"Alright, Nangong Jin, I promise this won't happen again next time."
"No matter what happens, I'll tell you."
As she spoke, An Nuan kept looking at Nangong Jin, as if observing him, watching to see what his next move would be.
Huo Yuxuan, standing to the side, was sweating profusely.
He had been truly scared just moments ago. He thought that if this matter wasn't handled properly, his days ahead would not be easy.
The thought alone made him feel a bit terrified.
Fortunately, what An Nuan said seemed to have soothed Nangong Jin. His mood visibly improved afterward.
Indeed, only An Nuan could truly calm Nangong Jin.
"An Nuan, remember this, you are not fighting alone anymore. I am always by your side."
An Nuan felt undoubtedly at ease listening to Nangong Jin's words.
Nangong Jin knew that even though she was with him now, she still carried emotional burdens deep down and wouldn't tell him everything.
Yet, even knowing this, he treated An Nuan with great kindness.
An Nuan looked at Nangong Jin, remembering how cold-blooded Shen Xizhou had been towards her. Even though he knew she was innocent, even though he knew she had been framed, Shen Xizhou never stood up for her, never spoke a word in her defense. He even chose to believe Xu Ruowei over her.
"An Nuan, what's wrong?"
Nangong Jin looked at the absent-minded An Nuan, his eyes full of concern.
He wondered if he had said something wrong that reminded An Nuan of painful memories.
Nangong Jin was now preoccupied, thinking if he had done anything excessive.
"An Nuan, did I say something wrong?"
An Nuan offered a faint smile and said, "No, everything is fine."
Huo Yuxuan understood that if everything was fine, he could leave now.
...
"An Nuan, hurry and go. It's dangerous here. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
Li Tian shouted anxiously, her hands and feet bound, rendering her unable to move.
Seeing this scene, An Nuan's heart was in her throat. As she tried to go save Li Tian, she was stopped.
"Xia Wanqing, what exactly do you want? You've always targeted me."
"Those things have nothing to do with Li Tian. Can you let her go?"
"If you have something against me, then come at me. It has nothing to do with Li Tian."
"Heh, An Nuan, you think I'll let her go just because you say so? Nangong Jin poisoned me because of you, and Shen Xizhou almost killed me because of you. What were you doing then?"
"Did you ever stand up and beg for me?"
"All the suffering I've endured is because of you."
"An Nuan, tell me, will I let Li Tian go?"
"If Li Tian wasn't in my hands, would you have come?"
"Xia Wanqing, I'm here now. You can do whatever you want to me. You can even tie me up. I only beg you to let Li Tian go."
"This has nothing to do with Li Tian."
"Don't hurt her."
Seeing Xia Wanqing's deranged state, An Nuan felt a sense of relief that she had sent a text message to Nangong Jin on her way here. Her phone had already been discarded by Xia Wanqing's men.
Fortunately, the message had been sent.
She believed Nangong Jin must have received it.
Action would likely be taken from his side soon.
Now, all she had to do was not to provoke Xia Wanqing and ensure Li Tian's safety.
"An Nuan, I know. Even if your phone is destroyed, I imagine Nangong Jin will be here soon. So, if you jump down from here, I'll let Li Tian go immediately."
"Otherwise, Li Tian will be thrown down."
Xia Wanqing's words made An Nuan realize that Xia Wanqing likely knew Nangong Jin was coming, which explained her haste.
An Nuan's gaze fell on Xia Wanqing, filled with guilt. All of this was happening because of her.
"Xia Wanqing, since I'm here, I naturally want Li Tian to leave safely. I will agree to anything you want me to do."
"An Nuan, stop wasting time. Don't think you can stall here. Jump down right now, and I'll release Li Tian."
Seeing that An Nuan was hesitant to act, Xia Wanqing grew impatient.
She was worried about Nangong Jin's people arriving.
Xia Wanqing directly began to kick and punch Li Tian.
"No, don't hit her. I'll do exactly as you say."
With that, An Nuan walked to the edge of the cliff.
"No..." Before Li Tian could finish speaking, Xia Wanqing kicked her again, her eyes filled with ferocity. She then took a piece of cloth and stuffed it into Li Tian's mouth.
Li Tian looked at An Nuan in despair, shaking her head. No, don't. She knew very well that even if An Nuan jumped, Xia Wanqing wouldn't let her go.
She knew An Nuan wasn't unaware of this. However, she was solely focused on saving her and hadn't thought things through.
"Wait a moment." Xia Wanqing seemed to have thought of something and called out to An Nuan.
An Nuan looked at Xia Wanqing in confusion, not understanding why she had suddenly stopped her.
Did Xia Wanqing intend to let her go? The answer was surely no.
"Right, I just remembered. Letting you go like this is too easy. I think there's something more suitable for you."
An Nuan's heart sank, sensing that something bad was about to happen.
"An Nuan, Nangong Jin almost killed me, and Shen Xizhou truly wanted me dead. So, I feel that letting you jump from here is too lenient."
"I think you should pay a price."
As Xia Wanqing spoke, she walked up to An Nuan and pressed An Nuan's head into the water. After a moment, she pulled her up and then pushed her down again.
An Nuan struggled in agony.
With Xia Wanqing's actions, An Nuan's mind had gone blank. She felt dizzy and completely weak.
An Nuan felt as if she were dying.
Her hands were clenched tightly, as if holding onto something.
Xia Wanqing's actions couldn't have been her doing alone. She suspected that Xu Ruowei was involved. She tried hard to figure out what leverage Xu Ruowei had over Xia Wanqing that made her so obedient.
A cold wind swept in, and An Nuan shivered all over.
Xia Wanqing watched this scene clearly. She burst into laughter, her face beaming with a triumphant smile. "An Nuan, you're scared now, aren't you?"
Xia Wanqing's lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile, and she said coldly, "But when I was being tormented by those people because of you, do you know how much pain I was in then?"
"You caused all of that."
"An Nuan, the person who should die is you."
"It's all because of you that my life has become so miserable."
Xia Wanqing seemed to be questioning loudly like a madwoman.