Chapter 30

The message was very concise, only three words: “Ranyi Fish?”

Ye Chen’s heart skipped a beat, quickly looking at the contact’s name, but it only showed the character “Qian,” with a blank profile picture, added at some unknown time, by someone unknown.

Without replying, Ye Chen clicked into the Moments of this “Qian someone” and found it completely empty.

Mystery often hinted at potential drama.

Ye Chen began cautiously: “Sorry, may I ask who you are?”

Qian Someone: Answer my question first.

Qian Someone: Ranyi Fish?

Staring at the mention of Ranyi Fish, possibly knowing something… Ye Chen hesitated briefly before asking concisely: “Do you want it?”

With the situation unclear, he had to reveal as little information and emotion as possible, so if things went south, he could claim it was just a joke.

Qian Someone: Is it real or fake? Joking?

Ye Chen hesitated for a moment, then replied cheekily: “…Guess?”

Qian Someone: …

Qian Someone: I guess, it’s real.

Qian Someone: Let’s not play dumb anymore. Otherwise, you ask me a few questions, see if I can answer them, and I’ll see if you know anything through your questions.

Ye Chen rubbed his chin thoughtfully and probed: “How many legs does a Ranyi have?”

Qian Someone: The “Classic of Mountains and Seas” says it has six legs.

Ye Chen stayed silent.

Qian Someone: But it actually has four legs and two chicken wings.

Qian Someone: When kept at home, it runs around the fish tank in the middle of the night, keeping people awake. Right?

Ye Chen: “…” That’s definitely happened!

Qian Someone: Right?

Ye Chen cautiously sent a smiling emoji, then quickly asked: “What are the benefits of Winter Velvet Grass?”

Qian Someone: The flowers it blooms can be made into bedding. Sleeping with them is even more effective than Melatonin^[1]Melatonin is a hormone in your body that plays a role in sleep.

Ye Chen: Who are you?

Qian Someone: I was about to ask you the same. Who are you? Do you really have fish? Where did they come from?

Ye Chen typed and deleted several times before finally squeezing out: “I dare not say… afraid of repercussions.”

Qian Someone: Afraid of repercussions… So, are you a mortal?

Ye Chen: Yes.

Qian Someone: A mortal who can be involved with these things… the new master of the Mountain and Sea Realm?

Ye Chen gritted his teeth and boldly admitted: Yeah.

Qian Someone sent a long string of exclamation marks.

Ye Chen: So, who are you exactly?

Qian Someone: A divine beast.

Ye Chen: And… specifically?

Qian Someone: Sorry, I can’t say that yet.

Ye Chen understood the other’s caution, as he himself didn’t dare to say too much.

Ye Chen: How did I add you? Why don’t I remember?

There was silence on the other end, as if they were also thinking. After about half a minute, they replied: …I add so many people on this WeChat account normally, I can’t remember, it’s just a coincidence.

On an intuitive level, Ye Chen sensed a vague and ominous presence, but it was too fleeting to grasp, and he couldn’t even catch a glimpse of it.

After pondering for two seconds, Ye Chen tentatively asked: May I ask what industry you work in? If you mention it, I might remember.

Qian Someone: The financial industry.

…The financial industry? Ye Chen was puzzled.

He didn’t recall adding any big shots from the financial industry to his WeChat friends. His contacts were mostly from the entertainment industry, and he didn’t remember knowing anyone with the surname Qian—of course, the other person might not actually have that surname, it could just be a WeChat name.

Ye Chen cautiously inquired: Could you provide more details?

Qian Someone: Sorry, I can’t reveal the details. If I say too much, you might figure out who I am.

Ye Chen immediately stopped probing.

There were plenty of prominent figures in the financial industry, some of whom were regulars in financial magazines, with fame no less than that of idol stars, and even surpassing it. The fact that Qian Someone was concerned about revealing details and being guessed by Ye Chen suggested that this person was undoubtedly a luminary in the financial world…

Thinking about this, the financially challenged Ye Chen couldn’t help but get excited, instantly concocting a detailed and feasible plan in his mind to take advantage of the situation!

