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

The President's Office of Auten Group.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and a soft voice came from inside, "Come in."

Jiang Yao came in carrying a file folder. "President Lu, this is the information we found about Miss An's ex-husband."

Upon hearing this, the man sitting at the desk closed his laptop and took the file bag that Jiang Yao handed him.

When you open it, there's only a thin piece of paper and a photograph inside.

"Mr. Lu, this is all the information we could find." Jiang Yao looked troubled. "It's as if all the information has been erased; we can't find anything."

Lu Xiyan spotted the photo immediately.

The photo shows a man and a woman. The woman is sitting by a flower bed. She has a fair and beautiful face, and even without makeup, her features are exquisite.

She wore a plain white dress, her belly slightly protruding, and when taking photos, she had a faint smile on her face, serene and gentle.

Lu Xiyan frowned deeply as he looked at the man squatting beside the woman, one hand intimately and ambiguously stroking her pregnant belly. He turned his head away, obscuring his face, but he was wearing a white coat.

Judging from the background, it looks like a hospital.

On the other piece of paper was a brief message about the man.

Xu Zhijun?

A psychologist at Jining Central Hospital, his gaze shifting downwards?

"Mr. Lu, we can't find any information about Ms. An from a few years ago. We can only find that a few months before Ms. An returned to Jinghai, she was very close to this Dr. Xu in Jining City."

Jiang Yao glanced at the man's composed expression and continued, "The two meet almost every day and even take Miss An's child out to play. So, it's very likely that this Dr. Xu is Miss An's ex-husband."

"Can't find it?" Lu Xiyan stared at the photo in his hand. "Then what about this photo?"

Jiang Yao hurriedly said, "This was found at the Central Hospital of Jining City. This is the only photo we could find."

Lu Xiyan's deep eyes were fixed on the woman in the photo.

The photo was taken when she was pregnant, a few months after she left Jinghai.

So after she dumped him, she didn't immediately go abroad, but instead married another man and had children in Jining City?

"Xu Zhijun?"

Lu Xiyan chuckled softly, his hand holding the photo tightening slightly, and his expression becoming even more stern.

it's him!

That night I called Anning, and that was the name saved in her phone!

Outside the door, the hand that was about to push the door open suddenly stopped.

Cheng Wanwan's eyes widened. Was west Yan investigating An Ning's ex-husband?

Does he suspect the bastard's parentage, or does he want to reconcile with Anning?

Cheng Wanwan gripped her bag tightly. No, she absolutely couldn't let west Yan know about this!

She glanced at the closed office door, then her eyes darted around.

"Xu Zhijun, Jining Central Hospital?"

She chuckled softly, then turned and left.

......

On the coffee table, photos of a man and a woman were torn in half.

When the phone rang, the man's half-photograph had been burned in the ashtray, leaving only a corner of his white coat.

Only half of the woman's photo remained on the table.

Lu Xiyan looked at the incoming call, his eyes dark and brooding.

The call was answered, and it was a woman's questioning voice: "Lu Xiyan, did you sell the house in Pangu Mansion?"

Her first words were an angry accusation. The man coldly replied, "Yes, so what?"

Anning stood on the balcony outside the office, holding her phone, and asked him, "Why sell it? You said before—"

"What did you say before?" a mocking voice came from the phone. "It's my house, I can sell it whenever I want. What right does Miss An have to interfere?"

An Ning bit her lip, a dull ache in her heart.

Pangu Mansion was Lu Xiyan's former private residence. It was the house where she and he quickly got married and then secretly married. After confirming their love for each other, they moved in and lived together.

In that house, they spent the most intimate, warmest, and most unforgettable period of their lives.

From large home furnishings and appliances to small items like plates, bowls, and chopsticks, and even all the small decorative items in the house, everything was chosen by the two of them together.

He once said that no matter what happens in the future, he will not sell this place.

Because this place holds their memories of love.

Now, An Ning naturally had no right to interfere with whether he sold or not. She spoke softly, "Mr. Lu, could you please not sell?"

After saying that, she continued, "I know you don't lack real estate; you have so many houses under your name that you can't even live in them all. Can you keep the house in Pangu Mansion?"

The man on the other end of the phone paused for two seconds, then said, "No."

"That place is superfluous to me," the man said in a deep, mocking voice. "Besides, whether I sell or not has nothing to do with Miss An."

"That place has a great location, and property prices in Jinghai are rising right now. Mr. Lu, it's sure to appreciate in value if you keep it." An Ning seemed to have found a reasonable excuse for him to keep the house. "You're a businessman; you won't do a losing business."

A cold laugh came from the other end of the phone. "I'm not short of money. Besides, haven't I already lost a lot of money on Miss An?"

"Then you shouldn't have sold it so cheaply!" When Anning saw the property listing, she was shocked not only by the fact that he was selling the house, but also by the price.

The original 60 million yuan apartment, not to mention how much it has appreciated in value, he actually sold it for less than 5 million!

He sold the house that held so many memories for them like trash.

Her sudden outburst of temper made the man chuckle. "What's wrong, Miss An? You can't bear to part with it? If you can't, you can buy it. It doesn't matter who I sell it to anyway. I don't mind if you're the buyer."

"Oh, I forgot, Miss An might not be able to afford it." The man's tone rose. "However, if Miss An likes it, we can consider a loan."

Anning's grip on the railing tightened involuntarily. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she asked, "Are you really going to sell it?"

"Of course." The man spoke with absolute certainty, his clear tone carrying a hint of suppressed anger. "That place is nothing but worthless garbage to me. Its existence only reminds me of that foolish past. I wouldn't even consider it dirty for five million!"

An Ning's fingertips trembled, and her voice was very soft, "I understand... I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Lu."

She hung up the phone, feeling an unbearable tightness in her chest.

"Ningning, it's not your fault that your family of origin is unhappy. I will give you a complete family in the future, with only love and no quarrels."

"Baby, this is our home, this is your home."

"No matter how fierce the storm outside, this will always be your safe haven, and the door of this home will always be open for you."

"Don't worry, this is my house, Lu Xiyan's house, and it belongs to you, Anning. It has nothing to do with anyone in the Lu family."

The man's words from the past kept resurfacing in her mind; the sweeter the words, the more they felt like a sharp sword, piercing her and drawing blood.

Tears suddenly fell and landed on the railing.

It fell in a crackling, pattering sound, like beads falling from a broken string.

Home......

She never had a home.

......

"Ms. An, this is the purchase contract. Please take a look."

In the VIP room of the sales office, the sales staff were extremely attentive.

Anning glanced at it and indicated that there was no problem with the contract.

The other party then asked, "So, are you planning to buy the house in installments or pay in full?"

An Ning's eyes were indifferent, and she smiled faintly, "Full payment."

"Okay, Ms. An." The salesperson handed over the contract. "If there are no problems, we can sign the contract."

An Ning removed the pen cap and signed her name.

Then, she took out a black card from her wallet.

She hadn't touched this black card for four years, never expecting that the first time she would use it would be to buy Lu Xiyan's house.

......

Lu Family Manor.

Lu Lixiao was playing chess in the back garden when the butler came up to him and whispered a few words in his ear.

Grandpa Lu paused slightly in his grip on the chess piece and asked, "Where is it?"

"Jinghai," the butler said, "has bought a house; it's a private residence sold by the second young master."