I Could Never Fall In Love With A Villain - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Our Cooperation Is Just Too Perfect…

The enraged voice nearly shook the door frame, sounding as if the person inside would charge out to fight to the death at any second.

Since the situation was unclear, Song Xingyao had no intention of provoking him further.

“Sorry, sorry! We’ll chat again when you’re free,” he called out with a smile, maintaining a polite attitude.

The explosive tension dissipated instantly. The man inside stopped shouting and returned to his previous eerie silence.

Song Xingyao and Mu Yin slipped into the fire escape stairwell to observe the movements while discussing in hushed tones.

“A strange man, a violent temper, and refuses to open the door.”

“Something’s wrong.”

Song Xingyao said gravely, “Your friend’s brother might have been kidnapped… obviously, that’s the worst-case scenario. But the fact that a strange man is in your friend’s house is enough. I’m calling the police right now.”

While he made the call, Mu Yin pulled out her phone. “I just contacted the others and got the login for the security cameras. We can see what’s happening inside.”

Because the apartment was filled with expensive equipment, Mu Yin had asked Peng Ku to install cameras last week for security. She hadn’t received the login credentials yet before Peng Ku went missing, but luckily, another intern was also linked to the account.

Her explanation was vague—who were these “others”?

Song Xingyao noticed the ambiguity, but he didn’t press her. He leaned in closer to Mu Yin, focusing on the phone screen.

The camera feed was pitch black.

Was the camera not installed?

No, that wasn’t it. The timestamp was ticking, proving the camera was running. The black screen likely meant the lens was covered.

Mu Yin felt a surge of frustration. But just then—

“Speak. Do you plead guilty?”

a stranger’s voice drifted from the phone. The audio quality was surprisingly good. Mu Yin and Song Xingyao exchanged a look, listening intently.

A strange dialogue was taking place inside the house:

“He refuses to confess. What should we do?” “Absolutely detestable! His guilt is already a fact. I say we execute him immediately!” “No, no. Our judgment only has meaning if we make him truly repent.” “Argh, he makes me so angry! How is his mouth so tight? Does he think we’ll let him go if he stays silent?!” “Impossible. We won’t let him go—he’s the murderer who killed Brother!” “You believe he’s the killer too, so why not avenge Brother?” “We are righteous judges. Everything must be done with reason.”

Different tones, different attitudes, different personalities—it was clearly a conversation. But the terrifying part was that all the voices belonged to the same man.

Song Xingyao rubbed his arm. “Mu Yin, I’m getting goosebumps.”

Mu Yin looked grim. She had a suspicion. “I suspect that man has schizophrenia.”

“A mental illness?”

“Yes.” Mu Yin grew anxious. “We haven’t heard Peng Ku’s voice at all. He’s in a dangerous position… how much longer until the police arrive?”

“They’ll be fast for a call like this,” Song Xingyao reassured her, though he knew even a few minutes could be fatal. He looked toward the hallway window and asked, “I remember this window faces the same way as the balcony, right?”

“What are you planning?”

“The balcony shouldn’t be locked, right? I can climb over.” He said it casually, as if he were deciding what to have for dinner.

Mu Yin looked at him in shock. She never expected this suggestion from him, and judging by his face, he wasn’t joking.

“No.” Realizing he was serious, Mu Yin rejected it immediately. “This is the fifth floor. You’ll turn into a meat pancake if you fall.”

“How could I fall? You underestimate me too much.” He regained his usual arrogant air, a bright, effortless smile on his lips. As he spoke, he stepped onto the windowsill to evaluate the distance.

Mu Yin hurried after him. “Just wait for the police! You said they’d be fast!”

“From that conversation, your friend’s brother is in danger now. We can’t wait.” Song Xingyao swung a leg out the window.

He was serious!

Mu Yin’s pupils shrunk. She reflexively grabbed his arm. “Stop messing around! He’s in danger, but the probability of you dying is 90% higher than his!”

“Sister-in-law, holding me like this…” He looked down at his arm, smiling recklessly. “What would happen if my brother saw us?”

Mu Yin couldn’t believe he was joking at a time like this and gripped him even tighter. “Shut up and get back in here!”

“Relax, it’ll be fine.” Song Xingyao kept his smile but firmly pried her hand away. His strength was greater than she expected, and his resolve even stronger. “If you want to hold my hand, we can do it behind my brother’s back after this is over.”

