Shen Xizhou nodded in agreement.
An Nuan froze, unsure which of her words had made Shen Xizhou agree. Yet, she felt it must be for Xu Ruowei.
She gave a self-mocking smile. What was she thinking? It didn't matter for whom, as long as he agreed.
But as she saw her name signed on the divorce agreement, An Nuan’s heart still ached, even her breathing hurt.
The man before her was the man she loved most, the man to whom she could give her everything. No matter how he treated her, she still loved him deeply.
She thought as long as they weren't divorced, there was still room for reconciliation. But now, there was truly nothing left. It turned out that all her beautiful thoughts were just a mirage.
Then let it all be a dream. Let her say a proper goodbye to the past.
No matter how cruel the world was to her, her life had to go on.
She and Shen Xizhou were now two parallel lines, destined never to intersect again.
Did it hurt? Yes, her heart truly ached.
"Shen Xizhou, I've signed it. You must keep your word."
She pleaded helplessly; she had no bargaining chips left.
With reddened eyes, she looked at the man before her and said weakly, "My body is already damaged. I gave my kidney to Xu Ruowei. Just pity me and return my brother to me, okay?"
Shen Xizhou frowned. Looking at the woman crying miserably on the ground, a trace of pity flickered in his eyes.
His gaze towards An Nuan was exceptionally complex. Seeing her haggard face and her humble, devout appearance, he couldn't help but wonder if he had been too cruel to her.
But he immediately dismissed such a thought. He looked at An Nuan and said coldly, "Your brother will naturally appear before you."
"But An Nuan, it's not that your kidney was given to Ruowei because Ruowei owes you, but rather, you owe her."
"Don't you remember what you did?" Shen Xizhou said indifferently. "If you hadn't acted maliciously towards Ruowei, she wouldn't have been in trouble."
"Therefore, your kidney will be fine on your own body. And all the consequences are your own doing."
"Do you understand? It's all your own fault. You can't blame anyone."
"Your own wickedness harmed yourself. This is retribution from heaven; even heaven thinks someone like you deserves this."
Shen Xizhou curled his lips into a cold smile and said dismissively, "Oh, and by the way, your life is short, and so is your brother's."
"An Nuan, how do you feel hearing this news? Because of the sins you committed, retribution falls upon your brother. You will spend the rest of your life repenting to him."
After speaking, Shen Xizhou turned and left without any lingering glance. He didn't spare An Nuan another look or word.
The door slammed shut. An Nuan kept replaying Shen Xizhou's words. She shook her head repeatedly, disbelieving that what Shen Xizhou said could be true.
It must be fake; such cruel things wouldn't happen to her. Her brother was so kind; how could heaven treat him like this?
An Nuan, look, this is your retribution. You truly deserve to die.
So, her love was this laughable. So, this was how she was in his heart.
This was the true meaning of killing someone by destroying their spirit.
Shen Xizhou, if I die, will you be sad? Will you cry for me?
An Nuan's body ached so much that she curled up. After Shen Xizhou left, the nurse came and took away all the medication and other items. And during their conversation, she learned that everything was arranged by Shen Xizhou.
She curled her lips into a cold smile. She knew Shen Xizhou wouldn't let her off so easily. By taking away all her medicine, he wanted her to endure this pain.
She suddenly understood what Shen Xizhou meant when he said, 'You must properly 'enjoy' the treatment I give you.'
So, that's what he meant.
She fainted from the pain.
...
She woke up three days later. She didn't wake up on her own; someone pushed her awake. That person had a dark expression and said coldly, "You can be discharged today. Hurry up and leave."
"You owe so much money and still have the nerve to stay here. You're shameless."
An Nuan listened to the caregiver's venomous words, but her expression remained calm, and she didn't respond.
She wouldn't say anything about how outsiders treated her.
Because that was their freedom, and she only needed to be true to herself.
The caregiver continued to chatter, "Heh, if it weren't for young Master Shen's influence, you would have been kicked out long ago. A toad wanting to eat swan meat, not even looking at your own status compared to young Master Shen. You must be clinging to him. Ugly people cause trouble."
Facing the caregiver's insults, An Nuan said nothing and simply checked out of the hospital.
Standing outside the hospital, she realized she had nowhere to go. She stood outside the hospital, looking blankly at everything around her. Where should she go?
Didn't Shen Xizhou say he would send her to a mental asylum? A self-mocking smile appeared on her lips. Should she ask him? After all, it was a place, a place where she could at least shelter from the wind and rain and get a place to sleep.
As she stood there, not knowing where to go or what to do, a man appeared.
That man told her he knew where her brother was.
Of course, she asked many questions. Finally, the man grew impatient and blurted out, "You don't seem eager to save your brother."
"Mr. Shen sent me," the man said.
Then, he added coldly, "If you don't believe me, then I'll leave. Don't blame anyone later. The chance to save your brother is right in front of you, and you're not cherishing it."
Although she hesitated, the prospect of seeing her brother was indeed very appealing.
An Nuan was moved. What the man said was indeed touching and tugged at her heartstrings.
News of her brother had always been her mother's greatest concern. Her brother's disappearance was due to her negligence. Her mother was already dead. Therefore, finding her brother was imperative.
Ultimately, she agreed to the man.
The man only mentioned one place, which she didn't really want to go to: a club.
Only the rich and powerful frequented that club, and she didn't want to go. Moreover, that club often had problems, which were merely suppressed. Outsiders didn't know, but she did.
These things were told to her by the person in her heart who had already died.
Therefore, he had always forbidden her from going to such places.
He said, "I will absolutely not allow you to go to such places. You should live like a princess, carefree every day."
"Don't worry, I'll handle everything. As long as I'm here, you won't suffer any grievances."
Those sweet words echoed in her heart repeatedly, and she had indeed followed them.
But where was she now? She could only face reality.
Everything she was experiencing now was bestowed upon her by Shen Xizhou.
The man who once protected her as if she were in a honey jar now hated her to the bone, wishing she would suffer all the miseries in the world.
In the end, An Nuan still chose to go with the man. Even if there was only a one-in-a-million chance, she wouldn't allow herself to give up.
Even if she knew it might be a trap, she would still throw herself into it without hesitation.