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

[Lu Xiyan, I really hope you can take a look at my project proposal, not just because of my job, but because this project proposal is really suitable for your company's current research on food therapy, and will definitely help your food-medicine integration sector. Please trust me this once, okay?]

After leaving the meeting room, An Ning picked up her phone, opened the pinned contact in her address book, and sent a message.

She knew that Lu Xiyan's company was now focusing on the medical sector, and she was even more confident that her project proposal would provide important assistance to the projects he was working on.

After sending the text message, she pondered for a moment, then swiped her phone and typed a few words:

I'll be leaving Jinghai for a while at the end of the month to go on a business trip to Dianhai, so I won't be bothering you during that time. Is there anything you'd like to eat or drink this afternoon? I can run errands for you, Mr. Lu!

Looking at the text message she had sent, An Ning wasn't sure if Lu Xiyan would reply to her.

After all, he hadn't replied to any of the messages I sent him before, and he hadn't answered the phone when I called him.

He would even throw away the breakfast she brought him as trash.

She put away her phone and went into the restroom.

"Hahahaha—"

As soon as I stepped inside, a burst of cheerful yet restrained laughter came from the closed cubicle. It was jarring yet familiar in the empty space.

"Even Mr. Dong's wife came to the door, publicly calling her a vixen and a mistress. Now everyone at Haowei knows that Anning is a despicable woman who seduced the boss to get ahead by relying on her looks, hahaha—"

An Ning's hand, which was about to turn on the tap, suddenly stopped, and she turned her head to look at the tightly closed cubicle door.

"Who cares whether it's true or not? As long as it spreads fast enough and the rumors are sensational enough, even falsehoods can become truth. Let's see how An Ning stays in Haowei then!"

"Hmph, I can't stand her arrogant and haughty attitude. She acts like everyone in the department is inferior to her. Just because she did a project proposal, she thinks Mr. Lu of Ou Teng will give her a second glance. Who does she think she is? I bet this woman is really trying to seduce Mr. Lu of Ou Teng!"

"She might actually have those thoughts, but who does she think she is, that she can just catch Mr. Lu's eye? A divorced woman with a child in tow, does she really think she can rise from humble beginnings to become a phoenix?"

The woman in the cubicle called out Anning's name and humiliated her.

An Ning leaned against the sink, her eyes calmly fixed on the closed door. She knew perfectly well what kind of person was inside without even looking.

"Hahaha, let me tell you, Mr. Dong's wife is really brainless. I didn't expect that just sending her a simple photo to her email would cause her to immediately come to the company and make a scene. You didn't see how furious she was; she was acting like a complete shrew... If I had known she was this stupid and impulsive, I should have sent her some photos earlier, hahaha..."

"Knock knock knock—"

The tightly closed cubicle door was knocked on.

The laughing voice inside immediately stopped, and a wary voice asked, "Who is it?"

No one spoke from outside the door, but two more knocks sounded.

The sound of flushing water came from inside, and then the door was opened a crack from the inside, revealing a pair of puzzled eyes.

Just then, a pair of hands suddenly pushed the door, which was slightly ajar, open wide. The person inside bumped into the person outside, startled, and quickly took two steps back.

"It really was you."

An Ning coldly observed her panicked face. "That photo, that angle, I thought only you could have taken it."

Li Hui quickly suppressed the panic on her face and returned to her nonchalant demeanor. "It seems you heard everything."

An Ning stood at the door, calmly looking at her. "You stole my proposal during the interview, and since joining the company, you've been targeting me in every way. I really don't understand why you keep going against me. Now you've gone so far as to fabricate a scandalous affair between me and President Dong, causing President Dong's wife to disregard her reputation and come to the company to confront me, making the entire Haowei Group a laughingstock among its competitors. What good does all this do you?"

Li Hui's face grew increasingly unpleasant as she was being talked about. She raised her head and said, "There's no benefit to it. I just can't stand your aloof, superior attitude. You seem so detached and indifferent, but you're actually incredibly calculating inside. What are you pretending for?"

"Anning, do you think that the plan that Ou Teng took a liking to was something only you could do, and that no one else could? Do you think you're the only one who's capable, and everyone else is nothing?"

Li Hui got angry and glared at her resentfully, "If you're really that outstanding, how come you're carrying a burden at such a young age? Maybe your ex-husband didn't want you because he couldn't stand your behavior—"

"Snapped!"

A loud slap echoed in the bathroom.

Li Hui was interrupted by a sudden slap before she could finish speaking. Her face was slapped hard and turned red instantly.

Her reddened eyes stared at An Ning in disbelief, as if she couldn't believe that An Ning would hit her.

An Ning's cold voice rang in her ear, "This slap is for you. You started this, so you deserve it."

The force she used just now was considerable, even stronger than the slap Mrs. Dong had given her. Looking at Li Hui's swollen face, her eyes were cold. "That slap from Mrs. Dong will land on your face sooner or later."

She turned and left after she finished speaking.

Li Hui shouted from behind, "An Ning, what do you mean?!"

An Ning ignored her shouts, took out her phone from her pocket, and turned off the recording that had been running for more than ten minutes.

......

The phone on the table suddenly lit up, and a message popped up.

Before the person standing next to him could even see clearly, another message popped up.

They all come from the same person—"7"

Cheng Wanwan stood beside the large desk, her eyes fixed on the lit-up phone on the surface. Her fingers suddenly clenched, and her breathing became heavier.

Her gaze fell on the words "I can run errands for President Lu," and a sharp glint appeared in her eyes.

Anning, it's you again!

You're so despicable!

Even though she knew he was about to get engaged, she still clung to him relentlessly!

Offering food and drinks? They really used every trick in the book!

Cheng Wanwan glanced quickly at the suite on the second floor of the president's office, then raised her hand to the lit-up phone screen.

Swipe past, delete.

The movements were swift and decisive.