Is Villa No. 9 a haunted house?

As she reached the building entrance, she heard someone calling from afar. Turning her head, she saw her sister, Jiang Ying, was just parking her scooter in the distant shed.

"Yue, do you have any coins in your pocket? Bring some over!"

Coincidentally, she had received some change from grocery shopping, and there were several one-yuan coins among them.

"Second Brother, you wait here, I'll take these to Eldest Sister." San Gou excitedly grabbed a few coins and went to curry favor with Eldest Sister.

"Oh? San Gou, you're here!" Eldest Sister took the coins by the charging station and inserted them into the slot. She was charging her electric scooter.

"Hehe, I missed you, Eldest Sister, so I came to see you." San Gou said with a fawning expression.

Jiang Ying chuckled, "Is that so? How's your studying going lately? Have you been causing trouble for Aunt?"

"No way! Aunt has always praised me for being sensible. You can ask Aunt if you don't believe me," San Gou quickly explained.

Jiang Ying didn't interrogate him as much as San Gou had imagined. The two walked closer to Jiang Yue, chatting and laughing.

Seeing the several large bags of ingredients by the entrance, Jiang Ying was stunned. "Did you two rob a bank? Where did you get the money to buy so many groceries?"

"We'll talk about it when we get home." Jiang Yue didn't intend to argue about family matters at the building entrance.

What's more, the delivery person for the rice and flour had just arrived.

Back home, they carried the rice and flour into the house.

"Can you tell me now?"

It was evident that even though their parents were away, Jiang Ying hadn't let the family's principles slide.

These large bags, containing both meat and vegetables, plus over a hundred pounds of rice and flour, must have cost several hundred, even up to a thousand. Jiang Ying couldn't recall ever giving them that much money.

"Aunt gave us the money, two thousand in total. We just spent over seven hundred, and the rest is here."

"Alright, Jiang Yue! Aunt gave it to you, and you just took it? Aunt's family isn't well-off either, you..."

"Aunt secretly slipped it into my bag. By the time I realized, I was already on my way," Jiang Yue also knew that two thousand was a significant amount, but he couldn't refuse his aunt's kindness.

"So you spent it without a second thought?"

"Sis, consider this favor on my tab. I'll repay Aunt for this favor in the future. Don't worry about it."

Jiang Yue spoke slowly, his eyes and expression showing the seriousness expected of an adult.

Jiang Ying, who had a long lecture prepared, looked at her younger brother, who was half a head taller than her, and felt a moment of daze.

Those words she was about to say, the lessons about favors and obligations, suddenly seemed less important.

Had her brother... grown up?

Seizing the opportunity, San Gou tried to smooth things over. "Eldest Sister, I can vouch for Second Brother. He really didn't know beforehand. Besides, you know Aunt's personality. If we had returned it, she would have felt like we were slapping her in the face."

Jiang Ying wasn't unreasonable either. She nodded, "Help me wash the vegetables."

With enough hands in the kitchen, the work was very efficient.

In about forty minutes, a decent dinner was ready.

No one mentioned the two thousand yuan at the dinner table.

Jiang Ying asked about some matters related to ancestral worship and then brought up the topic of the shuttle bus.

According to the original plan, Jiang Yue was supposed to have taken the shuttle bus yesterday. This was why Jiang Ying had almost collapsed upon seeing the news and frantically called Jiang Yue.

Jiang Yue and San Gou, with unspoken understanding, didn't mention their near-miss with that shuttle bus.

Then, they talked about Sister He next door falling ill with a strange disease. Jiang Ying sighed with emotion, feeling very sad. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. Were there such terrifying illnesses in the world? Aging dozens of years in an instant?

Jiang Ying couldn't even imagine what it would be like if something like that happened to her.

"Sis, I'm going out tonight," Jiang Yue said, getting up to serve his sister a bowl of egg drop soup.

"Go ahead. You're not a three-year-old. Do you need to report something like this?"

Jiang Ying accepted the egg drop soup gratefully. She couldn't shake the feeling that after returning from their hometown, her brother seemed to have matured even more?

"Second Brother, can you take me?" San Gou's eyes sparkled.

"It's a class reunion, no tag-alongs allowed," Jiang Yue refused ruthlessly.

"It's only been two or three days since the holiday started, and you're already having a reunion? How can you be so inseparable?" Jiang Ying chimed in again.

"A classmate's family is well-off and holds a gathering at their house every year for their birthday."

"So pretentious, do they own a mine?" San Gou grumbled, hearing he wasn't invited.

"They actually do, and reportedly quite a lot," Jiang Yue said deliberately.

"Where do they live?" Jiang Ying, working as a real estate agent, liked to gauge people's status by their property – a professional habit.

"They say it's in the Daozi Lane Villa Area."

"Daozi Lane villas?" Jiang Ying was indeed surprised to hear this.

"That's truly extraordinary! Daozi Lane is entirely a villa area. Any villa there, even the worst ones, is worth at least eight figures, and a large eight figures at that. I've heard that only exceptionally wealthy people can afford to live there."

Daozi Lane, villa area – these pieces of information all matched.

"Is that place very impressive?"

"I can't say if it's impressive or not. Anyway, I've never even been inside the gates of that place all these years. I heard only one unit has sold in the last decade, and I'm not too clear on the exact selling price."

"They say most people who can afford to live there aren't locals. Even high-ranking officials in Star City might not qualify to live there. That's what the rumors say, anyway. Who really knows for sure?"

