These words calmed Xu Ruowei down considerably.
An Nuan smiled and said, "See? If you had been this obedient from the start, none of this would have happened."
Xu Ruowei glared at An Nuan fiercely.
*Heh, let her be smug now. Soon, she'll be crying.*
Xu Ruowei's whole body trembled. She was afraid An Nuan would really kill her. She quickly said, "I was just lying. Your suitcase is still here."
She kept trying to explain, but An Nuan didn't believe her.
In An Nuan's eyes, whatever Xu Ruowei said now was just an attempt to deceive her and save her own life.
"The suitcase is right here..." Xu Ruowei was so terrified that her wits had fled. How could she remember her plan?
She just wanted An Nuan to leave quickly.
Just as she was about to blurt something out in her panic, she saw a familiar figure. She immediately changed her tune, instantly gaining confidence.
"An Nuan, I don't know why you're treating me like this, but I truly know nothing."
An Nuan looked at Xu Ruowei, confused by her sudden change of words.
"Xi Zhou."
Upon hearing Xu Ruowei call out Shen Xi Zhou's name, An Nuan finally understood why Xu Ruowei had shifted the topic so quickly.
An Nuan was filled with regret. If she had known, she should have acted sooner.
But there was no turning back time. As she was regretting, Shen Xi Zhou pulled Xu Ruowei into his embrace, trying to comfort her.
An Nuan's attempted strike towards Xu Ruowei landed on Shen Xi Zhou's arm instead.
"Xi Zhou, are you alright?" Xu Ruowei asked anxiously.
She grabbed Shen Xi Zhou's arm and looked at his torn shirt, the blood flowing freely. She felt a pang of heartache.
Yet, she remained somewhat clear-headed. Fortunately, it hadn't landed on her. Otherwise, a scar would be very unsightly.
Shen Xi Zhou had shielded her with his own body. He must love her very much to make such a sacrifice.
"Xi Zhou."
Xu Ruowei bit her lip tightly, her eyes bloodshot. Tears streamed down her face as if they were free, and she wept like a heartbroken person.
After a long while, she wiped away her tears and calmed herself down a bit. Taking a deep breath, she panted slightly and said, "Xi Zhou, I'm sorry. You got hurt because of me."
"Every time, it's because of me that you end up like this," Xu Ruowei said, lowering her head in self-reproach.
"Ruowei, I'm fine." Shen Xi Zhou tried to pull Xu Ruowei away, but found her arms still around his waist. He couldn't separate from her. He looked at the person in his arms and said gently, "Ruowei, you weren't hurt, were you?"
"No." Hearing Shen Xi Zhou's concern, Xu Ruowei was overjoyed.
Ever since Shen Xi Zhou found out about what she had done, she had noticed him avoiding her. She had no choice but to plan this confrontation.
But Shen Xi Zhou didn't appear for a long time, and she thought it was all over. She never expected that fate would still be kind to her.
At the critical moment, Shen Xi Zhou appeared.
An Nuan looked at Shen Xi Zhou's sudden appearance and felt immediate regret.
Why did he have to show up now?
It was her own fault for talking so much with Xu Ruowei. If she had just acted, this wouldn't have happened.
An Nuan was consumed by self-blame.
Her gaze fell on Shen Xi Zhou's injured arm, which seemed blindingly conspicuous to her.
Her hands, clenched by her sides, tightened their grip.
"An Nuan, even if Ruowei did something wrong to you, after all that has happened, can't it be forgotten?"
"An Nuan, I thought I made myself clear enough that day."
"An Nuan, didn't you say you would never appear before me and Xu Ruowei again? But what now? It's not Ruowei looking for you, but you coming to the Shen residence to cause trouble for Ruowei."
"An Nuan, which of your words were true, and which were lies?"
An Nuan ignored Shen Xi Zhou and turned her gaze to Xu Ruowei, asking coldly, "The suitcase, you really destroyed it, didn't you?"
She just wanted to confirm it one more time.
She thought maybe she could get a different answer. She hoped the answer she heard would be different. She hoped even more that what Xu Ruowei had said earlier was just a lie.
"Do you know? Those were left to me by my mother and Yun Xiu. To me, they are more important than my life. But you destroyed everything."
"How could you treat me so cruelly?"
Xu Ruowei looked at An Nuan with a confused expression, her voice full of panic. "An Nuan, what are you talking about? When did I ever take your suitcase?"
"I've been at the Shen residence all along. I've never seen this suitcase you're talking about."
"An Nuan, even if you want to frame me, can't you come up with a better reason?"
"I know you've always resented me for stealing Xi Zhou away. But if you and Xi Zhou truly loved each other, could I have stolen him?"
"Please, don't slander me anymore, okay?"
"I know I was wrong about Xi Zhou. But in matters of love, there's no right or wrong."
"Xi Zhou and I are truly in love. I don't ask for your blessings for Xi Zhou and me, I just hope you won't falsely accuse me anymore, okay?"
Xu Ruowei spoke in a humble tone, her posture truly like a wronged little wife.
Anyone who didn't know the situation would surely think she was being terribly bullied.
"Ruowei, you did nothing wrong. You don't need to apologize to anyone." Shen Xi Zhou looked at Xu Ruowei tenderly, while his gaze towards An Nuan was icy and piercing.
He looked at An Nuan and said calmly, "An Nuan, you claim Ruowei took your suitcase. So, where is the evidence?"
"Even if she did take it, you wouldn't have tried to take her life."
"An Nuan, if I hadn't shown up, the fruit knife would have landed on Ruowei, is that right?"
"Yes, it's all your fault. Why did you suddenly appear?"
"If you hadn't appeared, Xu Ruowei would have obediently told me where my suitcase was. Shen Xi Zhou, why did you show up?"
An Nuan spoke with extreme agitation.
Her eyes, bloodshot, fixed on Xu Ruowei as if she were about to pounce and take her life. She said menacingly, "Xu Ruowei, your luck won't always be this good. One day, you'll be caught alone."
"Xu Ruowei, you can hide, but can you hide forever?"
"Even if Shen Xi Zhou wants to protect you, he can't protect you every single moment."
An Nuan said coldly. She glanced at Shen Xi Zhou standing by the side and said indifferently, "Mr. Shen, you better protect her well."