Chapter 12: Was it you who killed my Lingling?

The villa housekeeper was a woman with her hair tied in a low ponytail. She stood at the entrance of Villa No. 6 waiting, and upon seeing Jiang Yuan and Fu Xiaoxiao get out of the car, she was about to step forward to greet them, only to see the two of them start running the moment they stepped out.

She chased after them, puzzled: "Are you Miss Fu and Miss Jiang? I am the villa housekeeper, Liu Fang."

Fu Xiaoxiao turned back and asked, "Housekeeper Liu, are there any cats or dogs around here?"

Liu Fang nodded: "Yes, we provide pet services here. If the two ladies would please enter the villa first, I will call someone to bring them over."

The villa had two floors. The courtyard on the first floor was decorated quite elegantly, featuring a flower-shaped hot spring area, pebble-paved paths, rocking chairs on a leisure terrace, and a small, creative water feature nearby.

Upon entering the villa lobby, Fu Xiaoxiao sat down next to Jiang Yuan.

"Please sit for a moment, Miss Fu and Miss Jiang." Liu Fang poured them tea and took out her phone to contact a colleague.

After hanging up, she handed them a tablet and explained with a smile: "Villa No. 8 is the gourmet buffet area. If you two don't wish to go over, you can also place orders on the tablet, and a dedicated staff member will deliver the meals."

Fu Xiaoxiao’s mind, however, was not on food; she was desperate to see Jiang Yuan demonstrate her superpower of communicating with animals.

Ten minutes later, a staff member walked into Villa No. 6 leading a cat and a dog.

"They're here, they're here!" Fu Xiaoxiao said, very excited. "Yuan-yuan, make them do a somersault!"

Jiang Yuan felt both amused and helpless. "They have to know how to do a somersault first for that to happen."

The cat and dog stood obediently by Liu Fang’s side. The cat was a silver shaded British Shorthair, and the dog was a Bichon Frise.

They both wore collars with name tags that served as self-introductions.

The silver shaded cat was named Xiaoshu, and the Bichon was named Tangyuan. Both were girls, and they were currently chatting.

"It smells stinky here, Sister Tangyuan, did you smell it?"

"Woof, I smelled it too. Why would it be stinky?"

"I don't know."

"..."

Fu Xiaoxiao heard Xiaoshu meowing and Tangyuan barking, so she turned her head and stared curiously at Jiang Yuan: "Yuan-bao, what are they saying?"

Jiang Yuan frowned: "They said it smells a bit stinky here."

"Huh?" Fu Xiaoxiao looked incredulous. "How could it be stinky?"

Liu Fang assumed Jiang Yuan was joking, but she still explained: "When Miss Fu made the reservation the day before yesterday, I immediately had people come over to clean. You can absolutely rest assured regarding the hygiene."

As soon as she finished speaking, a woman with messy hair and a haggard face rushed in, wailing: "Give me back my daughter! My Lingling..."

Liu Fang’s expression changed, and she stepped forward to block the woman. "I’ve already told you, your daughter’s disappearance has nothing to do with our resort!"

The woman cried out desperately: "How can it have nothing to do with it? My daughter has been missing for three days! The last time she contacted me, she said she was soaking in the hot springs here! Give me back my daughter!"

"What’s going on?" Fu Xiaoxiao whispered.

Jiang Yuan pursed her lips and also said in a low voice: "Let's watch for a moment."

"If you have something to say, say it outside. Don't disturb our guests here!" Liu Fang pulled at the woman forcefully.

"I won't go outside!" The middle-aged woman resisted with all her might, turning to shout at Jiang Yuan and her friend: "Misses, please judge this for me. My Lingling disappeared here; if I don't look for them, who should I look for?"

"I said don't disturb our guests!" Liu Fang’s face was full of anger as she gripped the middle-aged woman’s arm tightly. "Get out!"

"Wait a moment." Jiang Yuan suddenly spoke up. "Housekeeper Liu, let go first."

Liu Fang disagreed: "Miss Jiang, she is a crazy woman. It wouldn't be good if she accidentally hurt you."

"Calm down for a second." Jiang Yuan looked at the agitated middle-aged woman. "Tell us slowly if you have something to say."

"Miss, please help me, will you?" The middle-aged woman’s eyes were red, and she pleaded with a choked voice.

Jiang Yuan gave her a reassuring look. "Sit down first."

Liu Fang frowned: "Miss Jiang, why waste your time? She is just a crazy..."

"Stop talking." Fu Xiaoxiao interrupted her, displeased. "Just listen to whatever my Yuan-yuan says."

Although she didn't know why Jiang Yuan was doing this, Fu Xiaoxiao felt there must be a reason.

Liu Fang: "..."

Jiang Yuan handed a cup of tea to the middle-aged woman and said calmly: "Drink this, then tell us the details of what happened."

The middle-aged woman’s name was Li Ailan. She was a single mother. Her daughter, Gu Lingling, was 20 years old and had arranged to come to the hot spring villa with friends on December 29th.

But by the 30th, Li Ailan could no longer reach Gu Lingling.

There had been no news at all up until today, the 3rd.

Fu Xiaoxiao asked: "Did you call the police?"

Li Ailan nodded vigorously: "I went to the police on the night of the 30th. After investigating, the police said they found no record of Lingling coming here, and she didn't appear on any surveillance footage."

Liu Fang said indignantly: "I told you your daughter didn't come here! Yet you insist on coming here to make a scene!"

"Impossible!" Li Ailan’s tone was filled with certainty. "Lingling sent me a video that day; she definitely came to this Villa No. 6 to play!"

Jiang Yuan inquired: "Who did Lingling come here with?"

"I didn't ask." Li Ailan was covered in tears. "Lingling doesn't like me asking these things."

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and looked at Liu Fang: "Housekeeper Liu, what kind of guests stayed in Villa No. 6 on the 29th?"

"Miss Jiang, this involves guest privacy, so I am not at liberty to disclose it." Liu Fang looked troubled. "Besides, the police have already checked and found no evidence that her daughter was ever here. Her daughter's disappearance really has nothing to do with us."

Just as Fu Xiaoxiao was preparing to use her "money power" to make Liu Fang reveal some information, Li Ailan’s shrill voice suddenly rang out: "You're lying! Did you kill my Lingling?"

Liu Fang rolled her eyes: "If your brain is broken, go see a doctor."

"The cat remembers!" Xiaoshu, who had been lying on the floor watching the drama, suddenly turned to Tangyuan and said, "My sister Loli came to work at Villa No. 6 a couple of days ago. She got sick after she went back, saying she was scared by the guests, and that in the middle of the night, she heard a human screaming so miserably!"

Tangyuan’s dog eyes widened: "She got scared sick?"

Hearing the cat, Jiang Yuan fell into deep thought.

If Gu Lingling really had been here, why couldn't they find any record of it?

She thought for a moment and said: "Ms. Li, I know a police officer. I can tell him about your situation and ask him to help look into it again."

She was naturally referring to Si Heng.

Given how efficient he was with the case at the Old Wang Fried Food Shop, he must be very capable at handling investigations.

"Really?" Li Ailan sobbed uncontrollably. "Thank you, thank you!"

Jiang Yuan: "Don't thank me yet. I'm not sure if he's willing to help. Send me the video Lingling sent you."

After Li Ailan left, Liu Fang looked at Jiang Yuan with displeasure in her tone: "I must say, Miss Jiang, why bother getting involved in this mess?"

Before Jiang Yuan could respond, Fu Xiaoxiao glared at her: "No need for your meddling."

Liu Fang: "..."

Fu Xiaoxiao found her more and more annoying. "Why haven't you left yet?"