Seeing how frightened Gao Shiqi was, Xue Ruigao felt a little sorry for her. "Qiqi, it's okay. Cheng's pet mouse is very well behaved. He never bites."
Gao Shiqi glanced fearfully at the Mouse Clone on the table and pleaded with Xue Ruigao, "Little Cake, please, could you make him leave? Look at him, he keeps staring at me. It's so scary! I feel like he's got it in for me!"
Xue Ruigao did not know whether to laugh or cry. "He's just a mouse. How could he have such complicated thoughts, like a person? Besides, you've never done anything to each other. Why would he have it in for you? He's always like that. I've even slept holding him before, and nothing happened."
"Please, could you take him outside?" Gao Shiqi said, on the verge of tears. "Little Cake, if you leave him in the room, I won't get any sleep tonight!"
With Gao Shiqi pleading so desperately, Xue Ruigao said helplessly, "All right."
She walked over to the table, cupped the Mouse Clone in her hands, and carried him out. "Be good. Don't come in tonight. Go sleep with Cheng. My friend is afraid of you, and you really will scare her. Tomorrow-tomorrow, after we get to the Imperial City, I'll buy you some snacks to make it up to you, okay?"
Only then did the Mouse Clone turn and leave.
Xue Ruigao closed the door and said to Gao Shiqi, "He's gone now. Can you sleep?"
Gao Shiqi hugged Xue Ruigao around the waist, beaming. "My Little Cake really is the best!"
In the bathroom, the Mouse Clone walked over to Wen Xiancheng and stopped beside him.
Wen Xiancheng fetched a basin, filled it with water, then picked up the Mouse Clone and placed him inside.
The Mouse Clone swam back and forth in it.
An immensely pleasant sensation came from the Mouse Clone.
It felt rather like having an entire swimming pool to himself.
As Wen Xiancheng rubbed body wash onto the Mouse Clone, he considered how to deal with Gao Shiqi.
The messages he had just seen clearly stated that Gao Shiqi planned to steal another pair of Xue Ruigao's panties and give them to that rich young master named Xu Junfeng.
Wen Xiancheng's face darkened.
If I don't get Xue Ruigao to cut ties with that fake-innocent bitch Gao Shiqi, I can guard against her for a day, but not for a lifetime.
Besides, stay near vermilion and you turn red; stay near ink and you turn black.
One day, when Xue Ruigao is feeling down, that bitch Gao Shiqi might trick her into doing something foolish.
No. I absolutely can't let Xue Ruigao keep in touch with her.
I have to drive that bitch Gao Shiqi away from Xue Ruigao.
When Wen Xiancheng realized he was grinding his teeth with anger, he found it deeply strange.
By all rights, this body's original owner should have died from poisoning.
Then why do I still feel such a strong urge to love and protect Xue Ruigao?
"I hope you're not trying anything underhanded on me. You're already dead. This body is mine now. I hope you understand that," Wen Xiancheng muttered to himself.
The intense emotions in his heart slowly faded.
Wen Xiancheng finished bathing the Mouse Clone and dried his fur, then dried himself off as well.
Just as the man and his mouse double were about to leave the bathroom, Wen Xiancheng suddenly thought of a plan.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. The Mouse Clone quickly climbed out through the bathroom window and made his way along the wall to the window of the room where Xue Ruigao slept.
He stealthily poked his head up and looked inside.
Xue Ruigao lay on the bed with her eyes closed, sleeping.
Gao Shiqi was still facing the wall, sending messages.
The Mouse Clone quickly climbed inside, then slipped into Xue Ruigao's wardrobe.
If Gao Shiqi still wanted to steal Xue Ruigao's panties, she would have to open the wardrobe.
Then I'll scare her to death!
But there was another, more important part of the plan to carry out.
Wen Xiancheng took a box of cookies from the refrigerator, walked to Xue Ruigao's bedroom door, and knocked. "Um, are you asleep yet?"
Xue Ruigao immediately opened her eyes, walked to the door, and opened it. "Not yet, Cheng. Is something wrong?" she asked, puzzled.
