The next day.
Early in the morning, An Nuan saw many news headlines.
All the news outlets were scolding An Nuan.
An Nuan looked at the photo in the news, which showed Shen Xizhou embracing her. However, the photo was taken from such a good angle that it made it seem as if she was clinging to Shen Xizhou.
The news content further accused her of shamelessly clinging to Shen Xizhou, calling her a disgrace.
An Nuan paid no attention to such news, completely disregarding the matter. She believed that by ignoring it, the heat would naturally die down after some time.
However, while An Nuan could act as if nothing had happened, someone else was busy escalating the situation.
At a press conference.
Xu Ruowei's eyes were red and swollen, her vision blurry with bloodshot veins, and her voice was hoarse.
"Miss Xu, do you have any comment on the photo of Mr. Shen and Miss An?"
"I..."
Xu Ruowei appeared hesitant, her face filled with pain. Tears streamed down her face. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice choked with sobs, "I've also seen this news. I believe there must be some misunderstanding."
"I believe in Xi Zhou's love for me. As for the photo, I think perhaps someone with ulterior motives deliberately released it to cause misunderstandings. Everyone can just pretend it never happened."
"Besides, Miss An is Mr. Nangong's girlfriend. I believe Miss An wouldn't do anything out of line."
"Although Miss An used to pester my fiancé, I believe now that Miss An has Mr. Nangong, she won't be like before."
The people present were not fools. After hearing Xu Ruowei's words, they suspected that there was much more to the story that had not yet been revealed. They were eager to seize this opportunity, believing that good news could lead to a major scoop.
"Miss Xu, are you implying that before Miss An met Mr. Nangong, she was constantly harassing Mr. Shen?"
"Can it be said that Miss An was always coveting Mr. Shen?"
"She's giving up on pestering Mr. Shen now because she's found someone better, is that right?"
"Does this mean Miss An is a woman who clings to power?"
"Or perhaps Miss An is someone who will do anything to achieve her goals?"
"No, that's not it," Xu Ruowei feigned urgency in her explanation. "An Nuan is not the person you are describing."
"Perhaps she was before, but now with Mr. Nangong, she's not."
After saying these words, Xu Ruowei looked shocked and bewildered, quickly adding, "No, that's not what I meant. I was just speaking carelessly..."
"Actually, that photo is fake. You can..."
The reporters continued to focus their questions on An Nuan. Each time Xu Ruowei answered, she would cover her mouth as if she had spoken out of turn.
An Nuan smiled, listening to Xu Ruowei's words. After all these years, she was still the same. Her tactics were still lazy, but people would believe them.
Did Xu Ruowei really think she could, as before, pin all the blame on her and then act as if nothing had happened? Xu Ruowei's methods remained unchanged, but she was no longer the An Nuan who could be easily manipulated.
Just as Xu Ruowei was reveling in her successful scheme, her moment of triumph was short-lived.
At this moment, Shen Xizhou appeared.
Xu Ruowei's face lit up with a smile as she walked towards him. Did Shen Xizhou's appearance here mean he had forgiven her? If so, that would be wonderful. She knew that once Shen Xizhou came to his senses, he would surely forgive her. She believed in the importance of her place in Shen Xizhou's heart.
All eyes turned to Shen Xizhou.
Xu Ruowei stepped forward and reached out to link her arm with Shen Xizhou's, but he deftly dodged her. His eyes were filled with distance.
Xu Ruowei's hand froze in mid-air. She felt deeply unwilling but could only retract her hand.
The reporters dared not question Shen Xizhou, fearing they might offend him.
Xu Ruowei could only maintain an awkward smile. When she met Shen Xizhou's gaze, a sense of foreboding washed over her. She had a feeling that Shen Xizhou's appearance would bring about unfavorable consequences for her. She had worked so hard; she didn't want all her efforts to be ruined because of Shen Xizhou.
Xu Ruowei's face turned pale, her hands clenched tightly, as if plotting something.
Shen Xizhou did not disappoint. He said coldly, "The photo is real."
Upon hearing this, Xu Ruowei's face broke into a smile. She had expected Shen Xizhou to say the photo was fake. She was surprised that he would say such a thing and wondered if he was siding with her. Her mood immediately lifted.
"An Nuan, look. In the end, Shen Xizhou is on my side, and you are nothing."
Just as everyone was about to believe Xu Ruowei's words, Shen Xizhou spoke again, "However, it's not what you see. It was deliberately staged to look this way."
"An Nuan was originally my wife. We broke up due to a misunderstanding."
"To clarify, it wasn't An Nuan clinging to me."
"On the contrary, it was I who was always pestering An Nuan."
He looked at Xu Ruowei and said coldly, "I have no relationship with Xu Ruowei anymore."
"Did Xu Ruowei tell you that?"
The reporters were stunned, their cameras forgotten. Suddenly, one of them asked a question and started taking pictures. Then, everyone else followed suit.
Xu Ruowei was completely flustered. Her voice trembled as she said, "No, that's not true."
"Xi Zhou, what's wrong with you? Why are you saying such things?"
"Xi Zhou, you've misunderstood me."
Shen Xizhou said coldly, "Xu Ruowei, I believe I've made myself clear. Please have some self-respect."
"Stop these petty tricks."
"I..."
Without Shen Xizhou's protection, the reporters became very bold, asking her all sorts of questions. Xu Ruowei's mind went blank. She had never imagined such an absurd situation would befall her. Everyone was bombarding her with questions.
As she stood there, unsure of what to do, a strong hand grabbed her. She was pulled protectively into an embrace, shielding her from the reporters' relentless questioning.