After returning home with the child, her ex-husband knelt down and gently coaxed her.

"Anning, Mom has cancer and may not live much longer. Your younger brother Yucan is all alone at home. Come back, so the two of you can keep each other company."

Li Chunfang made a phone call from Jinghai to the remote border city of Jining.

An Ning, who had disappeared for four years without a word, thought she would never return to Jinghai in her life, but because of this phone call, she once again set foot on this familiar yet unfamiliar land of Jinghai.

Summer in Jinghai is as hot and dry as ever.

Even on a cloudy day, the air feels heavy and oppressive.

The first thing she did upon returning to Jinghai was to go to the hospital.

"Your mother has breast cancer, and it's already in the middle to late stages," the doctor told her. "The best treatment now is surgery."

Since learning about her condition, Li Chunfang had only been using regular medications to relieve her pain and had no intention of having surgery. That's why she made that phone call to Anning as her last words.

In the doctor's office, An Ning glanced down at Li Chunfang's medical record. Her long, thick eyelashes drooped, obscuring the emotions in her eyes, and her already pale skin became even paler.

"Can it be cured?" she asked.

"Complete cure is difficult, but it can prolong survival and improve quality of life."

The doctor spoke tactfully, but An Ning understood the meaning behind his words.

Anning's eyelashes trembled. "Then please arrange the surgery as soon as possible."

"The surgery and medical expenses will cost approximately 300,000 yuan." The doctor gave her several bills. "Go and pay the fees first."

An Ning clutched the payment slip tightly as she walked out of the office, leaned against the wall at the corner, and took a deep breath.

Three hundred thousand is not a small amount for her.

Even though Li Chunfang wasn't her biological mother, she couldn't just stand by and watch her die from illness, considering that Li Chunfang had raised her for over twenty years.

She didn't live a wealthy life in Jining City for the past four years. During that time, she kept sending money back to Li Chunfang. Now, the total savings in her bank account are only about 80,000 yuan.

She went downstairs to pay the fees and also to complete the hospital admission procedures for Li Chunfang.

Just as she stepped into the lobby on the first floor, a clear and melodious voice rang out behind her.

"peaceful?"

Lumani's voice was loud and clear in the noisy hall.

Upon hearing the sound, An Ning's breath caught in her throat, and she paused in her steps.

Unable to pretend I didn't hear, I slowly turned around.

"It really is you!"

Luman walked quickly to her, her eyes filled with surprise. "It really is Anning! What are you doing here!"

Lu Manni could hardly believe her eyes. She thought she was seeing things, but An Ning's beautiful face was so striking that she could spot her at a glance even in the crowded hospital.

Upon seeing Lu Manni, many familiar faces and events from four years ago flashed through An Ning's mind like a movie.

She thought she would forget.

He also hoped that returning to Jinghai would prevent him from having any further contact with them.

Unexpectedly, on my first day back in Jinghai, I ran into an "acquaintance".

Anning forced a smile and greeted her, "Manny—"

"Hey, isn't this our Anning?"

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp and sarcastic voice interrupted him.

It was Tan Xiaomin, a wealthy heiress, and one of Anning's former "acquaintances".

She crossed her arms and looked Anning up and down.

She was bare-faced, without any makeup, and dressed in the simplest of clothes, yet she didn't look cheap on herself. In the bustling crowd in the hospital lobby, she seemed to attract more attention than her carefully made-up clothes, which made Tan Xiaomin even angrier.

"Back then, our slum princess Anning ran off with so much money from Brother Xiyan, thinking she could transform herself into a phoenix. But she hasn't gotten any better off! She's still this poor and pathetic!"

Western banquet...

Lu Xiyan...

The name that had been buried deep in my heart for four years was brought up again without any warning.

It felt like someone was choking me, making it impossible to breathe.

An Ning tightened her grip, and a corner of the payment slip was creased from being squeezed so tightly.

The color drained from her face, and her blood seemed to freeze, leaving her as stiff as a stone.

