In the past, he had protected her in his heart, never allowing her to get hurt.
In the past, he would say all sorts of sweet words to cheer her up.
In the past, he wouldn't make her sad. In the past, even if he knew she was throwing a tantrum, he would tolerate it all.
But the him now was a stranger, making her tremble with fear.
The current Shen Xizhou trampled her dignity under his feet. He had repeatedly reminded her of this.
Even in crowded places, he never stopped hurting her.
It wasn't that she couldn't feel pain or retort, but sometimes, she felt it was unnecessary.
She had always been thinking of ways to avoid him, to sever all ties with him.
She just wanted to be strangers, never to meet again for all eternity.
Even if they met, she didn't want to exchange greetings.
But Shen Xizhou? When her life finally had a glimmer of light, he would always forcefully extinguish it, destroying it.
No one present spoke, no one dared to expose what was happening.
Shen Xizhou truly wished he could erase her from existence.
As long as her life improved, he would find a way to ruin it.
However, she had already paid back what was owed. What more did he want from her?
She wanted to step forward and loudly question Shen Xizhou, but in the end, she didn't. She was afraid. She just wanted to escape. She hated herself for being this way.
She glanced at Yun Xiu, who was standing by, startled. Grabbing Yun Xiu's hand, she rushed out.
Her brother was innocent. She didn't want her brother to be dragged into this.
She wanted to take her brother away from this dirty place, this place filled with humiliation.
An Nuan just wanted to escape at this moment.
Ye Qingcheng seemed to see through An Nuan's thoughts. He grabbed An Nuan's hand, and no matter how much she struggled, he didn't let go. He directly threw a punch, sending Shen Xizhou sprawling to the ground.
He had always been gentle and refined. An Nuan thought that such a person wouldn't be able to fight.
But the scene just now had shattered her perception completely.
His eyes were filled with malice, and he said coldly, "Shen Xizhou, you've been slandering An Nuan, calling her dirty, saying she caused deaths. Then, please provide proof."
"If she had really done those things, she wouldn't be standing here now."
"Shen Xizhou, use your brain and think."
"And you, don't be deceived by others."
An Nuan looked at Ye Qingcheng, her eyes filled with disbelief. She had thought that perhaps, after hearing Shen Xizhou's words, Ye Qingcheng would gradually distance himself from her.
But if this was the outcome, she wouldn't resent Ye Qingcheng.
"Doctor Ye..."
An Nuan looked at Ye Qingcheng, her eyes reddening. At this moment, she didn't know what words could express her feelings.
Her gaze towards Ye Qingcheng was filled with gratitude.
Ye Qingcheng held An Nuan, who was weeping profusely, in his arms, patting her back.
He spoke words of comfort, spoke moving vows.
What he did was more touching than any vow.
He was truly so good that An Nuan almost doubted if all of this was real. Was Ye Qingcheng genuine? Would he disappear when she woke up?
Would there be no such person as Ye Qingcheng?
If Ye Qingcheng was her dream, then let her stay in the dream forever.
"Nuannuan, I am here. I will protect you. I won't let anyone harm you."
"Shen Xizhou, Nuannuan is the person I hold most dear. She is not someone you can trample on at will."
Tears flowed uncontrollably again. An Nuan's eyes were bloodshot. She looked at Ye Qingcheng, at the man before her, and her heart inexplicably began to race.
An Nuan cried, tears of感动.
She thought that if she had met Ye Qingcheng before meeting Shen Xizhou, she might have truly fallen for him.
"Nuannuan, there will be many more things to touch you in the future. If you are like this now, what will you do later? Must I be like this every time I do something? That would break my heart, to the point of suffocation."
"Do you know? Just seeing you cry makes me uncomfortable," Ye Qingcheng said softly.
An Nuan took a deep breath. She seemed to be becoming more emotional. She hadn't been like this before.
She had always been strong, enduring it all. She thought she only had herself, and no one else to rely on.
But with Ye Qingcheng's appearance, her reliance seemed to have returned.
She tidied herself up and managed a rare smile, saying, "Doctor Ye, thank you. Thank you for believing in me, thank you for your words, and even more, thank you for what you've done for me."
"Nuannuan, I love you. Of course, I must treat you well."
"Besides, you are my fiancée. Tell me, who should I dote on if not you? Who should I protect if not you?" Ye Qingcheng said, playfully flicking her nose.
Shen Xizhou watched their affectionate exchange, his eyes filled with bloodlust. When he saw the radiant smile on An Nuan's face, he felt an unbearable discomfort.
The smile on An Nuan's face at that moment was extremely jarring to him.
For a moment, he almost wanted to rush forward and rip off, destroy that smile on An Nuan's face.
Xu Ruowei, standing by his side, also felt Shen Xizhou's fury. She leaned into his embrace, her face extremely pale, and whispered in his ear, "Xizhou, I feel unwell..."
But Shen Xizhou had already lost his reason. He couldn't hear Xu Ruowei's words at all. At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot as he watched An Nuan and Ye Qingcheng's intertwined fingers. It was so sickeningly an eyesore.
He stepped forward and directly choked An Nuan's neck, looking at her ferociously, as if he wanted to destroy her.
"Shen Xizhou, let go! What do you want to do?"
Shen Xizhou's sudden action caught everyone off guard.
His grip tightened, almost wanting to take An Nuan's life.
Ye Qingcheng wanted to throw a punch, but he was afraid of hurting An Nuan.
He placed his hand directly on Shen Xizhou's shoulder and said coldly, "Attacking a woman, what kind of man are you? If you have the guts, let's have a one-on-one, shall we?"
Seeing the arrogant confrontation between the two, An Nuan was extremely worried.
Shen Xizhou directly threw An Nuan away. The look of concern An Nuan had just cast at Ye Qingcheng pierced him deeply. He said darkly, "Fine."
An Nuan's heart hung in the air. This situation started because of her. She didn't want Ye Qingcheng to get hurt because of her, much less suffer any harm for her sake.
Just as the two were about to fight, An Nuan stepped between them. She looked at Ye Qingcheng with immense guilt. Her gaze fell on his injured arm, making her feel even more self-reproachful. "Ye Qingcheng, your arm is injured. Shall we go to the hospital?"
Seeing the blood flowing, An Nuan's face turned ashen, and her whole demeanor changed.
"Please, I beg you, stop fighting, okay? Let's go to the hospital, alright?" she pleaded humbly.