Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 146 - 119: Secret Base_1

Chapter 146: Chapter 119: Secret Base_1

Coming out of the examination venue, Feng Yi was still wondering what to do after his secret was revealed when his phone received new message notifications.

The butler had sent him two links.

One was related to the news about the bird and flower market.

When Feng Yi declared that the thermos cup owned by the plant shop owner contained snake wine made from a tree python, someone had gone to check it out.

As the plant shop owner was being taken away, he was still shouting, claiming that the snake he used for the wine wasn’t the restricted python, but a bamboo pit viper found in his hometown’s backyard.

There’s a significant difference between a tree python and a bamboo pit viper; anyone with knowledge of snakes wouldn’t be fooled by his shouts. Moreover, with the smuggling case from the bird and flower market that year, there were professional appraisers present.

Ultimately, it was confirmed that the snake used to make the wine was indeed the green tree python that went missing that year.

All of this was within Feng Yi’s expectations, so he closed the news article and looked at the next one.

Clicking on it, he found an article published by the Yang City University Light and Shadow Media Club.

Besides the written description, there was also a video.

Feng Yi played it.

The video, about the culture of the subway, was quite artistic and entertaining.

The culture of the subway, emerging from the city’s broader culture, encapsulates the humanistic aspects of the city. Each narrow subway line contains its own narrative, and the stories of the city’s new and old station names reveal its layout and developmental journey.

Locals feel more connected to such videos, and quite a few who work or study elsewhere shared and liked it. Since its release, it has quickly gathered over a hundred thousand views in a short time.

A brief segment in the video showed Feng Yi answering questions on the subway, his face pixelated, with a label next to him marked [Passenger].

He didn’t wear a mask while filming, so the creators pixelated his face directly.

However, this was only in the video.

In the article, there was also a photo of Feng Yi wearing a mask, along with words written by the interviewer, who not only praised his good looks but also thanked him for guiding them to Guanlu Terrace in Cui Lake to gather materials after leaving the subway station.

Nothing else was mentioned.

Feng Yi glanced over it and set it aside.

Afterward, Feng Yi didn’t head straight home but went to Yang City Zoo instead. He wanted to test the new animal recognition app he had downloaded on his phone, get familiar with its usage, and check its accuracy.

Indeed, as Manager Tao said, scanning the animals with the app brought up recognition results that were spot-on, with the confidence level exceeding 99%.

Nevertheless, this type of recognition app cannot determine the animals’ conditions, so it only serves the function of preliminary species identification. The recognition confidence is not as high for species with extremely high similarities, and it is even less likely to identify subspecies.

For Feng Yi, though, it was sufficient.

Feng Yi was having fun with it, although the honey badger was not too friendly.

Honey badger is a common honorific; its scientific name is Mellivora capensis.

As Feng Yi approached it, the honey badger’s fur bristled, and it let out a shrill scream as if ready to charge at any moment.

To avoid causing any upset, Feng Yi quickly left the area.

...

Night fell.

In a luxurious private room at a clubhouse in Yang City,

when they should have been dining, several people were huddled together, staring at the smartphone in front of them.

One phone played a video, while another displayed several captured images, and someone was commenting on them.

"Believe me! It really is him, even the clothes match! Look at this photo from the bird and flower market, shared by his classmate, saying they saw him there by the koi sellers. Now look at this video, the interviewee is him, and there’s also the photo with the mask."

"Young Master Chi, him returning at this time, could it be for some other purpose? I’ve heard that the Feng Family patriarch is planning to change his will again."

The group turned their gazes toward the young man seated in the middle.

Feng Chi, Feng Yi’s cousin, a year younger than him, sporting dyed red tips in his hair, casual and exuberant.

At that moment, Feng Chi’s expression was grim as he stared at the smartphone, and after a while, he asked, "Who has his contact information?"

"No, after he left the Feng Family, he changed his phone number and canceled all his social media accounts."

"Wasn’t there talk that he went to try his luck in show business?"

They had heard about Feng Yi at the beginning of the year online, when a web series had a brief burst of popularity and Feng Yi had his few days of internet fame before fading into silence again.

"I just asked a friend; they have a show recording in Yang City recently, and he has Feng Yi’s messaging app ID but hasn’t added him as a friend," one of them said.

Feng Chi tilted his head slightly, "Send it to me."

After getting the ID, Feng Chi searched for it and attempted to add him as a friend, with a message saying, "Feng Yi? I want to ask you a few questions."

The others watched Feng Chi’s actions and his expression, not daring to say anything, but all were intensely curious. They had all heard that the Feng Family patriarch was about to change his will, and with Feng Yi’s return at such a sensitive time, the timing was suspicious.

Before long, the friend request was actually accepted.

Everyone else in the room stayed silent, those who had been eating and enjoying the show now stopped their movements, ears perked up.

With a scowl on his face, Feng Chi held his phone in one hand, not typing, but sending a voice message instead, "Feng Yi?"

The response came quickly, "Feng Chi?"

Feng Chi let out a snort of derision and said, "I’m surprised you remember me. What’s the meaning of returning now after leaving? Couldn’t handle the tough life and came back to snatch resources? I heard that you even worked part-time during university. Was it at one of those shady shops? Then putting up a sign saying ’Big discounts on top-ups, I’m a dog if I cheat you’, baiting people to download some illegal app?"

