You guys understand, right? Hehe, please give me flowers and diamonds!
Chapter Twenty-Four: Sarcasm Against Third Sister
“I haven’t seen Qianmo for five years. I wasn’t feeling well the other day and couldn’t pick her up. I hope Qianmo won’t blame me, Third Sister?” Su Luoyan looked at Shen Qianmo with loving eyes and gentle gaze.
"How could that be? Is Third Sister suffering from some serious illness? Since I was little, Qianmo has treated Third Sister like her own mother. Third Sister, please don't leave Qianmo like your mother did." Shen Qianmo said with an innocent smile.
"Hehe." Su Luoyan's expression changed several times upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, and she chuckled dryly twice.
Shen Qianmo naturally knew that what she meant was to wish Su Luoyan an early death. Su Luoyan was already quite composed to still be able to laugh.
"Qianmo, you've grown even more beautiful in the past five years. My Qianxin really can't compare to you." After her initial embarrassment, Su Luoyan gently took Shen Qianmo's hand again and said.
"Not at all. I think Sister Qianxin is even better than Third Sister," Shen Qianmo replied with a forced smile.
Su Luoyan's words, seemingly a compliment, were actually a mockery of her plain appearance, saying she couldn't compare to Shen Qianxin. After all, her current looks were indeed far inferior to Shen Qianxin's.
Instead of comparing herself to Shen Qianxin, she cleverly praised Shen Qianxin for being beautiful, saying that she was even better than Su Luoyan.
A mother naturally hopes her daughter will be prettier than her, so even though Su Luoyan was unhappy with what she said, she couldn't say anything. She could only suffer in silence.
"Over the years, this little mouth has become more and more clever." Su Luoyan looked at Shen Qianmo suspiciously, but when she met Shen Qianmo's innocent and harmless gaze, she looked away.
Shen Qianmo's answer was clearly full of witty remarks, a sarcastic rebuttal to her own sarcasm, yet she also seemed so innocent.
Shen Qianxin had once told her that Shen Qianmo was not simple, so she deliberately came to test her. However, Shen Qianmo seemed to be just a simple person and there was nothing special about her.
Moreover, Shen Qianmo has grown up in the mountains all these years, where would she have had the opportunity to come into contact with other things? How could she possibly have ulterior motives and be eyeing the court as Shen Qianxin said?
"Third Sister is teasing Qianmo." Shen Qianmo naturally didn't miss the probing and suspicion in Su Luoyan's eyes, and she simply replied with a smile. Her eyes remained clear and innocent.
That's exactly what she wanted—a mix of truth and illusion, so they couldn't see through her.
"I was very happy to see you come back, thinking that the three of you sisters haven't gotten together in a long time. But Qianyu has disappeared without a trace." Su Luoyan looked at Shen Qianmo with a worried expression and a hint of probing.
“That’s right, Qianmo is also puzzled. It’s one thing for eldest sister to be playful, but even second aunt has disappeared. Qianmo thinks that someone might be jealous of second aunt and eldest sister and deliberately harm them!” Shen Qianmo’s face still had an innocent smile, and her dark eyes were clear.
A cold laugh rippled through her heart. Had Su Luoyan fallen for her suspicions? How could she possibly let her words slip through her fingers? This statement not only absolved her of any involvement but also implied that Yin Youlan's disappearance meant someone was deliberately trying to harm them, and the most likely motive was Su Luoyan.
After all, only if Yin Youlan disappears will Su Luoyan have a chance to become the Madam. As long as Yin Youlan is around, Su Luoyan will never have a chance.
"What does Qianmo mean by that? Does someone dare to act recklessly in the Prime Minister's residence?" Su Luoyan was startled by Yin Qianmo's answer. She was only thinking about framing Shen Qianmo, but she had forgotten that she was the prime suspect.
"I don't know about that, Qianmo." Shen Qianmo shrugged helplessly, a sly glint in her eyes.
She just wanted to throw Su Luoyan off her feet.
Shen Lingyun must already know everything about Yin Youlan and Shen Qianyu's inexplicable disappearances, and he should have already begun to suspect Su Luoyan.
