Chapter 165: A Severed Finger
Mrs. Gu looked at Xu Youyou with a mocking expression, becoming more and more convinced that Xu Youyou was deliberately causing trouble.
However, since the police officers had come with an official search warrant, Mrs. Gu, no matter how unwilling she was, dared not refuse them.
The dog, Guai Guai, barked once, glanced back at Xu Youyou, as if urging its owner to follow, then dashed toward the stairwell on the second floor like a fleeting shadow.
When the house was originally built, the stairwell was intentionally left open, so it could be used as a storage room or be modified into an elevator shaft. However, the previous owners didn’t transform it into an elevator space but continued to use it as a storage room.
Noticing Guai Guai’s unusual behavior, the police officers glanced at Xu Youyou, then casually asked, “Miss Xu, did you really smell the odor of decay?”
Xu Youyou immediately replied, “It wasn’t me who smelled it. If I told you that the dog smelled it and told me, would you believe that I can understand what my dog is saying?”
The officer chuckled, “Miss Xu, you’re joking. But your dog is quite extraordinary. What breed is it?”
Xu Youyou casually answered, “Nothing special, just an ordinary little mutt.”
They watched the dog scratching at the door of the stairwell, and one of the officers reached forward and opened it.
Mrs. Gu, following behind the group, said, “Our villa is perfectly fine. There’s no smell of decay here. Could someone be framing us? Officers, how do you usually handle false reports?”
The officer immediately responded, “If it’s confirmed that a false report was made, we will take it seriously and deal with it accordingly.”
Mrs. Gu gave Xu Youyou a smug look, seemingly sure that Xu Youyou had made a false report, and was just waiting to see her get into trouble.
As they were talking, Guai Guai started barking loudly at the left wall of the stairwell.
Xu Youyou intentionally pointed at the wall and said, “You all can’t smell this strong stench of decay?”
Everyone exchanged looks. Apart from the smell of dust and mildew, they didn’t detect any scent of decay.
“Xu Youyou, what’s wrong with you? This house is fine! If it drops in price because of you, I won’t let you off!” Mrs. Gu exclaimed.
Xu Youyou casually replied, “Look at you getting all worked up. If it wasn’t for the fact you just bought the house, I’d actually suspect you were the one who killed someone here.”
The wallpaper on the wall was peeled off by Xu Youyou, revealing a freshly painted surface behind it.
Mrs. Gu said, “This is just a regular wall. Are you watching too many TV dramas, thinking there’s a body hidden inside? If you keep wronging my house, I’ll make sure to hold you accountable.”
Guai Guai turned around and barked loudly at Mrs. Gu.
Mrs. Gu was so startled that she took a step back. “Xu Youyou, control your dog! If it bites me, can you afford to pay for it?”
Xu Youyou reached out and petted Guai Guai’s head. “Don’t worry, you’re not as attractive to our baby as poop is.”
Mrs. Gu shot her a furious glare. “Uncultured wild girl!”
Guai Guai continued barking at her, causing Mrs. Gu to keep quiet and stop cursing.
However, Guai Guai didn’t let up on Xu Youyou either. The dog barked unhappily, “Woof woof! I don’t like poop!”
Xu Youyou gently petted Guai Guai’s head, calming the dog down.
Xu Youyou then asked the two officers, who were looking seriously at the wall, “Is there any information in the previous case files related to this wall?”
Her question triggered a memory in the older of the two officers.
“The female owner’s father once said that his daughter complained about the stairs being too tiring to climb every day and planned to turn the stairwell into an elevator shaft. She was about to hire someone for the construction when the incident happened, and the plan was put on hold.”
“When the incident occurred, the female owner’s father was abroad attending a month-long seminar, so he didn’t know how far the renovation had progressed.”
Xu Youyou furrowed her brows slightly, starting to get a clearer picture. She asked, “For such a large villa, even without a live-in maid, there should have been regular housekeepers. Was there anything unusual at that time?”
The officer explained, “The female owner didn’t like having outsiders in the house, so most of the housework was done by the male owner. They occasionally hired one or two hourly workers, but most of them were temporary workers with no fixed housekeepers.”
Xu Youyou frowned slightly. If this was the case, outsiders wouldn’t have known the true happenings in the villa. She asked, “How was the relationship between the female owner and her husband?”
“Supposedly, they were a model couple with an extremely good relationship. The female owner was impulsive, while the male owner had a gentle temper and always did whatever she wanted. Though he wasn’t very capable, he handled all the household chores and provided her with emotional support.”
“Her friends all envied the female owner for marrying such a good man, though sadly, the couple had been married for years without having any children.”
Mrs. Gu, unable to understand what the officers were talking about, asked, “What do you mean by all this? Are you saying someone actually died in this villa?”
The officer immediately reassured her, “No one died in the villa. The female owner’s death was an accidental fall into the sea, but her body has never been found.”
Mrs. Gu let out a relieved sigh. “As long as she died outside, it’s fine.”
Her lack of empathy made Xu Youyou think to herself that she hadn’t inherited any of it. If she were as heartless as Mrs. Gu, she wouldn’t have been easily manipulated by the idea of family in her past life.
“Although the death was an accident, strange things have happened in this house. I heard from another real estate agent that there have been supernatural events here. It’s said the female owner’s death was unjust, and her spirit is seeking revenge on her husband,” Xu Youyou casually remarked.
Mrs. Gu furrowed her brows. “Impossible. If this house really had a problem, my agent wouldn’t have hidden it from me…”
She suddenly seemed to remember something, and her expression changed dramatically. Gu Xueying’s face also turned pale.
However, mother and daughter, in front of Xu Youyou, refused to back down, directly stating, “You’ve said so much, but we haven’t seen a body. It must all be fake!”
Xu Youyou gave a look to one of her bodyguards standing not far behind her. The bodyguard seemed to have received prior instructions and, without saying a word, raised a heavy hammer and slammed it into the wall.
The sound of the hammer hitting the wall left everyone stunned.
Mrs. Gu’s face turned pale as she pointed at Xu Youyou. “You’ve ruined my perfectly good house! Damaging someone’s property—I’ll have you thrown in jail!”
Xu Youyou ignored her and instead frowned as she stared at a chunk of the wall that had fallen off.
The bodyguard didn’t stop when Xu Youyou didn’t call for him to, and continued hammering.
One minute later, with another heavy strike, a cement block fell, and a severed finger was revealed, landing directly in Mrs. Gu’s line of sight.
“Ah!” Mrs. Gu screamed in terror.
