An Nuan's words were finished, and Ji Wenyun was stunned, his hands stopping abruptly.
Regret filled his entire being.
The words he had spoken in the past were deeply etched into his heart.
Ji Wenyun reached out, trying to grasp An Nuan's hand. He seemed to want to explain, but recalling his past actions, he wished he could hang himself and be beaten.
An Nuan did not want to speak to him and wished to avoid his presence entirely.
Ji Wenyun noticed An Nuan's movement, but as his gaze fell upon her red eyes, the words on the tip of his tongue failed to be spoken.
He feared that if he continued speaking, he would agitate An Nuan further, only making her detest him more.
He had already wronged her too much; he couldn't do it again now.
"Mr. Ji, can you please leave my sight? As long as you're out of my sight, anything else is acceptable."
An Nuan looked at Ji Wenyun and said coldly, "If Mr. Ji doesn't leave, then I will leave."
With that, she stood up, preparing to depart.
She was already completely drained, feeling utterly exhausted.
Yet, compared to facing Ji Wenyun, she would rather choose to avoid him.
In his presence, her emotions deteriorated.
She looked at Ji Wenyun, her eyes devoid of their former sparkle, and said coldly, "Mr. Ji, please, can you leave my sight?"
"An Nuan."
Ji Wenyun looked at the woman before him, filled with remorse. He clenched his fists tightly, but as he reached out, she dodged him.
Seeing An Nuan's wariness towards him, Ji Wenyun's heart was filled with regret.
"An Nuan, I know everything now. I know I was wrong about those things, and I..."
"An Nuan, can you give me a chance to forgive me? Before, I was indeed deceived by Xia Wanqing, which is why I treated you that way."
"An Nuan, I really remember everything now."
"I also know what you did for me, and about Yun Xiu."
"Now, I regret it. If only I had remembered sooner, Yun Xiu might still be alive. It's all my fault."
"When you were at your most difficult, not only did I not stand up for you or do anything for you, but I even colluded with Xia Wanqing to trouble you, making your situation even harder."
Ji Wenyun longed to hold An Nuan in his arms, to speak with her, to let her know that he knew he was wrong. He yearned for her forgiveness.
"An Nuan, I'm sorry, truly sorry, it's all my fault." But no amount of words, no matter how beautiful, could erase the harsh things he had said to An Nuan in the past.
What he had said to her then was utterly cruel.
What he had done to her was beyond extreme.
"An Nuan, I know that no matter what I say now, you won't forgive me."
"Even if I knelt before you, you probably wouldn't forgive me, would you?"
"An Nuan, I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
"An Nuan, can you give me another chance? A chance to atone."
"For the remaining time, I will compensate you properly. An Nuan, please forgive me, can you?"
"Or, let me stay by your side and atone with the rest of my life, okay?"
Atone with the rest of his life?
Ji Wenyun gazed at An Nuan, looking at her expectantly, waiting for her words, waiting for her agreement, waiting for her nod.
He kept anticipating An Nuan's response, constantly waiting for her to nod.
At this moment, he had no confidence at all.
He lowered his head and could only say softly, "An Nuan, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I was ignorant, it's my fault. I wronged you."
"Mr. Ji, that time has passed, and Yun Xiu is no longer here. What has happened cannot be undone as if it never happened."
She didn't know when Ji Wenyun had remembered.
Before, she had indeed always hoped he would remember these things. Because that was what Yun Xiu wanted, and what Yun Xiu wanted to see.
But now that Yun Xiu knew, it was no longer important to her.
"An Nuan, you really won't give me any chance?"
An Nuan remained silent. Ji Wenyun watched her quietly, as if waiting for her next words.
The Ji Wenyun of the past had truly been good to her.
The Ji Wenyun of the past had nearly lost his life for her.
But later, her own life had almost been taken by Ji Wenyun.
The Ji Wenyun of the past would comfort her, encourage her. The Ji Wenyun of the past had also been very good to Yun Xiu.
However, Yun Xiu's death, though not directly caused by Ji Wenyun's hands, was indirectly due to Ji Wenyun.
In the past, she had expectations of Ji Wenyun, but now she had none.
She felt it was no longer necessary.
"An Nuan, I'm sorry."
"I know that it's too late to say these things to you now."
As Ji Wenyun spoke, his emotions were extremely unsettled.
He looked at An Nuan, his heart aching more and more.
He clenched his fists tightly. He knew he had said everything, and An Nuan clearly didn't want to hear him. Yet, he still didn't want to give up, still wanting to explain himself: "An Nuan, back then, I treated you that way because Xia Wanqing said many bad things about you to me, so I believed what she said. I regret it now."
An Nuan looked at Ji Wenyun and said calmly, "Ji Wenyun, those things have passed, and I no longer care about them. Moreover, what has happened has happened, and dwelling on it is truly unnecessary."
"I know now that you were deceived by Xia Wanqing back then. You were also forced to act that way."
"I have already forgiven you."
An Nuan said this calmly, without any resentment or bitterness. Perhaps she had felt that way before, but now it was long gone.
Indeed, the Ji Wenyun of the past had been very good to her.
However, so much time had passed. All the hatred had dissipated.
"Mr. Ji, we are both doing well now, and we have both found our own place."
"What we should do now is live well in the present."
Listening to An Nuan's words, Ji Wenyun understood that this was the best solution, but he could not accept it.
He wished even more that An Nuan would forgive him.
He even fantasized that An Nuan could forgive him.
And that he and An Nuan could return to how they were before.