Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 419 - 297 How to Discern This Stone_1

Chapter 419: Chapter 297 How to Discern This Stone_1

The water python incident brought by Liu Xiang became a hot topic in certain circles within Rong City.

What water python, of course, it was fake!

Liu Xiang had just gotten drunk, and then got overstimulated when something happened, resulting in his unclear consciousness.

In the end, after being talked about back and forth, "water python" became an inside joke.

Quite a few people thought Liu Xiang had issues with his brain to begin with, and now with the stress from the accident, who knows if his condition would get even worse. Therefore, after the incident, they would occasionally use the joke for some laughs and to poke fun at him.

Of course, the near abduction of Liu Xiang also made many people vigilant.

Those who could afford it even increased their bodyguard detail, and if they didn’t have a bodyguard, they’d be more cautious when traveling.

Others had their cars specially modified to increase safety features, at least, so they’d have more time to react if their cars ended up in water.

Everyone was talking about Liu Xiang, but when they turned around, they realized Feng Yi had already left Rong City without anyone noticing.

During the Dragon Boat Festival charity auction, many speculated that perhaps Feng Yi was splurging just as a way to gain entry into certain circles within Rong City.

Everyone was waiting to see his next move, but when they turned around, they found he had already gone back to Yang City!

The speculations were overturned.

So, was Feng Yi really just spending money for fun?

This brings us back to the question—

Where did he get all that money?

In the gatherings of the wealthy young men and women of Rong City, amidst the chatter about Liu Xiang, inevitably, the topic of Feng Yi also came up.

"I was actually hoping to get to know him, but who knew he’d leave so quickly!"

"I heard he inherited the money from some relative’s estate."

"What kind of relative would leave him so much money? Just how much did he inherit?"

"No idea when he’ll come back to Rong City."

"Let’s stop talking about him, he has already left Rong City. What’s the point of discussing this? There are plenty of people wanting to check the source of his funds. Let’s talk about something more interesting, hey, let me share a treasure of a facial mask with you..."

"What are the ingredients? Is it safe?"

"Safe! Several top celebrities in the entertainment industry are using it! The active ingredient is a patented product from a subsidiary line of the Ancestral Factory..."

...

Feng Yi, having returned to Yang City, was in a good mood.

His spirits lifted even more after receiving a text message notification of another amount of money being deposited into his account.

A kingfisher flew over the crowd, heading toward Cui Lake.

The car entered the neighborhood, driving through the front yard gate.

The car window rolled down, and Feng Yi looked at the courtyard.

Everything seemed to be just as he left it before.

Of course, this was only a superficial view.

The courtyard plants had gone through shifts in blooming cycles, some had moved from buds to blossoms, while others had gone from flowering to falling.

The leaves had turned from tender to dark green, and the vines had grown quite a bit.

Without a clear memory of what they looked like before, and without careful observation, those changes might not be noticed.

If there was one most noticeable change, it would be the koi fish in the landscape pond.

In the nearly two months he’d been gone, the family’s koi fish had all gotten thinner.

This certainly wasn’t due to the butler and Bing’s negligence in feeding them, but rather some factors beyond human control.

For instance, due to Feng Yi’s frequent absences, resulting in less time spent at home and no longer molting at home, the active substances he provided decreased, lessening their impact on these fish and causing them to gradually return to their normal state.

Regardless of the reality, Feng Yi took the change in the koi fish as a sign that they were missing him.

They had gotten so thin from missing their owner too much.

Truly touching!

It was just uncertain whether the koi, being thinner, would become targets of attention for the migrating Mandarin ducks next winter.

The butler was already waiting at the entrance of the house.

Feng Yi got out of the car.

The butler’s affectionate gaze fell on Feng Yi, "You’ve gotten thinner, thinner!"

Feng Yi just smiled without offering an explanation.

Regardless of whether he actually lost weight, every time he came back from a long trip, the butler always said the same thing.

It was unclear what he looked like in the butler’s eyes.

Carrying his bags into the house, he gave some of the souvenirs he bought on the trip to the butler and Bing.

Wu recently became obsessed with studying rock patination. When Feng Yi arrived home, Wu greeted him, took his share of the gifts, and then eagerly returned to the basement lab to continue his obsession with "patination."

