Upon seeing the four of them, the pale-faced man immediately showed a puzzled expression. "You are?"
"Hello, we're service personnel arranged by the agency. We heard you have a job here that needs hands..." Xiao Bai quickly replied.
"Ah, I see." The old man's face lit up with sudden realization. "That's right, the master did post a job opening. I'm the butler here. It's raining hard outside—come in, all of you, come in."
With that, the pale-faced old man opened the door wide.
Once inside, they saw an open space resembling a reception hall, with deep blue carpeting on the floor and mostly brown solid wood furniture, reflecting the master's—that is, the painter couple mentioned in the story preview—refined taste.
"I'm sorry, but the master is currently out. Please wait here in the reception hall for a moment. Once the master returns, I'll inform you of the detailed work content right away."
After speaking, the old man turned around and, like a ghost, silently vanished into the shadows.
"What's going on? They ask us to work, but the master isn't even home?" Ye Xiaomei's face showed a hint of confusion.
If the painter couple weren't home, then who was that person she saw at the second-floor window earlier?
Xiao Bai didn't voice these doubts. The four of them waited in the reception hall for a while longer, but nothing happened.
Even though the master hadn't returned, maybe we could still do something.
Thinking this, Xiao Bai immediately stood up and walked over to the butler.
"Old butler, may I ask how I should address you?"
"My surname is Wei. Everyone here calls me Butler Wei, or just Old Wei if you prefer."
Xiao Bai nodded. "Butler Wei, I have a small request. Since the master hasn't returned yet, could we take a look around and familiarize ourselves with the work environment?"
"Of course." Hearing Xiao Bai's question, the white-haired old man smiled. "The masters are easygoing people. Feel free to look around."
With that, the butler, who had been standing in the middle of the hallway, stepped back to clear a path.
The other three participants exchanged glances, their eyes carrying meaningful looks.
"The painter couple isn't home. This should be the story's opening phase, giving us a chance to gather clues," Chen Cailing said as she also stood up.
Seeing that Xiao Bai and Chen Cailing had decided to investigate the house, Ye Xiaomei and Ke Shufan were reluctant to stay alone in the reception hall. Though somewhat unwilling, they followed along toward the hallway.
From the interior layout, this classical-style building was a typical two-story structure. The entrance led to the reception hall, which connected to a hallway. On either side of the first-floor hallway were the living room, guest rooms, dining room, kitchen, and other facilities, all lavishly decorated. At the end of the hallway was a wooden staircase leading to the second-floor rooms. Yet, for some reason, as soon as they stepped onto the staircase, all four of them felt a chill in the air, as if something hidden lurked above the dark stairs.
Sensing something wrong, they immediately retreated from the stairs, and the eerie feeling vanished. Recalling the mysterious shadow at the window, Xiao Bai's heart sank slightly.
It seemed this house, serving as the story's stage, was indeed peculiar.
"The second floor should be where the master's rooms are. Although the butler agreed to let us familiarize ourselves with the work environment, since the painter couple hasn't returned, we'd better not barge in recklessly."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Xiao Bai went back to the reception hall, but the white-haired Butler Wei was nowhere to be seen.
Xiao Bai felt a twinge of regret.
There was something else he had wanted to ask him...
Just as Xiao Bai was thinking this, a car engine roared accompanied by honking from outside. The four participants' hearts jumped, and they hurried back to the reception hall.
As they returned, the front door was pushed open from outside, and the white-haired Butler Wei appeared again, but this time, a man and a woman followed behind him.
Judging by their refined attire, they seemed to be the estate's owners—the painter couple mentioned in the story.
Perhaps due to being artists, the couple both had striking appearances. Upon seeing the four participants, they showed no surprise, presumably because Butler Wei had already informed them of the situation.
"Hello, we are—"
Before Ye Xiaomei could finish, the woman coldly interrupted, "This is just a temporary job. I don't need to know who you are. Just follow our instructions and complete the tasks here properly."
Ye Xiaomei was taken aback. Intuitively, this mistress didn't seem as "easygoing" as the butler had described.
"Then, may I ask, what exactly does the work here involve?"
Ke Shufan, who had been mostly silent, finally asked the question nervously.
The woman's cold gaze swept over the four of them.
"Didn't Butler Wei tell you?"
"Starting tomorrow, we'll be away for a while, but for certain reasons, we can't bring the child with us."
"Your task during this time is to act as temporary nannies, taking care of his daily needs."
With that, the woman turned to the butler. "Now, go bring him down."
"Very well, madam." Butler Wei nodded and walked toward the hallway. After a moment, the sound of footsteps thudded on the stairs.
A little while later, the footsteps sounded again, and the four participants saw the butler returning, holding a boy who looked about seven or eight years old.
"Tongtong, come, say hello to everyone."
Seeing the boy, the woman's face immediately softened into a warm smile, and she even reached out to affectionately touch the child's cheek.
But the four participants all froze, their expressions turning strange.
Because the boy with black hair and black eyes, who looked like a seven- or eight-year-old child, was not a real child.
He was a meticulously crafted doll.
Now, with a eerie smile, he stared at the four participants.
"This is our son."
"His name is Tongtong."
"Tongtong is a good child. For the next seven days, you must take good care of him. If you do this job well, I'll reward you. But if you don't, I'll punish you."
The man, who had been silently standing by, suddenly spoke.
His cold tone sent chills down their spines.
Pale skin, large black eyes, long eyelashes—the exquisite doll exuded an indescribable eerie aura.
No matter how lifelike, it was still just an inanimate object. But then, something that shocked Xiao Bai happened. After placing the doll on a chair, Butler Wei bent down and calmly took one of the doll's small hands.
"Hello, Tongtong. How was your day today?"
Then, he leaned his ear close to the doll's mouth, as if listening to something.
"Ah, I see. Don't worry, they'll take good care of you."
What was this?
Could it be that the ghost in this story was residing inside this doll named Tongtong? And the participants' task in this story was to take care of this obviously unusual ghost doll?
As if finishing a "conversation" with a normal person, Butler Wei straightened up and smiled at the four of them.
"Don't worry. Tongtong says he likes you all. You'll get along well over the next seven days."