Sober and beautiful, my husband and son begged for my forgiveness on their knees.

Lu Jingmo frowned slightly: "Didn't I tell you to go back?"

“Mingjin is still sick, how can I leave?” Ning Yan placed the lunchbox on the bedside table and ladled out two bowls from it. “He wanted porridge, so I specially went back to cook it. Come and have a taste.”

The porridge was made with glutinous rice and red dates, and it smelled delicious and looked good. Lu Jingmo didn't have much of an appetite at the moment, but he couldn't resist Ning Yan's insistence and took a sip.

The next instant, a thought suddenly popped into his mind...

It doesn't taste as good as the porridge my mom makes.

"Jingmo," Ning Yan said softly, interrupting Lu Jingmo's thoughts, "Yaoyao was just acting out of spite. If you explain things to her, everything should be fine."

Ning Yan sighed helplessly, "I wanted to apologize to her in person, but she wouldn't answer my calls or see me..."

Speaking of this, Lu Jingmo could hardly suppress his displeasure.

He said in a deep voice, "Don't worry about her, just let her figure it out herself."

If he backs down this time, Ning Yao will only become more aggressive and continue to use his son as a bargaining chip. He absolutely cannot give in on such a matter of principle.

The next day, Ning Yao got up early and, carrying her identification documents, went to Xingyi Group.

This company was the organizer of the competition she participated in before. The aim was to find enough outstanding fashion designers to join their new projects. If they won an award, they would be eligible to go abroad for exchange and study at the company's own expense.

To be shortlisted, Ning Yao put in a lot of effort. Since she was less experienced than the senior designers, she had to work hard, study the styles of past winners, and personally go to the market to select suitable fabrics. It took a lot of effort to finally win the championship.

But Lu Jingmo's casual remark made her give up her spot to Ning Yan.

His reasons were quite valid. He said that Lu Mingjin was still young and needed someone to take care of her, and that he and the CEO of Xingyi were old friends. As long as she agreed, there would be no problem.

Unfortunately, Ning Yao didn't understand the situation.

The car stopped in front of the company, and Ning Yao got out.

The deadline for the award winner to sign the contract was fast approaching. She went to the department to register, and before she even entered the elevator, she heard Ning Yan's surprised voice behind her, "Yaoyao?"

Ning Yao turned around and saw Ning Yan with exquisite makeup and a surprised expression, while Lu Jingmo with a cold expression stood beside her.

“Yaoyao, I was worried something had happened to you because you weren’t answering Jingmo’s calls. I was really concerned.”

Ning Yan quickly stepped forward, revealing a gentle smile, and went to take Ning Yao's hand, "You don't know that Ming Jin has been in the hospital these past two days, constantly making a fuss about wanting to see you. If you're free, go to the hospital and see him."

Ning Yao stepped back slightly, avoiding Ning Yan's hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm very busy," she said calmly. "I still need to sign the contract confirming my trip abroad, so I can't chat with you."

She turned to leave after saying that, but the man grabbed her wrist, and Lu Jingmo's deep voice came from beside her ear: "Did I say you could leave?"

Actually, when Ning Yao saw Ning Yan and Lu Jingmo appear here, she already guessed what they were here for.

She tried to pull her hand away from Lu Jingmo's grasp, but the man's strength was surprisingly great. She struggled but couldn't break free. Seeing that he had no intention of letting go, she simply asked, "If you're not letting me leave, is there something you need?"

Lu Jingmo wanted to question Ning Yao about why she wasn't taking care of her son, but faced with Ning Yao's distant expression, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

He glanced down at the file folder in Ning Yao's hand. "So, you're willing to give up your child just for this qualification?"

Ning Yan's eyes also reddened, and she looked like she was about to cry: "Yaoyao, if you really want to go abroad, you can just say so. There's no need to use Mingjin to blackmail you. He's just a child. No matter what you think, he's innocent..."

Her voice was quite loud, attracting a lot of onlookers. As the winner of the grand prize in this competition, Ning Yao's photo was also released, and many people recognized her and began to whisper among themselves.

"Isn't that the one who won the grand prize? I heard that nine out of ten judges gave him full marks. We've never seen such a high total score in a competition before!"

"She looks quite young, but judging from this, she already has children?"

"Seriously, this is ridiculous. They already have kids, why are they still getting involved? Are they planning to take the kids abroad? That's so irresponsible..."

Ning Yao remained expressionless, ignoring the pointing and whispering of others, her gaze lightly landing on Ning Yan: "What did I do? Did I hit him, scold him, or abuse him?"

Her tone wasn't harsh, it could even be described as gentle, but every word was irrefutable: "Mingjin isn't in good health and can't eat oily or spicy food. Who took him to eat fried chicken and caused him to have acute gastroenteritis and be hospitalized? It couldn't have been me, could it?"

Ning Yan's face flushed instantly. "I don't know either..."

Ning Yao interrupted her without any politeness: "Besides, aren't you and my husband both taking care of him at the hospital? It's so harmonious and wonderful. Why would I need to join in? What if I disturb your family again? Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

This single stone stirred up a thousand ripples, and everyone's gaze towards Ning Yan changed.

"What do you mean? Is this woman a mistress?"

"No way, really? There are still mistresses this brazen these days?"

Ning Yan gritted her teeth, wanting to refute, but couldn't utter a single word. If she were to say now that she and Lu Jingmo had nothing going on, it would only make things worse.

Lu Jingmo frowned. In his memory, Ning Yao had never spoken in such a sharp and sarcastic tone. She was always quiet and gentle, with little presence, but now…

He noticed several people taking out their phones to record or take pictures out of the corner of his eye. His brows furrowed, and he grabbed Ning Yao's wrist, leading her outside. "Let's go somewhere else and talk properly."

Ning Yao didn't want to argue here. They weren't ashamed, but she still needed to work here in the future!

In a nearby coffee shop, Ning Yao casually sat down and looked at Lu Jingmo: "What do you want to talk about? Hurry up and say it. I'm busy and don't have time for nonsense."

Lu Jingmo's mood worsened further because of these words. "If you really want this opportunity, I can ask Ning Yan to give it to you."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Yan's expression changed, "Jing Mo..."

She didn't actually care much about opportunities to study abroad, but this was Ning Yao's, and she had to get it!

Lu Jingmo ignored her dissatisfaction and said to Ning Yao in a deep voice, "This is a one-time exception, and there will be no next time."

Ning Yao laughed when she heard this, "Give way?"

She shifted her posture, casually propping her head up, her voice tinged with sarcasm: "This is an opportunity I earned through my own abilities. Do you think I need others to let me have it? Who do you think you are?"