The people sitting on the side, initially confused, quickly offered many blessings when they learned how things were unfolding.
An Nuan sat there, her head propped up by her hand, leisurely listening to the flattering words. Though she found them insincere, a smile curved her lips.
An Nuan's laughter drew Nangong Jin's attention.
Nangong Jin had been watching An Nuan, his eyes full of smiles and admiration. His lips were almost splitting with joy.
He was unaware of his own expression, thinking everything was perfectly normal.
Nangong Jin gazed at her with his deep eyes, full of affection. He protected her with utmost care, fearing she might be wronged.
At this moment, he gently held An Nuan's hand. He was merely testing the waters; if An Nuan had immediately pulled her hand away, he would have said nothing.
But to his surprise, An Nuan did not pull her hand away.
If it weren't for so many people present, Nangong Jin might have jumped for joy.
He held her hand tightly, afraid this fortunate moment would vanish.
Suddenly, he rested his head on An Nuan's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "An Nuan, what I said is true."
An Nuan looked at Nangong Jin in surprise.
Nangong Jin continued to hold her hand, saying firmly, "I will treat you well. An Nuan, give me a chance. I will not disappoint you." An Nuan instinctively tried to pull her hand from Nangong Jin's grip, but he held it too tightly for her to escape.
Ultimately, she gave up.
She remained seated, silent.
Seeing the two of them behaving so intimately, Shen Xizhou, standing nearby, could not bear it.
He even felt an urge to go over and snatch An Nuan away.
"An Nuan."
An Nuan heard Shen Xizhou's call clearly. However, she pretended as if nothing had happened, continuing with what she was doing.
He knew An Nuan had heard him; otherwise, she wouldn't have glanced in his direction just now. She was deliberately feigning ignorance.
Shen Xizhou's gaze fell on the hand An Nuan's was held so tightly by Nangong Jin. He admitted he was jealous, he admitted he was unwilling.
At this moment, his expression turned extremely grim. As if he no longer cared about anything else, he walked over directly.
"Xizhou..." Xu Ruowei's face turned pale. With so many people watching, if Shen Xizhou went over, there would likely be many unpleasant rumors tomorrow. She would become the object of ridicule in their social circle.
She would not allow such a thing to happen to her.
She cared about her reputation. She didn't want to lose face, nor did she want to become a laughingstock.
"Xizhou, you promised me you would always stay by my side," Xu Ruowei pleaded, her eyes filled with tears. She begged, "Xizhou, can you please just stay by my side? I'm feeling a bit unwell."
Shen Xizhou's gaze remained fixed on Xu Ruowei, offering no response to her words.
It was as if An Nuan was the only one in his world.
Xu Ruowei tightly gripped his arm, causing a sharp pain. It was then that he snapped back to reality.
Seeing An Nuan's bashful expression, Shen Xizhou's face darkened considerably.
Such bashfulness should belong to him.
Yet, An Nuan was displaying it towards another man right in front of him.
How dare she?
Huo Yuxuan watched Nangong Jin from the side, his unceasing grin making him look like a simpleton from a wealthy family. He truly wondered if Nangong Jin had been replaced.
However, considering the person Nangong Jin was facing was An Nuan, his behavior was somewhat understandable.
Finally, the banquet began to wind down.
An Nuan breathed a sigh of relief. Facing the remarks of those people, her primary action was to maintain a smile and nod politely.
After that, she was at a loss for words.
More importantly, she had never even met some of these people, yet they were all trying to curry favor with her.
An Nuan knew this was because of Nangong Jin. If he hadn't appeared, she would likely still be facing difficulties from them.
After it ended, An Nuan bowed deeply to Nangong Jin, gratefully saying, "Mr. Nangong, thank you so much for today. You've been a great help. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have been able to leave so easily." An Nuan spoke calmly.
She was genuinely grateful to Nangong Jin.
Without Nangong Jin, she would have encountered many more problems.
Nangong Jin's gaze fell tenderly upon An Nuan, "An Nuan, you said you would thank me properly."
"Yes... yes." An Nuan was completely bewildered. She hadn't expected Nangong Jin to be so direct. She thought he would be somewhat more reserved.
Nangong Jin looked at An Nuan and said, "An Nuan, then, will you go on a date with me? Consider it a token of thanks."
Huo Yuxuan, standing nearby, was stunned. Was this the same ruthless and decisive boss he knew?
Could such words possibly come from his boss?
Nangong Jin was never short of women, but An Nuan was truly the first to make him so humble.
Huo Yuxuan sighed helplessly, repeatedly comforting himself: Don't overthink it, don't overthink it. This is real. He's fallen in love and that's why he's acting so foolishly.
Just then, Xu Ruowei, linking arms with Shen Xizhou, exclaimed as if she had discovered a monumental secret, "Mr. Nangong, you want to date An Nuan? How romantic."
"It seems Mr. Nangong treats An Nuan very differently."
"It appears the rumors about Mr. Nangong are quite inaccurate. People have always said Mr. Nangong is cold-blooded and heartless, but now it seems things are not quite like that."
"However, there is one thing I don't understand?" Xu Ruowei posed her question. She thought someone would inquire further at this point, but reality went contrary to her expectations; nothing unfolded as she had imagined.
No one pursued the matter.
Xu Ruowei could only brace herself and say, "Didn't Mr. Nangong just declare in front of everyone that An Nuan is your fiancée? And now you're eagerly asking her out?" she said meaningfully.
Fiancée?
A date?
Hearing this, Shen Xizhou frowned, his hand by his side clenching tightly.
Lost in thought, Shen Xizhou suddenly pulled his hand away. Xu Ruowei, who had been leaning heavily on him, was completely unprepared for this move and immediately pitched forward.
Xu Ruowei's initial expression was one of terror, but upon seeing Nangong Jin directly in front of her, a triumphant smile curved her lips. Perhaps this was a good opportunity for her.