With its hood dented and all its glass shattered, the nearly totaled 7 Series stopped in front of the villa gates. The parking lot entrance was just to the left, but Sister Hong was in too much of a hurry to bother parking.
Inside the Security Office, the old guard, his face covered in wrinkles, lowered his newspaper and eyed the car outside warily.
When he saw Sister Hong get out, he looked incredulous. After a moment of stunned silence, he hurried to his feet and ran to open the gate.
"Miss! Is that you?"
Sister Hong and Jiang Chen got out of the car. She paused, looking uncertain. "Uncle Zhao?"
Tears glistened in the old man's eyes. "It really is you, miss! You've finally come back. Heaven have mercy, how much must a young girl like you have suffered out there!"
"Come, come, hurry inside!"
Then, as if remembering something, he opened a small door set into the iron gate, beckoning as he glanced around, seemingly afraid of something.
Once the two were inside, Uncle Zhao hastily slammed the door shut and secured it with an iron padlock.
"It hasn't been peaceful here lately. One night, I saw a headless woman outside, hopping toward me. Scared me half to death. You didn't run into anything frightening just now, did you, miss?" Uncle Zhao asked with concern.
He knew better than to ask too much about Jiang Chen's identity. He was a servant, after all. No matter how familiar he was with the fourth young miss, he couldn't actually act like her elder. That would have been far too foolish.
"...No." Sister Hong glanced at Jiang Chen, the corner of her mouth twitching.
"That's a relief. But... ah, you really have come back at a bad time, miss. So many