An Nuan, crying like a leaky faucet on the ground, stirred something in Shen Xizhou’s heart, a string that remained taut.
A knot of anger tightened in his chest.
He wanted to push Xu Ruowei away, but found he couldn't. Looking at the person before him, Shen Xizhou’s heart turned to ice.
"What’s wrong? You’ve harmed so many people. Don't you have any idea of what you’ve done? You should be grateful she’s not coming after you, and yet, you attacked her again."
"An Nuan, if I hadn't arrived, would you have killed someone again?" Shen Xizhou said coldly, his eyes filled with a sinister light.
An Nuan instantly broke down, her world seeming to collapse. "Xizhou, do you believe her? What could I possibly do to her in this state? Have you forgotten this is my hospital room? If I truly wanted to harm her, would I be foolish enough to choose this place?"
"An Nuan, your heart is already dirty, devoid of all feeling."
"For what you desire, you’d harm anyone, let alone Xu Ruowei, whom you’ve always seen as a thorn in your side?"
"You're right, this is your hospital room," Shen Xizhou said, his gaze sinister as he looked at An Nuan, his voice cold. "But you know better than anyone that the most dangerous place is the safest. That's why you chose to act here, merely to distance yourself."
An Nuan’s heart ached so much she could barely breathe, feeling as though it would shatter. She was being tortured, piece by piece. The only ray of light in her heart had suddenly, completely vanished.
Heh, so in his heart, she was a venomous, vile person.
Only now did she realize she was a joke, the most laughable joke of all.
"Xizhou, my hand hurts so much, it feels numb. Is my hand ruined? Am I going to die?" Xu Ruowei said pitifully, her eyes red. "I… I really don't know why An Nuan would do this to me. I just came to visit her…"
"Ruowei, I will give you justice for this. Whatever injuries you have sustained, let them be inflicted upon that person." Shen Xizhou looked at Xu Ruowei with an indescribable emotion in his eyes. Yet his voice was exceptionally gentle, almost unnaturally so. But when his gaze fell upon An Nuan, it was filled with bloodlust and coldness.
"An Nuan, will you do it yourself, or shall I have someone do it for you?" Shen Xizhou’s eyes were bloodshot as he spoke with chilling indifference.
An Nuan’s eyes widened in disbelief. She had never imagined such a cold, cruel statement would come from his lips.
"This is your doing, so you must bear the consequences."
"It wasn’t me." An Nuan looked at him with unwavering resolve. "I’ve done nothing, and her injuries were not caused by me. Why should I pay the price? It was she…"
Before An Nuan could finish, Xu Ruowei panicked, her face turning pale. She was afraid, and even more so, she worried that An Nuan would reveal what had just happened. If she did, how would Shen Xizhou see her? She had planned for so long; she didn’t want this incident to ruin all her schemes.
"Xizhou, I… I’m alright. Perhaps An Nuan treated me this way because I told her about her mother's death," Xu Ruowei said obediently and sensibly. "Xizhou, please don't. There's no need for that. It's my fault for telling An Nuan about it; that's why she acted like this. It's my fault, all my fault…"
"It hurts, it hurts, my hand really hurts…" Xu Ruowei cried out in pain, her small face contorted.
"An Nuan, hurry up," Shen Xizhou said coldly. "If you don't comply, you'll never know where your mother is buried."
An Nuan knew with absolute certainty that Shen Xizhou was telling the truth. Yes, he was the only one who knew. If he didn't tell her, she would truly never know anything her entire life.
He was threatening her, forcing her to confess.
An Nuan was unwilling. She clenched her fists at her sides, her heart refusing to yield, but ultimately, she lowered her head and confessed.
She picked up the fruit knife from the ground and plunged it into her own arm without a trace of hesitation. She used great force, as if it wasn't her own arm. Her gaze, cold and detached, fell upon Shen Xizhou.
In front of Xu Ruowei, she stabbed herself. A self-mocking smile played on her lips. Heh, it was so dramatic.
Did he know what she saw? Shen Xizhou embraced Xu Ruowei, and in his arms, with a provoking smile on his face, he looked at her. He watched her kneel on the ground, watched her stab herself with the fruit knife.
In this world, could anyone be more tragic than her?
Shen Xizhou’s expression stiffened. He hadn’t expected her to compromise so easily, stabbing herself repeatedly, and even kneeling. How could she be so debased? His face darkened to an extreme.
She had actually done it.
Heh, but wasn't she precisely this kind of person? Someone who would do anything to achieve her goals, a ruthless individual, wasn't she?
He had known long ago that she was capable of anything. Why be shocked now?
Xu Ruowei saw exactly what she wanted to see. Looking at the blood on An Nuan’s arm, at her kneeling before her like a subservient dog, she felt immense joy. However, she couldn't show too much happiness. She forcefully pinched her leg, the pain almost making her cry out.
Tears streaming down her face, she said pitifully, "Xizhou, no, please don't trouble An Nuan anymore. If this continues, she'll die. I don't want An Nuan to suffer misfortune because of me."
Shen Xizhou’s gaze never left An Nuan. He said indifferently, "Heh, does it hurt? How could it hurt her? Someone without a heart, how could they feel pain?"
"Die? Why not just die? So many people have died, yet she alone lives."
"Her life is resilient."
Shen Xizhou glanced at An Nuan, then turned his gaze back to Xu Ruowei. "You were bored, weren't you? Then let her keep you company to pass the time. You can do whatever you want with her, as long as you keep her alive."
Xu Ruowei’s hands clenched tightly. Did he really not want her to die? Just keep her alive, but she wanted her dead.
"If she dies, you'll be implicated. It's not worth being dragged down for someone like her," Shen Xizhou's words made Xu Ruowei feel much better. So, he wasn't worried about An Nuan, but about her.
It seemed she had misunderstood him.
An Nuan had been staying by Xu Ruowei's side during this period, taking care of her.
Xu Ruowei treated her with abuse and beatings, not treating her like a person at all, treating her as one would a dog. An Nuan sustained new injuries every day. However, Xu Ruowei was cautious, ensuring those wounds were hidden, not visible to anyone.