The Lady Who Walks Out of the Painting Chapter 3

  Xiao Yao didn't know exactly how long she had been dizzy, but it was definitely a whole day and night. She was woken up by the phone ringing, and as soon as she picked it up, there were firecracker-like sounds in her ear, what a racket!

  "Zuo Xiao Yao! Are you dead?! You come back and don't tell me, I call your phone and you don't answer. If you want to die, at least say something to me first so I can collect your body... Is there anyone as inconsiderate as you?! Where are you now? Hurry up and show yourself, I just got back from X mountain..."

  Recalling the strange scene before she fainted, Zuo Xiao Yao patiently listened to Wang Zi Jia's concerns expressed in a big scolding way. Only then did she smile wryly and reply, "Alright, alright, Miss Wang has vented enough, scolded enough, now let me say a couple of words. Yesterday afternoon I went to the painting studio, then spent some time shopping for clothes, plus just getting back from traveling, I was really tired, so I slept in a bit, no need to worry too much, you don't think I'm the kind of person who'd be dying or going crazy over something, do you?"

  Perhaps thinking that she was right, Wang Zi Jia paused for a moment before saying "You're also right, going out is quite tiring. Anyway, I just got back and tomorrow I want to sleep in late. How about we meet up the day after tomorrow? Or you can come over to my place too. Not only my grandfather, but my parents are also thinking of you, they know that you're a strong person so they don't ask much."

  "Go ahead and greet your uncle and aunt for me, thank them for their concern too. I'm fine... um... okay, thanks again, bye!"

  The Wang family used to be the closest neighbor of Zuo Xiaoyao's family. Before the demolition, they lived in the same alley, and she and Wang Zijia were similar in age. Because Wang Zijia grew up in her maternal grandfather's house since childhood, although they didn't exactly grow up together, after she returned to S city for high school, their interactions increased, and they became close friends with a deep understanding of each other over the past eight years.

  Later, although the two families were separated by a distance due to relocation, and their interactions had to be reduced, that old friendship remained. In the midst of a bustling city where human relationships are thin, this friendship became even more precious. It is also the last comfort in the heart of Zuo Xiaoyao, who has now become a lonely person.

  Hanging up the phone, Zuo Xiao Yao didn't have time to care about the empty city trick of Wu Zang Temple. She immediately rushed into the bathroom to examine her own face in the mirror, especially the area between her eyebrows. Unfortunately, no matter how she looked left and right, she couldn't find anything unusual on her face.

  As she gently massaged the sore spot on her lower back, which had been caused by her awkward posture when she fainted, Zuo Xiao Yao carefully thought through the whole process of how those three things had eerily appeared in her mind again, but still couldn't make any sense of it.

  But this matter cannot be known to anyone, after all, whether others believe it or not is one thing, but if they are caught and dissected for research, it would be miserable. Moreover, since she woke up, she has not felt anything abnormal. If it weren't for the rusty iron box still being there, the three things inside had indeed disappeared without a trace. Zuo Xiaoyao would even suspect that it was just a dream.

  With her whole heart and mind thinking about those three things, Zuo Xiao Yao suddenly felt dizzy, and the next moment, she found herself sitting on the sand, having somehow left her own living room to arrive in an unfamiliar environment. The place was not small, with a patch of purple bamboo forest, a bamboo house with a courtyard, a pond covering nearly a hundred square meters, and she stood at the gate of the bamboo house, somewhat dazed.

  The situation was quite bizarre, which made Zuo Xiaoyao unable to help but suspect again whether she was dreaming and had been immersed in this mysterious dream without waking up. She really hoped that when she woke up, she would find out that all of this was just a dream, and her grandmother was still alive. However, it seemed that heaven did not grant people's wishes. After pinching herself hard and finding it painful, and then biting her tongue again, Zuo Xiaoyao had to accept the fact that everything about this mystery was actually real, really real!

  I don't know how to leave this place, and seeing that it's a bit cold and quiet here, but not messy, like someone has cleaned up after people, Zuo Xiaoyao was slightly confused and hesitated for a moment before resolutely raising her hand to knock on the door "Excuse me, sorry to disturb you, is anyone there?"

  The sound of her crisp voice echoed around, but no one answered the door. After Zuo Xiaoyao couldn't help but knock a few more times with slightly more force, the hidden door surprisingly opened a crack by itself.

  After looking around, she found that the surrounding area was a blur, and although she felt some fear and discomfort, she couldn't believe that she was the only one there. The four sides of the bamboo forest were clearly uninhabitable, except for this mansion. Taking a deep breath, Xue Xiao Yao finally pushed open the gate and stepped into the mansion with determination.

