Shen Xizhou’s gaze fell upon Nangong Jin.
Finally, as if struck by an idea, he spoke with chilling coldness, "Nangong Jin, among all the women in the world, why did you choose one who is the dirtiest, the most venomous?"
"You don't know her past? I have plenty of it here. Do you need it?"
An Nuan felt no anger at Shen Xizhou's words.
In the past, she would have been furious.
But now, she felt that Shen Xizhou speaking like this was normal. If he ever stopped, she would find it strange.
Although not angry, her complexion was exceptionally pale and unsightly.
Shen Xizhou always found ways to make her suffer.
An Nuan lowered her head, lost in thought, her mind a blur.
She did not want Nangong Jin to know about her past.
The past was in the past.
She did not wish to recall or relive it.
She only wanted to reclaim what her mother had left her, nothing more. Xu Ruowei claimed to have destroyed it, but she didn't believe it.
Someone like Xu Ruowei wouldn't just destroy something.
She would keep it, waiting for the right moment to strike.
To use that thing against her.
Xu Ruowei would never let her get back on her feet.
Her greatest worry now was whether Nangong Jin would believe Shen Xizhou's words. What would he think of her when he heard them? How would she face Nangong Jin from now on?
Nangong Jin also felt the woman in his arms trembling, her head bowed low as if she didn't want him to see her distress. Yet, he saw her pale face with perfect clarity.
She looked so fragile, it pained him.
Nangong Jin's brow furrowed. Seeing An Nuan's timid demeanor, his mood soured considerably.
His emotions became turbulent.
At this moment, Nangong Jin reached out, gently stroking her hair, and said tenderly, "An Nuan, don't be sad. You never need to feel ashamed in front of me."
"To me, you are always An Nuan."
"I only believe what I see with my own eyes. I won't believe what others say."
"As for what Shen Xizhou said, I don't know, don't care to know, and certainly won't believe it."
Nangong Jin looked at An Nuan and stated firmly, "A man who desperately wants to take your life – do you think anything he says is true?"
An Nuan's eyes immediately shot up, meeting Nangong Jin's. She looked at him with utter disbelief.
She had never imagined Nangong Jin would trust her so much.
Even as Shen Xizhou slandered her so viciously, he still firmly believed in her.
At this moment, it would be a lie to say she wasn't moved or grateful.
"Nangong Jin, thank you."
"Do you know? You are the only one who believes me, the only one who stands by me so steadfastly."
As if remembering something, she quickly shook her head and said, "No, not the only one."
"There's also Zhou Chumu and Li Tian. Both of them believe in me."
"Thank you all for always believing in me."
"Your belief is the driving force that keeps me going."
An Nuan seemed to have a realization. She felt she could no longer be so weak; she had to do something for herself.
She couldn't rely on Nangong Jin for the rest of her life.
She wanted to break free from Nangong Jin's embrace, but found herself unable to.
After a long moment, she finally spoke, "Nangong Jin, can you let me up for a moment? I have something to say to Mr. Shen."
An Nuan's words caused Nangong Jin's brow to furrow again, his mood extremely heavy. He didn't understand why An Nuan wanted to speak to Shen Xizhou.
He didn't think there was anything An Nuan needed to say to him.
However, An Nuan's gaze towards him was unusually firm, and in the end, he relented.
"You can speak with him, but you must not let yourself get hurt."
An Nuan nodded at Nangong Jin's concerned words.
She stood up and walked step by step towards Shen Xizhou, looking at him and saying icily, "Mr. Shen, have you come to see me today because of Xu Ruowei's matter?"
"Did Xu Ruowei tell you she was injured, and that I was responsible?"
"Then, Mr. Shen, do you have any evidence?" An Nuan stared coldly at Shen Xizhou, her voice like ice.
In the past, she always felt that such words, such matters, were unnecessary to ask or to voice.
She felt that even if she said them, Shen Xizhou wouldn't believe her.
But now, her perspective had changed.
She felt that even if Shen Xizhou didn't believe her, at least she had spoken out.
She didn't believe Shen Xizhou would completely dismiss it; at least, he would be somewhat displeased, right?
Shen Xizhou hesitated. He truly hadn't considered such a question.
Evidence?
All this time, he had never doubted Xu Ruowei's words. As for evidence, that was even less likely.
However, An Nuan's question made him falter.
Before Shen Xizhou could speak, An Nuan continued.
"Looking at your expression, Mr. Shen, you can't produce any evidence. But, Mr. Shen, I have evidence here."
"Evidence that will allow you to see Xu Ruowei clearly. I don't think you'll be interested, but I still intend to show it to you."
An Nuan walked step by step in front of Shen Xizhou and showed him a segment of surveillance footage.
It was a scene from when Shen Xizhou's parents were still alive, a silent clip.
It showed Shen Xizhou's parents meeting Xu Ruowei.
What they were saying was unclear, but the footage showed Xu Ruowei treating Shen Xizhou's parents haughtily, even forcing them to kneel. Then, Shen Xizhou's parents were in trouble. Shortly after, they were involved in a car accident.
Seeing all this, Shen Xizhou's hands clenched tightly.
He had seen it before, shown by An Nuan, but he hadn't even glanced at it, directly discarding the so-called evidence.
It was as if Xu Ruowei had organized and disposed of everything, and during that period, many things had happened, so he hadn't paid much attention to this matter.
"You never showed me this before," Shen Xizhou said, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Hearing Shen Xizhou's reply, An Nuan laughed, a loud, unrestrained laugh.
She said coldly, "I didn't say I did?"
"Shen Xizhou, I gave you all this long ago."
"I suspect you threw it away without even looking."
"If you had bothered to look, you would have known the truth."
"Perhaps, the subsequent events wouldn't have happened," An Nuan said with rising emotion.
"Oh, and there's more. Mr. Shen, would you like to see?"
An Nuan looked at Shen Xizhou and sneered, "What will Mr. Shen think when he sees these images?"
"Mr. Shen constantly calls me dirty. After watching this, who do you think is dirty?"
All the grievances she had endured these past few days seemed to be released at this moment.