On the first day in the village, everyone followed the original plan of pairing up in twos. The only exception was Xu Nian, who ended up alone, while the others strolled through the village in couples.
Guan Xia and Pang Le, as previously arranged, headed to the riverside to take a boat ride before settling in the small square near the cluster of villas, snacking and taking a leisurely walk.
As the sun began to dip, more people filled the square. Some tourists and local youngsters were skateboarding and rollerblading. Guan Xia sat on a bench at the edge of the square, which offered a clear view of the villa area. Outwardly, she appeared to be watching the lively crowd, but in reality, her peripheral vision remained fixed on the villas.
Unfortunately, even after sitting there for over an hour, she saw no sign of Li Feng—not even the younger Li Miao. It seemed both were reclusive, never once appearing in Guan Xia’s line of sight.
Still, the villa area was beautifully situated, attracting not just Guan Xia and Pang Le but also other curious young tourists.
After finishing her last snack, Guan Xia stood up, tossed the wrapper into a nearby trash bin, and was about to leave when she noticed a young couple hesitantly approaching a middle-aged woman sitting on another bench.
"Excuse me, ma’am," the girl asked politely but nervously, "could you tell us about those villas across the way? Do they rent them out? We saw them earlier—they’re right by the river bend, with willow trees along the bank. The scenery is stunning. Could we rent one for a day just to take photos? Or even just go in to snap a few pictures if renting isn’t possible?"
Hearing this, Guan Xia paused mid-step. She noticed a few other young women nearby listening curiously but kept walking, motioning for Pang Le to join her.
Pang Le, who had been keeping an eye on Guan Xia, immediately understood and jogged over. Using her height advantage, she secured them a front-row spot near the conversation.
The middle-aged woman—a local, judging by her relaxed attire of a loose T-shirt, pants, and slippers—had curly permed hair and spoke in slightly accented Mandarin. "Oh, those villas? No, they’re not for rent. The people living there don’t need the money—they came back here to retire after making their fortunes. They won’t even let anyone in to take photos. All the landscaping is their own work, and they dislike noise and crowds. You’ll have to find somewhere else."
Her refusal was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. But the girl in the couple wasn’t ready to give up. "Really? We’d pay extra—just for one night. We came here because other scenic spots are too crowded for good photos."
Despite her earnest plea, the woman shook her head. "I’m sorry, dear. It’s not that I don’t want to help—it’s the owner’s rule. I’ve asked before, but he won’t budge, not even for more money. He’s the one who developed this village, and he paid for all six villas himself. Do you think he’s short on cash?"
Defeated, the girl sighed. "Alright, then."
As the couple walked away, the onlookers dispersed. Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged glances, intending to return to their bench, only to find it already occupied. They moved elsewhere and switched to texting.
Guan Xia: Looks like our plan to get into the villa area this way won’t work. We’ll have to think of something else.
Pang Le: Li Feng’s really cautious. He turned this village into a niche tourist spot, but his own place is locked down tight. The locals clearly respect him—I saw a few people heading toward the villas earlier, but someone quickly redirected them.
Guan Xia: I noticed that too. Without a legitimate reason to approach, we’ll just raise his suspicions.
As they debated, Guan Xia’s fingers flew across her phone screen. Then, abruptly, a mechanical whirring sound caught her attention.
She looked up and spotted a small drone hovering slowly over the square. It moved deliberately, lingering near groups of young people for several seconds before moving on, as if the operator was searching for something.
Some ignored it, but a few hot-tempered young men grew visibly irritated, swatting at the drone and scanning the area for its controller. Sensing an opportunity, Guan Xia pocketed her phone and nudged Pang Le, nodding toward the men.
Pang Le’s expression shifted in understanding, and without a word, she signaled back. Guan Xia stood and discreetly followed the group, blending in with other curious bystanders.
Amid the chatter, she caught snippets of their complaints—one man was furious because his girlfriend, wearing a V-neck dress for photos, had been hovered over by the drone. He accused the operator of being a creep, possibly filming unsuspecting women, and vowed to delete any footage.
Now understanding their anger, Guan Xia exchanged another glance with Pang Le. Many girls dressed lightly in the heat, making them vulnerable to upskirting angles.
They trailed the men at a distance, unnoticed among the growing crowd of onlookers. Soon, it became clear the group was heading for the village committee office—they seemed familiar with the route, navigating without hesitation.
Though past office hours, a middle-aged man was on duty, playing on his phone outside. Spotting the approaching crowd, his expression tightened into a pained smile. "How can I help you all? If it’s reasonable, we’ll do our best."
