Mr. Lu, stop being such a jerk. Your wife is your nemesis's white moonlight.

Xu An'an's voice was extremely serious, and Yan Heng frowned.

"What is it?"

"I need to talk to Lu Yiming."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Is he bothering you again?"

Yan Heng's voice deepened, and he narrowed his eyes, his tone already indicating the intention to get up. "I'm coming over now."

"Don't!"

Xu An'an stopped him, gritting her teeth, "It's me who wants to talk to him."

Yan Heng paused for a moment, as if he hadn't understood what he meant.

"...What do you want to talk to him about?"

Xu An'an took a deep breath: "There are some things I plan to tell him."

Unexpectedly, Yan Heng did not ask any further questions.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, so long that Xu An'an thought the signal had been lost. Then he spoke, his voice tinged with a forced awkwardness: "Okay, ten minutes."

Xu An'an was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

She thought it would take her a lot of effort to persuade him.

"I promise you, as soon as possible."

......

Returning to Nanshan Feng Mansion, Xu An'an felt dazed.

Even more bewildered than her was Lu Yiming. He hadn't expected An'an to take the initiative to contact him, much less that she would want to come to Maple Garden—the home they had lived together for four years.

An'an wants to go home.

This thought made Lu Yiming feel like he was dreaming.

During breaks while driving, he dug his fingernails into his palms countless times.

pain.

That's great, this isn't a dream.

Xu An'an didn't say a word the whole way.

As she passed by Huayuan, she frowned and murmured with a hint of disappointment, "How did it become like this?"

Lu Yiming was puzzled and slowed down to look out the window.

The courtyard of Huayuan was overgrown with weeds, clearly neglected for a long time. In such a top-tier villa community, it was indeed an eyesore.

Upon reflection, he realized he had never seen anyone live in Huayuan. But that was to be expected; people who could afford houses here were not short of money, and buying a luxury home was just a passing fancy. He also had a considerable amount of idle assets in other places.

Lu Yiming quickly shifted his attention.

The car drove into the Maple Garden garage, and Lu Yiming turned off the engine and got out.

Just as I was about to walk around to the passenger side to open the door for Xu An'an, I saw that she had already pushed the door open and gotten out herself.

This is the season when maple leaves are at their most beautiful, a fiery red expanse, creating a vibrant scene.

As she walked up the steps, Xu An'an picked a maple leaf at the doorway and waited for Lu Yiming while looking at it.

She didn't have the key.

The night she left, she left the key in the house.

Following Lu Yiming into the room, Xu An'an glanced around briefly.

There was no change from before, and even the scent of the aromatherapy was the same one that Xu An'an usually used.

But for her, this villa was no longer home.

She sat down on the guest seat on the sofa, smiled at Lu Yiming, and asked, "Could I have a glass of sparkling water?"

Standard guest tone.

Lu Yiming frowned, but still took a bottle from the small refrigerator at the bar and handed it to her: "An'an, this is still your home."

Xu An'an didn't reply, but unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip.

The cool, strong bubbles burst in her mouth; it was spicy, but she really liked the taste.

Having finally found some connection to the past, and while the feeling was still there, she took the initiative to speak: "Can you tell me about you and Lin Wan'er?"

Lu Yiming was taken aback, not expecting her to ask this question suddenly.

He assumed she still cared about Lin Wan'er's existence, and quickly said, "She's already gone to America—"

"No." Xu An'an shook her head. "I want to know about your past."

Her voice was gentle, and her expression was as tender and serene as ever.

But Lu Yiming didn't know how to answer.

He clenched his fist, unsure of what Xu An'an meant, what she wanted to hear, or even whether her calmness was genuine or feigned.

Seeing his unusually nervous expression, Xu An'an smiled and said, "Why are you like this? I'm just a little curious."

"...What are you curious about?"

Xu An'an put down the sparkling water, the bottom of the glass bottle tapping on the table with a crisp clink.

"Could you tell me when you and she...?" She tried to find a better way to phrase it, but failed. "...Slept with her?"

Lu Yiming was stunned.

The teacup slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor with a crash.

"An'an, I—" He opened his mouth to explain, but was interrupted by Xu An'an.

She looked at the shattered ceramic fragments on the ground, felt a pang of regret, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Yiming, I'm here today to have things clear, so I hope you can answer me honestly as well."

