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

In the children's room on the second floor of the Yuhe Mansion, a warm-colored table lamp was lit by the bedside.

Under the thin blanket, the man, dressed in soft white loungewear, leaned against the headboard, holding a children's bedtime storybook, and smelled fresh from his shower.

There was a little person in my arms wearing a cartoon pajama set, with two big eyes blinking, and long, thick eyelashes.

Once upon a time, there was a little turtle. It was very timid and was always afraid of encountering danger.

The man's deep, gentle voice flowed softly into the child's ear, "Every day, it stays inside its shell, afraid to come out."

The little one blinked his round eyes, his tiny hands clutching the man's soft hem of his shirt. "Daddy, if the little turtle doesn't come out, it won't be able to see the outside world."

Lu Xiyan rubbed his head, his eyes filled with a gentle smile. "Yes, so it kept hiding and couldn't see anything until one day it mustered up the courage to crawl out of its shell."

"Then did it see the beautiful scenery outside?" the little guy asked curiously.

"It saw a ferocious tiger."

"Ah—" The little guy covered his mouth in surprise.

Looking at his chubby, white hands, Lu Xiyan couldn't help but tease him, "The tiger saw the little turtle and wanted to eat it."

Hearing this, Xiao Anxian shook his head, "The little tiger won't eat the little turtle."

Lu Xiyan asked, "Why?"

"The little tiger's parents aren't around, and it's very lonely." Xiao Anxian blinked her big eyes. "It saw a little turtle that also doesn't have parents, and it will become good friends with it, protect it, and not eat it."

The story the little guy told went completely differently from what was written in the book. Lu Xiyan closed the book and listened to him, "And then?"

"And then?" The little guy thought for a moment, "With the tiger cub's protection, the little turtle will no longer be timid, and it will see more and better scenery outside with the tiger cub."

This is a very harmonious ending; in a child's world, everything has a happy ending.

Lu Xiyan looked down into the child's clear eyes and gently praised, "Yes, they have become very good friends."

He gently pinched Anxian's soft cheek. "Go to sleep."

The child lay down obediently, closed his eyes, and said, "Goodnight, Daddy; goodnight, Mommy."

Children fall asleep exceptionally quickly; less than five minutes after saying goodnight, they are soundly asleep, breathing evenly and gently.

Lu Xiyan leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead.

Looking at the innocent sleeping face in his arms, his gaze fell on a pearl-encrusted hair clip on the bedside table. He smiled, as if his life had reached its perfect conclusion at this moment.

......

The study was quiet, with only the sound of turning pages.

As Lu Xiyan walked to the door, he saw a white figure curled up in a single sofa on the carpet, legs bent, with a book on her lap, engrossed in reading.

Seemingly hearing his footsteps, the person on the sofa turned around, his eyes crinkling with a smile, "west Yan."

"Is Xianxian asleep?" she asked.

Since moving here, Lu Xiyan has taken on the task of putting everyone to sleep every night.

An Ning knew that he wanted to make up for the years he had missed, so that the identity of "father" would become more and more important in An Xian's heart.

"I'm going to sleep." Lu Xiyan sat cross-legged on the carpet next to her sofa, naturally tilted his head back, reached out and pulled her neck towards him, giving her a kiss.

His hand slowly slid down to her slender waist, burning with an alluring fire.

Seeing that the fire was about to get out of control, An Ning quickly stopped his hand and pulled away from his lips.

"What's wrong?" Lu Xiyan tilted his head slightly, his eyes glazed over, his voice alluring.

An Ning swallowed hard. "I have something important to ask you."

Lu Xiyan's gaze was fixed on her rosy lips. "Hmm?"

"I chatted with Yuanyuan for a while today, she's a former colleague of mine." Anning looked into his deep eyes. "She said the president of Ou Teng Group hasn't been in the company recently."

Huang Yuanyuan was unaware of her relationship with Lu Xiyan. She only mentioned it briefly during their conversation today. An Ning originally thought that Lu Xiyan was just taking a temporary break from the company, but then she realized that something was wrong. He hadn't handled any official business during the few days he was at home.

Lu Xiyan's gaze shifted from her lips to her clear eyes. "I didn't intend to hide it from you; I just wanted to find a suitable opportunity to tell you."

Anning placed her hand on his broad shoulder and gently squeezed it, signaling him to continue.

"I submitted my resignation to my grandfather."

Upon hearing this, An Ning gasped.

"Although I haven't officially resigned from Ou Teng yet, I've already decided to give up on Ou Teng." Lu Xiyan looked at her slightly surprised expression and said seriously, "Ningning, when I say start over, I'm not just talking about our relationship, but also our career."

"Us?" Anning asked, referring to "them," not "himself."

"Grandpa will always be my grandpa. I won't obey him when it comes to matters of the heart, but I can't completely disobey him in other matters."

Lu Xiyan lowered his eyes and continued, "He doesn't approve of you, and I won't force him. But if I stay at Ou Teng, no matter what position I hold, it will all be given to me by the Lu family, and I won't be able to stand tall."

"Of course," he said, holding Anning's hands firmly in his. "I'm not trying to prove anything to him, so you don't need to feel pressured. I just want to follow my heart, and I'll accept whatever comes my way, good or bad."

As if afraid that Anning would feel insecure, he smiled and reassured her, "I just resigned, I didn't go bankrupt. I can support you and Xianxian without any problem."

An Ning stared at him blankly, without responding to his words.

Her calmness made Lu Xiyan a little flustered. Just as he was about to explain something, his hand was suddenly empty, and her hands were pulled away. She got up and ran out of the study.

Lu Xiyan's heart skipped a beat as he watched her run away.

I made this decision without discussing it with her beforehand, which obviously made her angry.

Just as I was about to get up to look for her, that figure came in through the door again, carrying some things in her hand.

The next second, An Ning knelt down in front of him and laid out the things in her hands one by one.

"This is the savings account my mom left me. My share has over 300,000 yuan, and Yu-chan's share has 400,000 yuan."

"This is Yu-chan's insurance money, 1.3 million."

"This is my savings account. It was originally set aside for my mother's regular targeted therapy medication. Although it's not much, only a little over 200,000 yuan, it's enough for her to manage."

An Ning looked up at Lu Xiyan and said, "I may not be able to pay back all five million you lent me back then. Four years ago, Grandpa Lu gave me thirty million, and I used five million to buy your house. I used the five million you lent me to fill that hole and paid it back to your grandfather."

She smiled gently, "west Yan, I don't owe him anything anymore."

"Take this money and use it first. Restarting the business will definitely require a lot of funds. If it's not enough, we can sell that house."

"Oh, by the way, I also have patents that I can sell."

She smiled, her eyes softening, "Don't worry, we have plenty more—"

Before she could finish speaking, her wrist was pulled forcefully, and she was suddenly thrown into his warm embrace.

The sound of her heartbeat sent shivers down her spine.

Lu Xiyan held her tightly, his voice unsteady, "How could I have believed those words from four years ago, believed that you would leave me for money?"

"Someone like you deserves my even tighter grip, even more."