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

A night breeze swept by, lifting Anning's long hair.

Lu Xiyan brushed aside her long, flowing hair and lowered his head to kiss the strands of hair on her forehead.

The air in my arms was filled with her pleasant fragrance, which was refreshing and delightful.

Under the moonlight, her small face was fair and clear, and her delicate features were captivating even without makeup.

He tightened his arms and held her close.

An Ning wrapped her arms around his lean waist, tightening her grip little by little, desperately inhaling the reassuring scent emanating from him.

"Western Banquet".

A gentle breeze stirred the hem of his clothes. An Ning slowly raised her head, gazing at his profile illuminated by the bright moonlight. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly. "These past years have been tough for you, haven't they?"

The arms around her tightened slightly, and Lu Xiyan's pleasant voice rang out above her, "Why do you ask that?"

An Ning slowly left his embrace, took his left hand, and held his slender fingers in her palm in front of her eyes.

His fingers were beautiful; his skin was fair, his finger bones were well-defined, and his neatly trimmed, rounded nails were a healthy, translucent pink. In the cool, white moonlight, his hands looked like works of art.

It's a pity that I can no longer ride a bike or hold a steering wheel.

An Ning lowered her eyes to his left hand, her fingertips gently tracing his wrist bone. "Does it hurt?"

Tears suddenly streamed down her face as she looked up at Lu Xiyan. "When the accident happened, did it hurt a lot? When you drove to find me in Dianhai, did it hurt a lot? When you drove the mountain road to the Jiang family, did it hurt a lot...?"

Her eyes were glistening with tears, her nose was red, she looked pitiful and fragile, yet her face was full of heartache.

Lu Xiyan's eyes flickered, and he swallowed hard. "You knew?"

"I'm sorry." An Ning pouted, looking extremely aggrieved. "I only found out today that you sent me a message. Actually, I read and received every single one of your messages. I didn't mean to not reply to you..."

She shook her head frantically, feeling utterly aggrieved. "But I just missed that text message..."

She choked up, "...If I had seen that message back then, I would have done anything to come back and see you."

Even if Old Master Lu breaks her legs, she will crawl to see Lu Xiyan.

But why did she miss his most difficult period?

My fingertips were held in someone's hand, held in their palm, warm and generous.

Lu Xiyan raised his hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks, lowered his dark red eyes, and said, "It's all over now, Ningning."

He gently pinched the back of her neck, pulled her into his arms, and said in a hoarse voice, "It's all in the past, let's not talk about it anymore, and let's not think about it anymore. We have a lot of future ahead of us, so please don't leave again."

He rested his chin on the top of her head, his voice gentle, as if comforting her, yet also like pleading.

An Ning's face was wet with tears. "Xi Yan, if you don't want to manage the company anymore, how about we leave Jinghai?"

Jinghai is clearly a very inclusive city, attracting people from all over the world. But Anning doesn't like it; apart from Lu Xiyan, she doesn't like anyone else in Jinghai.

She didn't want to let him go again; she wanted to take him with her and go far away.

She hugged Lu Xiyan tightly. "Let's find a small city, like Qichuan. Although I don't earn much, I can make ends meet if I work hard. I can support you, Xianxian, and my mother without any problem."

"Okay." Lu Xiyan seemed to have no objection, ruffling her hair. "But you have to tell me why this is happening all of a sudden, what happened?"

Anning gently shook her head against his chest, "It's nothing, I just want to live a good life with you."

"Living life?" Lu Xiyan smiled gently. "I like this word."

He pulled her away from his embrace and leaned down to look at her tear-reddened eyes. "So when are we going to meet each other's parents? You're going to elope with me, shouldn't we meet my parents first?"

He raised his hand and pinched her cheek again. "But don't worry, my parents will definitely agree."

Mentioning his parents' well-being is heartbreaking; I wonder how much he must have gone through to be able to be so at peace now.

"Okay!" She nodded vigorously. "Then tomorrow, tomorrow is your birthday, let's have dinner together."

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she took out her phone and glanced at the time; it was just past midnight.

She suddenly smiled, her moist eyes sparkling.

"west Yan, it's midnight. Happy birthday!"

Lu Xiyan looked at her smile, and the corners of his eyes reddened.

"You finally made up for the birthday you missed for four years."

"Xi Yan." An Ning took his hands, tilted her head back, and smiled earnestly. "Ever since I met you six years ago, I've felt incredibly lucky. Thank you for getting close to me, warming me, and taking care of all my emotions. Thank you for bringing me joy and for loving me so steadfastly."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but feel like crying again.

She was an abandoned product from birth, someone who was neither appreciated nor liked and was not expected to be loved.

A baby's first cry upon entering the world is its first greeting, but her cry marks the beginning of a life of wandering and hardship.

It wasn't until she met Lu Xiyan that she felt a sense of security and belonging for the first time.

"How could I possibly have met someone as wonderful as you?"

She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and said, "I want to say that if my presence brings you happiness, then you feel that having me is enough."

"Me too," she said firmly and resolutely. "From now on, no matter what happens, I will never leave you, not even if you try to drive me away."

Lu Xiyan stared at her intently, his eyes deepening, his gaze burning with desire.

He carefully cupped her cheeks, his Adam's apple bobbing noticeably, and pressed his lips against hers.

Anning tilted her head back and kissed her moon.

His burning kisses traveled down from the corner of her lips, his breath brushing against her delicate red earlobe. Lu Xiyan chuckled softly and bit her side of the neck.

"Then consider it a birthday present for me."

After saying that, he put one arm around Anning's slender waist and opened the car door.

A subtle sensuality permeated the spacious back seat, lingering in the night.

......

Early the next morning.

"Grandma, Grandma!"

Xiao Anxuan wore a brand new outfit: a blue and white checkered shirt, a little yellow bear vest, and colorful star-patterned jeans. She looked both cool and sweet.

He skipped and hopped over to Li Chunfang, sweetly asking, "Am I pretty?"

Li Chunfang beamed from ear to ear, quickly adding, "Oh my, whose handsome young man is this? He's so good-looking!"

Anning followed her out, putting her baseball cap over Xiao Anxian's head, and handed a shopping bag to Li Chunfang, "Mom, go try it out, let's go out for lunch together."

An Ning wore a white long dress with a matching Chinese-style outer garment, exuding both gentleness and aloofness. Her long hair was casually tied up, revealing a section of her fair neck, like a gardenia flower glistening with morning dew in summer.

She wore light makeup, which made her already delicate features even more beautiful.

Seeing that she had dressed up carefully, Li Chunfang suddenly remembered, "Isn't today Xiao Lu's birthday?"

An Ning nodded and smiled, "He wants to see you today."

Li Chunfang realized what she meant and nodded happily with a smile, "Okay, okay, Mom will go change her clothes, and we'll have a nice meal together as a family."

An Ning looked at An Xuan, who was playing with toys, staring at his fair and handsome features, wondering if west Yan would like this birthday present very much.