Tan Linyuan walked up to the car. Just as he was about to open the car door, he saw Nan Yu still standing there. He glanced at her. "What are you standing there daydreaming about?"
Nan Yu quickly composed herself and walked quickly to catch up.
The car drove in the direction of Tan Linyuan's villa.
I don't know if it was Tan Linyuan's illusion, but he always felt that Nan Yu in the passenger seat seemed to be in a strange mood.
He held the steering wheel, his expression calm.
When they got back to the villa, Nan Yu immediately went up to the second floor and entered the guest bedroom she had been staying in.
She didn't forget to say to Tan Linyuan, "Wait for me here."
Wait for what?
Tan Linyuan thought her behavior was abnormal. He sat down on the sofa in the living room and patiently waited for what she would do next.
After Nan Yu got back to the guest bedroom, she took out the clothes hanging in the closet one by one, along with her daily necessities and other small items, and threw them all on the bed.
Looking at her things, she took a deep breath. Suddenly, a subtle sense of reluctance and loss welled up in her heart.
...
More than ten minutes later, she dragged the red suitcase she had brought with her out of the room and clumsily walked down the stairs with it.
Tan Linyuan was leaning against the back of the sofa, his arms folded. He looked up and watched her every move.
Nan Yu stood the suitcase beside the sofa and then carefully said, "I can leave now."
"Where are you going?" Tan Linyuan looked up and asked her casually.
Nan Yu's eyelashes trembled slightly. She looked a bit anxious and at a loss. "Didn't you tell me to move back to Yenanwan?"
The room fell silent for a moment.
Tan Linyuan didn't say anything for a while. After thinking for a moment, he finally understood what was going on. He couldn't help but find it a bit amusing. "... What I meant just now was that the publicity period for Yenanwan ended today. I can take you there to have a look when I'm free."
"What?" Nan Yu's eyes gradually cleared up. She couldn't help but blurt out, "You didn't mean..."
Tan Linyuan said in a deep voice, with an obvious smile in his eyes. "Which word I said made you misunderstand that I wanted you to move out?"
Nan Yu was speechless.
He had only said that the house in Yenanwan was now vacant. He had never told her to move out.
It was her own sensitivity that had led her to misinterpret his words.
Nan Yu stood there stupidly now. A blush gradually rose on her face. She felt extremely embarrassed.
"Nan Yu, I'll never drive you away," Tan Linyuan said seriously, which was quite rare for him. "Only if you don't want to stay."
"Never?"
Tan Linyuan enunciated each word clearly. "Never."
Nan Yu was stunned. Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears. She slowly raised her eyes and looked into Tan Linyuan's.
His eyes were still as cold and aloof as ever. She could see her own reflection clearly in his pupils.
Tan Linyuan's features were sharp and deep. His gaze was calm as he really looked at her.
She had an illusion that it seemed as if there was only her in his eyes and no one else.
When she realized what she was thinking, Nan Yu couldn't help but smile bitterly.
His eyes could hold her, or Qu Jiaran, or the rest of the world.
But it was impossible for them to hold only her.
She was like a lonely boat that could only dock at his merciful port for a short while.
She tightly grasped the handle of the suitcase. The metal was cutting into her palm, causing a sharp pain.
...
Niannian was allowed to take piano lessons again. Besides working at the record store, Nan Yu spent most of her time with Niannian.
On weekends, Niannian would pester her to go to the movies, watch plays, or attend concerts with her.
Wen Ruoyi no longer stopped them. She just told them to be careful and come back early.
Finally having some free time, Tan Linyuan asked her if she wanted to go to Yenanwan today.
Her original plan was to rest at home for a day. But when she heard his suggestion, she agreed without hesitation.
It was her home. Of course, she wanted to go back and have a look.
The rare autumn sun appeared this afternoon. The antique G-Class drove through the streets, passed by the high-rise buildings, and finally reached the suburbs.
Yenanwan was actually quite remote. Nan Jiwen and Ye Hong had deliberately chosen this villa complex as their residence for the sake of their daughter.
Although it was a villa complex, each villa was a separate household. There was good greenery and anti-theft measures around. The residents in the community didn't communicate with each other or disturb each other.
"The sound insulation here is very good. I can play the piano at home without disturbing the neighbors," Nan Yu said with a smile as she introduced it to Tan Linyuan in the car.
Tan Linyuan nodded slightly and said casually, "You won't disturb the neighbors at my place either."
Hearing this, Nan Yu remembered that although Tan Linyuan's villa was also in the suburbs, it was far away from Yenanwan.
One was in the eastern suburbs of Jiangcheng, and the other was in the western suburbs.
Nan Yu joked that if they took out a map of Jiangcheng, maybe their two houses would be on the same east-west line.
Tan Linyuan didn't say anything.
The two got out of the car. Tan Linyuan stood outside the iron gate and looked up at the three-story small Western-style building.
Compared with his villa, this small Western-style building was indeed a bit "delicate".
It had a brick-red roof and semi-circular arched flower windows. It was a very Baroque-style building.
The familiar environment always brought back memories.
Originally, this place should have been a warm and harmonious place. But now, because it had been unoccupied for a long time, it looked a bit desolate.
If Ye Hong were here, she would definitely clean up the fallen leaves and branches in the courtyard, then put out a wooden table and enjoy a cup of tea there in her free time.
She liked to do that.
And when Nan Jiwen came back from work, he would bring a bunch of flowers for his wife and let Ye Hong insert the freshest one into the mailbox hanging at the door.
At that time, she thought her parents were overly affectionate and always acted like a loving couple at home.
Nan Yu reached out her hand and touched the rust on the iron gate that hadn't been opened for a long time. She almost cut her hand.
Her nose felt sour.
"Let's go in and have a look," Tan Linyuan said calmly, pulling her out of her sad memories.
Tan Linyuan walked to her side, reached out his hand, and held her wrist. Then he turned his hand over and clasped her palm.
Her cold fingers were wrapped in his big hand, and she finally felt a moment of dryness and warmth.
When they walked into the gate, the interior structure was still familiar to Nan Yu, but it was empty.
There was a smell of dust mixed with a bit of mold in the air.
Tan Linyuan explained to her, "The previous furniture has been sold and removed. We can only add new furniture slowly later."
Nan Yu shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I can understand."
Even though all the things here had been removed, she could still find traces of her past life here.
Nan Yu composed herself and said to Tan Linyuan with a smile, "Do you want me to show you my room?"
Tan Linyuan looked down at her, trying to catch her chaotic emotions. He noticed that she seemed a bit lost now.
But this was inevitable.
After a moment, his Adam's apple rolled slightly. He said calmly, "It would be my honor."