"They all hoped I'd die," he said, tugging at his lips with a calm look on his face. "It's a pity that things didn't go as they wished."
Not only did he not die, but he was tougher than anyone else.
"Don't say such things," Nan Yu reached out to cover his mouth, trying to make him stop. "You're a good person. You'll live a long life."
Tan Linyuan: "..."
Although he understood that there was no other meaning behind her words, he still couldn't help being amused by what she said.
She said he was a good person.
She wished him a long life.
After hearing these stories, Nan Yu felt as if she couldn't breathe, her heart churning like a stormy sea.
Since childhood, he had seemed to be walking alone in the cold winter. How did he manage to get through that kind of desperate situation step by step?
It was like being in a world of ice and snow, with no one to redeem him.
And now, he was a man in a high position, a man respected and feared by others, a living Buddha in the eyes of outsiders.
No wonder when she first met him, she felt that he was as cold and solitary as the wind and snow, as if he had lost the earthly flavor of the mortal world.
He had been reborn from the brink of despair and was now gilded with the aura of a god.
It was no different from shaping a Buddha with one's own body.
He was the pure white snow that had accumulated on the mountain for years, hard to melt.
His heart, presumably, was the same.
...
As the night deepened, the mountain wind became sharp, blowing up her hair and fluttering her clothes.
Tan Linyuan checked the time, stood up from the steps, and dusted off his pants.
"Let's go back."
Nan Yu nodded and stood up, holding on to his arm.
The large coat Tan Linyuan had given her almost covered her knees.
It's easier to go up the mountain than to come down.
Going down the mountain at night required extra caution, with every step taken carefully.
Fortunately, Tan Linyuan held her hand tightly, giving her a sense of absolute security all the time.
When they stopped to rest halfway down the mountain, Nan Yu poked Tan Linyuan's left chest with her finger.
She hesitated before asking, "Did you get a scar there... back then?"
She got very close, and the sweet fragrance of her body wafted into his breath, making his Adam's apple bob.
Tan Linyuan paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and retorted, "We've done it so many times. Aren't you the one who should know best whether I have a scar or not?"
Nan Yu: "..."
Tan Linyuan smiled. "Or does Miss Nan only focus on enjoying herself and never notice these details?"
Nan Yu tilted her head up, blushing and speaking in a soft voice. "I've never seen it before."
But she immediately defended herself. "It's not that I only focus on enjoying myself! It's because the lights were always off. How could I see clearly..."
As she spoke, her voice got softer and softer, almost inaudible.
"Is that so?" Tan Linyuan's voice deepened, and his Adam's apple rolled. "Then we'll turn on the lights tonight so you can take a good look."
He said it calmly, like a gentleman.
"There's no need to go out of your way..." Nan Yu swallowed, trying to decline casually. But the next second, Tan Linyuan picked her up in his arms.
The large coat covered her body.
She was held in his arms, her cheeks burning even hotter. "I can walk by myself."
"You walk too slowly." Even though Tan Linyuan was carrying her down the mountain, his breathing was still steady, but his voice was a bit hoarse.
Her soft arms wrapped around his neck, and her head rested on his chest.
In the thick night, Nan Yu could only hear his breathing above her head and the steady footsteps of the man.
"Why are you in such a hurry to go down? We can take our time."
"Wasn't it you who wanted to see?"
"..."
Nan Yu felt her face burning even more. She simply covered her face with her hands.
-
As soon as the car pulled up in front of the villa, the two of them were already locked in a passionate kiss inside.
Nan Yu's eyes were moist as she stared into his.
At this moment, there was a hint of childishness in her eyes, as well as the purest need and desire.
Their breaths were like the damp night, and the heat in their bodies was rising in waves.
Her arms wrapped around his body like a water snake, responding to his kisses again and again.
Tan Linyuan's self - control didn't completely break down. He stopped what was about to turn into something more intimate in the car.
He let go of the hand on Nan Yu's back. Under her hazy gaze, he opened the door and got out of the car. Then he walked around to the passenger - side door.
He picked her up out of the car.
It wasn't that Nan Yu was delicate. Tan Linyuan judged from her reaction that her legs were probably too weak to take a single step.
And in fact, that was exactly the case.
-
The lights in the master bedroom had three levels of brightness. Tan Linyuan turned on the dimmest setting.
The visibility was low. They could only see each other.
The darker the environment, the more it promoted the production of hormones.
Nan Yu straddled Tan Linyuan and looked down into his cold and aloof eyes.
They had both taken a shower, and Tan Linyuan had changed into a light - gray bathrobe.
The buttons at the collar were loose. Maybe he had done it on purpose, revealing a large expanse of his chest, with healthy - looking skin.
Her eyes stayed on the half - open collar of his bathrobe, staring intently.
Looking down from above, she swallowed hard, and her eyes couldn't help but be drawn to his ascetic and elegant face.
For no reason, she had a feeling that she was desecrating a god.
She voiced her thoughts. "Am I desecrating you like this?"
After she said it, she thought her words were rather strange.
Nan Yu blinked her eyes, looking very innocent and pure.
Tan Linyuan stared at her intently with a heavy look in his eyes. He was a bit unhappy to see that she had been distracted since earlier.
"I don't mind if you go a bit further."
As if he thought she was progressing too slowly, Tan Linyuan took her hand and guided it into his chest.
They were used to being passionate with each other. This kind of tentative exploration was really the first time.
Nan Yu closed her eyes shyly and could only judge by touch. Her fingers touched his firm and smooth chest.
It was very warm.
She took a deep breath and then slowly opened her eyes.
The left side of his chest was flat. There was no hideous scar like Nan Yu had imagined.
She rubbed her eyes and, forgetting her shyness for a moment, murmured to herself, "There's nothing there?"
"Get closer and look," Tan Linyuan's eyes narrowed slightly, deep as an ancient well. "Look carefully."
Nan Yu leaned in as he said, her cheek getting closer. Her warm breath fell on his skin.
She held her breath. With the extremely faint light, she finally noticed a very thin and long fibrous hyperplasia, not far from the heart, just a few centimeters away.
It was obvious that the cut had been very deep back then.
However, because Tan Linyuan had fair skin, the scar was hard to see without a careful look.
"You're amazing," Nan Yu still leaned over, running her finger over the scar. "It's almost completely unnoticeable."
"Yeah," Tan Linyuan took a deep breath, trying hard to ignore the tingling sensation and only responding with a grunt.
"How did you do it? Could it be that you're really a living god?"
Nan Yu asked very innocently, her finger repeatedly touching the barely visible white line.
She didn't know that the man she was straddling was already burning with desire.
Unable to bear her teasing any longer, he couldn't help but reach out and hold her little hand, his voice hoarse. "You guessed right."