The car started again.
Although neither of them spoke again, the atmosphere in the car was definitely different from before.
There was clearly a kind of excitement rising in the air.
Tan Linyuan saw that she couldn't hold back the smile on her lips. She would smile for a while and then stop, looking as if she was exuding foolishness from her head.
In some aspects, she was really easy to satisfy.
She clearly hadn't heard any substantial promises from him, but she seemed to have heard a confession.
Tan Linyuan couldn't help but feel guilty.
Her initiative and enthusiasm made him seem so cautious in comparison.
But rather than that, he didn't dare to gamble with her safety.
As long as he didn't say it out loud, maybe the gods wouldn't hear it.
He harbored such a lucky mentality.
"So happy?" Tan Linyuan turned to look at her, feeling that she was so happy that she was about to bubble.
"Of course." Nan Yu was in a great mood, pursing her lips. "A certain great Buddha fancies me, but is too timid to say it out loud."
Tan Linyuan raised his eyebrows slightly.
Regarding topics like this, he basically avoided answering them if he could.
But not answering didn't mean denying.
Seeing that the little girl was about to get so proud that her tail would stick up to the sky, Tan Linyuan shook his head helplessly, but felt a different kind of feeling.
Before, he had strictly guarded against others peeping into his unworthy thoughts;
Now, since she knew everything, she was even more cheerful than before, and even helped him keep this secret.
It was as if she was accompanying him, relying on the little bit of love they had, to keep the gods in the dark.
Suddenly, they became accomplices.
"This kind of 'affair' while keeping it from the heavens seems even more exciting than before." Nan Yu winked at him.
Tan Linyuan really didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Maybe only she could be completely unconcerned about the divine punishment and calmly deal with such a serious topic.
She didn't believe in Buddha.
Nor was she afraid of the gods.
In her opinion, if the gods were to bring bad luck to Tan Linyuan, then there was no need to believe in such gods at all!
When Tan Linyuan dropped Nan Yu off at her doorstep, he hesitated for a moment.
Finally, he spoke calmly: "I haven't had any substantial relationship with Qu Jiaran. She also clearly knows now that I won't have anything with her. But this marriage shell between me and her will have to stay on for a while longer. If you mind..."
"Are you explaining this to me so that I won't think too much?" Nan Yu asked.
"...Sort of." Tan Linyuan paused and glanced at her.
Most of her questions just now were about Qu Jiaran, which was enough to show how much she cared.
Rather than hurting her heart in the future, it was better to lay all the cards on the table now.
Nan Yu shrugged and smiled at him: "I understand. In your position, there are naturally many things you can and can't do."
She had known this for a long time and could completely understand.
If he could also live recklessly, he wouldn't have to bear so many shackles.
Responsibility and rights were always equal.
"I just need to confirm... that you have me in your heart," Nan Yu said this somewhat uneasily, and her earlobes blushed slightly. "For the rest, I will always unconditionally stand by your side."
Tan Linyuan's heart skipped a beat uncontrollably.
This feeling was very strange to him.
After living for nearly thirty years, he was well aware of the rules of the world and knew that there was no absolute affection, only absolute interests.
There were many people who showed kindness and flattery to him, but most of them just wanted to rely on his status and position to seek some benefits.
If he made a single mistake, he would be trampled on by thousands of people, and the respect and admiration he once received would turn into a laughingstock.
For others, family could give the most selfless love and trust, but he had long since lost this right.
No one trusted him unconditionally.
No one unconditionally stood by his side.
In such an environment, he walked on thin ice, looking for an absolutely balanced scale.
And today, he could also experience what it was like for the scale to completely tilt towards himself.
"...I'm going back. Good night." Nan Yu was almost sober from the alcohol, and the courage the alcohol had given her was almost exhausted. She became flustered again. "Drive slowly on your way back."
She turned to pull the car door, but the car was locked.
Tan Linyuan reached out his hand, grabbed her left shoulder, and asked her in a deep voice: "Why do you have to go to such lengths?"
Why did she choose him without having anything at all.
He didn't consider himself a good person, and never dared to imagine being trusted unconditionally by anyone.
"There's no reason." Nan Yu shook her head, lowering her eyelashes even more. "I had already decided to do this before."
It was on that morning at the Golden Mountain in the sunlight.
She had already made up her mind in her heart to be a stupid person who would fly into the fire without hesitation.
Even if the ending wouldn't be perfect.
But at least, she wouldn't regret it.
His voice was deep: "Even if there's no result, you still want to do it like this?"
"I..."
"You still want a result."
"To be honest, it's really hard for me not to."
Nan Yu answered frankly. "But this isn't something I can decide alone. Besides, even if we talk about this now, can you decide what will happen in the future?"
Tan Linyuan closed his eyes.
How he wanted to answer "Yes".
Finally, he only said the same thing he had said to her before: "People can never predict the outcome of the future."
Nan Yu of course remembered.
This was the answer he gave her the last time she asked him if he could defeat Shen Suhai.
He had another sentence back then.
At that time, Nan Yu had prayed in her heart that fate would let him win, and she had the same feeling now.
She smiled slightly and gave him the same answer as before:
"Then I wish you all your wishes come true."
...
When Nan Yu got home, she smelled the strong alcohol on herself. She immediately took off her clothes in disgust and went into the bathroom to take a hot shower.
After coming out, she changed into dry pajamas and dried her hair before lying on the bed.
Now that she was calm, everything that had happened tonight was like a slideshow playing in her mind over and over again.
At first, she was fearless because of the drunkenness. Later, she became more and more sober, and every word she said had gone through her mind.
Thinking about those undisguised confessions of her feelings now made her blush and her ears burn.
Nan Yu! Be more reserved!
She pinched her earlobe and inexplicably wanted to send a message to Tan Linyuan.
It had been a long time since they last contacted each other on their phones.
The message records still remained at their previous lukewarm conversations.
She wanted to send a message, but didn't know what to send.
Should she ask if he had arrived home? But it had already been two hours. Even if it was rush hour and there was a traffic jam, he should have arrived home by now.
Should she ask if he was asleep? It was too ambiguous, a bit like chatting with a net friend late at night.
Finally, after some consideration, she sent a dry message: "What are you doing?"