The next day, she woke up on the cold floor. There were no injuries on her body, as if everything that had happened yesterday was just a figment of her imagination.
She held onto the wall and struggled to get up. Her throat felt like it was burning. She walked to the kitchen, picked up a glass, and poured water. Her hands trembled, spilling water everywhere. Looking at her palms, she saw needle marks, and her forehead was constantly shaking. Suddenly, she realized that everything that had happened yesterday was real.
She couldn't believe it. Xia Wanqing had said that if she didn't behave, she would be tormented, and that she would seek her out periodically, demanding things. If those words were true, what was she supposed to do?
Her gaze fell on the phone in the corner of the sofa. When she was taken away yesterday, the phone had been left at home. At this moment, she felt fortunate that the phone had been left at home and wasn't taken.
These were real events, but if she wanted to expose Xia Wanqing and reveal what she had done in front of everyone, no one would believe her.
This was because the Xia family would absolutely not allow any stain on their name. If she were to expose this matter, it would have a significant impact on the Xia family, so she could only swallow her pride.
Most importantly, perhaps Xia Wanqing would even retaliate against her. She had no power and was no match for those people.
She was merely an ant, easily crushed by anyone, with no chance to resist.
Now, drinking water was a difficult task for her; her throat felt as though it had been burned.
Living was so exhausting that she even thought that dying might be happier than her current state.
But for her brother, she would live as long as she could. She was her brother's only support now, and she couldn't fall.
An Nuan leaned against the door, breathing deeply, trying to calm herself down and sort out all the events. And also, what she should do next.
There was a knock on the door. An Nuan was terrified, trembling all over.
Who was it? Was it Xia Wanqing? Was it Xu Ruowei? Or Shen Xizhou? Or Ji Wenyun? There were too many possibilities, she didn't know who it could be.
A voice full of urgency sounded from outside: "An Nuan, An Nuan, I'm back, how are you?"
It was him, Zhou Chumou was back.
Was it him?
She hesitated, worried that Zhou Chumou might have changed, like Ji Wenyun.
Zhou Chumou was one of the few people who had been kind to her. He was a year older than her, and he had always helped her wholeheartedly whenever she had any trouble.
But because Shen Xizhou had always told her to keep her distance from Zhou Chumou, she eventually chose to obey Shen Xizhou and distanced herself from Zhou Chumou.
When she married Shen Xizhou, Zhou Chumou left and went abroad.
Actually, she knew why Zhou Chumou had gone abroad, but for Shen Xizhou, she didn't say anything.
Sometimes, she felt she was truly heartless.
Zhou Chumou was still as handsome as ever. His eyes were filled with anxiety as he looked at An Nuan, his gaze full of deep concern.
He felt a pang in his heart seeing An Nuan's pale face.
Zhou Chumou didn't know what had happened to An Nuan. He only knew everything about the situation between An Nuan and Shen Xizhou. This was also why he had returned.
When Zhou Chumou wanted to ask An Nuan what had happened, he saw her evasive eyes and knew she didn't want to talk to him. In the end, he said nothing.
"Nuannuan, I'm back. If there's anything you need my help with, you can tell me. I'll find a way to help you."
Zhou Chumou's gaze never left An Nuan.
An Nuan clearly saw the heartache in Zhou Chumou's eyes and saw his hand reaching out. She hesitated for a moment, and Zhou Chumou finally retracted his hand.
"Senior Zhou, why did you come back?"
An Nuan's gaze fell on Zhou Chumou, and she said with deep guilt, "Senior Zhou, you don't need to. I don't need help. You should go back and live your own life."
She didn't want to involve Zhou Chumou in her troubles. She had already involved enough people.
Zhou Chumou looked at An Nuan with great distress. Hearing her humble words, he smiled gently and said with a light laugh, "I returned to the country because the company asked me to."
"Besides, I'm your senior. You used to say that I was your brother. So I have a responsibility to take care of you. Do you have any objections?"
"No, you don't have to take care of me," An Nuan said agitatedly. She knew better than anyone that Zhou Chumou must have returned because he knew about her situation.
But she also knew that Shen Xizhou was no longer the Shen Xizhou he once was; his methods were cruel. She didn't want to drag Zhou Chumou into this because of herself.
"Senior Zhou, you shouldn't have come back," An Nuan said helplessly. "I can handle the matters between Shen Xizhou and me myself."
"An Nuan, calm down." Seeing how agitated An Nuan was, Zhou Chumou quickly comforted her, "An Nuan, I know your physical condition, and I also know about your brother's situation. Do you think I can stand by and watch you die?"
"To me, your affairs are more important than anyone else's."
An Nuan: "..."
She remained silent, looking at Zhou Chumou. She didn't know what to say to make Zhou Chumou listen to her.
"An Nuan, I know you don't like me. But you can't stop me from liking you, nor can you stop me from wanting to do anything for you."
"Shen Xizhou said he would protect you with his life and dote on you. Now that he has broken his promise, do I have a chance now?"
"Senior Zhou..." An Nuan wanted to speak, but Zhou Chumou interrupted her directly.
Zhou Chumou said calmly, "I know what you want to say. But can you please not say those words about the mountains and the people?"
"Can you just watch what I do for you?"
"Perhaps, one day, you will fall for me."
"Senior Zhou, my heart..."
Zhou Chumou seemed to have guessed what An Nuan would say, and he immediately said, "Please don't say those rejection words, I don't like hearing them, and I don't want to hear them."
Finally, An Nuan gave up. She knew that no matter how much she said now, it would be useless, because Zhou Chumou wouldn't allow her to say those words of refusal.
"Senior Zhou..."
Thinking of Zhou Chumou's words, An Nuan felt uneasy. She held back what she wanted to say and hugged Zhou Chumou tightly, her heart full of gratitude.
Zhou Chumou had always been like a big brother, helping her.
Zhou Chumou was the best person in the world. He should have had the most beautiful love in the world, but because of her, he was delayed.
She had said it, explained it, and made it very clear. But even though she had explained it clearly, it couldn't change Zhou Chumou's mind.
She had become a sinner, constantly atoning for her sins.
She knew that someone had been pursuing Zhou Chumou, and in fact, she knew that the person named Li Tian was Zhou Chumou's true love.