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

At one o'clock in the morning, a faint white light shone through the crack in the half-open door of the bathroom in a budget hotel in Nanyang District.

Beside the sink, a woman wearing a thin, flowing nightgown rested her hands on the sink, her slender frame highlighting her prominent shoulder blades.

Her black hair hung down, vaguely obscuring half of her slender, fair face, and large, glistening water droplets slid down her cheeks.

She was awakened by a nightmare, a dream of that pink engagement invitation.

It was Lu Xiyan and Cheng Wanwan's grand wedding.

Although she pretended not to care, she couldn't deny that the engagement invitation Cheng Wanwan handed her had pierced her heart like a thorn; just thinking about it made her feel numb all over.

Anning splashed cold water on her face again, then looked up at herself in the mirror. She had fair skin, an oval face, and big eyes, but her eyes were dull and lifeless.

She forced a smile at herself in the mirror, only to realize how tiring the action was, so tiring that she had used up all her strength.

"Mom..." a soft, sweet voice rang out.

The half-open door was gently pushed open by a small, fair hand.

An Ning turned her head and saw that An Xuan had gotten up at some point. She was standing at the door with her bare little feet, her chubby little face raised, and her eyes still sleepy.

An Ning quickly composed herself, wiped her face, knelt down in front of An Xian, and kissed his soft cheek, her voice gentle, "Xianxian, why are you awake?"

Anxian raised her little hand and touched Anning's cheek, asking in a soft voice, "Did Mommy cry?"

"Mommy didn't cry, Mommy just washed her face." Anning picked him up and carried him to the bedroom. "Mommy is a strong superwoman, why would she cry?"

"Mommy's lying." Anxian wrapped her little arms around Anning's slender neck, burying her soft cheeks in her neck. "Mommy's eyes are red, and Mommy cries secretly every night..."

An Ning's heart skipped a beat, and she kissed An Xian's little face repeatedly. "Xianxian misheard. Mommy just has a stuffy nose."

Back in bed, An Xuan still wouldn't let go of An Ning, her large, clear, dark eyes looking at her earnestly as she asked, "Mom...did Xuan Xuan make you suffer?"

When a three-year-old child asked such a question, An Ning's heart trembled violently, shattering into pieces, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

"No, my darling..." She hugged the little one tightly in her arms. "Mommy isn't tired, and Xuanxuan didn't make Mommy tired either. Xuanxuan is Mommy's most precious baby, Mommy loves her to death!"

Not to mention the hardship, she even had to thank fate for giving her such a wonderful son.

She thanked An Xian for coming to her side when she was at her lowest point.

She also thanked that person for giving her this incredibly precious gift.

......

Yuhe Duke's Mansion.

A warm yellow light was on in the study on the second floor.

The man, dressed in a black bathrobe, sat on a large leather chair in front of the desk. His washed black hair partially obscured his eyebrows and eyes, and the dim light made his well-defined face appear even more profound and melancholic.

A phone was held in her fair, slender hand, her fingertips repeatedly scrolling through the same page for a long time.

He refreshed the blank Moments feed again and again.

He returned to the chat window, his indifferent eyes staring at the blank chat interface, as if he was suppressing something.

His thoughts seemed to drift back to that long-forgotten memory.

"Ningning, come here and give me a kiss."

He sat on the sofa and waved to her.

Even though she had already shared many kisses, An Ning's ears still turned red when she heard him say those words, and her big eyes sparkled with a shy and radiant light.

But she still obediently walked over to him, bent down and lightly pecked his handsome face, like a chick pecking at rice.

He seemed to enjoy it, his eyes turned up at the corners and his lips curled up into a small parenthesis.

She left after the kiss, but he grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the sofa.

He leaned down, wrapping her between his body and the sofa, one arm around her slender waist, the other stroking her fair neck, gazing at her delicate and beautiful face with a smile.

His fair face instantly flushed pink; he adored her shy yet obedient demeanor.

His kiss pressed down, stealing the thin air from her chest.

Just as Anning was about to succumb to his tender kiss, he mischievously picked up his phone and took a picture.

"Lu Xiyan!"

An Ning was like a startled rabbit, both surprised and embarrassed, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.

Lu Xiyan was extremely satisfied. The angle of the photo didn't show the two of them from the front, but the atmosphere was extremely ambiguous, clearly a kissing pose.

Moreover, anyone who is a friend of either of them can recognize who is in the photo at a glance.

He sent her the photo, then handed her his phone, saying, "Change your profile picture."

"Huh?" An Ning asked in surprise, blinking her big eyes at his sweet smile.

"Our matching profile pictures." Lu Xiyan affectionately patted her hair, his eyes flashing with the cunning of a little lion marking its territory.

"Oh..." An Ning suppressed the corners of her mouth that really wanted to turn up, her heart pounding with excitement.

She first opened her own phone and changed her social media profile picture to a photo with a strong atmosphere. Then she took Lu Xiyan's phone, skillfully unlocked it with her fingerprint, opened his WeChat, and changed his profile picture.

Lu Xiyan watched her work with satisfaction, staring at her long, drooping eyelashes. "You need to tell everyone that you are at peace, and that someone cares for you."

"Of course, I'm already taken." He rested his chin on his hand, smiled, and leaned closer to her. "Anning, our relationship should be open and aboveboard."

An Ning handed him the phone again, now with the changed profile picture, her eyes crinkling into a smile that revealed two small tiger teeth. "So, it's a deal: no breakup, no changing of profile picture?"

He raised his hand and pinched her cheek, his eyes overflowing with happiness. "I couldn't ask for more."

Stripped from memories.

Lu Xiyan slammed his phone down on the table with a loud "thud," leaned back in his chair, and his deep eyes were filled with turbulent emotions.

Anning, those who betray sincerity deserve to swallow a thousand needles!

He lit a cigarette and made a phone call.

"Investigate one person, and you'll find peace."

Taking a deep drag of her cigarette, Lu Xiyan suddenly remembered the phone call she received that night where someone called her "Mom." Her eyes widened, "Find out exactly when you returned to Jinghai, who you were with, and where you were before."