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

After Lu Mingjin found his homework, he realized that Ning Yan was missing. He assumed she had gone home, so he quickly ran home.

After searching around, they still couldn't find anyone.

He mustered his courage and went to the study, secretly pushing the door open a crack, only to find that no one was inside.

"How strange. Why isn't Daddy here, and why isn't Auntie here either?"

Ning Yan covered her mouth and listened to Lu Mingjin's footsteps recede into the distance before cautiously crawling out from under the desk.

She stood there, trying to see if she could hear any other sounds.

But after waiting and waiting, no other sound came out.

Did she mishear?

"Auntie!"

Before she could even think, Ning Yan heard Lu Mingjin calling her from downstairs.

She's furious!

Everything was planned out, but Lu Mingjin, that good-for-nothing, ruined it all!

The night gradually quieted down.

The wind gently rustled the leaves, like nature whispering secrets of the night.

Lu Jingmo came out of the bathroom, and Ning Yao was still there.

The reason she didn't leave was that she wanted to wait until Lu Jingmo was more sober so she could talk things out with him.

"I thought you were gone."

Lu Jingmo walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel.

His hair was slightly damp, and a layer of moisture floated on his fair and muscular chest.

His firm abdominal muscles rose and fell slightly with his breathing.

Ning Yao glanced at it and then quickly looked away, saying, "You should put your clothes on right away."

Lu Jingmo noticed that she was avoiding him, but her earlobes turned pink.

He bent down and sat on the edge of the bed, a slight smile playing on his thin lips. "Ning Yao, are you shy?"

Ning Yao's face flushed slightly, but she refused to admit it, "Don't talk nonsense, I didn't."

Lu Jingmo reached out to touch her stubborn little face, but Ning Yao dodged away.

"Do not touch me."

Lu Jingmo's smile froze, and his deep eyes darkened. "If not, then why did you look at me like that? Ning Yao, I don't believe you felt nothing at all."

Ning Yao found his behavior both laughable and disgusting.

She turned her head coldly and said in a sharp tone, "I stayed to tell you that there is no possibility of anything happening between us. If anything happens to the child in the future, don't keep nagging me. I'm busy, and I don't have time to deal with your messy affairs."

Lu Jingmo's face instantly darkened, his gaze fixed on her. "In your eyes, are all these trivial matters of ours, including the child, just a bunch of nonsense?"

"Isn't that right?" Ning Yao retorted coldly, her eyes devoid of any tenderness. "Of course, who would bother with their ex after a divorce? Besides, the child is so indifferent to me; if I were to interfere, wouldn't that be meddling in other people's business?"

Lu Jingmo's breathing became heavy, and all the muscles in his body stiffened.

He originally thought that since Ning Yao stayed, judging from the way she looked at him, there was still a possibility between them.

Unexpectedly, Ning Yao was still so indifferent.

Now that they're divorced, are they really destined to become two parallel lines that never intersect, never to see each other again?

At that moment, he truly realized that the person he loved was her.

He thought that with his compromise, Ning Yao would clearly understand his true feelings.

Unexpectedly, her hostility towards me only increased.

"Ning Yao, the fact that you stayed proves that you still care about me. Why are you saying such hurtful things? We've been married for seven years. Are we really going to end up with nothing?"

Ning Yao couldn't listen anymore and glared at him angrily. "Don't tell me that. I stayed here just to make things clear with you. Besides, your body's instinctive reaction only shows that you depend on me, it doesn't prove anything. Furthermore, the reason I'm divorcing you is because there's no love between us, so stop deceiving yourself."

When he called out her name and moved closer to her, it was merely a physical instinct.

Lu Jingmo stared at her in disbelief. "I'm deceiving myself?"

Ning Yao sneered, "Lu Jingmo, don't tell me you've fallen for me now, which is why you're haunting me like a ghost!"

Lu Jingmo's jawline was taut, and his dark eyes seemed to be spitting fire.

Just when Ning Yao thought he would leave in anger, he said in a low voice with a frustrated look, "Yes, Ning Yao, I like you."

Ning Yao was taken aback and was momentarily speechless.

Lu Jingmo tightened his arms, trapping her firmly in his embrace, and said in a defiant tone, "Aren't you very happy now? After we had no relationship whatsoever, I actually fell in love with you."

Ning Yao had recovered from her shock, her gaze returning to calm as she said with a faint sneer, "Is your liking worth anything?"

Now it was Lu Jingmo's turn to be speechless.

"Lu Jingmo, I was brought back by the Ning family six years ago. When I married you, I didn't even know who else was in the Ning family. Do you know what I was feeling when I married you, and what kind of despair I felt when I gave up this marriage? Do you think I divorced you just so you would like me and value me?"

Ning Yao's question was very calm.

So calm it was enough to shatter Lu Jingmo's insignificant frustration and dejection.

He opened his mouth to explain, but after racking his brains for a long time, he couldn't find the right words.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Ning Yao smiled faintly.

"The torment and despair I endured during these six years of marriage are unimaginable to you. You have no idea how much I sacrificed to divorce you. What I wanted was never that frivolous affection you speak of, nor the immense wealth of your Lu family."

Every word she uttered was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Lu Jingmo's heart.

"Then what do you want?"

“Look, you say you like me, but you don’t even know what I want.” Ning Yao looked at him, her eyes clear and bright, without any hint of embarrassment or distress. “I want everyone to know that I am Ning Yao, and only Ning Yao.”

She is not anyone's appendage.

It's just myself.

Lu Jingmo still had some confusion in his eyes, "What you want doesn't conflict with what I want."

"That's just what you think. Can you let go now?"

Ning Yao saw that he didn't understand her words, so she didn't press him. Leaving was more important right now.

Seeing that Lu Jingmo refused to let go, she began to manipulate him in reverse.

"If you want me to believe that you really like me, then you should at least show me that you respect me."

Lu Jingmo's arms, which he had been trying to pull back, gradually loosened.

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at him calmly.

Lu Jingmo reluctantly let go completely.

"I'm leaving. Don't put on such a pointless show again. Besides, you have custody of Mingjin. I won't interfere anymore."

After saying that, Ning Luo turned and left without looking back.

Watching her retreating figure, Lu Jingmo frowned. "You're just leaving like that?"

Ning Yao turned to look at him, "Otherwise what? Should I stay here and continue serving you like before?"

Seeing Lu Jingmo's gloomy face, she smiled and said, "Or do you mean if I stay here, you can give me a hundred billion per hour?"

Lu Jingmo was speechless.

After Ning Yao left, a surge of anger stuck in his chest, unable to rise or fall.

feels awful.

After leaving the study, Ning Yao lost the indifference she had shown when facing Lu Jingmo. Barefoot, she walked down the stairs and kept looking around.

She was afraid of running into Lu Mingjin or someone else.

But what you fear most is what comes to pass.

"Young...Young Madam, what...what is this...?"

As soon as the housekeeper entered, he noticed someone acting suspiciously as they came downstairs, and was so shocked that he couldn't even finish his sentence.