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

In the courtyard of the Lu Family Manor, there are towering mountains and flowing water, and verdant pines and cypresses reaching into the clouds.

Sunlight filters through the lush branches and falls onto the patchwork bluestone slabs.

"Chairman, you haven't eaten all day. Your body can't take this."

Ji Xiu stood behind Lu Lixiao and whispered a reminder.

After Lu Xiyan left, Lu Lixiao stood with his hands behind his back in the courtyard, deep in thought.

"Jishu".

He stared at the towering pines and cypresses, his voice slightly hoarse as he spoke, "Tell me, was I wrong? I was doing it for my grandson's good, was I wrong? Was everything I did wrong?"

He seemed to be asking the other person a question, but also seemed to be asking himself a question.

"Chairman, you have your difficulties, and the second young master will understand." Ji Xiu sighed and handed him a cup of hot tea. "You watched the second young master grow up. You love him the most and you understand him the most. You know that he has never wanted to be a caged bird since he was a child."

"The second young master is indeed very similar to the eldest master back then. He was very smart from a young age and understood business matters very quickly. He was able to achieve such remarkable results as soon as he took over Ou Teng. He is the best choice to inherit the Lu family business."

Ji Xiu looked at him, "But Chairman, this has to be based on his willingness."

Upon hearing this, Lu Lixiao took the tea and gestured for him to continue.

"The second young master has never liked getting involved in company affairs since he was a child. He has been unruly and willful for more than 20 years."

Ji Xiu walked to the trunk of a thousand-year-old pine tree. "Chairman, look how tall this tree has grown. Its branches have already grown over the courtyard wall. But if you bend the branches back, they will break."

Lu Lixiao tilted his head slightly and looked at the dense branches.

Yes, it is already growing wildly. If we force its branches to grow only in the courtyard, then we have to cut off the excess parts.

He lowered his head and took a sip of tea. He had pushed Lu Xiyan too hard. Back then, he had opposed Lu Xiyan being with An Ning and cut off Lu Xiyan's financial support. He thought Lu Xiyan would admit his mistake because of that.

Unexpectedly, he had a stubborn pride. Even though life was so difficult that he could only make money by racing, earning one or two million from a single race, which was still less than the pocket money he used to casually spend, he and An Ning gritted their teeth and made do.

Lu Lixiao was truly afraid that Lu Xiyan would continue living like that, which is why he had no choice but to seek out An Ning. He firmly believed that once An Ning left, Lu Xiyan would no longer suffer that hardship and would naturally return to the Lu family to take over the company.

He sighed deeply, "Jishu, I never thought that what has been keeping me up day and night would still happen."

If four years ago, he insisted on sending An Ning away because he was worried that she would harm Lu Xiyan, then four years later, what troubles him day and night is that Lu Xiyan knows the whole truth.

He was afraid that if Lu Xiyan knew the truth, he would give up everything, stand against him, and become his enemy.

So he had to make up one lie after another.

He even considered having An Ning leave again, far away, so that she would never appear in front of Lu Xiyan again.

In this way, Lu Xiyan will never know the truth.

He will follow his plan, marry into the Cheng family, win the bet with his second uncle and cousin, and then smoothly take over the position of the head of the Lu family.

However, the truth will always be revealed one day.

The day still arrived very early.

Lu Lixiao turned his head to look at the stack of contracts on the tea table not far away.

Every clause was written in black and white, with each clause listed in detail.

He hadn't expected Lu Xiyan to give up so decisively.

If the Lu family doesn't want anything anymore, does that mean they don't even want him, their grandfather?

"Oh, right."

He put down his teacup and looked at Ji Xiu, "Go and find out what's going on with An Ning's child."

Ji Xiu asked, "Are you saying that there was a problem with the paternity test that Miss Cheng brought over last time?"

"Either An Ning is lying to Xi Yan, or Cheng Wanwan is lying to me," Lu Lixiao said in a deep voice. "I want to see who is really causing trouble."

......

Yuhe Duke's Mansion.

Lu Xiyan hurried upstairs and went straight to the bedroom.

The bedroom door was open. He took a deep breath to compose himself and strode in, but suddenly his brows furrowed.

"Young Master?"

The maid is cleaning the room and has changed the sheets.

Seeing the man's bad expression, she quickly informed him, "Young Master, Miss An said she has left and asked me to tell you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiyan's heart skipped a beat.

"Gone?"

What do you mean by "left"?

He asked coldly, "Where did you go?"

The maid was startled by his expression and shook her head, "I don't know."

Upon hearing the words "gone," Lu Xiyan seemed to have lost his soul.

Xu Zhijun said that Anning was just living on her last breath.

Once she loses her breath, she won't be able to live.

He had just pulled her back from the beach when she left again.

Lu Xiyan became increasingly anxious as he thought about it, and hurriedly went downstairs.

"Young Master!"

Seeing him rushing downstairs, Li Quan said, "Miss An said she went home first, she—"

Before Li Quan could finish speaking, he saw the man rush out, and then the car in the yard started its engine and drove away in a flash.

......

It was almost dusk, and the sunset was streaming into the room through the window, illuminating the suitcases standing upright in the living room.

"Xianxian, have you tidied up all your toys?"

"Mom, I've packed everything!"

Xiao Anxian was holding a big cartoon backpack like she was holding a precious treasure.

"What's inside?" Anning squatted down, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and asked with amusement.

"These are all Xuanxuan's favorites!" Xiao Anxuan smiled sweetly, "I put all the gifts that Xuanxuan's father gave me in there."

As Zhao Li helped tidy up, she smiled and said, "Xuanxuan treasures these gifts so much; she says she wants to take them with her wherever she goes."

She glanced at the room, which was almost tidied up, and asked Anning, "Miss An, when are you coming back?"

An Ning lowered her eyes and said softly, "We'll talk about it later."

As the setting sun streamed in, Anning looked toward the locked room.

That was Li Chunfang's room, where some of her and Yu Can's belongings are now kept.

Anning is not going to take it away.

She stood up, took Anxian's hand, and pulled over the suitcase beside her. "Let's go, Xuanxian."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Almost simultaneously, the sound of the combination lock being opened rang out again.

The next moment, the door opened.

An Ning's breath hitched as she looked at the person who had arrived.

It was Lu Xiyan.

He stood outside the door, reeking of cigarettes, looking somewhat haggard, with shadows under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for days and nights.

As soon as Lu Xiyan opened the door, he saw a suitcase standing in the living room.

Sofa, wine cabinet, coffee table...

All the furniture was covered with a dustproof cloth.

Lu Xiyan's body began to tremble uncontrollably, his eyes turned bloodshot, and his breathing became heavy and labored.