Nan Yu didn't understand Qu Jiaran's intention.
No matter how Qu Jiaran threw a tantrum, Tan Linyuan still refused to take her home.
In his opinion, since there were bodyguards following, there was no need for him to make a detour to the Qu family's place so late. He had been working all day and was at the limit of his exhaustion.
"Fine, considering you've been busy all day," Qu Jiaran pouted and reluctantly accepted the result. "Then be careful on your way back and watch out for your safety!"
Tan Linyuan and Nan Yu stood by the roadside, watching as Qu Jiaran finally got into the car under the escort of the bodyguards.
After getting in the car, Qu Jiaran suddenly seemed to remember something. She waved and called Nan Yu over. "Yu Yu, come here. I have something to whisper to you."
Nan Yu walked over and leaned close to the car window.
Qu Jiaran tilted her head and asked in a voice only audible to them two, "Yu Yu, are you not very happy that I'm going to propose to Linyuan?"
Nan Yu's heart skipped a beat and she flatly denied it. "No."
She wasn't sure if this was another one of Qu Jiaran's tests.
Qu Jiaran stared at her face for a few seconds and then smiled as if relieved. "That's great."
"However, I still don't think today is a good time. I'll propose the next time Linyuan and I are alone!"
She put her hands together in a praying gesture. "Please, Yu Yu, keep this a secret for me!"
Only then did Nan Yu suddenly understand.
So the reason she deliberately pretended not to find the ring was because there was an outsider present, and it wasn't convenient for her to propose.
That outsider was Nan Yu.
...
By the time they got back to Tan Linyuan's villa, it wasn't early anymore.
After taking a shower, Nan Yu still wasn't sleepy.
She started to sort out the gifts and letters she received at the book signing today in the living room.
The fans were very enthusiastic. Nan Yu sat on the sofa and read the letters. Reading the blessings and recognition from the fans, she felt a warm feeling in her heart.
The annoyance from before was also dispelled a lot, and her mood became extremely pleasant.
Being supported in the career she loved was enough to keep her going.
After she finished reading the letters, she started to unwrap the gifts.
Tan Linyuan had noticed since they got in the car that she was carrying two big paper bags filled with colorful things.
Watching her unwrap all kinds of beautifully wrapped presents, Tan Linyuan guessed they must be from her fans.
This was usually the routine for a meet - and - greet.
Just as Tan Linyuan was about to look away and turn to walk into the study to copy scriptures as usual, Nan Yu took out a bottle of perfume from the paper bag. She gently tore off the wrapping film and sprayed a little on her wrist.
The air was soon filled with the scent of orange blossom.
Tan Linyuan remembered this perfume. He had seen the advertisement. It was promoted as a gift for someone you loved, and it had been selling well recently.
He stopped his steps before entering the study and instead walked over to her. "Who gave this?"
"A fan." Nan Yu wasn't repelled by the smell. She brought it to her nose and sniffed it. "It smells nice, doesn't it?"
"Male fan or female fan?" Tan Linyuan didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked another one.
Nan Yu was stunned for a few seconds. She thought his question was rather strange. Did it really matter whether it was a male or female fan?
But Nan Yu still answered. "I don't remember very clearly. It seems to be a male fan."
She recalled for a while and said very firmly, "It was a male fan."
Tan Linyuan didn't say a word.
So Nan Yu continued, "I remember him very well because he was very tall and was wearing a striped shirt. Oh, I also remember that he was wearing a pair of glasses. He looked very scholarly."
So she liked scholarly men?
Tan Linyuan's mood was a bit complicated. He looked at her casually, as if signaling her to continue.
"I talked to him about many topics," Nan Yu continued naturally. "He also liked Horowitz and said my musical style was very similar to his."
She seemed to really like that bottle of perfume. After spraying it twice, she carefully put it back in the box.
"You seem to like it quite a lot?" Tan Linyuan's tone unconsciously turned cold.
He glanced at the brand on the box. The price wouldn't exceed five digits. It was just an ordinary mass - market perfume.
"I like it very much." Nan Yu answered seriously. "This is the first time a fan has given me such an expensive gift."
She held it in her hand for a while as if she couldn't bear to let it go. "Moreover, I really like this fragrance. It suits me very well."
She said this deliberately.
Because she clearly observed that the man in front of her was getting colder and colder.
This coldness was different from his usual aloofness and indifference when facing outsiders. It was more like a coldness caused by his emotions being affected.
It was as if a thin layer of frost was slowly covering his eyes.
Normally, Tan Linyuan would keep the indoor temperature quite high for fear that Nan Yu would be cold. But now it felt stuffy.
Nan Yu looked into his cold eyes, and her palms involuntarily began to sweat.
She was a bit scared, but she also felt excited.
She was provoking him.
She was provoking him blatantly and knowingly.
She could sense that a storm was coming—
The next second, Tan Linyuan snatched the perfume box from her hand and threw it to the edge of the sofa like trash.
Then he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards his chest.
Nan Yu wasn't prepared. She stumbled and fell into his arms, hearing his heart pounding violently due to anger.
She held her breath, trying to figure out the source of his emotions.
Tan Linyuan lowered his head and looked at her. His eyes narrowed ambiguously, as if he was also trying to confirm whether what she said was true or false.
But obviously, his patience was running out.
Soon, he kissed her. It was a fierce kiss full of unnamed anger, plundering and occupying every inch of her mouth.
He wasn't as forgiving as a god, but as domineering and aggressive as a devil.
In his frenzy, he almost kissed her without giving her a chance to catch her breath, and made her sit on his lap.
Nan Yu's face turned red because of the lack of air. She pounded his chest with her hands, but it was obviously useless.
During this time, the smell of orange blossom between them became more and more fragrant due to the rising temperature.
His kiss was very skillful. His palm rubbed against her slender waist, making her feel an itching sensation deep inside her body.
It wasn't until he had vented all his emotions that he finally relented and let her go. He looked at her with a heavy gaze.
Her cheeks were flushed, her chest was heaving up and down due to her rapid breathing, and her lips were bright red.
She was like a doll nestled in his arms, too weak to go anywhere.
For a moment, a crazy thought flashed through Tan Linyuan's mind:
He really should break her hands and feet so that she couldn't go anywhere.
After Nan Yu caught her breath, her hands slowly slid off his collar. She looked at him with watery eyes. "Is it over?"
Of course not.
His greed and desire couldn't be quenched by just one kiss.
But before that, he had to get rid of the thing that shouldn't be here.
Tan Linyuan glanced at the perfume he had just thrown into the gap between the sofa cushions. He bent down, reached out his hand, and fished out the box.
Under Nan Yu's gaze, he casually threw it into the trash can.
He wanted her to see it clearly.
The sound of the box hitting the ground was so loud that Nan Yu exclaimed in disbelief. "Why did you throw away my gift?"