His tone was filled with contempt, as if it could be conveyed through the screen.

The others continued to listen, eager to see how the mocked Feng Yi would respond.

Then they found that Feng Chi had been blocked instantly.

...

In the Luhai Villa District, Feng Yi sat on the terrace chair looking up at the night sky, a smile on his face.

The next day, before dawn, Feng Yi was awakened by an alarm he had set in advance.

Suddenly awaking from a dream, his mind was still weary and confused.

Feng Yi suppressed the lingering sleepiness, took a moment to compose himself, and then stood up.

After a hasty clean up, he gulped down breakfast and left the house with a small paper bag that Bing had prepared for him.

He had told Jia and Bing the night before that he had to go out early this morning.

Feng Yi asked Jia to drop him off at a location on the outskirts of the city, where he took the underground train, and instructed Jia to find a nearby parking lot to wait for him, saying there was no need to accompany him.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Feng Yi walked into an old street and approached a shop that seemed long closed, then he moved to the side door and typed a string of numbers into the keypad lock.

Click—

The door opened.

Feng Yi entered.

Navigating through a narrow passage cluttered with miscellaneous items, he arrived at a bar.

On the other side of the bar, there was a cot, and a person with a tuft of red hair at the temples lay sleeping on it, strikingly visible.

Feng Yi rapped on the bar top.

The sleeping person was jolted awake.

Upon seeing Feng Yi, Feng Chi scratched his messy hair and a smile spread across his face.

"I damn thought you weren’t coming!"

After speaking, he burst into giggles.

This laughter was completely different in its sheer joy from the voice messages he’d sent in front of others.

That phrase, "Huge discounts on top-ups, I’m a dog if I lie to you," was actually a secret code known only between the two of them, something they had used back in high school.

This place was their secret base.

Both of them were the wilder sorts raised by the Feng family, often bickering in front of others, though their relationship wasn’t bad.

They hadn’t been in touch for six years, but it felt like they hadn’t been apart for long upon seeing each other again.

Feng Yi laughed too and bumped fists with him, "I recognized it! You didn’t do too bad a job."

"Of course!" Feng Chi said proudly, then added, "Did you bring me something to eat? Quick, quick, quick, I can already smell it!"

Feng Chi leaned over the bar, peering at the paper bag in Feng Yi’s hand.

Feng Yi passed the bag over and took a water cup from the cupboard, pouring a cup of warm water at the instant hot water dispenser.

Feng Chi wolfed down the pie made by Chef Bing and, noticing Feng Yi pouring water, mumbled through his full mouth, "Thanks!"

Then he saw Feng Yi sit down and drink the water himself.

Feng Yi: "Pour your own! I came all this way to bring you breakfast, you can’t just take a guest’s drink."

Feng Chi made a face as if to say "how can you have the nerve to say that" and poured himself another cup.

This perpetually closed shop had been rented by Feng Yi and Feng Chi as their secret base, making Feng Yi co-owner. However, they had never hatched any significant schemes there; mostly they just griped about some of the idiots in their family.

After drinking a cup of water, Feng Chi tapped on the bar top to remind Feng Yi, "According to what you said before you left, now that you’re back, you have to start sharing the rent."

"Got it!"

"What’s the deal with that studio of yours? I had to hear about it from others later and couldn’t reach you."

"That’s all in the past."

Feng Chi pointed upwards, "It wasn’t the old man, was it?"

Feng Yi shook his head, "The old man has a bad temper, sure, but his way of doing things wouldn’t have him suddenly strike at me after all these years."

Feng Chi said, "True."

"But it’s possible that someone took action, and the old man smoothed it over."

"Fuck!"

Feng Chi blurted out a few names of those who had the capacity to act and would still be protected by the old man.

"Just wait, I’ll find out for you as soon as possible! Then..." Feng Chi’s face turned vicious as he made a gesture, "We can bag ’em and knock ’em around a bit!"

Feng Yi: "..."

That was as lofty as their ambitions got.

Seeing Feng Yi looking at him as if he were an underaged kid, Feng Chi collapsed in defeat, slumped back into his seat, and fiddled with his hair aimlessly, "There’s nothing else we can do!"

Feng Chi downed another glass of water with a long sigh, "The old man’s been unpredictable lately and he’s looking to change his will. I don’t dare make any bigger moves."

Seeing him like this, Feng Yi chuckled, "Don’t worry about it, I’ll ask him face to face when the time comes."

"Ask who?"

"The old man."

Feng Chi hurriedly grabbed Feng Yi’s arm, "Bro, please don’t do anything rash!"

Struck by a thought, Feng Chi added, "Everyone in Yang City knows you’re back by now; at such a sensitive time, be cautious. Don’t get ambushed. Is your place safe?"

"It’s relatively safe."

"Where do you live?"

"Lu Hai."

"You mean... that Lu Hai, by Cui Lake, the Lu Hai Villas?"

"Yeah."

"Who... who owns the house?"

"I do."

Feng Chi stared at Feng Yi for a moment, then suddenly leaned forward, grabbed Feng Yi’s hand resting on the bar with both of his own, and gazed at him earnestly, "Bro! Dear bro! Save me a guest room!"