"An Nuan, thinking about it, I've actually gained immense benefits."
"Shen Xizhou is truly foolish. He handed you over to me so easily. I believe Shen Xizhou will regret this later."
"But even if Shen Xizhou regrets it, I won't give him another chance."
"Because the person I finally managed to pursue, I don't want to let go of so easily."
"An Nuan, rest assured. I can more than handle any trouble Shen Xizhou might cause."
"Is that so?" An Nuan said doubtfully, "Aren't you just saying that to comfort me?"
"While I do intend to comfort you, the fact remains as I stated."
Seeing the smile on An Nuan's face, Nangong Jin felt much more at ease.
She, however, looked at him with a hint of embarrassment and said softly, "Nangong Jin, I feel so bad for always troubling you."
"Moreover, I feel like I've never done anything for you, yet I've continuously received benefits from you. I..."
"An Nuan, I've heard these words several times. I truly don't want to hear them again. If you genuinely want to repay my kindness, there is a way."
"Most importantly, this is a favor only you can repay."
"I'm just afraid that if I say it, you'll agree," Shen Xizhou said, sounding somewhat hesitant.
An Nuan looked at Nangong Jin with confusion.
If he said it, she wouldn't agree?
What could it be?
Suddenly, she felt a desire to know.
"You haven't even said it yet, how do you know I won't agree?" An Nuan asked, though she suspected she would regret asking this later.
Nangong Jin rubbed his hands together, swallowed, and said, "It's for you to marry me."
Seeing no change in An Nuan's expression, he quickly added, "As the saying goes, a life-saving debt should be repaid with oneself. Therefore, you marrying me is only natural, isn't it?"
"I'm not asking for the impossible, am I?"
Nangong Jin's face was full of smiles. After all, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Besides, if it didn't work out, he could always claim he was joking.
However, after Nangong Jin finished speaking, he noticed that An Nuan simply stood there, saying nothing.
A bad feeling began to stir within him.
Could she really be angry? He felt tears welling up. Was his luck really this bad?
His heart suddenly felt weary. What should he do?
An Nuan stared at Nangong Jin with wide eyes, astonished. She hadn't expected him to say such a thing.
Just as she was about to speak, Nangong Jin spoke first, cutting off her words.
"An Nuan, please don't take it seriously. I just saw you looking so glum, and I thought a joke might cheer you up."
"If I had known you would react like this, I wouldn't have joked with you."
As Nangong Jin spoke, he saw An Nuan's face still clouded. He grew genuinely anxious, but forced a smile and acted cute, "An Nuan, can't you forgive me? It was just a slip of the tongue, a joke."
"I truly didn't know you would react this way."
"Oh, and you don't need to worry about the company being implicated because of your situation."
"The company hasn't been affected at all."
"Really?" An Nuan immediately responded to Nangong Jin.
In fact, she had wanted to speak just now, but Nangong Jin had interrupted her. She actually wanted to say that she wasn't angry at all.
And if anything, she was the one who had climbed too high.
But she hadn't expected Nangong Jin to bring up the company.
She had been constantly worried that the company would be dragged down because of her.
She had heard everything Xu Ruowei had said earlier, and it had certainly caused her distress and hesitation.
But seeing Nangong Jin speak so earnestly, she believed he wasn't lying.
"Nangong Jin, you're really not lying to me? Nangong Jin, you're not just saying this to comfort me, are you?"
"Actually, you don't need to comfort me."
"I..."
Nangong Jin sighed helplessly and looked at An Nuan, sounding a bit weary. "An Nuan, everything I'm saying is true. Why don't you believe me?"
"No, it's not that I don't believe you."
"I truly believe what you're saying. It's just that..."
An Nuan spoke with a hint of urgency. She genuinely believed him.
Yet, even though she said she believed him, Nangong Jin seemed unconvinced and stuck to his own thoughts.
She felt truly helpless.
As An Nuan was about to speak again, Nangong Jin interjected, "Wait a moment, I'll have Huo Yuxuan speak with you. I'm sure he'd be willing."
"No..." m..oΓg
But before An Nuan could finish her protest, Nangong Jin had already acted.
Nangong Jin dialed Huo Yuxuan's number and said, "Huo Yuxuan, come and explain to Nuannuan that the company is truly fine."
As he spoke, Nangong Jin pressed the speakerphone button.
"Yes, the company is operating normally."
"Young Master Nangong, why are you asking about this matter?"
"Did someone say something to you?"
"Young Master Nangong, who is it? Who is spreading rumors?"
"Have all my recent overtime hours been in vain?"
An Nuan listened, glanced at Nangong Jin, and for a moment, didn't know what to say.
Nangong Jin hung up the phone and looked at An Nuan with a smile, chuckling, "Nuannuan, did you hear that? The company is fine, and in fact, quite busy."
"Mm."
An Nuan nodded vigorously. Knowing that the company hadn't been implicated due to her issues, she was completely at ease.
Looking at everything Nangong Jin had done for her, tears of emotion streamed down her face.
An Nuan was truly happy that Nangong Jin hadn't been affected by her problems.
It was truly good.
However, a sense of guilt washed over her.
Nangong Jin had clearly expended considerable effort to fend off Shen Xizhou's troubles.
Thinking about it, she felt a pang of self-blame.
An Nuan ultimately complied with Nangong Jin's request and went to rest.
Her body felt unwell, and rest was exactly what she needed.
An Nuan knew that Shen Xizhou would likely come looking for her again. After all, his objective hadn't yet been achieved.
An Nuan pondered how she could navigate the situation to avoid further trouble from Shen Xizhou and Xu Ruowei.