Xiao Cheng didn't rush to find any hidden doors or passages, but instead stared thoughtfully at the plush carpet under her feet.
"What do you mean by an unusual, mysterious entrance?" She suddenly looked up at Fang He. "What kind of thinking do you think a novelist would use to meticulously design his basement?"
Fang He was taken aback by her question, and after thinking for a moment, he replied, "Hidden in an impossible place? A wall? A rooftop? A room? A novelist's thoughts are something only the novelist can answer. All we can do is..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Cheng suddenly stood up with a knowing look on her face: "That's right."
She patted Fang He on the shoulder approvingly: "Little Fang, you're amazing! You were already incredibly clever at this point!"
Fang He stared blankly as she turned and walked up the stairs.
"Where...where are you going?" He immediately got up and followed her. "To find the entrance to the basement upstairs?"
Xiao Cheng didn't answer, and mysteriously climbed all the way to the sixth floor.
Then, to Fang He's astonishment, he calmly knocked on the study door.
Thump.
Knock knock.
A hollow knock echoed down the corridor.
A moment later, the door was opened from the inside, and the novelist, with his messy, bird's-nest-like hair, poked half his head out and looked at them with a gloomy expression: "What?"
“Well, Mr. Novelist,” Xiao Cheng said with a polite smile, “I feel it would be impolite to rummage through your house, so if I may ask, could you please tell me where the basement is?”
Fang He: "..." Something seems off, but it really makes sense.
"Ah, the basement." The novelist's eyes drooped, his face weary. "I forgot. There's another number one, isn't there?"
He came out of the study, wrapping his large velvet bathrobe around himself as if he were cold: "It's alright, everything has been prepared in advance. I'll take you there."
When Number One saw the novelist and Xiao Cheng coming downstairs together, he felt quite uneasy.
While the novelist leisurely led the way, he forcibly suppressed his anger and said to Xiao Cheng through gritted teeth in a very low voice, "Are you fucking sick?"
Xiao Cheng pretended not to hear clearly and deliberately asked loudly, "What did you say? You want to treat the novelist to ice cream?"
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I won't eat it." The novelist turned around and smiled politely at Number One, "But if you need it, I will prepare it for you. After all, you are my honored guests, and I hope everyone feels at home."
As he spoke, he pushed open the building's door and led them outside.
Number One looked at Xiao Cheng with a gloomy expression, while Number Two spoke first, saying in a very affected tone of shock, "Oh my, so the basement is outside? What an ingenious design."
“Yes, I also thought the design was stupid at one point.” The novelist sighed deeply. “But unfortunately, I bought this building, but I didn’t build it. I can only tolerate this. Fortunately, it’s not a big deal, since there aren’t many occasions where a basement can be used.”
The basement is at the back of the building, where a small but exquisite house, which looks like a doghouse, is built against the wall.
Number One stared at the building, which wasn't even waist-high enough to reach him, his face turning almost green: "So we're supposed to get in here? Climb up this doghouse?"
“I do plan to keep a dog here, preferably a fierce one. But no matter how exquisite the doghouse is, it shouldn’t be used by honored guests.” The novelist shook his head, then walked over and ripped off the roof of the doghouse.
A red button embedded in the wall was revealed.
As he pressed the button, the ground not far away suddenly moved slowly downwards, creating a square depression. Then, the depression split in two and flipped open with a click.
The entrance to the basement came into view, with a rope ladder hanging precariously, waiting for them to enter.
“This is it,” the novelist said with a smile. “Believe me, apart from the slight inconvenience of getting in and out, it won’t have too many other problems. Of course, the rope ladder seems a bit flimsy, so it’s best to only allow one person to go up at a time. Otherwise, if it suddenly breaks and injures our distinguished guest, I would feel quite guilty.”
"Thanks for reminding me. Let's go down and take a look. It shouldn't be a problem, right?" Xiao Cheng asked.
“Of course,” the novelist nodded in reply, “but I have to continue working on my manuscript, so I won’t stay with you any longer. I hope you won’t mind my slight.”
“Of course not,” Xiao Cheng said with a smile. “After all… as your loyal reader, I am also quite looking forward to your next masterpiece.”
"I'm so glad to hear that. It's my good fortune to have a reader like you." The novelist visibly became excited, looking at Xiao Cheng with great satisfaction, and extended the invitation with a serious expression.
"Please make sure to attend my seminar at midnight. This is a last-minute event, and I will also be sending out invitations to others. I believe you will receive new invitations soon."
"Of course, the seminar will take a very long time, possibly continuing into the morning, and it will be very tiring. So please make sure you get plenty of rest, and take a nap before then; you'll feel relaxed."
The novelist, wrapped in his bathrobe, sneezed loudly, then rubbed his nose somewhat helplessly: "I should go back, I can't catch a chill... Ah, sorry, I really should go back."
He became somewhat incoherent, hurriedly waved goodbye to them, and turned to run towards the building entrance.
The four people stood around the entrance to the basement, peering down into the pitch-black darkness.
Fortunately, there wasn't much of an odor coming from inside, so it should be fine for people to live in.
"Never mind, I'll go down and take a look first," Xiao Cheng said.
"I'll go. The situation down there is unknown. It's better if I go instead." Fang He reached out to stop her.
"You?" Xiao Cheng glanced at him with amusement, then pointed meaningfully to his wrist, which hadn't fully recovered its color. "Are you sure?"
Fang He: "..." Actually, I'm not quite sure.
"Don't worry, the novelist just invited me to a seminar." Xiao Cheng patted his shoulder. "So, conservatively speaking, I should be able to live to midnight."
Number One and Number Two remained silent, quietly retreating a little further away. After all, Xiao Cheng's initiative to go down first to scout the way was only beneficial to them.
Xiao Cheng saw through their little scheme, scoffed disdainfully, climbed the rope ladder, and leaped down.
The height here isn't actually that far off; the moment my feet landed firmly, the entire underground area suddenly became bright.
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