In the end, Tan Linyuan drove back to Jiangcheng by himself.
It was already night when he arrived.
To avoid the dullness and loneliness of going straight home, he drove directly to Liang Yi's bar.
Liang Yi's bar was doing booming business. It had become popular just a few months after its opening and was open until dawn.
Liang Yi was rare surprised to see Tan Linyuan, a rare guest, showing up voluntarily. He dismissed the sexy girl he had been hugging just now, then turned around and went behind the bar to mix a drink for him.
"Try this. It's a new cocktail I just learned to make recently," Liang Yi said casually as he pushed the glass in front of Tan Linyuan. "This one is called 'Greed'."
Tan Linyuan's eyelid twitched involuntarily.
He curled his lips and declined. "I won't drink. I still need to drive later."
"Come on, give me some face and have a taste. There are so many bartenders in my bar. Any one of them can drive you home. What are you worried about?"
Tan Linyuan picked up the glass and took a sip.
At first, it was a bitter taste that hit the back of his tongue. But then, he could taste the increasingly rich fruit and floral aromas. The aftertaste was so sweet that he just wanted to take a second sip, forgetting for a moment about the high - proof alcohol that could make one drunk and lost in a dreamlike state.
No wonder it was called "Greed".
He said casually, "It matches the name quite well."
Even if Tan Linyuan didn't say anything, Liang Yi could tell that he was in a bad mood tonight. "Even our famous 'Buddha Tan' has something bothering him?"
Tan Linyuan glanced at him and didn't bother to respond.
Seeing that Tan Linyuan didn't deny it, Liang Yi became even more interested. "I really hit the nail on the head? I didn't expect that our 'Buddha of Jiangcheng' hasn't completely cut off his seven emotions and six desires and still can't let go of the mortal world."
"I think you'd better shave your head. Get rid of all these annoying hairs and truly achieve Buddhahood on the spot."
There was a teasing tone in his words. After all, Tan Linyuan was so good - looking that many girls in the bar had been staring at him for a while.
Liang Yi didn't believe that if Tan Linyuan really shaved his head one day, the girls would still be infatuated with him.
Tan Linyuan's voice was flat, with no hint of emotion in his tone. "Have you finished all your work? You've really improved your skills at being talkative."
Liang Yi was used to being teased and didn't care. He didn't bother to argue with Tan Linyuan anymore.
When the topic turned to serious matters, he became a bit more serious. "Didn't you ask me to check the ledger of the Chamber of Commerce some time ago? That old fox Shen has embezzled a lot of kickbacks. He's almost sucked the Chamber of Commerce dry."
"Get to the point."
Liang Yi shrugged. "Okay, I did find something different."
Liang Yi glanced around and lowered his voice. "There's a sum of funds that doesn't belong to the Shen family. It was transferred several times and then went through a developer before it ended up in the Shen family's account."
Tan Linyuan was unimpressed and sneered. "Shen Suhai has the backing of the Chamber of Commerce. He's done a lot of shady business. Do you really need to mention this specifically?"
He raised his eyelids. "With your skills, it'll probably take you ten years to catch up with your elder brother."
"Your mother!" Liang Yi was most sensitive about being said to be inferior to his elder brother. He was completely enraged by Tan Linyuan's words and angrily tried to climb over the bar to punch him. "If it were just an ordinary black - account, do you think I'd report it to you?"
No matter how angry Liang Yi got, Tan Linyuan remained unmoved. "Your language is vulgar."
Liang Yi snorted. "Tan, just wait until I finish. Then you'll have to kowtow to me and thank me. I've calculated this sum of money for you. Guess what? It exactly matches the debt I helped the Nan family to count before, to the last cent."
In an instant, Tan Linyuan's eyes darkened, and there was a faint coldness on his lips.
So the Shen family had played both the good and the bad guys.
Finally seeing a change in Tan Linyuan's expression, Liang Yi happily took out a cigarette case and lit one. "So, how are you going to thank me for this?"
Tan Linyuan looked up at him.
"Smoke less. It'll affect your kidney function."
Liang Yi: "..."
---
As soon as the snow stopped, Nan Yu immediately took a flight back to Jiangcheng.
As soon as she landed, she took a taxi to Leyu and reported the progress of her work to Sister Min, saying that she could finish the music piece in at most half a month. Then she went back to Yenanwan.
She had been away from home for a week, but there was no dust. The house was still very clean.
There was a bunch of eustoma in the vase in the living room. Judging from the degree of withering of the petals, it had been there for two days.
Nan Yu stared at the flowers for a while, then went over to change the water. The flowers finally looked a bit more lively than before.
She knew that besides her, there was only one other person who could enter this house.
She was so sure because he had once said that he didn't like to let others handle the things he cared about.
So was sending her a bunch of flowers something he cared about?
Maybe.
He cared about so many things. Was there anything in the world that he didn't care about?
...
Nan Yu locked herself in Yenanwan for a whole week. She even relied on take - out for meals and hardly left the house.
She had promised Sister Min to hand in the first draft within half a month, but she managed to finish it in just a week.
Sister Min told her on the phone that she didn't need to be in such a hurry since the client had given them enough time, but Nan Yu was determined to finish it as soon as possible.
But Nan Yu thought differently.
She had only watched the movie once, and the uncut and cut versions combined were only two viewings. Even though she had been deeply immersed in it at that time, the initial feeling would gradually fade away as time passed.
She had to preserve that initial emotion through music before she forgot it. She couldn't afford to delay.
After she finished it, she sent the first draft to Sister Min via email.
Less than an hour later, Sister Min called her and asked if it was convenient for them to discuss it in person.
They decided to meet at Yenanwan.
Sister Min drove all the way there. She had done extremely thorough preparatory work. She even printed out several copies of the electronic music score that Nan Yu had sent.
"Wow, Sister Min, you're so professional," Nan Yu praised without hesitation.
Sister Min smiled and handed her a folder. "You're so efficient. Of course, I have to cooperate with you and not hold you back."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Sister Min, who had graduated from a famous music academy, pointed out several obscure parts in Nan Yu's music score. She also determined the pieces to be played and the main melody. Finally, they finalized a version that both of them were satisfied with.
Seeing Sister Min's brow gradually relax and seeing her nod in approval, Nan Yu heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm glad I didn't disappoint you."
"What I say doesn't count," Sister Min said with a smile. "It all depends on the client's opinion. My suggestions and ideas are just for reference."
"Okay, then I hope the client will be lenient," Nan Yu said, clasping her hands together in a praying gesture.
Sister Min couldn't help laughing and said that since they were in this line of work, they had to pursue both art and livelihood.
As they were chatting, Nan Yu received a text message on her phone.
Nan Yu had brewed a pot of tea in advance. She poured a cup for Sister Min and herself. While sipping the tea, she picked up her phone, glanced at the sender, thought for a moment, and then clicked it open.
It turned out to be an electronic wedding invitation sent by Qu Jiaran.
The moment she opened it, the bright red and festive background was extremely eye - catching.
The names of the two newlyweds were neatly written in running script:
Tan Linyuan & Qu Jiaran