The man, who had been standing taut, lost most of his anger after hearing her words, and his heart softened like water.

They were from different worlds, he warned himself countless times. Even though he had taken the initiative to befriend Nan Zhi from the beginning, and had made up his mind that the accident between them was only because of this child.

He himself has absolutely no connection with Xiang Nanzhi.

But as she gradually drew closer to him, allowing him to touch the softest parts of her body, and becoming willing to reveal her true self to him, he found himself far less resolute than he had imagined.

Her tears soaked his clothes. Shen Shixun looked down and saw her limp in his arms, holding her tightly.

The cruel words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say them. He bent down slightly, his chin touching her hair, and said, "Xiang Nanzhi, I have something to tell you."

The woman looked up, her eyes brimming with tears. The man gently wiped away her tears with his fingers. "From now on, I will not interfere in any of the Xiang family's projects, nor will I ever step into the Xiang family's home again."

Xiang Nanzhi was taken aback. "Then will you forgive me?"

"This is the first time I've encountered something like this, but... this is the last time I'll forgive you."

"Just forgive me."

Xiang Nanzhi's nose was red. "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."

Shen Shixun patted her head; the woman's hair was fine and soft.

"Alright, let's go back."

"No, I'll sleep here with you tonight."

"Go back and make some adjustments, and I'll make some adjustments too."

He spoke softly, telling Nan Zhi to stop while he was ahead, "Then you stay here, don't run away, don't go anywhere."

"If you and the child are here, where can I go?"

"Then Shen Shixun, you forgive me."

"Um."

Xiang Nanzhi's eyes were still red as Shen Shixun watched her walk away.

Parking is not very convenient around here; only those staying at hotels can park for free. Xiang Nanzhi's car was parked quite far away. As she left the dark alley, a huge weight was finally lifted from her heart.

She hadn't walked far when she encountered two foreigners. Since what happened last time, she had a psychological aversion to foreigners and subconsciously walked to the other side to avoid them.

She quickened her pace, but always felt someone behind her.

She would look back every few steps, only to find the space behind her empty. A few pedestrians walked in the opposite direction, and she felt that each of them was trying to harm her.

Xiang Nanzhi, supporting her lower abdomen, was still some distance from where the car was parked.

Just then, a raindrop landed on her face. Xiang Nanzhi looked up, and then two more, three more, cool and refreshing, little by little...

She quickened her pace, but as a pregnant woman, she naturally couldn't walk fast. Suddenly, the rain started to fall, and just as Xiang Nanzhi was about to jog, a large hand suddenly grabbed hers.

Xiang Nanzhi was so frightened that he had a stress response and raised his hand to hit him, but the moment his palm landed, he saw who it was.

Shen Shixun took off his coat and covered his head with it.

"Next time you go out, check the weather forecast and remember to bring an umbrella."

The knot in my heart won't disappear so quickly, but I can't bear to see her get wet in the rain.

The man shielded her and led her in that direction; his large coat could protect her for a while, but he was soaked through.

Xiang Nanzhi felt as if his entire body, including his head, was enveloped by him, making it impossible for him to see the road ahead. He could only follow his guidance in one direction.

"Car keys."

She handed it to Nan Zhi, and Shen Shixun opened the car door. She then sat in the passenger seat.

"I'll take you back."

The man turned the car around and drove away from the road.

Outside the Xiang family's old house, the car stopped. The rain had stopped, and Shen Shixun got out of the car.

"That day I suddenly received a phone call and learned about this. Like all pregnant women, I was extremely sensitive about this matter."

"I didn't react in time. I always felt that no one would deliberately set up a trap to frame you."

She stood on the ground where it had just rained, her face serious. "But Shen Shixun, whether you believe it or not, I never really wanted to divorce you."

I made those harsh words because I was angry with him, and saying I would find a lawyer was also to force him to back down.

Born into the Xiang family, she has a somewhat assertive personality and needs others to revolve around her.

In her world, everyone revolves around her, so she habitually hopes that Shen Shixun will stay away from her.

“If a man really likes a woman, he will do a lot for her, but Shen Shixun, I always feel that you are too harsh on me.”

He didn't love her enough, didn't pamper her enough, wasn't attentive enough to her, and didn't go out of his way to make her happy.

Do you really like me?

"You think no one would deliberately set a trap to frame me because you also feel deep down that I am not worthy of being compared to your family."

No matter how much she loves him or likes him, she can't completely ignore the differences between them.

“I don’t like French food, and you don’t like dried bamboo shoots either. You’ll feel wronged living with me in the suburbs.”

He tried his best to adapt to the hustle and bustle of the city, worked hard, and tried to close the gap between him and her.

He would accompany her to French restaurants, but deep down he felt unfree, always feeling bound by something.

The Xiang family's standards are too high; it's not something he can achieve with just a few years of hard work. Xiang Nanzhi doesn't care about these things, but that doesn't mean he can be on equal footing with her.

Many things, once said clearly, can put both parties in an awkward position.

Xiang Nanzhi is a straightforward person who doesn't care at all about the consequences of his actions and words, and naturally someone will cover for him.

"I'm not wronged. Did I ever say anything when we lived in that kind of place?"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Nanzhi was stunned for a moment, "Shen Shixun, I..."

"Let's go back."

Both of them had a grudge, and it wasn't appropriate to continue the conversation.

——

Qin Yu was taken away from Li Luchuan. Li Gao came over to apologize immediately. Li Luchuan was not angry and did not blame him too much. "It's not your fault. You can't hide forever. It's only a matter of time."

"Then we don't need to call someone to bring that man back?"

"Why bring him back? To let him eat and drink for free for the rest of his life?"

Li Gao lowered his head, and Li Luchuan seemed to be thinking, "It really came without any effort."

Before he could even investigate, the person was found.

The old man had been thinking about it for so many years, and the mother had been wary of it for so many years, and he finally found it.

"Wouldn't that clear up the misunderstanding between Xiang Nanzhi and this man surnamed Chen?" Li Gao asked, looking at Li Luchuan, puzzled.

“Even a broken mirror can be mended with a crack. If the man surnamed Shen were willing to live off a woman, Xiang Nanzhi wouldn’t like him. But he just isn’t one to live off women, so this matter won’t be so easy to get over.”

“Zhang Yandong took the person away from us, so that guy surnamed Shen must know that it was us who did it.”

"So what?"

Li Luchuan cleared his throat. "If you know, you know."

He would only think that someone was blocking his way, without giving it much thought.