An Nuan's serene expression as she closed her eyes, however, provoked Xu Ruowei. Xu Ruowei then grabbed a strand of An Nuan's hair, pulling it back forcefully and glaring at her. In a chilling voice, she asked, "An Nuan, what's wrong? Have you accepted your fate?"
"Or are you thinking about how to beg for my mercy?"
"An Nuan, let me tell you, you can forget about it. No matter what you say or do, I will never forgive you, nor will I let you off."
"This time, I won't be soft-hearted again. I will torture you slowly, until you die."
As Xu Ruowei spoke, she seemed to recall something and pulled An Nuan's hair even harder, saying coldly, "An Nuan, do you know? It was because I was too soft-hearted back then that I ended up like this."
"But I won't make that mistake again now."
Xu Ruowei threatened with indifference, her actions growing increasingly rough.
At this moment, she took out a box. When it was opened, ačč« (gu worm) was inside.
An Nuan's face instantly turned extremely grim. She hadn't expected Xu Ruowei to be so vicious as to use a gu worm to harm her.
She bit her lip tightly, glaring at Xu Ruowei.
She was trembling, even terrified.
Seeing this, Xu Ruowei became unusually pleased, a wide smile on her face. She chuckled and said, "An Nuan, kneel down and beg me. Perhaps if you beg me, I'll let you go."
An Nuan, however, said nothing to beg for mercy, merely looking at the person before her.
Tears, fear, and dread flowed uncontrollably.
Her hands, placed by her sides, were clenched tightly, her whole body trembling. Her shivering and pained appearance at this moment was incredibly heart-wrenching.
Xu Ruowei was extremely satisfied with everything she saw. However, a mocking smile flickered at the corner of her lips, as if this still wasn't enough.
She always felt that it was too easy for An Nuan.
An Nuan couldn't make out Xu Ruowei's expression clearly, but she could distinctly hear Xu Ruowei's sinister laughter and triumphant voice.
Xu Ruowei even whispered triumphantly in her ear, "An Nuan, it took me a year to get this gu worm. Do you know? I spent a lot of money to get it."
Xu Ruowei's cold hand landed on An Nuan's face, lightly tracing it. She burst into laughter and then proudly added, "An Nuan, you should feel honored. I've spent half my life's effort on you. I've persevered and never given up."
"An Nuan, hearing these words, aren't you very moved?"
Listening to Xu Ruowei's disgusting words, An Nuan even wanted to cover her ears to block out the repulsive sounds.
Xu Ruowei threatened her coldly in her ear, "An Nuan, if I were you, I'd obediently open my eyes."
"After all, that way you'll suffer less physical pain."
An Nuan resigned herself to opening her eyes. Just then, noisy sounds from outside reached her ears. As An Nuan tried to see clearly what was happening outside, she was knocked unconscious by Xu Ruowei.
...
A week later.
In the hospital.
By the time Nangong Jin arrived, An Nuan was already injured. There was almost no part of her body that was unharmed, and there was a pool of blood beneath her.
Nangong Jin looked at the doctor and asked coldly, "When will she wake up?"
"Mr. Nangong, it's hard to say. It could be a month, perhaps half a year, maybe a year, or even longer."
Nangong Jin's expression turned extremely grim. His cold gaze fell on the doctor, and as he was about to say something, he suddenly remembered An Nuan's words and forcibly swallowed what he was about to say.
"Get out."
The doctors acted as if they had received a royal pardon, fleeing as if their lives depended on it.
They were even afraid that if they were a moment slower, they would lose their lives.
Shen Xizhou also learned about An Nuan's situation and rushed over.
However, he did not get to see An Nuan.
When he saw Nangong Jin, he asked about An Nuan, but Nangong Jin did not interrupt him to tell him anything.
Shen Xizhou clenched his fists tightly.
This time, Nangong Jin had protected An Nuan so thoroughly that he couldn't even get near her. He had even asked Yan Bai to inquire about An Nuan, but Yan Bai had always come back with no information.
He knew that Nangong Jin had mobilized some resources this time.
He desperately wanted to know what had happened to An Nuan.
But to know An Nuan's condition, he could only ask Nangong Jin.
With a thud, Shen Xizhou knelt heavily before Nangong Jin, lowering his head and saying submissively, "Nangong Jin, I just want to know if An Nuan is safe, that's all."
"Don't worry, I won't pester An Nuan."
"From now on, I never will again."
Looking at Shen Xizhou kneeling before him, Nangong Jin hated him deeply.
An Nuan's current state was all because of him.
It was he who had not handled Xu Ruowei's situation properly, leading to such a grave mistake.
But if he had known it would turn out like this, he would have preferred that Xu Ruowei be the one injured.
Nangong Jin looked at Shen Xizhou and said coldly, "Shen Xizhou, it's not that I don't want you to see An Nuan. It's just that An Nuan explicitly stated that she doesn't want to see you, no matter what you do, not even if you kneel. She won't pity you."
"She said that you deserve it."
An Nuan said, "Shen Xizhou, think carefully about why she has to go through these painful experiences. It's because every time it's because of you."
Nangong Jin said coldly. These were not words An Nuan had spoken now, but things she had said before, only opportunities hadn't arisen to say them.
Nangong Jin didn't continue with the rest of what he had to say.
At this moment, he didn't want to engage in any unnecessary conversations with the person before him.
Shen Xizhou remained on the ground, saying nothing more.
He knew that these words must have been spoken by An Nuan.
Because he had already heard worse and more cutting words than these.
In an instant, Shen Xizhou didn't know what to say. He looked like his spirit had been drained, like a walking corpse.
Nangong Jin's expression was also extremely grim.
Nangong Jin stood outside, looking at An Nuan lying on the hospital bed. He placed his hand on the glass, his eyes full of heartache, and whispered, "An Nuan..."
"An Nuan, wake up."
"If there's anything, any retribution, let it fall on him. Let him bear it."
"This has nothing to do with An Nuan."
"Why must An Nuan experience these things?"
If he could take her place, he wished all of this would happen to him instead of An Nuan.
Nangong Jin even hated Shen Xizhou to the core, because it was all because of Shen Xizhou that things had turned out this way.
Li Tian also learned about the incident and came to the hospital.
She looked at An Nuan, who had once had rosy cheeks and a smile, now lying in the intensive care unit.