After everyone got back into the car, they took a different route up the mountain.
Due to unfamiliarity with the road conditions, it was almost dark by the time they reached the villa.
The villa lights were on. As their car stopped at the main entrance, the villa gate slowly opened, and they drove inside.
A young man stood at the villa entrance. “Young master, you’ve arrived. The guest rooms are ready, and dinner is prepared. Would you like to dine first or rest?”
“Who are you?” Li Yize asked, confused.
“I am the butler of this house. I had the place cleaned upon receiving news of your arrival. All the daily necessities inside are new. I will leave once you are all settled,” he said, acting tactfully as he knew Li Yize had instructed not to be disturbed by others.
“Alright, first send our luggage to our rooms, then set the table for dinner,” Li Yize said casually.
“Certainly.” He then went to the car to move the luggage. He was well aware of the identities of the people arriving this time, so after confirming the owners of the suitcases, he began carrying them into the villa.
“Let’s go inside too. It’s been a long day,” A Rui called out to the others.
“Lin Yan, you must be tired too. You didn’t eat much today. The butler said dinner is ready, so have something warm and then go to your room to rest,” Li Yize said, walking over to Lin Yan.
Lin Yan did not refuse his kind offer and walked into the villa with him.
Yue Yue linked her arm with Lin Yan and followed them.
Big B and Glasses helped the butler move the boxes, while A Ming handed his suitcase to the butler and picked up Yi Fei’s box himself.
The villa was brightly lit, and the faint aroma of food wafted from the kitchen. Everyone’s luggage was placed in the indoor elevator. The butler asked them to rest in the living room on the first floor and then took all their luggage up to the second floor.
Lin Yan also observed the villa. Due to the dim light and the surrounding dense trees, the entire villa felt somewhat eerie.
However, with the nine of them plus the butler, their numbers didn’t make it feel unsettling.
Lin Yan, who had been paying close attention, noticed that the butler seemed a bit strange. But she already knew that this villa did not belong to Li Yize; he had come here through someone else’s connections. Therefore, the butler’s peculiar demeanor could be considered normal.
A short while later, the butler came down from upstairs and distributed keys to everyone, with the rooms carefully labeled.
Lin Yan looked at the lily flower on her key and felt the thoughtfulness of the villa owner.
“Thank you,” Lin Yan said politely.
The butler was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to thank him. “You’re too kind, Miss Lin. It’s my duty.”
After handing out the keys, he went to the kitchen to bring the kept-warm food to the dining room.
All eight of them, with Li Yize staying by Lin Yan’s side, explored the villa’s first floor.
Yue Yue went into the kitchen to help the butler serve the food and familiarize herself with the kitchen layout.
The butler meticulously explained the location of everything. “I’ve placed the supplies needed for the next few days in the storage room next door. The key is hanging on the wall here,” he said, pointing to the wall beside the kitchen door where a set of keys hung on a hook.
“Everything is labeled and in its place. If you can’t find anything, feel free to call me anytime.”
“Did you prepare all this food?” Yue Yue asked, surprised.
“No, this was prepared by the chef. However, Young Master Li didn’t want any outsiders around, so they left before you arrived. I stayed behind to attend to you. I’ll be leaving soon as well. If you need anything, Miss, please don’t hesitate to call me.”
“A tree fell on the mountain road, blocking the way up. You’ll need to take a different route down the mountain later.”
“Oh?” He showed a surprised expression. “Alright, I’ll contact someone to move the tree as soon as possible. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“Please do so quickly. Today has already wasted a lot of our time.”
“I’m truly sorry. Miss, please go out now. I can handle the rest myself,” the butler said with a smile, gesturing to the few remaining dishes on the counter.
Yue Yue felt she had done enough and left the kitchen.
“Young master, ladies and gentlemen, the dishes are all served. You may begin your dinner.”
Upon hearing the butler’s voice, everyone gathered around the dining table.
“Young master, please enjoy your meal. I will be leaving now. Would you like us to clear the dishes, or will you handle it yourselves?”
“A Ze, didn’t we agree to be self-sufficient? Let’s not have anyone else come over,” Li Yize said.
“Yes. I saw a dishwasher in the kitchen earlier. We can just put everything in there after we finish eating,” Yue Yue added.
“Then it’s settled. You can leave. If I don’t contact you, you don’t need to come back. We expect to stay here for a few days, and we’ll notify you to clean up when we leave,” Li Yize stated.
“Very well. I’ll be going then. I wish you all a pleasant stay.”
With that, he bowed like a gentleman and turned towards the villa entrance. After exiting, he carefully closed the door behind him. Once the door was shut, he revealed a rather eerie smile.
The sound of a car starting up was heard, and then it slowly drove away.
“Alright, let’s eat quickly,” Yue Yue said to everyone, urging them to begin.
Lin Yan also picked up her chopsticks, but the moment the food entered her mouth, she detected a subtle wrongness hidden beneath the flavors.
However, this hint of bitterness was very faint. If Lin Yan hadn’t drunk some spirit spring water that afternoon, enhancing her senses, she wouldn’t have been able to detect it.
Lin Yan showed no outward signs of alarm. She had plenty of medicine and spirit spring water that could cleanse the body, so she wasn’t worried about the slight dosage in the food. Moreover, she needed to eat more to discern the type of medicine it was, so she ate and drank normally.
Every dish, the staple food, and the drinks all carried that faint bitter taste. It seemed someone was determined for them to be affected.
However, they would be cooking for themselves from now on, making it harder for him to act. Would he make his move tonight?
“These dishes taste quite good. Did the butler make them?” Lin Yan asked casually.
“No, they were prepared by the chef, who left before you arrived,” Yue Yue replied.