When the music came to an end for the second time, Lot put Jania back. It would never have lasted more than fifteen minutes, but it was extremely difficult for the people in the living room. During this period, Luo Binhan was thinking about Zhou Yu's acting skills. It is true that doctors are the ones who should know the state of illness most. Whether they can imitate it is another matter. He had to let Zhou Yu make some big noise, but if the act was too exaggerated and false, Luo De would immediately become suspicious.
Pretending to be sick was obviously not the kind of lie Zhou Yu was good at, so Luo Binhan considered whether he should let Malcolm come. Malcolm was a natural performer, but it was a pity that Rod was still staring at the living room at this moment, while Malcolm was a little far away from him. If he wanted to convey such a somewhat complicated plan to Malcolm, he would either have to shout at the top of his lungs, or he would have to lean across Hannah Zahn's body and whisper. Lot may have been an arrogant fellow, but at least he wasn't a demented one. It was lucky that this lunatic allowed Zhou Yu to choose his own seat. Before the exam, he and Zhou Yu were arranged to sit at the same table. Even their high school teacher would not make such a mistake.
Luo Binhan couldn't tell what Luo De was thinking. Maybe he was frightened by Zhou Yu's calm temperament. But opportunities all come from the opponent's confusion. He squeezed out his voice from between his teeth during the climax of the music, reminding Zhou Yu over and over again that he must perform this performance well. Zhou Yu acted as if he hadn't heard anything. He was really good at whitewashing the peace. However, Luo Binhan had never seen Zhou Yu in an emotional state, let alone performing it. In the end, he had no choice but to tell Zhou Yu that if he couldn't do it, he would fall to the ground and pretend that he had fainted from exhaustion. He thought that if this happened, Lot would check it out anyway.
But what to do after that? Once Luo De found out that Zhou Yu was pretending to be faint, it was hard to guess what countermeasures he would take. Zhou Yu might as well actually faint, so that Lot would not take him seriously. What made Luo Binhan even more uneasy was that he was actually not sure whether Momolo could arrive in time, and in what form. In the communications after the breakup, Momolo did not reply immediately every time. Sometimes it would even take a long time before he would get a reply, such as "Okay", "Yes", "What is this, Mr. Luo" ——It’s like the online customer service of a third-rate online store.
That may mean that Momolo is really busy with something, or that he is not used to using local chat tools. Ever since that morning of separation, Luo Binhan had vowed to himself not to care about such trivial matters anymore. But if he sends a distress message now, and Momolo only sees it after a long time, how will the matter end? He didn't think that Lot would stay in this house peacefully until dawn. The thing was planning something he didn't want to think about. And even if Momolo received his news immediately and understood the urgency of his current situation, how could he get to Regenberg? If there is no spaceship or any door available, there is obviously only one solution left. That method can't be called a clever idea at all. Even if Momolo solves their urgent need, the whole town will be completely shocked by a shocking rumor (and maybe a video recording). The public and even government agencies may take notice unless he finds a way to label all rumors as outright false news. It wasn't completely impossible, but it was very difficult, so difficult that he couldn't help but consider whether he could pretend that he had been kidnapped by Momolo and went to the moon.
Although these chaotic thoughts only appeared in reality for less than half a minute, they almost destroyed Luo Binhan's confidence in his plan. He saw too many variables and hidden dangers, so maybe he shouldn't call Momolo, but should think about Anti-Pierre again. He regretted not exchanging phone numbers with Angie. He had obviously visited her, but in the end he spent all his time talking about Chen Wei. If he asked Angie what social software she liked to use! But that may be wasted effort. If there is anyone in Regenberg who understands the Internet less than Zhou Yu, it can only be the apprentice of Zhou Yu's great-great-great-great-grandmother.
He didn't have any more time to think about these troubles. In the blink of an eye, the living room became quiet again, and Yu Xiaorong walked back in silence. Luo Binhan made eye contact with her, trying to hint that he already had an escape plan, so Yu Xiaorong didn't have to worry - she really didn't seem to be worried. Luo Binhan saw more suspicion in her eyes, which were slightly lighter than Yu Qingshu's. Her steps were very slow, as if her shoes were filled with lead as she passed Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu also looked at her right hand. The bleeding from the wound had stopped, but it was still weird.
Now was not the time for the two of them to exchange greetings. Luo Binhan lightly touched her leg with his knee, urging her to sit next to her mother. Then Lot came over. He paced thoughtfully, maybe still immersed in the nonsense Yu Xiaorong told him. At this point, Luo Binhan finally started to worry about his tacit understanding with Yu Xiaorong. Of course he saw Yu Xiaorong secretly turning the water glass there. It was no different from Ming Li, and it was no more difficult than when they teamed up to lie to their parents before. But in the end, they have to rely on each other's tacit understanding to make up the same lie, a story with a beginning and an end. It is not a trick like "the copy will not be distorted" or "you draw and I guess". Luo De would torture him with various details to verify whether he and Yu Xiaorong were consistent.
Flaws will definitely appear, and he can't take any chances. Once they broke away from the bedside story that he and Yu Xiaorong were familiar with, they had no choice but to make up random stories. So what is the probability that there will be no mistakes at all? They are just a pair of ordinary brothers and sisters who are really good friends, not roundworms in each other's stomachs. The point of this whole trick is just to delay. How long would it take for Lot to discover this huge lie? Maybe we should take turns asking him and Yu Xiaorong for three or four rounds, or even seven or eight rounds. He figured that would take at least an hour or two.
"It's your turn," Lot said.
Luo Binhan twitched the corner of his mouth at him. "Can I get my computer? I haven't written anything that long in years."
"Then maybe it's time for you to brush up on your calligraphy."
"Okay," Luo Binhan said, "I can do whatever I want, as long as you don't complain that my handwriting is as ugly as a dog crawling. I would like to see if you can find someone who can recognize my handwriting. This is not I deliberately made trouble. If you had been living in Africa for more than two years, you might even spell your own name wrong. Do you mind if I occasionally use phonetic notations to replace words? Because I might even forget the strokes."
He put his injured foot on the base of the coffee table and waited to see Lot's reaction. Of course, it was a bit risky to put on this look. If Lot had enough brains or a perverted mentality, he would find someone in this room to sort him out. It doesn't matter if it's Yu Qingshu or Malcolm, Luo De can kill them easily with his majesty. Of course, this process was also part of the bargaining process. If Lot really did this, he would be ready to fall to the ground at any time and make another soft talk in a low voice. But what if Lot had to kill someone first? Luo Binhan was not sure, this possibility was possible. When that time came, he had no choice but to rush out and let Yu Xiaorong escape with the rest. There was no chance of winning in this way, but he had no other choice. He just decided to gamble to the end.
There were some things here that he didn't understand. After that thing threw Yu Xiaorong into Anti-Pierre's house, he knew something strange had happened to him. No, he was conscious during the process and didn't forget anything, but he didn't understand how it happened or how it could happen again, so he decided not to think about it. Don't think about it for now, unless he really wants to rush out and fight Lot to the death.
Lot was obviously thinking and hatching some bad ideas that were destined to be unpopular. Luo Binhan couldn't let himself seem too eager to get the electronic equipment, so he could only continue to pretend to be indifferent. At this time Zhou Yu asked: "What does he need you to write?"
This issue was not in Luo Binhan's plan, and he didn't pick the right time. He couldn't help but glance at Zhou Yu complainingly: "My confession of colluding with the fugitive."
"Fugitive?"
"His best friend. I met him when I was in Africa. I came to fulfill a wish..."
"Be still," Lot said, "and I will grant your request."
Luo Binhan's tight back almost relaxed. As a result, Lot reached into his pocket, took out a mobile phone that had obviously been in a mud ditch, and threw it on Luo Binhan. Luo Binhan stared at it, picked it up with two fingers, and found that it had a damn English interface. No screen lock. No mobile phone card.
He tried to create obstacles. "I need Chinese input method."
"Go to the settings and adjust it." Rod said, "This version is sold globally."
