Shen Xizhou said these words with little confidence.
Everything An Nuan said was something he had done. He couldn't deny it.
He looked at An Nuan and finally said, with great uncertainty, "An Nuan, I have never truly loved Xu Ruowei. My feelings for her were more of guilt."
"Even after knowing the truth, even after knowing the terrible things she did, she couldn't have children because of me. And she almost lost her life saving me."
"Although her sins are unforgivable, what she did for me was real."
"I don't love her; I'm merely grateful."
"Nuan Nuan, in my heart, there has only ever been you."
Shen Xizhou looked at An Nuan affectionately, speaking gently. His words were beautiful, captivating anyone who heard them.
However, An Nuan found it increasingly absurd.
He said Xu Ruowei almost lost her life saving him.
If she remembered correctly, it was always her who saved him.
But since he was mistaken, she didn't need to explain. Explanations would be futile.
She only needed to focus on herself now.
If he believed Xu Ruowei had done those things, then so be it. It wasn't a good thing for him to know. If he started pestering her again because of those matters, she would be truly helpless.
Her voice was exceptionally cold. "You know these things yourself. There's no need to explain anything to me."
"Mr. Shen, perhaps if you had said these things to me a long time ago, I would have been moved to tears and we would have reconciled. But now, I am no longer touched. My heart no longer has a place for you."
"To me, you are a stranger."
"An Nuan, that's impossible. You still love me. You said you would only ever love me in this life. I know you must be angry right now, saying such things out of spite."
"An Nuan, you belong to me, Shen Xizhou, for all eternity."
Mr. Shen insisted stubbornly. Disregarding An Nuan's displeasure, he embraced her tightly.
An Nuan, with a surge of strength she didn't know she possessed, broke free from his grasp.
She looked at the man before her with a wary gaze, her eyes filled with a terrifying intensity.
Shen Xizhou did not get angry. Seeing An Nuan's guarded expression, he found it unexpectedly amusing. His tone softened instantly. "An Nuan, I believe that in the coming days, you will slowly accept me, slowly forgive me."
"Mr. Shen, give up this idea. Unless I die, such a ridiculous thing will never happen in this lifetime."
Shen Xizhou felt helpless. An Nuan now held too many prejudices against him. Nothing he said would be believed.
He sighed with resignation.
Everything was his own doing. Who could he blame?
"Mr. Shen, I now have Nangong Jin by my side, and I am very happy."
"If you truly care about me, if you truly value me, perhaps as you said, you truly love me."
"Then please let go. Please fulfill my wish."
"You also said that in this life, you would only love Xu Ruowei. So please, love her well and protect her."
"This way, we can both live in peace."
An Nuan's gaze fell upon Shen Xizhou, and she said coldly, "Shen Xizhou, you were the first to abandon our vows, so please honor them."
"An Nuan, I..."
"Shen Xizhou, whenever I think of your relationship with Xu Ruowei, and I see you, I feel utterly disgusted."
"Don't you feel disgusted yourself?"
"Mr. Shen, please appear before me less, and disgust me less, can you?"
Shen Xizhou looked at An Nuan, whose eyes were filled with hatred and anger. For a moment, he didn't know what to do or say.
It seemed that anything he said or did now would be wrong.
A sense of powerlessness washed over him.
An Nuan glanced at Li Tian, said nothing, and left.
Li Tian did not blame An Nuan. Instead, she felt immense guilt towards An Nuan. She thought that if it weren't for her, An Nuan wouldn't be here.
Because of her, An Nuan had become entangled with Shen Xizhou.
If it weren't for her, An Nuan wouldn't have pleaded with Shen Xizhou.
Everything originated from her.
An Nuan ran out, but Shen Xizhou did not pursue her. He watched her disappearing figure, momentarily at a loss for words.
Moreover, he wondered what he would say to An Nuan if he chased after her. How would he say it?
Would she believe him?
Shen Xizhou did not chase after her, and An Nuan, unaware, ran desperately.
A week later.
Yan Bai came to find her, saying that Shen Xizhou was having some difficult problems. He wouldn't listen to anyone, and Yan Bai had no choice but to seek her out.
Upon hearing this, An Nuan flatly refused Yan Bai.
She did not want to be involved in anything related to Shen Xizhou. Whatever happened to him was his own affair.
In fact, she suspected this was Shen Xizhou's plan. However, she would not let him succeed.
Hearing An Nuan's firm refusal to see Shen Xizhou, Yan Bai could only leave.
He had only intended to try. If it didn't work, then so be it.
It seemed this plan wouldn't work.
When Yan Bai returned and saw Shen Xizhou again, he was trembling. He inwardly cursed, "With such a temper, it's normal for An Nuan not to come. If it were me, I would never show up."
Shen Xizhou's face was grim as he glanced at Yan Bai.
Yan Bai tensed up, trying to recall if he had said or done something wrong.
He worried he might have stepped on a landmine.
The thought alone made him feel like his good days were numbered. He hadn't expected that he would be the first to suffer the consequences of An Nuan's absence.
He truly felt like an unwitting scapegoat.
"What is An Nuan doing?" Shen Xizhou asked calmly. His voice softened considerably when he mentioned An Nuan's name.
He was relieved that she wasn't here to cause trouble for him.
Yan Bai instantly felt a wave of relief, but he didn't dare to hesitate. He immediately replied, "Miss An is doing as usual, going to work and coming home."
He tried to recall: "She seemed to be in good spirits."
For the past few days, he had been monitoring An Nuan's every move, a task assigned to him by Shen Xizhou.
This was his job, and he intended to do it well.
"En," Shen Xizhou responded softly, rubbing his hair, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
He had thought An Nuan would at least be upset, at least spend time reflecting on his words. But no, nothing.
She was just as she was every day.
In fact, Shen Xizhou was unaware that Yan Bai had deliberately omitted the fact that An Nuan had dined with Nangong Jin twice this week.
He thought it best not to mention it, to avoid provoking further trouble.