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

Ning Yao wasn't surprised at all when she received Yang Qian's call. After arranging work with the other three, she went downstairs and took a taxi to Lu's Group.

At this moment, the Lu Group was shrouded in an extremely tense atmosphere from top to bottom.

Even sitting in Lu Jingmo's office, Ning Yao could sense the changes that public opinion had brought to the Lu family from the hurried footsteps and hushed conversations outside.

As she passed through the lobby, she encountered Lu's employees. Instead of smiling and greeting her as before, they were all pointing and whispering about her behind her back.

"Ms. Ning, Mr. Lu is holding a board meeting in the conference room. Please wait in his office."

Yang Qian remained as respectful to her as ever.

"it is good."

Ning Yao went into Lu Jingmo's office to wait.

She waited from afternoon until evening, a full five hours, before she heard any noise outside the office door.

She turned back slowly.

Lu Jingmo pushed open the door and entered. Seeing her there, he looked at her for a moment before saying to Yang Qian behind him, "Go downstairs first. I'm not seeing anyone today!"

Yang Qian bowed his head and answered yes.

Lu Jingmo then walked into the office, pulled out a soft chair and sat down, his nerves, which had been tense from dealing with the board members, finally relaxed a little.

He raised his long, slender fingers and loosened his bow tie before looking at Ning Yao, who remained silent. "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Ning Yao sat on the sofa diagonally opposite him.

The night view of Whale City converged behind her, like a flowing painting, making her figure appear tiny.

"You're the one who asked me to come."

Lu Jingmo's dark eyes flashed with anger, like the sky before a storm, gloomy and dangerous.

"Why did you do this? Do you know how much trouble your impulsive act has caused me and the Lu family?"

Ning Yao looked at him, her eyes showing no fear. "So what? With so many people in the Lu Group, surely they can resolve a reputation crisis?"

Lu Jingmo slammed his fist on the table in anger, his eyes almost burning with rage. "What kind of tone is that? A reputation crisis is no small matter. Do you know how much the Lu family has lost so far?"

Yang Qian, who was outside the door, felt a tremor involuntarily in his heart when he heard the sound of the table being slammed.

Is President Lu planning to hit Ning Yao?

Ning Yao was also taken aback, but there was still no fear or retreat in her eyes. "You brought this result upon yourself! By now, I think we've figured out some clues, but instead of looking for the instigator, you've come to me, the victim. Isn't that just to protect them?"

Enraged by her, Lu Jingmo stood up, strode up to her, and looked her straight in the eye. "I'm talking about how you announced our divorce without my consent, making Lu's Group the target of public criticism. Why are you dragging other people into this!"

Ning Yao leaned back slightly, her cold face full of mockery.

"If they hadn't deliberately smeared my reputation, and even dragged 'Shattered Star' into the slander, how could I have been forced to prove my innocence! You don't want the Lu family to become the target of public criticism, so does that mean I should become the vortex of public opinion? Lu Jingmo, don't be so hypocritical."

"You have other ways to solve this, or at the very least you can ask me for help. Why do you have to choose a lose-lose approach?"

Ning Yao's face turned cold, and her gaze towards him revealed undisguised anger and chill. "Because I had no choice. 'Shattered Star' is not like the Lu family; it can't withstand this wave of public opinion attacks. And it's not that I didn't give you a chance, but how did you handle it? You knew perfectly well that I was set up by the Ning family last night, did you even care?"

Lu Jingmo's handsome face, clouded with gloom, froze.

Ning Yao could tell from his expression that he didn't take her words seriously at all, or that he simply didn't believe what she said was true. The cold mockery in her eyes turned into sarcasm.

"Since nobody cares about me, what's wrong with me choosing to protect myself?"

Lu Jingmo then realized that he had ignored her feelings, but he was unwilling to admit his mistake. "That is not a reason for you to unilaterally announce a divorce from me! You must be responsible for the losses of Lu's Group."

"Why should I?" Ning Yao refused to accept it. "I told the truth. I didn't slander or spread rumors. Besides, I'm one of the parties involved. What does Lu's loss have to do with me?"

"Based on the fact that when we signed the divorce agreement, I added a clause when you sent the additional 50 million checks, stating that 'you may not announce the divorce to any public without my consent.' What, didn't you see that?"

Ning Yao's cool demeanor cracked instantly.

After they reached an agreement to divorce, she never looked at the divorce agreement again.

Moreover, he did not say at the time that he wanted to add this clause.

Her expression turned cold. "I have absolutely no recollection of that. You added it on purpose, secretly!"

Lu Jingmo's face remained expressionless, and his voice was icy cold, "It's your own fault for not looking, so don't blame me. Now I'm asking you, are you going to compensate me or not?"

His tone was so indifferent that it froze the air.

Ning Yao's fingers clenched into a fist silently.

"Lu Jingmo, you are truly despicable!"

They actually had this trick up their sleeve.

Lu Jingmo's jawline tightened, his features becoming even more defined. "I had already confirmed the amount of the loss with my lawyer before I came back. It's one hundred million, not a penny less."

Ning Yao was shocked. One hundred million? He might as well rob a bank!

Seeing his gloomy and indifferent expression, she didn't want to provoke him further, so she swallowed her words.

Shattered Star Company.

Xiao Xiao and Wen An were both very worried when they saw that Ning Yao had not returned after several hours.

"Brother Yunche, do you think something might happen to Sister Yaoyao?"

After leaving Ning Yao, Zhong Yunche sat silently in his seat, a cold expression settling on his gentle face.

Hearing Xiaoxiao's words, he paused in his hand, which was playing with his phone. "Let's wait and see."

Lu Jingmo wouldn't make things difficult for Ning Yao at this juncture.

The three continued to wait.

Soon, they heard noises coming from outside the door.

The three of them stood up together and saw that Ning Yao had returned unharmed.

"Sister Yao Yao!"

Xiao Xiao and Wen An rushed over immediately to comfort him.

Zhong Yunche was a step behind, only expressing his concern after the two had finished speaking.

Ning Yao was surprised that they were still there. She concealed the worry in her eyes and smiled, "It's alright. President Lu just asked me to find out the situation. So far, the talks are going smoothly. Don't worry, you've all been working overtime lately. You should go back and get some rest."

Xiao Xiao and Wen An believed it to be true, and only then did they feel relieved and leave.

Zhong Yunche, however, did not believe it.

After they left, he asked, "I heard that the Lu family made quite a fuss today and must have suffered considerable losses. Did Lu Jingmo really not make things difficult for you?"

Ning Yao smiled flawlessly, "Why would I lie to you? You should go back first. I've taken my things and I'm going home to rest."

Zhong Yunche watched her retreating figure as she went upstairs, his gaze deep and complex.

He already knew about Lu Jingmo's demand for 100 million yuan in compensation before she even returned, a sum she simply couldn't afford now.