A long silence hung in the air.
Tan Linyuan sat down and pulled Nan Yu into his arms.
His arms tightened gradually, holding her closer and closer.
He understood her despair.
He knew her pain.
Tan Linyuan was well - aware that it would be too cruel to tell her at this moment that the world was like this, where right and wrong were often indistinguishable.
But he couldn't fabricate other lies to deceive her either.
"There's a piece of news that's not too bad," Tan Linyuan said calmly. "The whereabouts of your father's relics have been found."
Nan Yu's heart skipped a beat. "Where?"
Tan Linyuan looked into her eyes and pursed his lips. "On the night he was released from prison, Shen Suhai visited Qu Gaolin."
Although Shen Suhai had only been in prison for a week, Tan Linyuan didn't miss this opportunity.
He first re - integrated the information within the Chamber of Commerce, separating Shen Yanche's part, preparing to draw a clear line from the Shen family.
In a sense, the Shen family's status in the Chamber of Commerce had almost become negligible.
In Jiangcheng, if the Shen family was expelled from the Chamber of Commerce, it would be very difficult for them to develop independently.
Not only would they face obstacles everywhere, but they might also continue to be targeted by Tan Linyuan.
So Shen Suhai was smart enough to curry favor with Qu Gaolin to gain a chance to survive for a while.
"He gave Qu Gaolin a generous gift."
At this point, Nan Yu could naturally guess what this sentence meant.
The so - called "generous gift" was her father's relics.
Playing the trick of using someone else's things to curry favor, Shen Suhai was really shrewd.
...
Nan Yu took the initiative to make an appointment with Qu Jiaran.
Tan Linyuan asked if he needed to step in to help, but Nan Yu refused straightforwardly.
Since it was her who wanted to get back the relics, the person to handle this matter should, of course, be herself.
She wouldn't allow any interference from others.
Tan Linyuan didn't insist anymore. He just asked if she would be okay on her own.
After getting a positive answer, he allowed her to meet Qu Jiaran.
After all, she needed a favor, so Nan Yu first contacted Qi Zhu and asked about Qu Jiaran's favorite Japanese restaurant.
It was always right to cater to others' preferences.
When Qu Jiaran received Nan Yu's invitation, she agreed very readily, without the slightest hesitation.
Nan Yu had thought about what to say all the way, but was finally disrupted by Qu Jiaran's opening line, "Are you here for the relics?"
Well, it was just Qu Jiaran's style not to beat around the bush.
Nan Yu was stunned for a moment and asked, "How do you know?"
Qu Jiaran winked playfully. "I just know. There's no reason."
"I know everything about Yu Yu!"
Nan Yu nodded understandingly. "Tan Linyuan told you in advance."
Qu Jiaran's face fell instantly, and her voice became reluctant. "Yu Yu, you're so boring."
"Since you invited me out, this is a matter between the two of us. I don't want to mention other irrelevant people." There was annoyance in her tone.
This "irrelevant person" naturally referred to Tan Linyuan.
Nan Yu found it funny. She never thought that one day, in Qu Jiaran's eyes, Tan Linyuan would become an irrelevant person.
Qu Jiaran asked eagerly, "Yu Yu, now that you need my help, does it mean you regard me as a good friend?"
This sentence sounded harsh to Nan Yu.
She remembered that Qu Jiaran had once calmly said that other young ladies got close to her because they had something to gain.
But she never thought that one day, she herself would become one of them.
She didn't want to be like this.
Nan Yu felt a tightness in her chest. Looking into Qu Jiaran's expectant eyes, she said softly, "I don't intend to use our relationship to gain benefits."
"I'm just here as a buyer, wanting to buy back the relics that belong to my father."
It was just a business transaction, without involving any feelings.
Qu Jiaran was silent for a second. She sized Nan Yu up for a while and then said, "Yu Yu, you can just ask me for them."
"I don't want to."
"You can take advantage of me. I'm willing to be taken advantage of by you."
Nan Yu said calmly, "Qu Jiaran, I'm not as good as you think, but I'm not mean enough to take advantage of you to satisfy my own self - interest."
She didn't want to be one of those people.
Qu Jiaran stared at her for a while, then suddenly smiled. "Sure enough, Yu Yu is the best Yu Yu in the world. I didn't misjudge you."
After saying that, she took out a box from her expensive pink bag and pushed it onto the table.
"I don't want your money, but I have three conditions."
Nan Yu pursed her lips. "Go ahead."
Qu Jiaran held up a finger, her eyes bright. "First, promise that you'll never be cold to me."
Nan Yu looked up at her.
Qu Jiaran held up a second finger. "Second, Nan Yu must be Qu Jiaran's good friend for a lifetime."
... What kind of condition was this?
Looking into Qu Jiaran's serious eyes, Nan Yu realized that she wasn't joking.
"Third..."
Just as Qu Jiaran was about to hold up a third finger, the waiter knocked on the door and served the salmon sashimi.
At the sight of the salmon, Qu Jiaran's eyes lit up, and she interrupted her previous topic. "Yu Yu, try it. Their salmon is very fresh. It was airlifted from Norway today."
Nan Yu responded and picked up the chopsticks. The moment she picked up a piece of salmon, her brows suddenly frowned tightly.
A feeling of nausea rose from her stomach to her throat. She quickly averted her gaze, put down the chopsticks, and rushed to the restroom in a hurry.
Once in the restroom, she started vomiting uncontrollably.
After vomiting, she came back. Seeing the plate of salmon on the table, she still felt scared.
"Not fresh?" Qu Jiaran was very surprised. She picked up a piece and put it into her mouth. "No..."
Nan Yu took another look, and the feeling of nausea didn't go away.
Instead, it became stronger.
Qu Jiaran looked at Nan Yu curiously. "Yu Yu, don't you like sashimi?"
Nan Yu wanted to say no.
She wasn't very picky about food, and she had never had this kind of situation before.
This was the first time.
Qu Jiaran stared at her and suddenly thought of something. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Yu Yu, are you... pregnant?"
"Absolutely not," Nan Yu denied quickly. "Maybe I ate something bad. It's okay."
She also thought of another possibility. "Maybe it's the after - effect of my brain anoxia some time ago. I haven't fully recovered yet."
In any case, it was definitely not pregnancy.
But Qu Jiaran was persistent. She stopped eating, picked up her bag, and pulled Nan Yu out. "Let's go to the hospital for a check - up now."
Nan Yu still struggled and refused. Qu Jiaran finally couldn't help but get angry with Nan Yu. "Yu Yu, can you care about your body? Isn't it strange to vomit for no reason?"
After shouting, her voice gradually became lower. "You're my only good friend. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Nan Yu was stunned.
"Go to the hospital with me for a check - up. Right now."
Qu Jiaran said seriously, "Otherwise, I won't give you the relics."
Nan Yu was silent for a few seconds.
She said, "Okay."