No need to guess. Ning Anmiao must be secretly feeling sad inside.
Lu Yan couldn't help but let out a sigh.
He knew he shouldn't have answered that call.
Lu Yan didn't really care that all the schemes he had set up for Lin Chuluo before had gone to waste. What he was most worried about was Miaomiao's state.
This time's blow would probably take her several days to recover from.
Lu Yan stood in front of the study door for a while. Then, as if he had thought of something, he turned around and walked into the kitchen.
He remembered a recipe he had seen a few days ago. He had bought the ingredients back then but hadn't had the chance to cook it for Miaomiao.
Today, he could give it a try.
Lu Yan lowered his eyes and carefully studied the recipe. The corners of his lips curled up slightly.
—
Ning Anmiao stayed alone in the study for a long time.
She cried until her body went numb and trembled, but she just couldn't stop. The scolding from her father on the phone echoed in her mind over and over again.
Except for that snowy night, she had never heard her father speak so harshly in her life.
And it was exactly to her.
The more she thought about it, the more miserable she felt. The emotions she had finally calmed down got out of control again. Her eye sockets became red and swollen, and it seemed that the tears were about to pour down again—
Suddenly, there came a few knocks on the door.
After a few knocks, the doorknob was turned, and Lu Yan walked in, holding a small ceramic stewpot in his hand.
"Not done crying yet?"
As soon as Lu Yan came in, he casually asked her. He walked to the desk and put the ceramic stewpot on it.
"If you're tired from crying, take a break. Eat something and then continue crying."
Lu Yan's tone was casual. He lifted the lid with his right hand. For a moment, the steam rose from the stewpot, and a sweet fragrance wafted through the air.
Ning Anmiao sniffed and slowly stood up while supporting the corner of the wall.
She could smell it. It was the smell of sweet milk.
She walked over. Her eyes were extremely heavy. She blinked several times desperately before she could see what was inside.
On top of the milk - like liquid, there were floating red dates and Chinese wolfberries. There was also a crystal - clear yellow jelly - like substance inside. She didn't know what it was, but it looked very delicious.
She blinked and unconsciously swallowed her saliva.
It smelled quite nice.
"What's this?" Her throat was a bit hoarse, and her voice was also a bit rough. "A dessert?"
"Milk, red date and peach gum soup."
Lu Yan told her the name and then took out a spoon and put it in the ceramic stewpot. "It's my first attempt. Care to give it a try?"
Ning Anmiao couldn't help but curve her lips. For a moment, her low and negative emotions dissipated a bit. She sat down in front of the desk.
As she got closer, the sweet fragrance became even stronger.
She unconsciously bit her lower lip and deliberately said clumsily, "Your first attempt? You deliberately use me as a guinea pig?"
"Not really. I took a sip just now." Lu Yan said casually. "The taste is okay. It's just a bit sweet."
Ning Anmiao didn't think much. She picked up the spoon, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently, and then put it into her mouth.
The taste of sweet milk and the delicate fragrance of peach gum were mixed together. It was an indescribable taste.
The warmth went down from the tip of her tongue all the way to her throat, then to her stomach, and then gradually spread throughout her body.
She lowered her head and took two more sips. The taste was really good.
"Isn't it quite sweet?" Lu Yan looked at her without changing his expression. "Give me some suggestions so that I can improve it next time."
Ning Anmiao shook her head and gave an affirmative answer. "No need. It's already very delicious."
She liked sweet things, especially when she was in a bad mood.
At this moment, she didn't know if it was because of the peach gum soup, but it seemed that her mood wasn't that bad anymore.
Seeing that she finally stopped crying, Lu Yan slightly relaxed his brows. "If it's delicious, drink it while it's hot. It's dry in spring. Drink more to moisten your throat."
"Don't cry non - stop." Lu Yan deliberately imitated Ning Anmiao's usual tone. "It's not your own body, so of course you don't feel bad about it."
Ning Anmiao finally couldn't help it. A smile crept onto her lips.
Seeing that the last bit of gloom between her eyebrows finally dissipated, Lu Yan let out a sigh of relief. He raised his eyebrows slightly and urged her a few more times. "Hurry up and drink. It's not easy to reheat this later."
When he started cooking it, he didn't know it would be so troublesome.
It seemed that there was a reason why it tasted so good.
After Ning Anmiao finished all the peach gum soup in the ceramic stewpot, the last bit of coldness in her body was also dispelled, leaving only a warm feeling all over.
It seemed that the sadness and depression just now weren't that important anymore.
Ning Anmiao licked her lips, put down the spoon in her hand, and took the initiative to say thank you. "Thank you, President Lu, for the treat."
"You don't need to thank me." Seeing that her emotions had almost recovered, Lu Yan also got to the point. "Are we really going to do what you said about Lin Chuluo?"
According to what Ning Anmiao had just said, it would only give Lin Chuluo a chance to make a comeback. After he had poached a large number of elite employees and with the current turbulent public opinion, Yunyan was still seriously injured.
"Yes. That's enough to give him an explanation."
When Ning Anmiao said this, there was calmness in her eyes. She didn't even want to call him "father".
Of course she hated him.
She hated his arrogance, his failure to distinguish the truth, and his lack of trust in her.
But without love, where would the hatred come from?
Lu Yan didn't expose her. He just said indifferently, "It's good that you've thought it through."
Ning Anmiao had definitely thought it through.
She clearly knew that the estrangement between her and her father was no longer as simple as just going against his will at the beginning.
Now, in Ning Zhijing's eyes, she was not only a rebel, but she had also made a private promise of marriage with someone else. She was even so shameless as to rely on a man to hurt her relatives and friends.
Such a her was no longer worthy of returning to the Ning family.
She was completely heart - broken.
It didn't matter if she didn't go back to that home!
—
"Don't worry. Uncle Ning has always been on my side."
Jiang Xixi was sitting in an afternoon tea restaurant, holding a phone in her hand. She was sweetly coquettishly talking to the person on the other end of the phone. "Ning Anmiao has been away from the Ning family for so many years. Uncle Ning doesn't recognize her as his daughter anymore."
"Besides, Uncle Ning doesn't know what happened. As long as I tell him that she bullied me with Lu Yan's help, Uncle will definitely stand by my side."
Hearing Jiang Xixi's confident answer, Lin Chuluo finally felt relieved. He gently said into the phone, "Thank you, Xixi."
"If it weren't for you, I really don't know what to do. Xixi, you're really the best girl. It's really my great honor to be able to marry you."
"After Yunyan gets through this period, I'll take you to watch a movie, okay?"
His voice was as gentle as water. Jiang Xixi was almost dizzy with happiness. She held the phone and nodded desperately. "Okay, okay. Will you propose to me then?"
"You can look forward to it." The person on the other end of the phone indulged her in every way. Jiang Xixi's heart was as sweet as honey.
Not far away, a woman wearing a wide - brimmed hat slightly lowered her head, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly.