Did she know Xu Ruowei well? She asked her to come, so she had to?
She disdained any connection with Shen Xizhou and Xu Ruowei. Did Xu Ruowei expect her blessing for their engagement party? Did she have to give it? What if she didn't? Would she be unable to leave?
Xu Ruowei's hands clenched tightly, her eyes filled with disgust for An Nuan.
A cold smile played on An Nuan's lips. If it weren't for the crowd, she would have openly mocked her. But with so many people around, the words she wanted to say and the actions she wanted to take were ultimately swallowed back.
If this were before, facing all this, An Nuan might have offered her blessings.
For Yun Xiu, she would have swallowed her pride. But now that Yun Xiu was gone, her weakness was gone.
Did Xu Ruowei still think she would obediently follow her orders?
"Blessings?"
An Nuan smiled and said, "You're getting engaged, and I'm here. Do I have to offer blessings? What if I don't want to?"
"Well, it's not strictly necessary. It's just that most people would offer blessings. Don't you wish Xu Ruowei and Xizhou happiness?" Xu Ruowei's smile froze. She hadn't expected An Nuan to say such a thing, and in front of so many people.
In fact, she had deliberately asked these questions in front of everyone, especially Shen Xizhou. She thought that with the crowd, no matter how unwilling An Nuan was, she would eventually offer her blessings. She had invited An Nuan specifically to embarrass her, to let her know that from now on, Shen Xizhou belonged only to her.
She never expected An Nuan to answer like this.
Her expression turned extremely unpleasant.
Those nearby began to criticize An Nuan, but none of them stepped forward to speak. After all, Shen Xizhou was present, and if he didn't speak up, they certainly wouldn't.
Some people knew about the relationship between Shen Xizhou and An Nuan. They naturally wanted to see whom Shen Xizhou would choose to protect between his new love and his old flame.
Xu Ruowei's eyes were full of grievance. She looked at Shen Xizhou, expecting him to defend her.
But when her gaze fell on Shen Xizhou, she realized he had been looking at An Nuan the entire time, right from the beginning.
She bit her lip tightly, her heart filled with resentment.
Was this her way of embarrassing her? Ruining her reputation in front of so many people? Would he be happy doing that?
Xu Ruowei turned to Shen Xizhou with a tearful sob and said aggrievedly, "Xizhou, have I done something wrong? An Nuan doesn't seem to like me. I genuinely wanted to invite her."
Shen Xizhou pulled her into his arms and gently comforted her in her ear, "Don't be afraid, and don't worry. I'm here, and I won't let you be wronged."
Xu Ruowei cast a triumphant glance at An Nuan.
Shen Xizhou's gaze fell on An Nuan. He saw the mocking smile on her face, and her eyes never left him.
She seemed to have changed from her past self, yet he couldn't pinpoint how.
But her transformation made him very unhappy.
Was she being so reckless because she had found a new target?
And she, An Nuan, could attend his and Xu Ruowei's engagement party with a smiling face? What was she thinking?
Suddenly, his eyes blazed with rage, wishing he could destroy the person before him.
"Blessings?" An Nuan looked genuinely puzzled. After a long pause, she slowly said, "But seeing the two of you standing together, I can't utter a single word of blessing."
An Nuan's face was full of smiles, as if she didn't care how the surrounding people viewed her.
"Xu Ruowei, are you sure you can handle the blessings I might offer?"
"Oh, right. Are you sure what I say will be blessings? Won't it be something else?"
Saying this, An Nuan looked at the two of them with disdain.
Hmph, this vicious woman, who had caused her brother's death, had the audacity to ask for her blessings? Did she deserve them?
An Nuan turned and prepared to leave.
She didn't want to get entangled with them any further.
Xu Ruowei glared at An Nuan furiously, wishing she could tear that expression off her face. But in the end, she held back.
With so many people watching, she absolutely could not let them see her at her worst.
That's right, An Nuan was doing this deliberately, trying to provoke her and make her lose face.
But she refused to fall into her trap.
The more An Nuan wanted her to get angry, the more she would refuse. Hmph, everything An Nuan was doing now was a waste of effort.
Her eyes filled with grievance, and tears flowed freely. She said softly, "An Nuan, I know you love Shen Xizhou very much and want to marry him. However, emotions cannot be forced. But I won't be angry with you for treating me this way."
"After all, I am marrying the man every woman wants to marry." She looked at An Nuan, a radiant smile on her face, and said, "Having Xizhou by my side is enough. I can accept the slander from some people. I am already so fortunate to have Xizhou. It's impossible for all the good luck to come my way."
"I am willing to endure some grievances."
"Is that so? Well said, 'willing to endure'?" An Nuan reached out and slapped Xu Ruowei directly across the face, saying coldly, "Yes, you're right. You snatched Shen Xizhou away, and I am unwilling. So, I've slapped you. You won't retaliate against me, will you?"
Meeting Xu Ruowei's furious gaze, An Nuan smiled. "You said it yourself. If I didn't slap you, you might not feel at ease. I did this to put your mind at ease."
Xu Ruowei cupped her red, swollen face and looked up at Shen Xizhou with tearful eyes.
She had indeed said those words, but she had only been saying them to be polite. And she was more certain that among the onlookers, some were also unwilling. But with Shen Xizhou by her side, no matter how unwilling they were, they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on her.
Yet An Nuan had.
An Nuan looked at Xu Ruowei with disdain. Then, meeting Shen Xizhou's bloodthirsty gaze, she said calmly, "Mr. Shen, your fiancée said this herself. Your expression doesn't look good, you seem very angry. You're not going to make a move against me, are you?"
"But your fiancée just said it, and I acted according to her words." An Nuan stated firmly. "Or perhaps, what your fiancée said was just for show, for everyone to hear?"
"Oh, so it was to gain a good reputation?"
An Nuan's words fell on everyone's ears. They stared at An Nuan in shock and bewilderment, yet none dared to step forward and say anything.
Having finished speaking, An Nuan turned and left.