Xu Ruo Wei was afraid, afraid that even if she pretended to be in pain, Shen Xi Zhou would relentlessly pester An Nuan. If that happened, she would completely lose to An Nuan. She did not want to witness such a scene.
The more Xu Ruo Wei thought about it, the darker her gaze became.
Her eyes, filled with a chilling coldness, looked at the direction An Nuan had disappeared, while she continued to cry out, "Xi Zhou, An Nuan was kicking and hitting me just now. I'm in so much pain all over now, tell me, will I die? I'm scared, Xi Zhou, I'm scared, I'm scared."
"I'm afraid I'll never see you again. I'm truly afraid."
"Ruo Wei, don't be scared, don't be scared. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you."
Shen Xi Zhou returned to her side. Xu Ruo Wei immediately clutched his arm tightly, her heart already filled with triumph. Look, An Nuan, the man you care about, with just one word from me, all his thoughts are on me. No matter how hard you try, it's useless.
Yet, she was afraid. She feared Shen Xi Zhou would investigate further. She absolutely could not let Shen Xi Zhou investigate. She had to leave first. The rest would be handled by others.
She lowered her head and said with feigned pain, "Xi Zhou, I don't want you to misunderstand An Nuan because of me. I think An Nuan was just temporarily angry. Perhaps she was afraid I would snatch you away, which is why she treated me like this. Xi Zhou, I'm sorry. It's all because of me that you and An Nuan have become like this."
"If it weren't for me, perhaps you and An Nuan wouldn't be like this either."
Tears streaked Xu Ruo Wei's face as she said indignantly, "Xi Zhou, go find An Nuan. I'm fine, I can manage on my own."
As she spoke, her hand refused to let go, still gripping him tightly.
"Ruo Wei, don't talk nonsense. An Nuan and I have no relationship anymore. You are the most important person to me now."
"This time it was my oversight that caused you so much grievance. But don't worry, I will make up for all the suffering you've endured today."
Shen Xi Zhou's mind had been entirely focused on An Nuan, but at this moment, he calmed down.
An Nuan, such a vicious woman, how could she be doing? What did it matter to him?
If she wasn't doing well, wasn't that what he wanted to see most?
Ruo Wei's hands wrapped around Shen Xi Zhou's neck, and he instinctively recoiled slightly.
This reaction made Ruo Wei hate An Nuan even more.
He said she was the most important person to him, yet just her putting her hand on his neck made him so averse. Was what he said true, or did his heart only ever hold An Nuan, with no space for her? Were all the sincere words he had spoken to her lies?
Xu Ruo Wei wished she could tear off her disguised face and confront Shen Xi Zhou directly, but she knew she couldn't do that.
All she could do now was to act weak and pained. Only then could she make Shen Xi Zhou pity her more and more.
She had spent so much time, and now she had successfully driven An Nuan away. She could focus all her attention on Shen Xi Zhou. In the future, as long as she worked hard, Shen Xi Zhou would surely belong to her.
Xu Ruo Wei's eyes were red from crying, and she said mournfully, "Xi Zhou, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If I hadn't appeared before you and An Nuan, you and An Nuan would probably still be very happy now."
"Xi Zhou, you and An Nuan got divorced, and it's all my fault. I really am a bad person."
"If it weren't for me, perhaps you wouldn't have divorced her either."
A venomous glint appeared in Xu Ruo Wei's eyes. Since he didn't want to say it, she would say it for him. She wanted to see what Shen Xi Zhou would say after this was revealed, and what excuses he would come up with.
Shen Xi Zhou looked at Xu Ruo Wei with a hint of doubt, as if questioning how she knew about this. Faced with his suspicious gaze, Xu Ruo Wei was almost driven mad by jealousy. So, if she hadn't brought it up, he had no intention of mentioning it. Hmph, it was truly laughable. Her life was so pathetic. She thought that by driving An Nuan away, she could assume the position of the victor, but she realized now that she had not won.
"Xi Zhou, I... I didn't investigate you. An Nuan told me about this. She said..." Xu Ruo Wei sobbed, covering her face, appearing to be in pain.
"I don't know what happened. I came here to eat. An Nuan spilled the soup on me and said... and said..."
Shen Xi Zhou's brows furrowed, his expression growing increasingly grim.
"What did she say?"
"She said, 'Xu Ruo Wei, you are truly pathetic. An Nuan and I divorced a long time ago. You've been by his side for so many years, and you haven't even earned the title of girlfriend. Even now that he's divorced, he won't marry you. If he wanted to give you the position of Mrs. Shen, he would have done so when others were calling you out, not Ms. Xu.' 'Xu Ruo Wei, you are nothing but a clown.'"
"Xi Zhou, I know, everything is my fault." She cried with increasing grievance.
Shen Xi Zhou pulled Xu Ruo Wei into a tight embrace. Thinking of the suffering she had endured, and An Nuan's mockery of her, his heart ached immensely. At this moment, he truly hated An Nuan to the core, wishing he could kill her.
"Xi Zhou, is everything An Nuan said true? You divorced her, and you didn't tell me because you don't have me in your heart. And in your heart, she, An Nuan, is the only one qualified to be called Mrs. Shen, right?" she asked, her voice filled with sorrow and desolation.
Shen Xi Zhou's expression flickered, changing in an instant.
As the sun set, they sat on the mountain watching the sunset. She nestled in his arms and said shyly yet possessively into his ear, "Shen Xi Zhou, from now on, only I, An Nuan, will be Mrs. Shen. No one else."
"Shen Xi Zhou, if you break your promise, I will never forgive you, not in this life nor any other."
"Shen Xi Zhou, you belong only to me, An Nuan."
At that time, his face was full of smiles. He pinched her face and said to her sincerely, "An Nuan, this life, the position of Mrs. Shen is yours alone. I will only experience widowhood, never divorce."
However, those sweet vows had now become a joke.
The old person remained, yet everything had changed.
The woman he had protected with all his might, the woman he wanted to marry, had killed his family. For her own gain, she had even harbored murderous intent towards him. It was only by sheer luck that he had survived. He had seen her in the wedding room he had joyfully prepared, rolling around in bed with his sworn enemy.
If he hadn't shown up, perhaps he would have witnessed something even more stimulating than what he had seen. The promiscuous woman before him was the very person he had cherished, the woman he had loved so carefully, fearing he would hurt her. But in the end, he realized he had ultimately become a laughingstock.