Villa of Mystery Chapter Two: The Daughter of Zhang Xiaoman

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The dawn slowly brightened, while one by one the lights were extinguished. The light was pure and direct, piercing through the thin mist.

The door to the villa’s living room opened gently, and a woman stepped out carrying a pale blue watering can. She wore a yellow dress adorned with tiny flowers, over which she had thrown a light blue denim jacket. Her hair was styled in a simple bun, with a lock of hair trailing beside her ear, accentuating the delicate features of her oval face.

Tilting the watering can, the woman’s lips curved into a graceful smile as she watered the pansies in the garden, softly humming a tune, utterly at ease.

Suddenly, a clear chime rang out from the villa’s main entrance. The woman’s brows knit together as she set the watering can aside and walked to the door, peering through the peephole. Upon recognizing the visitor, she unlocked the door, drew a deep breath, forced a smile onto her face, and opened it, greeting sweetly, “Good morning.”

A short-haired woman entered, dressed in a white athletic outfit and carrying a black leather backpack. Her eyes narrowed into crescent moons as she smiled, “Morning, Jinyue,” and glanced at the watering can in the garden, “You’re watering the flowers?”

Jinyue ushered her inside, closing the door behind them. “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop, after all. Staying at home, I can only water the flowers, do some handicrafts, and fuss with trivial things to pass the time. Unlike you, so talented—you’ve published several novels already! You’re a bestselling author now… Busy as you are, what brings you here today?”

The short-haired woman waved her hand dismissively. “Old classmate, don’t tease me. You know exactly how capable I am. Few truly like my novels; most are drawn by the words ‘daughter of Zhang Xiaoman.’”

“That’s not bad either,” Jinyue quipped as she led her friend into the living room. “You think being the offspring of a famous name is easy? If anything, your father’s fame overshadows your own brilliance. Under the blazing sun, no one notices the faint light of a firefly.”

The short-haired woman flopped onto the sofa, sighing. “I’ve changed my pen name three times, but the publishers always sneak ‘New Work by Zhang Xiaoman’s Daughter’ onto the bookstore banners. I’m practically an industry joke now—the internet is full of stories, all about ‘wanting to refuse yet welcoming.’ It drives me mad…”

“Publishers need to make money,” Jinyue laughed, picking up a cup from the coffee table and pouring lemon grapefruit tea for her friend. “Yunxi, you didn’t just come to complain, did you? You never visit unless you need something. Out with it—what’s the matter?”

Zhang Yunxi smiled awkwardly and pulled a sketch from her backpack. “Actually, I do need your help… My mother’s birthday is coming up, and I want to give her something truly unique. After much thought, I decided on a handmade necklace. You’re the expert in this area, so I swallowed my pride to ask you for help. I sketched a rough design—take a look…”

Jinyue shot Zhang Yunxi a look. “I knew it wouldn’t be anything good,” she said, taking the sketch and examining it carefully. After a moment, she gave a thumbs-up. “This is wonderful! Talent shows in everything you do.”

Zhang Yunxi scratched her head bashfully. “I just drew what I imagined, it’s not as good as you say…” She looked at Jinyue expectantly. “Is it doable?”

“There are a few places that need tweaking—for example, these lines should be softer,” Jinyue said, pointing at the sketch with seriousness. “But overall, it’s very artistic. It can definitely be made, though it’ll take some time. When is your mother’s birthday? If it’s urgent, I can ask the jeweler to help me rush it.”

“No rush—it’s at the end of next month,” Zhang Yunxi breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as it gets done, you can make it whenever you have time.”

Jinyue nodded and set the sketch on the coffee table. “Then it’s settled; I’ll have it ready before the end of next month. Oh, since you’re here, let me give you the invitation now. My jewelry shop’s grand opening is next month on the 8th. Don’t forget to come and show your support.”

With that, Jinyue walked to the TV cabinet, opened a drawer, and took out a red invitation card. She checked the name on the cover and handed it to Zhang Yunxi. “Here, I was planning to deliver it in a few days, but since you’re here, it saves me a trip.”

“You’re the impressive one—a true businesswoman,” Zhang Yunxi glanced at the invitation and stuffed it into her backpack. “Is this your second shop? Planning to start a chain?”

“No…” Jinyue smiled wryly and shook her head. “The location of the first shop wasn’t great—too noisy, with traffic outside. So I’m closing it and moving to a spot on the pedestrian street.”

Zhang Yunxi murmured an understanding “oh,” patting her chest. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be there to support you. I’ll buy a few pieces to liven up the place.”

“That’s not necessary—your presence is enough,” Jinyue laughed, covering her mouth. “The only worry is you’ll oversleep and miss it; after all, you missed your own college graduation.”