She looked him straight in the eye. "Was it in April?"

Xu An'an's question was not without reason.

Lin Wan'er returned to the mainland in April this year, and Lu Yiming started acting very strangely from that time on.

She really wanted to know when their physical relationship had started.

This problem has been bothering her for a long time. It's like a hidden black box that she doesn't even dare to touch. Just thinking about it makes her feel physically nauseous and want to vomit.

But for some reason, she felt no emotion whatsoever when she asked the question now.

Her composure, in Lu Yiming's eyes, was a cruel icy blade.

Lu Yiming lowered his eyes and shook his head. After several seconds, he finally spoke: "It's May... the May Day holiday."

May Day.

Xu An'an recalled that he had gone on a business trip abroad for a week during the May Day holiday this year.

It's an important overseas investment project, so Lin Wan'er went along with it.

With just these few pieces of information, Xu An'an didn't need to ask any more questions about what happened next.

After several rounds of drinks, a lone man and woman in a foreign land.

Not to mention his intricate historical relationship with Lin Wan'er.

Everything fell into place naturally.

Having received the answer, Xu An'an nodded and then posed her next question: "What did you and Lin Wan'er do on your birthday night?"

Lu Yiming paused, "How did you know I...?"

For his thirtieth birthday, just like every year, everything was prepared by Xu An'an.

After dinner, they turned on the TV and ate their birthday cake while watching "Angel".

This has been their unwavering habit for many years.

But this year, Lu Yiming broke this habit.

Because he received a call from Lin Wan'er.

"Brother Yiming, I've been in a car accident, can you come and help me... I'm so scared..."

On the phone, Lin Wan'er's voice was trembling with tears; she was clearly terrified.

At that time, Lin Wan'er had only recently returned to the mainland. The Lin family had already treated her badly, and because of the Pan family's affair, her situation became even more difficult.

Men have a natural protective instinct towards the women they've slept with, especially given his complicated relationship with Lin Wan'er.

"Okay, don't worry, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, he glanced at Xu An'an's busy figure in the kitchen, and his throat tightened.

"An'an, there's an urgent matter at the company, I have to go take a look."

Xu An'an paused, turned around, and the silk ribbon of the cake gift box slipped from her hand.

"So eager? We haven't even had cake yet..."

The disappointment in her voice was obvious. Lu Yiming stepped forward and kissed her. "I'm sorry, but it's really urgent."

Xu An'an has always been gentle and sensible. She never gets too entangled when it comes to work matters, but for some reason, she didn't compromise immediately that day.

She tugged at Lu Yiming's sleeve, pleading, "Wait a little longer before you leave. The birthday boy should at least cut the cake."

"I'll cut it when I get back."

"But the birthday person should eat cake on their birthday."

It was already 7 p.m., and Xu An'an was unsure when Yi Ming would be back.

She hoped that Lu Yiming would discover the secret hidden in this cake on his birthday.

This was the real birthday gift she prepared for Lu Yiming.

Xu An'an's unusual stubbornness put Lu Yiming in a difficult position.

On one hand, he felt guilty towards Xu An'an, but on the other hand, he was also really worried about Lin Wan'er's situation. He was afraid that she would get hurt and that she wouldn't be able to handle things on her own.

Before Lu Yiming could figure out what to do, his phone rang again.

Lu Yiming subtly dodged and turned off the screen. He then turned back and hugged Xu An'an again.

"Sweetie, I'll be back soon."

After saying that, he grabbed his coat and walked out.

He had just taken a step when his waist and abdomen suddenly tightened as Xu An'an wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Don't go."

Her voice trembled slightly, and her hands clasped tightly around Lu Yiming's waist, almost pleading, "Yiming, have some cake with me, just one piece..."

Lu Yiming frowned.

Xu An'an's behavior annoyed him. "The cake isn't going anywhere, what difference does it make when we eat it?"

As soon as he spoke, Lu Yiming felt the hand on his waist pause, and the force suddenly loosened a bit.

He realized he hadn't controlled his attitude, so he patiently and gently coaxed her again.

"Sweetie, wait for me at home. We'll eat cake together when I get back."

His words were gentle, but his actions were resolute.

He forcefully broke off Xu An'an's fingers one by one.

Xu An'an was stunned and did not insist any further.

Watching him walk out of my sight.

She had just seen the words "Wan'er" clearly displayed on the screen.