Nan Yu didn't think she had the nerve to say, "I want you to marry me."
It was just too crazy and the chances of it happening were extremely slim.
So she settled for something less. She only hoped that he would call off his engagement to Qu Jiaran.
In this way, she could still deceive herself and indulge in the delusion named Tan Linyuan.
Even if there was no happy ending for them in the end.
She summoned up her courage and said, "If Uncle Tan calls off his engagement to Qu Jiaran, from then on, I'll do whatever you say."
She staked all her courage, just for a chance to be with him in the open.
Tan Linyuan looked at Nan Yu and truly felt her straightforward affection.
If I love you—
I will never be a climbing trumpet creeper
Using your high boughs to show off my height.*
Tan Linyuan looked at her. She had a kind of resolute nobility that made her need no dependence and no humbleness.
She was born a pure flower.
Tan Linyuan thought he had looked into countless people's eyes, but only when his eyes met Nan Yu's did he feel a flustered urge to flee.
He didn't know how long the silence lasted.
Suddenly, Tan Linyuan stood up. His eyes swept over her swollen - free wrist as he said in a low and calm voice, "Apply some hot compress on it while you sleep tonight. If it still feels uncomfortable tomorrow, remember to go to the hospital."
He evaded her words.
He didn't even give her an answer.
Nan Yu's heart, which had been hanging at its highest point, now began to sink like a sponge filled with water.
It sank and sank until it reached the deepest part of the sea.
Tan Linyuan didn't say goodbye when he left. He just walked out of the door and closed it in her sight.
Ye Nanwan was very quiet.
He had said that he would give her anything she wanted.
In the huge living room, there was only Nan Yu's soft murmur:
"Liar."
—
Meanwhile, the Shen family was in an uproar.
Shen Yanche had been staying in the hospital with Wen Ying recently. He was called back home by Shen Suhai on the phone tonight.
Shen Suhai told him the whole story with a cold face: they had sent people to kidnap Nan Yu, but Tan Linyuan had intercepted them on the way.
Shen Yanche felt a bit guilty. "Dad, why did you want to kidnap Yu Yu?"
"Why?" Shen Suhai's face was ashen. "If we don't get that girl back to marry you soon, the Shen family will be driven to a dead end by your second uncle!"
Seeing his father getting angry, Shen Yanche murmured in a low voice, "… If Second Uncle really wants to deal with us, it doesn't matter who we marry back."
In the past two years, the Shen family had already spent a great deal of effort to compete with the Tan family on an equal footing.
It would have been decent to maintain the status quo, but unfortunately, Shen Suhai was too ambitious. He wanted the Shen family to be the sole dominant force.
Shen Suhai leaned on his walking stick and paced around the table. His eyebrows were knitted into a frown. "Do you think you're in charge, or is Master Wenjing in charge?"
Shen Yanche didn't dare to say a word.
Shen Suhai gripped his walking stick tightly. The veins on his old hands stood out. "Since the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce, that Tan Er has never stopped making trouble for me. Does he think I'm really unaware that he wants to drive me to my death?"
Tan Er was a derogatory nickname.
"Dad, are you overthinking?" Shen Yanche said naively. "Out of respect for the past relationship, our families used to get along well. He should give us some leeway…"
"Do you really think he's one of the Tan family!"
Shen Suhai struck his walking stick hard on the ground. "In the whole Jiangcheng, who doesn't know that Tan Er is an ungrateful dog? If he really wants to turn against us, he can even bring down the Tan family!"
Shen Yanche actually didn't know much about the feud among the big families back then. He only knew that Tan Linyuan had been out of favor in his family in the early years. It was only after his elder brother had an accident and the Tan family had no one to succeed that they brought him back.
Unexpectedly, Tan Linyuan was quite capable. He really saved the Tan family from the brink of collapse.
Moreover, he had transformed himself into the handsome and kind - hearted figure in Jiangcheng, becoming a god in people's hearts.
But even so, he was still just a dog working for the Tan family.
Shen Suhai picked up the teacup brought by the servant and drank the tea in one gulp. Then he said, "How long do you plan to hide that woman outside?"
Hearing this, Shen Yanche broke out in a cold sweat. "Dad, what are you talking about? I don't…"
"You good - for - nothing!" Shen Suhai raised his walking stick and hit him. "Do you really think your father doesn't know about your dirty deeds?"
He hit hard. Shen Yanche almost knelt on the ground. "… Dad, it was an accident!"
"I don't care if it was an accident or not."
Shen Suhai pointed at his nose and scolded word by word, "I don't care how you play around outside, but Nan Yu must be a woman of the Shen family! After you get the marriage certificate, write her name in the Shen family's genealogy immediately."
"After a while, I'll invite the master to relocate the Shen family's ancestral tomb. Your names and Nan Yu's must be engraved on the tombstone."
Relocating the tomb was a major rule if one wanted to change the family's feng shui.
Most businessmen attached great importance to feng shui. Moreover, there were indeed rumors that after relocating the tomb or changing the residence, the family would prosper.
In order to turn things around, some people would stop at nothing.
Shen Suhai had planned so much by every possible means. He couldn't tolerate the slightest mistake.
Over the years, he had worked so hard at his age, just to let the Shen family hold the power of the Chamber of Commerce and rule the world of Jiangcheng.
Rather than letting a young fool act recklessly under his nose!
For this battle without gunpowder, although he was old, he was full of confidence.
After all, he still had his last trump card…
Qu Jiaran hadn't bothered Nan Yu recently.
However, occasionally when Nan Yu scrolled through the Moments, she could see Qu Jiaran's daily updates:
She had been to a popular restaurant and found the dessert there terrible;
The new winter coats in the counter were of ordinary design. Although she didn't like them much, she still bought a lot;
Her father had taken her to Jingbei two days ago. The wind in Jingbei was so dry that her skin was about to have an allergic reaction.
These were the things that Qu Jiaran used to send to Nan Yu privately.
Although Nan Yu didn't know why she had suddenly changed, she still felt relieved.
At least she didn't have to be "kidnapped" by "friendship" and do things against her will.
She thought that their relationship with Qu Jiaran would gradually fade.
Until one day, Nan Yu saw a photo of Qu Jiaran in the hospital.
In the picture, only the sleeve of her hospital gown, her arm that looked like a sieve from all the injections, and the connected tubes and needles were shown.
The caption was also quite startling:
This world is no fun. I won't come again next time.
When Nan Yu saw it, her pupils suddenly shrank. She subconsciously clicked on Qu Jiaran's chat box.
Her heart was pounding. Acting on impulse, she sent a message: [Are you okay?]
Unexpectedly, the other side called her directly.
Nan Yu quickly answered the phone.
"Yu Yu, you finally care about me!" The voice on the other end of the phone was full of excitement. "I thought you would never talk to me again."
Nan Yu had no intention of chatting nonsense with her. She got straight to the point. "Are you in the hospital?"
Qu Jiaran let out an "ah". "I've been in the hospital for a week. I was in Jingbei last week and just transferred back to the hospital in Jiangcheng this week."
So the Moments post about going to Jingbei before was because she had gone there for treatment.
Nan Yu was about to ask what kind of serious illness she had, but then Qu Jiaran's smiling voice came again. "Yu Yu, can you come to the hospital to visit me? I miss you so much."