When they regained consciousness, they found themselves behind the blood-red wooden door.
The group was scattered across a cluster of luxurious villas in the suburbs.
Strangely, although the place was exquisitely built, it felt lifeless.
Ning Qiushui walked through several villas and confirmed there was no one in the villa cluster.
It was eerily quiet.
"Is it uninhabited, or has everyone gone out to work?"
Ning Qiushui carefully observed the villa cluster and seemed to notice something.
"No... that's not right."
"The gardens show signs of recent trimming, there are goldfish in the pond, and there are some commonly used tools in the yard... Someone should be living here."
"But... where have these people gone?"
A trace of doubt flashed in Ning Qiushui's mind as he continued forward.
Soon, he saw the villa they were supposed to enter according to the task requirements.
It wasn't hard to identify.
Because in the entire villa cluster, only this villa had someone standing outside.
It was a stylishly dressed woman, wearing luxurious clothes, carrying a suitcase.
She wore a sun hat, with a small red flower pinned to it, holding the hand of a young girl, about eight or nine years old, standing in the not-too-hot sunlight, smiling at the newcomers.
The woman's smile was beautiful, the kind that became more attractive the longer you looked at it, but for some reason, Ning Qiushui felt a chill down his spine looking at her smile.
That smile didn't seem like one welcoming guests, more like...
Just as Ning Qiushui was lost in thought, a large hand clapped him on the shoulder.
Startled, Ning Qiushui turned to see it was Liu Chengfeng with his bushy beard.
"Hey, you made it too?"
Ning Qiushui nodded.
"Yeah, it looks like that villa is where we need to go."
Liu Chengfeng glanced at the villa from afar, his expression growing more serious, then muttered as he calculated with his fingers:
"This is bad..."
Seeing his demeanor, Ning Qiushui's eyes lit up:
"You can tell fortunes?"
Liu Chengfeng shook his head.
"Outside, I do help people with fortune-telling... but I just remembered, I actually can't tell fortunes, I'm just a charlatan."
Ning Qiushui's breath caught.
Damn.
This guy is really... a classic case.
You've told the lie so much you believe it yourself, huh?
And...
How can you say that so confidently?
"Forget it..."
Ning Qiushui shook his head helplessly and walked directly toward the villa where the young woman stood.
Others had already arrived.
The villa's hostess didn't speak to them, only gave them a polite smile.
This smile was neither warm nor cold, and when they spoke to her, she only replied with:
"Please wait, a few more caregivers haven't arrived."
After about ten minutes, all seven people were present.
At that moment, as if a condition had been met, the hostess, who had only been smiling, suddenly spoke to them:
"Is everyone here?"
"I'm really sorry for asking you all to come and take care of my mother. It's just that my husband is away for work, and I have to take my daughter to the seaside for her birthday, leaving no one at home..."
"And my mother, due to her age, is not only bedridden but also severely mentally impaired. I'm worried two or three caregivers might not be enough, so I hired all of you from the company..."
"As for the money, you don't need to worry, I have plenty."
"When I return... if my mother is well taken care of, I'll pay each of you individually."
She said this, leading everyone closer to the villa, and into a spacious room on the second floor.
The room had poor lighting.
Inside... there was an unpleasant smell.
On the large bed by the window lay an elderly woman with a kind face, peacefully watching Ning Qiushui and the others.
On her face was an almost imperceptible eerie smile, making everyone feel... a chill down their spine.
"This is my mother..."
After introducing them, the woman squatted beside the elderly woman, speaking tenderly:
"Mom, I'm taking Tuantuan to the seaside for her birthday, and I've specially hired seven caregivers for you. They'll take care of you for the next five days..."
After speaking, she leaned close to the old woman's ear and whispered something.
Then the woman stood, looked at everyone, and smiled:
"Although my mother is bedridden and a bit senile, she can understand simple words, and her health is generally good, with no other illnesses, and she has a good appetite... Oh, I haven't shown you the kitchen yet."
Saying this, she led everyone downstairs to the villa's kitchen.
The kitchen was also very large, with all the utensils on the table cleaned spotlessly.
To the left of the kitchen entrance were two huge refrigerators.
"It's already summer here, and the rainy season is approaching. The storms here can be quite severe, making it very inconvenient to buy groceries in the next three to five days..."
As she spoke, she opened one of the large refrigerators, revealing it was packed full of meat and vegetables, and smiled at everyone:
"But you don't need to worry."
"I've prepared plenty of food and water for you..."
"Additionally... my mother doesn't like vegetables, so when you cook for her, just make more meat."
After finishing, the woman didn't immediately leave with her daughter but asked everyone:
"Does anyone have any questions?"
Ning Qiushui was the first to speak:
"Excuse me, is there no one else living in this villa area?"
The woman was momentarily stunned, then smiled calmly:
"Yes, actually, this villa area was built some time ago, but because it's too remote, no one else lives here besides us. In fact, if it weren't for my mother, we wouldn't live here either..."
She paused, then added:
"During these five days, just consider yourselves the owners of the villa. I've already prepared the second-floor accommodations for you all, so you can choose whichever room you like."
"But be careful... you absolutely, absolutely must not enter the third floor of the villa, understood?"
As she said this, the woman's expression suddenly became extremely serious.
Everyone agreed.
Seeing their agreement, the hostess smiled again.
"Since everyone understands, then... I'll leave my mother in your care!"
"Oh, the train is about to leave, I need to go with my daughter now, or we'll miss the high-speed train..."
With that, she hurriedly walked to the door in her high heels, holding her daughter's hand and pulling the suitcase as they headed outside.
Ning Qiushui vaguely felt something was off, so he went to the window and watched the woman leave.
As they got into the car, the little girl she was holding turned her head and met Ning Qiushui's gaze through the window.
That look froze Ning Qiushui in place.
He had good eyesight.
So, Ning Qiushui clearly saw a hint of... fear in the little girl's eyes!
She was afraid.
Afraid of what?
Afraid of going to the seaside?
Afraid of her own mother?
Or... afraid of the villa they were in?
As Ning Qiushui pondered, Liu Chengfeng, the burly man with the bushy beard, sidled up again, clicking his tongue:
"What are you looking at? They've already gone far..."
"Kid, I didn't expect you to be so young and already have a taste for married women... Not bad, not bad, there's hope for you yet!"