An Nuan let out a soft hum, her voice laced with exhaustion. "Mr. Ji, there's no need."
"As long as you don't appear before me, that is the greatest compensation you can offer."
She was truly tired, truly wished to have no further entanglement with Ji Wen-yun.
If possible, could today be their last meeting?
She feared prolonged complications.
From this day forward, even if they met, it would be as strangers, and that would be fine.
An Nuan's icy words left Ji Wen-yun momentarily speechless.
He had never imagined this would be Wen Nuan's answer to him.
...
An Nuan finally experienced a peaceful week.
She thought her days would continue in this quiet fashion.
But later, she discovered it was not so. Things seemed entirely different from what she had imagined.
Those people still showed no intention of letting her go, and she was still being hounded by them.
At a banquet.
Xu Ruo-wei moved through the crowd in a haute couture gown, drawing envious and jealous gazes. She held her head high, reveling in her current situation.
For her, this was truly wonderful.
Suddenly, someone burst in and began flinging eggs and rotten vegetables at Xu Ruo-wei.
"It was you, you caused all of this."
"How dare you stand here enjoying everyone's attention."
"Xu Ruo-wei, you've caused me so much suffering, doesn't your conscience ache?"
The woman seemed somewhat crazed, muttering under her breath, "It's you, you deserve to die."
As the woman lunged to grab Xu Ruo-wei by the neck, she was restrained by people who rushed over.
"Ruo-wei, are you alright?" Xia Wan-qing quickly went to support Xu Ruo-wei, speaking in a soothing tone.
As Xu Ruo-wei was about to get up, she heard Xia Wan-qing's cold-blooded voice in her ear: "Xu Ruo-wei, you've caused me so much suffering. This is just a small gift from me, do you like it?"
"Oh, and if you don't like it, that's fine too."
"There's more entertainment coming soon," Xia Wan-qing said with a smile.
Anyone unaware of the situation would surely believe their friendship to be incredibly deep.
Xu Ruo-wei stared at Xia Wan-qing with surprise and shock. Her expression was extremely unsightly, but thinking of the many influential people present, she naturally couldn't say or do anything more.
Therefore, she maintained a smile on her face.
With so many people watching, she absolutely would not allow herself to be involved in any scandal.
And what had just happened, she reasoned, was merely an accident. If she handled it skillfully, it could be a powerful tool to gain everyone's sympathy.
Xu Ruo-wei looked up, a faint smile gracing her lips, and said gently, "I believe what just happened was a misunderstanding."
"However, regardless of how this is handled, please do not trouble that girl, alright?"
"I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."
"Perhaps it's because of Xi Zhou. After all, Xi Zhou is so outstanding. There are so many girls who want to get close to him. And I am able to stay by Xi Zhou's side. It's understandable that they would be jealous of me."
"Although I pity that girl, I will not give Xi Zhou up. Because I love Xi Zhou, I love Xi Zhou with my life."
"Finally, I can stand by Xi Zhou's side and accompany him. I will not give anyone else this opportunity."
Xu Ruo-wei spoke these words with emotion, her eyes reddening. For a moment, she was deeply moved by her own words.
She thought that such a moving speech would surely touch everyone present.
With that thought, her mood improved considerably.
"Xu Ruo-wei, you say you're madly in love with Shen Xi Zhou, so why did you try to seduce my boyfriend? Do you know that my boyfriend wants to break up with me because of you?"
"My boyfriend said that you told him you would be with him."
"Xu Ruo-wei, how do you explain this?"
She slowly walked towards that girl. Xia Wan-qing, not knowing what Xu Ruo-wei intended to do, grabbed her hand and said coldly, "What are you doing? Can't you see that woman is deliberately causing trouble for you? If you go over there, you'll be walking into a trap."
Hearing Xia Wan-qing's words, Xu Ruo-wei merely smiled, a chilling smile.
She looked at Xia Wan-qing with utter disdain.
Xia Wan-qing was truly naive, thinking things were so simple. With her like that, still wanting to trouble her, wanting to be her opponent – what was she thinking?
However, regardless of what she thought, it only proved that Xia Wan-qing would not be a stumbling block for her.
She pulled her hand free from Xia Wan-qing's grasp and walked, step by step, towards the person who was causing her trouble.
With a smile on her face, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about. All I know is that you must have the wrong person."
"Xu Ruo-wei, that's impossible, I couldn't have the wrong person. I have videos and photos of you, as well as words my boyfriend personally said to me."
"Don't think you can divert the topic by saying such things."
"What did you say? What photos? What diversion?" Xu Ruo-wei's palms were sweating. Were there really videos and photos? That would only make things worse for her.
She brought her phone to Xu Ruo-wei's face, showing her all the videos and photos her boyfriend had sent her.
"Speak, these are all real."
Xu Ruo-wei's lips curled into a mocking smile. Ridiculous, that a mere video and photos like these could ruin her.
Simply laughable.
If there hadn't been so many people around, she would have immediately unleashed curses and insults.
But in this situation, it was completely inappropriate.
With a smile, Xu Ruo-wei chuckled and said, "Forging these things is very easy."
"These do not prove anything."
In reality, upon seeing the contents of the phone, her whole body trembled, and her face had long since turned extremely pale.
But she feigned strength, forcing herself to endure.
"Xu Ruo-wei, I know, perhaps this won't be enough. Perhaps it won't hurt you. But I still have to speak out."
"Xu Ruo-wei, I just want to annoy you."
"Right now, you're surely thinking about how to get rid of me, aren't you?"
"You're wondering how to handle this situation, aren't you?"
Xu Ruo-wei's palms were slick with sweat. She hadn't expected this person to voice all her innermost thoughts.
"Xu Ruo-wei, no matter the outcome, I will haunt you for the rest of your life and make you pay."
"You ruined my happiness, so you'll never find happiness yourself." The girl became increasingly agitated, nearly making a move to attack, but she was restrained by others.