Xu Ruowei's initial surprise quickly turned into a triumphant smile.
Moments ago, she had genuinely feared Shen Xizhou would push her away, coldly telling her to leave, that she was disgusting.
She expected Shen Xizhou to kick her out.
But Shen Xizhou had forgiven her. While he didn't give her a warm reception, he had forgiven her. For her, that was enough. With Shen Xizhou's protection, these people wouldn't dare to be too harsh on her.
For a moment, Xu Ruowei was overjoyed, even thinking that fate truly smiled upon her.
She cast a triumphant glance at An Nuan, as if to say, "See? Disappointed, aren't you?"
Shen Xizhou didn't treat me harshly; he even forgave me.
Shen Xizhou truly loves me; he favors me.
An Nuan, thinking back to your past self, how you suffered over trivial matters, you were truly a failure.
Xu Ruowei, now looking at An Nuan with an air of arrogance, walked over and said, "An Nuan, I don't know how you convinced them to frame me. But look now, even if you intended to slander me, Shen Xizhou still chooses to believe me, still stands by me, still defends me."
"Oh, really?"
An Nuan scoffed, "Isn't that perfect? The two of you together are a match made in heaven, eradicating evil."
"Two people who are both troublemakers together are bound to be incredibly compatible."
"Xu Ruowei, then I wish you a happy pregnancy. I hope you and Shen Xizhou can stay together happily forever."
"An Nuan, what do you mean by that? What are you looking at me for? Are you trying to make a move on me, to destroy the child in my womb, so you can have Shen Xizhou all to yourself?"
"Hmph, An Nuan, give up that idea. I won't give you that chance."
"Xu Ruowei, don't you find your thoughts laughable? I said a long time ago that I've already thrown away the 'trash.' If you want it, you can pick it up."
"Not everyone likes picking up trash like you do."
"Xu Ruowei, get rid of your sordid thoughts."
"An Nuan, how can you, how can you speak of Xizhou like that?"
An Nuan looked at Xu Ruowei's affected demeanor, feeling genuinely disgusted, almost to the point of regurgitating yesterday's meal.
"Get lost. Don't be an eyesore in front of me," An Nuan said coldly, her patience gone.
"No, An Nuan, what right do you have to treat me like this? Why are you so eager to get rid of me? Are you afraid I'll expose everything you've done?"
"An Nuan, don't even think about harming the child in my womb," Xu Ruowei declared firmly.
After saying that, Xu Ruowei seemed a little scared and immediately walked over to Shen Xizhou, hiding behind him.
She reached out to grab Shen Xizhou's hand, but he dodged her.
Shen Xizhou looked at her, then at An Nuan, and turned to leave.
Xu Ruowei was stunned by the sudden turn of events, unable to understand what had happened. Why did he leave so abruptly?
Hadn't he stood up for her yet?
And he just left?
But Xu Ruowei didn't dare to hesitate and immediately followed.
Xu Ruowei trailed behind Shen Xizhou, but as she left, she cast a bloodthirsty gaze at An Nuan.
An Nuan, I will repay the humiliation I suffered today tenfold.
This time, it was just my momentary oversight that led to this outcome.
But next time, I will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.
...
After this incident, Nangong Jin insisted on arranging for people to follow An Nuan, claiming it was for her protection.
An Nuan was initially unwilling, but Nangong Jin kept insisting, and so did Li Tian. Most importantly, there was Grandpa Nangong. She worried that if she didn't agree, these people would pester her endlessly. She felt helpless.
In the end, she agreed.
However, she found it a bit unsettling to always have someone following her whenever she went out.
One day, An Nuan was going to the mall, as Li Tian had arranged to meet her there.
She had initially told Nangong Jin not to have people surrounding and following her, but Nangong Jin completely disregarded her words.
Ultimately, she had no choice but to compromise.
As she arrived at the mall, An Nuan saw Nangong Xuan, Nangong Jin's sister.
Upon seeing An Nuan, Nangong Xuan immediately stepped forward and grabbed her hand. Her big, watery eyes gazed at An Nuan with excitement and joy.
If she hadn't been afraid of startling An Nuan with her warmth, she probably would have hugged her tightly.
"Sister-in-law, are you alone? Where's my brother? He didn't accompany you?"
"Sister-in-law, you can't spoil my brother like that. How could he let you be here by yourself?"
"He should have accompanied you shopping."
Nangong Xuan was very friendly, despite the fact that An Nuan had only met her once before, and even then, only from a distance. They hadn't exchanged a single word.
This was their second meeting, she supposed.
She hadn't expected Nangong Xuan to speak so casually and openly. This was something she truly hadn't anticipated.
"Xuanxuan, it's okay. Your brother is busy. Besides, I think shopping alone is also nice," An Nuan said with a smile, looking at Nangong Xuan. She didn't dislike her; in fact, she quite liked Nangong Xuan's disposition.
It was hard not to like someone like Nangong Xuan.
She was full of sunshine and always brought joy.
It was clear that the Nangong family had protected Nangong Xuan very well, otherwise, she wouldn't be so carefree.
"How about we go shopping together?" An Nuan suggested casually, thinking that Nangong Xuan surely had her own social circle and things to do.
"Sister-in-law, you're so kind. Knowing I'm bored alone, you're going shopping with me." Nangong Xuan's face lit up with a happy smile. "Sister-in-law, you know, no one has ever accompanied me shopping before. You're the first."
"I'm so happy today. Sister-in-law, you're truly my lucky star."
Sister-in-law...
Lucky star...
Hearing Nangong Xuan's words, An Nuan's face suddenly flushed.
She actually wanted to say, "You are my lucky star, always bringing me joy."
Nangong Xuan was genuinely good to her, her smile so pure.
She even felt that meeting Nangong Xuan was a salvation from heaven. Nangong Xuan was like a younger sibling to her.
Her own younger brother used to be like this, leaning his head on her shoulder, calling her "sister" repeatedly.
Thinking of him softened her heart, and she fell into deep memories.
She thought, if only she had been obedient back then, perhaps none of this would have happened.
Just as An Nuan was about to speak to Nangong Xuan, she encountered Xu Ruowei.
Her pleasant mood instantly vanished.
She instinctively grabbed Nangong Xuan's hand, wanting to pull her away. She didn't want Nangong Xuan to get entangled with Xu Ruowei, much less for Xu Ruowei to latch onto Nangong Xuan.
When Xu Ruowei saw Nangong Xuan, her eyes lit up, like a dog spotting meat.