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

Lu Lixiao stood at the door, followed by the butler Ji Xiu.

His expression was gentle as he asked with a smile, "Miss An, won't you invite me in for a seat?"

Pulling herself away from the suffocating memories, Anning subconsciously took a few steps back. "Please come in."

After pouring tea, An Ning sat opposite him, emanating an invisible sense of oppression.

Lu Lixiao glanced around the room, then smiled at An Ning, "Miss An, when did you return to Jinghai? Why didn't you even say hello to this old man?"

His tone was gentle, his smile kind, but the questions he asked contained a deeper meaning.

An Ning understood and smiled slightly, "Chairman Lu, my mother is sick, so I came back rather hastily."

"Oh, really?" Lu Lixiao picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and asked, "Has your mother's illness been cured?"

"Thank you for your concern, Chairman. The surgery is already complete."

"In that case, shouldn't Miss An also leave Jinghai?" Lu Lixiao put down his teacup and stared intently at An Ning.

An Ning paused, clenched her hands, and said, "Chairman Lu, my mother just had surgery and isn't feeling well, so I probably won't be leaving Jinghai for a while."

"How long is 'short time'?" A deep meaning appeared in Lu Lixiao's eyes. "Four years ago, I fulfilled all the promises I made to Miss An, but Miss An did not keep the promises she made to me."

"Since Miss An accepted my money, she should be a person of her word." He looked at An Ning, his eyes sharp. "But now you've bought Xi Yan's house. What is your intention?"

An Ning never expected that Lu Lixiao would find out about her purchase of the house so soon after she bought it.

This shows how well-informed he is.

Therefore, Lu Lixiao must have known about her return to Jinghai.

The most likely reason he didn't contact her was to observe whether she was bothering Lu Xiyan.

Sure enough, as soon as he bought the house under his name, Lu Lixiao came to visit him in person.

"Chairman, you misunderstand. I just returned to Jinghai and needed a place to stay so that my mother could have a place to recuperate. I happened to see President Lu selling this house and bought it on a whim."

An Ning remained calm and smiled lightly. "The chairman is a businessman; he should know the value of this house. Since President Lu is willing to sell at a low price, I might as well take advantage of it."

Her words were tactful and appropriate. Lu Lixiao smiled and said, "My grandson is a willful person who likes to do things his own way. Since he doesn't want this house anymore, it proves that he has nothing to miss about the past. I think Miss An should feel the same way."

"I'm just here to see Miss An, nothing more." He stood up, glanced at Ji Xiu, who immediately took out a check and handed it to An Ning.

A full ten million.

An Ning's eyes widened in surprise, and she didn't take it. "Chairman, what's this?"

"It's been four years since we last met. This is a gift for Miss An. I believe Miss An will continue to keep our promise and not bother west Yan any further."

Lu Lixiao deliberately emphasized the word "disturbance" and added a hint of warning.

"The chairman is very generous." An Ning chuckled and readily accepted the check. "Thank you very much, chairman."

Seeing that she had accepted the check, Lu Lixiao smiled with satisfaction and walked away.

......

Once inside the elevator, Ji Xiu asked, "Sir, Miss An has accepted the money. You should be able to rest assured now, right?"

Lu Lixiao's expression turned serious again. "If it could be solved with money, it would be much simpler, and I wouldn't have to worry about this."

"Are you worried that Miss An will break her promise and continue to pester the second young master?"

"If she keeps bothering west Yan, I have plenty of ways to deal with it." Lu Lixiao sighed heavily. "I'm just afraid that west Yan still can't let go, and I really have no way to deal with him."

Ji Xiu thought for a moment and said, "The Second Master passed away because of the Second Young Master's obsession, and the Second Madam is still in a coma. I suppose the Second Young Master is very disappointed in Miss An."

Lu Lixiao shook his head. "Love isn't that simple; it can kill!"

He turned and instructed, "The engagement banquet with the Cheng family must not go wrong. Once the engagement is finalized, we should put the wedding on the agenda. If Xi Yan and Wan Wan get married soon and give me a great-grandson, then this matter will truly be perfect."

