Xu Ruowei's appearance shattered the joyful atmosphere.
When An Nuan saw Xu Ruowei arrive, she felt a profound sense of relief. With An Nuan here, she was sure Shen Xizhou wouldn't have too much contact with her. The thought somehow put her at ease.
Finally, everything came to a rushed conclusion after Xu Ruowei's arrival.
Shen Xizhou left with Xu Ruowei, but his gaze remained fixed on An Nuan. A bloodthirsty glint appeared in Xu Ruowei's eyes, and her hands clenched tightly. She desperately wanted to question Shen Xizhou hysterically.
But she couldn't, and she dared not.
She even more dared not gamble.
She blamed An Nuan for everything that had happened.
An Nuan, however, remained remarkably calm despite this undeserved misfortune.
It was because she was already accustomed to it.
Moreover, Xu Ruowei's appearance had provided An Nuan with a chance for liberation.
She had fled the Ye family, who loved her dearly and treated her so well, for fear of becoming too attached.
Just as Shen Xizhou had said, she didn't deserve happiness and should be living in hell. What concerned her most was Shen Xizhou's warning that anyone who came into contact with her would meet a terrible end. She was afraid.
The Ye family was so wonderful, and she genuinely liked them, yet she feared she would harm them.
So she chose to flee.
She would rather the Ye family treat her with harsh words than with such kindness that it filled her with guilt.
An Nuan didn't know how she had left the Ye family. Looking at her empty home, now belonging only to herself, she felt utter despair.
...
In the car. The vehicle was parked to the side, not moving.
"Ruowei, you should be resting at home right now, not here," Shen Xizhou said coldly, his chilling words making one tremble.
Xu Ruowei looked at the man before her in disbelief, unable to fathom that such cold-blooded words could come from Shen Xizhou.
His face was contorted with anger, and an icy aura emanated from him, clearly indicating his terrible mood.
Xu Ruowei longed to loudly question Shen Xizhou, asking if he was reluctant to part with An Nuan. She wanted to say, "If you really can't let her go, then go to her. I won't care."
But these words refused to leave her lips. After all her effort to become Shen Xizhou's fiancée, how could she possibly give up?
"Xizhou, I know this is my fault."
"I went to find you without you knowing anything. But Xizhou, it's because I care about you so much that I did this."
"Did I do something wrong?" Xu Ruowei asked, her voice thick with tears.
Shen Xizhou looked at the tearful Xu Ruowei before him, a pang of self-reproach hitting him. Had he wrongly accused her?
"Ruowei, how did you know I went to the Ye family?"
Shen Xizhou stared intently at Xu Ruowei, observing her every move. "I remember telling you I was going to the company. Yet, when I asked you, you went straight to the Ye family. Don't you think you owe me an explanation for that?"
After saying these words, Shen Xizhou looked at Xu Ruowei, regretting them. He didn't know why he had asked them.
He knew better than anyone how hurtful such words could be.
Yet, he recalled An Nuan's words: "You think Xu Ruowei is truly good? Ha, you think she's the same as what you see?"
"Shen Xizhou, one day, when you realize you've been deceived, you'll become a laughingstock for the entire world."
"Do you really think Xu Ruowei is that good? Shen Xizhou, you are truly blind."
"No, it's not you who is blind, it's me. It's me, An Nuan, who was blind to fall in love with you. If I hadn't loved you, things wouldn't be like this."
Ever since hearing An Nuan's words, they had been swirling in his mind. He tried to discard them but found himself unable to. They were like a curse, constantly circling him, refusing to dissipate.
"Actually..."
Xu Ruowei's face turned ashen. She had never imagined something like this would happen to her.
She had also never thought that Shen Xizhou would doubt her.
Up until now, whatever she said, Shen Xizhou had believed without question. Now, he doubted her words.
Shock and bewilderment filled Xu Ruowei's eyes. Her hands clenched tightly as she struggled to contain herself.
Though she didn't know what had happened, she knew she couldn't get angry or show her displeasure at this moment.
Her gaze fell on Shen Xizhou, and she said with feigned vulnerability and grievance, "Xizhou, I don't know who said what to you, but Xizhou, I was worried about you. You know, I've always felt insecure around you, I..."
Xu Ruowei seemed to have discovered something important, her eyes fixed on Shen Xizhou as she spoke with great grievance, "Are you suspecting me, suspecting me of following you? Suspecting how I knew you were at the Ye family's?"
"Xizhou, don't you trust me?"
Shen Xizhou looked at Xu Ruowei, hesitating. "But you can't explain away what's happening right before my eyes."
Xu Ruowei's expression suddenly turned grim. Indeed, she had gone to the Ye family. How had she known? And upon entering, she had immediately sought out Shen Xizhou.
Anyone would be suspicious, wouldn't they?
She thought long and hard, finally concluding that An Nuan must have said something to him, otherwise, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
But even so, the most important thing now was to make Shen Xizhou believe her.
"Xizhou, you suspect me, don't you?"
"You think I've planted people around you?"
"Do you think I'm a calculating woman? Do you think I've been plotting against you all along?"
"Perhaps you've considered that An Nuan was framed, right?"
Shen Xizhou remained silent, offering no response.
Xu Ruowei knew she had hit the mark. If that wasn't the case, he wouldn't have stayed silent.
Xu Ruowei looked at Shen Xizhou and cried, "If you don't believe what I say, you can. You can ask your assistant, get the truth, and then you can continue to doubt me."
"Xizhou, I always thought you genuinely cared about me, that you valued me."
"But now, I know. It turns out, that's not true. It was all just my own fantasy."
"You still have An Nuan in your heart. If not, you wouldn't have said such things."
After saying this, Xu Ruowei ran off without waiting for Shen Xizhou's response.
Shen Xizhou, realizing what had happened and wanting to say something, found that she had already run far away. He couldn't catch up.
His voice held a hint of helplessness. He rubbed his forehead, his brows furrowed.
What was happening now left him increasingly unsure of what to do.
Should he believe An Nuan?
Xu Ruowei left, a triumphant smile on her face.
She knew Shen Xizhou would investigate the matter thoroughly, and then he would realize he had wronged her.
After all, she had spent a considerable sum to bribe those around him. If he investigated, the results would undoubtedly be to her liking.