Mr. Lu, stop being such a jerk. Your wife is your nemesis's white moonlight.

Xu An'an's heart skipped a beat.

A buzzing sound filled her mind, and she abruptly raised her head, looking into Yan Heng's eyes in disbelief.

"For a while, I didn't want to continue." Yan Heng grasped Xu An'an's wrist, which had slipped away, and placed it back against his cheek, gently rubbing it, as if he were lost in a painful memory. "I tried many ways to forget you."

"But I just can't do it."

A tear fell and landed on Xu An'an's palm, burning her and making her shudder.

"You got married. But I still can't help loving you." Yan Heng raised his head, his eyes filled with a desolation and sadness that was about to overflow. "The day I learned that you were getting a divorce, I was so happy that I almost went crazy. It was like someone who had been walking like a zombie in a boundless desert for a long time, and suddenly saw an oasis."

He paused, then his voice trailed off.

"But this oasis makes me even thirstier. I could have endured living like this without any hope before, but now I can't bear it for even a second longer. I finally stand by your side, but I watch as you are always entangled with Lu Yiming because of this or that..."

He tightened his grip on her hand slightly, as if grasping at the last piece of driftwood.

"Xu An'an, please teach me, what else can I do?"

Yan Heng's hoarse and suppressed voice felt like an invisible hand gripping Xu An'an's heart tightly.

She never imagined that Yan Heng's feelings for her were so deep, nor did she know that she had caused him such heavy pain.

Her heart pounded, and a surge of bittersweet emotion rushed up her throat, making it hard for her to breathe.

But... what can she do now?

All her hopes for love had long been shattered by that failed marriage.

She's burdened with a host of unresolved real-world problems. How can she possibly face this love?

Moreover, Yan Heng loved the innocent and pure girl she was seven years ago, but after so many years, he had changed.

oasis......

Perhaps Yan Heng's obsession with her stemmed from his longing for her. If he were to truly possess her, he would discover that the oasis he had longed for was nothing more than that. What would she do then?

Don't act impulsively.

Xu An'an silently told herself, "You're already 28. The best way to deal with a relationship that's ultimately pointless is not to let it begin."

"I'm sorry... Yan Heng," Xu An'an forced herself to speak, "I didn't know about these things, but I..."

"You don't need to apologize to me."

Yan Heng interrupted her, raising his hand to smooth Xu An'an's hair, which was ruffled by the sea breeze. "I'm telling you all this today not to make you pity me, nor to force you to be with me."

"I just want a legitimate reason to pursue you." Yan Heng looked deeply into Xu An'an's eyes. "Since you've decided to divorce, leave everything—Yi'an Technology, and all the difficulties—to me. I'm not doing this to please you, but for my own sake."

"Xu An'an, is it okay?"

Yan Heng begged almost humbly.

Xu An'an's heart skipped a beat.

She had never heard Yan Heng speak so much in one breath, and every word was piercing. Reason told her she should refuse decisively, but the words just wouldn't come out.

Suddenly, a cell phone rang, which was especially noticeable on the empty summer night beach.

It was Su Xiaohan calling.

Xu An'an then realized that she hadn't had time to tell her when she left the Cheng residence.

"Hello, Xiaohan," Xu An'an cleared her throat and answered the phone.

They had previously agreed that after the banquet, Su Xiaohan and Xu An'an would go back to Bincheng for a few days. Now that it was too late, Su Xiaohan booked a hotel in Ningcheng first. On the phone, Su Xiaohan asked where Xu An'an was so she could come pick her up.

Xu An'an glanced around and inadvertently met Yan Heng's eyes again.

His dark eyes shimmered with tiny sparkles in the moonlight and ripples of the water. Fragile, pure, and stubborn.

Xu An'an looked away. "No...no need. Just send me your location, I'll go there myself later. Okay...don't worry."

After hanging up the phone, a hotel location notification popped up. Yan Heng saw it and asked, "Aren't you going back today?"

Xu An'an hummed in agreement. "I'll stay here tonight, and Xiaohan and I will go back together tomorrow."

Yan Heng nodded, knowing he wouldn't get an answer from Xu An'an today. However, he had anticipated something worse; at least she hadn't explicitly refused.

"Let's go," he stood up, "I'll take you there."

The high heels lay askew to one side. To avoid embarrassment, Xu An'an used a lot of effort to pretend that she put on the shoes effortlessly. As soon as she breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, a sharp pain came from her feet, and Xu An'an involuntarily hissed.

"What's wrong?" Yan Heng asked, supporting her.

Xu An'an felt a chill in her heart. It seemed that she had really been scratched by the seashell. However, she hadn't felt the pain because she was so emotional. Now that she stood up, the pain returned immediately as the wound rubbed against the shoe.

However, given the current situation, how could she possibly say this in front of Yan Heng?

"It's nothing, I just lost my balance. Let's go."

As she spoke, she released Yan Heng's hand that was supporting her and turned to walk towards the car.

Before I could even take a step, I was encircled by a strong arm.

Yan Heng easily lifted her back onto the chair, and while Xu An'an was still in a daze, he grabbed her ankle and took off her high heels without saying a word.

Under the pale moonlight, a red mark nearly one centimeter long appeared on Xu An'an's left foot, faintly oozing blood.

Yan Heng frowned, and the next second he picked up Xu An'an and walked towards the car.

The series of movements was so fast that Xu An'an was suddenly startled. As her body was in mid-air, she let out an "Ah!" and subconsciously wrapped her arms around Yan Heng's neck.

"Yan Heng... put me down," Xu An'an felt her face was bleeding, "I can walk by myself..."

Yan Heng didn't say anything. He opened the car door and put her in the passenger seat. Then he took out some iodine swabs from the glove compartment in the back seat and knelt down in front of her again.

When the cool cotton swab touched her, Xu An'an couldn't help but shrink back, but her feet were firmly grasped by a pair of large, well-defined hands, which looked like a piece of lustrous white jade being held tightly in the moonlight.

Xu An'an curled her toes; Yan Heng's hands were so hot that her feet felt like they were on fire as well.

Finally, after applying the band-aid, Yan Heng released her foot, packed his things, and sat back in the driver's seat, remaining silent throughout the entire process.

It seems like she's unhappy again, Xu An'an thought.

That's true. He just confessed his feelings so openly, and I haven't even said a word in response. I've never been one to drag things out; I should say what needs to be said eventually.

Xu An'an took a deep breath and spoke softly.

"Yan Heng".