As Tan Linyuan left, Nan Yu felt her legs go weak and she slumped to the ground on her knees.
Aunt Li came back just then, carrying Little Chestnut in her arms. Seeing Nan Yu sitting on the ground, she quickly put the baby back in the crib and helped Nan Yu up.
"Miss Nan, who was that gentleman just now?" Aunt Li had spent a long time with Little Chestnut, so of course she could tell that the gentleman's features bore a faint resemblance to the baby's.
Looking at Nan Yu's distraught state, she had a rough idea in her mind.
"Miss Nan, let the past go."
Nan Yu shook her head, filled with boundless melancholy.
It was impossible to let go.
There was no way she could ever move on from Tan Linyuan.
In the crib, Little Chestnut was sleeping soundly, completely unaffected by this farce.
...
That evening, upon hearing that Tan Linyuan had come to Jingbei, Liang Yi specifically organized a gathering and invited Li Guanyue out, saying they should have a drink together.
Tan Linyuan originally wanted to decline, but Liang Yi brought up Li Guanyue, saying that some planning contracts regarding Huaili were still undetermined. After all, Tan Linyuan was the one who had established the company in the first place, so his opinion should be sought.
When Tan Linyuan arrived, Liang Yi and Li Guanyue were already sitting at the bar.
Li Guanyue was a decent man and rarely came to such places. Even out of consideration for Liang Yi's preference, he didn't touch a drop of alcohol.
When Tan Linyuan walked over, the two were discussing matters.
Liang Yi caught sight of Tan Linyuan and immediately laughed, "Did a cat scratch you on the way?"
The wound on his neck had scabbed over, but that small patch of dark red was still very noticeable. It was clearly the mark of a woman's bite.
"Wait, it looks like a bite mark," Liang Yi suddenly realized, his eyes taking on a meaningful look. "You... you broke your abstinence since coming to Jingbei?"
Tan Linyuan was too lazy to pay attention to him. He just sat down opposite and casually said, "I came to attend a wedding."
Who else's wedding could it be? It must be Nan Yu's.
Liang Yi had also received the wedding invitation, but he felt it was inappropriate to attend his good friend's ex-wife's wedding. So he just sent the gift money and didn't go in person.
"Tsk, you've really got the mood to attend your ex-wife's wedding," Liang Yi never hesitated to tease him on such occasions. "Looks like your attempt to stop the wedding failed?"
If there hadn't been a fight, he wouldn't have gotten injured.
Moreover, this injury was most likely inflicted by Nan Yu. Otherwise, no one else could have gotten close to him.
Liang Yi was good at poking fun.
Tan Linyuan ignored him. Feeling rebuffed, Liang Yi decided to let it go.
Li Guanyue took a few more glances at Tan Linyuan.
The child had stayed with him for a while. Although he hadn't taken care of the child personally, he had seen the baby a few times.
The child really looked like him.
Tan Linyuan didn't drink either. He asked for a glass of lemon juice.
Liang Yi found it boring to drink alone. "Are you done with your self - isolation?"
Tan Linyuan replied, "Sort of."
When he chose to isolate himself, besides making Nan Yu completely give up on him, he also wanted to completely draw a clear line from the Tan family.
Now that one of his goals had been achieved, there was no need for him to continue isolating himself.
"Do you plan to stay in Jingbei from now on?" Li Guanyue asked.
Tan Linyuan said, "That's the preliminary plan for now, but Liang Yi will still be in charge as the main controller."
"You're used to being a carefree immortal, aren't you?" Liang Yi got angry upon hearing this. He picked up his glass and downed the drink in one gulp. Then he directly gave an order, "I'll give you at most a month. Hurry back and start working for me."
Li Guanyue said with a smile, "You should give Linyuan some time. He's just reunited with his child. He should build up a bond with the child."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere changed.
"... What?" Tan Linyuan double - checked, thinking he had misheard.
Liang Yi's expression froze for a moment. He stared at Li Guanyue in astonishment. "... Child? Whose child are you talking about? Is your wife pregnant?"
He winked, trying to get Li Guanyue to steer the conversation away.
Li Guanyue just gave a slight start, then frowned. "Now that everything has been resolved, should the biological father still be kept in the dark?"
"I don't mean to interfere in other people's private affairs."
Li Guanyue raised his eyelids slightly, his tone turning colder. "But Miss Nan is a good person, and her current situation is far from ideal. It's hard enough for a single mother to raise a child. The household registration policy for outsiders in Jingbei is very strict. Besides, as the father, Linyuan has the right to know..."
Tan Linyuan listened to their argument. After a long while, he finally managed to speak with difficulty. "... My child?"
Liang Yi knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so he had to tell him the truth.
"Your state at that time... You know better than I do."
Liang Yi rubbed his hands nervously. "Rather than telling you that the child was still alive, it was better for you to make a clean break. Otherwise, it would have taken God knows how long for you to reach where you are today."
Of course, Tan Linyuan understood the reasoning. He had no intention of holding Liang Yi accountable.
Tan Linyuan suddenly remembered the child he had seen at Nan Yu's place that afternoon.
No wonder she had been so vigilant and on guard.
Without saying a word, he suddenly stood up and walked away without looking back.
"Hey... Just leave then, without even saying goodbye." Liang Yi opened his mouth but didn't manage to stop him. The man had already strode towards the bar's entrance.
Tan Linyuan took a taxi directly to the small Western - style building he had visited that afternoon.
The taxi driver pulled over to the side of the road and looked back at Tan Linyuan. "Sir, we're here."
Tan Linyuan had been in a complete mess of thoughts all the way. He didn't even notice when the car stopped.
After the driver dropped him off at his destination, he paid the fare and got out of the car. He stood in front of the small Western - style building.
Through the iron fence, he could see the lights on in the rooms inside.
He stood silently outside the gate, looking up at that ray of light.
Just by imagining, he could picture the warm scene inside.
As he thought about it, the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
Tan Linyuan didn't intend to disturb them. He just wanted to stay a while longer in a place where the mother and son were. That would be enough.
He didn't know how long he had been standing outside.
It was only when the lights in the room went out that he realized it was time for him to go back. So he turned around and left.
This went on for a week.
Every night, he would come here and stay quietly for a while.
This place gave him a sense of peace.
...
Just because Tan Linyuan didn't take the initiative to disturb them didn't mean his whereabouts went unnoticed.
It was the tenth day that Aunt Li had noticed this man showing up in front of the house in the middle of the night.
At first, she wanted to call the police, but the man seemed to do nothing. He would come here every day without fail, stay for about an hour, and then leave the same way he came.
Aunt Li was not an ignorant old woman. The argument between the two that day, combined with his face that was an exact copy of Little Chestnut's, how could she not guess the truth?
As time passed, she couldn't help but feel pity for him.
Aunt Li could tell that this gentleman cared about the mother and son. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come here rain or shine for more than ten days just to stay here for a while, and Nan Yu was completely unaware of it.
That night, Aunt Li saw the man standing beside the car again, motionless.
Out of compassion, she quietly walked over and opened the iron gate.
When Tan Linyuan saw someone coming out, afraid of being discovered, he immediately turned around and got into the car.
"Sir, please wait a moment."