"Can't I come?" Tan Linyuan asked lightly.
As he spoke, Tan Linyuan got up from the sofa and walked towards her.
The moment he approached, Nan Yu caught a faint scent of incense on him, mixed with a bitter aroma.
Presumably, he had gone to Changuang Temple again after leaving the hospital.
Nan Yu took a step back, keeping a certain distance from him, and said in a lukewarm tone, "I think we've made things clear between us."
Tan Linyuan didn't deny it either. He just said indifferently, "You only said you'd move out of my place. You didn't say I couldn't come to see you."
... What a sophistry!
Nan Yu felt a bit flustered. She stammered, "It's already very late. Don't you have to chant scriptures tonight, Uncle?"
She was clearly giving him the brush-off.
Tan Linyuan wasn't in a hurry. He just looked at her and said, "Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"
Nan Yu kept silent.
Tan Linyuan continued, "For example, why I still insisted on marrying Qu Jiaran even though I knew my own fate?"
Nan Yu bit her lips, feeling oppressed.
She realized that she would never be able to outwit Tan Linyuan. He could foresee the outcome and development of everything.
In front of him, she was like an unfolded fan. He could clearly see all the patterns and folds on it.
But she couldn't see through him, as if there was a thin mist between them.
Tan Linyuan's gaze was cold, and there was no ripple in his eyes. "Qu Jiaran's condition has deteriorated to the point where even the gods can't save her."
Nan Yu had already learned this fact from Qi Zhu.
With the strength of the Qu family, if there was even a glimmer of hope, they would surely spare no expense to save her.
Since there was none, it meant that there was really no way to save her in this world.
"Among the descendants of the Tan family, besides my elder brother and me, there's only my uncle's daughter. There's no one else."
Suddenly bringing up the family affairs of the Tan family, a look of surprise flashed across Nan Yu's eyes.
This was the first time he had taken the initiative to mention his family relationships.
Tan Linyuan continued nonchalantly, "My elder brother died young, and my cousin got married last year. I'm the only male heir left in the Tan family."
Vaguely, Nan Yu guessed what he was going to say next.
Tan Linyuan glanced at her and twitched his lips. "Now, even though the Tan family knows about the fate predicted by Master Wenjing back then, they still want to go against the heavens and force me to get married and have a child to leave an heir for the Tan family."
"So you're going to have a child with Qu Jiaran..." Nan Yu covered her mouth in disbelief.
This was just too inhumane!
How many years did Qu Jiaran have left? Wouldn't pregnancy do even more harm to her body?
Tan Linyuan looked at her like she was a fool. "It's not what you think. I won't touch her either."
Nan Yu felt a bit relieved.
Tan Linyuan squinted his eyes and said in a cold tone, "Since that's the case, I'll just go along with their wishes and marry Qu Jiaran."
His intention was already obvious.
He would marry Qu Jiaran according to the wishes of the Tan family. After Qu Jiaran died, he would be able to confirm the title of "lonely and evil star" that Master Wenjing had predicted back then.
By that time, even if the Tan family didn't believe it, the women outside would be afraid and dare not marry him because of this.
After all, the girls who were well - matched with the Tan family were all from wealthy families.
Who would be willing to let their precious daughter marry into a family and suffer such a curse?
In this way, he would really end up lonely for the rest of his life, just as Master Wenjing had predicted.
Wasn't this also a kind of curse?
Nan Yu felt sad and deeply powerless.
It seemed that this was the only solution.
And also the best solution.
"You don't have to feel sorry for Qu Jiaran. She also has her own difficulties."
Tan Linyuan guessed what Nan Yu was thinking. "She doesn't have much time left. If she doesn't choose me, her father will also use her marriage to win over other people."
When he mentioned this, Nan Yu remembered that there were a few posts on Qu Jiaran's Moments not long ago about accompanying her father to social events.
It turned out that her trip to Jingbei wasn't just for treatment.
A sense of desolation welled up in Nan Yu's heart. She didn't know if it was for Qu Jiaran or for Tan Linyuan.
Perhaps, people always had their inevitable fates.
Nan Yu opened her mouth, just about to say something when her phone suddenly rang.
She looked down at the screen. Tan Linyuan said indifferently, "Answer it."
So Nan Yu answered the call.
It was Shen Yanche calling. "Yuyu, are you free now? I want to meet you and talk to you."
Nan Yu was stunned. She looked at the time. "It's half past ten now. It's already very late. Let's talk on the phone."
"I'm at your door."
Shen Yanche's voice came from the receiver. "It's a bit urgent. Can you open the door for me?"
Nan Yu didn't say a word.
Shen Yanche asked again, "Is there a guest at home?"
Nan Yu looked up instinctively.
Tan Linyuan was standing not far from her. He raised his eyebrows at her.
... No.
She mustn't let Shen Yanche know that Tan Linyuan was in her house so late at night.
Not to mention how much Shen Yanche trusted this uncle of his. The fact that a man and a woman were alone in a room together for no reason was enough to arouse suspicion.
She stared at Tan Linyuan for a few seconds.
"Where did you park your car?" Nan Yu suddenly asked.
Tan Linyuan found it strange, but still answered, "I drank a little wine tonight. I took a taxi here."
Nan Yu let out a sigh of relief, making sure that Shen Yanche hadn't seen his signature big G. "That's good."
...
A few minutes later, Nan Yu opened the door and let Shen Yanche in.
She was wearing home pajamas and had a bare face. It seemed that she was about to go to bed.
She had casually put up her hair in a bun, which hung low behind her head, making her facial features look even more delicate.
Compared with usual, there was a lazy air about her now.
Shen Yanche rarely saw Nan Yu like this, so he couldn't help but look at her more.
During this period, he had always been in the hospital accompanying Wen Ying. Looking at her out - of - shape figure and swollen face, he only felt regretful.
If he had known this earlier, he should have married Nan Yu steadily.
The more he couldn't have her, the more precious he thought a woman like Nan Yu was.
"Let's sit down and talk." Nan Yu tried to appear calm, not letting anyone notice anything amiss.
Shen Yanche felt a bit embarrassed. He sat on the sofa and watched as Nan Yu poured him a glass of water.
He tried to find some topics to get closer. "Yuyu, I heard that you signed a music company?"
"Just get straight to the point." Nan Yu bypassed the small talk with him. "I still need to rest after we're done talking."
Of course, she also had to drive the man hiding in the bedroom away.
Shen Yanche didn't expect Nan Yu to be so unkind to him. A hint of impatience flashed through his heart.
There was a time when they could still sit down and chat.
Now, their relationship had become so tense.
"Yuyu, my dad asked me to take you back to the Shen family ancestral home sometime."
Shen Yanche took a deep breath and forced a smile. His attitude was as gentle as before. "Although the wedding date has been postponed, he still hopes that I can take you back to pay respects to our ancestors earlier."
"Pay respects to the ancestors?" Nan Yu was puzzled.
"Well... It's just to toast the elders of the Shen family, burn some paper money for our ancestors, and then..."
He paused for a moment and tried to sound relaxed. "Then re - engrave the ancestral stele and engrave both of our names on it."