fruit over tomorrow," Hu Yi's wife said.

"Sure, we can't let someone help us for free," Hu Yi said, looking at the sealed mouse bag. "I just ordered the same tongs. Once the tool arrives, if there are still rats in the kitchen, I'll see if I can catch them. Even if I can't, I'll block them inside and call in an expert!"

After leaving Building 5, Feng Yi didn't go back immediately. Instead, he went to Building 6 to find Qian Feiyang.

After visiting Hu Yi's place, Feng Yi had a rough idea of his perception range.

Within three meters, he could sense hidden rats.

And for some reason, he felt his perception range was a bit larger now compared to when he was in the underground garage during the day, where it was only about two meters.

The change in perception wasn't visible externally.

He didn't know what other changes might come.

With this in mind, Feng Yi arrived at Building 6, where Qian Feiyang rented a place.

The young man who opened the door was thin and had heavy dark circles under his eyes.

"What's with the dark circles?" Feng Yi pointed at Qian Feiyang's eyes. Logically, with a cat at home, he shouldn't have been woken up by rats.

Qian Feiy scratched his messy hair and yawned, "I took on a job and worked through the night. Just finished half an hour ago. What's in your hand?"

"Rat tongs. I just helped someone catch a rat," Feng Yi replied.

"Awesome." Qian Feiy gave a thumbs up.

"Didn't your studio hire new people? Why are you the only one busy?" Feng Yi asked.

"One is sick, one is still in school and has exams, and one went back home for personal reasons. I was planning to take a break, but I took on a job that I could do alone. Just busy for a couple of days, then I'll rest. Wu Ji said we should go fishing this weekend. Want to come?"

Wu Ji's nickname was "Wu Ji."

"If I'm free, I'll go with you," Feng Yi looked around the room. "No rats here either?"

"Just one came in at first, but it was blocked by Bay Jiao. Although we didn't catch it, it seems the rat remembered this place. I don't know if it smelled the cat or if the rats communicated, but we haven't seen many since. Occasionally, there's some movement by the window, but it stops when Bay Jiao goes over."

"Bay Jiao" was the cat Qian Feiyang adopted. He was originally going to buy some spices like star anise to make braised pig's feet but ended up adopting a cat during the community's stray cat management program.

He named it "Bay Jiao."

Feng Yi went to the living room's bay window.

A yellow-striped cat was lying on its side, sleeping.

When Feng Yi entered, it only twitched its ears, recognizing a familiar person, so it didn't bother to move.

When Qian Feiyang first brought it home, it was about seven months old, thin, and had some bald spots. After three months of treatment and feeding, it became much healthier, with thick, soft fur.

At first, Bay Jiao was very cautious around people, but now it wouldn't budge even if someone petted it, unless it was a stranger.

Feng Yi reached out to pet the cat.

"Bay Jiao feels better and better."

It seemed to be used to being petted. When Feng Yi reached out, it changed its position from lying on its side to lying on its back.

After lying on its back for a while, Bay Jiao twitched its nose, suddenly jumped up, and ran to hide under Qian Feiyang's desk, arching its back, pressing its ears back, and hissing at Feng Yi, as if it had been startled by something.

Qian Feiyang was replying to a message and turned to look, surprised. "What's going on? Has it forgotten you? Or did you get something on you it doesn't like?"

Feng Yi didn't answer, calling out "Bay Jiao" twice.

The yellow-striped cat's ears twitched, its defensive posture relaxed slightly, and it stopped hissing, looking at Feng Yi with confusion in its eyes.

Feng Yi squatted down and extended his hand. "Come here. It's only been a few days, how could you forget me? The cat food I bought is still what you're eating!"

Bay Jiao hesitated but slowly moved toward Feng Yi.

Maybe Feng Yi's voice reminded it. As it approached, it prepared to rub its head against Feng Yi's hand.

But it sniffed again and then quickly avoided, running back to Qian Feiyang's desk and squatting next to its owner.

"Really got rejected? Did you get some rat smell on you?" Qian Feiyang asked.

"Maybe." Feng Yi stood up and didn't get closer to Bay Jiao. He had some suspicions but couldn't say them out loud.

"So, are you thinking of changing careers to catch rats? If you have the skills, you could try. I've heard that pest control companies and small teams are becoming more common. There must be a big market and opportunities," Qian Feiyang said.

"No, that's not in my career plan," Feng Yi said firmly.

Absolutely not!

Absolutely not!

"Oh, so it looks like you're not short of money," Qian Feiyang laughed.

If he were still in debt and short on funds, he would have taken the opportunity, even if he didn't like it. Catching rats could earn a lot of money for most people.

Feng Yi smiled but didn't explain further.

Since the hard times were over, he spoke more freely. Qian Feiyang said, "Wu Ji said your studio issues are resolved. Do you still plan to enter the entertainment industry? My team is small, but I can help you."

Feng Yi shook his head. "It's resolved. The studio is dissolved, and I don't plan to enter the entertainment industry."

Given his current situation, he couldn't be in the spotlight every day.

He asked Qian Feiyang to take a few ID photos and then left. He planned to ask Wu Ji if he needed any help.

In the neighborhood at this time of night, there were elderly people chatting and laughing together, and adults bringing their children back from walks.

Feng Yi slowly walked toward his building, head slightly lowered, thinking about his future career.

Not far away, a child's sharp cry and an adult's angry roar could be heard.

Feng Yi turned to look.

A large rat was carrying a string of freshly stolen sausages, skillfully dodging and weaving through the crowd, sprinting and jumping with ease. As it approached Feng Yi, it suddenly changed direction, making a large "C" shape, avoiding Feng Yi and dashing into the nearby greenery, disappearing from sight.

It didn't give Feng Yi a chance to act at all.

Feng Yi: "…"

I even had the tongs ready, and it avoided me from a distance!

"So, what future is there in catching rats?!" A new week has started! Vote if you can!