Chapter 11: Fang Xiaocao: Oh My God…
“Sure! Thanks, sis.”
Hearing this, Fang Xiaocao smiled gratefully.
If it’s free, why not take advantage of it?
A full deep cleaning for such a large villa would cost a fortune.
Of course, Fang Xiaocao wouldn’t refuse.
“I’ll call property management to register you, and while they’re here, they can check the wiring and facilities again.”
“If there are any issues, they’ll fix them right away.”
“This is the last thing I can do for you within my authority.”
Liu Feifei smiled.
“Thanks, sis~”
Fang Xiaocao beamed.
Liu Feifei nodded and made a phone call.
Half an hour later, the property management team and the cleaning crew arrived.
Liu Feifei had a brief discussion with both teams before waving goodbye to Fang Xiaocao and leaving Villa No. 5 in a sightseeing cart.
“Miss Fang, hello.”
“I am your property manager, Sun Jie.”
The property manager greeted her with a warm smile.
“Hello! What needs to be registered?”
Fang Xiaocao asked politely.
“We need to record your basic information, registered vehicles, and the number of residents, along with their basic details.”
Sun Jie replied with a courteous yet professional smile.
“No problem. Let’s talk inside.”
Fang Xiaocao led her into the living room.
Then she turned to the cleaning crew, “Aunties, just go ahead with your work as usual. No need to mind me.”
“Alright, don’t worry!”
One of the cleaners responded cheerfully.
With that settled, Fang Xiaocao brought the property manager inside.
After filling out the registration forms, the property manager led a team to inspect the villa’s facilities.
Seizing the opportunity, Fang Xiaocao sneaked into the basement, locked the door behind her, and resumed her treasure hunt.
She set up the ladder and climbed up, searching for the hidden compartment.
The basement was as large as an entire floor—spacious, empty, and spotlessly clean.
But once again, her luck was awful.
She had to tap on every wall, one by one, before finally hearing a hollow “thud” on the very last wall.
Fang Xiaocao nearly cried.
This had completely exhausted her.
She pressed down on the panel, and with a soft click, a hidden compartment slid open.
Inside the wall was a built-in safe.
The safe required both a password and a key—either one could unlock it.
Normally, the password was used for convenience.
But if the safe’s battery died, the key was needed.
Seeing the safe, Fang Xiaocao’s eyes lit up.
“Could there be some treasure inside?”
She muttered excitedly and immediately pulled the key from her pocket.
She inserted it into the keyhole…
Click! It fit perfectly!
A wave of joy rushed through her as she eagerly turned the key.
After three full rotations, there was a soft “click”—
The safe door popped open automatically.
The moment it opened, an overwhelming stench of rotten eggs gushed out.
“Urgh—!”
Fang Xiaocao gagged violently, almost throwing up on the spot.
A terrible feeling crept up her spine.
Something was very wrong.
Swallowing her fear, she slowly pulled the safe door open wider…
And then—
“OH MY GOD—!!!”
A blood-curdling scream tore from her throat.
Her foot slipped—
She fell off the ladder, landing hard on her backside.
Fang Xiaocao sat paralyzed on the ground, her face drained of all color, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Her eyes were frozen in terror, staring at the now-open safe.
Inside…
A rotting human head was staring right back at her with empty, hollow eye sockets!
Thick, dark brown corpse fluid dripped from the safe, trickling onto the floor—
Drip. Drip.
A sharp knock sounded at the basement door.
Fang Xiaocao snapped back to reality, scrambling on all fours to unlock the door.
“Urgh—!”
As soon as the door swung open, the putrid stench flooded the hallway, making someone outside gag violently.
“Miss Fang! What happened?!”
Sun Jie, the property manager, pinched her nose and looked at the shaken, pale-faced Fang Xiaocao in concern.
“I-I… Call the police!”
Fang Xiaocao bolted out of the basement, slammed the door shut, and stammered out the words.
She had been so excited for a treasure hunt—
Only to come face to face with a rotting human head.
The sheer shock of it all nearly drove her insane.
By now, her panic had drawn the attention of the maintenance workers and cleaning staff.
The sickening stench in the air made several of them retch.
One of the cleaning ladies rushed to the smart control panel, pressing a few buttons.
With a faint hum, the villa’s air ventilation system activated—
Within seconds, the foul odor in the hallway dissipated, replaced by fresh air.
“Miss Fang, what exactly happened?”
Sun Jie still didn’t call the police but instead doubted her, carefully studying her reaction.
“A human… h-human head…”
“Call the police—NOW!”
Fang Xiaocao’s voice trembled as she repeated her plea.
“…What?”
Everyone gasped in horror.
At that moment, Fang Xiaocao finally regained some composure.
She noticed Sun Jie’s skeptical look—
It was clear she wasn’t going to call the cops.
Too exhausted to argue, Fang Xiaocao simply whipped out her phone—
And dialed Wang Qiang’s number.
Ten minutes later.
The piercing wail of police sirens shattered the quiet luxury of the villa district.
Several police cars pulled up at the entrance of Villa No. 5.
Dressed in plain clothes, Wang Qiang stepped out and rang the doorbell.
Hearing it, Fang Xiaocao nearly burst into tears from relief—
Like a drowning person grabbing onto a lifeline, she rushed to the door to welcome him in.
Wang Qiang assigned a young female officer to take Fang Xiaocao’s statement.
Meanwhile, he himself put on a face mask, then led a forensic team into the basement.
Ding!
As Fang Xiaocao was giving her statement, a notification popped up on her phone.
She glanced at it—
A WeChat message.
[Hot Noodles: Surprised? Didn’t see that coming, huh?]
“YOU PIECE OF—!!!”
“YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE, DIDN’T YOU?!”
Fang Xiaocao nearly smashed her phone in rage.
[Hot Noodles: Stay calm. You don’t want the police suspecting you, do you?]
[Hot Noodles: Check the false ceiling in the attic. There’s a note hidden there—it explains the key and the safe’s location. You can use it to answer the police’s questions.]
As soon as she read the messages, Fang Xiaocao froze.
Then, instinctively, she glanced up at the female officer taking her statement.
Sure enough—
The officer was watching her closely, suspicion flickering in her eyes.
Forcing a stiff smile, Fang Xiaocao quickly put her phone away.
“Sorry… I got a little emotional.”
She forced a laugh, but it looked worse than crying.
“It’s fine. I understand.”
The officer’s face remained neutral.
“Now, let’s continue.”
“Can you explain how you knew there was a safe in the basement?”
Hearing this, Fang Xiaocao’s heart skipped a beat.
“…Thank god that message came in time.”
She exhaled in relief and prepared to answer.
(End of Chapter 11)