Luo Binhan almost laughed in anger. He looked up at Lot's neutral face and believed he saw sarcasm and smugness in it. But he really had no choice, and he almost admired this madman. Luo scored to find out the release version of the phone. Damn it, a felon who had been imprisoned for who knows how many years actually knew more about mobile phones than he did. No one can really tell now. Is Zhou Yu or Luo De more of a perverted murderer? He had to twist his lips and ask, "Is this yours?"
"Yes now."
"What about before?"
Luo De looked at him so proudly that Luo Binhan's face darkened. He certainly understands that an old cell phone without a SIM card always has a story. In any mobile phone repair shop in Lihai City, the most common people are pickpockets and people picking up leaks. But what about Lot? Lot was not satisfied just by looking in other people's pockets.
He had nothing else to say, not even a stinging trash talk. So he lowered his head and rummaged through the language options in his phone's settings, thinking about his stillborn plan. This really stereotypes him - who says religious fanatics have to be tech idiots? In the nature of Internet communication, believers who are keen to promote sects know better than him what it means to keep pace with the times. At least Rod was very familiar with modern electronic products and would never stupidly watch him go online and then download an unnecessary chat software. There was no way he could fool this thing as easily as he had his grandparents.
Now the old plan was gone. He thought about it in the few seconds it took for his phone to reboot (the damn thing was running smoothly). Now he still had to sneak into the bedroom, get his cell phone, and send a message to Momolo as quickly as possible. To accomplish all this without Luo De noticing, it couldn't be solved by just letting Zhou Yu hold her belly and shout twice.
Zhou Yu also looked at him, waiting for him to give the signal for his next move. Luo Binhan glanced at him helplessly, and then quickly glanced at the bathroom. He didn't expect Zhou Yu to trick people into going to the second floor, unless Lot was really crazy. But what if it’s the bathroom on the ground floor? The door to the bathroom is a very delicate location. If he remembered correctly, standing there was the only way to the entrance. He could monitor the diagonal front door and back door at the same time, and at the same time, he could see most of the living room--that's the beauty, but Most of the living room, except where he sat, was blocked by the cabinets on the wall. If someone was standing there, you would have to poke your head out to confirm his movements. Maybe he could ask Yu Xiaorong to say something to Lot to divert Lot's attention. But how was he going to trick Lot into that position?
Lot walked around behind him. A hand as hard as an iron hook grasped his shoulder with the kind of strength that would make a child cry. "I hope you're crafting your words."
"Yes." Luo Binhan said. He already has a Chinese input method and a particularly stupid system that comes with a note program, which is all a family in dire straits or bedridden with illness needs. Luo De unabashedly stared at the screen from behind his shoulder. Luo Binhan didn't know how many Chinese characters this thing knew, but if he switched to the Internet interface and then opened the app store to download a chat software, he would really be lying to himself. . When the situation developed to this point, he couldn't help but have a not-so-local thought: It would be great if Lot was an ancient law who could scream at mechanical buttons.
He had to start typing. Devil in a cup. A very simple story. An explorer was seduced by a witch doctor into an underground cave, where he obtained a magical crystal cup. Following the witch doctor's instructions, he deceived the local people who kindly took him in, causing them to be so sad and desperate that they filled their cups with tears. Then with these innocent tears he began to work his evil sorcery in order to resurrect his own friend, a traveling companion lost in a previous adventure.
This is not like a bedtime story for children, but Yu Xiaorong likes it. Before she was ten years old, she would read this short but dark story two or three times every time he came. Whenever the story told of how the evil explorer deceived the kind-hearted and innocent natives with his smooth words, she would always lie on her back on the bed and stare at the ceiling with bright eyes, as if she was fascinated by some sinister aspect of the story. But that was not yearning. He had always guessed that Yu Xiaorong must have replaced himself with the locals who had been harmed. She would imagine that she was one of them, the helper and guard of the locals, and how she saw through the conspiracies of the foreigners. While he was reciting a story about villains succeeding, she was weaving another version of fighting against them.
