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

Anning came at the wrong time.

She originally wanted to check on Cheng Wanwan, since she was one of the people involved when the accident happened, and had a reason to come and visit.

But as soon as I reached the door, I heard faint voices inside.

The moment that familiar, cool voice spoke, it struck her heart.

An Ning lowered her eyes and slowly forced a bitter smile.

A person you find repulsive.

Yes, he didn't need to hide his disgust for her; it was clear from his expression and eyes.

Through the crack in the door, which was only half a palm's width wide, she could vaguely see that the man was sitting with his back turned, his back straight, feeding the woman on the hospital bed soup spoonful by spoonful.

Every gesture she makes is gentle.

In the past, Lu Xiyan's gentleness was so precious that it belonged only to An Ning.

Now, she has long lost the right to exclusively enjoy his tenderness.

They don't even have the right to feel a lump in their throat.

She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her skin.

A voice inside her told her: Anning, they're getting engaged. You and Lu Xiyan are from completely different worlds. For the sake of how much he loved you, don't appear in front of him again and make him hate you.

She raised her head slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering, forcing back the moisture from her eyes.

He withdrew his hand from the door he was about to knock on, and turned to leave.

......

In the hospital room, the cell phone in my pocket rang.

Long, slender fingers reached for the phone and swiped to unlock it.

Anning: [Transfer ¥2800]

Not a single word was superfluous.

The man gave a soft snort, tinged with mockery.

So they've got the money and are feeling more confident now?

Just glancing at his screen out of curiosity, Cheng Wanwan immediately saw the word "Anning" in the chat box.

His hand, hidden under the blanket, gripped the corner of the blanket tightly, and a barely perceptible hint of hatred flickered in his eyes.

If what Xi Yan said is true, and An Ning is just someone he finds repulsive, why would he bother to investigate her information?

When she met the man's gaze again, the hatred on her face vanished instantly, replaced by tenderness in her eyes.

"Wanwan, I have a meeting to attend, so I'm heading back to the office now."

Lu Xiyan placed the soup bowl in his hand on the table next to him, stood up and said, "I'll come see you again later."

"west Yan." Cheng Wanwan reached out and tugged at his sleeve. "Don't forget the family dinner this weekend. Grandpa Lu specifically told me to bring you back for dinner."

When the topic of family dinner came up, Lu Xiyan's eyes darkened and his tone turned icy. "Tell him I'm not available."

"west Yan, although our engagement is a lie, the elders don't know the truth and think we're really in love."

Cheng Wanwan looked up at him, her face still a little pale. "We still have to go through with the formalities, and the engagement banquet is next month. You can't just stay away from home forever, can you?"

Lu Xiyan didn't say whether he would come back or not, he just said "You should rest well" and then turned and left the ward.

......

The descending elevator stopped on the twelfth floor.

The elevator doors opened, and the man slightly raised his eyelids, glancing indifferently at the person standing at the elevator door, only to meet the other person's extremely surprised gaze.

"Little...Little Lu?"

Li Chunfang almost thought she was seeing things, standing at the door looking at the man in the elevator in surprise.

The man was dressed in a sharp black suit, tall and slender, with his jet-black hair meticulously styled. He exuded an aura of nobility and arrogance.

When he slightly raised his eyelids to look at her, there was a captivating sense of oppression.

She was completely different from the smiling and polite Xiao Lu she remembered.

Li Chunfang was startled by his cold gaze. If it weren't for the fact that his face was as handsome as it had been four years ago, making him unforgettable, she would have thought she had mistaken him for someone else.

Lu Xiyan did not respond; a slight nod was the greatest courtesy and upbringing he could muster.

As Li Chunfang entered the elevator, she hurriedly asked, "Xiao Lu, what are you doing here? Is someone in your family sick?"

Lu Xiyan remained silent, utterly indifferent.

Li Chunfang thought he was still blaming her for what happened back then. When Anning left Jinghai, Xiao Lu came to her house several times, asking if she could tell him where Anning had gone and if he had any way to contact her.

At the time, Li Chunfang genuinely didn't know where An Ning had gone, but she felt guilty, so she dismissed him perfunctorily.

Several visits to inquire yielded no results.

He was so pitiful back then, she felt a little sorry for him.

Later, Anning, who had been away for a year, sent her some money. She originally wanted to tell Xiao Lu this news so that he might be able to find Anning's address.

But after that, Xiao Lu never came to our house again.

Later, Li Chunfang met Lu Xiyan on television.

In a flash, he became the president of the renowned Ou Teng Group in Jinghai.

For her, seeing him was harder than climbing to heaven.

"Xiao Lu, don't blame your mother for what happened back then... Auntie."

Realizing her mistake in addressing her, Li Chunfang quickly corrected herself, saying apologetically, "When you came looking for Anning back then, I genuinely didn't know where she was. That girl just left without a word to her family. But now she's back, have you two met?"

It would have been better if this name hadn't been mentioned; the mere mention of those two words intensified the coldness emanating from Lu Xiyan.

Li Chunfang didn't notice his cold expression. While speaking, she quickly took out her phone and said, "How about I give you Anning's phone number? You two haven't seen each other for so many years. You should meet up and have a good chat. After all, you were husband and wife."

couple?

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiyan found the two words laughable.

Li Chunfang pulled out a phone number and handed it to the man. At that moment, the elevator stopped on the first floor.

The man didn't even glance at them; the elevator doors opened, and he strode out.

"Xiao Lu, you haven't memorized the phone number yet!" Li Chunfang quickly chased after him, insisting on giving him the number.

Lu Xiyan seemed not to hear him. Li Chunfang, unable to catch up, anxiously called out from behind, "Little Lu, there was actually a reason why our Anning divorced you back then!"

His brisk strides suddenly came to a halt.

The man's straight back stiffened, and his hand clenched tighter in his pocket.

He turned to look at Li Chunfang's wrinkled and somewhat sallow face, a cold smile playing on his lips. "What's the reason? Isn't it for the money?"

Li Chunfang was stunned, her astonishment written all over her face. "You...you knew all about it?"

"Ha!" Lu Xiyan chuckled dismissively. He had thought he would hear some different explanation for her past.

His cold, stern face was full of mockery. He sneered, "Isn't your An family, from top to bottom, all bloodsuckers who love money more than anything? What, now that things are tough, you want to make a quick buck again? Do you really think I'm a spendthrift?"

Li Chunfang stood there, her face alternating between pale and flushed.

She never imagined that such harsh words would come out of Xiao Lu's mouth.

"How could you say that about Anning?" Li Chunfang retorted, her face flushed. "My daughter—"

"Isn't that right?" the man retorted.