An Nuan remained silent, feeling that all explanations and words were useless at this moment.
What she didn't know was that the more she behaved like this, the angrier Shen Xizhou became.
He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. At this moment, all he wanted was for An Nuan's gaze to be solely on him, with no room for anyone else.
"An Nuan, what's wrong? Did I speak your wicked thoughts aloud? You have nothing to say, so you choose silence."
"Speak up."
An Nuan looked up, her icy eyes meeting Shen Xizhou's. She said with self-deprecation and mockery, "Mr. Shen, I am speaking now. But you don't like what I say. It seems that everything I say only angers you."
"Then, Mr. Shen, tell me, what do you want to hear? Tell me, and I will say it. That way, I won't anger Mr. Shen, and I won't be tormented."
"Mr. Shen, how about it?"
An Nuan uttered these cold, heartless words with a chilling lack of emotion. However, no one knew how much her heart ached as she spoke, to the point of being unable to breathe.
Yet, she could not show it.
She maintained an expression of coldness and composure.
Looking at the disgust and disdain in his eyes, she curved her lips into a self-mocking smile and said, "Mr. Shen, the innocent, imaginative An Nuan from before is dead. The An Nuan who stands before you now is exactly as you described."
"Mr. Shen, in your future life, Xu Ruowei is the one you should care about and protect, isn't she? To you, I am merely a stranger with no connection."
"The mistakes I've made, have they not been paid for over the years?"
"Does it even matter whether I did those things or not? Is the truth so important?" An Nuan said calmly and coldly, "Mr. Shen has already sentenced me to death. So, why are you bothering me now, forcing me to speak? What do you want to hear?"
"Or perhaps, Mr. Shen, you are just insatiable?"
"Mr. Shen, I can be any kind of woman," An Nuan said mockingly, "but I will never go back to what I've left behind."
Am I that despicable?
Hearing her speak such lowly words so calmly, Shen Xizhou became enraged. He gripped An Nuan's chin, his voice growing colder and more glacial, "Is that so?"
"I find you disgusting. Even if you begged me, I wouldn't touch you."
"Oh, right. Ruowei is much purer than you," Shen Xizhou said, a predatory smile spreading across his face as he watched An Nuan's expression change drastically. "Ruowei is my heart's delight, the one I protect. I will give her a grand wedding. She mentioned she's afraid of pain, so I told her not to worry, I'll be very gentle."
"Ruowei, being so pure, I will only touch her after we are married."
"But you are different. You are vulgar, and you can't even compare to Ruowei's little finger."
"No, comparing you to Ruowei is an insult to her."
"An Nuan, you deserve to go to hell."
Watching An Nuan clench her fists, her face change color, and the bloodshot veins in her eyes, he said coldly and cruelly, "By the way, I will make Ruowei the happiest woman in the world. As for you..."
"I will let you live to witness my happy life with Ruowei. That should be the most cruel thing for you."
Shen Xizhou spoke these heart-wrenching, bloodthirsty words with composure. He flung his hand away, cast a cold and contemptuous glance at An Nuan, and left the hospital.
An Nuan collapsed onto the hospital bed, her body weak and drained. The sunlight streamed in through the window, bathing her in warmth, devoid of any chill, even a hint of heat. However, her heart, bruised and battered, was exceptionally cold, so cold she could barely breathe.
So, in his eyes, she was that vulgar and shameless. She held no place in his heart.
He wished he could tear her apart.
This outcome was rather good.
With Xu Ruowei, perhaps he would have no time to bother her.
But the most ridiculous thing was that she still held a sliver of hope, hoping that when he learned the truth, he would turn back and embrace her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.
But he, he almost wished she would die right before his eyes.
Her hope ultimately dissolved into foam.
In the end, she lost to someone's heartlessness.
The familiar and pungent smell of disinfectant, the medical bill on the bedside cabinet, the amount steadily increasing. She pulled out the IV needle herself.
She knew someone had paid. It was Ye Qingcheng.
The nurse had told her when she came in earlier.
She silently wrote down the amount. She didn't want to owe anyone. She would find a way to repay this money.
She forced herself to sit up and walk out. Yun Xiu needed her. She couldn't fall. She had to find a way to earn a lot of money in a short period, the more the better. That way, Yun Xiu would have more security.
She had already wasted too much time and accumulated additional debt.
Without Shen Xizhou or Ye Qingcheng, she smoothly completed her discharge procedures. Looking at the extra money, she left it at the nursing station, telling the nurse to return it to the person who had come to see her.
The nursing station was naturally reluctant. However, they were busy, and by the time they tried to refuse, she had already left, leaving them no choice but to follow the patient's instructions.
An Nuan did not go back to rest. That place was arranged by Shen Xizhou. She had to find a way to leave it, to cut off any connection she had with him.
The manager had agreed to let her rest for a day. However, she had disappeared for an entire week, and she didn't know if her job at the She Lan Club could continue.
She had thought that even if she had to beg, she would keep her job.
When she entered, the manager did not make things difficult for her. However, he told her that there couldn't be such a situation next time, or he wouldn't be able to keep her.
An Nuan finally nodded.
Half a month passed.
An Nuan's work at the She Lan Club was at night, and she also worked part-time during the day.
She worked as a waitress at a hotel, responsible for serving dishes. This job was relatively easy, and naturally, because she was attractive, she received such treatment.
Sometimes, she truly had to thank fate for giving her a good appearance. However, it also led to some people taking liberties. But in the end, she endured it. However, in the days to come, she became even more cautious.
An Nuan was serving dishes as usual. As she brought the dishes to the table, she saw Xu Ruowei.
She wanted to turn and leave, not wanting to see Xu Ruowei. But this was her job, and she needed money.
She kept her head down. As she served the dishes, as long as she didn't speak and kept her head down, no one would notice her.
Xu Ruowei wouldn't notice a small waitress like her.
But what An Nuan didn't know was that Xu Ruowei came here precisely because she knew An Nuan was here, and An Nuan being assigned to serve that table was also arranged by Xu Ruowei.
Of course, An Nuan did not know this at the moment.