"Of course, maybe it's just talk spread by real estate agencies to inflate prices and deliberately create a sense of mystery."

"Sister, you're not going to do that, are you?" Jiang Yue chuckled.

Jiang Ying shot him a look. "That's the boss's business. We employees can't worry about that."

"Right, which building does your classmate live in? Next time I have a chance to pass by, I'll take a look."

"Uh... I didn't really listen closely. Was it building 17, or building 9?"

"9?" Jiang Ying's expression turned a little strange.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with number 9?" Jiang Yue asked, feigning surprise.

"It couldn't be number 9, could it? Villa No. 9 in Daozi Lane, people outside might not know, but we in the real estate industry have heard some rumors. That house is said to be unclean." Jiang Ying's tone was somewhat cryptic.

"Unclean?"

"Not like it hasn't been cleaned, but they say there are Unclean Things inside, possibly a haunted house. But no one has ever confirmed it. Just listen at home, don't spread rumors outside."

"No way? If it hasn't been confirmed, how can you call it haunted? There's no smoke without fire."

"The rumor is that a few years ago, two thieves broke into Daozi Lane. They had been eyeing Villa No. 9 for a while and scouted it for half a month, confirming that no one lived there long-term, so they decided to make their move."

"That night, they snuck into Villa No. 9 and couldn't open the security lock no matter what they tried. So they switched to prying open a window. It looked like a normal solid wood window, but they just couldn't pry it open."

"As they were sweating from prying, the lights in the house suddenly turned on, and bats filled the room, swarming towards the window like a tide, hitting the glass with a crunching sound. Strange laughter could also be heard from inside..."

"Those two thieves were so scared they became paralyzed on the spot. They say they even wet themselves and couldn't walk. They voluntarily called the police."

The thieves were so scared they called the police; that story certainly sounds chilling.

"I heard that the next day, the police went to the scene to investigate. Looking through the glass, the inside of the house was neat and tidy, with no bats at all. Of course, this story spread within a small circle. What the real situation was at the time, probably only the people involved know."

"That's truly a strange story. Here, Eldest Sister, have some water." San Gou wasn't actually interested in the Daozi Lane villas at all, but that didn't stop him from trying to curry favor and flatter her.

Jiang Ying's throat was indeed a little dry. She took the water and took a sip.

"Just listen to these stories. When you visit other people's homes, don't go asking around."

"Sister, do I look that stupid?" Jiang Yue asked with a smile.

After quickly finishing half a bowl of rice, Jiang Yue put down his bowl, changed into casual clothes, and went out.

San Gou watched Jiang Yue leave, looking dejected and disappointed.

"San Gou, I'll take you out for a stroll later." Deep down, Jiang Ying cared about her younger cousin.

At the entrance to the Daozi Lane Villa Area, Jiang Yue opened the taxi door and got out.

The Daozi Lane Villa Area was more like a tranquil resort amidst the hustle and bustle.

Over a hundred villas spread across a garden of nearly a thousand acres made the area appear extremely high-end and luxurious.

This villa area was an ancient development that had somehow been preserved to this day. In today's market where land is worth its weight in gold, such extravagance was unimaginable.

Even if the market price was eight figures per villa, it would definitely not be enough; the land cost alone would be substantial.

For ordinary residential complexes, the gate access controls cars but not people.

The Daozi Lane Villa Area was clearly not an ordinary complex.

Coupled with the backpack Jiang Yue was carrying and the baseball cap on his head, he looked suspicious from any angle.

This security team was highly professional. Without asking questions, they all saluted in unison.

Courtesy before force, leaving no room for unreasonable arguments.

"May I ask if you are an owner, or are you looking for someone?"

Judging by their posture, Jiang Yue could tell they were rigorously trained soldiers, though he wasn't sure if they were active duty or retired.

Regardless, Jiang Yue had a deep-seated respect for soldiers.

"I am neither an owner nor looking for someone. An elder here owns a villa and asked me to check on it when I had the chance."

"May I ask which building?"

"Number 9." Jiang Yue decided not to cover one lie with a thousand others and chose to tell the truth.

Number 9?

The security guards exchanged glances, their expressions suddenly becoming animated.

The captain of the security team reacted quickly. "Sir, our community provides shuttle bus service. Do you require it?"

"No, I'll walk myself." It was his first time here, and Jiang Yue wanted to familiarize himself with the area.

Jiang Yue had expected to have to argue his way in, and had even prepared himself for the possibility of being denied entry.

He never expected them to let him in so readily.

Not only did they let him in, but the security team was also very professional, saluting his retreating back until he was far away before lowering their arms.

"Captain Wang, this guy looks a bit suspicious."

"Judging by his clothes, he doesn't look like someone who could be connected to the owners in Daozi Lane, does he?"

The captain, surnamed Wang, was a man in his thirties with thick eyebrows and large eyes. His brow held the resolve and composure of a soldier, along with the steadiness and discipline of his age.

"Don't forget our discipline. First, don't judge a book by its cover; second, don't get into conflicts with the owners; third, don't point fingers at the owners!"

Captain Wang said sternly.

Although he was also surprised, and he also had doubts, discipline was discipline.

Villa No. 9, as one of the most mysterious villas in the villa district.

Higher-ups had issued a death order: anyone connected to these few villas must be treated with the utmost importance, never be treated lightly, and certainly never offended.

This was also why, despite Jiang Yue looking somewhat suspicious, they did not stop him.