Feng Yi took out the Nuwa painting he had bought to show the butler.

"I bought it at the Rong City’s Dragon Boat Culture and Art Festival. It’s not perfect, but the style and mood are okay," Feng Yi said.

The butler’s discerning gaze swept over the painting once, with a polite smile on his face, he responded without further comment.

Feng Yi understood this to mean that the butler indeed did not like it.

In the butler’s view, the painting’s imagined "divine" elements were too heavy, it was not the realistic style he preferred, and there were numerous mistakes in some details that he cared about.

It was a reaction Feng Yi had expected.

He had not planned on hanging the painting anyway. He had bought it on a whim as a souvenir, and to see what "gods" looked like in the eyes of the common folk.

Compared to the painting, the butler was more interested in the ancient copper coin that Feng Yi brought out.

"Bought this zodiac-themed copper coin at the auction, I don’t know which predecessor made it. It’s a coin from a thousand years ago, the style of the symbols is somewhat different from today’s," Feng Yi handed the copper coin over.

As the butler held the copper coin, his face showed a hint of interest, and he put on his glasses to take a close look.

While the butler was studying the copper coin, Feng Yi put away the painting and went to the car to move the meteorite.

Seeing Feng Yi carry a box down from the car, Yi asked Jia, "Is that the meteorite the boss bought?"

"Yes, it’s a meteorite," Jia replied.

"Does the boss like this sort of thing?" Yi was curious.

Yi and the others had not gone out with Feng Yi, staying behind in Yang City with tasks assigned to them, yet they kept track of Feng Yi’s whereabouts.

The charity auction on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival in Rong City wasn’t widely reported online, but they could still get some information about the auction through their channels. It wasn’t hard to find information—even friends in their chat app who had cooperated with them posted news about it.

That Feng Yi had spent a lot of money on an ancient copper coin and a meteorite at the auction, they all knew.

The butler showed no surprise when he received the copper coin a moment ago because he knew where Feng Yi had bought it and how much he had spent on it.

Cradling the box containing the meteorite, Feng Yi paused in front of the butler and asked:

"Does the old lady like meteorites?"

After thinking for a bit, the butler replied, "She showed interest for a few years, then seemed to lose it. The meteorites she collected were later given away or sold."

Feng Yi paused, then asked, "What about you? Do you like meteorites?"

Realizing something, the butler’s mouth curled into a smile, and he said demurely, "They’re okay, quite interesting objects."

"Hmm," Feng Yi mused.

Then, the butler saw Feng Yi carry the box upstairs.

The butler, ready to take the box: "..."

???

Standing there, watching Feng Yi’s retreating figure, the butler’s gaze held a touch of melancholy.

The child has grown up, and his thoughts have become more inscrutable.

Feng Yi didn’t notice the butler’s expression; he was busy thinking about how to polish the stone and how long it would take to develop a "patina."

After moving the meteorite to his upstairs bedroom, he left it there for the time being. It wasn’t until evening when he returned to his bedroom that Feng Yi opened the box.

A football-sized stone, irregular in shape, its surface rough, devoid of attractive patterns, slightly harder than usual.

In terms of aesthetic, this celestial fragment certainly wasn’t as pleasing as a gem.

He took a photo of this stone because he wanted to give it to the butler. But he had no intention of giving it away so directly.

If he could develop a layer of "patina," it would be more meaningful to give it then.

He washed the meteorite, dried it, and tossed it on the bed.

In his own bedroom at home, Feng Yi naturally reverted to a more comfortable and relaxed original state.

After washing up and wearing a bathrobe, Feng Yi looked at the stone on the bed.

How to polish it?

As a pillow?

Such a large stone would be too hard for most people, but for Feng Yi, it was just right; even bumping against it wouldn’t hurt.

Climbing onto the bed, he circled around the meteorite positioned in the center of the round bed and lay with his tail for a pillow.

Let’s leave it at that for now.

See if it’s possible to develop a "patina" on the meteorite.

Sleepiness crept over him.

In the familiar comfort of his environment, Feng Yi slept more peacefully.

But just as he was about to fall asleep, Feng Yi suddenly awoke.

Wait a minute!

This seems like...

The posture of a snake incubating its eggs?