June 21st, 2:30 PM, at the Ke Bai family residence.
Ke Xiaomo went upstairs, hesitated for half a second, and with slightly bent fingers, gently knocked on the wooden door in front of him, producing a thunking sound.
"The door's unlocked," Ke Yinzhi said.
Hearing this, Ke Xiaomo reached out, turned the doorknob, pushed the door open, and entered the room, promptly closing the door behind him.
Looking up, he saw Ke Yinzhi lying on a black recliner, holding a copy of "Ulysses" in one hand and constructing a tower with playing cards on the windowsill with the other.
He pulled a playing card from the deck, pinched it between his index and middle finger, and slowly laid it atop the inverted V-structure made by two other cards.
After ensuring that the tower remained stable, Ke Yinzhi closed the book in his hand and moved his gaze to ask, "What's up?"