The little divine beasts in his family could eat as much as one and a half adults, so how much spiritual plants, spiritual chickens, and spiritual pigs would the big shot divine beast consume in a day?

By then, even if his crops were sold at two yuan higher than the market price per pound, what would it matter if he sold them for five yuan more per pound?!

Little Fresh Meat Ye shamelessly raised the price… three yuan.

But would the big shot divine beast accept it? Impossible.

Ye Chen fervently made bold claims to himself.

Qian Someone: How about this, whenever you have time, let’s meet and have a good chat… It’s not convenient to talk like this.

Ye Chen: Understood.

They were discussing secrets that couldn’t be leaked to mortals. Communicating through electronic devices was somewhat unreliable, and now they both didn’t trust each other much. Meeting in person was the only way to reassure both parties.

After examining his shooting schedule for the next two days, Ye Chen typed: Can we meet tomorrow night at 7?

Qian Someone: Sure.

Ye Chen: Where should we meet then?

Qian Someone: You decide, choose a place with more people.

Qian Someone: Just in case you don’t trust me, hehe.

Ye Chen hypocritically replied: Of course I trust you, who wouldn’t?

After saying that, he immediately sent a link to an exorbitantly expensive high-end restaurant and asked: Is this okay?

Qian Someone: That works. Tomorrow night at 7, see you there.

Ye Chen: Great.

Truly a financial big shot, not even a question when I chose such an expensive place!

Ye Chen quickly revealed his eager-beaver face, rubbed his hands together, and asked: By the way, what should I call you? Qian Ge?

Qian Someone: Hehe, actually, I’m not surnamed Qian, and I’m thousands of years older than you… How about calling me uncle, it’s weird to call me grandpa.

Ye Chen typed with a filial smile: Alright, Uncle, see you tomorrow.

Qian Someone earnestly reminded: Remember to book a private room, it’s not convenient for either of us to show our faces in public.

Ye Chen excitedly replied: Okay, Uncle!

Exiting the chat interface, Ye Chen calmly searched for reviews of the high-end restaurant, jotting down the dishes and drinks worth trying. He was ready to bring his whole family over tomorrow and mooch off the financial big shot for all he was worth!

…This is probably what they call “sharpening the knife doesn’t delay wood cutting,” Ye Chen thought cheerfully as he flipped through the reviews.

*time spent in preparation is not lost

Meanwhile, in the neighboring farmhouse, Shen Mofeng was still awake.

He didn’t want to sleep yet, so he didn’t dare to use a pillow. Instead, he sat on the kang against the wall, playing with his phone.

With a swipe of his slender fingers, he scrolled to the bottom of the chat records.

—”Goodnight, Shen Ge.”

Shen Mofeng exhaled lightly, then scrolled the records back to the top. With a smile on his lips, he carefully read through each message again. The lingering sweetness of the autumn pear paste was still on his tongue, and his heart felt as soft as cotton.

—”Shen Ge, stop teasing me.”

After reading through the chat records from start to finish again, Shen Mofeng sat up straight.

After his emotions calmed down, he sensed a hint of reluctance in Ye Chen’s last sentence.

He had been bored tonight, flipping through his friends’ moments, and stumbled upon Ye Chen’s grid of nine images. He was amused by the cheeky remarks and Ye Chen’s imitation of a distressed vegetable farmer, and the repeated use of “Chen Chen” left him dizzy-headed… He accidentally flirted a bit too much.

Saying he wanted to buy “Chen Chen,” those words… weren’t very pleasant.

Especially in the entertainment industry where sugar daddy relationships were prevalent, talk of buying and selling, and how much, wasn’t exactly polite. It could easily be misunderstood.

Shen Mofeng got a bit carried away while flirting, just going along with the banter from the images. He didn’t think much about it at the time, but after ruminating over these lines repeatedly, he realized something was off.

And once the mind started slipping in a certain direction, it tended to slip further.

One minute later…

“…F*ck.” Am I sick in the head, saying such things to the child? Shen Mofeng anxiously ran his hand through his hair, revealing a handsome face that naturally exuded a sense of elegance.

