Inside the private room.
Tan Qinyin was video chatting with her mother. Seeing Chu Nanyu return, she waved at him: “Husband, come say hello to my mom.”
Chu Nanyu glanced discreetly at Tan Yan, who nodded in response.
Tan Qinyin’s parents were already aware of her memory loss and mistaken identity.
Understanding the situation, Chu Nanyu walked over and sat down beside Tan Qinyin, offering a polite smile to the phone screen: “Hello, Auntie.”
Tan Qinyin pouted in dissatisfaction, “Why call her Auntie?”
Chu Nanyu was momentarily taken aback but quickly composed himself and corrected, “Mom.”
“Yes.”
On the other end, Fang Lizhu hurriedly responded with a smile, though a hint of awkwardness flickered in the corner of her eye.
It was difficult for Nan Yu to willingly cooperate and help like this.
“Nan Yu, thank you for taking care of our Yinyin.”
Chu Nanyu: “Not at all, it’s my honor.”
During their exchange, Lu Yanzhi followed and entered the room.
Logically, he should have stepped forward to greet Fang Lizhu, but now was not the time to speak up.
Besides, his mother-in-law probably didn’t want to see him right now anyway.
Seeing an outsider present, Tan Qinyin didn’t prolong the conversation with her mother and ended the video call after a few more words.
Her nose was sharp, and she didn’t detect any trace of cigarette smoke on Chu Nanyu, so she casually asked, “Weren’t you going out for a smoke?”
Chu Nanyu replied softly, “I didn’t smoke because I was afraid you wouldn’t like the smell. I just went out for some fresh air.”
Tan Qinyin curved her lips into a smile and picked up a piece of spare ribs for him: “Then I’ll reward you with a piece of ribs.”
A faint glimmer flashed in Chu Nanyu’s dark eyes as he picked up the ribs from his bowl and murmured softly, “Okay.”
Seeing this, Lu Yanzhi’s lips twitched. How had he never noticed before that this guy was such a tea master!
Originally, Tan Yan was supposed to pay for the meal, but Lu Yanzhi rushed to settle the bill first.
Tan Yan didn’t stop him. If he wanted to pay, let him—after all, this scoundrel was always good at putting on a show!
“Brother,” Tan Qinyin tugged at her brother’s sleeve and cooed, “I’m going to miss you so much.”
The anger Tan Yan had felt toward Lu Yanzhi instantly dissipated. He reached out and ruffled his sister’s hair: “I’ll be back in Beijing next month.”
“Really?” Tan Qinyin’s eyes lit up as she leaned against her brother’s shoulder. “I’ll come pick you up then!”
Tan Yan gently pressed her shoulder, his eyes filled with affection and concern: “Remember to call me if anything happens, okay?”
Tan Qinyin replied softly, “Mm, I know!”
Tan Yan’s fingertips brushed through her hair as he sighed inwardly.
Truthfully, he really wanted to take his sister back to Nancheng. But there were too many familiar people in Nancheng, unlike in Beijing, where Yinyin only regularly interacted with Song Qinghe. Plus, his sister rarely went out anyway. Staying here would make it easier to keep her memory loss a secret.
After Tan Qinyin and Chu Nanyu left first, only Tan Yan and Lu Yanzhi remained in the private room.
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
Tan Yan turned around, his gaze toward Lu Yanzhi devoid of warmth: “I’ve already calmed my parents down and haven’t mentioned a word to your parents about you and Yinyin.”
“As for Yinyin’s memory loss, you’d better figure out how to hide it and cover it up with your parents.”
Lu Yanzhi lowered his eyes: “I know.”
A flash of hostility crossed Tan Yan’s eyes. “Don’t think this matter is over. The only reason I’m not holding you and the Lu family accountable for now is purely for Yinyin’s health!”
Lu Yanzhi fell silent for a moment, his eyes dark and unreadable. “Once Yinyin recovers, I will give her—and all of you—an explanation.”
“You’d better!”
After tossing out those words, Tan Yan strode past Lu Yanzhi, pushed open the door, and left.
**
As soon as they returned home, Chu Nanyu immersed himself in his study.
Seeing that it was still early, Tan Qinyin wasn’t in a hurry to go upstairs. She turned on the TV and found a movie to watch.
It was a romance film with fairly high ratings.
At the very beginning, the male lead proposed to the female lead but forgot to bring the engagement ring.
Tan Qinyin watched the lively and amusing scene on the screen, her gaze unconsciously drifting down to her own empty finger.
Only then did she remember—where was her wedding ring?
She glanced toward the closed door of the study and recalled that Chu Nanyu’s fingers were also bare.
Strange, did they not have wedding rings?
Tan Qinyin suddenly lost interest in the movie.
She wanted to ask Chu Nanyu, but he was busy, and she didn’t want to disturb him now.
