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

Across the street, a three-year-old boy stood among a group of children, tugging at a man's arm, chin raised proudly, "This is my dad! Humph! I'm telling you, I have a dad!"

"That's right, who said our Xuanxuan doesn't have a father?" The tall man stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at the group of children with a warning look in his eyes. "From now on, anyone who says our Xuanxuan doesn't have a father will taste my fist, which is as big as a sandbag!"

Upon hearing this, several teenagers immediately took off running.

Just then, a slender and graceful figure walked out of the cake shop, looked at the two of them with a helpless smile, and said, "Aren't you two childish? The cake is bought, get in the car."

"Mommy!" Little Anxian quickly took Anning's hand in one hand and Xu Zhijun's hand in the other, and said happily, "Let's go eat!"

......

"Oh!"

Across the street, from inside a black Maybach, came a low, cold laugh, laced with self-mockery.

The man raised his hand and tugged at the tie around his neck, his eyes sharp as he stared intently at the two adults and one child opposite him.

The man's appearance matched that of the person in the photograph.

Xu Zhijun!

This is her ex-husband!

The child's biological father!

The woman's radiant smile, the child's repeated calls of "Dad," and the harmonious and happy silhouette of the family of three all felt like resounding slaps, mercilessly striking Lu Xiyan's face.

He was like a voyeur watching someone else's happiness, peering through the car window as the family of three got into the car hand in hand and drove away.

His eyes were red-rimmed, the veins on his hands resting on the steering wheel were bulging, and it felt as if a sharp sword had been plunged into his heart.

With a "bang," a hand slammed onto the steering wheel.

"Anning, you did a great job!"

The man's eyes were dark red as he leaned back in his seat, his eyes moist.

"Well done..."

.....

In the car, An Ning glanced at the cake on the passenger seat and whispered her thanks, "Dr. Xu, thank you. I didn't expect you to have already ordered the cake."

She thought for a moment, then asked, "How did you know I liked this brand of cakes?"

Xu Zhijun smiled, "You said it yourself."

"Did I say it myself?" Anning seemed not to have mentioned it to anyone; she liked this family's cakes.

Except for one person.

"You probably don't remember."

As Xu Zhijun drove, he said, "Last year on your birthday, you were in a bad mood and drank too much. You said the birthday cake wasn't good. I asked you what kind of cake you wanted, and you sobbed and said that the cake you wanted wasn't available in Jining City, only in Jinghai."

At this point, Xu Zhijun laughed, "Back then, you were like a child, clamoring to eat Jinghai's cakes. I asked you for a long time before I found out you liked their cakes. But unfortunately, they don't have a branch in Jining."

So this year he made a special trip to Jinghai to buy her her favorite birthday cake.

"I didn't expect you to still remember what happened back then." An Ning smiled, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She looked at Xiao Anxian beside her and said, "Xianxian, you've grown up now. You can't tell outsiders that Uncle Xu is your father anymore."

"Why?" Little Anxian tilted her head up and asked in a childish voice.

When he was a child, some kids would say he didn't have a father. Uncle Xu would ask him to bring Uncle Xu out. Uncle Xu was tall and handsome, and whenever he appeared with Uncle Xu in a group of kids, no one dared to say he didn't have a father.

Although he knew that Uncle Xu was not his real father, when he was bullied, only Uncle Xu could play the role of his father.

The little guy was a bit unhappy.

Anning looked at him and said seriously, "Xianxian, it's a bad habit to always use Uncle Xu as a shield. Uncle Xu will get married and have his own baby in the future. If you keep saying that Uncle Xu is your father, it will cause Uncle Xu to be misunderstood."

Hearing this, Xu Zhijun's eyes dimmed slightly. He glanced at the rearview mirror and said, "It's okay, Ningning, I don't mind."

An Ning shook her head and said with a smile, "Dr. Xu, you've already gone to so much trouble for us. We can't let your reputation get in the way. If it affects your marriage, your auntie won't forgive me."

He brought up Xu Zhijun's mother, smiled, and said nothing.

An Ning turned to look out the window, a faint smile on her face.

She's not stupid; of course she knows Xu Zhijun's feelings.

But she was a divorced woman with a three-year-old son. Xu Zhijun, on the other hand, came from a good family, had a good job, and was undeniably attractive; she had far too many options.

Hsu Chih-Chun's mother once warned her that she couldn't interfere in doctor-patient relationships, but if things went beyond that, she wouldn't stand idly by.

