Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 664 - 429 Seven Holes_1

Chapter 664: Chapter 429 Seven Holes_1

An additional person in the residential complex didn’t seem to make much difference. If Feng Yi could ignore the other’s observant gaze, everything was indeed the same as usual.

When Ren first appeared around Feng Yi, he was actually quite discreet, and his presence wasn’t pronounced—at least that was the case for others.

Being new to the job, Ren’s emotions had not yet settled down, and for several days he was in a state of excitement, but he didn’t neglect any of his tasks. He had a strong observational ability and learned quickly.

In regular employee mode, he looked completely different from Feng Yi; if one paid close attention to their facial features and body shape, they might seem somewhat similar, but there were many such people. Even standing together, it was easy to tell them apart.

Once he switched to body double mode, that sense of familiarity came. It wasn’t in appearance, but in speech, behavior, and demeanor, down to the smallest detail.

As time passed, the more he observed, the more precise the details he could emulate became.

During a work report, Ren said to Feng Yi, "I think I’ll be able to deceive pets very soon!"

In truth, Ren believed that if he went out disguised as Feng Yi now, he could probably already fool the neighborhood dogs.

One neighbor’s yard was home to a dog that barked at any unfamiliar sounds.

When Feng Yi went out for a walk, he often passed by that yard. The dog there had become familiar with the sounds associated with Feng Yi.

But to the dog, Ren, the newcomer, was a stranger.

Ren had tried it, passing by the gate of that house and imitating Feng Yi’s voice.

The dog had been dozing beside its kennel. Hearing the noise, it only flicked its ears. Ren stood there for a moment, and it then looked up.

Perhaps its poor eyesight spotted something off, or its sense of smell detected a difference, or its keen intuition alerted it to something amiss. The dog stood up but did not immediately start barking; instead, it kept staring as if discerning, pondering, and judging whether this person was the one it thought it knew.

Before the dog decided and barked, Ren had already left.

The results of the first attempt were in.

Although he had made significant progress, Ren still restrained himself in front of this boss.

After hearing Ren’s work progress, Feng Yi expressed his recognition. He had also been observing Ren these past few days and was quite satisfied.

Jia and the others, including Wu who spent most of his time in the underground lab, had all met Ren as well.

As for the two from the Ancestral Factory, Feng Yi hadn’t told him about them. After all, there was a difference between a probationary period and a regular employee.

However, Feng Yi felt that even without mentioning it, Ren could probably guess.

"You have another colleague who is on a remote island far from here, but it’s not convenient to go now. They’re renovating the place, and I’ll take you to meet him when the work there is almost done," Feng Yi said.

The decision had been made to renovate the island, and before construction began, it was rented to the variety show crew of Feng Chi as a filming location. Now that filming with Feng Chi’s crew had finished, construction on the island had begun.

If they were to fly there now, while there would be places to rest, it would not be very convenient.

"Okay," Ren responded. He wasn’t very curious about the colleague stationed on the island; he was more looking forward to it.

Being stationed on an island meant less face-to-face time with the boss.

Ren was looking forward to the progress of his "body double" role, and then, disguised as the boss, trying it out on the colleague he had never met.

He didn’t express these thoughts in front of Feng Yi, but Feng Yi could sense that Ren’s mood was a bit jumpy, guessing that he was concocting some cunning plan.

"Any other questions?" Feng Yi asked.

"Um, there’s one more," Ren said, reining in his thoughts and speaking somewhat sheepishly, "Boss, there’s a very popular facial mask from the brand run by your cousin. It’s hard to get. Could you help me get a box? You can deduct the cost from my salary."

"Is it for personal or work use?" Feng Yi asked.

"Work use. I can’t help it, cough. Without external help, I can’t maintain the state as you do," Ren admitted honestly.

Feng Yi had several boxes of that type of facial mask on hand. His third aunt, which is to say Feng Chi’s mother, had brought him quite a few, including various other men’s skincare products besides facial masks.

Feng Yi didn’t use them much himself; the facial masks were mostly given to the butler, while he distributed the other skincare products to Jia and the others.

Since Ren expressed a need, Feng Yi gave him a box and didn’t deduct any salary. He also gave him a complete set of the other skincare products.

Leaving Feng Yi’s place, Ren headed back to the staff quarters with a smile on his face.

He and Jia were now neighbors.

Jia had just returned from servicing the basement car and Ren greeted him.

Seeing what Ren was holding, Jia curiously asked, "You’re going to use these too?"

Ren touched his face and said calmly, "Sigh, my face is too valuable! I have to take good care of it!" It’s even more expensive than those celebrities on the internet!

Jia joked, "Be honest, did you go to a plastic surgery clinic before starting this job?"

Ren replied, "For work, I had just a little tweak."

Jia pressed, "Just a tweak?"

Ren elaborated, "Well, I also had some cosmetic procedures. A doctor recommended this mask to me, saying it works really well. Have you used it? How’s the effect?"

He raised the facial mask he was holding.

