Watching Dr. Ji's retreating back and then looking at her smashed hand on the ground, the man had destroyed An Nuan's only hope. He had let her fall into dire straits while saving another woman. If things continued like this, her mother would surely die.
Her gaze fell on Shen Xizhou. A flicker of hope crossed her mind. She looked at the man, grabbed his hand, and pleaded urgently, "Xizhou, please, can you save my mother? She's my only family. I can't lose her."
"Your only family?" Shen Xizhou scoffed coldly and said, "An Nuan, I begged you the same way back then. What about you? You wouldn't even see me."
"I thought Huo Yunchen had taken you and was going to hurt you, but then I saw you sleeping in the same bed as him," Shen Xizhou said venomously. "My family, because of you, all met with disaster."
The man bent down, cupped her chin, and said coldly, "Are my family members not people?"
"Are those lives not worth anything?"
"Xizhou, it was a misunderstanding. I can explain. As long as you are willing to save my mother, I will do anything..."
"Just give me your phone, let me make one call. Just one call," An Nuan pleaded incessantly.
"You want to call some other man?" Shen Xizhou looked at An Nuan venomously and said indifferently, "You're truly disgusting."
An Nuan's gaze fell on the people around her. If Shen Xizhou wouldn't help, perhaps they would lend her their phone. She kept kowtowing and begging.
But those people avoided her, acting as if they had encountered a plague. Seeing the terror in her eyes, they became even more afraid she would ask them for favors.
An Nuan slumped to the ground in despair. She seemed to understand something. Her gaze fell on Shen Xizhou, and she suddenly realized. Begging anyone was useless. The only thing she could do was to make Shen Xizhou agree to her request.
Otherwise, no one would help her, nor dare to help her.
"Xizhou, if you think I'm disgusting and afraid I'll taint your possessions. I can borrow someone else's phone. Just nod and agree, okay?" she begged humbly.
Her eyes were full of hope as she looked at the man before her, wishing desperately that he would help her.
If he just relented, his words could help her.
Shen Xizhou directly kicked An Nuan, who was kneeling before him, away. Like a demon from hell, he slowly walked over, grabbed her chin, as if wanting to crush it, and said sinisterly, "An Nuan, I want to watch you helpless. I want to watch you see the people you care about die because of your mistakes. I want you to live in guilt and self-blame for the rest of your life."
After speaking, the man walked away directly, not even bothering to give her a glance.
An Nuan, I want you to live in guilt and self-blame for the rest of your life...
An Nuan's mind went blank. She looked at the man before her in shock and disbelief.
She looked around vaguely, a voice constantly echoing in her mind. That person held her in his arms and whispered tenderly in her ear, "Nuannuan, I will make you the happiest woman in this world. I won't let you suffer any grievances, or shed a single tear."
Back then, An Nuan had smiled brightly, full of anticipation for the future. She had wrapped her arms around the man's neck and responded intimately in his ear, "Mm, I'll believe you for now then."
The man gently stroked her hair, his affection evident.
An Nuan looked up and met the man's bloodshot eyes. Those beautiful moments crumbled.
What had happened was as if it had been a dream, as if it had never existed at all.
Now, even her presence disgusted him. How shameful those memories were.
Shen Xizhou, those beautiful memories were like a joke.
An Nuan knelt on the ground, tightly clenching her hands. She felt completely weak. She wanted to get up, but due to lack of strength, she fell to the ground, her forehead hitting the corner of a table. Blood began to flow down.
Her hand touched the blood on her forehead. Her hand was covered in blood. Suddenly, a strange light flashed in her eyes. She could save her mother.
She could use her own body to save her mother.
Her body had been damaged. She had undergone major surgery before. The doctor had told her that if she took good care of herself, she might live longer. But she had stopped her medication for a long time. Huo Yunchen had told her that if she continued to not cherish herself like this, she would die within three years.
An Nuan's face held a smile. Trading three years of her life for her mother's life was enough.
Her mother had sacrificed so much for her. She could never repay the debt she owed her mother in this lifetime.
An Nuan finally couldn't hold on and fainted. Chaotic sounds reached her ears. She only realized that someone was lifting her, seemingly taking her somewhere.
A week later.
Lying on the hospital bed, An Nuan's cold hand slid across her face. Someone was always talking in her ear. When she wanted to hear clearly who was speaking, she couldn't make out the words.
Her neck was being squeezed tightly. She opened her eyes, her gaze filled with terror. It was Xu Ruowei.
Didn't the Xu family say she was a murderer? Then who was in front of her?
Xu Ruowei, the eldest daughter of the Xu family, was the most arrogant person in S City. She was infatuated with Shen Xizhou and pursued him relentlessly, but Shen Xizhou never even gave her a glance.
Compared to Xu Ruowei, she was nothing.
She was like an ant on the ground, while Xu Ruowei was an arrogant swan, the pampered daughter of the Xu family.
It was Xu Ruowei who had caused the death of Shen Xizhou's family. It was also Xu Ruowei who had lured her there, allowing Shen Xizhou to witness his family's tragic deaths one by one. She had become the "culprit." Xu Ruowei had threatened her, warning her not to reveal any of this to Shen Xizhou. No, not just Shen Xizhou, but not to reveal it to anyone, otherwise, she would ensure her only mother never saw the sunlight again.
If she told Shen Xizhou, she would ruin him, making him live in the mire for the rest of his life, unable to rise. He would be looked down upon by everyone. Moreover, whatever he wanted to achieve, she would directly break it.
In the end, she compromised. For her mother, for Shen Xizhou, she compromised.
Oh, and Huo Yunchen. He was also an innocent victim. He had been framed by Xu Ruowei, which led Shen Xizhou to witness that indecent scene between her and Huo Yunchen with his own eyes.
Those days felt like hell to her.
Sometimes, she wondered if it had been a dream.
But reality told her, no, it wasn't a dream. It was something that had truly happened.
Years of hatred and resentment filled her body. An Nuan looked coldly at the person before her and said, "Xu Ruowei, I no longer pose any threat to you. Why are you so cruel to me?"
"Haven't I suffered enough from your schemes?"
"Now you are the one standing beside Shen Xizhou. Everyone says you and Shen Xizhou are a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman. What else are you not satisfied with?"
Xu Ruowei offered no response to An Nuan's questioning.
"Right, I didn't come here to listen to your nonsense."
An Nuan watched the woman before her warily. This woman was too terrifying.