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

Taking advantage of the moment when his hand loosened its grip, An Ning hurriedly freed her wrist and slapped the man across the face.

The loud slap was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Lu Xiyan's face was turned to the side after being slapped, and he calmed down completely.

Turning to look at her, I saw that her pale face was filled with terror and fear.

He seemed like some kind of man-eating beast.

Lu Xiyan felt a mix of pain and anger in his chest, as if something was tearing at him. A thousand emotions surged within him, and he wanted to vent them but couldn't find an outlet.

He suddenly chuckled softly.

I laughed in exasperation.

Seeing her like this, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to force her.

An Ning hurriedly turned her back to straighten her clothes and quickly tied the ribbon on her wrist to cover the unsightly scars.

When he turned around again, Lu Xiyan had already lit a cigarette and taken a deep drag, seemingly suppressing the emotions in his chest.

Her lips were bright red, marked by the bites he had taken.

There were also several red marks of varying shades on her fair neck.

Lu Xiyan stared at her fair face, slowly exhaling a puff of smoke. "An Ning, you've learned to hit people. Well done."

An Ning slapped me hard; my palm is still numb.

A red mark appeared on his handsome profile.

An Ning felt a little sad.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, glancing at the four missed calls on her phone screen. "Sorry to bother you."

She turned to leave, but Lu Xiyan called her back.

"Anning, didn't you want to save your mother's life?"

Lu Xiyan took a drag of his cigarette, sat on the sofa, and looked at her with cold eyes. "You broke up with your ex-husband, yet you willingly climbed into my bed to please me. I can provide for your mother's surgery and treatment costs, your job, and the financial security for you and your son."

Anning turned to look at him in disbelief.

"My resume was rejected because of you?"

Lu Xiyan did not deny it, but simply raised an eyebrow at her.

His cool and handsome face was faintly visible in the smoke, and there was a deep meaning in his deep eyes that An Ning could not fathom.

An Ning laughed in anger; he had gone to great lengths to get revenge on her.

"Lu Xiyan, you cheated on Cheng Wanwan, does she know?"

Lu Xiyan smiled, his thin lips curving upwards. "This is not something you should be concerned about."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lu," An Ning smiled gently, "I don't like being a third party in someone else's marriage."

She refused decisively, and Lu Xiyan coldly sneered, "Do you think you have such high moral character? Even ants will eat their own kind for survival, what wouldn't you do?"

He knew how to tear her heart out.

An Ning's eyes were red. "Lu Xiyan, why are you forcing me like this?"

Lu Xiyan stubbed out the cigarette that was mostly lit between his fingers and chuckled, "I want to know if a woman who betrayed everything for money four years ago will abandon her dignity for money again four years later."

For him, it was just a game of manipulation.

An Ning nodded knowingly, and tears fell as she turned away.

He made her come and beg him, just to slowly wear down her dignity.

An Ning didn't say anything, and walked step by step toward the door.

Lu Xiyan frowned, staring at her back. She didn't want to agree?

She wanted to remain chaste for her ex-husband, and even gave up her mother's life.

The person who was walking briskly to the door suddenly stopped and turned around.

Lu Xiyan raised an eyebrow. Had he made up his mind?

He waited for her to say the words "I promise you".

The next second, he saw An Ning kneel down directly in front of him.

Lu Xiyan clenched his fists instinctively, almost crushing the bones.

She was kneeling before him!

She would rather kneel down than get into his bed and sleep with him!

An Ning knelt down, and when she looked up, her eyes were filled with a brokenness mixed with a hint of stubbornness.

"Mr. Lu, I know that you come from a prominent family and have power and influence. With just a few words, you can leave ordinary people like us, like ants, with no way to seek medical treatment and feeling isolated and helpless."

"I was wrong. My family is so small and insignificant. I shouldn't have messed with you in the first place. I beg you to have mercy and spare my family's life. I know you despise me. If you just ask me to get my mother into the hospital, I promise I will never appear in front of you again. Just pretend you never knew me."

"Mr. Lu, I'm begging you!"

After An Ning finished speaking calmly, her heart seemed to stop beating.

The pain is worse than when I left him four years ago.

He wanted to see her dignity utterly destroyed, and she had already crushed her own dignity for him to see.

She has lost all dignity.

After a while, she heard a low growl, almost a roar, echo in the large living room.

"roll!"

"thank you."

An Ning thanked him politely, stood up, and quickly ran out the door.

She practically fled the Yuhe Duke's mansion; if she had stayed even a minute longer, she would have been completely routed.

She didn't stop until she had run a long way and her figure disappeared into the night.

All her strength was drained away, and Anning collapsed to the ground, clutching the ribbon on her left wrist and bursting into tears.

It felt like an invisible hand was gripping her chest tightly, and the pain made it hard for her to breathe.

An Ning's breathing became so rapid that it seemed she was about to suffocate.

The pale moonlight shone on her pale face, making her already snow-white skin appear even paler. Her trembling fingers frantically rummaged through her bag.

He then pulled out a bottle of sertraline, poured out a few pills, tilted his head back, and popped them into his mouth.

After a while, his emotions gradually calmed down.

With wet tear stains on her face, she looked up at the moon hanging in the sky.

Four years is such a long time.

Not only did it change him, but even the moon wasn't as bright as it was four years ago.

The phone in her bag rang again, and Anning answered it.

"Ningning? Why did it take you so long to answer the phone? Did something happen to Auntie?"

On the other end of the phone, the man's voice was gentle and clear, with a hint of urgent concern.

"I'm sorry, I was busy with something just now."

"It's good that everything is alright." The other person breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "When you sent me the message, I was giving psychological counseling to a patient, so it took a while and I delayed your business. Regarding your aunt's condition, I asked my senior colleague, who is a breast specialist. I'll send you a list of medications that are available, and I'll send you the ones that I can't buy."

"Dr. Xu, is there really any medication that can control this?" An Ning opened the chat window and looked at the list the other party had sent. "I'll go to the pharmacy to buy it right now."

"Ningning, your aunt needs surgery as soon as possible," Xu Zhijun said gently. "If Jinghai Hospital can't handle it, I'll come and take you and your aunt to Xiangshi Hospital for surgery. My senior brother is there."

Over the past few years, Xu Zhijun has taken great care of her, and An Ning is extremely grateful.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Xu. I've already troubled you too much. I'll think of another way. If it really doesn't work, I'll trouble you again."

"Ningning, you don't need to be so polite with me. You know me—"

Before the other person could finish speaking, another call came in.