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

Three years later.

The wind howls outside the window, the world is covered in silver, another winter has arrived.

The entire Yuhe Duke's Mansion was decorated with red paper-cut window decorations and couplets, creating a festive atmosphere to welcome the New Year.

Outside in the snow, a small yellow figure was carrying a large string of firecrackers, which were neatly arranged on the snow.

He was dressed warmly, with a fluffy woolen hat on his head, revealing his fair and tender face, which was red from the cold.

"Grandpa Quan, come quick!"

Xiao Anxian waved to Li Quan, who was still helping him dismantle small firecrackers inside the house. Li Quan quickly ran over and left a trail of footprints in the snow.

As Li Quan helped him set out the firecrackers, he asked, "Xianxian, why are all these firecrackers put here?"

"Put them here and we'll set them off later." Xiao Anxian arranged the firecrackers neatly. "Dad said that Mom didn't sleep well last night because she stayed up late, so we can't set off firecrackers now to wake her up."

"Xianxian, you're so great!" Li Quan patted his wool hat, noticed a butterfly hair clip sticking out of his pocket, and asked with a smile, "Xianxian, who's this little butterfly in your pocket for?"

"This is my New Year's gift to Xiaomi," Xiao Anxian replied earnestly.

Xiaomi was his classmate. She had a round face and two little braids, and she looked as cute as a little mushroom.

Anxian liked her very much and always gave her gifts.

He had been preparing this New Year's gift for a long time.

He served his parents tea and water, and massaged their shoulders and backs when they were tired from work, for which he earned a considerable reward.

He used the money he received to carefully select a bow hair clip for Xiaomi, one that was especially pretty with sparkling pink diamonds.

upstairs.

Footsteps could be heard outside the bedroom.

When Lu Xiyan pushed open the door, An Ning had just woken up. She sat up against the headboard and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

She looked at the person who came in drowsy, then smiled and said, "Good morning, honey."

Lu Xiyan was wearing a beige sweater, which complemented his skin tone and made him look especially warm in the winter.

He sat on the edge of the bed, his fingertips tracing the dark circles under her eyes. "Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

She hasn't slept well for many days, as she has been busy with book signing events.

Over the past three years, she has dedicated herself to the field of nutrition, and the data she has produced has generated significant impact in the industry. She used the data she gathered over these three years to compile a nutrition book, which received rave reviews after being published online and subsequently published as a book.

After the book was published, it sold exceptionally well. She even used her own money to buy over 100,000 copies and sent them to impoverished mountainous areas across the country, giving them away for free to local children and adults.

These past few days I've been busy with book signings, my hands are cramping from signing so many autographs.

Last night, after finishing my work for the period, I had a long sleep.

Lu Xiyan thought she would sleep until the afternoon, but she woke up before noon.

I had a dream.

An Ning rubbed her eyes, and her vision gradually cleared.

"What did you dream about?" Lu Xiyan asked gently.

"I dreamt of a little girl, about four or five years old. She was playing outside when suddenly someone covered her mouth, grabbed her, and put her in a dark car."

An Ning said, frowning slightly, "That girl seemed to be me. In my dream, I desperately cried for help, but no sound came out. I wanted to run away, but I couldn't open that dark car door."

"and then?"

"Then..." Anning thought carefully for a moment, "Then the car drove off somewhere, and I heard the sound of rain pouring down outside, as well as the sound of men talking. Not long after, the car stopped, as if it had broken down and needed to be repaired."

"I jumped out of the car and ran away while they were opening the door to get their tools."

"It was indeed raining heavily outside the car, and the path was muddy. I ran and ran, running as fast as I could. They kept chasing me, very closely, and I was about to be overtaken by them, just a little bit away from being caught..."

She suddenly gripped the bed sheet tightly, as if the dream had just happened.

"Just as their hands were about to grab my clothes, I suddenly slipped and fell, rolling down the muddy ground. I kept rolling and rolling until I was covered in mud, and the weeds scratched my skin."

"In the end, I don't know where I ended up, and those men couldn't find me, so they drove away."

"I lay there in the muddy ground, where the rain was pouring down, waiting for someone to come and rescue me."

Lu Xiyan held her hand tightly in his palm and asked with concern, "What happened next? Did anyone come?"

"Yes," Anning said. "It's a man."

She suddenly looked at Lu Xiyan, her eyes serious, "It's Chen Laosi."

A dream filled in the blank memories she had from when she was five years old.

