An Nuan had not yet put down the dishes she brought up when Xu Ruo Wei abruptly elbowed her, causing all the food to land on An Nuan. As if that weren't enough, she stood up and heavily stomped on An Nuan's hand with her high heel.
At that moment, An Nuan's heart ached so intensely that she felt suffocated, struggling to even breathe.
"An Nuan, does it hurt? Do you hate me? Are you itching to slap me? But you can't," Xu Ruo Wei leaned down, whispering venomously in her ear.
Try it yourself, does it hurt?
Of course, she wanted to slap her hard. She steeled herself; since she was already being framed, what was the point of holding back?
"Slap."
An Nuan delivered a fierce slap, instantly turning Xu Ruo Wei's originally delicate face red and swollen.
She walked to the table, picked up a bowl of soup, and poured it directly over Xu Ruo Wei's head.
At this point, Xu Ruo Wei's elaborate makeup was completely ruined, leaving her in a state of utter disarray.
In reality, if she hadn't acted, Xu Ruo Wei would have found some other way to frame her. If her guess was correct, Shen Xi Zhou would appear soon.
She had experienced such situations too many times.
At this moment, the stunned Xu Ruo Wei finally snapped back to reality. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at An Nuan. She couldn't believe that An Nuan, who had always endured her bullying without resistance, would now fight back and make her look so pathetic. How dare she? Did she deserve this?
She was supposed to stand there and be humiliated; she shouldn't have fought back.
"An Nuan, how dare you lay a hand on me?" Xu Ruo Wei's tone was still laced with disbelief. If not for the stinging pain on her face, she wouldn't have believed it.
She wanted to lunge at An Nuan, but then she heard some commotion outside.
Immediately, she began her act.
Her eyes reddened, and she said with a wronged expression, "Xi Zhou, I... I don't know what I did wrong for An Nuan to treat me like this. I was just... I was just here to eat."
"I didn't do anything, but... she..."
Xu Ruo Wei turned, expecting to find comfort, but her hands clenched tightly when she saw that the person arriving was not Shen Xi Zhou.
Why wasn't it Shen Xi Zhou? She had clearly asked Shen Xi Zhou to come.
Why was it Ye Qing Cheng?
However, Ye Qing Cheng was Shen Xi Zhou's good friend, so she still had to put on an act.
"Doctor Ye, I'm injured. Can you please examine me? I... I don't know what happened, An Nuan just came in and hit me." Xu Ruo Wei's eyes welled up with tears, and she cried heartbrokenly.
"Miss Xu, please mind your own business. We are not close," Ye Qing Cheng's face instantly darkened as he saw the food stains on An Nuan and the blood from her hand.
He exuded a chilling aura and looked at Xu Ruo Wei, saying coldly, "Miss Xu, you caused Nuan Nuan's injuries, didn't you? Hmph, Shen Xi Zhou has truly found a 'loving companion'."
"Doctor Ye, what are you talking about? I... I am Xi Zhou's girlfriend after all. You are Xi Zhou's friend. Shouldn't you be concerned about me?"
"Doctor Ye, how can you say that about me? I am Xi Zhou's girlfriend, how could I be so malicious?" Xu Ruo Wei said, her tears flowing even more profusely. "Besides, I have always been very friendly to An Nuan. Xi Zhou knows that. How could I possibly hurt her?"
"On the other hand, An Nuan, because she resents Xi Zhou for falling in love with me, has been making things difficult for me and has been severely hurting me. Doctor Ye, what I'm saying is the truth."
"Hmph, An Nuan resents you? Do you think you are worthy of An Nuan's resentment?" Ye Qing Cheng chuckled, a bloodthirsty smile playing on his lips as he looked at Xu Ruo Wei, as if he could see right through her.
"Miss Xu, you don't need to tell me these things. You should explain them to your boyfriend."
"As for how you treat An Nuan, my eyes are not blind, and I see everything clearly."
"Also, Miss Xu, you seem to have mistaken the person. An Nuan is the one I want to protect for a lifetime. Do you think I would side with you?"
"Keep your hypocritical words for Shen Xi Zhou," Ye Qing Cheng said with a cold laugh. "He might believe you."
"Ye Qing Cheng." Xu Ruo Wei's hands clenched tightly, and she almost shouted. She thought that since Ye Qing Cheng was Shen Xi Zhou's friend, he would at least stand on her side and speak up for her out of consideration for Shen Xi Zhou. Moreover, in what way was she inferior to An Nuan that he had to defend An Nuan?
Even though she had Shen Xi Zhou, she absolutely would not tolerate anyone appearing around An Nuan, anyone who spoke up for her or did things for her.
"Ye Qing Cheng, you will regret this. When that vicious woman schemes you out of everything, you will know that I was not wrong at all," Xu Ruo Wei said through gritted teeth.
"Shut up, you're being noisy." Ye Qing Cheng turned and looked at Xu Ruo Wei coldly.
At that moment, Xu Ruo Wei felt as if she had been frozen. She couldn't move her entire body.
"Miss Xu, my eyes are not blind, and there are cameras here," Ye Qing Cheng said icily.
The words, "There are cameras here."
Xu Ruo Wei trembled all over; she was extremely scared.
There were cameras here? Was that true? Then she absolutely couldn't allow what had just happened to be leaked.
Seeing Xu Ruo Wei's panicked demeanor, Ye Qing Cheng was filled with disdain.
Ye Qing Cheng shifted his attention back to An Nuan. He had her sit on a chair and looked at the wound on her hand, from which blood was still flowing. At this moment, he was somewhat anxious.
"An Nuan, wait a moment, I'll treat your wound. It won't hurt, I'll be very gentle."
An Nuan pulled her hand back, pressing on the bleeding spot herself, and shook her head, saying, "Doctor Ye, it's fine. I'll press on it for a while and put on a band-aid. It's really okay."
The hotel manager also noticed the commotion.
As soon as he entered, he sensed the arrogant and overbearing atmosphere within.
One was Mr. Shen's girlfriend, and the other was Mr. Shen's good friend. Moreover, Ye Qing Cheng himself was a capable person, not someone the hotel could afford to offend.
He couldn't afford to offend either of them, so he had to serve them cautiously. After all, he still wanted to keep his job and didn't want to lose it.
"Mr. Ye, your arrival at our humble establishment truly graces us," Manager Xu said with a fawning smile.
"Hmph, Manager Xu is truly managing things well. One of your employees is injured, and you're not even paying attention?"
"Manager Xu is just watching an employee being bullied and not stepping in?"
Manager Xu: "..."
In fact, he knew that Xu Ruo Wei had come with ill intentions and hadn't wanted to assign An Nuan to her. However, what he feared most had happened. As soon as Xu Ruo Wei entered, she had demanded An Nuan, and there was nothing he could do. If he had a choice, he would never have let An Nuan come.
"Manager Xu, my girlfriend was injured under your management. How do you think this should be resolved?"
Manager Xu was stunned. An Nuan was Ye Qing Cheng's girlfriend?
Then why was she working here?
For a moment, he looked at An Nuan with confusion, as if seeking an answer.
His head instantly began to ache. This was a difficult situation to handle.