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◎Manor◎

Jiang Mu, whom I had met once before the meal, also left the restaurant.

Mu and Qing became even more agitated.

Why did this person initiate a conversation with her? Shouldn't she have pretended not to know him at this point?

"It's not because of that, it's something else." Mu Heqing smiled, thinking about where the nearest bus stop was.

You should go home early.

"Is it because of the invitation in your hand? Is the person you like getting married?" Jiang Mu pointed to the invitation in her hand.

This is complicated to explain.

"It was a high school classmate I hadn't contacted for years who suddenly said he was getting married." This was the second time Mu Heqing had explained this today, and it was to someone he had only met once.

“Oh, I see. That’s really troublesome. We haven’t been in touch for years, so you can choose not to go. You can say you have to work, you’re very busy, and you don’t have time.” Jiang Mu seemed to be seriously thinking of reasons for Mu and Qing.

Are they that close?

Mu Heqing nodded: "That's exactly what I was planning to do."

Forget it, Mu and Qing let it go. He had saved the company, although it had little to do with her as a working person. But his attitude was too friendly, and he spoke with a smile. As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face.

We met by chance, just like strangers.

This might be the last time we meet.

"It's very late, how are you going to get home?" Jiang Mu asked again.

"Let's take the bus."

Mu and Qing really wanted to ask, were they very familiar with each other?

"The bus? At this hour, we might miss it. Shall I take you home?" Jiang Mu glanced at his wrist; he wore a pure black watch.

"Huh?" Mu Heqing was shocked.

Jiang Mu interpreted Mu Heqing's shock as a rejection, and he smiled apologetically: "I apologize for my rudeness. I'll call you a car."

Before Mu and Qing could even say "no need," Jiang Mu had already hailed a taxi.

The restaurant is located in a bustling area, and taxis are waiting everywhere.

Jiang Mu handed the taxi driver a few bills, pointed to Mu Heqing, and said, "Keep the change, she'll tell you the address."

He opened the back door for Mu and Qing and said with a smile, "Just tell the driver the address. Let's go back; it's getting late."

"No need," Mu Heqing refused.

"Little girl, get in!" The taxi driver wanted Mu and Qing to ride in his car more than anyone else at this moment.

“Go ahead, don’t be shy. I hope everyone who enters this restaurant is smiling, not just sighing at the door.” Jiang Mu lowered his head and looked at Mu Heqing with his light brown eyes.

Perhaps because she was too upset today, Mu and Qing got into the car in a daze, and Jiang Mu waved goodbye to her.

She told the driver the address, and Jiang Mu gave the driver money to take her from Ancheng to Huacheng.

Mu and Qing wondered, what are they doing, acting in an idol drama?

What does it mean to say that I hope everyone who enters this restaurant is smiling, instead of someone sighing at the door?

Mu and Qing were unable to adapt to Jiang Mu's speaking style.

Jiang Mu is too enthusiastic. Well, it makes sense. To be able to save a small company that's about to go bankrupt, he's probably the kind of person who's rich but foolish.

Mu Heqing still felt something was off, so she suddenly asked the driver, "Sir, what time is the last bus usually?"

Mu Heqing doesn't often take the bus; she usually gets around by electric scooter and shared bicycle. In Huacheng, she also mainly used the subway, but Ancheng doesn't have one.

Even if she takes the bus, it's during the day, and she doesn't pay attention to the last bus.

"Around 11 p.m.," the driver said.

Mu and Qing opened their phones to check the last bus time in Ancheng, and sure enough, it was 11 p.m.

The time displayed on Mu and Qing's phones is 10:13.

It's definitely close to catching the last train.

Mu Heqing touched the invitation in her pocket again. She had too much to do today and needed to take a break.

Twenty minutes later, Mu and Qing got out of the car.

The taxi driver waved goodbye to Mu and Qing enthusiastically; he had made a good profit on this fare.

After graduating from Ancheng University, Mu Heqing stayed in Ancheng. She rented a one-bedroom apartment very close to her company, which was in a relatively remote location, but the rent was still within Mu Heqing's budget.

Mu Heqing took out his keys and just opened the door when his phone rang.

She picked it up and saw that it was her mother calling.

"Are you home yet?" Mu's mother asked.

Before going out for dinner that evening, Mu and Qing had already informed her mother that they had a dinner party that night.

After working for three years, Mu and Qing were alone in Ancheng, and Mu's mother was always worried about them.

"We're here, we're here, we're finally home."

Mu and Qing locked the door from the inside, took off their coats, and the red invitation slipped out of their pockets.

"What did you eat for dinner? I didn't see you take any pictures. You always take pictures, don't you?" On the other end of the phone, Mu's mother was still eating sunflower seeds.

Mu and Qing tried hard to recall what they had eaten that night, but she sadly realized that she hadn't tasted anything at all, despite the expensive buffet.

"There's nothing good to eat," Mu Heqing said. "What time is it? You're still eating sunflower seeds? Eating sunflower seeds so late at night isn't good for your health."

"I'll only try two. You should wash up and go to bed early. Tomorrow's the weekend, so get some rest." Mu's mother, always stubborn, hung up the phone.

Mu and Qing picked up the invitation that had fallen to the ground.

