An Nuan's usually calm demeanor shattered upon hearing these words, her entire body trembling.
Xu Ruowei smirked triumphantly. She had believed there was nothing left that An Nuan cared about, that no matter what she said or did, it wouldn't faze An Nuan. Now, it seemed that wasn't entirely true. Look at An Nuan now, so unsettled by her words.
Her face had turned extremely grim.
Although the current location made it difficult for her to physically harm An Nuan, causing An Nuan mental distress and unhappiness brought Xu Ruowei immense satisfaction.
She wanted to inflict all her pain upon An Nuan.
Why should An Nuan live so happily while she suffered every day?
If she couldn't hurt An Nuan directly, then making An Nuan suffer would be just as good, wouldn't it?
With this thought, her excitement grew.
"Oh, right. Nan Gong Jin loves you dearly, he probably won't mind. But Nan Gong Jin is from a prominent family. Even if he doesn't mind, it doesn't mean the Nan Gong family won't, right?"
"Furthermore, if rumors of this matter spread, and Nan Gong Jin's reputation is damaged because of you, how do you think he'll react?"
"Nan Gong Jin loves you, but with all the gossip and whispers, eventually, he might change his mind about you."
"After all, what man wouldn't care about such things?"
"With time, he'll naturally grow tired of you."
"An Nuan, by then, I'll be watching as you're abandoned and despised by everyone."
An Nuan looked at the woman before her as if she were a lunatic, saying coldly, "Are you done?"
"Xu Ruowei, did you stop me just to tell me these things?"
"..."
Xu Ruowei froze. She had expected An Nuan to become enraged, to lash out at her. But An Nuan was far too calm, showing no anger at all. In fact, An Nuan's gaze was filled with disdain.
Xu Ruowei glared fiercely at An Nuan, gritting her teeth, and demanding, "An Nuan, aren't you afraid? Aren't you worried?"
An Nuan let out a cold scoff. "Are you concerned about me?"
"This is my own business. My thoughts on it are none of your concern, are they?"
"No, An Nuan, you do care. You're not saying anything because you're afraid I'll mock you. You're afraid of losing face."
An Nuan had no desire to engage with Xu Ruowei. She felt even speaking a single word was utterly tiresome.
Moreover, she had important matters to attend to and naturally didn't want to waste time talking to her.
She yearned to leave this place immediately.
By not responding, she hoped to avoid any further interaction with Xu Ruowei.
That way, Xu Ruowei wouldn't continue to pester her.
An Nuan simply stared coldly at Xu Ruowei. She detested Xu Ruowei's persistent harassment.
"An Nuan, in such a hurry to leave, are you looking for a place to hide and cry?"
"Wanting to cry your heart out?"
"Actually, you don't need to hide. You can just cry in front of me."
"Oh, and I promise not to spread such embarrassing news about you."
Facing Xu Ruowei's resentful eyes, An Nuan felt no fear.
She knew that here, no matter how much Xu Ruowei might want to lay hands on her, she wouldn't dare.
"An Nuan, I know you can face me so calmly now because you're certain Nan Gong Jin will protect you, and I wouldn't dare act against you. But An Nuan, I believe this period won't last forever."
"I believe that not long from now, I'll be able to drag you back into hell."
"I'm currently plotting something, something very important."
"An Nuan, just watch. Everything you've done to me, I will repay a hundredfold. And then, I'll stand by and watch your downfall."
Xu Ruowei spoke words of threat to An Nuan.
However, An Nuan's calm demeanor deeply provoked her, making her feel that everything she was doing was a laughable farce.
She glared fiercely at An Nuan, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it tightly, saying with unwilling resentment, "An Nuan, I swear, I'll make you regret this. I'll make you pay with blood."
An Nuan just watched Xu Ruowei. At this moment, Xu Ruowei had nothing more to say.
An Nuan's profound calmness made Xu Ruowei feel like an utter fool.
She truly wanted to lash out now.
But if she did, leaving here safely would become far less simple.
She had to restrain herself. She absolutely could not act.
Just then, Nan Gong Jin appeared, along with Fu Jingxuan and Wang Xuerou. Xu Ruowei began to tremble all over. She stood up, intending to leave, but her path was blocked.
She was so terrified she dared not utter a word.
She even wondered how these people had appeared here. Was this all a trap set by An Nuan?
Thinking about how calm An Nuan had been moments ago, she became even more certain of her suspicions.
Nan Gong Jin's gaze fell upon Xu Ruowei's hand, tightly gripping An Nuan's wrist.
Xu Ruowei also noticed Nan Gong Jin's bloodthirsty stare. She immediately released An Nuan's hand. Upon seeing the red marks on An Nuan's fair wrist, he felt a pang of distress.
"An Nuan, are you alright?"
An Nuan shook her head. She looked at Nan Gong Jin, but the usual smile that graced her face was absent.
Seeing the change in An Nuan, Nan Gong Jin's face turned pale.
Nan Gong Jin shot a venomous glare at Xu Ruowei, certain that Xu Ruowei had done something to cause An Nuan's distress.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Xu Ruowei thought she could now leave. As she took a step, Huo Yuxuan blocked her way.
"Xu Ruowei."
Wang Xuerou exclaimed, her voice laced with fury. Her eyes burned with anger; at that moment, she wished she could lunge forward and tear Xu Ruowei's face apart.
"Xu Ruowei, because of you, I almost made another mistake."
"Xu Ruowei, how could you be so malicious?"
As Wang Xuerou spoke, she raised her hand and slapped Xu Ruowei hard across the face.
Xu Ruowei's head nearly snapped to the side.
She looked at the person before her in shock and disbelief, unable to comprehend that such a preposterous event was happening to her.
Xu Ruowei reached up to touch her face, which was now red and swollen.
She wanted to retaliate, but the people around her made her suppress the urge.
No one around stepped forward to speak on her behalf.
"Xuerou, what's wrong? How could you hit me? I'm your cousin."
"Have you forgotten? If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't be alive."
"Since childhood, I've always protected you. And I was only telling you the truth. And you... you treat me like this. Xuerou, is your heart made of stone?"