Tan Linyuan got up and looked down at her with his head bowed, almost enclosing her in his embrace.
As soon as he got closer, Nan Yu was surrounded by the familiar scent of incense, and her pupils suddenly constricted.
He was using this to force her into submission.
Nan Yu chose to struggle desperately. "We agreed not to investigate each other. You're breaking the rules."
Tan Linyuan raised his eyebrows and glanced at her with his thin eyes. "Everyone knows about the Nan family. Do I still need to investigate?"
Nan Yu could tell that if she didn't satisfy him today, he wouldn't let her off easily.
She took a deep breath and chose to compromise. "It's not appropriate here. I'll send you the room number later."
Tan Linyuan was even calmer. "Who said I'm going to sleep with you?"
"So what do you mean, Uncle?"
"Use your hands."
...
After coming out of the room, Nan Yu went straight to the bathroom and washed her hands several times.
Only after making sure she had rubbed and rinsed them clean with soap did she slowly walk out. A servant was waiting for her outside. "Miss Nan, Mr. Shen is waiting for you in the study."
Nan Yu clenched her fists, took a deep breath, nodded, and walked towards the study.
What awaited her was a contract on the table.
"Nan Yu, I won't beat around the bush with you. Take a look at the content of this agreement. If there's no problem, just sign it."
Shen Suhai sized up Nan Yu. His tone was not kind at all, only cold and aloof. "Once you sign it, from now on you'll be a member of the Shen family. Even though your marriage with Yanche is just a contractual one, you have to follow the Shen family's rules."
Nan Yu walked over, picked up the agreement, and simply flipped through a few pages.
The content was very concise, just the same as what they had said orally before: Get married within a year, give birth to a son and a daughter for the Shen family within five years. During this period, you must be well - behaved and not get too close to other men. Always remember your duty as a daughter - in - law of the Shen family.
When Nan Yu read this, she wondered if Tan Linyuan was also included.
Seeing that she had finished reading, Shen Suhai added, "Considering the huge amount of the Nan family's debt, Yanche and I discussed it and decided to divide the debt into three parts: One part will be repaid after you get married. The remaining two parts will be paid off after you give birth to the children. Do you have any objections?"
Nan Yu wasn't stupid. She could tell that they were afraid she would back out halfway and wanted her to sign a kind of indenture.
And Shen Yanche had never mentioned the matter of repaying the debt in installments to her before.
She pondered for a few seconds and slowly said, "Repaying in installments may not work. You know those debt collectors. They don't intend to let me live in peace."
If those people could give Nan Yu just one more day of peace and not push her to the brink, she wouldn't have ended up using marriage to pay off the debt just to survive.
"If you behave yourself in the Shen family, no one will dare to touch you. Your daily life and travel arrangements will be fully protected." Shen Suhai had already guessed what she would say. "If you're really worried, you'd better hurry up and get things done with Yanche."
Looking at this indenture, Nan Yu couldn't help but want to laugh.
By now, what else could she object to?
Just as she was about to pick up the pen to sign her name, there was a knock on the study door.
"Uncle Shen." A voice came from outside. It was Tan Linyuan.
Almost at the same time, Nan Yu watched as Shen Suhai snatched the agreement from her hand and quickly put it into the drawer.
Nan Yu was only stunned for a second and soon understood.
Even though everyone knew that Shen Yanche's marriage with her was a contractual one, they wouldn't really put it on the table for others to laugh at.
Family scandals should not be made public. She understood.
Soon, Tan Linyuan pushed the door open and came in. He had put on that plain long robe again, covering the inky shirt inside tightly.
His hands hung by his sides, showing a few Buddhist beads on his wrist, exuding his usual noble and aloof aura that kept people at a distance.
Nan Yu also adjusted her expression. While smiling casually and saying "Hello, Uncle", she cursed him in her heart for being hypocritical and actually a brute.
Obviously, Tan Linyuan came to the study to find Shen Suhai. Nan Yu left politely.
Originally, Nan Yu planned to wait for Tan Linyuan and Shen Suhai to finish their conversation and then go in to sign the agreement. But unexpectedly, the two of them talked for an entire afternoon and didn't come out until it was dark in the evening.
When they came out of the study, Shen Suhai's face was ashen. It seemed that they had talked about some serious topics.
Tan Linyuan, on the other hand, looked relaxed. He still had that calm and detached look, with a kind of casual and nonchalant air.
Nan Yu inexplicably had a bad feeling, always thinking that Tan Linyuan had said something.
She was just about to get up and greet them when suddenly Shen Suhai said, "Nan Yu, it's getting late. You can go back today."
There was no sign of emotion in his tone. It was more like an order.
Nan Yu paused for half a second and quickly stopped in place. She nodded obediently and replied, "Then I won't disturb you."
Before getting married, Nan Yu insisted on living in her own apartment instead of living with the Shen family.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Shen Yanche quickly got up and followed. "Yuyu, let me take you back."
"Let the driver take her. You come to the study now. I have something to talk to you about." When Shen Suhai turned to Shen Yanche, his voice was a bit colder and more displeased than before.
His father's sudden sternness made Shen Yanche a little at a loss. He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but was intimidated by his father's cold gaze and had to change his words. "Yuyu, it's getting late. Be careful on your way back alone..."
"Where does Miss Nan live?" Tan Linyuan, who was on the side, straightened his cuffs. His tone was calm. "If it's not far, I can give Miss Nan a ride on my way."
Nan Yu wanted to say that she would rather walk by herself, but Shen Yanche gratefully reported her address for her. "Yuyu lives in Jinya Residence. Is it on your way, Uncle?"
Tan Linyuan nodded. "It just happens to be on my way."
...
The classic black G - class was parked outside the Shen family's villa. The dark - tinted car windows blocked the view inside tightly.
Since Tan Linyuan had lived in the temple for a long time, he didn't need others to serve him like other young masters and ladies. He was used to doing things by himself. So when he went out on weekdays, he always drove himself. He didn't need a driver, just for convenience.
Nan Yu opened the passenger - side door, skillfully lowered her head to fasten her seatbelt. Just as she sat up straight, the man in the driver's seat suddenly spoke. There was hardly any sign of a smile in his voice. "You're quite self - aware. Why don't you sit in the back?"
"I don't have the guts to treat Uncle as my driver." Nan Yu didn't even raise her head. She took out her phone and turned on the navigation. The screen showed that it was expected to take an hour to reach Jinya Residence.
It was a long distance. She felt justified in taking Tan Linyuan's ride and could save the taxi fare.
Tan Linyuan's eyes swept across her phone screen. Seeing that she had already planned the route, he withdrew his gaze and landed on her calm profile.
The man's voice was like an echo from a deep valley, low and heavy. "When did I say I'm going to take you back?"