Putting all that aside, her heart already belonged to one person, and even if they were destined to be apart, she could never fall in love with a second man.

Lu Xiyan had long ago given her the most beautiful and unique love. It was the most amazing and happiest time of her life. That precious memory was so profound that she would never forget it.

The rest were nothing to her.

......

Nine o'clock in the evening.

The door to the VIP room in the bar was opened from the outside, and a strong smell of alcohol wafted out.

As Liang Xu entered, he looked at the sofa. His suit jacket and tie were carelessly tossed aside. In the dark corner, a man was sitting back on the sofa with his collar unbuttoned, clearly having drunk a lot.

As if seeing the scene from four years ago again, Liang Xu felt a surge of anger. He took two steps forward and asked coldly, "The dignified CEO of the Ou Teng Group suddenly canceled negotiations with the US just to drown his sorrows here?"

The man on the sofa didn't speak, his eyes were hazy and dark red, filled with mist, as he stared at the ceiling.

"Is it all for An Ning again?" Liang Xu asked. "I told you, as long as she appears, you'll definitely stumble over her again!"

"Why..." Tears suddenly slid down his cheeks as the man murmured, "Why..."

Why is she allowed to have a new life?

Why can she have such a happy family of three?

Why... can't he forget!

"Since you have so many 'whys' in your heart, why not ask her?"

Liang Xu picked up the wine on the table, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then slammed the glass heavily on the table. "If I were you, I would ask all the 'whys' in my heart until I understand them, and even in death I would die knowing why! Once I get the answers, I'll give up on this relationship completely, and from now on we'll go our separate ways."

"Otherwise, even if you don't stay with her, you'll never forget her for the rest of your life!"

Lu Xiyan wiped away her tears, stood up unsteadily, and said, "I won't ask anymore..."

He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "The words that came out of her mouth were so cheap..."

"I won't ask anymore..."

Liang Xu watched his stumbling figure, his chest throbbing with anger.

Everyone says that the second young master of the Lu family is noble and arrogant, but when he meets An Ning, he seems like a stray dog ​​that no one wants.

......

"Ding-dong—"

The doorbell of Pangu Mansion rang urgently.

Anning had just taken fever-reducing medicine and was lying on the sofa when she heard the doorbell. She got up from the sofa and went to open the door.

Who is it?

As I opened the door, a crisp, refreshing scent mixed with the smell of alcohol wafted out.

So familiar that it made her fingertips tremble.

The first thing you see is the expensive white shirt with its collar open, revealing a clearly visible, well-defined chest muscle.

An Ning's breath caught in her throat. She suddenly looked up and met the man's deep gaze.

His eyes were dark red, and his gaze no longer held the cold sharpness of the past, but rather a hazy tenderness, and... a trace of helplessness.

An Ning's heart skipped a beat as she looked at his impeccably handsome face, a faint, unusual blush spreading across his fair complexion.

He drank alcohol, a lot of it, and his breath reeked of alcohol.

Suddenly losing his footing, Lu Xiyan staggered and reached out to steady himself on the door frame.

An Ning subconsciously raised her hand to help him, but then gently lowered her hand when she realized it was inappropriate.

He doesn't have a high alcohol tolerance and almost never drank before.

She asked softly, "Why did you drink so much?"

Lu Xiyan gently shifted his gaze from her to the room.

His gaze swept across every corner of the room, every familiar object, and his throat tightened.

He didn't speak, so Anning asked again, "Want...want to come in?"

Lu Xiyan withdrew his gaze and looked again at An Ning's delicate eyebrows and eyes, her straight nose, her bright red lips, her fair neck, and the exquisite collarbone faintly visible beneath her V-neck...

Her appearance hasn't changed at all, so why did her heart change?

His deep eyes were filled with turbulent emotions. He spoke, his voice low and hoarse.

"There's a question...that I've been wanting to ask you."

An Ning stared intently into his beautiful eyes, then suddenly trembled as she heard him ask, "Did you ever love me?"

My heart felt like it had been violently stabbed; the pain was unbearable.

Lu Xiyan leaned forward slightly, bending his usually straight back like a pine tree, and met her eyes. His eyes trembled, and his voice was almost pleading.

"Anning, look me in the eyes and tell me, did you ever love me? During the two years we were together, were all those words of love you you said true, or were they just an act?"