"Yes, sir." Ji Xiu suddenly looked troubled. "But sir..."

He whispered a few words in Lu Lixiao's ear, and Lu Lixiao's face immediately darkened.

"This matter can't be delayed any longer, especially now that Anning is back, we need to hurry even more." Lu Lixiao instructed with a stern face, "No matter what method we use, we must get west Yan to sign as soon as possible and make them sever all ties completely."

The elevator doors opened as soon as the words were spoken.

Just as I was about to step out of the elevator—

"Hello, grandpa!"

A crisp, clear sound rang out.

Lu Lixiao then noticed a woman standing outside the elevator with a child who looked to be about three or four years old.

The little guy was exquisitely beautiful, with very fair skin and big, round eyes that looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Hello, little friend."

Lu Lixiao reached out and patted the little guy's head, his smile kind and his tone gentle, "Do you live here too?"

"Yes!" An Xuan nodded politely, "My new home is here!"

At this moment, Zhao Li quickly pulled him into the elevator and whispered in his ear, "Have you forgotten what your mother told you? You can't talk too much to strangers outside."

Having learned her lesson from getting lost last time, Zhao Li dared not slack off in the slightest.

The little guy quickly covered his mouth and waved goodbye to Lu Lixiao.

Lu Lixiao waved to him with a friendly smile, and only turned around when he saw the elevator doors close and rise again.

"The little guy is quite cute." Lu Lixiao's smile remained unchanged as he said to Ji Xiu, "He reminds me of Xi Yan when he was a child."

Ji Xiu nodded. "It is somewhat similar, just as endearing as Young Master Xi Yan when he was a child."

......

The sound of running water came from the bathroom.

The blue ribbon fell onto the smooth ground and was repeatedly washed by the water.

Cold water was poured over his head, washing away the scalding tears on his face.

Anning collapsed to the ground, clutching her clothes and covering her mouth, letting out painful and helpless sobs.

Four years ago, Lu Lixiao's words still echoed clearly in my ears.

"Miss An, as long as you are willing to leave Xiyan, the Lu family will cover the cost of your brother's next surgery and all future treatments."

"I will send him to the best hospital, with the top medical team and the most authoritative doctors. He will receive the best treatment until he is healthy."

What appears to be well-intentioned help is actually a silent threat.

Lu Lixiao was negotiating with her, using Yu Can's life as leverage.

"Think about it and give me an answer in three days."

The scars of varying depths on her wrist bone, like vines, wrapped around her suffocating heart, causing her to tremble with pain.

She lay on the ground, letting the cold water from above soak her through.

"ah--"

She wailed and cried, desperately clutching her left wrist bone.

"Anning, please save your brother! He's your only brother!"

Li Chunfang knelt before her, weeping bitterly. "Xiao Lu's grandfather told me that he can save Yu Can if you leave Xiao Lu! An Ning, for the sake of our An family buying you and raising you, please, I beg you, agree to his request! Save Yu Can!"

"Anning, you can't be so selfish! Is your love more important, or your brother's life?"

"Anning, didn't you want to find your biological parents? As long as you agree to break up with Xiao Lu, I can give you Chen Laosi's contact information. He's the one who sold you to our An family back then! If you find him, you can find your biological parents!"

"ah--"

An Ning rolled on the cold ground, her face flushed and the veins in her neck bulging.

All the faces and all the words were like sharp hands, tearing her bleeding heart to shreds.

"Western Banquet—"

"Lu Xiyan—"

An Ning trembled all over, her eyes were bloodshot, she was panting heavily, and her mind was foggy as if she were lacking oxygen.

Suddenly, a small pink knife on the washstand gradually became clear in her eyes.

Her eyes narrowed, as if she had grasped a savior. She crawled on her knees and grabbed the sharp knife, her mind filled with only one sentence repeating over and over—"I'm free now, at peace."

The next moment, the blade slashed fiercely down into the left wrist bone—