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

The air around the flowerbeds downstairs in the hospital's inpatient building felt damp, as if the sun had evaporated rainwater.

On the bench, the woman was slender, and her skin, exposed from the cuffs and hem of her skirt, was as white as jade.

She casually tied her hair into a low ponytail, looked down at the phone screen in her hand, revealing a section of her slender, fair neck.

Occasionally, a summer breeze would blow by, lifting a few strands of her hair that fell across her cheeks.

With slender, pale fingers, a few taps on the dial pad appeared on the screen.

This phone number seemed to be etched into Anning's very bones.

With a simple press, you can get these 11 numbers.

But for four whole years, she didn't dare to make the call even once.

I don't know if he changed his number or not.

After hesitating for a long time, my trembling fingertips finally pressed the dial button.

"beep--"

The sound was like a powerful hammer blow to Anning's heart, causing a sharp pain in her chest.

My fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the phone.

The phone call went through!

......

Auten Group.

The CEO's office.

"Hey Mr. Lu, did you see a ghost today? You've been distracted all day, something's not right with you!"

On the large black leather sofa, Liang Xu, dressed in a suit and tie, sat relaxed, jokingly teasing the man at his desk who was flipping through documents.

The man wore a well-tailored, bespoke black suit. The tailoring was impeccable, and the subtle patterns on the fabric and the buttons were just right, exuding a refined and understated elegance.

His short black hair was meticulously styled, his facial features were deep and distinct, and his temperament was extremely aloof.

Silent yet extremely oppressive.

He ignored the other person's teasing, didn't even raise his eyelids, and with his slender fingers holding a metal pen, he signed his name in a strong and powerful manner in the blank space at the bottom right corner of the document.

Lu Xiyan remained silent, which emboldened Liang Xu even more. "Tsk, I must say, our CEO Lu's physique and appearance are quite like a work of art."

Upon hearing this, the aloof man finally lifted his eyelids, parted his thin lips slightly, and uttered a single word, neither too loud nor too soft.

"roll."

Well, at least I'm paying attention to him now.

Liang Xu chuckled twice. "Last night, Wanwan called me and asked where you were."

Suddenly, Lu Xiyan's hand paused as he signed, the pen tip falling onto the paper and leaving a black dot smudged by ink.

last night......

A fleeting emotion flashed across his deep eyes, then vanished in an instant.

Unaware of the oddity, Liang Xu jokingly asked, "Don't you think this is strange?"

"What's strange?"

"Wanwan is your fiancée, you're getting engaged soon, and she wants to know your whereabouts but doesn't ask you herself, she keeps coming to me to find out. What's the meaning of this?" Liang Xu muttered. "How strange, am I just a pawn in your marriage game?"

Lu Xiyan didn't even lift his eyelids. "Maybe she likes you."

A cold, indifferent remark nearly choked Liang Xu to death. He jumped up, "You can joke with me like that, but don't let Wanwan hear it. You know she's not in good health. If you upset her and cause her illness, not only the Cheng family, but even your grandfather won't forgive you."

Lu Xiyan ignored him. As he was speaking, his cell phone on the table rang.

He glanced at it; it was an unfamiliar number.

The location is shown as Jining City.

Liang Xu, thinking it was Cheng Wanwan calling, curiously leaned over and said, "Huh, such a remote place? Our company doesn't have business in Jining, does it? This guy selling GG is pretty shrewd, managing to call you here."

Lu Xiyan was about to hang up the phone when he suddenly paused.

His phone number is unreachable by tech-savvy salespeople.

As if realizing something, his finger had already pressed the answer button.

......

On the phone screen, the call timer ticked down second by second.

An Ning's breath hitched, and the sound of her heartbeat seemed to shatter her eardrums.

The other person didn't speak, and she wasn't sure if it was him.

After a ten-second silence, she spoke first, "Feed..."

......

"Feed..."

The gentle voice came through the phone, and Lu Xiyan almost instinctively clenched his hands.

His once calm and aloof eyes suddenly surged with turbulent emotions.

As if something was about to be revealed, he heard the other person cautiously ask, "Excuse me, are you... Lu Xiyan?"

......

The simplest sentence took almost all of An Ning's strength.

Especially when she pronounced those three words, her voice trembled involuntarily.

The other party remained silent. Just when she thought the phone number might have been used by someone else, she heard a low, cold voice come from the phone: "Hmm."

At that moment, even time seemed to stand still.

She didn't know if he recognized her voice.

She opened her mouth, her throat dry, "I am... Anning."

"Is there something you need?" the other person asked coldly.

An Ning lowered her eyes, clutching a chocolate wrapped in gold in her hand.

"Nothing special," she said softly, tugging at her lips. "I still owe you money for a box of chocolates, how am I going to pay you back?"

The other person didn't speak, and seemed very impatient with her sudden interruption.

An Ning clenched her fist. "How about you send me your payment QR code and I'll scan it for you?"

"My phone is dead," the other person said coldly. "Three o'clock in the afternoon, at the coffee shop on Jinhuan Street."

"Huh?" Before An Ning could react, the call was cut off.

......

The phone, which had been disconnected, was held in the palm of a pair of strong, well-defined hands.

Jining City.

Why is her phone number from Jining City?

Didn't she go abroad?

Didn't he disappear abroad for four years?

The office temperature dropped by more than ten degrees Celsius instantly.

It was cold, unbearably cold.

Liang Xu saw that his handsome face was covered with a layer of frost, even more so than an ice cellar.

"Who is it?" he asked curiously. "What, a coffee shop at 3 PM? Do you have an appointment with a client?"

That expression, that tone of voice, doesn't sound like a customer at all.

Moreover, for any major clients, President Lu needs to personally negotiate with them.

Lu Xiyan casually tossed his phone onto the table, took a cigarette from the pack, and put it in his mouth. "Not a client."

Liang Xu frowned. "Who is that?"

With a "click," the lighter lit the cigarette.

Lu Xiyan took a deep drag, slowly exhaling smoke rings, "Peace."

"Who?" Liang Xu thought he had misheard, then immediately raised his voice, "Who? Who did you say?"

Lu Xiyan looked up at him, his voice low and deep, "An Ning."

"Holy crap! She's back in Jinghai!"

Liang Xu cursed, nearly exploding, "Are you fucking crazy, Lu Xiyan! Have you forgotten how she dumped you? How the hell are you still meeting up with her?"

Liang Xu pointed at his nose, furious, "You bastard, you won't be satisfied until you've died!"

"Oh!"

Lu Xiyan chuckled lightly, a hint of coldness in his raised eyes. "Impossible."

He can be stupid just once.

I will never be stupid enough to do it a second time.