Nan Yu led Tan Linyuan into her bedroom.
The light-beige painted walls, with the autumn sunlight streaming in through the window, made the whole room look soft and gentle.
Nan Yu pointed to a corner of the room. "There used to be a small piano here. It's been there since I can remember. Look, there are still marks on the wall from the bumps."
Tan Linyuan leaned over to take a look. Sure enough, there was a faint indentation, presumably left over time.
"And here," Nan Yu said, using her finger to mark out an empty space. "There used to be a whole set of cabinets here. Inside were sheet music and records, including my masterpieces."
She vividly acted out as if the things were still there in the empty room.
Tan Linyuan listened patiently, watching her talk about her past as if recounting precious treasures.
She had been so happy in the past.
Those things made him envious and, at the same time, relieved.
She had grown up in love, unlike him.
As she talked, she suddenly fell silent, and the hand that had been held up in the air slowly dropped.
"But why did everything suddenly disappear?"
She blinked her eyes and buried her face. A tear rolled down.
"Tan Linyuan, why was everything fine... but suddenly I'm all alone?"
Although she had long been aware of the truth, at this moment, she couldn't help feeling sad. The traces of her parents' existence would only remain in her mind from now on.
From then on, she was truly alone.
Tan Linyuan was silent for a moment.
He took a deep breath and watched her standing in front of the window with her back to him. Her voice gradually faded away.
The air began to be filled with the dampness of tears.
Tan Linyuan closed his eyes and finally walked over. He grabbed her arm, pulled her into his arms, and used his fingertips to wipe away her tears.
Even though the Buddha in his heart had said "shouldn't" a million times.
He was a god who shouldn't be involved in the mortal world. His burning and profound sins might very well hurt her.
He ignored those voices, lowered his head to her, and only listened to her sobs.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that, compared to those gossips, what he couldn't bear the most was her grievance and sadness.
His fingers gently ran through her hair, lifted her head, and kissed away her tears one by one.
He tasted her tears, hot and slightly bitter.
He couldn't bear to see them fall.
"I'll be with you from now on."
Nan Yu didn't have the time to distinguish whether this was a promise or a consolation.
She tightly closed her eyes and could feel the sunlight from the window falling on her back, gently gilding her with a layer of golden glow.
His kisses carried a soothing meaning.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw the light passing through his eyelashes and scattering tiny rays on his nose bridge.
The trajectory of the light gradually became clearly visible.
She remembered from physics class that this was called the Tyndall effect.
Nan Yu pursed her lips and hugged him.
"Tan Linyuan."
He knew that she just wanted to call his name at this moment. "Yes."
---
To thank Tan Linyuan for helping her buy Ye Nanwan in advance, Nan Yu offered to treat him to a meal.
Tan Linyuan hooked the corner of his mouth. "It's the first time I've heard you offer to treat me to a meal after knowing Miss Nan for so long."
Nan Yu: "… Haven't I said that before?"
It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned it. Once he did, Nan Yu felt a bit embarrassed.
Tan Linyuan had helped her quite a few times, but she had deliberately or inadvertently ignored them.
Before, she didn't know how to thank him because he was so rich and powerful that he seemed to lack nothing. Later, she got used to relying on him and didn't think about repaying him anymore.
Anyway, she accompanied him to sleep every day, so she regarded this as a kind of equivalent exchange.
Now, being teased by him like this, she seemed like a heartless "bad girl" who didn't recognize him after getting what she wanted.
Nan Yu coughed twice and felt a bit awkward. "So, do you want to eat or not?"
"Since Miss Nan has invited me, I naturally have to give her face." Tan Linyuan pinched the bridge of his nose. "However, may I choose the restaurant?"
"… Okay."
Nan Yu gritted her teeth and mentally prepared herself for a big expense. "Judging from what you said, you're planning to rip me off, aren't you?"
"You guessed right." Tan Linyuan glanced at her, smiled, and started the car engine at the same time.
There were only a few high-class restaurants in Jiangcheng. A casual meal there would cost at least five digits.
She comforted herself in her heart: Anyway, she would also eat, so just consider it a reward for her hard work recently.
Even so, she still couldn't help feeling heartache.
The car hadn't driven for long when Tan Linyuan's phone kept ringing.
During a red light, he hung up the phone several times, but the other person still kept calling him persistently. It was the same number over and over again.
Nan Yu couldn't help but speak up. "You'd better answer it. What if it's an emergency?"
Tan Linyuan turned to look at her and finally pulled the car over to the side of the road and answered the phone.
"Tan Linyuan, if you don't answer the phone again, I won't take care of the bullshit in the chamber of commerce anymore!" Liang Yi called and started scolding him right away.
"Those old guys are united and causing trouble again. It's still about the previous dividend."
Tan Linyuan frowned. "I'm not convenient now. Let's talk later."
"Later? If it's any later, the chamber of commerce will change hands!"
Liang Yi was so angry that he was jumping up and down on the other end of the phone. "Tan, you know I don't have much say. I can't hold the fort for you!"
"By then, if those people are united, I'll be like a wallflower and lean to one side. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Tan Linyuan hung up the phone expressionlessly.
He still drove calmly, but there was a bit more coldness between his eyebrows than before.
"Is there a problem with the chamber of commerce?" Nan Yu wasn't sure if it was overstepping to ask this. "You don't have to say if it's inconvenient."
Tan Linyuan answered casually. "It's just a small fuss."
Nan Yu didn't quite believe it.
She wasn't really that naive.
With Tan Linyuan's current position, it was impossible for a small matter in the chamber of commerce to bother him.
Nan Yu hesitated for a while and still tentatively suggested. "Why don't you go and deal with it first? We can have this meal anytime."
Tan Linyuan said indifferently. "And leave you by the roadside?"
Nan Yu: "… It's not impossible. Anyway, you've done it before."
She still remembered that on the day of the engagement, he had promised to take her back but left her by the roadside halfway.
Tan Linyuan laughed. "You don't remember my kindness but remember the grudge instead."
Nan Yu proudly straightened her back. "That's right."
Looking at her bright smiling face, Tan Linyuan suddenly had another idea.
Seeing him change the direction, Nan Yu asked him. "Where are we going now?"
He started the car again, turned the steering wheel, and said, "I'm afraid dinner will have to be changed to supper."
Nan Yu guessed the answer. "You're going to the chamber of commerce now?"
"Yes, I'll take you with me." Tan Linyuan's voice was calm. "You'll meet a bunch of old men later. Do you have any objections?"