C14 I'm Sorry Nuan

"Nuan..." Big White thought she was too moved to speak and gently tugged at her sleeve to remind her.

Kneeling on one knee, waiting for a response, Zhao Yan felt incredibly pleased with himself. He knew this tactic would work; Jiang Nuan was always easy to appease!

Jiang Nuan snapped back to reality, sniffed, sighed, and stared at Zhao Yan for a while before speaking with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, "Zhao Yan, why are you so confident?"

"Because I love you, and I truly believe you love me too. Love connects us, Nuan, I love you!" Zhao Yan declared without hesitation, his words flowing effortlessly.

Hearing his heartfelt confession, Jiang Nuan closed her eyes, trying hard to hide her emotions and suppress the little flutter and reluctance in her heart.

When she opened her eyes again, Zhao Yan was still kneeling before her, full of emotion. Jiang Nuan sighed, then swiftly lifted the large bouquet in her hands and hurled it at Zhao Yan's face with lightning speed.

Once...

Twice...

Three times...

Zhao Yan, holding the ring, frantically shielded his face, dodging left and right. But he was no match for Jiang Nuan. The roses, with their untrimmed thorns, left scratches all over his face and arms.

By the time Nuan had torn every petal off the bouquet, leaving the bare stems on the floor, Zhao Yan finally realized the engagement ring he had been holding was nowhere to be found. All that remained in his hand was an empty blue velvet box.

"Nuan, let me tell you something: I'm not a garbage dump!" Nuan exclaimed, feeling a wave of relief wash over her as she hurled the words at Zhao Yan. She then grabbed him and pushed him out of the lounge, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him, leaving the crowd of onlookers outside.

"Nuan, you really..." Big White, who had been standing nearby in stunned silence, finally snapped out of it as Nuan closed the door. He gave her a thumbs-up.

Nuan didn't respond, standing silently in front of the door with her head down, lost in thought.

Seeing her unusual demeanor, Big White quickly approached and wrapped her in a comforting hug, patting her back. "It's okay, it's over now. You said it yourself, you're not a garbage dump, so why feel bad about trash? Silly!"

"It's not sadness," Nuan replied, hugging Big White back. "It's just that it feels like my youth was wasted, and that's a shame."

After what felt like an eternity, there was a pounding on the door.

"Nuan! Nuan, open the door! I know you're in there! Open up! Hurry!" Lee Xiao's voice snapped Nuan out of her daze almost instantly.

As Big White helped her to her feet, she caught sight of something shiny out of the corner of her eye. She stepped forward, picked it up, and held it in her hand. Smiling at Big White, she said, "What do you think, if I put on this ring in front of Lee Xiao and tell her I accepted Zhao Yan's proposal, would she be upset?"

Seeing her like this, Big White felt a pang of sympathy. "Nuan, you... well, do what you think is best. If it happened once, it might happen again. Just because you can't bear to let go doesn't mean you can't."

Hearing this, Nuan's eyes dimmed slightly. Lee Xiao's persistent knocking continued, accompanied by the murmurs of onlookers, as if everyone was waiting for the door to open.

With a resolute look at Big White, Nuan walked to the door and opened it decisively.

Before Lee Xiao could react, she threw the ring forcefully outside.

"Wow—the ring's been tossed!" the crowd jeered. Lee Xiao looked bewildered. A ring? What ring?

With a face full of bruises, Zhao Yan pushed through the crowd and stood in front of Jiang Nuan. "Nuan, I know I've wronged you, I..."

"You're still hanging around me? Do you think I didn't hit you hard enough?" Jiang Nuan asked, her face expressionless.