But when he saw An Nuan completely shed her pretenses in front of Nangong Jin, he knew that he truly had no hope in this life.
It was his own fault, and regret was now useless.
Things had come to this, and he could only try his best now.
An Nuan, under Nangong Jin's protection, walked past him without hesitation.
Shen Xizhou reached out, feeling as though his fingertips were about to touch An Nuan. This thought excited him, but his hand did not reach her. In the end, he could only watch An Nuan disappear before his eyes, powerless to do anything.
...
At the company, everyone welcomed An Nuan with open arms.
This also meant that they would no longer have to see Nangong Jin's dark expression.
"Miss An, you're finally back."
"What Miss An, she should be Madam President."
"Exactly, who taught you to speak like that?"
"Right, if you don't know how to speak, don't say anything. You're just embarrassing yourself here."
An Nuan looked at her colleagues, who were all happy at her return. She was truly touched.
She had never experienced such treatment before.
It was only when she was by Nangong Jin's side that she could feel all these wonderful things.
An Nuan looked at Nangong Jin with deep gratitude, knowing that this must have all been arranged by him.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't moved.
"Nuannuan, do you like it?"
Nangong Jin seemed to have an idea, and he placed a document directly in front of An Nuan, presenting it with both hands. He said sincerely, "An Nuan, this is a gift from me. I hope you like it."
An Nuan opened the document and, upon seeing its contents, quickly shook her head and said, "No, no, this is too precious. I can't, I can't accept it."
Nangong Jin ignored An Nuan's protests and directly gave her the document, even arranging for a lawyer.
An Nuan disagreed, but under so many watchful eyes, in a daze, Nangong Jin's entire fortune was handed over to An Nuan.
Looking at the document, An Nuan was filled with mixed emotions.
Nangong Jin looked at the still-stunned An Nuan and said with a slight smile, "An Nuan, I'm a pauper now. You can't abandon me. If you leave me, I'll have no fallback in this life."
An Nuan's eyes welled up. She couldn't believe that Nangong Jin trusted her so much.
Seeing that An Nuan seemed about to cry, Nangong Jin quickly said, "An Nuan, did what I said scare you?"
"An Nuan, you don't need to worry, and you don't need to feel any burden."
"What I said just now was just a joke."
"Even if you don't want me, I won't blame you."
However, the more Nangong Jin said this, the more An Nuan's tears flowed, some even uncontrollably.
Now, Nangong Jin was in a panic. He genuinely didn't know what had happened to make An Nuan like this.
He kept thinking that it must be something he did wrong that caused this.
An Nuan looked at the flustered Nangong Jin and let out a chuckle.
Seeing An Nuan smile, Nangong Jin finally felt relieved.
He had been so worried, constantly wondering if he had said or done something wrong.
An Nuan smiled and said, "Nangong Jin, I'm fine. I'm happy."
"I truly never expected to meet you. You are my salvation for a lifetime."
"Because of you, I am who I am today."
Hearing An Nuan's words, Nangong Jin's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled completely.
Meanwhile, Li Tian, who had rushed over, witnessed this scene and was moved to tears.
At this moment, she was genuinely happy for An Nuan.
An Nuan had truly found her happiness after enduring hardships.
What Nangong Jin had done had given An Nuan a sense of security.
In fact, An Nuan had been avoiding facing everything.
She even thought she didn't deserve Nangong Jin and felt inferior because of his status.
Li Tian knew that Nangong Jin had done this to help An Nuan overcome her inferiority complex.
Nangong Jin truly loved An Nuan deeply, always thinking of her.
An Nuan saw Li Tian and walked over, taking her hand and saying, "Li Tian, weren't you supposed to go abroad with Huo Yuxuan today? For your trip?"
"At this hour, you should be on the plane."
Li Tian said with a hint of disdain, "What fun would it be to go with him?"
"An Nuan, you're not much of a friend. You didn't even tell me about such an important arrangement today."
"If Huo Yuxuan hadn't let it slip, I would have boarded the plane and wouldn't have seen this moment."
"So you've seen it now. Aren't you going on your trip?"
Li Tian waved her hand and said, "Forget it, I'm not going."
"What if Nangong Jin and I plan to go?"
Upon hearing this, Li Tian's face lit up with a smile. She excitedly took An Nuan's hand and said, "Really?"
"Let's go together, that would be great."
Li Tian happily said, "You know, I've already prepared all the itineraries."
"An Nuan, let's go together."
"Okay, how about tomorrow? We can set off together."
Li Tian quickly pulled Huo Yuxuan, seeming to discuss something or prepare for something.
An Nuan watched Li Tian and Huo Yuxuan walk away, a smile on her face.
Seeing that Li Tian had found her happiness, she was truly happy for her.
Nangong Jin looked at An Nuan with a hint of grievance. "An Nuan, have you forgotten? Tomorrow is my birthday."
He tightly grasped An Nuan's hand and said, "Are you sure you want to go with Li Tian and not with me?"
At this moment, Nangong Jin looked like he was about to be abandoned, speaking pitifully, a sight that made one's heart ache.
Hearing Nangong Jin's words, An Nuan covered her mouth in surprise, looking at him with an innocent and apologetic expression.
She had genuinely forgotten about it completely.
"I... I... I'm sorry."
"But I already told Li Tian, and it's just..."
Nangong Jin looked at An Nuan's distressed face and felt a pang of heartache. He reached out, stroked her hair, and gently comforted her, "It's okay, you go."
"Birthdays happen every year. But I don't want you to break your promise to Li Tian."
"I know you really want to accompany Li Tian, and I fully support it."
"Mmm."
The matter was settled.
...
The next day, a low-pressure atmosphere permeated the company.
It wasn't for any other reason than it was Young Master Nangong's birthday, but his fiancée had gone traveling with her best friend, much to Young Master Nangong's displeasure.
As a result, everyone tried their best to avoid him.
After work, he returned home.
The house was pitch black. Without An Nuan at home, Nangong Jin felt unaccustomed.
A bitter smile played on his lips. He realized that habit was a terrible thing.