That dinner, for instance, or the night he had secretly slipped in here-
Compared to an explanation for an instance character... Li Xian had always felt that Lin Shiming's detailed explanation had been intended for someone else.
Someone like... him.
So, the moment the Dreamcatcher collecting his wages had left the room, Li Xian had stepped inside. After picking up the mask hanging on the rack, he had hesitated briefly, then deliberately made some noise.
Lin Shiming had paused, but instead of looking in his direction, he had turned a little farther, putting his back fully toward him.
Li Xian had immediately understood the message conveyed by that turn:
I did notice you, but I have to pretend I didn't.
And so Li Xian had quietly backed out of the room and hurried away.
The two had reached an unspoken understanding just like that.
Including this time-if his guess was right, Lin Shiming had deliberately chosen the right moment to interrupt his conversation with Fan Zhe, ensuring he would "happen" to be locked in this room.
Then there ought to be some clue in here.
Li Xian took a deep breath. Rather than give up, he rolled up his sleeves and tried moving the single bed in front of him.
The iron legs, without any rubber padding, scraped against the floor with a series of piercing screeches. After moving the bed roughly a dozen centimeters away from the wall, Li Xian released his grip and crouched down.
The section previously pressed against the wall was now exposed, revealing a dark, damaged opening.
The opening was irregularly shaped, roughly three or four centimeters wide overall. The metal around its edges curled outward, looking sharp enough to cut his hand if he touched it carelessly.
Li Xian peered through the opening and