Her phone rang, and An Nuan answered without hesitation.
"An Nuan."
A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone; it was Xia Wanqing.
"Shh, don't make a sound."
The person on the other end said something.
"Okay, I'll be good. Please, don't hurt my brother, okay? I'll come over right away." An Nuan, afraid the other person wouldn't believe her, quickly said, "I'll behave and come alone. I won't tell anyone about this. Please, don't harm my brother, okay?"
"Whatever you want, however you want it, just do it to me."
An Nuan stood still. Just as the person on the phone had said, a van stopped in front of her, and she got in directly without any struggle.
After she got into the car, her eyes were immediately blindfolded.
She was dragged by the head, and then someone pushed her in from behind with a loud slam as the door closed.
After a long while, there was not a sound. An Nuan slowly reached up and pulled off the blindfold.
"An Nuan."
Xia Wanqing stood in front of An Nuan, her eyes full of triumph as she looked at An Nuan.
She actually came, daring to come alone. Heh, she was really brave. Did she think Xia Wanqing wouldn't harm her?
"Xia Wanqing, why did you take my brother? I'm here now. Where is my brother? You said you'd let my brother go if I behaved."
"I want to see my brother now, to make sure he's safe."
"Heh, An Nuan, you're ridiculous. You can't even protect yourself, and you still care about your brother? Heh."
"You should worry about your own situation first."
"You believed me when I said your brother was in my hands?" Xia Wanqing said disdainfully, "Didn't you ever think that maybe I was lying to you?"
"Are you lying to me then?" An Nuan stared straight at Xia Wanqing, her teeth clenched, her eyes full of disbelief. "Besides you, no one else would harm Yun Xiu."
"Tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you, as long as you let my brother go. Can you?"
With a 'plop,' she knelt on the ground, pleading, "Xia Wanqing, I have nothing left, only my brother. Please, I'll do whatever you want me to do, as long as, as long as you let my brother go."
"Since you're so eager to do things for me, then call Shen Xizhou now."
An Nuan trembled all over, and her continuous kowtowing stopped.
She looked at Xia Wanqing, confused.
Xia Wanqing wanted her to call Shen Xizhou. Was it really that simple?
No, it definitely wasn't that simple.
"Call Shen Xizhou and admit, admit that you did all of it. Admit that you were the one seducing Ye Qingcheng."
"Take all the blame yourself."
"Of course, you'll have to find ways to make Shen Xizhou believe that everything you say is true. If Shen Xizhou has even the slightest suspicion, then you'll never see your brother again in this lifetime."
"I mean what I say."
"Also, I'll give you half an hour. Think it over before you agree. Of course, if you don't agree, then you'll never see your brother again."
She was given half an hour to think.
But hadn't Xia Wanqing already decided the outcome?
Giving her half an hour to think was actually just giving her time to handle things.
An Nuan took a deep breath, as if making a momentous decision.
In reality, she and Shen Xizhou had long since had no relationship, and it was impossible for them to return to how they were before.
So, what else did she have to hesitate or worry about?
But those things were not done by her. If she admitted to them, she would carry this guilt for the rest of her life.
Xia Wanqing saw An Nuan's hesitation and said coldly, "Oh, and after half an hour, the people on the other side will make their move. Don't blame anyone then."
"That's because you didn't handle it well yourself."
"You... what do you want to do?" An Nuan asked anxiously, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at Xia Wanqing.
"Heh, I already told you, as long as you behave, your brother will be fine. So, you need to think carefully about how to do this before you act."
"By the way, ten minutes have already passed. You don't have much time left. If you keep delaying, you might really never see your brother again."
"If your actions don't satisfy me, perhaps the people on the other side will make their move in less than half an hour."
"So, you might be running out of time now."
An Nuan looked at Xia Wanqing furiously. It was all her doing. But what could she do?
She could only be led by the nose.
"Okay, I'll act immediately. Can you not hurt my brother?"
"If you really want to hurt someone, hurt me," An Nuan said anxiously.
She knew she could only call Shen Xizhou now.
An Nuan bit her lip tightly, burying the bitterness and sorrow deep within her heart.
Her hand fell on her phone, and she dialed the familiar number.
She waited anxiously. The call went unanswered. She called again, still unanswered.
After countless attempts, just as she was about to give up, the screen displayed: "On the call."
Shen Xizhou had picked up.
Finally, the first step was successful.
He said coldly, "An Nuan, what do you want?"
"Shen Xizhou, I'm saying, I did those things. I admit it now..." After saying these words, her heart felt as if it were being tightly squeezed, hurting so much that even breathing was painful.
This kind of piercing pain was something ordinary people wouldn't understand.
"Heh, you admit it now?" Shen Xizhou let out a cold, dismissive哼, and said sternly, "And then? Are you going to die to atone for those who were killed?"
Shen Xizhou said sarcastically, "An Nuan, you admit it, and then what? What else did you do? One sentence, you admit it, and that's it?"
"Shen Xizhou, I..." At this moment, she suddenly wanted to say that she hadn't, but in the end, she swallowed the words.
Her eyes reddened, and she choked out, "Shen Xizhou, please, love Xu Ruowei well, okay? You must marry her. She's the most suitable for you."
"Do I need you to tell me that?"
Shen Xizhou said, cold and bloodless, "Hearing you say that is simply ludicrous."
"What do I have to do for you to forgive me?"
Shen Xizhou said with contempt, "Even your life couldn't make up for what you've done, An Nuan. Give up on that idea."
"I won't believe whatever you say or do."
An Nuan's mind went blank. Those words struck her to the heart, and her entire life began to turn gray.
He didn't believe her anymore.
Her mind suddenly went blank.