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

Lu Lixiao's gaze fell on the bank card and the check.

He gave Anning that bank card four years ago, and the check was given to her during their last meeting.

He glanced at the other check and asked with a smile, "Miss An, what does this mean?"

"I've used five million in this card," Anning said frankly. "This five million check will just make up for it."

During her most difficult time, she didn't touch a single penny of that card.

However, when Lu Xiyan sold the house, she deducted five million from that card.

Seeing the smile that didn't reach Lu Lixiao's eyes, she added, "I'll return the forty million you gave me intact."

After she finished speaking, she bowed politely and prepared to leave.

"Miss An!"

Lu Lixiao called out to her, his voice tinged with mockery, "What you're doing is a bit ridiculous."

He picked up the five million check. "Using west Yan's money to pay me back? Don't you find that ridiculous?"

An Ning turned around and said, "This money is a loan. I wrote an IOU, and I will pay it back to west Yan."

After listening, Lu Lixiao couldn't help but laugh a few times, as if he had heard a funny joke.

"I thought Miss An was very principled, and that she would return all the money I gave her to prove that she didn't want west Yan's money. I never expected that she would take the money from west Yan to return it."

Lu Lixiao emphasized the word "take," his sharp eyes fixed on An Ning. "Miss An, you've got a good plan. After all, if you marry Xi Yan, you could afford not just five million, but five billion. Don't you think so, Miss An?"

"Grandpa Lu."

An Ning took a deep breath. "I know you've always been prejudiced against me. I will definitely return this money to Xi Yan, not to show you, but to get past my own conscience. Whether you believe it or not, my love for Xi Yan has never been because he's the second young master of the Lu family, or because he's rich and powerful. I love him simply because he is Lu Xi Yan. I said that four years ago, and it still is now."

"You may not understand this feeling, and you don't need to." She smiled gently. "You won't allow me to marry Xi Yan, but I can remain single for the rest of my life. I know you have a lot of power and can interfere in many things, but you can't interfere with the love between two people, the closeness of two hearts."

Her words were crisp and forceful; she didn't want to linger any longer and left as soon as she finished speaking.

"Miss An, do you think that by returning this money to me, you can be with west Yan with a clear conscience?"

Lu Lixiao's words were neither too harsh nor too mild, and An Ning, who was about to leave, paused slightly.

She turned her head, and Lu Lixiao raised his hand and slowly sipped his tea.

He blew away the rising steam from his glass, took a small sip, and looked up at An Ning. "If you owe Xi Yan more than just five million, can you still live with yourself?"

An Ning's heart suddenly tightened. "What do you mean?"

"Sit down." Lu Lixiao nodded slightly and placed a cup of tea in front of her.

An Ning tightened her grip on her hands and sat down.

"Has west Yan mentioned his parents to you?" Lu Lixiao asked.

An Ning didn't know what he meant by asking that question. Xi Yan hadn't mentioned it much. The last time she saw Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu was four or five years ago.

Seeing that she remained silent, Lu Lixiao said in a deep voice, "His father has passed away."

As soon as he finished speaking, An Ning suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked at him.

I was filled with disbelief.

"He passed away four years ago. If you don't believe me, you can go to the Lu family ancestral hall and see for yourself. His father's memorial tablet is placed there."

Lu Lixiao stared at her astonished eyes. "I blocked the news and told the public that his parents were on vacation abroad, because if this news came out, it would cause a huge sensation and would not benefit the Lu family."

An Ning didn't react for a while, and her face turned a little pale.

west Yan's father has passed away?

He never mentioned it.

"Four years ago?" she asked. "How did he die?"

Lu Lixiao stared at her. "Because of you."

Upon hearing those three words, An Ning's heart skipped a beat, her face paled instantly, and her voice trembled, "Because of me?"

"His father's plane crashed while trying to find you; his body was never recovered. I lost my son, and he lost his father." He asked, "Miss An, how can I not be heartbroken by something like this?"

"Looking for...looking for me?" An Ning's hands trembled uncontrollably, her heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe.

"Not only that, her mother was so devastated that she fell down the stairs and has been in a coma ever since."

Lu Lixiao pointed to a courtyard in the Lu family manor, "She's lying there right now, on a ventilator 24/7. Medical staff are monitoring her vital signs constantly; she could leave this world at any moment. Miss An, would you like to go see her?"

An Ning stared at him blankly, her face ashen, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat and she couldn't even breathe.

No wonder Lu Xiyan hated her so much and wanted to take revenge on her so much when she first returned to Jinghai.

It wasn't just because she had deceived his feelings.

Also because his parents encountered an accident because of her.

How could he accept such a blow? How could he not hate and seek revenge?

No wonder they say that Lu Xiyan was harmed terribly by her.

So that's how it is!

"You think that's all?"

As if seeing the panic in her eyes, Lu Lixiao plunged another knife into her heart, "On the day his father passed away, he was driving to see his father one last time when he was involved in a serious car accident. Although he survived, but—"

He stared directly into An Ning's astonished eyes. "His hand is ruined!"

The tea on the table was suddenly spilled, scalding An Ning's hands without her realizing it.

"His hand..." She opened her mouth, then uttered with difficulty, "His left hand?"

Her heart was torn to shreds, and Anning trembled with pain.

"It seems Miss An also noticed something wrong with his left hand," Lu Lixiao said. "He has nerve damage in his left hand. I've consulted the most authoritative doctors and the best medical teams both domestically and internationally, but none of them can completely cure it. The best we can do right now is to ensure it doesn't recur."

"But he can never drive, never use his hands excessively, and never lift heavy objects. If he doesn't recover properly, he might not even be able to hold chopsticks in the future."

An Ning felt as if her blood had frozen, and she was shivering with cold.

"My hand slipped, and the soup spilled."

"I'm tired of it, I don't like driving anymore."

"My arms are tired, let's stretch them out."

Scenes from my time at Dianhai Lake flashed before my eyes.

His trembling hands, his tightly clenched wrists...

Now, they all feel like ropes strangling Anning's throat, making it impossible for her to breathe or even utter a sound.

Lu Lixiao sighed deeply, "My grandson should have been a chosen one of heaven. If it weren't for Miss An, he wouldn't have gone through all this."

"Just this morning, he was willing to give up his position as chairman of the Auten Group and resign from his position as president of Auten for you, even if it meant losing everything."

"Ms. An, don't you feel burdened by all that he has done for you? Can you accept it with a clear conscience? Can you truly say you have a clear conscience?"

He placed the five million check in front of An Ning and asked her, "Even now, Miss An, do you still feel that what you owe him is just this mere five million?"