An Nuan's words had indeed provoked Shen Xizhou.
Shen Xizhou had never imagined that An Nuan would care so much about Nangong Jin, or trust him so implicitly.
Yet, even at this moment, An Nuan did not kneel and beg him to let her go.
She hadn't been like this before.
Shen Xizhou attributed all these changes to Nangong Jin.
He was consumed by jealousy.
"An Nuan, are you in such a hurry to find Nangong Jin? Is he that important to you?"
An Nuan's behavior had clearly angered Shen Xizhou.
His hand tightened around An Nuan's neck, leaving red marks.
An Nuan kicked out, her foot landing on Shen Xizhou's leg.
Shen Xizhou grunted in pain.
She knew very well that Shen Xizhou wouldn't dare to lay a hand on her now. Moreover, she was no longer the same as before, easily allowing Shen Xizhou to mistreat her without any resistance.
And Shen Xizhou himself wouldn't dare to act as cruelly as before.
An Nuan looked at Shen Xizhou, a smile on her face. "Yes, Mr. Shen, Nangong Jin is that important to me. In this world, no one is more important to me than he is. So, Mr. Shen, now that you have your answer, can you disappear from my sight?"
An Nuan wanted to tell him to get lost, to go as far away as possible. But in the end, she didn't say it.
She simply didn't want to waste any more time or energy talking to Shen Xizhou.
"An Nuan."
Shen Xizhou's eyes blazed with fury. He gritted his teeth, looking at her with icy, bloodthirsty eyes. "An Nuan, you deserve to die."
"An Nuan, do you really think I wouldn't dare to lay a hand on you?"
"An Nuan, do you think I would stand by and watch you be happy?"
Looking at her, Shen Xizhou's only thought was that no matter what he had to do, he would not allow her to find happiness.
Time and again, he had told her, "An Nuan, I know I was wrong, can you forgive me?" But she refused to forgive him. She had even stabbed him in the heart.
She had even told him to his face, "Shen Xizhou, get lost. Never appear before me again. I don't need you."
What was laughable was that in front of An Nuan, all his apologies had become a joke.
He had wanted to try his best, to apologize, to compensate, to hope that An Nuan would forgive him.
He had thought that if An Nuan forgave him, he would do anything.
But later, he realized that no matter what he did, An Nuan would never forgive him. No matter how much he tried, she would never forgive him.
An Nuan was telling him that everything he had done was a joke.
Shen Xizhou's emotions completely broke down at that moment. He even wondered if destroying the person before him would make everything cease to exist.
Recalling An Nuan's smiling face in Nangong Jin's embrace, he wished he could destroy An Nuan.
No, this all should have belonged to him.
But it was taken away by Nangong Jin.
He wanted it back.
"An Nuan, you are mine, and you will always belong to me, Shen Xizhou."
"No matter where you run, you cannot escape my sight, nor can you leave my side."
An Nuan scoffed, finding the man before her pathetic. Hearing his words, she couldn't believe that such absurd pronouncements were coming from the man who had once tormented her to the brink of death.
Now, all she wanted was to get away from him, because she already had Nangong Jin by her side.
She couldn't do anything that would betray Nangong Jin.
She even wanted to push Shen Xizhou away with all her might. But Shen Xizhou refused to let her go.
As An Nuan tried to speak, she found herself held tightly in Shen Xizhou's embrace, unable to break free no matter how hard she struggled.
An Nuan's face turned pale, looking as if she might faint at any moment.
Shen Xizhou sensed something was wrong. He reached out to support An Nuan, intending to pick her up and carry her out.
"No, don't. Don't touch me, put me down."
An Nuan struggled desperately, managing to utter these words with difficulty.
Finally, An Nuan couldn't hold on any longer and fainted.
She lay quietly in Shen Xizhou's arms.
Shen Xizhou eventually laid her on the bed and called for the family doctor.
Looking at the woman on the bed, her face pale and lips colorless, Shen Xizhou felt a sense of powerlessness.
He didn't even know what to do next.
"Mr. Shen, this young lady is not in good health. The best thing for her is rest, and she cannot be further agitated."
"Otherwise, it will be detrimental to her condition."
"Get out."
The family doctor, about to say more, swallowed his words and left.
He understood that he could not say anything further.
After a long while.
An Nuan woke up.
An Nuan struggled to open her eyes. When she saw Shen Xizhou sitting beside her, tightly holding her hand, she was terrified and recoiled.
She looked at the man before her with caution and vigilance.
"Shen Xizhou, stay away from me."
After a long pause, An Nuan finally calmed down. Seeing that Shen Xizhou had not done anything to harm her, she finally relaxed.
Shen Xizhou found her reaction somewhat amusing.
Hah, she really didn't trust him at all.
However, Shen Xizhou didn't offer any explanation.
He felt it was unnecessary. Would An Nuan believe him even if he did?
Since the result of acting or not acting was the same, it was better to do nothing.
Shen Xizhou stood up, looked at An Nuan, and said coldly, "An Nuan, I told you I would keep you by my side. But I will not do anything despicable, so you can rest assured."
"An Nuan, I am not the petty person you imagine me to be. Nor will I force you."
With that, Shen Xizhou turned and left.
He was afraid that if he didn't leave, he might not be able to resist killing An Nuan.
Everything An Nuan had done recently was pushing his limits.
An Nuan had intended to leave, but at that moment, she felt a wave of weakness and collapsed to the floor.
After a long time, Shen Xizhou had not seen An Nuan emerge.
He looked at the door in bewilderment. Hadn't An Nuan been desperately trying to leave? Now that the opportunity was right in front of her, did she not want it?