An Nuan's birthday banquet.
An Nuan had originally not planned to celebrate her birthday. To her, birthdays were nothing worth celebrating. In fact, she disliked celebrating them. This was because something bad always happened whenever it was her birthday. Therefore, she would rather not have a birthday, so that she could avoid any unpleasant incidents.
However, this time, Nan Gong Jin insisted on celebrating her birthday for her, and besides, he had already made all the arrangements. She did not want to displease Nan Gong Jin over this matter. Although she knew he would do as she said if she voiced her feelings, she did not want to disappoint him.
She was also well aware that Nan Gong Jin had invited many people to this birthday banquet, precisely so that everyone would get to know her.
She understood Nan Gong Jin's subtle intentions.
Knowing how important An Nuan was in Nan Gong Jin's heart, and how much the Nan Gong family cherished An Nuan, those people were all fawning over her.
After all, the Nan Gong family was now doting on An Nuan immensely.
One person, in particular, had secured a lucrative cooperation project simply by praising An Nuan's beauty and declaring her and Nan Gong Jin a perfect match. This was a highly sought-after project that others had tried desperately to obtain through various means. The fact that this person managed to secure it with just a few words demonstrated just how utterly devoted Nan Gong Jin was to An Nuan.
He truly cherished her to the very core.
Naturally, everyone gravitated towards An Nuan.
An Nuan's smile had become somewhat stiff.
Upon seeing Nan Gong Jin, An Nuan immediately walked towards him. She had never before been so eager to see him.
Indeed, Nan Gong Jin's appearance made the sycophants a little more subdued. Although they still wanted to approach her, they could only watch wistfully in his presence.
This was because Nan Gong Jin would not allow anyone who could potentially harm An Nuan to be within her sight.
However, amidst this seemingly harmonious scene, a resentful gaze appeared. She stared intently at An Nuan, her look so fierce it seemed as though she wanted to destroy An Nuan.
An Nuan, why? Why was she the one everyone was trying to curry favor with now? Originally, all of this should have belonged to her. An Nuan should not have been in this position. But now? She had become the object of ridicule, while An Nuan was the one everyone sought to appease.
Just then, seeing that no one was by An Nuan's side, Xu Ruo Wei walked over, grabbed An Nuan tightly by the neck, and in a frenzy, snarled, "An Nuan, go to hell." With that, she plunged the fruit knife directly towards An Nuan.
An Nuan, whose face had been beaming moments before, turned pale. She looked at Xu Ruo Wei.
Nan Gong Jin was the first to react. He quickly embraced An Nuan, exclaiming, "An Nuan, no, you'll be alright. An Nuan, I'll take you to the hospital."
Shen Xi Zhou, upon seeing An Nuan injured, wanted to step forward but realized that he no longer had a place by An Nuan's side.
He ultimately did not step forward, but instead, his gaze fell upon Xu Ruo Wei.
All of this had stemmed from her. Each time, he had chosen to let her off the hook. But he had never expected her to come this close to taking An Nuan's life.
An Nuan was his last line.
This time, he would absolutely not let Xu Ruo Wei off the hook.
Xu Ruo Wei looked up and met Shen Xi Zhou's terrifying gaze. She was truly terrified.
She had never seen this side of Shen Xi Zhou before. Fear washed over her.
"Xi Zhou, I... Xi Zhou, can you let me explain?"
"Xi Zhou, this really has nothing to do with me. I..."
Xu Ruo Wei tried desperately to explain, but she found that no matter how she tried, Shen Xi Zhou's expression remained as if he wanted to destroy her.
It was only then that she realized that all her explanations were useless.
Nan Gong Jin glanced at Xu Ruo Wei, then looked at Shen Xi Zhou and said coldly, "Shen Xi Zhou, no matter how you try to protect Xu Ruo Wei, I will make her pay the price."
After speaking, Nan Gong Jin's gaze shifted directly to An Nuan, for An Nuan was his priority now.
"An Nuan, how are you?"
Nan Gong Jin was filled with worry. He was never at ease without hearing An Nuan's voice.
"I'm fine, Nan Gong Jin, don't worry too much, I'm fine."
An Nuan's voice was exceptionally weak, yet a faint smile played on her lips, as if she were desperately trying to tell everyone not to worry, that she was alright.
"An Nuan, don't speak. I'll take you to the hospital immediately."
"Nan Gong Jin, it was Xu Ruo Wei who attacked me. Do not let her off."
An Nuan had never wanted to make enemies, but this time, she did not want to be wronged anymore.
She had tolerated and endured these people for years, but now she was done. She wanted to be willful for once.
She had let Xu Ruo Wei off the hook too many times, and now she really didn't want to do it again.
Xu Ruo Wei, standing aside, heard An Nuan's words, and her entire face turned pale. She had never imagined that An Nuan would say something like this at this moment.
She had thought that if she humbled herself and pleaded, Shen Xi Zhou would surely soften his heart and let her go.
But An Nuan's words now felt like a death sentence.
Xu Ruo Wei even wanted to rush up to An Nuan and question her.
As Shen Xi Zhou approached, she seemed to recall something and immediately exclaimed loudly, "Shen Xi Zhou, you can't touch me, have you forgotten? Fu Jie, I still have Fu Jie."
Xu Ruo Wei, whose face had been pale, suddenly seemed to have found a savior and shouted, "Shen Xi Zhou, you want to lay hands on me, but you can't. Because of Fu Jie."
Shen Xi Zhou listened to Xu Ruo Wei's words and looked at her coldly.
An Nuan let out a soft scoff. *Heh, Xu Ruo Wei is truly something, to mention Fu Jie's name directly in front of Shen Xi Zhou.*
Perhaps she had realized that Shen Xi Zhou no longer believed her words. Now, Fu Jie was her only hope.
Shen Xi Zhou laughed loudly upon hearing Xu Ruo Wei's words. *This was the person he had trusted all along, the person he had chosen over An Nuan, discarding her. Thinking back now, it was truly a huge joke.*
"Xu Ruo Wei, don't tell me you naively believe Fu Jie can actually save you."
"Xu Ruo Wei, if I decide to act against you, even ten Fu Jies would be useless."
Xu Ruo Wei was terrified. As Shen Xi Zhou approached, she kept backing away, her eyes filled with fear, but she still managed to say, "Shen Xi Zhou, no, you can't touch me. Didn't you say that no matter what happened, you wouldn't lay a hand on me?"
"Heh, Xu Ruo Wei, even at this point, you can still say such things. Aren't you ashamed?"
Seeing that her pleas were useless, Xu Ruo Wei looked at Shen Xi Zhou and said mockingly, "Don't tell me you naively think that by treating me this way, An Nuan will forgive you and get back with you?"
"Shen Xi Zhou, let me tell you, that is impossible. Have you forgotten how you treated An Nuan back then? And now, on what grounds do you think An Nuan can forgive you?"