Li Banfeng thought the person impersonating He Jiaqing would go to the restroom with him.
But "He Jiaqing" didn’t go. He didn’t want to have too much contact with Li Banfeng anymore, as he noticed Li Banfeng’s behavior was a bit unusual.
Even if it was unusual, there was no need to worry. From the moment Li Banfeng entered this western-style building, "He Jiaqing" believed the outcome was already destined: Li Banfeng was doomed to replace him as the prisoner of the building.
To be on the safe side, "He Jiaqing" had Li Banfeng drink some tea with "drugged ingredients," hoping it would make him sleep soundly.
Fearing that Li Banfeng wouldn’t sleep well, he had wanted to give Li Banfeng another bowl of soup, but Li Banfeng didn’t drink it.
Now it seemed Li Banfeng was indeed not sleeping soundly. Perhaps the dosage of the "drugged ingredients" wasn’t enough, or maybe Li Banfeng’s constitution was too strong for the tea to completely knock him out.
None of that was important.
What mattered was that Li Banfeng couldn’t get out.
He couldn’t possibly find the exit.
"He Jiaqing" had been searching here for several days, and still, he hadn’t been able to find the way out.
"He Jiaqing" walked down the stairs and slept in a room on the first floor near the door.
Li Banfeng went into the restroom and saw a yellow cat and a white cat looking for something to eat next to the washbasin.
There was no faucet on the washbasin. Instead, there was a hand pump. The white cat jumped onto the handle of the pump while the yellow cat squatted at the water outlet, waiting to see if any water would emerge.
They were making the rustling noise. How had these two cats gotten in?
There were quite a few cats in the western-style building. How had the others gotten inside?
There was indeed a small porthole in the restroom, very small.
The porthole was tightly shut. Li Banfeng pushed it several times, but it was as sturdy as the bedroom window, offering no chance of being opened.
Li Banfeng hissed softly at the two cats. The white cat, already wary of Li Banfeng, was frightened by the hissing, immediately puffed up, and scurried into a hole under the washbasin.
As the yellow cat was about to follow, Li Banfeng grabbed it.
He looked at the hole next to the floor drain.
It was supposed to be a vent, its diameter barely larger than an adult’s fist.
MEOW~
A cat’s meow came from outside the window.
Through the frosted glass on the window, Li Banfeng vaguely saw a white figure outside, calling for its companion.
The white cat had escaped outside the building!
It had squeezed out through the vent!
CLICK!
The restroom doorknob turned, and "He Jiaqing" pushed the door open and entered.
He had just heard the cat’s meow.
"Ban Feng, what are you doing?"
"I’m sitting on the toilet," Li Banfeng said, sitting on the toilet and holding the yellow cat in his arms.
"You’re petting a cat while on the toilet?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "It’s a restroom cat. If I don’t pet it on the toilet, where else would be appropriate?"
"He Jiaqing" closed the restroom door. He couldn’t make sense of Li Banfeng’s actions.
Li Banfeng’s behavior was completely irrational, yet he always managed to find a rationalization for it.
Li Banfeng reached his hand into the vent below the washbasin.
The vent didn’t lead directly outside the western-style building. What lay beyond and how many turns it took were unclear to Li Banfeng.
Although a cool night breeze flowed in from the vent, Li Banfeng couldn’t use it to directly throw the keys outside the western-style building.
This yellow cat clearly lacked courage. To win the bet, it needed some inspiration.
Li Banfeng took out the new top hat from inside his pajamas; it held two items.
He had changed into pajamas earlier, and "He Jiaqing" had taken his wallet and some personal items.
But there were two things Li Banfeng never parted with: one was his keys, and the other was spicy strips. Both were now inside the top hat.
He first took out his keys, entered his Portable Residence, and retrieved a phone charging cable from his backpack.
Back in the restroom, he tied the keys onto the cat’s body with the charging cable.
He first carried the yellow cat to the vent. Then, grasping the keys, he opened the door of his Portable Residence again.
Just before entering, Li Banfeng took out a spicy strip and shoved it into the yellow cat’s anus.
With a heartrending yowl, the yellow cat bolted like lightning into the vent.
Li Banfeng then entered his Portable Residence.
"He Jiaqing" heard the noise and rushed into the restroom again, only to find Li Banfeng gone.
"He Jiaqing’s" mind reeled.
Footsteps sounded from outside the window. "He Jiaqing" rushed to the living room on the first floor, approached the French window, and saw Li Banfeng standing in the garden.
Beside Li Banfeng was a yellow cat, currently giving itself a sitz bath in a garden puddle.
"He Jiaqing" was astounded; Li Banfeng remained composed.
Just a few seconds ago, "He Jiaqing" had firmly believed he was free, convinced that Li Banfeng could definitely not leave the He Family Old House.
Just a few seconds ago, Li Banfeng wasn’t sure whether the yellow cat would burst out of the vent. And now, that yellow cat was sitting in a puddle in the yard, whimpering softly.