In response to Nan Yu's question, Tan Linyuan replied casually, "Isn't your birthday coming up soon?"
Nan Yu was even more surprised. He actually remembered her birthday.
But thinking it over, her birthday was the day she first met him.
"Consider it an early birthday gift," Tan Linyuan said in a calm and deep voice. "The auction was going on, so I just bought it."
His "just bought it" sounded so self - righteous and unconvincing.
Nan Yu hung her head, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
In fact, she knew very well that if Tan Linyuan hadn't bought Ye Nanwan, it would surely fall into someone else's hands.
Even if one day she had enough money, she might not be able to buy back this property.
She felt a bit at a loss. She opened her mouth, trying to say something, but those words of gratitude seemed so pale.
Her eyes grew hotter and hotter. A tear fell with a plop.
She was so scared that she quickly moved the contract away, fearing that the tears would blur the words on the document.
Tan Linyuan took in all her clumsy actions and couldn't help smiling. "Be careful. The official seal has been stamped. If it gets wet, there's no backup."
Nan Yu took a deep breath, trying to wipe away the tears with the back of her hand, but new tears welled up and blurred her vision.
She was crying and smiling at the same time, pressing her lips tighter. The tears then flowed into her mouth along the corners of her lips.
"Thank you... I'm really grateful to you," Nan Yu said with a nasal and sobbing voice. "I will definitely pay you back this money in the future."
Tan Linyuan's Adam's apple rolled. He gave a helpless laugh. "In that case, remember to pay for the piano storage fee too when the time comes."
He said playfully on purpose, "Since you'll have the money to pay back for the villa, you won't mind this little bit."
"That... that won't do," Nan Yu sniffed and seriously refused. "One thing is one thing. Since you said you wouldn't charge me back then, even if I become a multimillionaire or a billionaire in the future, I still won't pay it back."
She was seriously being a bit of a rascal. With the tears at the corners of her eyes not yet wiped away, she pouted and started haggling with him.
Tan Linyuan felt both heartache and amusement. He wanted to go over and hug her, kiss her, but he held back.
"Although the contract is already here, the property auction still needs a period of notarization. You can't move in for the time being," he reminded.
Nan Yu nodded, fully understanding. "It's okay. I'm not in a hurry to move in."
This sentence of hers gave Tan Linyuan a sense of reassurance.
Looking up at the clock, it was already ten o'clock at night.
"It's getting late. Go back and sleep," he patted her on the head. "I'll take you to see the house in a couple of days."
Nan Yu carefully put the documents back into the bag and hugged it in her arms. Then she seized the opportunity. "I still have something to talk to you about."
She told Tan Linyuan what had happened at Nian Nian's place today. "I think there's something wrong."
Tan Linyuan's face showed no change. He calmly asked her, "So, where do you think something is wrong?"
Nan Yu directly said what was on her mind. "I think Nian Nian's psychological problems are not that serious. Her longing for the outside world is obviously greater than her fear."
Tan Linyuan nodded, indicating that he was listening.
Nan Yu continued, "The biggest problem should be with Wen Ruoyi. It's her who is hindering Nian Nian from moving forward."
Nan Yu's mind was full of Wen Ruoyi's sudden out - of - control emotions this afternoon and her order to evict her at the slightest disagreement. All these signs showed that Wen Ruoyi didn't want to continue this topic.
She even kept silent.
Tan Linyuan's face gradually turned cold. His tone was a bit colder than before. "Then why do you think Wen Ruoyi is doing this?"
This was also the question Nan Yu had been thinking about all afternoon.
But at that moment, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a reasonable speculation. "Maybe the one with real psychological trauma is Wen Ruoyi."
As soon as Nan Yu finished speaking, Tan Linyuan was stunned for a moment, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"She lost her beloved husband in that car accident back then, and her only daughter lost her legs. She's afraid of another similar accident happening again."
Nan Yu's analysis was very reasonable. "Ms. Wen must care a great deal about that accident back then. It's even a nightmare for her. That's why she uses this way to confine Nian Nian."
With each of her analyses, Tan Linyuan's face grew colder.
"So you think she can't let go of that car accident back then?"
"Putting myself in her shoes, I think it's hard not to care," Nan Yu said, very understanding of Wen Ruoyi's thoughts. "If there hadn't been that car accident, her husband and daughter could have been healthy and happy by her side, right?"
She didn't notice that after she said this, Tan Linyuan's expression had changed. There was a heavy haze between his eyebrows.
He had had such thoughts countless nights.
That car accident not only brought a catastrophic disaster to his elder brother but also was an old illness that made him unable to fall asleep for years.
He said expressionlessly, "Maybe."
"So, can you tell me what exactly happened in that car accident back then?"
Nan Yu thought that if she could know about that incident, maybe she could help Wen Ruoyi untie the knot in her heart and then let her give Nian Nian back her freedom.
"No," Tan Linyuan absent - mindedly refused her.
"Why?" Nan Yu was puzzled and subconsciously asked him.
Tan Linyuan said lightly, "This is a family matter of the Tan family."
He stopped there.
Although his tone was calm and gentle, at that moment, Nan Yu still felt as if she had been hit on the head.
She was an outsider and shouldn't pry too much into other people's private affairs.
She was just a piano teacher. It was enough to teach Nian Nian to play the piano properly. Other things didn't concern her, nor was it her turn to care.
But somehow, when Tan Linyuan coldly said, "This is a family matter of the Tan family," she still felt a void in her heart.
It seemed that in the dark, she was reminded again of the distance between her and him.
It wasn't just because he was like a high - and - mighty god.
Nor was it just the age gap.
There was a distance as far as a galaxy between them.
She didn't understand him, and he didn't care about her.
Buddhism emphasizes fetters and good karma. Tan Linyuan was willing to help her. Besides the benefits he got from her, it was probably out of his mercy and kindness.
Not to mention anything else, for the matter of Ye Nanwan tonight, she should be grateful.
While being grateful, she also needed to be clear about her own identity.
"I overstepped," Nan Yu nodded at Tan Linyuan. Her tone was obviously distant. "Then I'll go back and rest first. Good night, Uncle Tan."
Tan Linyuan fell silent.
There was no extra expression on his face. He watched her leave in front of him, with a touch of indifference between his eyebrows.
Just as she was about to leave his sight, he suddenly put his hand on her shoulder.
"Nan Yu, don't overthink."