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

An Ning bent over, her back ramrod straight, clutching the clothes that were almost faded from washing.

Tears suddenly fell down my cheeks.

It was as if a taut nerve had suddenly snapped, causing her to turn away and cover her mouth in pain.

A sobbing sound came from between the fingers of the hand.

In the cramped and dimly lit room, only a faint and broken sobbing could be heard.

It lasted for a minute or two, then gradually subsided.

Li Chunfang took two steps from the doorway into the room, looked at An Ning's trembling shoulders, and tentatively asked, "An Ning...you and Xiao Lu—"

"It's impossible." An Ning interrupted Li Chunfang without hesitation, and when she turned around, her fair face regained its previous stubbornness and coldness.

But her eyes were still red from crying.

Li Chunfang wanted to ask something else, but An Ning didn't give her a chance to continue. Instead, she changed the subject and said, "I've paid a little bit of the surgery fee for now, but there's still some left. You should be able to save up some of the money I transferred to you before and take it to the hospital to pay the fees."

The cost is around 300,000, but we're still short about 200,000.

Li Chunfang is usually quite frugal, and she estimates she can save up about 50,000 to 60,000 yuan.

So, she still has over 100,000 yuan left, and she'll figure out a way to make it happen.

Upon hearing this, Li Chunfang did not move, her expression somewhat hesitant.

Anning stopped tidying up the clothes, turned to look at her, and understood immediately.

She straightened up, her brow furrowed slightly. "You didn't save a single penny, did you?"

Faced with her questioning, Li Chunfang looked embarrassed and stammered, "I didn't spend the money myself, it was your father..."

Before she could finish speaking, Quan Anning understood that An Tianhua had used it for gambling.

An Tianhua is a gambler who has been daydreaming for years about "taking a gamble and turning a bicycle into a motorcycle," fantasizing that one day he can become a millionaire through gambling.

As a result, he remained penniless until his death.

All that remains is countless debts.

Li Chunfang used to verbally persuade him to stop gambling, but she couldn't control him at all.

In fact, An Ning understood that Li Chunfang still had a sliver of hope for An Tianhua, hoping that one day he would come to his senses and become a good husband.

So Li Chunfang discovered she had a disease but didn't seek treatment, not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't afford the high cost of surgery.

In truth, Li Chunfang herself brought this upon herself by being unable to afford treatment.

And when she called Anning, it wasn't really to give her last words.

She was simply hoping to get a sliver of hope from Anning that she could still be rescued.

She wanted to live.

She knew Anning wouldn't really abandon her.

An Ning also knew what Li Chunfang was thinking.

An Ning didn't say anything, picked up her packed clothes and went out.

......

Jinghai is the capital, and everything is developed, not to mention transportation.

Even in villages that cling to the corners of towering buildings like a spider web, no matter how deep or narrow the alleys are, as long as they are wide enough for a small car to pass through, there are still many taxis passing by.

Li Chunfang's body couldn't withstand the journey of taking a bus, then the subway, and then another bus, so Anning called a car to take her to the hospital.

The taxi emerged from the alley, merged into the traffic, and drove onto the wide asphalt road.

As Anning passed a subway entrance, she glanced outside and saw a familiar figure.

A middle-aged woman set up a stall at the subway entrance, displaying many small items on a square blue and white checkered cloth.

Anning recognized her; she was the older woman who had brought her the umbrella the night before.

She carefully packed the umbrella away and put it in her bag after it dried last night, hoping to return it to the woman someday.

She asked the driver to stop on the side of the road so she could get out and return the umbrella.

Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that besides numerous cartoon bus card holders, the woman's stall also displayed several brand-new umbrellas.

"Hey ma'am, are you selling umbrellas here?"

Hearing the voice, the middle-aged woman sitting on the ground looked up and suddenly seemed to recognize her. "It's you, young lady."

She is really beautiful, with an outstanding face and figure, especially after what happened last night, it's hard for a middle-aged woman not to remember.

An Ning smiled faintly, her eyes curving slightly. "Big sister, thank you for giving me the umbrella yesterday. Since you're in this business, I should give you the money."

As she reached for her wallet, the woman quickly waved her hand with a smile, "No need, miss. This umbrella wasn't a gift from me; someone bought it and has already paid for it."

"Did someone buy it?" Anning asked.

"Yes, it was a handsome man who drove a black car. He parked next to me and bought an umbrella for me to bring to you."

The middle-aged woman was still very happy when she talked about what happened last night. The young man was handsome and generous. The price of one umbrella plus the delivery fee was enough for her to earn a week's worth of money from her stall.

An Ning's eyes suddenly trembled.

A handsome man driving a black car...

Is it Lu Xiyan?

"Girl, did you and your partner have a fight, and neither of you is willing to apologize?"

The middle-aged woman seemed used to this awkward way young couples interacted, and said with a smile, "I think your boyfriend actually cares about you quite a bit; he's been watching you for a long time in that car."

As she spoke, she pointed to the roadside not far away.

"It's normal for couples to have disagreements, but never hold a grudge. Holding a grudge can easily cause your relationship to fade," the middle-aged woman advised her. "You're so pretty, just act cute and say some sweet words, and your boyfriend will definitely come back to you."

Her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched unconsciously, and she didn't even feel pain when her pale fingertips dug into her flesh.

An Ning lowered her eyes. Yes, whenever she was being a little sulky, as long as she acted cute and said something sweet, Lu Xiyan would immediately come over and hug her, rubbing against her neck like a big golden retriever.

But that was four years ago.

Not now.

Now, she no longer has the right to act coquettishly with him.

Besides, he's already engaged.

"drop--"

The urgent honking of a taxi parked by the roadside interrupted Anning's thoughts.

She snapped out of her daze, smiled slightly, and said, "Thank you, but he's not my boyfriend."

The woman selling umbrellas watched her leave and shook her head in bewilderment.

The girl's eyes were red. If they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, what could they be?

Could they be ex-husband and ex-wife?

......

Upon arriving at the hospital, Li Chunfang was admitted to a ward, and the doctor arranged for her to undergo examinations that afternoon.

Anning went out to buy some fruit.

In front of the fruit shop, the owner was enthusiastically hawking his wares, "Fresh tangerines, sweet and delicious!"

Seeing someone approach, the shopkeeper asked enthusiastically, "Young lady, have a tangerine. If it's not sweet, you don't have to pay."

He placed half a tangerine in Anning's hand, and the faint scent of tangerine wafted into her nose.

An Ning stared at the tangerine in her hand, when suddenly she heard a man's soft and pleasant voice echoing in her ears.

"Wow, this orange is so sour!"

"This isn't an orange, it's a lemon."

"A lemon? Why does it look just like an orange?"

"Lu Xiyan, you can't tell the difference between an orange and a lemon, can you?"

"How is that possible!"

The truth is, he genuinely couldn't tell the difference.

The pampered young master, who had no worries about food and clothing, never had the time to distinguish between oranges and lemons, or between cilantro and celery during his childhood.

More accurately, it is not necessary.

The heavy tangerines were in my hand.

An Ning's eyes stung with tears.

Lu Xiyan, can you tell the difference between oranges and lemons now?