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

The two people inside the room were both taken aback.

He clearly hadn't expected her to be standing outside the door, and he had no idea what she had heard or how much she had heard.

"Anning..." Li Chunfang quickly stood up and walked towards her.

An Ning immediately stretched out a hand to stop her from going forward, her eyes red.

Even though she already knew the answer, she couldn't help but confirm it again, "So... I was bought by you... not born from you, right?"

Li Chunfang didn't speak, but simply turned her head away, remaining silent.

She, who is usually quick-witted, did not deny it this time.

An Ning understood instantly.

Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.

She stumbled back two steps, then suddenly smiled.

That makes sense.

No wonder the love that An Tianhua and Li Chunfang gave her from childhood to adulthood was completely different from the love they gave Yu Can.

She assumed that Yu Can had been sick since childhood, which was why her parents loved her more.

She didn't hold any grudges against these things.

She was precocious and sensible, silently swallowing all her grievances.

But now I realize that it wasn't like that at all!

It turns out that their favoritism since she was a child... was because she wasn't their biological child at all!

She was just someone they bought!

She didn't even know where she came from or who her biological parents were!

A flicker of despair rose in her eyes, her vision blurring with tears. "Because I was bought, my contributions to this family are taken for granted, and I'm not appreciated, is that it?"

A lie hidden for seventeen years was exposed, and the two people in the main room just lowered their heads and remained silent.

"Because I was bought, are you now selling me off for 200,000?"

An Ning wept uncontrollably, her heart aching terribly.

How ridiculous! An Ning is nothing more than a commodity.

It can be priced, traded, and bought and sold...

Even the name "Anning" is fake...

"This isn't the kind of peace I'm looking for..."

Li Chunfang wanted to explain, but An Ning didn't want to listen.

She roared at Li Chunfang, her voice almost hoarse, "Because I was bought, you've never shown me even the slightest bit of affection since I was a child!"

My heart aches so much I can't breathe, like a weed whose roots have been broken.

"Honestly, I'd rather not marry someone for money..."

She stared at Li Chunfang, tears streaming down her face, "What I care about more is why...you didn't love me a little more..."

Over the years, the only thing she cared about was her parents' love for her...

She dreamily tossed the cloth bag she had been clutching tightly at their feet, turned around, and rushed into the downpour without looking back.

The scattered bills fell out of the white cloth bag.

Red, green... along with coins that rolled a few times on the ground before stopping.

In the dimly lit room, inside the tightly closed door, came the boy's hoarse, desperate roar—

"Dad! Mom! Why are you doing this to my sister! Are you trying to drive her to her death?!"

"If anything happens to my sister, I'll kill myself right here!!"

......

Outside the window, the rain was pouring down, with lightning and thunder.

Inside the FAF motorcycle club, three or five young men were playing cards together.

Liang Xu was standing by the window making a phone call when he noticed a man sitting in a corner who wasn't playing the game but was instead fiddling with his phone.

Lu Xiyan lowered his eyes, the black phone spinning between his slender fingers, turning on the screen when it landed in his palm, and then turning it off again.

He seemed to be waiting for someone's message but was being reserved and not taking the initiative to contact them.

He hung up the phone and was about to go over and make a few jokes when his gaze fell to the window and he stopped in his tracks.

"Young Master Lu!"

He pointed to the figure walking in the torrential rain outside the window, "Isn't that the deliveryman named Anning?"

Upon hearing the word "peace and tranquility," Lu Xiyan suddenly stood up and quickly walked to the window.

When he saw the person walking downstairs, soaked to the bone in the torrential rain, his handsome brows furrowed involuntarily.

......

The night was as dark as ink, and the white streetlights were reflected on the rain-soaked road.

The rain poured down, and speeding vehicles splashed water onto Anning's thin frame.

She walked forward blankly, seemingly oblivious to everything.

She didn't know where she was going.

It seems like nowhere is where I should be.

Like a duckweed that has no roots.

She doesn't belong anywhere.

In the vast city of Jinghai, there wasn't a single place that belonged to her in peace.

All I could see was darkness, and I couldn't see the road ahead.

Suddenly, a large black umbrella landed above her head, shielding her from all the torrential rain.

She slowly turned around and saw a walnut wood umbrella handle. The clean and refreshing scent, mixed with the dampness of the rain, reached her nostrils.

She looked up, and in the sheltered space created by the other person, in this dark and chilly rainy night, she was overwhelmed by the stirrings of emotion hidden deep within her heart.

Through the misty rain, the man's crisp gray casual clothes made him appear even taller and more upright.

Above that was a face so exquisitely handsome that it was unforgettable at first glance.

He had one hand in his pocket and the other holding an umbrella.

He looked at her expressionlessly, his brows slightly furrowed.

Clean and crisp, as if a beam of light shone upon her.

Anning's eyes stung.

It's him again, Lu Xiyan...

She remained silent, lost in thought, while Lu Xiyan's brows furrowed even deeper.

She was dressed in thin clothes, which were soaked through by the heavy rain and clung tightly to her body.

How could anyone get themselves into this state on a rainy day?

Under the white streetlights, her already fair face appeared even paler.

Rain-soaked eyelashes cast a shadow beneath her eyelids, making her appear as if she were about to collapse at the slightest touch.

An Ning looked up at him, her voice hoarse, "Are you married?"

Her question came abruptly, but his answer was straightforward.

"No." The voice was clean and clear.

She then asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Lu Xiyan's gaze fell on her cool face. "No."

"Then I..." An Ning clenched her fists at her sides, pursed her lips, and asked, "Am I ugly?"

"Not ugly."

She's even kind of pretty.

As if summoning her courage, An Ning dug her fingertips into her palm and looked at him with her bright, clear eyes.

"Will you marry me?"

There was a hint of pleading in his eyes.

"..."

Lu Xiyan didn't speak, but just frowned and looked at her.

An Ning lowered her eyes, and a tear fell.

Her voice choked with emotion as she pleaded, "I don't want a dowry, nor do I need you to buy me a car or a house. I just want to get a marriage certificate and settle down, okay?"

"Can."

Lu Xiyan's slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly as he answered crisply and decisively.

The girl looked up at the sound, a hint of disbelief flashing in her tearful eyes.

Before she could confirm whether the man was serious, her slender body suddenly went limp and she collapsed.

The black umbrella in his hand fell to the ground instantly, and Lu Xiyan immediately reached out and caught her cold body.

Nestled in a cool yet warm embrace, An Ning gently closed her eyes and instinctively grabbed the man's sleeve.

It's as if I've grasped a glimpse of the warm moon in the darkness.