023 Oh, You Little Rats, the Intelligence Network

The young lady immediately crouched down and showed An’an the photograph of the little boy from the news.

The boy looked to be about six or seven years old, with a refined appearance. A large, prominent mole on his right wrist was clearly visible.

"The little brother is so pitiful!" An’an looked saddened.

After Shen Zhihan finished signing the contract with President Fu, he saw An’an waiting for him obediently. Seeing him approach, she ran over and looked at him with eager eyes: "Daddy, you are the most capable. Can you help find that little brother?"

Secretary Yu hurriedly pulled up the news report: "It’s this story. Some people were discussing it just now, and Miss An’an overheard and seemed very concerned."

Shen Zhihan immediately ordered an investigation. The missing boy was named Yi Siyu, the son of Yi Tiancheng. Yi Tiancheng had once collaborated on a project with Shen Zhihan, though Shen had since ceased working with him. Shen Zhihan only learned of the incident today. It had become a major news story. Yi Tiancheng had been filmed looking haggard and distraught, embodying the image of a grieving father.

Shen Zhihan quickly understood what An’an meant: "Do you want to ask the animals for help?"

An’an nodded vigorously: "Yes. They haven't found him for so long, and I see how sad Uncle Yi looks. Everyone is praying for the little brother, so I want to try. Daddy, An’an isn't a monster, right?"

An’an looked at Shen Zhihan with a trace of anxiety, as if his words could determine her fate.

Shen Zhihan stroked An’an’s head: "An’an is not a monster; An’an is a little angel. It was An’an who saved Daddy. You said you went to the Cliff of Despair because you listened to the birds, right? Being able to understand the language of animals is your unique gift, something others wish they had. So, An’an, you are not a monster. You are just you, and no matter what you are like, Daddy loves you. Just be yourself."

He had never truly been accepted by others, and he hoped An’an could be fully embraced for who she was. He didn't care what others thought; as far as he was concerned, it didn't matter what An’an was like.

An’an smiled happily. This was the first time she had proactively used her ability to speak with animals to help someone else, and she felt quite excited.

The location of the accident was easy to find, and Shen Zhihan drove An’an there. As soon as they arrived, bodyguards brought over hundreds of large, crispy fried chicken drumsticks. An’an opened a fragrant drumstick, swallowed, and began to gnaw on it right there. The others stood at a distance but kept their eyes on her. The scent of the chicken drifted far.

A tiny voice reached An’an’s ears: "Ah, so fragrant. So delicious. Once this human leaves, I’ll have chicken bones to eat."

An’an looked toward the trash can and locked eyes with a small mouse. She smiled: "Little mouse, do you want to eat? You can eat the chicken drumstick directly; you don't have to eat the bones."

"Really? There’s no rat poison in it, right?" After the mouse finished asking, it suddenly let out a shriek: "Oh my! I just talked to a human!" It collapsed on the ground, limbs stiff, looking as if it were having a stress response.

Suddenly, a large mouse rushed out from the nearby bushes, grabbed the little one, and prepared to run. An’an called out: "Auntie Mouse, my name is An’an. I came to ask you something, and the chicken here is for you. If it’s not enough, my Daddy can send more later."

With that, she picked up a large drumstick and carefully placed it down.

The little mouse woke up, its body no longer stiff. Before its mother could stop it, it took a bite: "So fragrant, so delicious!"

After some communication, the mice finally believed that An’an meant no harm. When mentioned Yi Siyu, the little mouse nodded: "Ah, I know that little kid. He fell down. His father pushed him down on purpose. I saw it very clearly. The water was raging, yet he intentionally let go. He knew the sewer cover was open, but he insisted on walking that way."

"Can you help me find where he is? Is he still alive?"

The little mouse patted its chest gallantly: "Leave it to me."

They were usually "rats crossing the street" chased by everyone, so it was incredibly rare to have a human offer them food and ask for their help. In An’an’s eyes, existence was justified. Because she could understand animal language, she believed every creature had a reason to exist. She didn't find mice annoying, as long as they didn't bite her.

The mouse network was vast, and the whereabouts of Yi Siyu were quickly discovered. One by one, the mice lined up to take the hundreds of drumsticks. The bodyguards were horrified—what kind of miracle was their little miss? She could make mice line up for chicken? They had never seen anything like it!

Shen Zhihan seemed to know what they were thinking: "Everything you saw today must be buried in your hearts. If anyone leaks a word, don't expect to live." The bodyguards immediately swore: "Mr. Shen, we wouldn't dare." They knew that even if they told people, no one would believe them anyway!

They didn't notice that in the distance, a seventeen-year-old boy covered his mouth, his hands trembling as he held his drone controller. Heavens! What had he just seen! He always said the end of science was metaphysics! Things science couldn't explain could only be explained by metaphysics! A cute little treasure was feeding mice! Hundreds of mice had actually bowed to her respectfully before disappearing with the chicken! Although the footage was a bit blurry, he had seen it clearly. His drone cost hundreds of thousands; it was ultra-high-definition and ultra-quiet!

Once the mice had vanished, An’an sighed. When she was abused by Lin Aifang, she always thought it was because she wasn't a good girl that her aunt was angry. Now, being with Shen Zhihan and meeting more people, she understood: it wasn't that she wasn't good enough, it was that those adults were truly wicked! The little treasure sighed; life was not easy.

But there was good news after all. An’an ran toward Shen Zhihan, who immediately walked up to meet her. Seeing she was unhappy, he bent down and picked her up. Neither of them noticed that as long as Shen Zhihan was around, An’an rarely had a chance to walk, let alone touch the ground.

"Did you find him?"

"Yes, we found him. The little brother is still alive."

"That’s good. I’ll have the Yi family come to pick him up."

"No, Daddy. Little Gray said the little brother was pushed into the sewer by that uncle on purpose." An’an didn't understand: "Daddy, the little brother is the uncle's child, why would he do that? The uncle is so bad!" The little one wasn't even very good at cursing. She looked indignant. "Daddy, let’s go pick up the little brother ourselves."

Just as they were about to leave, a woman got out of a car, looking distraught, and rushed toward the sewer entrance, tears streaming down her face: "Siyu! Siyu! Siyu!" She began to lose control, frantically trying to pry open the sewer cover. The strength born from despair was infinite; she actually managed to lift the heavy cover with her bare hands and was about to jump in with her eyes closed.

At the critical moment, a bodyguard stepped forward and held her back. An’an ran over, looking at her with concern: "Auntie, are you trying to jump down and end your life? If you do that, you’ll never see Brother Siyu again!"

An’an glanced at Shen Zhihan, and he felt a sense of condemnation in that look. The little one was so young, yet she already knew what it meant to seek death. Shen Zhihan felt embarrassed and guilty for making his little treasure worry.

Qiu Hong grasped the key point: "Little one, you know Siyu? You know my son? You know where he is? Is he still alive?" She was so excited that she grabbed An’an’s shoulders, as if clutching a life-saving straw.

Shen Zhihan said, "Madam, you are hurting my daughter."

An’an was very well-behaved: "It’s okay, Auntie didn't mean to, she was just too excited."

Qiu Hong let go of An’an, looking apologetic: "I’m sorry, I didn't mean to. Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt. Auntie, do you want to see the little brother? Then come with us."

Qiu Hong immediately followed them to the car. She couldn't believe it and confirmed again: "Do you really know where my son is?"

"I know, Auntie. Don't worry, I will take you to see the little brother."

Just then, Yi Tiancheng called. As Qiu Hong was about to answer, Shen Zhihan looked at her: "If you don't want your son to die, don't answer this call. Even if you do, you know what to say."