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

An Ning slumped onto him, her entire body weight pressing down on him, yet she was afraid of touching his hands, so she carefully braced herself against his shoulders with both hands.

Lu Xiyan rested one hand on the back of the chair and the other on the back of her head, gently kissing her lips. The fragrance emanating from her body filled his nostrils, causing him to hold her even tighter, stealing her sweet scent.

He kissed her deeply, and seeing that no one was around, Anning let him do as he pleased.

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached.

"It seems I've arrived at the wrong time."

When Lu Lixiao's voice came, An Ning was startled and immediately sat up from Lu Xiyan's lap, quickly getting off him.

Lu Lixiao and Ji Xiu stood not far away, slightly turning their heads to avoid looking at them.

Lu Xiyan glanced at her, squeezed An Ning's hand to indicate that she was alright. Then he sat up, straightened his clothes, and said with a smile, "Grandpa's here."

Lu Lixiao's arrival at this time must be to see Lu Xiyan.

An Ning nodded slightly. "I'll go pour some tea."

Watching her leave, Lu Lixiao sat down in front of Lu Xiyan.

Looking at his left hand, I asked, "How's your hand?"

Lu Xiyan smiled gently, "It's nothing, I'll be fine after a few days of rest."

Lu Lixiao frowned slightly. "Don't always say there's no problem. You're so young. If you really have a problem with your hand one day, it will be a big problem."

Lu Xiyan smiled. "Thank you, Grandpa, for what happened that day."

The day Cheng Wanwan took An Xian away, it was Lu Lixiao who led his men to find Cheng Wanwan's location first. He discovered that the paternity test Cheng Wanwan gave him had been tampered with, and guessed that she might have designs on An Xian.

He was cautious, and unexpectedly, he saved the child's life.

"I really like that child," Lu Lixiao said. "Just like you were when you were little, lively, smart, and good at sweet-talking."

Lu Xiyan smiled slightly. This was the first time the grandfather and grandson had sat down and chatted peacefully since their last falling out.

He knew in his heart that the fact that the powerful old man was willing to take the initiative to visit him was already a way of offering him a way out.

"An Xian didn't grow up by my side. It was An Ning who raised him very well." Lu Xiyan handed the peeled orange on the table to Lu Lixiao and said with a smile, "Grandpa, try it. An Ning peeled this orange. It's very sweet."

Lu Lixiao glanced at it and then reached out to take it.

"She peeled it for you, not for me."

Despite saying that, Lu Lixiao still ate a piece, and it was indeed sweet.

Lu Xiyan laughed and said, "If Grandpa wants a granddaughter-in-law to be filial to you, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Lu Lixiao nodded without speaking, then asked, "Really not going back to Ou Teng?"

The old man offered a long way to the table, and Lu Xiyan knew that it was indeed not easy for the old man to do this.

But after leaving Ou Teng, he never thought of going back.

"I'm not going back." He looked at Lu Lixiao, his eyes serious. "Grandpa, I'm sorry, I have more important things to do."

As if the answer was expected, Lu Lixiao sighed softly, "Since you've made your decision, I won't force you. I respect your choice."

"However," he softened his voice, "west Yan, whenever you want to come back, just tell your grandfather."

He glanced at Jixiu behind him, who placed the things he had brought on the table.

It is a share transfer document.

"I'll just consider this a long vacation for you, so you can explore and do whatever you want."

He tapped on the documents on the table. "But Grandpa can't give you a long vacation this time, just three years."

He looked at Lu Xiyan and said, "Three years from now, no matter how far you've come in what you've achieved, you must come back to inherit the Lu Group."

"I'm not forcing you," Lu Lixiao explained. "The Lu Group was originally yours. Grandpa is getting old and really needs to retire. I also want to have some free time soon, play football with my great-grandson, and if he wants, I can take him to school and pick him up from get out of class."

At this point, Lu Lixiao smiled and said, "While I can still walk, I want to enjoy some family time."

