Nan Yu was forced to meet his gaze. Her voice was as light as a wisp of mist that could be blown away at any moment. "How can you wear two rings?"
There was a sense of emptiness in her tone, as if it had come from a far - off place. It was so ethereal that one could hardly grasp it.
Tan Linyuan was almost in a daze for a moment, but soon his gaze darkened. "It doesn't really matter."
"It does matter." Nan Yu repeated stubbornly. "Tan Linyuan, it matters a great deal."
"Yu Yu, sometimes you don't need to be so nit - picky." Tan Linyuan's eyes were calm. "It's just a decoration. It doesn't mean anything."
Just a decoration?
Nan Yu opened her mouth, wanting to ask if the ring she had given him before was also just a decoration to him. Or had he used the same excuse to respond to Qu Jiaran's questioning?
"You told Qu Jiaran the same thing, didn't you?"
She clearly noticed a flicker of surprise between Tan Linyuan's eyebrows, which quickly faded back to calm. But Nan Yu knew that was the surprise of having her guess confirmed.
He didn't answer, but his silence was an answer.
Suddenly, she lost the strength to pursue the truth and forced a bitter smile that was utterly meaningless.
So, the ring that meant so much to her was nothing to him.
Tan Linyuan looked at her and felt a tightness in his chest. He wanted to open his mouth to explain but found he had no idea where to start.
He could only continue, "I'm not hiding it from you because I'm keeping my promise to you. But this won't change..."
"You mean it won't change our relationship as bed partners?" Nan Yu interrupted him quickly.
Tan Linyuan frowned slightly, his tone cold. "If you want to see it that way, it's up to you."
Nan Yu lowered her eyes, and her voice became subdued. "You're saying that you'll marry Qu Jiaran, and I'll continue to be the one who meddles in your marriage?"
She originally wanted to say "mistress," but the word was too vulgar. She felt ashamed and didn't want to carry such a stigma.
Tan Linyuan frowned, and his tone grew colder. "Nan Yu, don't put it so crudely. Our relationship isn't that bad."
"I understand." Nan Yu nodded, her chin jutting down forcefully as if in agreement. "We're just fuck - buddies. There's no question of feelings."
Tan Linyuan was displeased with her misrepresentation. He said coldly, "Since you still remember this, you should also remember—"
"I remember. Our rule: only talk about things in bed, not outside of it." Nan Yu let out a slow breath and smiled at him.
As soon as she said this, the room fell silent.
Yes, theirs was just a fleeting affair.
She was so stupid to take a businessman's words seriously; so naive to think a man like him could fall for her.
She wanted to ask him: How much of what he had said and done was real, and how much was fake? Or was it all just an illusion from start to finish?
Tan Linyuan sensed something was wrong and tried to pull her into his arms, but she struggled desperately.
"Let go of me."
Only when Tan Linyuan grabbed her arm did he notice that her body was trembling slightly.
He was momentarily stunned and let go of her.
Nan Yu took a few steps back and tried to keep her voice from shaking. "Since Uncle is going to marry Qu Jiaran, our relationship ends here."
No matter what kind of relationship it was, it should come to an end.
Tan Linyuan's face darkened, and his tone was tinged with anger. "You're not in a position to decide it's over."
He didn't know how flustered he sounded when he said this.
"You can't object. Qu Jiaran and I are so close. She treats me as her best friend. Sooner or later, she'll find out about our relationship. Then, Uncle, with your saint - like reputation, can still be above reproach. But what about me? Will I be labeled as the one who seduced my best friend's husband and live a life where everyone hates me?"
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with mockery. "I can't do such a shameful thing."
Tan Linyuan's eyes instantly turned icy cold.
After a moment, he sneered. "Now you're being so high - and - mighty. Why didn't you say you couldn't do it before?"
The hand that was originally going to caress her face tightened and began to pinch her cheeks roughly.
Nan Yu winced in pain and instinctively opened her mouth to cry out, but he kissed her fiercely. "You were also engaged to Shen Yanche, but you still slept with me countless times. Why didn't you think it was shameful then?"
Nan Yu's pupils shrank suddenly, and she looked at the man in front of her in shock.
He was truly a man in power, and he knew her so well that he knew exactly what words could hurt her the most.
Nan Yu struggled hard, but she was no match for him. His strength was so great that he could restrain her wrist with just one hand.
She couldn't move and was forced to endure his wanton plunder.
This time, it was even more brutal than the last, almost crushing every bit of her.
He was unwilling to show her an ounce of mercy, but the devilish desire burned her completely.
What was even more pitiful was that they had become so compatible that it was easy for her passion to rise and flood over.
She couldn't help but think helplessly: She had been slept with so many times that even her body's responses were out of her control.
Yes, what was she being so high - and - mighty about?
Tan Linyuan knew her body better than she knew herself.
Her body betrayed her even before her mind did.
She had always known that she and Tan Linyuan were having a doomsday carnival where there was only today and no tomorrow.
And that doomsday had finally arrived.
From now on, there would be no more tomorrows.
No more tomorrows with Tan Linyuan.
If Tan Linyuan's marriage to Qu Jiaran was out of necessity, then her relationship with Tan Linyuan was simply unacceptable.
One out of necessity, the other unacceptable.
When the pleasure reached its peak, Nan Yu's heart plunged to the bottom and shattered into pieces.
When it was over, Tan Linyuan hugged her in his arms as usual and pinched her cheek.
His hand came away wet.
She was crying with her eyes closed.
Tan Linyuan's fingers trembled slightly.
Nan Yu took a deep breath, still with her eyes closed, her voice hoarse. "Uncle, let me go."
"Let you go?" Tan Linyuan repeated, as if he found her amusing. "Where would you go if I let you go?"
His voice paused for a moment, but he still said mercilessly, "Continue to marry into the Shen family and be a nominal Mrs. Shen, raising someone else's children in the future?"
His gaze was heavy, as if he was just one step away from asking: What other options do you have?
She didn't know how to put it to make herself look more dignified. "It doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with Uncle anymore."
She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and said word by word, "I only have this worthless life now. It doesn't matter if it's poor or dirty. I just hope it's at least honest."
Nan Yu lay flat on the bed, staring straight at the ceiling and never once looking at Tan Linyuan.
She didn't want to live in the dream web woven by Tan Linyuan anymore.
She also didn't want to explore how much of his past words and actions were fake for her and how much were real for Qu Jiaran.
It turned out that in this world, the line between truth and falsehood was not clear.
Everything was in his game.
She thought she could play against him on this chessboard, but in fact, she had already lost completely.
There was no chance of winning. She couldn't play anymore.
Nan Yu wiped her face with both hands and said in a flat tone, "I'll move out of here tomorrow."
"Thank you, Uncle, for taking care of me during this time... I'm extremely grateful."