The middle-aged man's inquiry seemed to set things in motion. As soon as his words fell, several young men began angrily recounting what had just happened, each chiming in with their own version of events.
Strangely, after hearing them out, the middle-aged man actually sighed in relief. He warmly invited the group to sit down and bent over to pour water for them, explaining as he did so: "I understand the situation now, but there’s one thing I need to clarify. The owner of that drone is a young woman, not some creepy man. She flies it purely out of interest and curiosity—there’s no intention of peeping or secretly filming. If you’re still worried, I can call her over right now to delete the footage in front of you."
Hearing that the drone belonged to a woman, the young men visibly relaxed. But after exchanging a few words with the young woman beside them, one of them spoke up again: "What does this girl plan to do with the footage? Is she going to post it online? That’s not acceptable. My girlfriend and I don’t want to appear in any videos. If it can be deleted, it’s better to do so. We came here to relax, not to be scrutinized by strangers online."
The middle-aged man seemed reluctant to call the drone’s owner over just to delete the footage. After pouring water for everyone, he added, "Don’t worry, I know the girl who flies the drone. She tinkers with it not to post videos online, but simply because she enjoys the bird’s-eye view of everyday life. She doesn’t just film tourists—she films us locals too, along with cats, dogs, rivers, and mountains. She definitely doesn’t have any voyeuristic tendencies."
Despite his earnest explanations, the young couple insisted on having the drone owner summoned. Eventually, the middle-aged man gave in and made a call on his phone.
While they waited, Guan Xia and Pang Le moved to a spot with a better view, biding their time.
Nearly twenty minutes passed. The crowd of onlookers grew, and the young people inside the village committee office grew increasingly impatient. Finally, the drone’s owner arrived—fashionably late.
To Guan Xia’s surprise and delight, it was Li Miao who stepped through the crowd into the office, clutching her drone and phone. She was dressed just as she had been that morning: waist-length black hair, slightly hunched posture, her face partially obscured by the strands framing it, and the same shapeless red ankle-length dress. In the dim twilight, she seemed almost eerie, her occasional glances carrying a hint of mockery.
Guan Xia watched as Li Miao entered the office and stopped at the doorway. Without a word, she handed over her phone with practiced ease.
After the middle-aged man took it, she moved closer to him—but instead of looking at the screen as Guan Xia expected, she stared fixedly at the crowd outside, her gaze either casual or probing.
The middle-aged man seemed uneasy around Li Miao, as if uncomfortable with her proximity. He instinctively shifted away before deftly opening her phone and deleting all the videos in the gallery in front of the young group.
Once done, he handed the phone back to Li Miao and hesitated before speaking with a sigh: "Li Miao, I’m not trying to make things difficult for you, but this has happened too many times. For everyone’s sake, could you just stick to filming scenery and avoid people? Your house is quite far from the committee office, and you always walk here and back. It must be tiring, isn’t it?"
His tone was gentle, but Li Miao acted as though she hadn’t heard him, not even sparing him a glance. She simply took her phone and strode toward the exit.
However, as she passed Guan Xia and Pang Le, Li Miao suddenly stopped. She turned her head sharply, locking eyes with Guan Xia, and asked bluntly, "Do you want to rent my house?"
As if worried Guan Xia wouldn’t know where she meant, Li Miao raised an arm and pointed toward the villa district, adding tersely, "Over there. The view is excellent. Are you interested?"
Guan Xia was caught off guard but quickly nodded. "Yes, I’d like to. Is it expensive? Can I go up to the rooftop? Can I take photos? I’d also like to walk by the river."
Li Miao’s expression remained indifferent, as if she didn’t care about Guan Xia’s questions. She simply nodded and said flatly, "Fine. Follow me."
The turn of events was as unpredictable as a runaway horse. Half an hour ago, Guan Xia had been fretting over how to get close to Li Miao—yet here she was, appearing like a godsend and even inviting her to see the house.
If Guan Xia hadn’t been certain that Li Miao’s soul aura was pure and untainted by malice, she might have suspected the system was at work, drawing Li Miao to her.
Still, doubts aside, Guan Xia seized the opportunity. She and Pang Le followed Li Miao toward the villa district.
Of course, for safety’s sake, Guan Xia didn’t forget to notify Xu Nian and the others, lest they lose track of her and Pang Le.
After analyzing the situation, Guan Xia didn’t think they were in any real danger. But this was, after all, a world blended with crime fiction, and she couldn’t be entirely sure whether Li Miao’s sudden invitation was born of goodwill or something darker.