She quickly suppressed her surging emotions, and a few seconds later her fair face returned to calm.

Tan Xiaomin's voice was so loud that many people around looked over.

An Ning knew that Tan Xiaomin was deliberately mocking her.

Because Tan Xiaomin likes Lu Xiyan.

Tan Xiaomin didn't like An Ning when Lu Xiyan brought her into their circle.

What happened next...

She naturally disliked her even more.

Anning didn't want to get entangled with her any longer; she still needed to complete the hospital admission procedures and raise money for the surgery.

She didn't have time to "catch up" with her.

She and Lu Manni used to have a good relationship. She looked at Lu Manni with a slight smile and said, "Manni, I have something to do, so I'll be going now."

Before she could turn around, her arm was suddenly grabbed tightly, and then she was slapped hard across the face.

The slap came unexpectedly, making An Ning's left cheek sting with pain, and a finger mark quickly appeared.

She didn't want to get entangled further, but she wasn't someone to be trifled with either.

Just as she was about to slap Tan Xiaomin back, she heard the other woman's furious voice explode in her ear.

"I slapped him on behalf of Brother Xiyan! I feel he didn't deserve all that he did for you!"

As soon as Lu Xiyan's name was mentioned, An Ning couldn't retaliate with a slap.

She tilted her head, listening to Tan Xiaomin continue shouting at her.

"Anning! You've been gone for four years already, why are you coming back?!"

"You're just stringing him along now that Xi Yan has inherited the family business and become the president of the Ou Teng Group, right? Didn't you make him suffer enough during those two years you were together? What right do you have to come back and pester him?!"

She gripped Anning's arm tightly, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Xiaomin, don't do this." Lu Manni stepped forward to stop her. "This is a hospital, don't make a scene."

"Manny, you know how cunning our Miss An is," Tan Xiaomin sneered. "A poor girl from the slums, selling her blood and pretending to be innocent, she's got Brother Xi Yan wrapped around her little finger, all for money. The poor, they're all driven by a thirst for money!"

She gave a mocking laugh, looking at the silent An Ning, "You vanished for four years, what brings you back this time?"

As soon as she asked the question, she caught a glimpse of a tall and slender figure entering from the lobby entrance. He was wearing a sophisticated and well-tailored casual suit, exuding an understated yet noble air.

He took a few steps forward with his hands in his pockets, then stopped in his tracks when his eyes fell on this side.

Standing a few steps behind Anning.

His handsome face was indifferent, his detached gaze fixed on the woman's slender back and the way her head was tilted down, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

From this angle, An Ning cannot see the person behind her.

She pulled her arm away from Tan Xiaomin's grasp, raised her face, and said indifferently, "Whether I come back or not is none of your business."

Tan Xiaomin sneered, glanced at the man's figure, and deliberately asked loudly, "You're not trying to squeeze more money out of Brother Xiyan, are you? Or have you hooked up with a new sugar daddy?"

As soon as Tan Xiaomin finished speaking, his hands, which were in his pockets, clenched into fists where no one could see, his knuckles turning white. His handsome face remained expressionless, but a hint of disdain flickered in his indifferent eyes.

"So what if I am?" An Ning shrugged indifferently, readily admitting, "I'm just in it for the money."

However, it wasn't for Lu Xiyan's money.

It was Li Chunfang's life-saving money.

The sky outside the window was overcast, and a cool breeze rose and fell.

An Ning was too tired to argue with her any longer. She straightened the crumpled bill in her hand and turned to leave.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew, and the payment slip was blown away from her fingertips, twirling a few times before landing on the ground.

She quickly squatted down to pick it up.

Just as I reached out, a pair of gleaming leather shoes stepped unceremoniously onto the payment slip.

A cool, refreshing scent wafted to my nose.

A faint, cool-toned perfume scent wafts through the air.

"Sorry, you stepped on me—"

An Ning looked up to remind him, but her voice stopped abruptly, and her face turned deathly pale.