“Why? Shixin is your able assistant. I’m going to go solve a case. I should be going together with my colleague, shouldn’t I? Didn’t I pretend to be a couple with Shixin previously too? Don’t be too petty,” said An Xiaoning.
“I’m not being petty. Do I seem like such a petty person? I just don’t feel safe about you being alone. That’s why I want Shixin to tag along.”
What a bunch of excuses. He clearly doesn’t want me to pose as someone else’s wife, that’s why…
“Have you ever spared a thought for the feelings of Shixin’s girlfriend?” An Xiaoning said before gesturing for Zu Dong to go outside. Feeling a little awkward, Zu Dong immediately exited.
“You either bring him with you or not go at all. Take your pick.”
“Jin Qingyan.”
“I can’t hear you.”
“Brother.”
“That’s not going to work on me.”
An Xiaoning walked toward him and sat down beside him. “How old are you? You’re already 34 years old. You’re not a child anymore. I’m just going to handle some work-related matters with my colleague. Must you really do this?”
“I just want you to go with my subordinate. I would have gone with you if I could. However, I have to run the company. I’ll feel much more at ease if Shixin is the one playing your husband instead. After all, he’s already done that before and has the experience.”
“…”
“Did you hear me?”
An Xiaoning glared at him and said, “Fine, let Shixin tag along, then. He’s the only person you trust anyway. Are you happy now?”
“Yes, I am.” He then made a call to Fan Shixin that ended quickly. Shortly after, Fan Shixin arrived.
“Young Sir,” Fan Shixin greeted.
“Accompany your Young Madam on a vacation to the countryside.”
Fan Shixin was dumbfounded. Shouldn’t Young Sir be the one to go with her instead since it’s a vacation? Why am I going instead?
“Young Sir, a vacation to the countryside?”
“Yes, it’s a reward for the hard work that you had been putting in while helping out at the company lately.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a hidden plot behind this?”
An Xiaoning interjected, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. It’s not a vacation. I’m going to the countryside to work on a case. I was supposed to pretend to be a couple with my colleague from the police station…” Before she could even finish, Jin Qingyan covered her mouth forcefully.
Having understood what she meant, Fan Shixin answered, “You’re referring to that police officer at the door, right? Young Sir doesn’t want you to pose as his wife so he decided to summon me. To be exact, Young Sir doesn’t like the idea of you pretending to be someone else’s wife, especially if it’s someone whom he doesn’t trust. He’s just a jealous and petty man who can’t tolerate it even though he knows nothing will happen.”
An Xiaoning moved Jin Qingyan’s hand away from her mouth and said, “Yes, exactly! Did you hear that? Shixin made such an accurate analysis. Jin Qingyan, you’re hopeless.”
“So be it. I just enjoy being like this. Don’t go if you’re not happy with my decision.”
An Xiaoning poked him on his forehead with her index finger and conceded, “Fine, fine, you call the shots. I’ll go with Shixin instead.”
Due to the sudden change in plans, Zu Dong had no choice but to meet up with Ma Jianguo and the rest.
She and Fan Shixin proceeded to pack their belongings and placed their luggage inside the car.
They set off from the city at half past one and arrived at the village four hours later.
There were gray clouds in the dark sky, and it seemed to be on the verge of pouring.
An Xiaoning instructed Fan Shixin to park the car in a car park, after which she put on her mask and they proceeded to head to their next destination in a rickshaw.
The male rickshaw driver was astonished to hear where they wanted to go.
“Are you two going there to visit your parents?” he asked.
“No, we’re going to visit some relatives.”
“Don’t loiter there for too long. That village is creepy and haunted. That village only has women left now. There are only a few men left. Hence, men rarely visit that village. You two should leave as soon as possible. It’s getting dark too.”
An Xiaoning asked, “Sir, is it really that creepy? I’m a little intimidated now.”
“Yes, it’s really that creepy. The male villagers all met with a mishap one after another. Most of them are dead now. Everyone around here knows about this. Your accent sounds foreign. You haven’t been here before, have you?”
“Yes, it’s our first time here,” An Xiaoning answered.
“No wonder. Bear my words in mind, you won’t go wrong.”
“Alright, thank you.”
Eight minutes later, they arrived at the Widows’ Village. The rickshaw driver decided not to send them in, for fear that he would meet with a mishap. “There, it’s right in front.”
After paying the fare, An Xiaoning and Fan Shixin began walking further inside.
“Shixin, do you remember when we went to V Nation with Xiao Bai? We pretended to be a couple then. We’ll do the same from now on. My name is now Mu Ning.”
“Alright, I know. Rest assured, you can trust my acting chops.”
An Xiaoning smiled and said, “Yes, they’re great. Qingyan is just so paranoid sometimes.”
“It’s all because he’s too worried and concerned about you.”
“There are people at the entrance, hurry and go ask around.”
The two of them strode forward quickly. An Xiaoning smiled and said, “Hello, may I ask if there are any houses here available for rent? My husband and I are peddlers in the town, but the houses there are too expensive. This village is very near the town, so we’d like to rent a place here. We’ve asked around in the other villages, but there are no available spaces.”
A middle-aged woman stood up enthusiastically and said, “There are. I have two rooms in my house, but…”
She hesitated and continued, “I can rent the rooms to you if you don’t mind the bad reputation our village has.”
“It’s alright, my husband is planning to sleep in the shop most of the time anyway. I’ll be staying here more often. We just need a place to cook.”
The middle-aged woman immediately said, “That’s great, I’ll rent it to you, then.”
Upon hearing her words, An Xiaoning smiled and said, “Sure, Sister, please bring us to view the house. We’ll move in if everything’s fine.”
“Sure, come with me.”
The two of them followed the middle-aged woman into the house and stood in front of a metal door. She then whipped out her keys to open the door. “My last name is ‘Wang’ and my children are at school while my husband is out of town for work. He hasn’t returned in years. I’m the only one left at home and there’s no one for me to talk to at all. My daughter used to stay in the room that I’m renting to you. It’s very neat and sanitary. She only comes home during her summer break from school.”
“Sister Wang, is the village densely populated?”
