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

Suddenly, her wrist was grasped by a warm, large hand, which pulled her out of the private room with a slight force.

Anning didn't have time to think too much and followed his pace.

She was led to an empty corridor, where the man stopped and released her.

He turned around, put his hands in his pockets, and stared intently at her still slightly swollen cheeks.

He sells his blood in the morning, works at a food stall at night, and delivers takeout in the middle of the night.

Is this a case of risking one's life for money?

He didn't speak, and for some reason, An Ning felt a little guilty and didn't dare to look up at him.

She lowered her eyes and stared at the spotless shoes beneath his straight, long legs.

The corridor was so quiet that you could hear your own heartbeat and your own light breathing.

Even though he didn't say anything, Anning felt a strong sense of oppression surrounding her.

She froze, just as she was about to break the delicate atmosphere by speaking.

Are you short of money?

A deep, angry voice came from above.

Although Anning didn't know why he was angry.

But she still unconsciously became a little nervous, her hands in front of her tightly gripping her fingertips.

He lowered his head and said, "I delivered it for a friend."

Seeing her lower her eyes and head, like a child who had done something wrong, Lu Xiyan suddenly felt a little soft-hearted.

He unconsciously lowered his voice, "Have you finished delivering them?"

"This is the last order." An Ning lowered her eyes, her gaze fixed on his shoes, and answered honestly.

Lu Xiyan couldn't see her expression, only her soft hair.

The person standing in front of me with their head bowed and eyes downcast looked like a student being scolded.

He suddenly found it somewhat amusing, and his tone carried a hint of amusement as he said, "Go back and rest after you've finished delivering the goods."

Upon hearing this, An Ning looked up and met his deep eyes with a faint smile.

He's so handsome, so good-looking, it's as if he doesn't belong in my world.

Lu Xiyan smiled faintly, her lips red and teeth white, "Text me when you get home."

"oh."

An Ning nodded obediently, then turned and ran away in a flash.

Staring at her hurried departure, Lu Xiyan unconsciously curved his lips into a smile, his bright and deep eyes shining.

......

Back in the private room, shortly after I sat down, the screen of my phone on the table suddenly lit up.

Liang Xu glanced at it first, "An Ning?"

Lu Xiyan quickly picked up his phone, swiped the screen to open the chat box, and a slight smile curved his lips.

Anning: [I'm home.]

Liang Xu looked at him suspiciously. "The girl who just delivered the food is called An Ning?"

Lu Xiyan casually hummed in agreement, his long, slender fingers tapping lightly on his phone.

【it is good. 】

"The message you've been waiting for, it wasn't from this girl, was it?" Liang Xu asked.

Lu Xiyan glanced at him. "What's wrong?"

Liang Xu asked in surprise, "You like her?"

Lu Xiyan stopped tapping on the screen and turned to look at Liang Xu. "I was just curious."

Liang Xu was puzzled. "What's so curious about a food delivery guy? Is a rich young master curious about the hard life of an ordinary girl?"

Lu Xiyan's smile faded. "Do you still want reimbursement?"

Threatening with money at the slightest disagreement?

"Dada dada!"

Liang Xu helplessly spread his hands, "I'm just reminding you, Second Young Master Lu, curiosity is fine, but don't get yourself into trouble. If you're just playing around, that's fine, but if you're serious, don't even think about it. You're the second young master of the Lu Group, and your marriage still has to go through your grandfather's approval."

Lu Xiyan glanced at him. "Why are you starting to resemble our family's housekeeper more and more?"

The phone rang again, another text message had arrived.

[I'm sorry for the delay in your meal today.]

......

After sending the message, An Ning stared at the chat box for a long time.

Driven by curiosity, she clicked on the other person's profile picture to open their Moments... and there was only a horizontal line.

There's nothing there?

A reply popped up on the screen: 【It's okay.】

Anning stared at those three words for a long time, thought for a moment, and replied: "Thank you for today. I owe you another favor."

The other party replied immediately; it was a short voice message.

An Ning stared at the white chat box, her heart skipping a beat.

"Then you can treat me to dinner another day."

Her voice was clear and pleasant, yet it also carried a hint of... indescribable gentleness.

My heart skipped a beat.

She picked up her phone again, put it to her ear, and listened to the voice message again.

Over and over again.

I memorized every word he said and every tone of his voice.

Even though the audio is short, I can never get enough of it.

Anning never believed that anyone could be anyone's salvation, but as she listened to the voice that pierced her heart, she seemed to feel a glimmer of hope, which was why she was able to save herself.

She unconsciously smiled.

The phone received another voice message.

An Ning was about to click on it with great joy when suddenly, her heart sank in the next second.

She subconsciously calculated the little money she had left, and hesitated for a long time before clicking on the voice message.

Li Chunfang's voice was brief and her tone was so calm it was almost devoid of warmth.

"Anning, come back tomorrow morning."

......

The following morning, An Ning did not meet Chen Yumei when she reached the alley entrance. She wanted to repay An Tianhua for the alcohol debt he owed her.

The convenience store was unusually closed.

"Hey, isn't this Anning?"

A thin voice sounded from behind. An Ning turned around and saw Chen Yumei's daughter, Xu Jiaojiao.

Standing next to her was a young man about her height, who held her hand and asked, "Jiaojiao, who is this?"

Xu Jiaojiao glanced at An Ning disdainfully, "She's my high school classmate, the one who's poor and likes to gain men's sympathy by pretending to be a woman."

Liu Jun's eyes lingered on An Ning with ill intent. "She's not bad looking, the kind of girl men like."

"What do you mean, Liu Jun?"

Xu Jiaojiao angrily shook off Liu Jun's hand, "You've fallen for her slutty face too, haven't you?"

"How could I possibly be interested in her?" Liu Jun quickly coaxed her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I only love you, Jiaojiao."

Xu Jiaojiao pretended to struggle for a few moments before finally letting Liu Jun hold her, satisfied.

An Ning didn't want to talk to Xu Jiaojiao. They had been in the same class for three years of high school. Xu Jiaojiao couldn't keep up with her in her studies and was always competing with her. An Ning didn't want to mention the disgusting things she had done.

Even though it's been so long since graduation, whenever the two of them meet, she still makes a few sarcastic remarks.

An Ning didn't want to pay attention to their flirting and was just about to leave when she heard Xu Jiaojiao making sarcastic remarks behind her again.

"Honey, let me tell you, her family is very poor. You don't know that her mother is asking for 200,000 yuan as a bride price, just to help support her poor family."

An Ning suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked indifferently, "What dowry?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jiaojiao laughed dismissively, "Look at you, putting on an act again."

She looked at Anning with disdain, "Don't tell me you don't know. Your mother wants you to marry my cousin, and she's asking for a dowry of 200,000 yuan. They're discussing the wedding at your house right now."