The middle-aged woman took off her sleeves and said expressionlessly, "I am the nanny here."
"Where are the owners of this house?"
The middle-aged woman replied, "They should be abroad. The owner of this house is the overall head of a multinational project and rarely comes back. Usually, it's just my daughter and me in this house."
The police pointed inside the house, "Is it convenient for us to take a look inside?"
The middle-aged woman immediately shook her head, "That won't do. Do you have a warrant?"
The policeman took out his badge. The middle-aged woman waved her hand, "I'm not talking about that kind of permit."
The policeman closest to her said, "We suspect this villa is involved in a murder, so we need to enter and gather information."
The middle-aged woman was astonished upon hearing this, "A murder? Who? This villa of ours? Impossible, impossible, absolutely impossible."
"So we need to investigate. Please cooperate."
The middle-aged woman spread her arms, blocking the doorway, "Without the owner's permission, no one can enter."
With that, she pushed the little girl inside and turned to close the door.
This left everyone stunned. Xiao Xun thought, "This woman is not simple. Others would be trembling upon seeing the police, but she's not only unafraid but argues with them."
There are usually only two possibilities in such a situation: First, a clear conscience, someone who always acts upright and proper. Second, a truly wicked person who has nothing left to lose and thus fears no one, not even the police.
Clearly, the abnormal reaction from the woman prompted the lead police officer to leave four men to guard the front and back of the villa and then drive back to apply for a search warrant.
By then, it was past noon.
The delivery business was not yet very developed, so Xiao Xun personally cooked a meal.
Although Mu Jiahe was reluctant to let Secretary Fan in, she still maintained a degree of magnanimity. She knew Xiao Xun had something on his mind and was unhappy, so she couldn't bother him with these matters.
He not only cooked for the two of them but also for the four policemen stationed at the villa.
Although the police strongly refused, they couldn't decline Xiao Xun's hospitality, especially since it was unrealistic to buy food and drinks nearby. They had no choice but to accept Xiao Xun's "treat."
Xiao Xun had no appetite to eat. He had reviewed the surveillance footage and was curious why Yun Mei had gone out in the middle of the night and what her purpose was.
With this question in mind, Xiao Xun opened the door to Yun Mei's room. It was tidily cleaned and very neat.
The bed was spotless, but there was a makeshift bed on the floor.
It was evident that Yun Mei had never slept on the bed since coming to this house.
The large bag she brought with her contained only hometown specialties and her change of clothes, nothing else of value.
Xiao Xun searched, finding only a bank card, over a thousand yuan in cash, some loose change, and a faded black and white photograph, less than seven inches in size.
The photo showed her with a man. Judging from the picture, she was only in her early twenties at the time, with a large braid. The man looked handsome and wore a military cap.
It was unclear if it proved his identity or was a distinctive mark of that era.
He put the money and bank card into the bag, intending to give them to his parents when they arrived.
Then, Xiao Xun carefully placed the yellowed photograph inside his shirt pocket. He wanted to know the identity of the man in the photo and Yun Mei's story.
Since Yun Mei cherished this photo so much, finding the person in it would fulfill one of her regrets.
"Xiao Xun, come out here."
It was Mu Jiahe's voice. Her tone indicated she was very unhappy.
Xiao Xun rubbed his eyes, glanced back into the room, and then walked out.
Upon exiting, Xiao Xun saw her and Secretary Fan standing face to face, both looking displeased.
"What's wrong now?"
Mu Jiahe pointed at Secretary Fan, "This old hag cursed at me."
Secretary Fan crossed her arms, "President Mu, oh! No, you are no longer President Mu. You should be addressed as Miss Mu. Let President Xiao be the judge, who looks older between us? And you have the nerve to call me an old hag. Shameful."
Mu Jiahe stamped her foot and looked at Xiao Xun, "Did you hear that? Make her leave, or I'll call the police and report her for trespassing."
Xiao Xun was at his wit's end. "Secretary Fan, if it's not too much trouble, perhaps you could go back for now? I might not be able to come to the company for a while."
Secretary Fan crossed her arms, "That won't do. I am your personal secretary. If you're not going, I must be by your side to handle company and personal affairs."
Xiao Xun took a deep breath. "I have no intention of arguing here. Let's leave it at that. Consider it paid leave. I'll contact you if needed, alright?"
Seeing that Xiao Xun was still amiable towards her despite the big events he had experienced, Secretary Fan's lips curved upward slightly. "Alright, I will explain the situation here in detail to Mr. Feng. If necessary, Mr. Feng will contact you personally."
There seemed to be a threat or provocation in her words.
But Xiao Xun was too exhausted to consider these things. This world was different from another realm. He couldn't afford to offend those people from the Door God Society, but he also had to deal with the current situation to account for himself to his family.
After Secretary Fan left, Xiao Xun sat opposite Mu Jiahe. He noticed that Mu Jiahe's expression was not good.
"Don't be angry. Didn't you see she didn't even spare me any face?"
Mu Jiahe looked at the spot where Secretary Fan had disappeared and slammed the table. "So what if it's the Door God Society? If they dare to provoke me, I'll disband them sooner or later."
Xiao Xun looked at the mess on the table, knowing that Mu Jiahe had caused it.
"My parents will definitely come, and I don't know how many relatives will show up. I'll try my best to have them stay in hotels."
Mu Jiahe nodded, "It's fine if they stay at home. It doesn't matter."
Although Mu Jiahe said so, Xiao Xun wouldn't go too far.
"There's one more thing..." Xiao Xun scratched his head sheepishly.
Mu Jiahe looked at Xiao Xun expressionlessly, her thoughts unclear. "Just say what you need to say. With our relationship, is there any need to hide anything?"
"I, I might not be able to go on the expedition for a while. I must find Yun Mei's killer, otherwise, I won't be able to explain to my family."
Mu Jiahe's brows immediately furrowed. "That might not be possible. If this causes the Heavenly Disaster Legion to invade Santi Roman, what about the billions of lives?"
Xiao Xun bit his lower lip. He knew that compared to a dead person, the living were more important. If it were otherwise, he would be too selfish.
"Alright, give me three days. No matter what happens within these three days, I will lead the army out."
Mu Jiahe knew that even if Xiao Xun didn't go on the expedition, he had to give his family an explanation. She nodded, "Okay, I agree."
After convincing Mu Jiahe, he went to find the police outside.
Under Mu Jiahe's pressure, the criminal police quickly obtained the search warrant and also contacted the overseas owner of the villa.
The owner seemed to have urgent matters to attend to and said three words, "Search as you please," before hastily hanging up.
According to the nanny's own account: she was simply hired by the owner from a housekeeping agency. They were not related, and he just wanted the house to have some life in it and not be empty. He couldn't even recall her full name and only addressed her as Sister Mei during their few brief meetings.
The police, armed with the search warrant, turned the villa upside down. The house was almost like an empty dwelling. Besides a few pieces of furniture, everything else belonged to the middle-aged woman.
Xiao Xun was not authorized to enter, so he had no idea what was inside.