Nan Yu never thought that one day she would be able to decipher Tan Linyuan's silence in this way.
His silence had never been a denial.
Rather, it was a silent acquiescence, a quiet acceptance.
He was like a huge and weighty book. The more pages she turned, the deeper she could glimpse into him.
She was thirsty for knowledge and couldn't wait to read it all.
And he was generous enough to let her browse through it without the slightest concealment.
His world was exclusive to her alone.
...
Tan Linyuan steered the conversation back to the main topic of the day. "You came to me for something?"
Only then did Nan Yu suddenly remember that she had come to tell Tan Linyuan about the information regarding the Nan family's relics.
It was all because of the peaceful day that she had almost forgotten her original purpose.
"I met Shen Yanche," Nan Yu said seriously. "I used a little trick to get the information out of him."
Tan Linyuan nodded and looked down at her. "What did you talk about?"
"Although I'm not entirely sure, I can confirm that the relic left by my father is something called a 'zhang'," Nan Yu said hesitantly, putting forward her speculation. "I think this 'zhang' is most likely a stone seal. What do you think?"
Then, Nan Yu recounted her conversation with Shen Yanche from start to finish to Tan Linyuan.
Of course, she also included the part where she pretended to have influence and said she could intercede.
In front of him, she didn't need to hide anything.
As Nan Yu narrated, Tan Linyuan's expression gradually turned serious and cold.
"Do you have any clues?" Nan Yu saw the unfathomable look in his eyes and said directly, "I think you must have some ideas."
Tan Linyuan didn't deny it.
Nan Yu had actually guessed half of the answer correctly.
"Master Wen Jing only talked about seal - carving with one person during his early years, and that was your father," Tan Linyuan said.
After all, with Master Wen Jing's status, there were many people who tried to be arty, but none of them caught his eye.
Only Nan Jiwen truly loved seal - carving and could have in - depth conversations with Master Wen Jing every time.
Because of his sincerity, Master Wen Jing was kind enough to discuss and exchange ideas on stone - carving art with Nan Jiwen.
Therefore, it was highly likely that Nan Jiwen's relic was a stone seal.
Hearing this, Nan Yu held her breath.
That meant the "zhang" that Shen Yanche mentioned was very likely a stone seal.
"Do you remember the stone cave on the back hill of Jing'an Temple that I took you to that day?" Tan Linyuan suddenly asked.
Nan Yu was puzzled. "I remember. What about it?"
"Did you observe the shape of the groove of the stone lock?"
"I don't remember."
Tan Linyuan looked up at her. His thin lips parted slightly as he revealed a truth. "The shape of that stone lock is the shape of a stone seal."
Since a seal has the characteristic of vertical and horizontal strokes, each concave - convex gap and slot is the secret to opening the stone door.
Nan Yu's heart skipped a beat.
"You mean..." Nan Yu swallowed hard, hardly believing it. "You mean the relic left by my father is the key to that stone cave?"
Their conversation suddenly stopped.
Tan Linyuan fell silent and just lowered his head to think.
It seemed that this possibility couldn't be completely ruled out.
After Master Wen Jing passed away, Tan Linyuan had tried all the seals he could collect that might open the stone cave, but to no avail.
Master Wen Jing had carved countless seals during his lifetime, and it wasn't necessarily Nan Jiwen's.
The seals that were lost might also be the keys to the stone cave.
However, what if?
There were just too many coincidences that made people have to speculate about the corresponding possibilities.
Finally, Tan Linyuan cleared his throat and said in a flat voice, "Now, we are truly accomplices."
Nan Yu held her breath. The corners of her lips curled up slightly, and her eyes sparkled. "That's not an accomplice. That's an alliance."
The two of them had a common goal.
Nan Yu wanted to retrieve her father's relic, and Tan Linyuan wanted to find the key to the stone cave.
It was a coincidence of interests.
...
As if to redeem their previous humiliation, the Shen family held this wedding extremely grandly.
The process was also extremely complicated. First, they had to receive guests and toast in the Shen family mansion, and then go to the hotel for the banquet.
It was said that the Shen family was going to hold a perfect wedding for Wen Ying as a make - up.
This statement seemed rather far - fetched.
Wen Ying was pregnant and approaching her due date. Holding a make - up wedding at this time was already quite forced.
A perfect wedding shouldn't end up being a make - up one.
Some people couldn't help whispering that only the Shen family would bother to whitewash the situation.
Some even brazenly said that the Shen family was at the end of its rope and only had a showy appearance.
In short, there were more comments and criticism about the wedding than blessings for the newlyweds.
On the surface, people came to congratulate the wedding, but in fact, many came to watch the show.
Nan Yu listened to the surrounding discussions in silence.
This also confirmed that what Shen Yanche had told her that day was true.
The Shen family was now indeed like a gilded lily, beautiful on the outside but rotten on the inside.
Nan Yu couldn't tell what kind of mood she was in.
She took a deep breath and walked through the crowd towards the Shen family's villa.
Some people recognized her face, and there was an immediate buzz of discussion.
Nan Yu wasn't surprised.
After all, not long ago, she had just held an engagement banquet with Shen Yanche.
So many changes had taken place in less than a year.
Who wouldn't sigh at the unpredictability of life?
However, Nan Yu didn't care about these remarks.
Her heart was strong enough to resist any rumors.
She came today to take back what belonged to her.
Sure enough, as the rumors said, the Shen family had spared no expense. The entire Shen family villa was decorated extremely luxuriously.
The more showy it looked on the surface, the more emptiness could be glimpsed inside.
The Shen family was on the verge of collapse.
The guests in the hall maintained a false sense of harmony, toasting each other, greeting and inquiring about each other's well - being.
It was like the last fig leaf, covering up the decline of the Shen family well.
Nan Yu was also among them, but no one came to toast her, and no guests took the initiative to talk to her.
She was the most insignificant person at this wedding.
Of course, Nan Yu didn't feel out of place.
She came with Wen Ying's invitation, so she was perfectly justified.
Nan Yu watched as Shen Yanche escorted Wen Ying out. She was wearing a pure white wedding dress and carefully protecting her belly.
At this moment, Wen Ying looked extremely happy on her face.
When everyone sent their blessings, Nan Yu only felt sorry for Wen Ying, who couldn't get true love.
Sometimes in life, one had to turn a blind eye.
Incompleteness was the norm.
So she also raised her glass and toasted Wen Ying from afar.
Wishing her a happy new marriage.
No.
Wishing her happiness, regardless of marriage.