"Since Yu Yu is so worried about me, I'll agree to you then." Qu Jiaran tilted her face up and smiled at her, showing no sign of having just been pulled back from hell.
She swayed her head from side to side, looking at her with a bright smile. "Only if I live well can I protect Yu Yu better in the future!"
The more Qu Jiaran said so, the more sinful Nan Yu felt.
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and looked at Qu Jiaran. "I, Nan Yu, owe you a favor for what happened today. In the future, I'll agree to any request you make."
Only in this way could she ease her guilt a little.
Qu Jiaran was stunned for a moment, then quickly showed a smile, her eyes blinking brightly. "Okay."
...
After Tan Linyuan sent Qu Jiaran to the hospital, he immediately informed her parents.
But the result was unexpected.
Qu Jiaran's father said he was in an important political meeting and couldn't get away; her mother couldn't be reached at all, and the phone kept being unavailable.
Nan Yu wondered if it was just her illusion, but Qu Jiaran's parents didn't seem to care about their daughter as much as she thought.
Nan Yu remembered that one night when she suddenly had acute gastroenteritis, her parents immediately called an ambulance.
That night, her parents stayed up all night in her ward. To take care of her, they even missed a very important cooperation meeting the next day.
After the doctor said that Qu Jiaran was out of danger, Tan Linyuan told Nan Yu to wait in the ward for Qu Jiaran to wake up.
As for him, he had to go out now.
Before leaving, he left a few bodyguards near the ward and instructed them not to allow anyone to take Nan Yu away.
As for Qu Jiaran, he knew no one would dare to touch her.
---
In a restaurant near the hospital, Shen Suhai and Shen Yanche had been waiting in the private room for a long time.
Tan Linyuan pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing the two people in the room, he squinted his eyes.
It was as he expected.
"Linyuan, come and sit down." Shen Suhai spoke first, smiling and beckoning him over in a senior's manner.
Shen Yanche also greeted him. "Uncle Tan."
The dishes had all been ordered. They must have come prepared.
The father - son pair in front of him clearly had a plan as well.
"We really appreciate you for handling everything in this sudden incident tonight, Linyuan. You must be hungry. This restaurant is close to the hospital. I specially asked the chef to prepare vegetarian dishes to your taste."
After Tan Linyuan sat down, he didn't intend to pick up his chopsticks.
He slightly rolled up his cuffs, revealing a section of his arm. The pinky ring on his left little finger was still there, and the metal surface reflected a plain luster.
"Uncle Shen, just say what you want. I'm short on time."
He was showing his attitude, indicating that there was no need to beat around the bush. It was better to get straight to the point.
Hearing this, Shen Suhai glanced at Shen Yanche and then said firmly, "Linyuan, I'm not one to play the emotional card. But the friendship between the Tan and Shen families in the early years was quite good, wasn't it?"
"It was good." Tan Linyuan replied.
"I know you always handle things in a business - like manner, so I won't rely on my seniority when it comes to the affairs within the chamber of commerce. But as for the marriage between Yanche and Nan Yu, you'd better not interfere anymore."
He was old, and his voice was solemn. "First, you took Nan Yu away and didn't let her contact Yanche. Then today at the reception, you made such a scene. You..."
"Uncle Shen."
Tan Linyuan looked up, his tone cold and calm. "The former friendship between the Tan and Shen families has nothing to do with my intention to protect Nan Yu."
As soon as he said this, it was like a huge wave rising on the sea.
Shen Suhai's expression first showed disbelief, then gradually became stiff, and finally he flew into a rage. "Linyuan, what do you mean?"
"Just what it says. Uncle Shen should understand." Tan Linyuan didn't intend to explain anything. "Moreover, it was Yanche who made a mistake first. There's no room for blame in this matter."
He was being tactful and didn't directly say the word "cheating".
Shen Suhai was so angry that he couldn't speak for a moment. He was furious but couldn't scold Tan Linyuan directly. So he looked at Shen Yanche. "You good - for - nothing! As a man, you can't even take care of your own fiancée. You've made our family a laughingstock in front of outsiders!"
Shen Yanche lowered his head and said in a low voice, "I did want to apologize to Yu Yu, but Uncle Tan never gave me a chance to see her."
Shen Suhai immediately roared, "That's your problem! Do you think your uncle is being unreasonable and deliberately making things difficult for you?"
Shen Yanche said, "Uncle Tan surely doesn't mean that."
Tan Linyuan folded his arms across his chest and watched the two of them act in front of him.
After their argument stopped, Tan Linyuan's thin lips tightened into a straight line, and his eyes were filled with a coldness like a thin mist. "Nan Yu is not an outsider to me."
If his previous actions were just acts of partiality, this sentence clearly indicated that he had included Nan Yu in his sphere of protection.
Shen Suhai was stunned and looked at him suspiciously. "Linyuan, don't tell me you..."
He wanted to say, don't tell me you want to compete with Shen Yanche for Nan Yu?
He didn't finish his sentence when Tan Linyuan spoke again. "Now, she is the only disciple of my junior brother. As the senior brother, I should take better care of her."
These words blocked what Shen Suhai wanted to say.
"So, according to you, Linyuan, you're going to hinder the engagement between Yanche and Nan Yu?" Shen Suhai sighed deeply, as if reminding him. "The Buddha said, it's better to tear down ten temples than to break up a marriage."
"The Buddha also said, once a teacher, always a father."
Tan Linyuan remained calm. "Since Miss Nan has converted to Buddhism in the Chan Guang Temple, I can't let my disciple be wronged."
"However," Tan Linyuan still left some room for compromise. "I have no right to interfere with the engagement, but I also hope Uncle Shen is clear that from now on, Nan Yu is a Buddhist disciple and must not be offended casually."
His words were full of warnings, reminding Shen Suhai and Shen Yanche not to do anything to insult or hurt Nan Yu again.
After saying what he needed to say, Tan Linyuan got up and left without saying another word to the father - son pair.
The vegetarian dishes on the table had already cooled down, but no one had touched their chopsticks.
After Tan Linyuan walked away, Shen Suhai finally couldn't hold back his anger. He directly threw the ceramic teacup on the ground and scolded Shen Yanche.
"You useless thing! You can't even hold onto a woman!"
Shen Suhai pointed at Shen Yanche's head, his finger trembling. "Now look what you've done! That girl now has the support of the Qu and Tan families. How are you going to deal with her in the future?"
"Dad, don't just blame me."
Shen Yanche was also very annoyed and couldn't help arguing back. "Wasn't it you who said before that we should let Nan Yu get close to the Qu family and then get closer to Tan Linyuan?"
As a result, the plan failed, and they ended up shooting themselves in the foot.
Shen Yanche was also angry. He knew Nan Yu was good - looking before, but seeing her so beautifully dressed today, his heart couldn't help but waver.
Everyone wants to reach for the moon.