Although Xiao Peng was handsome and popular with women, having had many girlfriends throughout his life, he was different from other men. He made sure never to owe anything in any relationship. That's why Xiao Nuo's disappearance weighed heavily on him—he genuinely wanted to find her. Alive or dead, he needed closure.

After all, Xiao Nuo had been exceptionally good to him, buying him iPhones and gaming skins, spending lavishly on him. Even after discovering she wasn't actually from a wealthy family—that her parents were just ordinary people, not business tycoons—the fact remained: Xiao Nuo had treated him extraordinarily well.

"Oh, by the way, are Xiao Nuo's parents still in Nancheng City?" Xiao Q suddenly changed the subject.

Xiao Peng shook his head. "They left yesterday. I saw them off at the high-speed rail station."

Xiao Q asked, "Really? So what did her parents decide to do about Xiao Nuo's situation?"

With a bitter smile, Xiao Peng replied, "Her family always favored sons over daughters. With all the online loans Xiao Nuo took out, her parents never wanted anything to do with her. Now that she's missing, they just came to go through the motions before leaving. It's like they never had a daughter named Xiao Nuo."

"How tragic," Xiao Peng sighed. "At this point, I might be the only person in the world who still cares about what happened to her."

Xiao Q nodded. "It is tragic. Now, what I'm about to tell you about Xiao Nuo must stay between us—you can't share this with anyone else."

Xiao Peng agreed, "You have my word. Go ahead."

Xiao Q lowered his voice dramatically, as if they were being monitored despite being alone in the room. "Xiao Peng, haven't you ever wondered why Xiao Nuo would rent such an expensive place like Alice Apartment?"

Xiao Peng reasoned, "She was vain, wanted to show off to our group, right? That's why she rented such a pricey place and claimed her parents bought it—to convince us she was a rich heiress."

Xiao Q challenged, "Are you sure about that? If she had a few thousand to spend, wouldn't she get more mileage pretending to be rich by spending it elsewhere? Why waste it all on rent?"

"Uh..." Xiao Peng stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You're right. Although she always made excuses when someone suggested visiting her place, she was otherwise extremely generous—dining at fancy places, wearing designer clothes. Everyone except Xiao Hua believed she was wealthy. She didn't need an expensive apartment to prove that."

Xiao Q confirmed, "Exactly. Now let me tell you why she really lived here—and why I'm here too. Both Xiao Nuo and I signed a special agreement." He then explained the details of the contract to Xiao Peng.

After hearing about the agreement, Xiao Peng sat frozen like a statue. Getting paid 10,000 yuan daily just for living there? What kind of unbelievable deal was this? Suddenly everything made sense—Xiao Nuo didn't pay rent here at all; she was actually getting paid!

"So this is the secret about Xiao Nuo? And... is this for real? 10,000 a day?"

"It's real." Xiao Q showed Xiao Peng his bank transaction alerts as proof.

Xiao Peng's eyes nearly bulged out. "Damn! This kind of luck actually exists?"

Xiao Q burst out laughing. "Xiao Peng, think carefully—does this kind of luck really exist?"

The contract revelation had scrambled Xiao Peng's thoughts. Only after Xiao Q gave him time to process did he realize: there's no such thing as a free lunch. Even if fortune smiled on someone, it wouldn't be him. There had to be a catch—but what?

Xiao Q knew his friend was reasonably intelligent, but it might take forever for him to deduce the truth behind the agreement. So he laid it all out—how he and Ke Bei had concluded that Alice Apartment housed numerous dangerous criminals among its residents.

Xiao Peng listened in stunned silence, as if his soul had left his body. After a long pause, he suddenly grabbed his phone.

When Xiao Q asked what he was doing, Xiao Peng said he was calling the police.

Xiao Q smiled wryly and pointed at him. "See? Always rushing. Remember when you wanted to report Wang Nuli, the human skin kite maker? I stopped you then. Should I stop you again now?"

Xiao Peng realized the truth—if he couldn't handle one Wang Nuli, how could he take on an entire apartment complex backed by some mysterious organization? Whoever orchestrated this operation wouldn't be stopped by a simple police report. More likely, he'd disappear before anything happened to the apartment.

Pacing anxiously around Room 904's living room, sweat beading on his forehead, Xiao Peng processed aloud: "So based on your discussions with this Ke Bei guy, this place is full of psychopathic criminals mixed with ordinary people like you. The 10,000 yuan daily payment is like those web novel rewards—compensation for surviving each day."

"Which means Xiao Nuo's disappearance wasn't ordinary. During that chaos, she might have been..." Xiao Peng couldn't bring himself to finish the thought.

Under normal circumstances, he'd never believe such a story about secret agreements and apartments full of criminals. He'd dismiss it as fiction. But this was Xiao Q telling him—his closest friend.

"Xiao Peng," Xiao Q said earnestly, "I told you all this so you can have closure about Xiao Nuo's disappearance. It's time to move on and live your life." That was his real purpose.

Their friendship ran deep—Xiao Q understood how Xiao Peng would obsess over unresolved matters. He needed to provide answers.

Xiao Peng's eyes reddened. "Thank you, Xiao Q, for telling me everything. But I have to find out who killed Xiao Nuo."

The first part of his statement warmed Xiao Q's heart, but the second part struck like lightning.

Wait—what exactly are you planning? "You're determined to find Xiao Nuo's killer?" Xiao Q asked gravely.

Xiao Peng nodded. "It's the least I can do for her."

Xiao Q suddenly realized he might not know his best friend as well as he thought. "But what about Xiao Hua? You broke up with her for Xiao Nuo—don't you owe her anything?"

Xiao Peng looked genuinely surprised. "Why would I owe Xiao Hua anything? We spent money on each other equally. And as for sex—it's not like only the guy enjoys it, right? So no, I don't feel I owe Xiao Hua anything."

"But Xiao Nuo was different—she spent so much on me. I never spent a single cent on her..."

Xiao Q was speechless. "Finding Xiao Nuo's body and killer won't be easy—it's dangerous, potentially deadly. Remember when those foreign guys chased us that night? Are you really prepared for that?"