Shen Xizhou, after hearing Xu Ruowei's words, had only one thought: if his life could be exchanged for An Nuan's, he would be willing.
He was already willing to give anything for An Nuan, even his own life.
At this moment, Shen Xizhou had only one thought: An Nuan must not have anything happen to her.
He already owed An Nuan too much; he didn't want to owe her anymore.
His life was originally meant for atonement.
In truth, his heart had always been only for An Nuan. Perhaps he loved her too deeply, so much so that even he himself didn't realize it.
But why did he listen to Xu Ruowei back then and do so many things that hurt An Nuan?
He was ceaselessly blaming himself.
The cold wind blew with biting intensity. As Nangong Jin fell, he saw An Nuan being directly trampled underfoot by Xu Ruowei. An Nuan's clothes were exceptionally thin, and the cold wind blew. An Nuan shivered uncontrollably, and her lips had already turned pale from the cold.
Wang Liang squatted down. In his hand was a fruit knife. He was tracing lines on An Nuan's face, as if measuring something, but fortunately, he hadn't acted yet.
Nangong Jin arrived, exuding a terrifying aura.
His eyes were filled with ice-coldness, and his gaze was suffused with bloodlust and bloodshot veins.
"Let An Nuan go."
"Nangong Jin, I didn't expect you to show up," Xu Ruowei said, looking at Nangong Jin in surprise. She had thought it would be Shen Xizhou, but she hadn't expected Nangong Jin.
However, Nangong Jin was fine too; it didn't matter who came.
When she didn't see Shen Xizhou appear, she actually laughed happily.
She glanced at An Nuan, whom she had fiercely pinned to the ground, and said with a sneer, "An Nuan, did you see? Your beloved Shen Xizhou didn't come."
"Look, it's Nangong Jin who came."
"An Nuan, you hold no place in Shen Xizhou's heart at all."
"Do you remember? The time I schemed and framed you, Shen Xizhou appeared immediately. It seems you hold absolutely no place in Shen Xizhou's heart."
"I think Shen Xizhou still loves me, perhaps."
Xu Ruowei seemed to have fallen into a trance. She glared fiercely at An Nuan, "If you die, then Shen Xizhou will still be mine. Without you, the one Shen Xizhou loves will still be me."
"Let An Nuan go, and this matter will be as if it never happened."
"Let her go, and nothing happened?"
"Nangong Jin, you are a vengeful person. Do you think I would believe your words?"
"If An Nuan wasn't in my hands, I probably wouldn't even have the chance to speak right now."
"Only with An Nuan in my hands can I do whatever I please, right?"
"Nangong Jin, I know how important An Nuan is to you, so I won't be foolish enough to let go of my bargaining chip."
No matter what Xu Ruowei said, An Nuan did not retort or reply. She simply looked at the woman in front of her, who seemed like a madwoman.
Her face was calm, without any trace of panic.
And when Nangong Jin appeared, the originally calm light in her eyes flickered.
She had expected Shen Xizhou to appear. Upon seeing Nangong Jin, a self-mocking smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Even at this point, her heart was still clinging to Shen Xizhou.
An Nuan, haven't you been hurt enough? You still hold hope for Shen Xizhou.
After this incident, An Nuan had completely given up on Shen Xizhou.
Before, she would still find excuses to convince herself. But now, she could no longer find any reason.
Shen Xizhou was nothing more than a stranger to her now.
An Nuan's face held a slight smile as she looked at Nangong Jin and said softly, "Nangong Jin, you should go back. They are targeting me, not you."
"I don't want you to be innocently dragged into this."
"This matter started because of me, so it should end because of me."
"Wang Liang has a knife, and he's a desperate man. Nangong Jin, you've helped me too much, and I don't want you to be in danger because of me."
Her gaze towards Nangong Jin was filled with pleading. She didn't want Nangong Jin to encounter any danger. Although she desperately wanted to live, she didn't want to use Nangong Jin's life to preserve her own.
She believed that Nangong Jin would even sacrifice his life for her.
But she didn't want that.
She looked at Nangong Jin steadfastly, hoping he would listen to her words.
Seeing that Nangong Jin remained silent, she knew he wouldn't leave.
After a long pause, An Nuan seemed to have made a momentous decision and said firmly, "Nangong Jin, if you don't leave, then from this moment on, you will never see me again."
"And I won't say a word to you."
"Nangong Jin, I'm begging you, please leave quickly, okay?"
"Nangong Jin, I owe you too much. To sacrifice your life for someone like me is not worth it."
"You are so good; in the rest of your life, you will meet someone better than me."
Nangong Jin looked at An Nuan and said passionately, "An Nuan, if I don't have you, what is the meaning of my life?"
"I know there is someone in your heart. But you have the right to love others. And I have the right to love you."
"You say a better woman?"
Nangong Jin shouted, "In my heart, you are the best. Besides you, no one else in this world can enter my heart."
"An Nuan, I don't blame you for not loving me. But I just want to silently protect you and not let you suffer any harm."
An Nuan didn't want to cry. She had been holding back, but Nangong Jin's words made her completely lose control. Tears flowed uncontrollably.
The harsh words she had intended to say were delayed.
She closed her eyes. At this moment, she didn't know what to say. Nor did she know how things would turn out.
"What do you want me to do to let An Nuan go?"
"Do you want my life?"
"If my life can be exchanged for An Nuan's, then I'll do it," Nangong Jin said with firm resolve.
An Nuan looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at Nangong Jin. She couldn't comprehend why Nangong Jin could make such a significant sacrifice for her.
Nangong Jin, truly, was not worth it, not for someone like her.
An Nuan's tears fell even harder, uncontrollably. She didn't want Nangong Jin to have any accidents because of her.
She looked at Nangong Jin, her eyes red from crying, and sobbed, "Nangong Jin, you don't have to. You don't need to do this for me."
"This is all my fate, Nangong Jin. Listen to me, can you just leave? I don't want to live my life filled with guilt."
Hearing An Nuan's words of self-reproach, Nangong Jin felt immense heartache.
His An Nuan was just so kind.
In fact, from the beginning, Xu Ruowei's target was her. Even if Shen Xizhou had come, he wouldn't have been able to save her. She wanted to let her die right before Shen Xizhou's eyes.
Xu Ruowei sent Wang Liang because she was afraid of any unexpected accidents.
An Nuan looked at Xu Ruowei and said calmly, "Xu Ruowei, in fact, even if Shen Xizhou came, you wouldn't have let me go. From beginning to end, you only wanted this life of mine."