When they regained consciousness, they had all passed through the blood-red wooden door.
The group was now scattered throughout a beautifully built villa district in the suburbs.
However, strangely enough, though the area was exquisitely constructed, it felt utterly lifeless.
Ning Qiushui walked past several villas and confirmed that there was no one in the entire villa community.
The silence was eerie.
“Is it uninhabited, or did everyone just go to work?”
Ning Qiushui carefully observed the villas and seemed to notice something.
“No… something’s off.”
“The gardens show signs of recent trimming, there are still goldfish in the pond, and there are commonly used tools in the yards… People should be living here.”
“But… where did they all go?”
With a trace of doubt in his heart, Ning Qiushui continued moving forward.
Before long, he spotted the specific villa mentioned in the task.
It wasn’t hard to identify.
Because in the entire villa district, only this one had people standing outside.
A well-dressed, elegant woman with a luxurious appearance stood there with a suitcase in hand.
She wore a sunhat with a small red flower pinned to it, and she was holding the hand of a young girl, about eight or nine years old. They stood under the mildly warm sunlight in the courtyard, smiling as they watched the approaching newcomer.
The woman’s smile was lovely—the kind of beauty that grew the more you looked—but for some reason, Ning Qiushui felt a chill run down his spine when he saw her expression.
That smile didn’t seem like one welcoming guests—it felt more like…
Just as Ning Qiushui got lost in thought, a large hand suddenly clapped him on the shoulder.
Startled, he turned around and saw it was the bearded man, Liu Chengfeng.
“Hey, you made it too?”
Ning Qiushui nodded.
“Yeah, looks like that villa is where we’re supposed to go.”
Liu Chengfeng squinted at the villa from a distance, his expression turning serious. He muttered as he pinched his fingers and counted:
“Not good…”
Seeing this, Ning Qiushui’s eyes lit up.
“You know fortune-telling?”
Liu Chengfeng shook his head.
“Well, outside I do tell people I read fortunes… but I just remembered—I don’t actually know how. I’m just a fraud.”
Ning Qiushui’s breath caught for a second.
Numb.
This guy is truly… a classic among classics.
Tell a lie enough times and you start believing it yourself, huh?
And also…
Why can you say stuff like this with such confidence?
“Whatever…”
Ning Qiushui shook his head helplessly and stepped forward, heading toward the villa where the elegant young woman stood.
There were already a few people who had arrived.
The lady of the villa didn’t speak much. She only gave them a polite, neutral smile.
That kind of smile wasn’t warm or cold—just formal. No matter what anyone said to her, she would only reply with one line:
“Please wait, a few more caregivers haven’t arrived yet.”
About ten minutes later, all seven people had finally gathered.
At that moment, as if some kind of condition had been triggered, the woman—who had only been smiling until now—suddenly spoke to the group:
“Everyone’s here, right?”
“I’m truly sorry for calling you all here to take care of my mother. It’s just that my husband is away for work, and I need to take my daughter to the seaside to celebrate her birthday, so there’s really no one left at home…”
“And because my mother is elderly, not only is she bedridden, but her cognitive abilities have severely declined. I was worried that two or three caregivers wouldn’t be enough, so I simply hired all of you through the agency…”
“As for payment, don’t worry—I have plenty of money.”
“When I return… if my mother has been well cared for, I’ll personally pay each of you a bonus.”
As she spoke, she led the group into the villa and up to the second floor, into a spacious room.
The lighting in the room wasn’t very good.
And… there was an unpleasant smell lingering in the air.
Lying on the large bed near the window was an elderly woman with a kind-looking face, peacefully watching Ning Qiushui and the others.
But on her face was a faint, almost imperceptible eerie smile that made everyone’s skin crawl.
“This is my mother…”
After introducing them, the woman crouched beside the old lady and said affectionately:
“Mom, I’m taking Tuantuan to the seaside to celebrate her birthday. I’ve specially found seven caregivers to look after you for the next five days…”
After speaking, she leaned in close to the old woman’s ear and whispered something.
Then she stood up, looked at the others, and smiled:
“Though my mother is bedridden and has a bit of dementia, she can still understand simple things. Her health is otherwise pretty good—no major illnesses, good appetite… Oh, right, I haven’t shown you the kitchen yet.”
With that, she led everyone back downstairs and into the villa’s kitchen.
The kitchen was large as well, with all kinds of utensils neatly arranged and scrubbed spotless.
To the left of the kitchen entrance were two massive refrigerators.
“It’s already summer here, and the rainy season is just around the corner. The storms in this area can get pretty bad—heavy rain and strong winds over the next three to five days. It’ll be very inconvenient to go out and buy groceries or meat then…”
As the woman spoke, she opened one of the large refrigerators, revealing it was packed full of meat and vegetables. She smiled at the group and said:
“But don’t worry.”
“I’ve already prepared plenty of food and water for you all…”
“And one more thing… my mother doesn’t like vegetables. When you’re cooking for her, just make sure to prepare more meat.”
After finishing, the woman didn’t immediately leave with her daughter. Instead, she turned to the group and asked:
“Does anyone have any questions?”
Ning Qiushui was the first to speak:
“Excuse me, is no one else living in this villa area?”
The woman paused for a moment, then smiled gracefully and replied:
“That’s right. This villa complex has actually been around for a while, but since it’s so remote, no one else lives here except us. In fact, if it weren’t for my mother, we wouldn’t be living here either…”
After a slight pause, she added:
“For the next five days, just treat this place as your own home. I’ve already cleaned and prepared all the rooms on the second floor for you. You can each pick whichever one you like.”
“But please—take note of this—under no circumstances are you to enter the third floor of the villa. Understood?”
As she said this, her expression suddenly turned very serious.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Seeing their compliance, the woman smiled again.
“Since you’re all clear on everything now… I’ll be leaving my mother in your care!”
“Oh no, the train’s about to leave—we’d better get going or we’ll miss the high-speed rail!”
With that, she hurried to the door in her heels, grabbed her daughter and suitcase, and headed outside.
Ning Qiushui had a faint sense that something wasn’t right. He walked over to the window and watched the woman as she left.
Just as they were getting into the car, the little girl she was holding turned her head—and locked eyes with Ning Qiushui through the window.
That single look froze Ning Qiushui in place.
He had excellent eyesight.
So he could clearly see the expression in the little girl’s eyes—fear.
She was afraid.
But afraid of what?
Afraid of going to the seaside?
Afraid of her own mother?
Or… afraid of this very villa they were in?
While Ning Qiushui was deep in thought, the bearded, burly Liu Chengfeng walked up beside him and clicked his tongue:
“What are you looking at? She’s already gone…”
“Bro, I didn’t take you for the type to go for the married ones. Not bad, not bad—there’s hope for you yet!”
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