The atmosphere was like a taut string, on the verge of snapping at any moment.
Just when Nan Yu thought a storm was about to break, Tan Jinxian suddenly softened his tone. "As an elder in the family, I'm naturally very welcoming of you, Xiao Nan."
As he spoke, he glanced at Nan Yu's belly. "Especially since there'll soon be a new addition to the family. It's a double blessing."
Nan Yu guessed there was more to come.
"Your father's concerns are also the family's concerns," he said, as expected changing his tone. "Take some time to have an amniocentesis. It'll put everyone's minds at ease."
As soon as he said this, the air seemed to freeze.
"What, is there a problem?" Tan Jinxian asked, looking straight at Nan Yu.
There was a smile on his face, making him seem kind and amiable. "Yuyu, you're the eldest daughter of the Nan family. You come from a prominent family, so you should understand the importance of bloodline."
Tan Linyuan's face was cold and stern, but Tan Jinxian was neither angry nor impatient. "Linyuan, some things need to be brought out into the open. Hiding them won't solve anything."
"I wonder which thing Uncle is referring to? And which thing of mine have I been hiding?"
Tan Jinxian said calmly, "Master Wenjing once prophesied that you're a disaster star in this life. You're destined to be lonely and loveless, with no marriage and no offspring."
He repeated the cruel prophecy word by word.
"I don't need your reminder."
"... I'm not reminding you. I'm informing Xiao Nan. She has the right to know."
"I've already told her everything in advance. There's nothing I've hidden from her."
Tan Jinxian was taken aback and gave Nan Yu a strange look. "You don't mind?"
Nan Yu smiled. "I don't mind at all. To be honest with you, I don't believe this at all."
Tan Jinxian said softly, "Since you two have weighed the pros and cons, having a check-up should be a small matter."
Tan Linyuan was about to interrupt and refuse, but Tan Jinxian raised his hand to stop him. "Your mother was headstrong back then. Now that you've grown up, your features and looks carry the genes of our Tan family. We respect your opinion and haven't forced you to do a paternity test."
Tan Linyuan sneered. "Well, someone would have to be brave enough to do it."
Tan Jinxian was at a loss for words. Looking at his nephew, he suddenly felt a sense of loss of control.
It seemed that the obedience of the past few decades had just been an act.
"But the bloodline of the Tan family is no joke," Tan Jinxian cleared his throat and continued. "A child of unknown origin can't enter the Tan family."
This was an ultimatum.
Either have the amniocentesis to confirm the relationship, or the Tan family wouldn't recognize this daughter-in-law.
Tan Linyuan replied straightforwardly, "Since Uncle still doubts me and my wife, it's better to cut off all ties with me. From now on, I'll set up my own family and have nothing to do with the Tan family."
"... Do you think this is a game?" Tan Jinxian couldn't help pounding the table. "Do you know your status? The whole city of Jiangcheng is watching!"
"Are you so terrified of a living Buddha propped up by public opinion and bought popularity?" Tan Linyuan sneered. "I'm already sick of it. It's easier to be a demon than a Buddha."
After saying that, he stood up and was about to pull Nan Yu away.
He shouldn't have brought her to this dinner of betrayal.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Tan Linyuan, Tan Jinxian quickly called out to Nan Yu. "Xiao Nan, Linyuan is just being impulsive. You should be more rational! He's the stabilizing force of the Tan family. If the outside world knows that he's willing to give up being a living Buddha just to be with you, they'll say you're spreading fallacies and bewitching the divine!"
Hearing the last sentence, Nan Yu curled her fingers.
Tan Linyuan didn't want her to hear more moral coercion. He took her and left Dongting Garden.
Once in the car, Tan Linyuan drove off without hesitation.
"Tan Linyuan..."
"If you're here to persuade me to change my mind, save your breath," Tan Linyuan said indifferently, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
He was determined to draw a clear line from the Tan family.
"Are you willing to do this?" Nan Yu asked out of the blue.
Was he willing?
To cut off ties with his own bloodline, to go their separate ways.
From then on, there'd be no more Tan Linyuan in the Tan family.
"This question shouldn't be asked of me," Tan Linyuan said with a cold look in his eyes.
Nan Yu shook her head. "No, it should be asked of you the most."
No matter how tough Tan Linyuan pretended to be, no matter how cold and detached he seemed, his longing for family affection was obvious.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to bring her to meet his father.
Nan Yu saw it all clearly.
Tan Linyuan's hand on the steering wheel paused, and he remained silent for a long time.
After a while, he lowered his head and said remorsefully, "... Yuyu, I've never felt so defeated."
"You've done a great job," Nan Yu thought he was talking about the Tan family. "It's only natural to be attached to one's family..."
"No, what I mean is," he looked at Nan Yu's face and gave a bitter smile. "You see through me so easily."
You see through my disguise, see through the heart that yearns for warmth beneath my cold and detached appearance.
It's my own fault for wanting more.
Nan Yu pretended to be surprised and covered her mouth. "I know too much. Will I be killed to cover it up?"
She was good at using this way to pull him out of the dull and oppressive atmosphere.
She wanted him to be happy, and he understood.
So Tan Linyuan smiled faintly and followed her words. "Yes, so you'd better be obedient and don't do anything I don't allow."
"Something you don't allow?" She lifted the corner of her lips, showing a sly smile. "Which thing is Brother Tan referring to?"
"Is it not to do this..." Her finger touched his throat and slid down.
"Or not to do this..." Her finger stopped at his hip bone and gently drew a circle.
It was like a feather tickling, and an unbearable itch rose where her finger passed.
Tan Linyuan immediately grabbed her hand.
"You'll pay for this when we get home."
Nan Yu laughed so hard that she bent forward and backward.
...
As the pregnancy progressed, the frequency and number of check-ups increased significantly.
One morning, Tan Linyuan was about to take Nan Yu to the hospital for a check-up.
Suddenly, Liang Yi called and said there was something in the Chamber of Commerce and asked him to come over now.
Tan Linyuan refused directly. "I'm not available. Change the time."
"The cooperation contract from Jingbei has been signed. You may not be in a hurry, but the guys in the Chamber of Commerce are waiting to make a living."
Tan Linyuan looked at Nan Yu.
Nan Yu roughly guessed what was going on and quickly said, "You go ahead and do your work. I'll just ask the bodyguard to take me."
After so many check-ups during this pregnancy, Nan Yu was already very familiar with the process.
Even without Tan Linyuan accompanying her, she could complete all the check-ups on her own.
Moreover, Tan Linyuan would arrange people to protect her safety.
He wouldn't let the previous accident happen again.
Even so, Tan Linyuan was about to say something when Liang Yi on the phone started joking. "If you're really worried, I'll accompany classmate Xiao Nan for the prenatal check-up."