"An Nuan, I miss you. Those things weren't done by you. Someone might misunderstand you, but I believe you."
"I will find evidence to prove that you didn't hurt Wang Xuerou." Ye Qingcheng said resolutely, his powerful voice indicating he was not joking.
"Doctor Ye..."
What Ye Qingcheng said gave her all the comfort she had received these past few days, the tenderness no one else had given her.
"Thank you, Doctor Ye."
"You are the only one who believes me."
An Nuan looked at Ye Qingcheng with gratitude. Regardless of why Ye Qingcheng appeared before her, he believed in her, and that made him a good person.
Ye Qingcheng looked at the wounds on An Nuan's hand and said with concern, "Your hand is bleeding. It needs to be treated, or it will get infected. Then, you might truly lose the use of your hand."
An Nuan hid her hand behind her back. She was very grateful to Ye Qingcheng, but she didn't want him to be dragged into trouble because of her.
Anyone connected to her had met a tragic end.
She didn't want to see Ye Qingcheng implicated in her affairs.
Was Ye Qingcheng acting?
If he was truly acting, then he was an exceptionally good actor.
His performance was so convincing. But even if it was an act, she would allow herself to indulge in it. Her life was already hard enough; this moment could be a piece of candy, a sweet memory to savor amidst all the injustice and pain.
Shen Xizhou did not continue to trouble her. Since Xu Ruowei was unwell, he had already sent her to the hospital.
The others naturally dispersed as well.
When the manager arrived at the private room, he was met with a scene of utter disarray. He was momentarily at a loss for words to express his anger.
Should he vent his frustration at An Nuan? Seeing her hand bleeding profusely, with glass shards embedded in her palm, he swallowed the words telling her to clean up and continue working.
Given the situation, saying such a thing would be utterly heartless.
The manager glanced at An Nuan, and finally, with a hint of helplessness in his voice, said, "Looking at you, you probably can't continue working. You should rest..."
Hearing this, An Nuan's face changed drastically. Not being able to work meant not earning money, and money was precisely what she needed most right now.
An Nuan reached out to grab the manager's hand, but the pain from her palm made it difficult to breathe.
Her eyes were filled with pleading as she said, "No, I don't need to rest. I can still continue to work. I cannot lose this job."
"Manager, my hand, my hand is fine. I can continue working..."
To convince the manager, An Nuan bent down, intending to resume cleaning. But as she reached out to tidy up, a searing pain shot through her, causing her to gasp.
The pain was real, so intense it made her gasp for air.
Seeing An Nuan's desperate attempt to prove herself, the manager was momentarily speechless.
An Nuan's pained cry finally snapped him out of his daze. His gaze fell on her. "Don't worry. You can always come back to work. But your hand is injured; it's really not suitable."
"Even if you must work, you can come back tomorrow. It's absolutely impossible now."
An Nuan, who had been panicking, felt her heart completely settle upon hearing the manager's words. As long as she could continue working, it was fine.
Looking at her hand again, it seemed the manager was right. She did need to rest, or it would genuinely affect her ability to work.
An Nuan finally left the Shelan Club with a heavy heart.
However, as she exited, a car pulled up in front of her.
She had no intention of stopping and planned to go around it.
But the car continued to follow her, showing no signs of stopping.
As she tried to maneuver around again, the car window rolled down, and she saw Ye Qingcheng.
"Your hand is injured. You must go to the hospital to get it treated."
An Nuan shook her head. "No need."
She was out of money, and going to the hospital would only lead to further humiliation.
"I can handle it myself," An Nuan said firmly.
Ye Qingcheng was about to try and persuade her further when he saw her unwavering resolve. He finally gave up, sighing helplessly. "Coincidentally, I'm a doctor. I can treat your wound for free."
An Nuan still shook her head. "No, thank you." She didn't want to owe anyone a favor.
Ye Qingcheng didn't say anything more. Instead, he got out of the car, walked up to An Nuan, leaned against the car, and stared intently at her. "If it's nothing, then I'll just stand here and wait."
An Nuan's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Ye Qingcheng to say something so shameless.
"You..."
Ye Qingcheng looked at An Nuan innocently, spreading his hands helplessly. "If you don't go to the hospital, this is the only way."
"Whatever you think of me, however you see me, it doesn't matter," Ye Qingcheng said, a hint of playful defiance in his tone. "I have no other choice but to do this."
An Nuan finally relented.
She sensed that more and more people were gathering, their gazes fixed on her. She opened the car door and quickly got in without any hesitation.
A smile curved Ye Qingcheng's lips.
An Nuan eventually went to the hospital, without any registration. Ye Qingcheng took her to his lounge and began to treat her wounds.
As he painstakingly removed the glass shards from her palm, she said nothing, enduring the pain. Her tightly knitted brows, however, spoke volumes about the agony she was experiencing.
He couldn't fathom what An Nuan had gone through to make her endure such pain with such fortitude.
"Actually, if it hurts, you can cry out."
An Nuan flinched, then lowered her head, remaining silent.
After Ye Qingcheng bandaged her injured hand, he drove An Nuan to her designated location and then left.
Of course, before leaving, he managed to obtain An Nuan's contact information.
An Nuan returned home and closed the door, only to feel an intense gaze upon her from behind.
She shivered uncontrollably.
Besides Shen Xizhou, there was no one else who would be here.
Her eyes met Shen Xizhou's bloodthirsty gaze. He exuded a terrifying aura, and her face instantly turned pale.
Shen Xizhou's palpable hostility made An Nuan instinctively want to open the door and flee. She instinctively retreated.
But the man sitting on the sofa seemed to have anticipated her intention. Before she could react, he had already pinned her against the door, leaving her with no room to move.
She lowered her head, unwilling to look at the man before her.
"Mr. Shen, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the hospital, with the woman you care about?"
"Mr. Shen, tell me, if Miss Xu knew you had left her at the hospital to come find me, do you think Miss Xu would follow right behind?" An Nuan raised her head, meeting the man's gaze directly, speaking with audacious abandon.