Although he had a face that was always successful in love, due to a severe lack of experience in real-life encounters, his combat power was equivalent to that of a half-grown chicken… So, after the unilateral romantic reverie in his mind, Shen Mofeng found himself mentally groveling again.

He imagined it in great detail…

Before today, he hadn’t been this nervous around Ye Chen.

But some defenses were shattered today, and his concern for Ye Chen rose to a new level, making him overthink even a simple WeChat conversation.

What Shen Mofeng couldn’t anticipate was that at this moment, not only was Ye Chen not sulking, he was happily dancing with several divine beast cubs on the kang! Dancing!

“Our vegetables can be sold at a high price!” Hou Cub exclaimed, jumping with Pulu Cub, while Hundun Cub somersaulted up and down. Qiongqi Cub, carrying Xuanwu Cub on its back, joined its little buddies in jumping, trying hard to integrate Xuanwu Cub into the joyful atmosphere of the group.

“When the time comes, Gege will pay the heating fee, and Huang Huang won’t have to watch the chicken coop anymore!” Ye Chen’s face flushed with excitement, his eyes shining brightly.

“Huang Huang will play with us!” “Woohoo!” The cubs burst into another wave of cheers, happiness evident on everyone’s faces.

At that moment, Shen Mofeng sent another WeChat message: “Are you asleep?”

Ye Chen: “Not yet, what’s up?”

Shen Mofeng: “I’m getting a cigarette, is one minute okay?”

Ye Chen: “Sure.”

After replying, Ye Chen made a shushing gesture to the now quiet cubs, opened his phone’s notes, added “+1” after “Shen Ge’s smoking count for today,” then bounced off the bed to open the door.

Shen Mofeng stood outside the door, exuding a chilly aura covered in frost, his gaze scanning Ye Chen’s face inquiringly. He took the cigarette but just held it in his hand, quiet for a moment before asking, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Ye Chen lied, “Just browsing Weibo.”

Seeing Ye Chen’s calm demeanor, Shen Mofeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but still didn’t dare to take it lightly. After some thought, he smiled and explained, “The things I said to you on WeChat tonight… were just jokes, no ill intentions, don’t take them to heart.”

Ye Chen was taken aback, quickly nodding, “I understand, I didn’t take it to heart.”

The room’s fluorescent light was off, leaving only a dim yellow light. The warm glow outlined Ye Chen’s features with a hint of sweetness.

Shen Mofeng glanced at him, turned and left. After a couple of steps, he seemed reluctant and turned back, asking, “Can I continue to call you Chen Chen in the future?”

The other banter didn’t matter, but he wanted to keep this sweetness.

“Uh,” Ye Chen hesitated briefly, feeling there was nothing wrong with it, and replied, “Sure.”

Shen Mofeng smiled and left, the cigarette he intended to smoke remained unlit the whole time.

Ye Chen closed the door, feeling a slight confusion and almost negligible warmth on his face as he returned to the kang… to continue dancing with the cubs!

…

The next day, exactly at seven o’clock in the evening, Ye Chen, wearing a mask and sunglasses, fully armed, arrived at the upscale restaurant where he had agreed to meet Qian Someone. He brought along six invisible tag-alongs, ready to mooch off the financial tycoon.

Considering that today’s main purpose was to mooch a meal, cry poor to the tycoon, and sell him some spiritual fruits and vegetables, Ye Chen dressed quite shabbily, afraid that a luxurious outfit would hinder his efforts to inflate the vegetable prices with the tycoon. Fortunately, the restaurant staff were very polite; upon hearing about his reservation, they courteously led Ye Chen to the private room.

The door to the private room opened… Ye Chen’s smiling face froze behind his mask in the next second.

The author has something to say:

Another day of seeking nutrient solution! Look at the double-digit numbers I have today…

Ye Qiongqiong’s account book today:

No income, no expenses, balanced budget. ╰(*°▽°*)╯

Shen Mofeng’s account book today:

—Feels like Chen Chen got mad at me, but actually didn’t, Chen Chen’s temper is really good.

Shen Mofeng’s favorability +10

Current favorability: 10/1500, four stars

The pure-hearted primary school chicken, Si Feng, has even begun to worry about gains and losses (。