Curling up in the corner of the sofa, hugging a cushion, she watched the movie absentmindedly.
After what felt like the hundredth glance toward the study, the door finally opened, and Tan Qinyin immediately sat up.
Chu Nanyu had just finished an online meeting that lasted over an hour. He raised a hand to rub his temples, and as soon as he opened the door, he met the clear, lake-like eyes fixed on him from the sofa.
Tan Qinyin almost instantly scurried over to him, tilting her face up, her voice soft and gentle. “Husband, are you done with work?”
Chu Nanyu gave a slight nod and was about to speak when Tan Qinyin reached out and grasped the ring finger of his left hand.
Looking up at him, she gently stroked his bare knuckle with her fingertip and asked, her lips pursed, “Tell me, do we not have wedding rings?”
Chu Nanyu lowered his gaze to their touching fingers, his eyes darkening slightly.
After a moment of silence, he said, “They must have been lost.”
“Lost?”
Tan Qinyin’s eyelashes drooped like a dejected lop-eared rabbit, muttering in frustration, “Something so important… How could they be lost?”
Chu Nanyu watched the downturn of her eyes and gently clasped her hand in return, his throat tightening. “Don’t be upset. We’ll replace them tomorrow, alright?”
The dimness in Tan Qinyin’s eyes instantly brightened, her voice lightening. “Okay!”
She tugged at the sleeve of his shirt. “Are you going upstairs to rest now?”
Chu Nanyu seemed to think of something, a flicker of unease passing through his eyes, gone in an instant. “Mm.”
“Wait for me!” Tan Qinyin quickly turned off the TV and hurried back to link her arm with his. “Let’s go.”
The two walked upstairs together. When they reached the door of Tan Qinyin’s room, she stopped.
“Husband, to avoid what happened last night from happening again, I’ll go to your room tonight.”
Chu Nanyu’s temple throbbed, but his expression remained unchanged. “Alright.”
Tan Qinyin smiled and pushed open the door, saying sweetly, “I’ll come over after I shower. Wait for me, okay?”
Chu Nanyu nodded numbly.
After that, they each returned to their own rooms.
Tan Qinyin didn’t wash her hair tonight, so her skincare routine only took about twenty minutes.
Pushing open the door to Chu Nanyu’s bedroom, she first peeked halfway in and found no one inside.
Stepping into the room, she could faintly hear the sound of running water from the bathroom.
Was he still showering?
He really was a meticulous man.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Tan Qinyin glanced around. The room was decorated in cool-toned Morandi colors, simple yet elegant.
The crisp, clean scent unique to him lingered in the air around her, and she blinked.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling surged straight to her heart.
Before she could figure out what this feeling was, the bathroom door opened.
Tan Qinyin looked over with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
She had thought she would see the sight of a handsome man fresh out of the bath, with his chest and abdominal muscles on full display, walking out wrapped in a towel.
But instead…
Chu Nanyu walked out wearing a set of dark-colored long-sleeved loungewear.
Tan Qinyin felt a little disappointed and asked bluntly, “Why do you put on loungewear right after showering?”
Chu Nanyu’s brow twitched slightly. “Habit.”
“I’ll dry my hair. You go to sleep first.”
Tan Qinyin nodded obediently and slipped into the bed first.
Under the covers, the crisp, clean scent grew even stronger. She sniffed lightly, her heart skipping a beat. Blinking her eyes, she buried her face in the blanket.
That strange feeling again.
After a moment of thought, she figured it might be a lingering physiological memory from her previous time here.
The low hum of the hairdryer sounded from the bathroom for a while before quickly stopping.
Seeing the man come out, Tan Qinyin scooted inward and patted the spot beside her. “Husband, come up quickly.”
Chu Nanyu silently lay down along the edge of the bed, turning off the main light and leaving only a small bedside lamp on.
“Why are you sleeping so far over? Come closer.”
In the dim light, her soft voice drifted over.
Chu Nanyu pressed his lips together, stiffly moving a bit closer to her, stopping at a distance that was neither too far nor too close. His voice was slightly low. “Goodnight.”
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a rustling sound beside him, followed by a warm, soft body gently pressing against him.
Tan Qinyin’s warm palm rested on his arm, softly wrapping around it from the outside in, pulling it into her embrace.
Chu Nanyu: “…”
Tan Qinyin nuzzled her cheek lightly against the crook of his shoulder and murmured softly, “This way, you won’t run off in the middle of the night. Goodnight, husband.”
The room fell into silence.
The woman beside him closed her eyes with a slight curve to her lips.
Through the fabric of his clothes, the faint, rhythmic rise and fall brushed against his arm, impossible to ignore.
Though Chu Nanyu also had his eyes closed, the prominent veins at his temples betrayed the fact that he was nowhere near sleep.