Zhang Yunxi’s lips twitched. “Let’s not mention those embarrassing moments… But I really should set an alarm. I’ve been working on manuscripts day and night lately; I might forget again…” Suddenly, she jumped to her feet. “Oh no! Speaking of manuscripts, I just remembered—I have a book signing for ‘Carnivorous Sheep’ today…”

Jinyue blinked and tilted her head. “What time? Don’t tell me you’ve missed it already?”

“Eleven o’clock—two hours left…”

“That’s plenty of time. Where is it?”

“Lakebed Bookstore in the east of town. It takes an hour and a half by taxi from here, and walking from your villa area to the nearest taxi stand takes at least another half hour…”

“I’ll drive you,” Jinyue said, getting up as well. “But you’ll have to wait a bit while I change clothes.”

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Zhang Yunxi sighed apologetically. “Sorry, I have to trouble you to drive me… But you could just drop me at the taxi stand. I’ll catch a ride from there, so you won’t need to go far.”

Jinyue nodded and went upstairs. “All right, I’ll change—wait a moment.”

Zhang Yunxi sat back on the sofa, tapping her forehead and sighing. She noticed the living room window was still open and decided to help Jinyue by closing it, hoping to save some time. As she reached for the window, her eye caught the latch—which showed fresh signs of tampering. Her brow furrowed.

Turning, Zhang Yunxi surveyed the villa’s living room but found nothing else amiss. She shook her head, puzzled, and sat back down. Reaching for her cup, she glanced down and spotted something under the sofa—a small item between her feet. Kneeling, she picked it up and examined it closely: it was a false eyelash.

Her brow furrowed deeper. She remembered Jinyue never wore false eyelashes, preferring to show her natural face and, even when she wore makeup, keeping it light and simple.

Had another woman entered the house—perhaps through the window? The first thought that came to mind was “affair,” but on second consideration, Zhang Yunxi doubted it. Even if Jinyue’s husband were so bold as to bring a lover home, the woman would have fled from inside to outside, not needed to pry the window open.

There was only one possibility: a thief had been in the house. Zhang Yunxi’s mind conjured an image of a female burglar, and her curiosity was piqued—she resolved to ask Jinyue about it.

Distraction breeds mistakes.

As Zhang Yunxi reached for her cup, she accidentally knocked it over, spilling tea everywhere.

She stuck out her tongue and hurriedly grabbed tissues from the coffee table to mop up the spill. After cleaning the table, she prepared to pull more tissues for the floor, only to find the box empty.

Sighing, she recalled the laundry room beside the kitchen, where she’d seen some mops during previous visits. She went there immediately.

Opening the laundry room door, she spotted a mop beside the washing machine, grabbed it, and cleaned the living room floor swiftly. She returned the mop to its place.

Exhaling deeply and stretching, Zhang Yunxi was about to leave when she caught a strong, pungent odor. Wrinkling her nose, she turned toward the cabinet to the left of the washing machine and approached it.

She opened the cabinet—just a pile of dirty clothes. But the smell definitely emanated from within. Zhang Yunxi frowned, crouched, and rummaged through the clothes, finding nothing unusual. As she prepared to stand, she noticed a red stain on the floor.

Biting her lip in thought, she took a cotton swab from her backpack, dabbed it at the stain, and carefully stored it. Hearing footsteps upstairs, she quickly exited the laundry room.

Returning to the sofa, she saw Jinyue, now changed, coming downstairs. After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Yunxi asked, “Jinyue, did something get stolen from your house recently?”

Jinyue paused, her expression complicated. “How did you know? Some handmade jewelry went missing from the closet—probably taken by Aunt Cai, the housekeeper.”

Zhang Yunxi’s eyes lit up—so it really was a female thief. After a moment’s thought, she frowned again. “I noticed the window had been pried open, but if it was your housekeeper, doesn’t she have a key?”

“I never gave her a key,” Jinyue pouted. “I don’t want to worry about someone entering my home at any time. Turns out I was right—Aunt Cai had sticky fingers, always taking small pieces of my jewelry. I sent her back to her hometown a few days ago, and after the holiday I’ll hire someone new.”

“Did you report it?”

“Nah, they were all fake,” Jinyue shrugged indifferently. “Just prototypes for new jewelry shop designs—not worth much.”

“That’s good…” Zhang Yunxi breathed a sigh of relief. “I met Aunt Cai a few times—she seemed honest enough. Who’d have thought she’d stoop to petty theft? Shows you can never really know someone.”

