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

Tears welled up instantly, blurring my vision.

An Ning clutched her aching chest tightly, opened her mouth, and whispered, "west Yan..."

The moment those once affectionate terms were uttered, Anning burst into tears.

Her voice trembled, choked with uncontrollable sobs, "I beg you... please help me..."

"peaceful."

The man's cold voice carried a hint of suppressed resentment, "Is this how you act when you need something from someone? If you need something, you should act like one."

An Ning was slightly taken aback, and the next second she heard him give an address clearly and crisply.

"Come here, let me see how sincere you are."

......

Half the bottle of wine was gone. Lu Xiyan sat on the sofa, holding a wine glass, and chuckled softly.

Western-style banquet?

Ah!

An Ning truly knew what methods she was best at.

In the past, as long as she acted coquettishly and affectionately called him "Xi Yan," he would be powerless to resist and would agree to anything she asked.

He suddenly gripped the wine glass tightly, his knuckles turning white.

But Anning, what makes you think I'll fall for that?

The clock on the wall ticked slowly for half an hour.

The butler, Li Quan, called over the intercom. "Young Master, Miss An... Miss An is outside the gate and wants to see you."

Lu Xiyan said coldly, "Tell her to wait."

......

A slender figure stood outside the gate of the luxurious villa.

The woman wore a plain white long dress with a light blue thin knitted cardigan, and a few wisps of hair falling by her ears outlined her fair and beautiful face.

Through a large door, she saw a familiar figure walking towards her.

Li Quan is the butler who works for Lu Xiyan's father.

She had met him a few times before; he was a very kind person.

"Uncle Quan".

She greeted him softly.

"Miss An," Li Quan said, standing inside the doorway. "It's been a long time."

An Ning lowered her eyes slightly. "Is Mr. west...Lu here?"

Since the young master didn't say whether he would see her or not, Li Quan could only convey the message tactfully, "The young master said to ask you to wait a moment."

An Ning nodded gently.

Li Quan looked at her thin face, with red lips and white teeth, and skin as smooth as jade. She was as young and beautiful as she was four years ago, and her temperament was gentle and mild. She didn't look like she came from a poor family.

If she hadn't been so greedy back then, perhaps she and the young master would have become a real family by now.

Their young master wouldn't have turned out like this.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life.

Li Quan sighed softly, turned around, and went into the villa.

An Ning looked up at the enormous villa, its size exceeding her field of vision.

It turns out that he had already moved away from where he used to live.

That's true. Now that he has taken over the family business, he probably won't be living in his previous private residence anymore.

She should be living with her parents now.

An Ning stood outside the gate, waiting quietly.

She wasn't sure when Lu Xiyan would see her, or whether his sincerity was just a matter of whether she was willing to wait.

She checked the time on her phone; fifteen minutes had passed.

Lu Xiyan has not come out yet.

......

On the second-floor open-air balcony, the man's tall figure was hidden in the night.

He stood aloof and arrogant, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the white figure at the downstairs entrance.

The pale moonlight bathed her, creating a hazy, yet strikingly beautiful effect.

She would turn her phone on, glance at it, and then turn it off again. These subtle movements caught the man's eye, and he smiled slightly.

So soon, you don't even have the patience to wait?

Compared to the time he'd been waiting, this was nothing!

......

Forty minutes have passed.

Anning finally couldn't wait any longer and prepared to ring the doorbell again.

The moment she raised her hand, the second floor of the villa suddenly turned on.

She suddenly looked up and saw the man's tall figure.

He stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching her coldly.

The terrace lights shone on him, outlining his cool and handsome face.

An Ning clenched her hands at her sides, suppressing the soreness in her chest, and stared at that familiar yet unfamiliar handsome face. "Mr. Lu, could you please grant me permission to have my mother admitted to the hospital for treatment?"

Her voice was very clear in the quiet night.

The man looked at her stubborn face, his voice cold, "Miss An, what makes you think I'll help you just because you ask me to?"

An Ning looked at his cold face, as if a human life was insignificant in his eyes.

She tolerated being told there were no beds available and being asked to leave.

She tolerated the extra 100,000 yuan in surgery fees when a different surgeon was chosen.

But now, in the vast city of Jinghai, not a single hospital will admit her mother.

Lu Xiyan was going to just watch her mother die!

"Mr. Lu, what can I do to spare my mother's life? She's not just my mother, she's a living, breathing human being!"

Anning gripped the gate's bars with both hands, her eyes filled with tears as she looked through the closed doors. "My mother's condition is very serious. The cancer cells are spreading rapidly. If no hospital admits her, she won't survive more than a few days! I beg Mr. Lu to save her!"

"life?"

Lu Xiyan seemed to have heard something funny, and let out a cold laugh, "Yes, your mother's life is a life, but other people's lives aren't?"

An Ning looked at him through teary eyes, not understanding the meaning behind his words.

She watched the man descend the spiral staircase from the terrace, each step feeling like it was treading on her heart.

His figure walked towards her, getting closer and closer, until he stopped not far from her.

Through the tightly closed door, the man looked at her with utter disdain. "Anning, you should also taste the pain of losing a loved one."

His words were like sharp blades piercing An Ning's heart.

An Ning desperately suppressed the agonizing pain in her heart and pleaded with him, "Lu Xiyan, I beg you to save my mother! I really have no other choice. I know you hate me, you can do whatever you want to me, but please let my mother go to the hospital."

"Lu Xiyan..." An Ning gripped the iron gate, looking at the man on the other side, tears streaming down her face. "I beg you..."

She had to admit that Lu Xiyan could accomplish something with just a word, something she could never do in her entire life.

The distance between them was so great.

One in the sky, the other in the mud.

She cried until her face was covered in tears, her eyes, which he had once kissed, were filled with tears, and her thin shoulders trembled slightly.

The man's chest heaved violently, his knuckles trembling with exertion, and a dark red tinge appeared in his deep eyes.

"An Ning," he glanced at her and asked coldly, "how does it feel to beg for help?"

An Ning looked at him in surprise.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Lu Xiyan's eyes were bloodshot. "Have you forgotten that I begged you for the same thing back then?!"

"But what about you!" he suddenly shouted, pointing a finger at An Ning. "You left without even looking back! Didn't you ever think that you might one day need my help!"

He stepped forward, staring intently into An Ning's tearful eyes, and asked her, "An Ning, do you regret it?"

Do you regret abandoning him, regret divorcing him so decisively?

An Ning felt as if all her strength had been drained away. She lowered her eyes, unable to meet his gaze, and tears fell to the ground.

Regret?

Anning had asked herself the same question.

How could I not regret it?

For the four years since I left him, I have regretted it every day and night.

But what can we do?

"Lu Xiyan," she said with difficulty, "I'll do anything for you as long as you're willing to ask me to save my mother."

Her gaze shifted away, and the man felt a sharp pain in his heart.

He turned his head away, and the tears he had been holding back fell, which he immediately wiped away.

The next second, the tightly closed door slowly opened.

Before An Ning could react, the man grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside.