Shen Xizhou locked himself in his room.
It was pitch black, the lights not even on. He slumped by the bedside, defeated. Looking at the evidence he had gathered, he suddenly felt regret. If only he had believed An Nuan back then, perhaps none of this would have happened.
Why hadn't he tried to believe her?
If he had tried to believe her, perhaps the current situation wouldn't have occurred.
It turned out that the person who wanted to take An Nuan's life was Xia Wanqing.
He seemed to have heard of this person, even seen her. But he wasn't very familiar with her.
Since it was Xia Wanqing who had harmed An Nuan, and she was responsible for certain things, then Xia Wanqing had to pay the price.
Related information about Xia Wanqing came through his phone.
It turned out that Xia Wanqing was Ji Wenyun's girlfriend.
Shen Xizhou knew what kind of person Ji Wenyun was. But even if it was Ji Wenyun who had crossed him, he wouldn't let it slide.
Moreover, to speak of just one Xia Wanqing?
This night would be sleepless for the Xia family and for Xia Wanqing.
Perhaps even Shen Xizhou himself hadn't realized how much he cared about An Nuan, how much he valued her. That was why he became so enraged and angry when he learned that An Nuan had suffered torture, that she had been manipulated by Xia Wanqing.
However, Shen Xizhou, caught in the midst of it all, hadn't seen clearly.
Shen Xizhou's face was grim. He stood up, looking at the bustling crowd passing by his floor-to-ceiling window. His eyes were filled with contemplation.
He seemed to be enveloped in a chilling aura, suffocating.
And the coldness emanating from him grew more intense.
He wondered how much torture and humiliation she had endured in places he couldn't see.
Shen Xizhou's hand clenched tightly, crushing the wine glass he held. His hand was full of glass shards, and blood dripped down.
It stained the carpet, a shocking sight.
...
"Nuannuan." Ye Qianyi's face was etched with deep worry. Watching An Nuan walk away, she asked with confusion, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going back." An Nuan looked at Ye Qianyi, her face showing a trace of exhaustion. "Sister Ye, I have something important to take care of."
Ye Qianyi looked at An Nuan's hunched figure.
An Nuan pressed her hand to her abdomen, her brow furrowed. To avoid worrying the person in front of her, she forced a smile to her lips and said weakly, "Sister Ye, don't worry, my body is really fine. I know my own body."
The pain was so intense she couldn't breathe.
She gritted her teeth, enduring it all.
An Nuan knew Ye Qianyi was watching her, but she couldn't show any sign of difficulty or pain.
Ye Qianyi had wanted to stop An Nuan, but An Nuan was insistent. In the end, she relented.
"Alright." Ye Qianyi was reluctant, but she agreed. Looking at An Nuan's state, she was still uneasy. "Nuannuan, why don't I give you a ride back? You look so worried right now."
An Nuan knew Ye Qianyi was genuinely concerned for her. But if Ye Qianyi drove her back, she feared she wouldn't be able to hold on for long. She didn't want Ye Qianyi to see her in such a pathetic state.
An Nuan forced herself to maintain composure, a smile on her face. "Sister Ye, no need, I can manage."
"Your phone keeps ringing. There must be something important looking for you. Go take care of it."
"It's nothing, what important thing could there be?" Ye Qianyi said dismissively.
An Nuan remained persistent, and Ye Qianyi, seeing no other option, took out her phone. Looking at An Nuan, she said firmly, "Then it's a deal. If there's truly nothing important, you let me drive you back."
An Nuan hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.
She believed that if she continued to insist, it wouldn't be so easy for her to leave.
She hoped that heaven would be on her side this time.
After Ye Qianyi finished her call, she immediately regretted it. If she had known, she wouldn't have answered. Now, there was no way to back out.
"Nuannuan, there's a problem with the company's project proposal. I have to go immediately. I..."
"Go ahead, Sister Ye, I'm really okay."
Ye Qianyi finally left, still feeling worried.
...
Back home, An Nuan's face was already pale with pain. Without a second thought, she lay down on the bed, closed her eyes. At this moment, all she wanted was to rest.
She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and repeatedly told herself that if she could just sleep, everything would be alright. The pain would stop.
At this moment, a sound came from outside the door.
An Nuan's blood ran cold. Yes, she had forgotten to close the door when she came back. Her nerves tensed, and she even held her breath.
Enduring the pain, she found a broom nearby and gripped it tightly. There was movement.
With a 'click', someone appeared. Just as she was terrified, seeing Zhou Chumu, all her defenses crumbled.
She was covered in cold sweat, her body already weak and starting to twitch.
Seeing this, Zhou Chumu immediately picked her up, placed her on the bed, and said with concern, "Nuannuan, what's wrong? I'll take you to the hospital."
As he spoke, he picked her up and headed for the door.
At this point, An Nuan should indeed have gone to the hospital.
An Nuan saw Zhou Chumu's intention and urgently cried out, "Senior Zhou, no, it's not necessary. I'll be fine after resting. I don't need to go to the hospital."
Zhou Chumu remained uneasy.
But later, An Nuan insisted, and he finally had no choice but to comply.
An Nuan was already in so much pain she couldn't breathe.
All Zhou Chumu could do at this moment was this.
...
In his bedroom, Shen Xizhou's phone kept ringing.
He walked over and opened the message. It contained images of An Nuan and Zhou Chumu together. The two looked unusually intimate.
Perhaps it was the angle.
But these images were enough to make Shen Xizhou misunderstand An Nuan again.
He picked up his phone and dialed a number, but it was no longer working.
Was there some conspiracy involved?
Even if there was a conspiracy, the fact that An Nuan and Zhou Chumu were alone in a room was real.
Thinking about what he had done for An Nuan just now, it now seemed like a joke.
Shen Xizhou, you're truly a joke.
He had initially thought she might have been framed, that he might have misunderstood An Nuan. But at this moment, that thought was completely overturned.
He picked up his phone and smashed it against the wall.
The phone shattered into pieces.
He secretly vowed in his heart, Shen Xizhou, you cannot have such foolish thoughts next time.
You cannot keep falling for the same woman.