Since the accident last time, Tan Linyuan had rarely driven.
He didn't even have a chance to drive during his seclusion.
The big black G-Class that had accompanied him for a long time was also scrapped in that accident, unable to continue to serve him.
Liang Yi said that he was an old-fashioned person, and that he should replace his car with a luxury car. If not, he should at least replace it with a new model. He shouldn't be driving an old model from a few years ago, looking so shabby.
But he remained silent, and bought the same car again.
It was evening when he left the Changuang Temple.
He drove along the streets that he was very familiar with. The window was rolled down, and he felt the obvious hot and humid wind.
He had walked on this road with another person.
The scenery, the car, and the weather were the same as before.
But everything was different.
He drove the car to the entrance of the villa, but did not get out of the car immediately.
Tan Linyuan sat in the car quietly alone.
The night had fallen, and the dusk had gathered.
The car was dark.
He raised his hand and pressed his eye sockets with his palm. Then he leaned his back against the chair, and placed his wrist on his forehead.
At this moment, he finally showed the side that he had hidden for a long time.
The haggard, embarrassed, and unsightly side.
It was strange. It had been more than three months, but the scene of her crying to suffocation in his arms was still fresh in his memory.
He remembered that she said that she hated him.
Not because he failed to save their child, not because he failed to protect her.
But because she hated his weakness, his escape, and his planning step by step—
Because she hated that he was a deserter.
—
He said that he was coming back here for seclusion, but in fact, he didn't even have the courage to open the door.
Staying in the Changuang Temple made him feel like he had escaped from pain for a short period of time.
But the pain at this moment was real.
It was as if when he stood in the living room, he could still see her, the most painful person, but still forcing a smile and saying that they could start over.
She cried and said to him: Say it again. You love me.
At that time, he couldn't say it.
Now, he didn't have the identity to say it.
...
This house seemed to have been cast with a spell. He could not calm down in the study. He had read the Buddhist scriptures in his mind eight thousand times, but he would always lose focus when he was reading.
There were too many memories here, good or bad, all related to Nan Yu.
The air was too stuffy, making it difficult to breathe.
Tan Linyuan got up and walked downstairs. He walked into the yard behind the house and stopped in front of the elm tree.
It was the end of May, the time when the elm tree flowers bloomed.
When he looked up, he could not see the elm tree flowers, only the faint fragrance floating from the tree buds.
This elm tree was planted by him personally.
At that time, Liang Yi had accompanied him, and reminded him with a click of his tongue that planting a single tree in the house was not good for feng shui.
"If you really want to plant a tree, you should plant a few more. It's not auspicious to plant only one." Liang Yi whistled, criticizing Tan Linyuan's arrangements.
In a square yard, if you plant a single tree, isn't that the Chinese character for "trapped"?
Trapping a person. That was not auspicious, right?
He didn't say anything at that time. He insisted on planting this elm tree. Liang Yi could not persuade him, so he had to give up.
It was not that Tan Linyuan did not understand feng shui.
It was because he knew that he was trapped by her in his life.
Trapped by Nan Yu.
The elm tree flowers were originally small. They did not compete with the spring and summer flowers. If you were a little careless, you would miss its flowering period.
So some people joked that an elm tree was like a person with an "elm tree head", meaning that it did not understand how to bloom or compete for beauty.
Tan Linyuan stood under the tree, and felt that he was the same as this elm tree.
He was an elm tree head.
The phone was in his hand. The person on the other end of the phone felt that it was very boring when he did not make a sound for a long time, so he hung up the phone.
A few minutes ago, he stood under this tree, listening to the sound of the wind passing through the elm tree leaves, making a rustling sound.
Liang Yi told him on the phone: Nan Yu was going to marry Zhou Yu. The marriage contract was set for the end of next month.
He knew that she would not come back.
...
The decision to marry Zhou Yu was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
In the faraway Jingbei, she had heard about the turmoil in Jiangcheng.
She heard about the fall of the Tan family from Qu Jiaran's mouth.
At that time, Nan Yu was having afternoon tea with Qu Jiaran.
After the child was born, Qu Jiaran did not become more stable or mature. Instead, she became more indulgent, having the pride of being a "heroine" for giving birth to a child.
She did not take care of the child, and did not accompany her husband. She bought a house in Jingbei directly, and looked for Nan Yu to play with her every day.
The child was naturally taken care of by Qi Zhu and the nanny. She happily became a hands-off manager. She would play with the child when she was in a good mood. She was doing things according to her own will.
At first, Nan Yu told her to do something that she liked, and not to always follow her. As a result, Qu Jiaran joined Leyu the next day.
Looking at the helpless Sister Min sitting across from her, and Qu Jiaran making faces at her, Nan Yu was a little silent.
She had forgotten that Qu Jiaran was still a violinist.
Just like this, the two of them met more frequently because of their colleague relationship.
But Qu Jiaran was not the type to work hard. Just like before, she did not teach Niannian to play the violin seriously.
She worked three days and took two days off. She would pull Nan Yu to drink afternoon tea every day, and tell her the gossips that she had heard.
"I didn't expect the Tan family to be so cold-blooded. They didn't even help their own family." Qu Jiaran pouted, "It's very dangerous to keep such a man by your side. It's good that you divorced early."
Nan Yu drank a mouthful of coffee without any fluctuations.
Now when she heard something about Tan Linyuan, she felt like it was from a previous life.
It seemed that everything that had happened was from a previous life.
"Forget it. Don't talk about him. He's just a passing cloud. Bye bye. Next one will be better." Qu Jiaran had an open attitude towards relationships, "Do you want to find another one? I think Zhou Yu is quite good."
"You also think he's good?" Nan Yu raised her eyebrows, as if she was surprised by Qu Jiaran's suggestion.
"Of course." Qu Jiaran shrugged, "He comes to pick you up from work on rainy days, and takes you out to play on weekends. He accompanies you to see the child on normal days. I think he's quite reliable."
"The most important thing is," Qu Jiaran lowered her voice: "Zhou Yu is younger than Tan Linyuan. A younger man has more energy in bed..."
Nan Yu was anxious and quickly told her to stop: "Don't talk nonsense!"
Qu Jiaran pouted, "I'm thinking about my sister's happiness."
How is sexual happiness not an essential element of happiness?
"Moreover, since you're asking, it must be because you also think that he's suitable."
Qu Jiaran could always hit the nail on the head.
Nan Yu shook her head, then nodded.
Last week, Li Guanyue said that she could pick up the child soon.
She had also thought of a name for the child. It was called Nan Qiang.
She would only know pain when she hit the south wall. The love that she had fought for desperately had ended.
The nickname was given by Qu Jiaran. It was called Xiao Banli. Nan Yu did not have any objections.
Li Guanyue reminded her that the policies in Jingbei were strict. If Nan Yu wanted to take care of the child alone, it might be very troublesome. Whether it was for the child's household registration, or for Xiao Banli to enroll in school in the future, it would be more difficult than for ordinary children.
Zhou Yu happened to be present at that time. He said with a smile: "Since the child lacks a father, why don't I replace him temporarily?"