Chapter 329: 329: Being There or Not

Translator: 549690339

“Sit, don’t be dazed.”

Nan Tianzong casually gestured to Liu Sisi, who was standing dumbstruck at the doorway.

Liu Sisi still hadn’t recovered from her shock, and just instinctively stepped forward, approaching the wall.

The more she looked, the more surprised she became!

On the wall was painted a breathtakingly beautiful woman, her hair in a fairy bun and adorned with a golden hairpin and a green-jade hairpin, fastened with a dragon and phoenix hairpin. Her brows were elegantly brushed, her cheeks lightly rouged, and she wore a transparent gauze dress as thin as the wings of a cicada, revealing half of her . She held a blooming begonia in one hand and a dazzling green mirror in the other, arranging her cloud bun as she faced the mirror.

The woman in the painting was incredibly life-sized, and the realistic style made the beauty leap off the paper.

These were not the surprises that shocked Liu Sisi, but rather it was the fact that her own appearance was 99% similar to the woman in the painting!

She couldn’t help but widen her eyes, staring intently at the woman in the painting, and couldn’t help but imagine what she would look like if she were to wear that clothing…

“You don’t have to be formal. This is where I stay when I’m in the county. No one comes here easily, so it’s a safe place. Let’s sit down and chat.” Nan Tianzong pointed to a chair nearby.

Liu Sisi followed his words but didn’t sit down on the chair. Instead, she walked to the painting and silently looked at it.

After a good while, she asked softly, “Who is this woman?”

Only after she spoke did Liu Sisi realize how hoarse her voice was!

Nan Tianzong’s expression remained indifferent: “This is my mother. However, she left the world not long after giving birth to me, leaving behind only this painting so I can admire her appearance.”

As he spoke, he looked up at Liu Sisi.

Liu Sisi moved her lips, suddenly finding herself at a loss for words.

“You… you think of me as a substitute for your mother?”

Did she look that old?

Nan Tianzong looked at her again, a playful look flashing in his eyes: “I have an older brother and two older sisters, both of whom inherited my mother’s looks completely.”

“Oh! So that’s how it is.” Liu Sisi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Being someone’s substitute didn’t matter, but if he regarded her as his mother, and she regarded him as her brother, how tragic would that be?

Nan Tianzong suddenly laughed!

“However, when I saw you for the first time, I was still shocked by your appearance, which led to all that followed.”

Was he explaining why he was so special to her?

“Actually, I have three siblings, and I’ve heard that we all look very similar…”

Liu Sisi finally came back to her senses: “Brother Nan, it’s getting late. We should leave. If we return too late, people will have many speculations.”

“You can rest assured! I’ve already sent someone to clean up the mess. It won’t matter if we return later. On the other hand, shouldn’t you take off your clothes and wash them before putting them back on?”

Liu Sisi looked down, only to realize that there were some blood stains on her skirt hem. They must have been left there unintentionally earlier.

As Liu Sisi was worrying about the bloodstains on her clothes, the County Magistrate’s official residence was nearly bursting with panic.

Two living people disappeared out of thin air, and even the spies tracking them lost sight of them. The scene only left a bunch of dead bodies behind, causing great anxiety.

The faces of Old Lady Gan and the others beside her all looked awful!

After silently exchanging glances with each other, they ordered the place to be cleaned and organized before theatrically asking others to search around.

No one was more anxious than Di Yelei!

He almost turned the crime scene upside down without finding any clues.

Just as he was getting impatient, County Magistrate Su finally arrived late, laughing and greeting the people present.

Madam Gan Senior was the first to speak up: “Lord County Magistrate, as the head of the county, you only arrived now after such a serious incident; aren’t you a bit too slow? I have always thought highly of Macheng County. But it turns out that even the esteemed official residence can be freely entered and exited by thieves!”

This statement was quite serious!

County Magistrate Su hurriedly bowed: “Old Madam Gan is right! It was my poor discipline that allowed such a thing to happen. These thieves have been utterly lawless; it seems it’s time to crack down on them! Fortunately, none of our esteemed guests were harmed, which is at least a blessing in disguise!”

“What do you mean none of the guests were harmed? Haven’t you noticed that there are two people missing from this residence?”

While speaking, Madam Gan Senior firmly tapped her crutch on the ground several times.

County Magistrate Su’s face was full of confusion, scanning the crowd: “Who’s missing? I blame my humble wife for nagging Eldest Miss of Gan Family into her room to admire the Jade Goddess of Mercy. She still hasn’t shown up, really… Sigh! It’s my fault for not being strict enough that this happened.”

These words made everyone’s faces change!

Even Madam Gan Senior was taken aback for a moment!

On the contrary, Di Yelei’s face lit up with joy, and he immediately asked: “Your Honor, is it true that my wife went to admire the Jade Goddess of Mercy with Mrs. Su?”

“Of course, I just came over from there myself.”

County Magistrate Su looked indignant, “What do you mean by that, Di Yelei? Are you trying to frame my wife? Or do you have something else in mind?”

“Your Honor must be joking, I wouldn’t dare to frame Mrs. Su.”

Di Yelei hurriedly gave a fist greeting, his face full of joy!

But he was extra cautious in private.

When he came over, he had deliberately looked for Sisi’s figure. He clearly saw Mrs. Su hurriedly heading towards the backyard without anyone else around!

He didn’t understand why County Magistrate Su would help Sisi cover up?

“These men in black came mysteriously!”

Madam Gan Senior’s eyes were full of profound depths: “My granddaughter is restless; perhaps she found a kindred spirit in Mrs. Su and accompanied her to the courtyard. Nanny Zhou, please go to Mrs. Su on my behalf, it’s getting late.”

“Is grandmother planning to leave?”

Accompanied by a crisp voice, Liu Sisi and Mrs. Su walked hand in hand from behind the screen, especially with Liu Sisi’s stumbling posture that surprised everyone.

“See, Sisi, I told you it would not delay your return, but you still didn’t believe me? Aren’t all the distinguished guests still here?” Mrs. Su’s face was full of smiles, gently patting Liu Sisi’s hand.

“Elder Sister thinks more thoroughly.”

Liu Sisi also smiled, her face shy: “It’s my fault for making Old Madam worry. If something like this happens again, I will be sure to inform Old Madam first.”

Old Madam Gan’s eyes gleamed, and she gently helped her up: “What kind of talk is that? I was just worried you might have encountered some bad characters. These days, the outside world is not peaceful; you must be more careful when you go out and about, understand?”

Liu Sisi hurriedly bowed again: “Sisi thanks grandmother for her advice!”