Tan Linyuan bent down to pick up the fallen beads.
At this moment, his state of mind was even more chaotic than these scattered beads.
Tan Linyuan had no idea what had gone wrong.
He wanted to sort out his thoughts from start to finish, but the more he tried, the more confused he became.
It seemed that the course of events had deviated from his original plan.
This was not what he had intended.
He had wanted to help Nan Yu break free from the control of the Shen family so that she could make her own choices;
He had wanted to save her from Qu Jiaran's moral coercion and let her follow her heart;
He had wanted Nan Yu to pursue her favorite career and live an unfettered life.
...
Now, his desires had grown beyond these initial goals.
It seemed that from the moment he decided to intervene in Nan Yu's life, fate had slipped out of his control.
The chips in his hand had long been depleted by his desires.
No wonder people said that desire could cloud one's judgment.
He felt an inexplicable sense of irritation.
Unable to sort out his thoughts, he decided to focus on something else.
He recalled everything that had happened today, and the more he thought about it, the worse he felt.
He must have scared her.
Tan Linyuan even worried that he might have hurt her with his hands in the car.
At this thought, his heart skipped a beat.
But the ground was too wet for him to tell.
And the owner of that "ground" was such a stubborn person that even if he had hurt her, she would never admit it.
To be on the safe side, Tan Linyuan got up and drove out in the middle of the night to buy some ointment.
It was already three o'clock in the morning when he returned to the villa.
Tan Linyuan was wide awake. He took off his slightly cold coat and went upstairs to the bedroom.
The bedroom was quiet, and the girl in the bed seemed to be fast asleep.
Tan Linyuan tiptoed over and found that she had buried her head in the pillow, making it difficult for her to breathe.
He bent down and picked her up gently. "Nan Yu, wake up and apply some medicine," he whispered.
The girl in his arms was still half - asleep. Her eyelids were tightly closed, and she let him hold her.
He looked down and saw that there were still tears in the corners of her eyes.
In this tiny "lake" in the world, his guilt and regret were all contained.
He had defied fate to disturb her.
He had to take responsibility.
...
In the following days, Tan Linyuan and Nan Yu became more and more intimate, but he rarely slept in the room at night.
Nan Yu knew that he had gone to the study, so she slept soundly in his big bed.
For convenience, she even put her skin - care products on the bedside table in the master bedroom.
As time went by, this room almost became hers, and she hardly ever went to the guest bedroom.
After that strange incident, Nan Yu still went to Zhou Yu's record store to work as usual, and Tan Linyuan never asked about it again.
Nan Yu continued to record albums and records with Zhou Yu, while Tan Linyuan was busy dealing with matters between the temple and the chamber of commerce.
Both of them pretended to have forgotten what had happened that night.
Zhou Yu once mentioned her "elder," but she just brushed it off.
She had to admit that just hearing this word made her legs go weak.
One day, Tan Linyuan visited the record store again.
He was much calmer than last time, with a serious look on his face. "Nian Nian is in trouble," he said.
As soon as Nan Yu heard it was about Nian Nian, she immediately became nervous. She asked for leave from Zhou Yu and hurriedly left with Tan Linyuan.
On the way to Nian Nian's home, Nan Yu couldn't suppress her worry. "What's wrong with Nian Nian?" she asked.
Tan Linyuan drove the car calmly. "Nian Nian has been on a hunger strike for three days at home. If this continues, something bad will happen."
Nan Yu was stunned.
It was the age when she needed nutrition, but she had been on a hunger strike silently for three days.
Even a healthy child would suffer from malnutrition after such a long - term hunger strike, let alone a child with physical disabilities like Nian Nian.
"Nian Nian is so well - behaved. Why did she suddenly go on a hunger strike..." Nan Yu stopped halfway through her sentence. Suddenly, she seemed to understand something.
One either breaks out in silence or perishes in it.
Perhaps Nian Nian's longing for the outside world had far exceeded her fear of her mother.
Seeing that she was silent, Tan Linyuan glanced at her. "Do you know why Nian Nian did this?"
Nan Yu nodded heavily. "Maybe, let me meet her and give it a try."
When they arrived at the door, Tan Linyuan reminded her, "Wen Ruoyi is in a bad mood now. You should be more tolerant later."
Nan Yu was taken aback for a moment and then nodded to show that she understood.
No mother could remain calm when her daughter was in trouble.
Nan Yu could only pray in her heart that Nian Nian was okay.
It was Aunt Li who opened the door for them.
Tan Linyuan led Nan Yu into the house. As soon as they appeared in front of Wen Ruoyi, she rushed over in a frenzy and raised her hand to slap Nan Yu.
"It's all your fault—"
Feeling the wind of the incoming palm, Nan Yu instinctively closed her eyes, ready to take the hit.
After all, it was she who had always wanted to take Nian Nian out, so it was reasonable for Wen Ruoyi to blame her.
She kept her eyes closed for a while, but the expected slap didn't land on her face. She opened her eyes in confusion.
Tan Linyuan had blocked Wen Ruoyi's hand. He looked very calm. "Sister - in - law, calm down."
"Nian Nian's current situation has nothing to do with Nan Yu."
He spoke softly, his voice as quiet as the world after a snowstorm. "I brought Nan Yu here to help Nian Nian."
"If you treat her like this, we'll leave right now."
Wen Ruoyi was stunned. Her eyes were empty and helpless. She slowly lowered her hand and then covered her face with both hands. "I'm sorry..."
Nan Yu was also taken aback, sensing something.
Wen Ruoyi kept apologizing, and tears flowed down through her fingers. "I really don't know what to do. I've already lost my husband. I can't lose Nian Nian too..."
"You won't lose Nian Nian," Tan Linyuan said calmly.
Nan Yu looked at the emotionally - broken Wen Ruoyi and didn't know what to say.
Wen Ruoyi was not wrong. She just couldn't get out of the shadow of that car accident.
Out of the once - happy family of three.
Nan Yu looked at Tan Linyuan and asked in a low voice, "Can I go and see Nian Nian?"
Tan Linyuan turned to look at her, their eyes meeting.
Wen Ruoyi was still sobbing softly. He stared at her quietly for a moment and then nodded. "Go ahead."
With permission, Nan Yu immediately headed for Nian Nian's room.
Aunt Li was about to stop her, but after a glance from Tan Linyuan, she gave up awkwardly and instead handed a tissue to her mistress.
At the door of the room, Nan Yu knocked first.
"I'm Nan Yu, Nian Nian," she said.
There was no response from inside the room. Nan Yu had a bad feeling. Without caring about etiquette, she directly turned the doorknob.
Nian Nian was lying in bed with her eyes closed. Her formerly rosy complexion was gone, and she looked deathly pale.
She seemed even more fragile than before.