Looking down, a wisp of blue smoke wafted out from under the door.
Was something being burned?
The servant furrowed his brow but dared not grow too suspicious. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Inside the room, Nangong Feifei had just finished burning the last of the documents. She then doused the trash can with a bottle of water and a secret smile curled her lips.
In this way, no one would know Gu Qiangwei’s true origin.
The knocking on the door startled her, perhaps from a guilty conscience; she jumped to her feet, defensively eyeing the door, "Who is it?"
The maid’s voice came from outside, "Miss, the master is back; he’s asking you to come down for dinner."
Upon hearing this, Nangong Feifei finally calmed down. "I understand."
After the servant had left, Nangong Feifei packed the burned remains into a black garbage bag, then sprayed a bit of air freshener to try to mask the burnt odor.
Descending the stairs, she entered the dining room and saw Nangong He sitting stiffly upright.
Upon seeing his granddaughter enter, Nangong He looked thoughtful before finally raising his head to glance at her, "You’ve come down. Let’s eat."
"Alright, Grandfather."
She sat down at the dining table, and no sooner had she begun to eat than the maid’s voice came from the living room: "Madam, you’ve returned."
Hearing this, Nangong He stopped his meal in progress and stood to leave.
Sitting at the dining table, Nangong Feifei furrowed her brows.
Why had she returned again? Could she have discovered something?
Knowing Tang Yuyan as well as she did, with her son in the hospital, it was improbable for her to come back home so frequently unless something was amiss!
With this thought, she lost her appetite and decided to go out for answers.
Tang Yuyan entered the living room, intending to continue upstairs, when suddenly she remembered something and paused, looking at the welcoming maid.
"Did any strangers come to see me today?"
At this, the maid hesitated.
After thinking carefully for a moment, just as she was about to speak, Nangong He walked out.
Seeing Tang Yuyan, he was slightly surprised, then looked behind her to see she was alone.
"Yuyan, why have you come back alone?"
Facing Nangong He, Tang Yuyan turned and gave him a slight smile, "I came back to retrieve something."
"Ah." Nangong He nodded, "Have you eaten? Join us, then we can go to the hospital together after dinner."
"No, I’ve already eaten." In truth, she couldn’t stomach it.
Although Axiu wasn’t a close friend or family, she had formed a bond with her in this household, making it difficult for her to come to terms with her death.
"I see." Nangong He looked at her, and did not press the issue further.
Tang Yuyan then turned back to the maid, awaiting her answer.
"Sorry, madam, the house was truly busy today, and I didn’t notice if anyone came to see you. However, I did hear the doorbell ring this afternoon."
"Who answered the door?" Tang Yuyan asked.
The maid paused, "I really didn’t notice."
Tang Yuyan, always kind to the servants and knowing that today was New Year’s Eve and that they were indeed busy, did not press further but instead spoke to the maid, "Call everyone over."
The maid hesitated, then bowed respectfully and complied, "Yes."
"Yuyan, what has happened?"
Nangong He, seeing her summoning the servants and thinking some incident had occurred, couldn’t help asking.