  The courtyard was surrounded by neatly planted trees of unknown species, which seemed to be quite old. The empty spaces were filled with a variety of flowers and grasses, most of which Zuo Xiaoyao didn't recognize. Since she was sensible, until the age of 22, she had been busy making a living and striving to ensure that she and her grandmother could live a secure life. She rarely had the mind to care about these fleeting things, and in her eyes, spring, summer, autumn, and winter only differed in the thickness of clothing, let alone caring about the beauty of flowers and scenery.

  At this moment, walking on the small path paved with white jade-like stone slabs among the flowers and grasses, looking at the surrounding various kinds of flowers and grasses in different colors, the scenery is so beautiful that it makes people feel like they are in a fairyland. The fragrance of the flowers fills the air, making Xiaoyao's heart feel a strong desire to live here, thinking that it must be a very happy thing to do, especially with her grandmother together, which would make it even more blissful.

  The hustle and bustle of the city makes people who live in it feel anxious, to satisfy their basic needs, they have to put on a mask and socialize with familiar and unfamiliar people, and build strong defenses in their hearts, lest they be taken advantage of unknowingly, making them feel tired but unable to escape.

  Such a peaceful and beautiful courtyard, it must be the place where people who are tired of the city's noise yearn for. Looking at this small and exquisite bamboo building, Zuo Xiaoyao, who has temporarily put aside the pressure of life due to her grandmother's departure, finally has the heart to feel sentimental about her current life.

  The bamboo building was divided into two floors. After being unable to push open the door on the first floor, Zuo Xiao Yao could only go up to the second floor through a staircase on the side. She hesitated for a moment before walking along the corridor and stopping in front of a room door. This time, there was no problem with pushing the door open, but what she saw upon entering was a sea of pure white - everything was covered in white silk, leaving Zuo Xiao Yao stunned at the doorway. The coldness and isolation of this room were clearly different from the vibrant flowers and lush greenery in the courtyard below.

  Through the gauze, Zuo Xiao Yao vaguely discovered that this was a fairly large living room. The large purple bamboo bed inside was proof. Suddenly breaking into someone else's home and even directly entering their living room, for her who had done this for the first time, it was inevitable to have some psychological pressure. After all, being born in a prosperous city, respecting others' privacy, and putting aside all curiosity had always been Zuo Xiao Yao's guiding principle.

  It was just a strange name that appeared here, and there was a mysterious mansion here, but no one was there. For Zuo Xiao Yao, who knew that if she stayed here for a long time, she would definitely lose her life, no matter what, she had to think of a way to leave. Sneaking in was also an act of desperation.

  Listening to the clear and cold sound of her own footsteps in the quiet room, it was so quiet that Zuo Xiaoyao felt a sense of fear in her heart, and she wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. No matter how good the environment was here, for her, the bustling city was where she belonged, even if she was tired and lonely, she had to work hard to live there.

  There aren't many decorations in the room, a set of table and chairs are placed in the center, a row of bookshelves on one side, except for the dresser, there is also a desk by the window with two chairs, like a bamboo building, all the furniture in the room is made of purple bamboo, it's unknown whether the owner likes bamboo too much or just uses local materials for convenience.

  After carefully examining everything in the house, what left Zuo Xiao Yao disappointed was that she still hadn't found any special place or indication that could remind her of how to leave. This result really made one feel very frustrated.

  But the second floor only had this one room, and the rooms on the first floor couldn't be entered. Looking into the mirror above the dresser, which was made of an unknown material but could reflect people very clearly, she discovered that her current expression was quite unsightly, with a desperate look that seemed to say "I want to cry but have no tears". Xue Xiao Yao now had a deep understanding of this feeling. Not wanting to get entangled in her own emotions, she forced herself to cheer up, but unintentionally raised her eyes again and saw the painting hanging on the wall behind the dresser.

  As a painter who has painted for many years, when I first saw this painting, I only felt that the author's level was really high, and he actually painted an absolute beauty with a vivid expression, giving people a sense of being able to walk out of the painting at any time. Compared to my own mediocre painting skills, it's quite embarrassing. If she hadn't been thinking about how to leave at this moment, I would have liked to study the brushwork of this painting carefully, and I'm sure I could have learned a lot from it.

  Seeing this painting again, she still didn't think much about the technique, but was subconsciously staring at the woman in the painting, wondering if she was the owner of these things.

  "Yes!"

  "Ah?" Zuo Xiao Yao couldn't help but subconsciously voice out her doubt, thinking that she was hallucinating.

  "I say, I am the master of this place!"

  Did she just ask out loud? Staring blankly at the stunning woman who had indeed walked out of the 'painting' and was now standing in front of her, Zuo XiaoYao's modern instincts kicked in, causing her to subconsciously reply "Sorry, I'm disturbing you, I don't even know how I got here, you...you...who are you..."

  After instinctively apologizing, seeing the smile on the woman's face, she suddenly realized the situation in front of her and Zuo XiaoYao couldn't help but feel a little frightened again.