An Ning said nothing more. She scanned the QR code with her phone to add him, then quickly walked out of the coffee shop.
Watching her hurried retreating figure, the person in the seat instantly clenched the phone in his hand with force.
The friend request she sent featured an avatar of a moon hanging in the night sky.
The name was straightforward: An Ning.
Lu Xiyan’s chest heaved violently, his swollen Taiyang xue stinging until the rims of his eyes turned dark red.
No wonder!
Four years ago, he had sent countless messages and made countless calls, all of which sank without a trace.
So she had long changed her contact information.
Even her WeChat had been completely replaced.
Her Moments were blank, devoid of anything.
It was as if, over the past few years, no one had been part of her world.
He zoomed in on the avatar photo, staring at the full moon, the corners of his eyes reddening.
Hah!
The moon.
An Ning, have you ever seen true darkness?
……
In the darkness of the corner, An Ning could no longer support her drained body. Leaning against the wall, she took deep, ragged breaths to calm her emotions.
She had been on the verge of breaking down.
Pressed against the wall, her entire body trembled, and tears instantly blurred her vision.
“Lu Xiyan, I just wanted to see how dating a wealthy young master like you differs from us ordinary people.”
“Ms. An, I just wanted to see how you impoverished people struggle to survive in adversity. Like ants, it’s uninteresting.”
An Ning clutched her aching chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.
He remembered every word she had said, even returning them to her with doubled hatred.
She knew he hated her.
What hurt more than hatred was the look in his eyes when he gazed at her—always disdainful, disgusted, and indifferent.
As if she were an indelible stain on his pristine white shirt.
Like a stranded fish, An Ning leaned against the hard wall, gasping for air.
Realizing her condition was worsening, she fumbled through her bag with trembling fingers, pulled out a Sertraline tablet, and swallowed it dry.
She smiled bitterly.
They were right.
Whether it was her as a person or her two-year marriage with Lu Xiyan.
Both were indelible stains on the resume of his life.
……
The night pressed down heavily, countless neon lights along the bustling streets like pairs of prying eyes.
The night wind dried the tear stains on An Ning’s face and gently lifted the green ribbon on her left wrist.
Zhao Li called, saying An Xian should be asleep, but he was throwing a tantrum without his mother there, asking when she would return.
An Ning said she would be back soon. Just as she was about to head to the nearby bus stop, a black Bentley suddenly pulled up beside her.
The rear window slowly lowered, revealing a young, beautiful face with exquisite makeup.
Her willow-leaf eyebrows arched delicately, and a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes before she smiled warmly and greeted, “An Ning? Is it really you?”
An Ning had never expected to see Cheng Wanwan—Lu Xiyan’s childhood friend and his soon-to-be fiancée—so soon.
Her enthusiastic and familiar greeting made it impossible for An Ning to pretend not to see her. “Long time no see,” she replied.
“I didn’t expect to run into you here,” Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. “Do you have time? Would you like to sit down together?”
……
The private room on the second floor of the tranquil and cool teahouse was filled with a faint, lingering aroma of tea.
Through the wispy steam rising from the tea, Cheng Wanwan lifted her smiling eyes, though her gaze held a scrutinizing assessment of An Ning’s face.
After four years apart, she seemed somewhat different from before.
Yet that pretty face still stirred a sense of irritation in those who saw it.
“An Ning, I’m sorry to invite you for tea at such a time,” Cheng Wanwan said with an apologetic tone. “You know my health isn’t great, and Xiyan specifically advised me to drink less coffee and more tea for the sake of my well-being.”
When she mentioned those two words, Cheng Wanwan deliberately observed An Ning’s expression.
She saw only calmness in her eyes, devoid of joy or sorrow, revealing no discernible emotion.
An Ning stared at the red tea in the porcelain-white cup and looked up to ask lightly, “Is there something you need from me, Miss Cheng?”
“I just wanted to catch up with you since it’s been so long,” Cheng Wanwan feigned concern, leaning forward slightly to study her thin face. “An Ning, you’ve been abroad all these years. Have you been doing well?”
“Quite well,” An Ning replied. “During my absence from Jing Hai, I assume your health has improved significantly, Miss Cheng?”
As it turned out, Cheng Wanwan had been the matchmaker between her and Lu Xiyan.
Six years ago, when Cheng Wanwan was hospitalized and urgently needed a rare blood type, An Ning—who happened to have the “panda blood”—was deceived by Li Chunfang into donating blood. That was how she met Lu Xiyan, Cheng Wanwan’s childhood friend.
“I have indeed recovered a great deal,” Cheng Wanwan said with a graceful smile. “Thanks to Xiyan’s care.”
“Oh, speaking of which, I just remembered something,” Cheng Wanwan added, opening her handbag. “I had been thinking that, for Xiyan’s and my engagement ceremony, I simply had to invite you. Now that you’re back, I can give you the invitation.”
She took out a pink velvet invitation edged with gold and handed it to An Ning.
The most prominent feature on the cover was a golden logo—two stylized, intertwined letters: L & C.
Lu, Cheng.
The two letters were entwined, as if they were meant to be together from the very beginning.
Only they knew that, six years ago, because of An Ning, Lu Xiyan had repeatedly refused the arranged marriage between the Lu and Cheng families.
Now, they were finally getting engaged.
Of course, Cheng Wanwan had come to flaunt it.
An Ning did not accept the invitation. “I’m sorry, but I likely won’t have time to attend the engagement ceremony.”
Though An Ning declined the invitation, Cheng Wanwan showed no sign of embarrassment. Instead, she asked with concern, “Is it because of your mother’s illness?”
Realizing the question might seem abrupt, Cheng Wanwan smiled and explained, “I heard from Manni and Xiaomin that your mother is ill, which is why you returned to Jing Hai.”
“An Ning, medical resources in Jing Hai are quite strained these days. Many ordinary people without connections or resources struggle to secure appointments with specialists or schedule surgeries.” After saying this, she looked at An Ning and gave a faint smile. “I know a highly authoritative medical team abroad. If you need it, I can arrange for you and your mother to receive treatment overseas.”
“There’s no need—”
Before An Ning could finish her polite refusal, Cheng Wanwan interrupted, “Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll cover it for you.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Miss Cheng,” An Ning declined once more. “My mother has lived her entire life in Jing Hai, and she only wishes to stay here. Besides, I have faith in the hospitals and medical expertise in Jing Hai.”
Cheng Wanwan’s smile slowly faded at the corners of her lips. She nodded and said, “Very well, then.”
She picked up a cup of hot tea and took a small sip, pretending to ask casually, “After your mother’s surgery is over, will you still leave Jing Hai?”
“We’ll see.” An Ning neither said “yes” nor “no.”
Perhaps she herself wasn’t sure whether it would still be necessary to stay in Jing Hai by then.
It was getting late, and their “catching up” had come to an end.
An Ning stood up to say goodbye and left.
Watching her descend the stairs and disappear around the corner, Cheng Wanwan’s smile, which had been maintained for half an hour, gradually faded. The warmth in her eyes completely vanished, leaving only a strong sense of contempt.
“An Ning, since you’ve already disappeared, why come back?”
“I gave you the chance to take your mother abroad. Since you chose not to leave, don’t blame me.”