"Having a secret crush doesn't suit my personality at all. I'm too lazy to wait for him to chase me first," Qu Jiaran shrugged, her smile bright. "Anyway, I can't keep things to myself. So, I might as well just confess directly and then pursue him openly."
As she said this, she flipped her chestnut curls, the corners of her mouth curving upwards. "I believe he simply won't be able to refuse me."
Nan Yu's gaze fell on her face.
Although she didn't like Qu Jiaran, at this moment, the confident glow on her face was beautiful.
Nan Yu couldn't deny this.
She even felt a twinge of envy.
It was a glow that only those who were protected by their families, cared for by society, and lived a carefree life could possess.
She used to have it too.
"So, how about it? Won't you cheer me on?" Qu Jiaran winked at her. "I've already planned it all out. At the earliest, I'm going to confess my love to him on the day the performance ends."
Nan Yu only cared about one thing. "Are you planning to confess during the concert? Isn't that a bit too showy?"
She was mainly worried about the impact this might have on society.
Qu Jiaran clicked her tongue. "Nan Yu, do you think I'm that stupid? If Grandpa knew I was causing a ruckus on such an occasion, he'd definitely punish me by making me stand in the corner."
"I'm going to invite Lin Yuan to a candlelit dinner in the name of celebration after the performance and confess my love in a really romantic atmosphere. The success rate should be pretty high, right?"
Nan Yu let out a sigh of relief.
As long as nothing went wrong during the performance, she didn't really care about anything else.
Qu Jiaran was in high spirits and insisted on getting an answer from Nan Yu. "Nan Yu, do you think Lin Yuan will agree to let me pursue him?"
Nan Yu nodded perfunctorily. "He will. You're so beautiful. No man could refuse you."
"But Lin Yuan isn't an ordinary man," Qu Jiaran was flattered by this remark and grinned happily. "He ranks first on the list of men all the women in Jiangcheng want to marry."
... Great. Nan Yu was definitely screened out of this survey.
Nan Yu wanted to get rid of Qu Jiaran quickly, so she started to flatter her. "If you and Uncle get together, you'll be the most envied couple in Jiangcheng."
Qu Jiaran laughed. "Really?"
Nan Yu nodded seriously. "Your personalities complement each other. You should get along well as a couple."
Qu Jiaran laughed even more happily. "Nan Yu, you're so accurate! I'm an air sign, and Lin Yuan is a fire sign. According to astrology, our compatibility is really good!"
... It was a lucky guess.
Nan Yu thought that maybe she should take up a side job as a fortune - teller on the overpass.
Specializing in fortune - telling for love - struck people. She'd be spot - on every time.
...
Tan Linyuan left the ward, paid the outstanding medical fees for Nan Yu, and then went to the pharmacy to get some medicine for angina. Estimating that the two girls had chatted enough, he returned to the ward door.
When girls chatted, their voices were louder than usual. Even though they tried to keep it down, he could still hear clearly standing outside the ward.
Qu Jiaran asked Nan Yu, "Nan Yu, I have a question for you. Hypothetically—just hypothetically. If you were single, would you like Lin Yuan?"
Nan Yu was taken aback. Her eyes met Qu Jiaran's smiling ones.
Although it was a joking tone, there was an underlying sense that she was seeking the answer to this question.
She thought for a couple of seconds and answered very objectively. "No."
"Really?" Qu Jiaran's eyes were full of doubt. "But no one doesn't like Lin Yuan."
"Really."
Nan Yu said, "If it weren't for the fact that I'm going to marry into the Shen family and he has a close relationship with the Shen family, I wouldn't even look at him twice on the street."
Qu Jiaran was amused. "At least Lin Yuan is a respected reincarnated god. Don't sound so disdainful of him."
Nan Yu touched the Buddhist beads on her wrist and casually said, "It doesn't matter. I don't believe in gods or Buddhas. Even if the Buddha stood in front of me, he'd just be an ordinary person."
Qu Jiaran pressed on. "But he's also the head of the Jiangcheng Chamber of Commerce, holding the commercial lifeline of the entire city."
"Aren't you fond of money? Now you should have a reason to like him, right?" Qu Jiaran remembered the reason for her performance and asked confidently.
"Even less so," Nan Yu replied. "One can't covet every kind of money. Besides, since he's the head of the chamber of commerce, it means he has more schemes and guile than ordinary people. I just can't like him."
There was a personal grudge in her words.
After all, in her encounters with Tan Linyuan, she rarely won.
His experience, status, and age far exceeded hers, and he often took pleasure in teasing her.
Although she felt powerless, she had to admit that she couldn't outwit this man with a kind - looking face but a cruel heart for the time being.
Qu Jiaran mused, "Is that so? But I thought you and Lin Yuan were quite fated. After all, in all the years I've known him, he rarely interacts with other women."
"Really not?" She tilted her head and asked with a smile, "Nan Yu, you're so strange. How could anyone not like Lin Yuan? He's so perfect."
Nan Yu suddenly realized that Qu Jiaran's questions were... just making small talk.
From the beginning until now, she seemed to be constantly probing to confirm whether she liked Tan Linyuan, even for the sake of money.
Nan Yu suddenly felt annoyed. She didn't like the feeling of being spied on and sized up, so she repeated, "I won't like him. No matter how perfect he is, I won't like him."
With a needle in her hand, she couldn't move too much. She just sat up straight and said to Qu Jiaran, "I understand that you like him and are worried that he'll be taken away. But don't speculate and suspect me."
Her tone wasn't very polite. "I have no real connection with him. If I have to say there is one, it's only because of the Shen family. Otherwise, I'd have nothing to do with him. I don't believe in gods or Buddhas, so his divine aura means nothing to me."
Qu Jiaran's expression stiffened a bit, as if it was the first time she'd seen Nan Yu get angry.
"I'm sorry, Nan Yu. I didn't mean it like that..."
Qu Jiaran's voice dropped, sounding a bit aggrieved. "I wasn't doubting you. I just wanted to share my feelings of liking Lin Yuan with you and hoped you'd sincerely bless me."
Nan Yu took a deep breath, remembering what the doctor had said about not getting too emotional. She calmed down for a few seconds. "Then I'll bless you—may you get together with Tan Linyuan as you wish, be sweet and happy forever, have a harmonious marriage, and give birth to a precious child soon."
The moment she uttered the last word, the ward door was suddenly pushed open.
A chill as cold as a snowstorm rushed in. Tan Linyuan stood at the door, his eyes extremely cold and aloof, his gaze unwavering as it stared directly at Nan Yu.
His eyes were the same as usual, but it made her heart suddenly clench. She only felt that his aura at this moment was terrifyingly cold.
There was no emotion on his face, but there was a storm of ink in his eyes, like a snow - covered night howling with cold wind, bone - chillingly cold.
At this moment, Tan Linyuan no longer resembled a merciful god on earth.
Instead, he was a demon from hell, the Yama who ruled over torture and pain.