After all, it's most reasonable for Su Luoyan to handle this matter. If she throws Su Luoyan off balance now, Su Luoyan will panic and try to distance herself from the situation, and the more she does that, the less Shen Lingyun will believe her.
"I'm not feeling well, so I won't keep Qianmo company any longer. I'll come and chat with Qianmo another day." A hint of panic flashed in Su Luoyan's eyes as she hurriedly bid farewell to Shen Qianmo.
"Yes, Third Sister, you must take good care of yourself." Shen Qianmo said meaningfully, especially emphasizing the words "take good care of yourself."
As Su Luoyan's figure slowly disappeared from sight, Shen Qianmo revealed an indifferent smile, his eyes revealing laziness and cunning.
"Qianqian, there's going to be a good show at the Prime Minister's residence soon." Shen Qianmo's lips curled into a playful smile.
"A good show? Did the Prime Minister's residence hire an opera troupe to perform?" Qianqian didn't understand the meaning behind Shen Qianmo's words and asked with a touch of naivety.
"No need to hire a theatrical troupe. The plays written and directed by the people of the Prime Minister's residence are far more exciting than those by a troupe." Shen Qianmo looked at Qianqian with affection. This little girl was so naive that it made her uneasy.
"Miss, are you referring to the Third Madam?" Qianqian belatedly realized what was happening, blushing slightly with embarrassment. Seeing her mistress staring in the direction the Third Madam had left, she couldn't help but ask.
"So clever." Shen Qianmo gently pinched Qianqian's nose and said with a smile.
"If Qianqian were even a tenth as smart as Miss, I would be satisfied," Qianqian said, scratching her head a little shyly.
“Sometimes being too smart isn’t a good thing. The play that’s about to unfold is a case of being too smart and getting hurt.” Shen Qianmo smiled thoughtfully, her eyes holding a hint of strategic planning.
"Too clever by half?" Qianqian still didn't quite understand, and looked at Shen Qianmo with a curious expression, asking.
"You'll find out soon enough. These next few days, stay quietly in the Prime Minister's residence and don't make any moves," Shen Qianmo instructed.
Given Su Luoyan's ruthlessness and cunning, after hearing my reminder, she would definitely be eager to distance herself from Yin Youlan's disappearance. The best way would be to get hurt herself as well. This would prove that she had nothing to do with Yin Youlan's disappearance, and it would also point the finger at Shen Qianmo.
However, her little tricks probably wouldn't escape Shen Lingyun's notice. Based on Shen Qianmo's understanding of Shen Lingyun, he must have sent many people to secretly monitor her, Su Luoyan, and Shen Qianxin's movements.
This time, Su Luoyan's cleverness has backfired. Let her pay the price for her actions. Let the man she schemed so hard to seduce send her on her final journey.
Shen Qianmo had no doubt that if Shen Lingyun believed Su Luoyan was responsible, he would absolutely not hold any grudges against her. In Shen Lingyun's heart, there was no such thing as affection.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Overconfidence
Shen Qianmo spent three leisurely days in the Prime Minister's residence. He had nothing to do all day, but his sleep quality improved.
She spends half of the 12 hours of the day sleeping, so how could her sleep quality not improve? She felt that this was the first time in her life she had slept so comfortably and soundly.
"Miss, the Third Madam has been stabbed!" Qianqian rushed back from outside and reported to Shen Qianmo.
"Finally, she's making a move. Her patience is pretty good." Shen Qianmo didn't show any surprise; instead, she revealed a smile that she had expected, yawned lightly, and said lazily.
"Miss, did you know all along that the Third Madam would be stabbed?" Qianqian looked at Shen Qianmo in confusion, thinking to herself, how could Miss know? It couldn't have been Miss who sent someone to do it. If Miss wanted to harm her, she wouldn't have spared her life. So why did Miss act as if she already knew?
"Didn't I tell you that the Prime Minister's residence was about to stage a self-directed and self-acted drama?" Shen Qianmo stood up from the couch, stretched, and said indifferently.
"Does Miss mean that the Third Madam stabbed herself?" Qianqian finally understood, but still asked with some confusion, "But why would the Third Madam do that?"