Gao Shiqi hurriedly put away her phone and gave Wen Xiancheng a hostile look.
Wen Xiancheng waved the cookies in his hand and told Xue Ruigao, "Nothing much, really. I just wanted to tell you that several big rats have shown up in our place lately. Even Little Gray is scared of them. So I went out especially to buy some rat poison and put it in this box of cookies. Every day, I leave the box on the living room table. It's already poisoned several rats."
After a pause, Wen Xiancheng added, "So I wanted to warn you and your friend not to eat the cookies on the table at night. And don't feed them to Little Gray either, or something terrible could happen!"
Gao Shiqi rolled her eyes.
In your dreams!
You actually expect me to feed that disgusting mouse of yours?
Xue Ruigao smiled and glanced back at Gao Shiqi on the bed. "I'll remember. We won't touch those cookies. And feeding Little Gray is even more out of the question. Qiqi is terrified of him. She won't even touch him."
Wen Xiancheng nodded. "Okay, then I'll go play a couple of games in my room before bed. I'll pack my things tomorrow morning."
Xue Ruigao murmured her agreement. "Get to bed early. Don't stay up playing too late."
After watching Wen Xiancheng enter his room with Little Gray following behind, Xue Ruigao closed the door and told Gao Shiqi, "Did you hear that, Qiqi? Don't eat the cookies on the table. They could kill you."
Xue Ruigao lay down to sleep again.
Gao Shiqi kept chatting on her phone and listening to music. She waited nearly two hours, until Xue Ruigao began snoring softly, before stealthily getting up.
As she walked toward the wardrobe, Gao Shiqi smiled smugly.
At last, I can get Xu Junfeng a pair of Little Cake's panties.
The image of Wen Xiancheng holding her bag surfaced in her mind, and Gao Shiqi spat in disgust.
That loser, rummaging through other people's things!
Go on, try searching again now!
I won't put them in my backpack at all. I'll wear them over my own!
Reaching the wardrobe, Gao Shiqi opened its door.
Inside, atop a stack of clothes, the Mouse Clone stared at her without moving.
"Ah!" Gao Shiqi went pale with fright and was about to scream.
But just before the sound escaped, she hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth.
If I scream and wake Little Cake, how will I explain why I'm opening her wardrobe in the middle of the night?
Her legs trembling, Gao Shiqi slowly backed away while trying to think of a way to drive off this damned mouse.
Otherwise, as long as he's there, I can forget about taking Little Cake's panties.
Suddenly, her face lit up.
That box of cookies with the rat poison!
Gao Shiqi looked at the Mouse Clone with a sinister smile spreading across her face.
Turning around, she opened the bedroom door, walked into the living room, and went to Wen Xiancheng's door.
She pressed her ear against it.
She could clearly hear snoring inside.
"What a fucking pig!" Gao Shiqi muttered in disgust. "Compared with Xu Junfeng and the others, he's nothing but trash! Who knows what blessings this pig earned in his past life to make Little Cake so utterly devoted to him!"
Rolling her eyes at Wen Xiancheng's door, Gao Shiqi hurried over to the living room table and picked up the opened box of cookies.
Looking at the cookies, Gao Shiqi stifled a laugh.
You damned mouse. Let's see if this kills you!
Taking the cookies into the bedroom, Gao Shiqi waved them at the Mouse Clone from a distance.
The Mouse Clone ran out of the wardrobe.
"It's working!" Gao Shiqi's face lit up with a smile. Holding the cookies, she backed away, all the way into the living room.
She took a cookie from the box and set it on the floor some distance away, then smilingly beckoned to the mouse double. "Come on! Come eat, you idiot! You stupid mouse, just as stupid as your owner! Eat up, eat up. Eat yourself to death!"
The Mouse Clone really did pick up the cookie she had set down and devour it in big bites.
Watching this, Gao Shiqi beamed with delight.
She could almost see the Mouse Clone dropping dead on the spot.
Just then, Wen Xiancheng's door suddenly opened, and he asked, "What are you doing crouching in the living room in the middle of the night?"
(End of chapter)
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