An Nuan's hand was grabbed by Shen Xizhou, and she struggled to pull it free.
Shen Xizhou's grip was so strong that for a moment, An Nuan felt as if her hand was going to break.
After a pause, Xu Ruowei, who had been standing aside, finally snapped out of her shock.
She walked towards Shen Xizhou, her eyes red, and asked, "Xizhou, why... why are you here?"
"Ruowei, we'll talk about these things later. Let me handle this first."
"Xizhou, are you here because of An Nuan? Are you worried I'll do something to An Nuan, so you showed up, right?"
Xu Ruowei's voice was filled with a deep sense of grievance, sounding as if she were about to burst into tears.
Before Shen Xizhou could speak, Xu Ruowei began to cry tragically, saying, "Xizhou, An Nuan told me to come here. She said that a few days ago, you met with her, and she said you told her you regretted it."
"She said you told her you could explain everything clearly."
"Xizhou, is all of this true?"
"Xizhou, so, you've always had An Nuan in your heart, haven't you?"
"Ruowei, what are you talking about?" Shen Xizhou's face turned grim. He hadn't expected An Nuan to have said all of this to Xu Ruowei.
His brows furrowed, and his gaze towards An Nuan grew increasingly displeased.
"Xizhou, is what An Nuan said true? You told her you still wanted to be with her, right?"
"If that's the case, then I will step down."
"Xizhou, I wish you happiness."
Tears streamed down Xu Ruowei's face after she spoke.
Shen Xizhou looked at Xu Ruowei at this moment, unsure of what to say.
Because, those were indeed words he had spoken.
But even if he had said them, he had never imagined An Nuan would tell Xu Ruowei.
What did she mean by this?
Shen Xizhou's gaze fell upon An Nuan. He instinctively assumed that An Nuan must have said or done something to cause Xu Ruowei to act this way.
An Nuan, however, stood still, not rushing to explain anything.
At this moment, with tear tracks on her face, Xu Ruowei said pitifully, sobbing, and threw herself into Shen Xizhou's arms, hugging him and crying sadly, "Xizhou, although I don't want to leave you, I don't want to make things difficult for you because of me."
"I will bless you and An Nuan. From now on, I will disappear from your world."
Xu Ruowei then pulled away from Shen Xizhou's embrace, looked at An Nuan, and pleaded, "An Nuan, I hope you will love Xizhou well."
"I will leave. Please, ask Nangong Jin to spare me and my family, okay? And also, spare Xizhou."
"Do you know? Everything Xizhou has now, he earned through hard work. I don't want it to be ruined by me, destroying years of Xizhou's efforts."
"Ruowei, you shouldn't say that."
"Ruowei, I don't need you to sacrifice so much for me. Just stay by my side. Don't leave me, okay?"
"I don't know what An Nuan told you, but I will not allow you to leave me."
Xu Ruowei paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "But I'm afraid I'll ruin all your efforts."
"I don't want to see you fall, and I don't want to be the reason you lose everything."
"As for An Nuan, actually, she loves you so much. Perhaps, she can help you."
"Xizhou, An Nuan just loves you too much."
"Ruowei, stop talking. I've already said it. My heart only holds you."
"I wouldn't even spare another glance at anyone else."
"But, An Nuan will be very sad. After all, she has done so much for you."
Xu Ruowei's eyes held a trace of determination as she said, "But, Xizhou, I don't want to continue this anymore. I'm so tired."
"I just want to live a peaceful life."
"However, if I don't leave you, An Nuan will keep causing trouble. She won't let go of the resentment in her heart."
"Out of the three of us, one person must leave."
"So, let me be the one to leave."
Shen Xizhou's face was extremely grim. His gaze fell upon An Nuan, his eyes filled with disdain and mockery.
"An Nuan, I've said what I needed to say. We have long since had no relation."
"An Nuan, this time, I'm letting you go is the last chance. Next time, if something like this happens again, I will show no mercy."
"Shen Xizhou, you're utterly unreasonable."
"This entire matter, from beginning to end, was orchestrated by Xu Ruowei."
"Please leave, get out of my sight."
An Nuan's words seemed to enrage Shen Xizhou, but she did not back down at all.
An Nuan's face was pale, and she felt unwell. She just wanted to leave immediately.
However, her hand was still tightly held by Shen Xizhou.
She struggled continuously, trying to break free.
But the disparity in strength made it impossible. In the end, she stopped struggling and looked coldly at the person in front of her, saying icily, "Mr. Shen, you once said you would never appear before me, let alone spare me a glance. But now? Are you going back on your word?"
"I originally thought that what Mr. Shen said would be kept. Now it seems Mr. Shen was just speaking casually."
Xu Ruowei stood a short distance away, watching their interaction, consumed by jealousy.
"Xizhou, I feel unwell." This was her usual tactic.
Hearing Xu Ruowei's words, Shen Xizhou immediately released An Nuan.
An Nuan seized the opportunity to escape.
Shen Xizhou actually didn't want to let her go. But Xu Ruowei was watching him, and he couldn't just ignore her.
In fact, Shen Xizhou hadn't intended to treat An Nuan that way just now.
He had even wanted to apologize to An Nuan.
But he was afraid of hurting Xu Ruowei.
The words he had rehearsed in his mind could not be spoken.
Recalling An Nuan's resentful gaze just now, Shen Xizhou knew even more clearly that perhaps, even if he explained, it would be useless.
She no longer loved him now; only endless hatred remained.
Although Shen Xizhou was comforting Xu Ruowei, his entire attention was on An Nuan. He watched her leave until she was no longer visible before finally shifting his focus back.
Xu Ruowei held onto Shen Xizhou's hand tightly, and Shen Xizhou had no choice but to reluctantly focus his attention on her.
Were the things Xu Ruowei had said earlier true? In his heart, he secretly hoped they were.