Now he is compiling a third version of the story, Confessions of a Sinful Rich Man. Yu Xiaorong would obviously tell Lot that he met Colin during a witchcraft ceremony in Africa. He didn't know if she also made up some details about his persecution of the local indigenous people. Anyway, he could first mention some money or medicine matters in general - Luo Binhan intuitively felt that Rod would like this section, as long as he admitted that he had done many things. Dirty things that never see the light of day. But he couldn't admit it too quickly. Instead, he had to play some tricks to hide it, so as to suit the thing's wishes.
He also had to have a criminal motive. He really could have it. If someone gave him a 100% reliable opportunity to sacrifice a few strangers to resurrect Zhou Yu, he dare not say that he would not think about it at all. Fortunately, this story of deceit and abduction did not end well. In the end, it was just the devil who tricked everyone. He tapped the screen and wrote that he saw Lenny Klein's face in the water glass (this was definitely the role Yu Xiaorong would assign to that beast). He numbly described how shocked and admired the vision he was. Anyway, it didn't matter that it was different from Yu Xiaorong's statement, so he admired Lenny Klein who was manifested in the cup. He climbed onto the altar, stood in front of the cup, pushed the gold mountain, poured the jade pillar, put his head in and bowed.
Zhou Yu, who was peeking sideways, suddenly coughed, then buried his head deeply and stretched out his hand to hold his chest. Lot immediately looked at him suspiciously. Luo Binhan also gave a warning secretly - he didn't remember Zhou Yu's laughter was so low. But this may have been a misunderstanding, because when Zhou Yu looked up, there was no smile on his face, just pure pain and discomfort.
"Stomach pain." He still said, "I need warm water."
Luo Binhan has not yet sent a signal for action. He wasn't sure whether Zhou Yu was faking it. But no matter what, Lot immediately showed a vicious smile on his face. He could pretend to ask Hannah to give Yu Xiaorong a glass of water, but if someone really needed a glass of water, he would never let them do so.
"Wait until your friend has finished his work," Lot said. His tone showed that even if Luo Binhan really confessed everything, Zhou Yu would still not be able to get the glass of water. Luo Binhan couldn't show his concern for Zhou Yu's condition, because that would definitely give Luo some uglier inspiration. When he felt that Lot behind him was observing him again, he immediately controlled his sight on the mobile phone screen and did not pay attention to the situation on Zhou Yu's side. He just pricked up his ears and heard Zhou Yu adjust his sitting posture and the chair cushion. It makes a rustling sound due to the change in weight. There was also a slightly harsh friction sound, which was the sound of Zhou Yu's gloves grazing the leather or cloth. Then he heard Zhou Yu say: "I'll go to the kitchen and get a glass of water."
That didn't even look like a question. Luo Binhan couldn't help but look sideways at this blunt acting. He vaguely caught sight of Zhou Yu raising his head and looking at Luo De, with a strange and fragmented expression on his face: the lower half of his face was in pain, his lips were white, and the corners of his mouth were tight, enduring the torture of not knowing whether it was true or false; Half of the face looked so plain, and the eyebrows and eyes told a completely different state. For a second, he felt that the emotionless half of his face was mocking Lot.
"It's just a glass of water, doesn't it matter?"
Now Luo Binhan felt that he no longer needed to pretend to look at his phone. He turned to see what was going on with Zhou Yu. Everyone in the living room was similar to him. Yu Xiaorong, who was sitting diagonally across from him, was also looking here, unconsciously wiping the dried blood on his arm with his fingers. This girl was not frightened. Compared with her nervous parents, she was really not worried, and even a little distracted.
Luo Binhan didn't want to ponder her thoughts at this juncture. He was about to say something to divert Lot's attention, but Zhou Yu had already stood up from his seat.
"If you're worried, just follow me."
This is really deception that cannot be more explicit. Luo Binhan really wanted to knock Zhou Yu on the head and remind him that such poor acting skills couldn't even fool Yu Xiaorong when he was five years old. There was no way Lot could be tricked into going to the kitchen, because that was in completely opposite directions from the main entrance.
