Chapter 8: Starting Anew

According to Xia Wuyou, the prime suspect was most likely someone living in this grand villa. After all, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old middle school student typically wouldn’t have complicated social connections. Coupled with Xu Kexin’s family circumstances, it was unlikely she would have had many opportunities to interact with the outside world—her enrollment in an elite girls’ academy was evidence enough of that.

A crisp chime of the doorbell sounded, followed by the voice of a middle-aged man through the intercom at the front gate.

“Please wait a moment, I’ll be right there to meet you.” Lao Ma’s voice came through the video feed. Since the visit had been arranged in advance, he was clearly prepared.

With a mechanical click, the gate swung open. Shortly after, Lao Ma appeared at the entrance. This villa was astonishingly vast; without someone to lead the way, it would be nearly impossible to find the main building at first try.

Su Tianmu and Xiao Wang walked along the winding garden path. Though it was late autumn, the variety of trees scattered throughout the grounds each offered their own unique beauty. What a pity, Su Tianmu thought—under different circumstances, this could have been such a happy family.

Watching Lao Ma leading the way, Su Tianmu casually inquired, “A villa this size must require a lot of staff to maintain, doesn’t it?”

Without turning his head, Lao Ma continued forward. “Not as many as you’d think. The family doesn’t care much for crowds, and both the master and his wife are quite independent. Aside from myself—I’m both driver and housekeeper—there are only a few live-in maids. If there’s a special occasion, we’ll bring in some temporary help as needed.”

With just a few words, Lao Ma gave a succinct overview of the household.

“Do you live here full-time as well? Where is your family from?” Su Tianmu kept the conversation light.

“Yes, I usually stay here, unless something urgent comes up at home. The master relies on me a lot—what can I say, I give him the least to worry about. Heh.” Lao Ma gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“I always know what he wants—he’s never needed to repeat himself to me.”

After about ten minutes of walking, they finally reached the main building, where Xu Li was already waiting at the door.

“Welcome! The last time you visited, you hardly stayed at all. This time, you must join us for lunch before leaving.” Xu Li seemed much more composed than during their previous meeting; a veteran of many trials, he was far more practiced than most at concealing his inner turmoil.

He ushered Su Tianmu and his companion warmly inside, turning to instruct Lao Ma, “Let Sister Chen and the others know we have guests for lunch—ask them to prepare a few extra dishes.”

Before Su Tianmu could refuse, Xu Li had already pressed a cup of tea into his hands, giving him no chance to protest.

Amazed by how quickly people could recover, Su Tianmu refrained from disrupting Xu Li’s composure and said nothing more. After all, their purpose today was to learn more about those around Xu Kexin—this meal provided the perfect opportunity to observe daily life in the villa.

“Yes, sir,” Lao Ma answered with professional decorum, a marked contrast to his earlier casual conversation with Su Tianmu.

Once Lao Ma had left, Xu Li turned to Su Tianmu, his manner becoming more serious. “You mentioned on the phone that you wanted to investigate the people around Xinxin. What exactly do you mean by that?” he asked, puzzled.

“It’s nothing. We just need a comprehensive understanding before we can determine the direction of our investigation.” Su Tianmu tried to be as considerate as possible of the bereaved family’s feelings. He had no wish to stir up any more distress before the facts were clear.

“I see.” The facade of strength Xu Li had shown to outsiders earlier began to crack.

“If it wasn’t someone from the company, I really can’t imagine who would do such a cruel thing to our Xinxin!” Xu Li pressed a hand to his forehead, his helplessness painfully evident.

“You said you didn’t report her missing until the day after she disappeared. Why not contact the police right away?” Though it pained him to force Xu Li to revisit such anguish, Su Tianmu knew that catching the killer had to come first.

“At first, we never thought it was a kidnapping. We assumed she was being rebellious, sneaking out to have some fun. We kept her on a tight leash—she hardly ever had time for herself,” Xu Li admitted with regret.

“It wasn’t until we received the kidnapper’s call that we realized Xinxin was truly missing. The caller made it clear: if we went to the police, they’d kill her.”

“Then why did you decide to contact the police after all?” asked Su Tianmu.

“I wanted to go to the police from the beginning, but my wife wouldn’t allow it. Lao Ma also suggested we wait—maybe if we paid the ransom, Xinxin would come back safely!” Xu Li broke down in tears. “It’s all my fault. Just fifty million… If I’d only done as they asked without getting the police involved, Xinxin might still be alive! It’s all on me… sob…”

Su Tianmu was at a loss for words, simply waiting for Xu Li to compose himself.

When Xu Li grew calmer, Su Tianmu continued, “Do you remember what the voice on the phone sounded like?”

Though most kidnappers wouldn’t use their real voice, Su Tianmu hoped for any overlooked clues.

Xu Li answered quickly this time, “No, I didn’t hear it. Lao Ma took the call—we weren’t in the living room at the time.”

Lao Ma? Su Tianmu felt a prickle of doubt. Had Lao Ma been the only one to speak with the kidnapper from beginning to end?

“So the demand for fifty million came only through Lao Ma’s phone conversation?”

Xu Li looked at him in confusion, unsure where this line of questioning was leading. “Yes. The kidnapper made only that one call. You know what happened after that.”

Xu Li had reported his daughter missing on the second day, and the kidnapper had killed her by the third. How did the criminal learn so quickly that Xu Li had gone to the police?

It really did seem likely that the perpetrator was someone inside this very villa. Who else could know the situation in such detail?

Su Tianmu mentally reviewed all his recent interactions with Lao Ma, searching for any hint of something amiss beneath the man’s seemingly ordinary exterior.

But if Lao Ma truly was a suspect—what was his motive? Was it really just about the fifty million?