The scorching July sun hung over the land like a giant steamer, making one feel suffocated by the heat.
An Nuan stood under the blazing sun, her entire face flushed red. Her head was swimming, and she felt as if she would faint. Yet, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to endure, her sole belief sustaining her.
"Mr. Shen, please, please save my mother."
A sense of helplessness washed over her. She had pleaded with so many people, but no one was willing to help. Shen Xizhou had become her only hope.
Ironically, everything had started because of Shen Xizhou, yet she had to beg him.
She cast aside her useless pride and knelt on the ground, begging.
An Nuan bit her lip, forcing herself to persevere.
"Mr. Shen, I beg you. With just a word from you, my mother can be saved. Please, I'll do anything you ask."
With a splash, a basin of water was doused over her head. It was scalding hot, and she cried out in pain.
She paid no mind to her burns, instead looking up, searching for the person who had thrown the water, but there was no one to be seen. Her gaze fell back on the large door. Appearing before her was Xu Ruowei.
Xu Ruowei looked at An Nuan with disdain. "An Nuan, don't waste your effort. This will only make people dislike you more. By the way, begging here is just a waste of time. If I were you, I'd know better and go back. Don't be an eyesore here for no reason."
"A person's value lies in self-awareness," Xu Ruowei said, then left with a folder. She didn't dare to stay too long. Shen Xizhou, though not present, was observing An Nuan's every move. If not for fear of drawing trouble to herself, An Nuan's face might have been ruined by now.
Heh.
An Nuan let out a loud laugh, and as she laughed, tears streamed down her face. He had sent Xu Ruowei down to humiliate her, hadn't he? She must have hated her deeply for how she had humiliated Xu Ruowei back then. An Nuan's current existence felt like a joke.
Shen Xizhou was convinced she had killed his family and trampled his honor. She was a murderer, a woman who loved wealth and despised poverty. Her current predicament was entirely her own doing, and she had no one to blame but herself.
She had desperately tried to explain to him before, but he hadn't believed her.
She wanted to tell him that she hadn't harmed his family, that everything she did was to protect him. But it seemed she would never have the chance to explain in this lifetime.
The midday sun grew more intense, and even the hot wind felt scorching. No matter how hot or harsh the weather, her heart was cold. The burns pained her so much that breathing was difficult. Moving even slightly tugged at her wounds, causing her such agony that she almost cried out.
Her body could no longer withstand such pain. It was already in a terrible state. She had been living in purgatory for years. In this life, happiness was no longer within her reach.
...
A month later, An Nuan unexpectedly encountered Shen Xizhou.
From their initial acquaintance, to knowing each other, to falling in love, they had now reached a point where they couldn't stand to look at each other. Each harbored their own hatred for the other.
He looked down at the disheveled An Nuan and said coldly, "I heard you knelt in the scorching sun for a day a few days ago, begging me to save your mother?"
An Nuan rubbed her knees, her lips tightly clenched to suppress any sound. The pain in her knees was excruciating. Living in poverty, she could only rely on her rough hands to massage them to alleviate the ache.
He had come, perhaps he had thought of another way to torment her. He had said that he would not appear before her without reason; if he did, it meant he had devised a good way to torture her, a way that would make her regret being alive.
Her gaze towards Shen Xizhou held a hint of confusion. He hadn't been this cold and heartless before. In his youth, if her brow furrowed even slightly, if she let out a soft cry of pain, even knowing she was faking it, he would still be heartbroken, holding her close, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, coaxing her and making her happy.
Those times had been so beautiful. Now, they were gone.
Her chaotic thoughts cleared as she met the man's violent gaze. She bit her lip and, looking down, said in a low voice, "Mr. Shen, I know you hate me, you wish I were dead. Fine, take my life. I only beg you to save my mother. If I don't pay the money soon, the hospital will turn her out. I can't just stand by and not save my mother, please..." She kowtowed repeatedly, blood trickling out, yet she felt no pain.
"An Nuan, don't you find it ridiculous to say such things? When you attacked my family, they begged you desperately. Did you spare them? Oh, and my right hand, you stabbed it with a knife, crippling it. It was from that moment I swore that one day, I would return and make you pay."
"An Nuan, why don't you go beg Huo Yunshen? You schemed against me until I had nothing left for Huo Yunshen. Now that you're in trouble, why are you looking for me, you dog?"
"No, it wasn't like that. Please, listen to me..."
An Nuan shook her head vehemently, trying to explain. "Shen Xizhou, it wasn't like you think. I had no choice back then, I..."
"It was Xu Ruowei, she was the one sowing discord between us. I..."
"Enough," he interrupted her words with a cold tone. Shen Xizhou said darkly, "An Nuan, even now, you're still shifting the blame for what you did. You still won't admit it. You're even slandering innocent Xu Ruowei. You truly disgust me."
"How can there be such a disgusting person in this world as you?"
An Nuan curled her lips into a smile. Heh, he still didn't believe her. He didn't believe a single word she said. All the things she had told Shen Xizhou were just a joke.
She clenched her fists at her sides, bit her lip, and after a long pause, said, "Shen Xizhou, I admit it. It's all my fault. I am wicked, I deserve to go to hell. Do whatever you want with me."
"But my mother's condition is critical. Can you help me? Just this once."
"Oh, right. If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot." Shen Xizhou's lips curled into a cold smile. Cruelly, he said, "Thank you for the reminder. It reminds me to call the hospital and expedite the process of stopping your mother's treatment."
He took a step closer to An Nuan, grabbed her by the neck, and tightened his grip. Seeing her face turn paler and her hands struggling, he laughed heartily and said, "How does it feel to be on the brink of death? Comfortable?"