After Nanyu said this, Tan Linyuan remained silent for a long time.
Nanyu called out softly, "Tan Linyuan?"
She would always call him by his name when she was being serious.
Only when she was being sarcastic or teasing would she call him "Uncle Tan."
At this moment, she was waiting for his response.
A few seconds later, Tan Linyuan finally spoke, his voice a bit hoarse. "Yuyu, do you know about mayflies?"
Nanyu had heard of them before.
"The lifespan of a mayfly is extremely short. It lives for just a day. It may long to live a few more days, but fate doesn't give it a chance."
Tan Linyuan twitched his lips, as if in self - mockery. "Whether one is afraid or not, the result and answer are the same."
Fate doesn't change according to an individual's will.
Having said this, he stopped.
Nanyu could afford not to be afraid because she had never truly seen the cruelty of fate.
But he had witnessed it countless times.
He couldn't, and didn't dare, to use Nanyu as a bet.
He wasn't afraid of loneliness because he had lived like this for nearly thirty years.
But if something happened to her, he would spend the rest of his life in guilt and regret.
That would be a deeper kind of torture than death.
Nanyu said nothing.
She understood what he meant and what he was afraid of.
Nanyu laughed softly. "I didn't know that even a god could be so cowardly."
People regarded this jade - faced and gilded him as a faith.
But she thought he was a coward.
A coward who didn't dare to fight against fate, a coward who didn't even want to ask if she was willing to accept such a result.
It always seemed like this. He always kept her at a distance. It was as if the closer their bodies got, the farther their hearts drifted apart.
She couldn't help but feel tired in this relationship.
Now that the whole situation was out in the open, he still didn't want to give her the slightest chance.
It was as if he had put himself on a pedestal.
Nanyu took a few steps back, breaking free from his embrace and moving further away.
The warmth in front of her instantly faded.
Nanyu said, "You should go now. It's not easy to get a taxi at night."
Her intention to see him off was obvious.
Tan Linyuan didn't say a word. He just glanced at her, picked up his clothes that were placed beside, and walked into the bathroom.
After changing his clothes, he came out and stood at the door.
Nanyu didn't look at him again. She just lowered her head to tidy up the bed sheets and pillows.
Neither of them took the initiative to speak.
The room was completely silent. Nanyu forced herself to turn her back to him and remained silent.
After a long time, Tan Linyuan finally said, "Then I'll go. You should rest early."
Nanyu still didn't turn around. She just let out a soft "hmm".
There was the sound of the doorknob turning, the gradually fading sound of footsteps, and finally the sound of the door opening and closing.
Nanyu stood in front of the window and watched the figure leaving in front of the villa.
The shadow swayed with the light.
He was really gone.
---
The next day, Nanyu was talking to Sister Min in the company about the cooperation for the new song.
"The director said that in order to immerse you more into the plot, he invites you to watch the unedited version of the movie."
Sister Min had shown her some edited clips before, but her understanding of this art film was still very one - sided.
So, she quite agreed with this suggestion. "Do I need to go on a business trip?"
"Probably. It'll be about three days. The company will cover your airfare and hotel, but other expenses will be on you." Sister Min smiled. "You've probably never been to Beicheng, right?"
It was already winter across the country, and the temperature in Beicheng had dropped below zero.
Sister Min told Nanyu to bring more warm clothes, like down jackets, hats, and gloves, to prevent catching a cold from the cold.
The night before her departure, Shen Yanche called to ask if Nanyu had made up her mind.
Nanyu said that she was going on a business trip and would talk about it when she got back.
Shen Yanche hung up the phone helplessly and returned to the maternity ward. Wen Ying was still lying in the bed, looking at him coldly.
"Were you calling your fiancée?" Wen Ying crossed her arms over her chest. Being pregnant didn't affect her domineering attitude. "Is it because I'm pregnant that you can't hold it anymore?"
To be honest, Shen Yanche did feel a bit tempted.
Before, Nanyu wouldn't let him touch her, so he had taken Wen Ying as his mistress. Who would have thought that after just a few times, Wen Ying got pregnant.
Counting the time, it had been nearly a few months since he last had a woman.
Looking at Wen Ying's swollen face, he had absolutely no desire.
Especially her bulging belly, which was starting to show stretch marks. The red marks were shocking.
Shen Yanche impatiently pressed his tongue against his teeth. "If you don't like this child, you can have an abortion."
He had wanted to say this for a long time.
If it weren't for this child, why would he have to live so cautiously? If there were no Wen Ying, he might have already married Nanyu!
He regretted it in his heart, and Wen Ying was relentless. "Shen Yanche! You're so heartless! We just had a check - up the other day. They said it's a son. How could you want to kill your son!"
A son?
Shen Yanche was stunned for a moment, looking overjoyed. "Yingying, are you sure it's a son?"
Seeing his huge change in attitude, Wen Ying turned her head and said disdainfully, "So what if it's a son? Anyway, you were going to have the child aborted. It doesn't matter if it's a son or a daughter!"
"Good Yingying, I was wrong." Seeing that her reaction didn't seem like a lie, Shen Yanche immediately apologized. "I was just saying that out of anger. Don't take it to heart."
Wen Ying glanced at him. "I'm giving birth to a son for your Shen family. I should have a proper status."
What she meant was that she wanted to be Shen Yanche's wife.
Shen Yanche was stunned for a moment, looking embarrassed. "Yingying, we had an agreement before..."
He couldn't marry Wen Ying.
"Alright, alright, stop talking." Wen Ying waved her hand and said irritably, "I don't want to hear anything unpleasant while I'm pregnant. At least during this period, you have to stay with me in the hospital. You're not allowed to go anywhere."
Seeing that she was no longer insisting on marriage, Shen Yanche immediately agreed, putting on a smile on his face. "Sure, sure, sure. I'll stay with you and our son every day!"
After soothing Wen Ying, he went out to call Shen Suhai.
"Dad, Yingying's check - up showed that it's a boy." Shen Yanche was overjoyed and quickly reported the good news to Shen Suhai.
Shen Suhai's attitude was very cold. "Whether it's a son or a daughter, you should hurry up and bring Nanyu back to the ancestral home!"
This was the most important thing.
Only by changing Nanyu's fate to the Shen family could...
Shen Yanche said, "I'm afraid that's not possible. Yuyu is on a business trip these days, and..." Shen Yanche looked back at the ward. "Yingying has a bit of prenatal depression recently. I have to stay with her."
"Scoundrel!" Shen Suhai roared into the receiver. "Can't you tell what's important and what's not?"
Shen Yanche didn't care about priorities. Now that Wen Ying was pregnant with his son!
Moreover, his grandfather's will clearly stated that as long as he, Shen Yanche, had a son, everything in the Shen family would be his.
As for Nanyu, well, the monk may run away, but the temple won't. There was no need to rush.
Thinking of this, he became more confident. "Dad, there's always a way out. Nanyu won't get away."
"Yingying's due date is still three months away. We'll have to wait until the child is born."
After saying this, he hung up the phone, ignoring how angry his father would be on the other end.
---
In the afternoon, Wen Ying asked Shen Yanche to buy her strawberries.
There were no strawberries nearby, so he had to drive to a large shopping mall a few kilometers away.
Making sure that no one would come to the room for a while, Wen Ying took out her phone and called Tan Linyuan.