The man was tall with long legs, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. His deep, cold outline flickered in the dim light.
As he approached step by step, An Ning caught the scent of sandalwood and cedar floating in the air.
In the cramped stairwell, an overwhelming sense of oppression swept over her.
Just as An Ning thought to escape, her wrist was suddenly seized, and she was forcefully pinned against the wall.
Lu Xiyan’s grip was powerful, clutching her slender wrist as he stared intently into her glistening eyes.
He clearly hated her to the core!
Yet when he saw her becoming the target of public criticism, he didn’t feel the satisfaction he had imagined.
He raised his hand to grip her chin, looking at her stubborn yet pitiful expression, wishing he could bite her to death!
He desperately wanted to ask her: An Ning, did you dump me just to live this kind of life?
But when the words reached his lips, they came out as, “Weren’t you disdainful to take any of the things I gave you? Why did you keep that pen?”
He leaned closer, pressing, “Hmm? Ex-wife?”
Hearing the words “ex-wife,” An Ning’s mind buzzed.
Her chin ached from his grip, her entire body trapped between him and the wall with no means of escape.
The air around her was filled with his scent—cold, arrogant, and utterly captivating.
An Ning’s throat felt dry. So he remembered everything; he had simply chosen to ignore it before.
Meeting his interrogating gaze, she stared into his pitch-black eyes. “I couldn’t bear to part with it.”
The hands gripping her chin and wrist trembled slightly, but their strength didn’t lessen.
“Couldn’t bear to part with what?”
A faint smile touched An Ning’s lips. “Because it’s expensive and hard to come by, so I couldn’t bear to part with it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the man’s deep eyes grow several degrees colder, like an unfathomable, icy abyss.
“Is that so?” Lu Xiyan sneered. “Give it back to me.”
An Ning was startled, never expecting him to ask for the pen back.
“Mr. Lu, that pen is mine!”
Lu Xiyan laughed mockingly. “Ms. An, I bought that pen. I have the right to take back anything I’ve given away.”
An Ning grew anxious. “Gifts given during marriage can’t be taken back by you, Mr.” Lu!”
“Whether I have the right or not, my lawyer will inform you,” Lu Xiyan’s voice was cold and arrogant, tinged with a dismissive flippancy. “Of course, if Ms. An insists on keeping the pen, you can purchase it at its original price.”
His eyes darkened, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips. “Specially customized from Italy.” Not expensive—just three million.”
His grip on her wrist tightened abruptly, and An Ning looked at him in disbelief.
He knew perfectly well she couldn’t even afford twenty-eight hundred right now, yet he demanded three million.
He was doing it on purpose, deliberately pushing her.
To make her beg for mercy? Apologize?
Or perhaps she should break down in tears before him and say, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dumped you back then.
An Ning’s clenched fist suddenly loosened, as if all her strength had drained away.
“Fine, I’ll return it to you.”
Lu Xiyan stared at her pale, stubborn face, his gaze like ice picks.
Just then, the voice of a cleaner echoed from the stairwell entrance.
“Eh? Why is this stairwell door open?”
The voice grew clearer, and it was clear they were about to enter.
An Ning’s heart raced wildly.
This was Oten—everyone knew Lu Xiyan here.
If someone were to see them in such a compromising position in the stairwell, the rumors would be endless.
But Lu Xiyan showed no intention of backing away.
Just as the stairwell door was pushed open from outside, An Ning tensed up nervously, her entire body rigid. The man’s tall figure suddenly enveloped her.
An Ning was pressed against the wall by him, then his handsome face loomed closer, stopping beside her cheek.
An Ning’s body froze abruptly.
Their posture looked… like they were kissing.
Very ambiguous.
The cleaning worker pushed the door open, took one look, and was so startled she said, “Sorry to disturb,” before quickly retreating and closing the door.
Faintly, they could still hear her muttering as she walked away, “Young people these days, their relationships are just too wild…”
The man’s breath brushed against her ear, and An Ning’s face turned pale.
She heard the man, in the most intimate posture, utter the most heart-wrenching words.
“Ms. An, please remember, anything that belongs to me, Lu Xiyan, don’t even think about disputing ownership. I will take it all back.”
An Ning’s shoulders trembled as she asked in a shaky voice, “Everything?”
Lu Xiyan stepped back from her, returning to his previous aloof and unattainable demeanor.
He glanced at her bloodless face. “Everything.”
An Ning’s fingernails dug into her palms as she watched the man turn and walk away step by step.
His tall, cold silhouette resembled an arrogant deity.
While she seemed like an ant crushed beneath his feet.
Tears slid down An Ning’s cheeks.
Everything?
Would that include… Xian Xian too?
……
First floor of Oten Group.
A black Bentley stopped at the main entrance.
The rear door opened, and a pair of slender high heels touched the ground. A young woman in a custom-made white dress emerged from the car.
Entering the lobby, staff members bowed and greeted her one after another, “Good morning, Miss Cheng!”
All employees of Oten Group knew about the news of the Cheng family alliance through marriage. This heiress of Cheng Corporation would soon become their boss’s wife.
Ordinary people understood that business marriages meant powerful alliances and added advantages, signaling that the corporation’s business would reach new heights.
Cheng Wanwan nodded slightly with a gentle smile, her beautiful face always bearing a pleasant expression, showing no airs of a wealthy heiress.
As she headed toward the elevator, some people in the lobby began whispering gossip.
“This Cheng Corporation heiress is truly beautiful, kind, and good-tempered. She often brings things to visit our President Lu. They’re such a perfect match—a talented man and a beautiful woman.”
“Right, they look happy and well-matched now, but behind these wealthy families, the waters run deep,” an older employee murmured quietly. “I heard our President Lu didn’t want to marry into the Cheng family initially. Rumor has it he had a girlfriend he was truly fond of.”
Sensing juicy gossip, several people joined the conversation.
“Really? We never heard about that!”
“That was years ago. Word has it the Lu family’s second young master, our President Lu, once had a very public romance that caused a stir throughout Jing Hai. But later, for some unknown reason, it suddenly ended. Overnight, all news about ‘the Lu family’s second young master’s girlfriend’ was removed from the internet, and she vanished completely from search results.”
“Is that true? That’s explosive!”
“Not only that, but any information or photos of the girl were banned from circulation. It was as if she evaporated overnight.”
“Oh my god! Who was this girl? A celebrity? Or did she have some other undisclosed identity?”
“That’s unclear, but there are various opinions online. Everyone speculates that the woman who could make the Lu family go to such great lengths must be extraordinary…”
The gossip gradually faded from her ears.
The smile on Cheng Wanwan’s face cooled bit by bit. By the time she stepped into the elevator, the mask-like grin vanished instantly, leaving pure anger etched across her features.