An Ning brought over the tea and happened to hear Lu Lixiao's words.

She walked over quietly, placed the tray on the table, and picked up a cup of tea and placed it in front of Lu Lixiao.

Just as she was about to serve the dish to Lu Xiyan, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to sit next to him.

He turned to her and smiled, "Ningning, sit down for a while and chat with Grandpa."

An Ning sat down obediently, and before she could speak, she heard Lu Lixiao say to her, "Xianxian is a good child, you've taught him very well. Nurture him well, and when he grows up, he can do whatever he wants, as long as he's happy."

His voice and tone were unusually gentle and kind.

He then looked at Lu Xiyan, "Haven't you taken the child to see your mother and father yet? Take him over to see them another day. Your father will be very happy to see that he has such a well-behaved grandson."

After he finished speaking, he took a sip of the tea that An Ning had brought him, stood up and said, "You guys go ahead with your work, I'll be going now."

"grandfather."

Anning suddenly called out to him.

Upon hearing the sound, Lu Lixiao stopped and looked at her.

An Ning stood up and gave a polite smile.

She understood what Lu Lixiao meant: he wanted An Xian to be recognized as a member of his family. Although he didn't say it explicitly, his words implied that he acknowledged her identity.

"Grandpa, it's too early to call you that."

She turned to meet Lu Xiyan's gaze, smiled slightly, and said, "Xiyan and I are not married yet, so this form of address might be a bit inappropriate for our status."

She looked at Lu Lixiao with gentle and calm eyes, "But you are Xi Yan's grandfather, so I should also call you grandfather like him."

"I accept your apology. From now on, west Yan and I will bring Xuan Xuan to visit you often."

Lu Lixiao's eyes flickered slightly as he looked into An Ning's calm yet determined eyes. After a long while, he smiled gently and tapped her, "Xianxian is just like you, smart."

"However," he looked at An Ning and Lu Xiyan, "this calling him 'Grandpa' isn't too early."

After saying that, he looked at Jixiu behind him and smiled meaningfully.

Ji Xiu suppressed a laugh and was about to remind him when he was interrupted by Ji Xiu raising his hand.

"Xi Yan," Lu Lixiao reminded him, "The wedding can be planned slowly, but you need to hurry up and get the marriage certificate."

He then turned his gaze to An Ning, smiled kindly, and said, "Her identity is reasonable and legal; that's the best way."

After saying that, he picked up the half-eaten orange on the table. "The orange is quite sweet. Bring me some from the old house another day. Bye."

Watching Lu Lixiao's departing figure, An Ning turned to look at Lu Xiyan, and they smiled at each other.

The sunlight shone down, dispelling all the gloom.

......

A week later, two more carriages arrived at the Yuhe Duke's Mansion; they belonged to the Cheng family.

In the lead car sat Cheng Shao and Han Yun, while the other car was filled with the gifts they had brought, both grand and exquisite.

Their intentions were clear. Lu Xiyan made an excuse and took An Xian out the door, leaving An Ning and the Cheng couple some time to talk alone.

The huge living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward.

An Ning looked up at Cheng Shao and Han Yun. They hadn't seen each other for a week, and both of them looked much more haggard and had lost a lot of weight.

Han Yun, in particular, who used to be well-maintained and always looked exquisite and presentable, now appears to have aged several years.

Cheng Wanwan's body was recovered and claimed by Cheng Shao and Han Yun, who then held a low-key funeral.

Having experienced the pain of losing their daughter, the two were as if they had risked half their lives.

In the past few days, the couple has barely slept.

If it weren't for her daughter still alive, Han Yun probably wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer.

Han Yun looked at An Ning, her eyes welling up with tears again. As she opened her mouth, she quickly changed her words after saying "An," "...Ning Ning."

She asked Anning, "When are you coming home with us?"

Anning met her tearful eyes and struggled internally for a long time.

After a long pause, she spoke softly, "I'm sorry, I don't plan to go back to the Cheng family."