Nan Yu was being polite, while Tan Linyuan basically didn't plan to show a good face. He turned around and pulled Nan Yu away.
Tan Jinxian sat in his original seat, too angry to calm down. He stared at their departing backs.
Suddenly, he said, "Linyuan, if you were a real man, you shouldn't let a woman take such risks."
Tan Linyuan's back stiffened.
"Uncle is doing this for your own good and Miss Nan's as well. The sins of your life could have been redeemed, but you insist on dragging this young girl into this mess. Do you feel at ease?"
"By the time something happens to her, you'll regret it—"
Listening to Tan Jinxian's pressing questions from behind, Tan Linyuan remained silent.
His hand was just held even tighter.
Tan Linyuan turned to look at Nan Yu. Nan Yu smiled at him and silently mouthed: Don't listen.
Don't listen to the gossips of the world.
...
After leaving the Tan family, Nan Yu followed Tan Linyuan into his G-Class Mercedes.
"This car is still so comfortable." Nan Yu buckled up her seat belt and said cheerfully, "I know why you always drive the same car."
Sure enough, "useful" in Tan Linyuan's mouth really meant useful.
She could briefly forgive the unpleasantness when Tan Linyuan once compared her to a car.
Tan Linyuan slammed the car door shut. Immediately, he leaned over and reached out to touch her body.
"Hey hey hey... We haven't even gotten home yet. Are you in such a hurry?" Nan Yu felt itchy all over from his touch and couldn't help giggling, "Mr. Tan, mind your identity in public."
Tan Linyuan ignored her. Only after he checked and was sure she was okay did he ask with concern, "Did he hurt you?"
"He's your uncle. How could he hurt me?" Seeing his serious face, Nan Yu also became solemn, "He really just chatted with me."
Tan Linyuan lowered his eyes. "What did he say?"
"All about you." After Nan Yu said that, she pursed her lips, and a trace of uneasiness flashed across her eyes. "Anyway, there wasn't a single word I wanted to hear."
Tan Linyuan could more or less guess.
The fact that Tan Linyuan was an ill - fated person had always been a well - kept secret in the Tan family.
After all, if outsiders knew that Tan Linyuan carried the curse of heaven, it would really damage the reputation of the Tan family.
This "Buddha" had been worshiped with great difficulty, so there was no reason to smash their own signboard.
But Tan Jinxian didn't avoid Nan Yu just now and bluntly said those words, which meant that he had already revealed the truth to Nan Yu.
Or rather, he already knew that Nan Yu was aware of everything.
Nan Yu stated, "Uncle advised me that while I'm still young, for the sake of my own life, I should stay away from you as soon as possible. He told me not to be affected by your bad luck and lose my own life."
To be honest, even though she knew Tan Linyuan's past in advance, she still felt shocked when she heard it from Tan Jinxian.
But this shock didn't come from fear of Tan Linyuan, but from pity for what he had suffered.
Tan Jinxian also told Nan Yu that before Tan Linyuan was born for half a year, no one believed he was from the Tan family.
Nan Yu also asked if a paternity test had been done. Tan Jinxian just shook his head and said it would be bad for the reputation of the Tan family.
Nan Yu actually didn't understand.
Whether it was the Tan family or the Shen family, they seemed to value "fate" and "reputation" more than anything else.
They could even surpass life and morality.
Was the respect, love, and even the so - called "good fortune" in the metaphysical sense obtained in this way really in line with the rules?
Nan Yu didn't agree.
"He also said that if I could accept it, he was willing to help me find a place to safely give birth to the baby and then flee far away."
After hearing this, Tan Linyuan asked in a deep voice, "So, what's your plan?"
"Of course I won't agree." Nan Yu smiled and looked into his eyes. "If I were really scared, why would I still give birth to the baby?"
A smart woman would take the money and leave, then have an abortion, leaving no burden for the rest of her life.
"I told him that I was born fearless of ghosts and gods, and I didn't believe in any fortune - telling theories."
Tan Linyuan wasn't surprised because this was really something Nan Yu would say.
She said, "Especially those related to you. I think they're all nonsense."
"You don't believe it at all?" Tan Linyuan asked.
Nan Yu held his hand, looked up at him with a smile, and her lips curved beautifully. "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a man, it always first frustrates his spirit and will, exhausts his muscles and bones..."
Tan Linyuan didn't expect her to suddenly recite classical Chinese.
"A good person like you, hardships are the gifts from fate. But I believe that one day the hardships will end. I'm willing to be the one who accompanies you to the end of the story."
"Before that day comes, don't listen to anything, don't say anything. Just hold my hand tightly."
No one could separate them.
Not even life and death.
Tan Linyuan's eyes were deep. He hugged her in his arms.
His arms tightened uncontrollably, pulling her firmly into his embrace. "...Yuyu, thank you."
Nan Yu was held too tightly. She couldn't help but poke her head out and laughed so hard that her shoulders trembled. "Tan Linyuan, you're too strong. You'll crush the baby."
Tan Linyuan: "..."
He quickly let go of her. His tone was calm, but he still seemed a bit annoyed. "Didn't you say the baby is still small? Can you already sense it?"
Nan Yu said with a smile, "It will grow up eventually. How can it withstand your torture?"
--
Nan Yu asked Tan Linyuan how the restoration work of the stone seal was going.
Tan Linyuan said it was a bit tricky because the seal was quite old, and it had passed through too many and too complicated hands. Without proper treatment and protection, it had already shown signs of weathering.
"Are you very interested?" Tan Linyuan asked.
Nan Yu nodded. "I really want to know why among all my father's stone seals, he left this one alone."
Nan Jiwen wasn't a money - grubbing person. He definitely wouldn't cherish it just because it was a work of Master Wen Jing.
There must be a unique meaning and value in this seal.
So Tan Linyuan took her to the place where the seal was being restored.
There was a table in the room, covered with a white tablecloth. Tools needed for making seals were placed on it.
In the corner, there were some colorful stones and some metals. They were different in shape and size and seemed to be materials for making seals.
In the most central position was the half of the stone seal protected by a glass cover.
Nan Yu walked over curiously. Looking at these things, she felt very familiar.
Once upon a time, Nan Jiwen also liked to tinker with these things.
The stones used for stone seals were of various kinds, including gold, copper, and jade.
"At present, it has been determined that the raw material of this seal is Shoushan stone."
Tan Linyuan pointed to the semi - finished product on the table. "Part of the replica has been restored, but there is still a big difference."
Restoring a damaged seal is a huge and difficult project.