"I suddenly remembered something strange," he had to intervene to divert Lot's attention, "about the bastard you are looking for..."
Before he could finish his words, Luo De had already followed Zhou Yu and walked away. Luo Binhan opened his mouth wide and stared at Luo De's unusually quiet back until he disappeared by the kitchen door - Luo De didn't even stand at the door, but walked straight in. This was something he had never thought about. Now Luo De couldn't see him. He might be able to see Yu Xiaorong and Yu Qingshu sitting closer, but as long as the thing didn't stick its head out, it wouldn't be known whether he was still sitting in his original position.
This was exactly the opportunity he had been deliberately trying to create. But when it did come, it seemed so easy and inexplicable that he didn't know how to react for a while. What is Lot going crazy about? What kind of trick is there? Or was he just hallucinating? Just when he was questioning himself, Hannah Zahn had quietly slipped from her seat and lay down to observe the gap between the floor and the sofa. Like Luo Binhan, she also has a good position and has her own plan of action. Soon she reached out to touch the pistol that Malcolm had kicked in earlier.
Neither Yu Xiaorong nor Yu Qingshu noticed her skillful and decisive movements. The mother and daughter were staring at the kitchen together, completely fascinated by what was going on inside. Luo Binhan wanted to get into their heads and dig out the scenes they saw to share them. But the more important thing was on his side - Malcolm discovered Hannah's little move. He only thought about it for a few seconds, then changed his sitting position and put his arms on the back of the sofa. This was to cover up Hannah's actions so that Rod wouldn't be able to discover it immediately when he came out.
Luo Binhan wanted to give them a signal and tell them not to believe too much in the importance of firearms, but no one looked at him at all. He could see that Hannah was not going to sit still and wait for a miracle to save her. Therefore, now is not the time for persuasion, but must be the time for action. So he made up his mind, quietly took off his shoes, and then slowly stood up from his position. He tried to do it quietly, but everyone in the living room still found out. This inevitably made Luo Binhan feel that the entire plan was difficult. He made a shushing gesture to them, and then moved towards the bedroom step by step. Yu Qingshu wanted to stop him with his eyes, but said nothing.
He started walking towards the bedroom, trying to move as fast as possible without making any noise. This was easier than he thought, because he was originally worried that his leg injury would hinder his movement, but in fact, he didn't feel any pain. Perhaps due to the high level of emotional tension, his body was almost unconscious and surprisingly light, sliding into the bedroom like a shadow. The mobile phone is placed on the table to charge. He picked it up and turned off the ringtone and vibration immediately. He did all this smoothly and quickly. Then he opened the chat software, preparing to send a clear cry for help first.
Then he heard a commotion. It came from outside the bedroom, like someone taking a deep breath. A thought crossed his mind: Just ignore the sound. Now he is standing in this room, simply typing the word "help", sending it neatly, and then typing a voice reminder, and then everything is over. He could get out of this incredible mess. Even if Lot rushed in and caught him the next moment, he could still say that he just called the police. Lot was not afraid of the police and would only laugh at him for his recklessness. He could get a little more aggressive and bicker with Lot until something huge falls from the sky.
Someone screamed outside the door.
Luo Binhan turned and rushed towards the door, his cell phone in his hand, ready to start voice communication at any time. But when he poked his head out of the bedroom, he almost forgot that he was still holding something in his hand. He saw Lot coming out of the kitchen. The damn thing stood two or three steps away from the kitchen entrance, looking thoughtfully at the painting on the wall - the apricot blossom under the aqua blue sky. Under his feet was a dark brown non-slip mat that had been placed there many years ago because the kitchen door frame was made of metal and was extremely sharp. Yu Qingshu injured his knee while serving the soup.
Blood was dripping onto the woolen mattress. Drop after drop, like rain falling from the eaves. But the blade with a curved edge like a tile eaves was in Lot's hand. The metal's luster is bright and shining, but the blood stains adhering to it are very light. Luo Binhan's roaring head mixed into a soft silver-red color.