She finally understood why she, whose home was in Qichuan, was found by Chen Laosi in Dianhai.

She was abducted from her home in Qichuan to Dianhai by human traffickers.

If it weren't for that escape, she probably wouldn't be alive now.

If they fall into the hands of those human traffickers, they will either die or be maimed.

......

The latest news was playing in the spacious living room.

OncoThera Labs' new drug launch: A miracle behind cancer patients —

OncoThera Labs went public in just three years and has become a leading international precision medicine oncology company. In the past three years, OncoThera Labs has invested $10 billion in developing the world’s first drug that can fight cancer cells.

The results of a two-year human clinical trial showed that the drug cured up to 99.9% of cancer cells. Clinical trials also demonstrated that patients using this drug experienced complete recovery and no recurrence after receiving standard treatment.

The successful development of a new drug by OncoThera Labs is a miracle in the field of oncology and a boon to countless cancer patients!

It is reported that the president and CEO of OncoThera Labs is Lu Xiyan, the newly appointed head of the Lu Group. The ultimate decision-maker behind OncoThera Labs is Lu Xiyan's wife, An Ning, who is also Moon, a popular and bestselling author in the field of nutrition!

The powerful combination of this husband and wife is poised to reach new heights in the medical field and create a new medical legend on the international stage!

Outside the window, snow was falling heavily.

Outside, sparks ignited firecrackers, their crackling sounds mingling with the joyful laughter of children.

Inside, flames leaped in the fireplace, and the air was warm.

An Ning stood by the window, holding a cup of hot tea, and watched An Xuan running around the garden with a smile.

Suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulder as a cashmere shawl fell onto her shoulders.

She turned her head and met Lu Xiyan's smiling eyes.

He handed over a red envelope and said, "Happy New Year, my wife."

Anning accepted the red envelope; it was thin, not thick at all.

"Mr. Lu, are you that stingy?" She pretended to wrinkle her nose. "It's not just a single coin, is it?"

Lu Xiyan took the water glass from her hand and said with a smile, "Then open it and take a look."

Anning opened the red envelope and slowly pulled out the money.

It was a few sheets of letter paper.

She unfolded the paper; it wasn't Lu Xiyan's handwriting.

The last page of the letter was written by Lu Lixiao.

"Grandpa said he has always owed you an apology, and this is a handwritten apology letter. Actually, he wrote it three years ago, saying he would give it to you when he stepped down. What he meant was that at this time, he would no longer be the powerful chairman of the Lu Group, but just an elderly and ordinary grandfather."

This elderly and ordinary grandfather sincerely wanted to gain her forgiveness.

"He bought you a manor in the southern suburbs. He knows you are kind-hearted and have sponsored many children in mountainous areas, and have also helped many trafficked children."

"He said if you're willing, you can start a welfare home on the estate."

An Ning looked at the vigorous handwriting on the paper and read it word by word.

In recent years, they have also returned to the old house to visit Lu Lixiao. Most of the time, Lu Xiyan chatted with him, while An Ning occasionally exchanged a few words with him. It was not a matter of estrangement, but it was not a matter of closeness either.

The same applied to her interactions with the Cheng family. Cheng Shao and Han Yun frequently visited her and An Xuan. Although they no longer mentioned the matter of recognizing their ancestors, An Ning's attitude towards them remained polite and courteous, yet distant.

Three years have passed, and many things seem to have faded with time.

In these three years, An Xuan has grown up, and her growth has been pure and beautiful.

Although her career keeps her busy, she feels rich and fulfilled inside.

Lu Xiyan was even busier, but she had plenty of time to spend with her and An Xuan.

Her relationship with Lu Xiyan was stable and sweet.

But upon closer examination, it seems that something is missing in the area of ​​family affection.

Anning finished reading the letter and folded the paper neatly.

She looked up, smiling, and asked, "What are we having for dinner?"

"Uncle Quan asked the kitchen to prepare hot pot." Lu Xiyan raised his hand and gently stroked her nose. "Don't you love hot pot the most in winter?"

"Hot pot tastes better with more people, right?" Anning smiled and took his arm. "Let's have someone bring Grandpa over, along with Uncle Cheng and Aunt Han, to celebrate the New Year together."

"Okay." Lu Xiyan lowered his head and kissed her hair. "As long as you're willing."

"west Yan," she said, tilting her head back. "Happy New Year."

Happy New Year, Ningning.

What year is next year?

"Our tenth year together."

-

The End