Chapter 52: Mission Countdown

Jiang Yuan gazed expectantly at the virtual golden card.

The glowing card flipped over, revealing "East Coast Villa, Building 8."

Jiang Yuan blinked and murmured, "Is this real?"

She couldn't believe her eyes, nor could she imagine that happiness would arrive so suddenly.

【System 009: Miss Jiang, congratulations on winning. You have obtained "East Coast Villa, Building 8." A specialist will be arranged shortly to handle the transfer procedures for you.】

Jiang Yuan felt as if she were dreaming.

No.

She wouldn't even dare to dream like this.

East Coast Villa was a newly developed villa district in Yunjing. It had taken three years to construct and was a more luxurious complex than the North Bay Villa District; even with money, one might not necessarily be able to buy a place there.

If this were true, then...

【System 009: Miss Jiang, please rest assured, it is absolutely real. You also have one more lucky draw opportunity remaining. Would you like to use it now?】

Hearing these words, Jiang Yuan looked at Danzai, a joyful curve rising at the corners of her lips. Her eyes curved into crescents, her face beaming with a smile.

"Save it. Not yet."

That way, she could be happy twice.

Danzai keenly sensed her good mood.

"Yuan Yuan, you seem very happy!" it asked.

Jiang Yuan said with a smile, "Maybe in a couple of days, I'll be able to tell you some good news."

As she was talking to Danzai, a voice suddenly came from behind her, "That sister just now..."

Jiang Yuan wasn't sure if the person was calling her, but she still turned around to look. It was the young male caregiver who had been treating the tabby dog's wounds earlier.

She blinked in confusion. "Are you calling me?"

"Yes." The caregiver nodded, looking embarrassed. "I don't know how to address you, but one of my colleagues has a dog that is being very uncooperative. Could you go over and try to communicate with it?"

He had actually tried communicating with the dog using Jiang Yuan's method, but it hadn't worked.

Perhaps it was because he wasn't handsome enough.

Jiang Yuan readily agreed. "Sure."

She sent Danzai back to the kennel and followed the caregiver to soothe the out-of-control dog.

Inside the narrow medical room, a black dog was covered in whip marks. It thrashed its body wildly, trying to break free from the leash, letting out low growls while its four paws scratched the floor with a harsh, piercing sound.

Several caregivers, having heard from the young man that Jiang Yuan could turn a vicious dog into a "Hajimi" (cute pet) with just a few words, stood by the door with expressions of doubt and curiosity.

As Jiang Yuan arrived, under her soft, soothing voice, the black dog actually calmed down visibly...

The caregivers were all struck with astonishment.

"She actually made the black dog behave so easily?"

"That's incredible! A natural-born dog trainer!"

"So impressive..."

Amidst the praise, Jiang Yuan left modestly.

It was getting late, and Deng Rui had already sent two WeChat messages asking what time she would be home.

As Jiang Yuan was preparing to leave the animal protection organization, she happened to run into Ning Jianian at the entrance.

He wasn't wearing a hat today, making his gradient purple hair particularly eye-catching.

Jiang Yuan recognized him solely by his eyes; he had a mole near the outer edge of his right eyebrow.

When Ning Jianian saw her, his eyes flickered, his face filled with gratitude, and his voice was excited: "It's you! Thank you! I've already found Xiao Zhi!"

He was tall and gave a solemn, deep bow.

"I'm glad you found it." Jiang Yuan's voice was calm, and she added, "Is its injury serious?"

Ning Jianian straightened up, frowning. "It has several whip marks on its body, but compared to the other injured dogs, it's considered a minor injury."

Jiang Yuan nodded slightly. "If you have time, take Xiao Zhi to a pet hospital for a full check-up and let it recover properly. I'll be going now."

Having said that, without waiting for a response, she walked toward the exit with her long, straight legs.

Ning Jianian watched her slender retreating figure, wanting to say something but hesitating.

At two in the morning, Jiang Yuan returned home. As she was changing her shoes in the entryway, her phone screen suddenly lit up.

After unlocking it, she saw that Ning Jianian had transferred 200,000 yuan via WeChat.

Jiang Yuan's gaze lingered on the transfer amount for about a minute. Her fingertip tapped the screen, returning the money to the original sender, and she quickly typed a message: 【Please donate this money to the animal protection organization.】

The pet hospital was filled with the smell of disinfectant. Ning Jianian was accompanying Xiao Zhi for an anti-inflammatory injection. He crouched to one side, looking up as the medicine dripped drop by drop, when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate.

He pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and saw Jiang Yuan's reply, his expression momentarily stunned.

**

Two days later, Jiang Yuan received a call from the East Coast Villa staff to schedule an appointment for the transfer procedures of Villa No. 8.

Clutching the freshly issued property certificate, Jiang Yuan felt as if she had escaped the constraints of gravity. Her whole body felt light, as if she were stepping on soft, fluffy clouds, in a dreamlike state.

That villa, worth a billion yuan, had actually become her asset just like that.

However, at that moment, a system prompt abruptly rang out.

【System 009: Mission Countdown: 48 hours. Please complete the mission as soon as possible.】

Mission?

Jiang Yuan frowned slowly, trying to think in her mind about what missions were still uncompleted.

A moment later, she looked up slightly, remembering.

On the day before New Year's Eve, the system had issued a mission for her to assist the police in finding a murderer.

Jiang Yuan returned home and placed the property certificate in a room drawer.

She hadn't yet figured out how to tell her family about this massive piece of good news.

Sitting on the sofa next to Blueberry and Xixi, Jiang Yuan repeatedly unlocked her phone, her gaze landing on Si Heng's WeChat avatar, hesitating over whether to message him.

Unexpectedly, just as she was about to put the phone down, the screen lit up, showing an incoming call from Si Heng.

She answered immediately, raising her voice, "Hello, Captain Si."

A man's deep voice came through the receiver, "Miss Jiang, are you at home?"

"Yes! I'm at home!" Jiang Yuan's tone held a hint of anticipation. "Is there a case that needs my help?"

Hearing her words, Si Heng's tone softened slightly. "Yes. It's right across from your residential complex. You'll see the police car as soon as you walk out."

"Okay, I'm coming down right now!" Jiang Yuan stood up abruptly, grabbed a coat from her room, and hurried out the door.

Blueberry and Xixi watched her departing figure, feeling inexplicably as if they had been cast into the cold palace.

Jiang Yuan ran quickly to the entrance of the complex, crossed the zebra crossing to the residential building opposite, and saw a police car parked in front of a fruit shop nearby.

"Miss Jiang!" Meng Xiaokai was looking around; seeing Jiang Yuan, he immediately waved to greet her. "Over here."

As Jiang Yuan approached, he explained with a smile, "The boss sent me down to pick you up."

"Thanks for the trouble." Jiang Yuan smiled slightly. "Let's go then."

As they walked in, she had a vague feeling that these paths were familiar; it felt as if she had been here before.

Entering the elevator, Meng Xiaokai reached out and pressed the button for the fourth floor.

Jiang Yuan stared at that number, her eyes narrowing slightly.

She remembered now. That day, she had accompanied Jin Jin here to find her mistress.

What a coincidence.