Jia said, "The effect must be good, after all, that’s... um, even the butler says it’s good."

Not continuing on the topic with Ren, Jia went to rest in his room; the boss had plans to go out, so he needed to rest well. A driver cannot be fatigued behind the wheel.

Feng Yi did indeed have plans to go out, as he had received a call from the zoo requiring his presence there.

The "little koi" was growing too quickly, attracting the attention of numerous researchers, with some leading experts wanting to conduct a study and take samples from the "little koi."

However, according to the agreement Feng Yi had with the zoo, such matters required his consent. The previous study on the "little koi’s" oral bacteria was also carried out with Feng Yi’s permission.

After scheduling a time, Feng Yi took car number two to the zoo. Ren accompanied him.

Not in body double mode, Ren seemed no different from a typical entourage member.

Feng Yi arrived earlier than the appointed time; he had come ahead to see the "little koi."

Although Feng Yi did not visit the zoo often, the little python seemed very familiar with his scent. Every time the python docilely curled around Feng Yi’s arm, the zookeepers were amazed.

Logically, it shouldn’t be like this.

But after so many times, they got used to it.

At the moment, the zookeeper was discussing with Feng Yi about the "little koi"’s feeding frequency during this period.

As "little koi"’s body length increased, so did its appetite.

While it should only be a bit over one meter, it was quickly approaching two meters, clearly much larger than when Feng Yi last saw it.

Once it grew up, it was no longer the interesting little snake that could wrap around a finger when it was younger.

The zookeeper kept babbling about why it ate so much.

Seeing that Feng Yi remained silent, the zookeeper turned to Ren beside him. Feng Yi was an expert, so the person accompanying the expert must know a lot too, right?

Ren looked at the python, then at Feng Yi.

And looked at the python again, followed by another glance at Feng Yi.

He decisively said, "How would I know? I don’t understand these things."

The zookeeper didn’t get a meaningful exchange and, after finishing the conversation about the "little koi"’s daily care with Feng Yi, continued with his work.

With no one else nearby, Ren moved closer to Feng Yi and soon noticed that the little python was hissing slightly, in an alert state.

"I can’t fool it," Ren said.

Thinking of what he had reported at work, that he "could soon reach a level to deceive pets," that statement should have been clearer. "Pets" was too broad a term.

There were some "pets" that were not suitable as subjects for testing.

Snakes have a different brain structure than mammals and not such rich emotions. Even their intelligence is generally lower in the class of reptiles.

But one thing they do have is an incredible sense of smell.

They use scent to distinguish if the creatures around them are familiar. Familiarity represents safety; it is a scent they recognize.

If it’s unfamiliar, or if the scents they recognize change slightly, sorry, but their instincts become volatile.

As for considering what changes a familiar creature might bring or if a stranger’s intentions would affect their own feeding, etc...

Thinking?

What thinking?

That’s not the case!

Instincts make the judgments!

He could produce similar vibrations and familiar sounds and frequencies, deceiving their hearing, but he couldn’t change scents.

Everyone has a distinct scent.

Testing with pet cats and dogs provides more feedback and is safer.

As for snakes...

To improve his mimicry skills, he liked to guess people’s thoughts and emotions.

And snakes, well, they didn’t quite fit Ren’s observational targets.

Therefore, Ren was different from Jia; Jia initially associated snakes with Feng Yi, but Ren didn’t. He was clear about the difference between them right from the start.

Because of this, Ren had yet to be called in for a talk by the butler.

Feng Yi and his group hadn’t been waiting long in the Reptile House when the zoo director came over.

The director, looking at the python wrapped around Feng Yi’s arm, was rather emotional.

"Although it’s normal for large pythons to grow fast in their first year, we’ve never seen one grow this quickly, not in our zoo, not anywhere in the country! I don’t know about other countries, but among the people I know, no one has encountered this. By the time it’s one year old, it’ll probably be as large as a two-year-old net-patterned python.

"When I mentioned this to my peers, some doubted me, suspecting I had used some sort of growth accelerant."

Many snakes are indiscriminate eaters that don’t understand moderation. If their food intake exceeds the normal range, it can negatively affect their health.

"So we’re guessing it might have something to do with its genetic lineage."

As the director said this, he observed Feng Yi’s expression. Seeing that Feng Yi remained silent, he continued,

"Several teams researching reptilian genetics have contacted us, and our park is taking a cautious approach. The team we have chosen to cooperate with is not led by an expert from the Consortium for Conservation, but they have worked with the Consortium."

As the director spoke, Feng Yi listened, but when "little koi" faced him, he was momentarily distracted.

He suddenly remembered the "Nabu" that the locals had spoken of in the tropical rainforest.

The legendary giant snake with seven nostrils according to local folklore.

On the little python’s lips were distinct pits that are heat sensors.

They were all in pairs.

From the front, there were six.

Besides those...

Feng Yi’s gaze settled on where the snake was flicking its tongue.

Ah, there was another hole there.

Looking at it this way, it indeed had seven holes.