Good news, tomorrow is the weekend.

The bad news is that the invitation is for tomorrow.

Otherwise, she should just pretend she didn't see it.

I really don't want to go this weekend.

…………

Anjo Kyushu Manor.

Mu and Qing looked completely numb.

She said she didn't want to come, but she came anyway. I had a sleepless night last night. My body was screaming with exhaustion, but my mind couldn't fall asleep.

She couldn't sleep in the morning, so she got up and cleaned the rented room. She collected a large bag of trash, and after thinking it over, she decided to go out and take it out.

Before she even reached the garbage collection point, she ran into an elderly neighbor who told her that one of her sister's brother's granddaughters had gone missing.

This convoluted relationship took Mu and Qing quite a while to sort out.

The old lady usually liked to chat, and she would talk endlessly when she met Mu and Qing.

She told Mu and Qing that her old friend's family was extremely worried, and the police had been searching for several days but had not found the missing girl.

After Mu and Qing gave a few perfunctory "uh-huhs," the old lady suddenly said, "The missing eldest daughter's surname is Bao."

Coincidentally, the bride on the invitation Mu and Qing received also had the surname Bao.

Mu and Qing once suspected that the old lady next door had been bribed by someone, otherwise why would she have been given this information?

And since she's already said that, how could she not come and see what's going on?

This is why she's standing here, drenched in sweat, after taking three buses and riding a shared bike for twenty minutes.

Before setting off, Mu and Qing searched for this so-called "Jiuzhou Manor" online, but the result only showed a lonely navigation message, as if telling her, "Come on, come on, hurry up."

She could only get here by following the navigation. She had never known that such a place existed in Ancheng.

Before Mu and Qing was a heavy, ornate iron gate, and the high wall beside it only allowed her to vaguely see the dark gray buildings and lush trees inside.

The iron gates were closed, so it didn't look like a wedding was going to be held.

Mu and Qing glanced at the time on their phones: 5:28 PM. The wedding was still almost two hours away.

Did she go to the wrong door?

She realized she might have overlooked something: no one would ever go inside such a large estate.

She usually drives; she doesn't own a car.

"Forget it, let's give up," Mu and Qing decided to back down.

Just as she hesitated, the iron gate opened automatically.

There was nothing I could do; they had already extended an invitation, so I was already there.

Mu and Qing entered the manor.

"Bang--"

After she entered, the heavy iron door closed tightly again.

As she expected, behind the iron gate was a straight driveway, flanked by a tall fountain, well-trimmed trees and flowers, and in the distance, a dense, dark forest that stretched to the horizon.

And, most strikingly, were the dark gray buildings facing the driveway in the dim sunlight. These houses, some tall, some short, stood in a continuous line, their roofs round or pointed, imposing, massive, and oppressive. With Mu and Qing's limited knowledge, she couldn't even recognize what style of architecture it was.

She only had one feeling: something was strange.

Mu and Qing walked onto a sidewalk where tall trees almost completely obscured their figures. It was eerily quiet; there was no one and no animal sounds.

As it grew darker, she began to regret coming so late; she could barely see the road anymore.

Perhaps wealthy people don't like having lights on.

Mu Heqing took out her phone, turned on the built-in flashlight, and the pale light reflected on the green grass. She barely managed to walk to the dark gray building and found a small door.

The small door was probably on the side of the manor, in a two-story building with a small window on the second floor. She turned the handle of the small door.

Okay, the door isn't locked.

Before she went in, Mu and Qing glanced at the upstairs window.

She always felt that there were people here, but they were deliberately avoiding her.

Mu and Qing entered through the small door and closed it behind them. Inside was a long, seemingly bottomless corridor with dark red walls on both sides, illuminated by dim lights.

"This lamp, could it be from the same wholesale market as that restaurant?"

Mu and Qing recalled that the "Hai Cuo You Lang" also had these kinds of small lights, mainly for creating an atmosphere, but they didn't care about protecting the eyes at all.

She looked up and saw that the corridor was very high, probably four or five meters high, but it was also very narrow. Walking into it felt like entering a small, tall cage.

Mu Heqing stepped into the alley, her feet on a soft, dark red carpet that felt like walking on cotton. She walked for about ten minutes, but hadn't reached the end. She came across a stairwell, but it was locked, so she could only continue walking down the alley.

Gradually, her feet could no longer touch the solid floor; both sides were the same dark red, and the ceiling was getting lower and lower.

Mu Heqing's eyes were filled with only red. She felt as if she were walking through soft intestines. If she continued like this, what would be at the end? Was it a ceiling lower than her, a blood-red corridor, or an endless red carpet?

She turned on her phone, and unsurprisingly, there was no signal. The time displayed on the phone was 6:01 PM, meaning she had been inside for half an hour.

By this time, the ceiling was only slightly higher than her. If she continued, she might have to crawl.

This is definitely not the right path; this is a path someone deliberately wants her to take.

Mu and Qing pursed their lips. It should still be possible to turn back now.

She turned her head, and behind what had been a narrow passageway, a door appeared; if nothing unexpected happened, the door was definitely locked.

She had no way out.

Mu and Qing felt their pockets, pulled out a crumpled red envelope, and thought of a question.

Is two hundred yuan enough for such a large estate?