There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

A few months ago, when the old village chief had left the village, it had indeed been of his own volition, but the fact that he disappeared halfway and ended up imprisoned here was the handiwork of the acting village chief.

At this moment, Xu Shuo suddenly thought of a problem.

If other players obtained this character identity but failed to activate the Character Card and retrieve the memories, would that mean—

the follow-up plot was the old village chief starving to death there?

But whether he starved to death or someone found his body, the character of the old village chief shouldn\'t just end up lying dead without any plot, should he?

Thinking about it was pretty tragic.

On the way back, Xu Shuo pondered his next arrangements, but when he stood on the mountaintop and saw that self-built house, he squinted his eyes.

He descended the mountain from the small path through the woods and took the detour to the front door.

Unless one had to travel far, houses in the countryside rarely locked their doors—Xu Shuo had merely hung a wooden latch on the door before he left.

After pushing the door open, the first thing was a corridor leading straight to the backyard, and on both sides were the living room and the stairs to the second floor. At that moment, there was a man in a gray trench coat sitting in the living room.

He had been scrutinizing the place, but quickly turned around when he heard the noise.

"Acting Village Chief, I\'m sorry for coming in directly," said the Trench Coat Detective somewhat embarrassingly, though it was that villager who led the way who had let him in. He hadn\'t gotten used to the village\'s forthright style yet.

"No worries, I couldn\'t just make you wait outside."

Xu Shuo smiled warmly and then, without waiting for him to ask, lifted the items in his hand and continued, "I just went up the mountain to dig some bamboo shoots for you. They\'re at their freshest right now. You should eat plenty later."

The Trench Coat Detective looked at the things in his hand. Perhaps because the road was rough, his long rubber boots were covered in dirt, his clothes filthy, and there were even torn areas.

Then, the Trench Coat Detective smiled amicably, saying, "Thank you for the trouble, Acting Village Chief."

"It\'s no trouble. Have a seat. Help yourself to anything you\'d like to eat," offered Xu Shuo as he set out the food tray and then carried the bamboo shoots toward the backyard.

The kitchen here still used a traditional stove with firewood. Although Xu Shuo had never used it before, as a chef, he knew how to clear the passage, light the fire, and set up the pot.

He had glanced at the clock in the living room earlier; it was around four in the afternoon. Most rural households eat four meals a day, so it was about time to start cooking.

Xu Shuo first prepared the ingredients, then washed the rice and placed the cooking pot on the stove. He was about to go and pick up the little girl, but as he turned around, he nearly collided with the Trench Coat Detective who had approached without notice.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," apologized the Trench Coat Detective, full of regret, his gentle demeanor exuding the air of a gentleman and particularly relaxing.

"It was I who almost ran into you, sir. You truly are a cultured man from the city, even your footsteps are graceful and soft. Not at all like us country folks, so uncouth," Xu Shuo commented with a grin.

"..." Trench Coat Detective.

He always felt there was something passive-aggressive about those words, but from that respectful expression, he couldn\'t tell.

Xu Shuo wiped his hands with a towel and continued, "I\'m sorry to trouble you to keep an eye on the fire for me. I\'m going to the ancestral hall now to pick up Qing for dinner."

"Qing?" the Trench Coat Detective showed a puzzled look.

"Yes, she\'s a child from the village. Her family has all passed away, and I feel sorry for her, so I often look after her a bit," explained Xu Shuo.

The Trench Coat Detective nodded, watching him leave, then turned his gaze back to the stove that was burning.

Regardless of the context, he was a proper city dweller through and through and genuinely didn\'t know how to use this thing.

...

...

Xu Shuo took a familiar path to the ancestral hall, and when he pushed open the door to the small room on the right, he saw the little girl sitting on her bed, staring with eyes wide open, lost in thought.

She hadn\'t been sleeping, and there wasn\'t much expression on her adorable face, only a fixed gaze upon the candle on the table.

The candlelight flickered, and the intermittent glow cast upon the girl\'s face made her features seem somewhat ethereal.

Hearing the noise from the door, the little girl turned her head, and then her eyes lit up as if she had come to life in a vivid display.

"Acting Uncle!" she exclaimed joyfully, jumping off the bed and running up to grasp the hem of Xu Shuo\'s clothing, asking expectantly, "Did you come to take me for the meal?"

"That\'s right."

Xu Shuo squatted down and touched the little girl\'s hair, asking, "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well!" the little girl nodded vigorously, her face filled with certainty.

Who are you trying to fool? You didn\'t nap at all!

Xu Shuo chuckled as he ruffled the top of her head, making her already disheveled double buns even messier, then took her hand and led her outside.

Maybe it was because dinner was figured out, or perhaps it was the sight of the kindly village chief, but the little girl was in a very good mood at this time.

After leaving the ancestral hall, she let go of Xu Shuo\'s hand and cheerfully ran ahead before turning back to look at him, eager and impatient.

Her loosely tied buns swayed with each move, her smile was sweet and sugary, her rosy cheeks round and incredibly cute. She hopped and skipped along the path like a little elf.

...

Not far away, the wandering female journalist caught sight of the charming child and, with shining eyes, made a beeline towards her!

The little girl was startled and when the woman approached, she turned and ran, quickly hiding behind Xu Shuo and clutching his leg while cautiously peeking out her head.

"Ahem, village chief, your daughter?" the female journalist, aware of her over-eagerness, came to a halt and managed a forced smile.

"No, she\'s an orphan from the village. I\'m just taking her to my place to have a meal," Xu Shuo replied while soothingly stroking the top of the little girl\'s head.

"Oh right! I\'d remembered that you\'re still single," said the female journalist as if she just had an epiphany.

The old Village Chief had only one child, a son. His wife had passed away in childbirth, and his parents had helped to raise the child, but they too had died one after another over a decade ago.

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All that remained in the Village Chief\'s House were two grown men, and despite being in his thirties, the Village Chief\'s son had yet to find a wife.

This matter wasn\'t a secret amongst the folks in the village.

Xu Shuo responded indifferently, then looked down to comfort the little girl, "Don\'t be afraid, she\'s not a bad person."

The little girl cast a curious glance at the auntie who was giving her a strange smile and continued to hide behind Xu Shuo, tightly grasping the hem of his clothing.

Seeing her reaction, the female journalist looked up at the clear blue sky, then smilingly said, "The Village Chief\'s family dines quite early. I had just checked into the rural guesthouse and immediately went out to explore the village."

"We tend to eat dinner early," Xu Shuo smiled.

"..." The female journalist smiled back and added, "Indeed, it\'s about time to get hungry."

"Mm-hm," Xu Shuo acknowledged, giving nothing away.

After a moment of awkward silence, the female journalist had no choice but to ask directly, though politely, "Would you mind if I joined you as a guest at your house, village chief?"

It was then Xu Shuo realized, "Right! How could I have almost neglected a guest? Miss, you are here to promote our village, and after being busy for so long you must be hungry. It\'s okay, come join us!"

Female journalist: "…Hehe."

I suspect you did that on purpose!