Xu Ruowei's face instantly turned pale. She was terrified, fearing someone was plotting against her. She struggled frantically.
"It's me," Huo Yunshen said softly.
"Yunshen."
Xu Ruowei sobbed incessantly and collapsed into Huo Yunshen's arms. Her tear-streaked face, looking pitifully fragile, was heart-wrenching.
It was the first time Huo Yunshen had seen Xu Ruowei so vulnerable. He placed his hand on her back, gently patting her, murmuring words of comfort.
However, the more he tried to console Xu Ruowei, the more fiercely she cried. Suddenly, he looked at the person before him with disgust.
In an instant, he felt a sense of aversion towards Xu Ruowei.
Huo Yunshen immediately pushed such thoughts away.
Xu Ruowei sensed that Huo Yunshen seemed to be avoiding her. Her mood soured instantly.
"Yunshen, do you also believe what those people said? Do you also think I'm a malicious person?"
"Do you also think I'd stop at nothing to stay by Shen Xizhou's side?"
Xu Ruowei spoke pitifully, her eyes brimming with tears that made one's heart ache.
Huo Yunshen's momentary aversion vanished.
He quickly pulled Xu Ruowei into his embrace, filled with self-reproach. Why had he entertained such thoughts just now?
Why did he believe those words to be true? They must have been a setup by An Nuan.
She was deliberately trying to frame Ruowei.
No one believed Ruowei now; no one stood by her. This was when Ruowei needed him most. He couldn't doubt her at this critical moment, couldn't push her away.
This was the best opportunity for him to get closer to Ruowei.
He thought Ruowei would see how good he was.
"Yunshen, thank you for still believing me."
"Yunshen, will I bring trouble to you?"
After a long pause, Xu Ruowei finally uttered these words.
In the Huo family's grand hall, she sat on the sofa, and only after Huo Yunshen had settled everything did she speak.
"Yunshen, if Li Tian sees me here, will she be angry?"
Huo Yunshen frowned, his mood suddenly turning unpleasant, and his tone naturally followed suit.
"She's nothing. What can she say?"
A triumphant smile flickered across Xu Ruowei's lips. She saw Li Tian descending from the stairs and standing at the landing, and she deliberately said that.
Even though she could never be with Huo Yunshen, she wouldn't allow anyone else to have the man she didn't want.
She wanted everyone to obey her, to do things for her.
She absolutely refused to have any other woman by Huo Yunshen's side.
There were many things she needed Huo Yunshen's help with. If Huo Yunshen fell in love with someone else, what would she do then?
"Ruowei, just rest assured and stay here. You don't need to worry about anything. No one will dare to gossip, and no one will dare to make things difficult for you."
"Really? But Li Tian is watching. Are you sure you don't need to explain anything?"
"Explain? Why?" Huo Yunshen's brows furrowed even tighter, his mood worsening.
"I'm worried Li Tian might misunderstand you."
Xu Ruowei lowered her head, stood up as if she had made up her mind, and looked at Huo Yunshen, saying, "Yunshen, I should leave. I don't want to cause a rift between you and Li Tian because of me."
Just as Huo Yunshen was about to say something, Xu Ruowei left directly.
Huo Yunshen rushed after her, but Xu Ruowei kept crying, repeatedly apologizing. Huo Yunshen kept telling her that Li Tian was nothing, that she wasn't important, that Ruowei was the important one, but Xu Ruowei wouldn't listen.
Seeing Xu Ruowei's extremely agitated state, Huo Yunshen let go. However, he still had his people follow Xu Ruowei to ensure she returned safely without any accidents.
It was imaginable that Li Tian, who had been standing by, did nothing and said nothing, but because of Xu Ruowei's words, she was now going to suffer Huo Yunshen's torment.
...
Shen Group.
Yan Bai's back was drenched in cold sweat. He remembered the air conditioning wasn't set to a very low temperature, so why did he feel so cold?
Looking at Shen Xizhou sitting on his chair with a dark expression, his displeased gaze falling upon him, Yan Bai felt utterly disheartened.
Seeing Shen Xizhou's grim expression and foul mood, he hesitated whether to speak or not.
"Speak."
Yan Bai stopped overthinking. Since he had to say it anyway, being in this state of trepidation was worse. He blurted out everything, accepting whatever the consequence might be. Being in this agonizing suspense, he admitted, was not a good thing.
"Boss, after An Nuan left, she was picked up by Nangong Jin."
"I don't want to hear any more nonsense."
Under Shen Xizhou's glare, Yan Bai felt his breathing become difficult. He took a deep breath, as if making a major decision, and stated with immense certainty, "I saw Nangong Jin and An Nuan looking at rings."
"They seemed to be buying a diamond ring. I saw An Nuan smiling a lot, looking very happy. And Nangong Jin was also in a very good mood."
Yan Bai cautiously glanced at Shen Xizhou. On the surface, he was calm, but inwardly, he was terrified.
His voice laced with a hint of fear, he said, "Then, An Nuan and Nangong Jin went to a bridal shop together."
Shen Xizhou stood there quietly, gazing forward, not saying a word. Yet, Yan Bai felt the surrounding atmosphere thicken.
Yes, he felt it was time for him to leave to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Yan Bai felt a pang of regret. Should he have come here to say all this? Perhaps he could have just called.
Suddenly, he felt he was truly foolish. Pathetically foolish.
However, just as Yan Bai was silently calling himself foolish, Shen Xizhou chuckled, a smile on his face.
Yan Bai was startled by Shen Xizhou's laughter.
Had he been too stimulated and gone mad?
"Heh, marriage? An Nuan wants to marry Nangong Jin? Impossible in this lifetime."
"She belongs only to me."
Shen Xizhou spoke these words with such firmness and confidence, as if An Nuan was destined to be his.
He had known An Nuan first, and he was even more convinced that An Nuan still had feelings for him in her heart, even if she didn't admit it.
Shen Xizhou seemed to recall something, looked at Yan Bai, and asked with a slight frown, "Buying diamond rings, looking at wedding dresses?"
When he was with An Nuan, they hadn't done any of that.
Suddenly, Yan Bai's nerves tensed up immediately. He quickly replied, "Yes, yes. That's what I saw. I didn't follow after that."
"Why?"
"I was discovered," Yan Bai said, his voice tinged with immense helplessness.
Shen Xizhou, however, did not get angry. His face remained smiling, as if he had already reached a conclusion.