Thinking too much is useless; better to deal with what's in front of you first.

He had arranged for the cooperating companies to come tomorrow to pay the compensation. Henry Clark planned to go home and get some sleep to restore his energy.

He hadn’t slept well for a week, and today’s events were overwhelming—his head was spinning. However, the weight that had been pressing on his chest for so long was temporarily lifted, and he finally felt a bit more at ease, even his breathing was smoother.

Back home, he immediately caught up on sleep.

Even though it was daytime, he slept soundly until he was woken by the doorbell.

The visitor wasn’t a debt collector, but his college classmate Jack Grant, who lived in the same building.

“Are you okay? I called you more than ten times and you didn’t answer, and you didn’t reply to my messages. I almost called the police!”

Jack Grant looked Henry Clark over. Henry Clark looked like he’d just woken up, but his mental state was much better than the past few days. Even looking like this, his looks still outshone most people—no wonder he was the one Tony from the barbershop at the school gate had fought to get for an ad back in freshman year.

Knowing Henry Clark was fine, Jack Grant was relieved. Since they lived so close and knew each other well, he didn’t stand on ceremony. After coming in, Jack Grant poured himself a glass of water and sat down.

“Did you find the person from your studio who ran off with the money?”

Henry Clark hadn’t told them too many details, so Jack Grant only knew that Henry Clark’s studio partner had screwed him over and run off with the money, leaving Henry Clark to pay a lot in compensation. Henry Clark hadn’t said exactly how much, but judging from the past few days, it was definitely not a small amount.

“Not yet,” Henry Clark said, “but I already have a solution.”

“W-w-what kind of solution?” Jack Grant stammered.

Henry Clark was now half a step into the entertainment industry, and Jack Grant was worried he’d go down the wrong path—some roads, once taken, are hard to turn back from.

Henry Clark thought for a moment, then said, “Found a wealthy relative.”

Jack Grant was half-convinced, half-doubtful.

“Well, that’s good. If you’re still short, let me know and I’ll see what I can do to help,” Jack Grant said.

Last month, he’d spent a lot renovating his own shop and had been running around like crazy lately, so he was actually a bit tight on cash himself. But he didn’t want to see Henry Clark go astray.

Jack Grant’s family got rich from demolition compensation. They used the money to buy two apartments in the same building—one on the 5th floor for his parents, and one on the 29th for himself, right below Henry Clark. Later, he took out a loan to buy a shop at the entrance of the community and started his own business after graduation. Even though money was tight, he could still come up with a few hundred thousand if needed.

“Thanks, but I can handle the money issue myself.”

Henry Clark knew Jack Grant’s situation, which was why he hadn’t told them the details. If he owed a few hundred thousand, he could borrow from Jack Grant and the others to get through, but owing over twenty million was beyond what they could help with. Besides, this situation was complicated, and he didn’t want to drag unrelated people into it.

Seeing that Henry Clark didn’t seem to be forcing himself and that his mental state was improving, Jack Grant didn’t press the topic.

“Alright, as long as you can solve it, that’s good… Oh, by the way, just letting you know, I’ll be staying on the 5th floor for the next few days. If you need me, just go there,” Jack Grant said. “There’s been a rat infestation in the community lately… You know about that, right? The owners’ group has been arguing about it for days.”

Henry Clark nodded. “I’ve heard a bit, not much. I haven’t checked the owners’ group lately because of the studio stuff.”

Jack Grant continued, “Let me fill you in. Recently, there have been rat infestations in several parts of the city. Last week, two neighboring communities hired people to exterminate the rats, but instead of killing them, the rats just fled to other communities. Ours is the closest, so we’re suffering the most. I heard a kid got bitten by a rat—not sure if it’s true, there are a lot of rumors lately, it’s a mess… Anyway, my parents on the 5th floor are being driven crazy by the rats, can’t even sleep at night. The lower floors are having it even worse.”

“Your place is a three-bedroom too, you could have your parents stay with you on the 29th floor,” Henry Clark said.

Jack Grant waved his hand. “My schedule’s different from theirs, it’d be a hassle. I’ll just switch places for now and wait out this rat disaster. By the way, have any rats gotten into your place?”

Henry Clark thought carefully and shook his head. “Haven’t seen any, but maybe I just didn’t notice.”

“There are fewer rats on higher floors, but you still need to be careful. I heard there are rats even on the 30th floor in other buildings—they’ve gotten inside the buildings, and even if they don’t use the stairs, they can still get up there. Someone in the next building even caught a rat climbing the wall on camera!”

Jack Grant clicked his tongue. “Rats really are amazing creatures—you can see them on any floor, as long as there’s food, you’ll see them climbing windows, running along walls, leaping across balconies!

“The property management has contacted a pest control company, and there’ll be a major cleanup in the next couple of days. If you go out, make sure your doors and windows are closed. Your reinforced mesh screens should be fine, but block any holes elsewhere, and check all the pipe openings. If a rat gets in, it’ll be a real headache.”

After Jack Grant left, Henry Clark went to check the kitchen and other areas, but didn’t find any signs of rat activity. He’d been running around a lot lately and hadn’t cooked at home, so things were a bit messy, with various documents piled up, but he’d already taken out the takeout trash and there was no food left out to attract rats.

Stretching, Henry Clark looked out at the night sky. That nap during the day had lasted all the way into the evening.

He filled the bathtub, and for once, was in the mood for a bath to relax.