With that, he leaped from the window.

Mu Yin was a beat behind. Swallowing a scream, she lunged to the window. Song Xingyao’s hand caught the iron railing of the neighboring window firmly. Then, his eyes locked onto a water pipe. With a light jump, he grabbed the pipe and continued searching for his next foothold.

Every movement looked like a tightrope walk. Yet, he was incredibly steady, showing not a hint of fear.

Since she couldn’t stop him, Mu Yin focused back on the monitor and the front door. The door had a fingerprint lock. She didn’t dare barge in for fear of the man taking Peng Ku hostage or alerting him prematurely.

But now that Song Xingyao was infiltrating from the balcony, they could coordinate. The moment she heard noise from inside, she would charge.

…

Song Xingyao leaped onto the balcony. Using the man’s self-argument as cover, he quietly slid the glass door open a crack.

The scene inside was revealed.

The living room was filled with tables, computers, and various strange devices. In the dim light, a young man was taped to a chair, his face full of terror. This was likely Peng Ku.

Pacing in front of him was a man in his forties, wearing an old jacket with long, unkempt hair.

“As long as you confess your crimes, it’s not too late to wake up.” “I told you! He’s a tough nut! He won’t speak! I say we just stab him and see how long he stays quiet!”

Peng Ku’s eyes were wide, his mouth sealed tight with tape. He couldn’t even make a muffled sound.

Song Xingyao’s eyes narrowed as the man picked up a knife from the dining table.

“No! We can’t do that!” “I can’t wait! I can’t wait anymore!”

As the man battled himself, the knife edged closer to Peng Ku.

Fortunately, the man’s attention was entirely on the victim. Song Xingyao slipped inside. Peng Ku saw him and looked as if he’d seen a savior. His intense reaction alerted the man, who whipped around.

Song Xingyao snatched a nearby chair and hurled it.

“Who are you?” The man dodged, panicked. “An accomplice? The police?!”

At that exact moment, a beep sounded as the fingerprint lock released, and the front door was kicked open.

Faced with two intruders, the man was instantly triggered. He raised the knife and lunged toward the person at the door—Mu Yin.

Oh?

Seeing she was a woman, he thought she was an easy target.

Mu Yin was ready. She hoisted a fire extinguisher she’d grabbed from the hallway. A blast of dry powder filled the air, blurring everyone’s vision.

The man recoiled, trying to find safety, but a second later, he felt his collar grabbed. He was hoisted into the air and slammed hard onto the floor.

Song Xingyao pinned him down with a clean move and grinned at Mu Yin. “Great teamwork, wasn’t it?”

Mu Yin ignored him and rushed to peel the tape off Peng Ku.

Seeing the man dazed and unable to crawl away, Song Xingyao kicked the knife under a table. “Is there any rope? We need to tie this guy up.”

“Check the east room, there should be nylon rope,” Mu Yin said while helping Peng Ku.

Song Xingyao used a chair to trap the man on the floor and turned to get the rope.

That’s when it happened.

“Mu Yin?”

Another voice came from the doorway. As the powder settled, a figure was visible standing there. The man on the floor suddenly found a burst of energy, bucked the chair off, and lunged at the newcomer.

If he could grab a hostage, he could escape.

…

Mu Xuan had been driving aimlessly when a flash of intuition hit him—the address he’d looked up earlier. Would Mu Yin be there?

He arrived at the apartment complex and walked to the door, only to see this surreal scene. He barely had time to call her name before a figure lunged at him.

Mu Yin was closest. She reacted instinctively, not even questioning why Mu Xuan was there. She swung the heavy, empty fire extinguisher at the attacker.

The man took a heavy blow to the back and collapsed, his momentum gone. He slid to the floor, unable to get up.

Mu Yin was shaking with adrenaline. She didn’t stop, nearly stepping on the man as she shouted, “What were you trying to do? Still haven’t given up?!”

“Mu—”

Before Mu Xuan could speak, she whipped around and looked at him coldly. “What are you doing here, causing trouble?”

“…”

Then she turned to Song Xingyao. “You were too careless! Couldn’t you have locked him in the bathroom before getting the rope?”

“…”

Silence filled the room. No one dared to speak.

Downstairs, the wail of police sirens finally grew loud. Mu Xuan silently clutched his aching right leg, thinking to himself that this was, indeed, a very bizarre day.