“Even knowing a face is hard enough—what you see isn’t always what’s real, and the person in front of you may not be who you think they are,” Jinyue said, her eyes lowered. “Let alone knowing their heart. People are too complicated; no one can see through them…” She looked up and forced a smile. “Enough about that—let’s hurry and get you to the taxi stand. If you’re late, your fans will drown you in spit.”

Prompted by Jinyue’s reminder, Zhang Yunxi checked her watch and hurriedly pushed Jinyue toward the door, wailing, “Quick, quick… I can’t afford to offend those people—they’re my bread and butter…”

Jinyue laughed heartily, grabbing her car keys and leaving the villa. “Wait here—I’ll get the car from the garage.”

“Oh, right,” Zhang Yunxi suddenly remembered, pointing at the villa’s doorplate. “I meant to tell you when I came in, but forgot—the top nail on your doorplate fell off, so the whole plate is upside down. It should say number 9, but now it looks like 6. I almost thought I’d come to the wrong place.”

Jinyue glanced over. “Oh, probably just some neighborhood prankster—this isn’t the first time. I’ll ask the property manager to put in a few more nails.”

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With that, Jinyue headed to the garage. Zhang Yunxi shoved her hands into her pockets and waited where she stood.

In less than a minute, a pink Audi pulled up in front of her. Zhang Yunxi climbed in, and the car sped away, past the villa gates, overtaking other vehicles and even passing Zhu Dachang and Hou San, who were pushing a motorcycle down the road…

Hou San carried a bulging black bag in one hand and gripped the motorcycle handlebars with the other, sweating profusely, his vision spinning. Suddenly, he let go, “I’m done pushing…”

Without his support, the motorcycle wobbled and fell, and Zhu Dachang stumbled and sat down. “Hang in there, San—just six more kilometers to the gas station…”

“Zhu Dachang,” Hou San growled, “let me ask you something…”

“San, your brain’s sharper than mine. If you don’t know, I surely won’t…”

“It’s not complicated—you can answer it,” Hou San panted. “First question: how far is it from our place to this villa area?”

“I know that,” Zhu Dachang said excitedly. “I used my phone’s map to get here—forty-five kilometers.”

“Good memory…” Hou San took a deep breath. “Next question: how far can the Lucky 125 go on a full tank?”

“About a hundred kilometers…”

“Excellent. Last question: how far is the nearest gas station from this villa area?”

Zhu Dachang’s voice dropped. “Just checked—less than seven kilometers…”

“If you knew that, why did you only fill half a tank?” Hou San grew more agitated, pulling off his right shoe and hurling it at Zhu Dachang’s face. “I must have the worst luck to meet you! Dammit—can’t you use your brain for once? All you do is eat and sleep. What’s the difference between you and a pig in a pen? You know what happens to pigs fattened up? They end up on someone’s table!”

“San, I didn’t have enough cash for a full tank, and I had to buy flatbread… Besides, it’s not my fault. Half a tank would’ve barely got us to the station—maybe push for a kilometer or two. But that yellow-haired thief was totally unprincipled, stealing from a fellow crook. Luckily, the bike ran out of fuel…”

“So you think I should give you a medal? If the bike hadn’t run out, we’d never have caught up with that yellow-haired thief… Bah! All for a broken motorcycle—I’ve been at this all night…” Hou San spat, kicked the Lucky 125, and forgot he wasn’t wearing a shoe, yelping in pain and hopping around. He forced himself to calm down, glanced at the bag of jewelry in his hand, and beckoned to Zhu Dachang. “Get up. I’ve figured it out—now we’re rich, so who needs a motorcycle? We’ll buy a car with four wheels!”

Zhu Dachang stood, limping behind Hou San, but looked back longingly at the motorcycle. “Just leave it there?”

“Leave it—whoever wants it can take it…”

“How do we get back to the motel?”

Hou San, carrying the bag of jewelry, glanced at the shared bikes by the roadside. “We each unlock one, ride to the taxi stand, and take a cab back. Dammit, after a night like this, my back aches. Let’s get back and sleep before we figure out what to do next.”

Zhu Dachang responded with a bewildered “oh,” and joined Hou San, each unlocking a bike and riding toward the taxi stand.

Ten minutes later, Hou San and Zhu Dachang finally arrived at the taxi stand, just as a cab pulled up nearby. They immediately climbed inside.

The driver glanced back at them, pointing at Hou San’s black bag. “Put that in the back—don’t dirty up my car!” He muttered, “Honestly—first thing in the morning, everyone’s carrying bags but won’t use the trunk. If it gets dirty, washing costs dozens…”

Hou San handed the bag to Zhu Dachang, “You put it in—I’m done moving.”

Zhu Dachang took the black bag, ambled to the rear of the car, opened the trunk, tossed it in, and closed the lid—never noticing that inside the cab’s trunk, there was another identical bag…