Ye Qingcheng saw An Nuan about to speak and quickly walked over. He bent down and whispered in her ear, "Nuan Nuan, don't speak. If you explain now, the situation will only become more chaotic."
"My sister has brought you into the family, so naturally, she won't let you be bullied. If she knew you were treated so miserably by Shen Xizhou, she would definitely not let him off the hook, and things would only get more troublesome."
An Nuan looked up, her eyes meeting Ye Qingcheng's deep gaze. They were so close that she could clearly hear the slightest sound of his breath.
Ye Qingcheng's earlobes turned red.
An Nuan coughed lightly, moved back, and calmed her emotions before finally speaking, "But, I..."
"Alright, just do as I say, okay? As for the rest, we can talk about it later."
Ye Qingcheng looked at An Nuan and said with great certainty, "You wouldn't want this matter to ruin this meal, would you?"
An Nuan's eyes were filled with deep guilt as she said, "I'm sorry, Doctor Ye, for causing you trouble."
"If I had known Shen Xizhou would show up, I wouldn't have..."
Ye Qingcheng looked at An Nuan's guilty expression. He placed his hand on her head and gently stroked it, saying, "This isn't your fault. I brought you here without your consent."
"And I don't know why Shen Xizhou is here," Ye Qingcheng spread his hands, his voice filled with helplessness.
An Nuan finally sighed.
"Alright, don't overthink it. No matter how big the problem is, I'm here, so you don't need to worry."
"Everything will be done according to my plan, okay? We'll talk about everything else after this passes, alright?"
Meeting Ye Qingcheng's eyes, An Nuan, with deep guilt and self-blame, finally nodded.
Ye Qianyi watched the interaction between Ye Qingcheng and An Nuan, and her agitated heart instantly calmed. Her face was full of smiles as she said, "Fine, I won't dwell on it."
"After all, it's not entirely your fault." Ye Qianyi looked at An Nuan but spoke to Ye Qingcheng, "This kind of thing must not happen again, understood?"
"If there's a next time, I won't be polite," she said fiercely to Ye Qingcheng.
It had to be said that Ye Qianyi perfectly embodied the two-faced approach.
An Nuan was completely stunned by Ye Qianyi's actions. She had never imagined such a thing. Ye Qianyi was truly good to her.
Her eyes welled up with tears; she was truly touched.
Looking at the Ye family, her eyes were filled with tears.
After enduring all her pain, the Ye family was now compensating her for it, treating her so well that she felt as if everything happening before her was an illusion.
Now, she felt as if she were favored by the god of luck. Everyone was exceptionally kind to her.
Everything seemed so beautiful, but Shen Xizhou, standing aside, was a stark contrast to it all.
Shen Xizhou watched the interactions between the Ye family and An Nuan, his hands clenched tightly. He wished he could pull An Nuan away and prevent her from being here.
The smile on An Nuan's face was so dazzling.
He wondered why he had come here. What was the purpose of his visit?
An Nuan turned away, not wanting to face Shen Xizhou. As long as she didn't face him, everything was wonderful.
This was the Ye family's home, after all. Why did she have to treat Shen Xizhou so cautiously?
Shen Xizhou, perhaps, wasn't that frightening.
Looking at the smiling faces of the Ye family, she then thought of herself.
And Yun Xiu. If Yun Xiu were still alive, seeing how good Ye Qingcheng and his family were to her, Yun Xiu would surely be happy.
If Yun Xiu were still here, he would definitely get along well with Ye Qingcheng.
Ye Qingcheng might even become the 'amazing brother' that Yun Xiu often mentioned.
Thinking of Yun Xiu, her heart ached with a pain that made it impossible to breathe.
Ye Qingcheng noticed that An Nuan's mood seemed off. He gently said in her ear, "An Nuan, is it because of what just happened that you..."
An Nuan shook her head and said firmly, "No, it's not. I just remembered Yun Xiu, I..."
Ye Qingcheng stopped speaking. Instead, he held An Nuan in his arms, letting her rest her head against his chest. He gently said in her ear, "I think if Yun Xiu were here, he wouldn't want to see you like this."
"Yun Xiu wanted you to be happy. You should be a happy person."
"An Nuan, do you know? Yun Xiu always wished for your happiness."
"He told me that he had burdened you. If it weren't for him, perhaps you would be living a more brilliant life."
"An Nuan, even though Yun Xiu is no longer here, he is always with you. You must remember that."
"You must be incredibly happy. Fulfill Yun Xiu's wish."
"Mhm." An Nuan calmed down. Then she remembered that this was the Ye family's home, and the Ye family must have seen her in Ye Qingcheng's arms just now.
Ye Qianyi looked around and muttered, "I didn't see it, I didn't see it."
Hearing her words, An Nuan's face grew redder. She had never imagined such a thing could happen.
She lowered her head, her face flushed, not daring to look at the people around her.
"Scrape." The sound of a chair being pulled back echoed loudly.
Shen Xizhou, who had been sitting aside, stood up.
His gaze fell on An Nuan and Ye Qingcheng, and finally settled on their intertwined fingers.
It was so dazzling and ridiculous.
He remembered how, in the past, with a smile on her face, she had raised their intertwined hands high, wishing for everyone to see.
She had said that in this life, her hand would only hold his. She had also said that her heart would forever belong only to him.
But everything before him felt like a slap in the face.
Seeing An Nuan and Ye Qingcheng so intimate, Shen Xizhou's face turned dark.
Ye Qingcheng's gaze fell on Shen Xizhou, his eyes filled with a triumphant gleam. "Mr. Shen, what is it? Are we not hospitable enough?"
Shen Xizhou: "..."
"It seems we didn't invite you, Mr. Shen. You came on your own," Ye Qingcheng said coldly. "Mr. Shen, today is the Ye family's family banquet. Could you please leave?"
Meeting Shen Xizhou's terrifying gaze, Ye Qingcheng showed no fear. He continued to smile cheerfully, "After all, with outsiders present, it's inconvenient for us to discuss certain matters."
Shen Xizhou's face was grim. He had indeed come to the Ye family on his own.
He had received news that An Nuan had been brought back to the Ye family by Ye Qingcheng, and he wanted to figure out what was going on.
His arrival had initially surprised the Ye family, and then he had been allowed to enter.
It seemed he had come at the right time today.
An Nuan, was she worthy? He would never let An Nuan find happiness.
With him around, An Nuan would never achieve it in this lifetime.