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

Memories of the past flooded back, and An Ning's fingers trembled as she tilted her head back and drank the wine in her glass.

"If that's the case," Song Xiaoyu looked at her, "your divorce certificate might still be with Lu Xiyan."

"He might have even forgotten about it." Anning smiled wryly, took an open envelope from her bag, unfolded the note inside, and asked, "Xiaoyu, did you ask Landlady Chen to leave this for me?"

Song Xiaoyu looked at the note, smiled, picked up her wine glass and took a sip of wine. "You left without saying goodbye back then, and I wasn't sure when you would return to Jinghai. I was moving at that time and was afraid you wouldn't be able to contact me when you came back, so I left you my address and contact information."

"Actually, I was also very angry with you at the time. I even thought that if you didn't consider me a friend, then I wouldn't talk to you anymore."

Song Xiaoyu's voice choked slightly, "But I still can't bear to part with you. You've been my only good friend since I was little, and I don't want to really lose contact with you. So I left this envelope, thinking that if you still have a conscience and come back to find me, you'll definitely be able to contact me with this note. If you don't have a conscience and don't come back, or don't remember me, then so be it."

Song Xiaoyu's words brought tears to An Ning's eyes, and she repeatedly said, "I'm sorry."

"But didn't you move to Suzhou?" Anning reached out to wipe away her tears and asked softly, "Why are you still in Jinghai? Also, when I called you, you said you owed money or something, what happened?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xiaoyu looked away, gazing at the clear alcohol liquid in her glass.

"You left Jinghai less than a year ago. My dad said he made some money doing business in Suzhou and was getting busier and busier. He didn't have time to come back to Jinghai often, so he decided that the whole family would move to Suzhou and settle down there."

"At that time, none of my best friends were in Jinghai anymore..." Song Xiaoyu looked up at An Ning, her eyes red, "So I didn't have much to be reluctant about and decided to go to Suzhou with my parents."

"As a result, less than half a year after arriving in Suzhou, my father's business ran into trouble." A faint sneer played on her lips. "There's no such thing as a free lunch. My father was scammed and ended up losing everything, with a mountain of debt."

An Ning felt a sharp pain in her heart as she listened. Song Xiaoyu continued, "Back then, our family had just bought a big house in Suzhou and were enjoying a few good days when the house was gone, and the good days were over... My dad was even taken away by the police."

Her tears fell into the glass, her voice choked with sobs, "I learned that my father had been sentenced to ten years without knowing anything about it."

An Ning was suddenly startled, and even her breathing became labored.

She quickly covered Xiaoyu's hand with her own, "What about Auntie?"

"I'm gone."

An Ning was stunned, still processing the meaning of the word "go," when she heard Song Xiaoyu raise her tearful eyes and say, "She couldn't bear the blow and jumped into the river and drowned."

An Ning's eyes widened instantly, and all the blood in her body seemed to rush back to its head.

She looked at Song Xiaoyu in disbelief, only to see a bitter smile on her lips.

"I couldn't stay in Suzhou anymore, and I didn't know where to go, so I had no choice but to go back to Jinghai. I found a place where nobody knew me, worked to pay off my debts, and waited for my dad to be released from prison."

Anning recalled the work uniform Xiaoyu was wearing when she first entered this bar, and asked in a trembling voice, "So, you've been working here all these years?"

"I work part-time as a waiter and a cleaner here, earning two salaries."

Song Xiaoyu smiled gently, wiping away her tears. "So, Anning, I did resent you. When I was most helpless, my best friend wasn't by my side. I didn't even have a chance to confide in her. Tell me, how could I not resent you?"

Anning's tears flowed uncontrollably as she gripped Song Xiaoyu's hand tightly, choking back sobs and unable to utter a single word.

She deserves to die!

When she was desperate, Xiaoyu helped her without hesitation. But when Xiaoyu went through all that, she hid in Jining City, cut off all contact with everyone, and became a coward.

"I'm sorry..." she said with difficulty, her eyes red and swollen, "I'm so sorry..."

Song Xiaoyu gripped her hand tightly, "But I don't blame you anymore. At least I know you had your own difficulties back then."

"Ningning." She smiled gently through her tears, her eyes sincere, "We're still best friends."

Anning felt a sharp pain in her heart and asked her, "How much money do you owe? I'll help you pay it off."

Song Xiaoyu's eyes flickered, then she suddenly laughed. "It's not like you owed it, why are you helping me pay it back? Besides, I have hands and feet, and the salary here is pretty good. I can pay it off in a few years."

"Little Fish, I've experienced what it's like to be in debt." Anning looked at her stubbornly. "We're friends, let me help you..."

"Ningning, I can manage. I'll ask you for help when I need it." Song Xiaoyu smiled gently. "You don't want to see me suffer, and likewise, I won't allow my best friend to suffer."

She gently wiped away An Ning's tears. "Your divorce from Lu Xiyan is not your fault, nor is it his fault. The problem lies with his grandfather. It was his grandfather who forced you two apart."

Anning looked up, her eyes glistening with tears, and heard Xiaoyu ask, "Ningning, don't you want to make up with him?"

She was suddenly taken aback. "Make up?"

Song Xiaoyu nodded and said firmly, "Let's make up as before."

"Since he didn't send you the divorce certificate, maybe this is an opportunity to reconcile," Song Xiaoyu laughed. "Maybe we can just use this divorce certificate to go and get remarried later."

An Ning was amused by her words, pursed her lips, and seemed to be making a decision in her heart.

Seeing her hesitation, Song Xiaoyu continued, "Have you been happy these past few years since you separated from him? If you were to get married and have children in the future, and have nothing to do with him for the rest of your life, would you be happy?"

These words pierced An Ning's heart like a sharp needle, causing her eyes to tremble violently.

Seeing Lu Xiyan and Cheng Wanwan go to order custom-made wedding dresses made her feel bitter for a long time, let alone seeing him marry another woman in the future.

The thought that she would never have any connection with Lu Yan again in this lifetime made her so sad that she couldn't get through every single second.

Song Xiaoyu picked up her wine glass and gently touched it to the rim of her glass, telling her firmly, "Be brave, Ningning. He deserves your courage. Don't leave yourself with irreparable regrets for the rest of your life."

......

10 PM, Yuhe Duke's Mansion.

"Ding-dong ding-dong—"

The doorbell at the front gate was rang urgently.

In his study on the second floor, Lu Xiyan had just finished an online international meeting and hadn't even had time to close his laptop when he was disturbed by a series of chaotic doorbell rings.

He answered the phone with annoyance, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Young Master, it's Miss An," Li Quan's voice came through the phone. "She wants to see you."

"I won't see you," Lu Xiyan coldly refused.

Without a doubt, she's here for collaboration again.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and sneered. It's so late, she's really dedicated.

"But..." Li Quan hesitated before speaking, "Miss An seems to have had too much to drink. She said she brought you a late-night snack."