When Ning Anmiao saw the call from Bai Jiaying in the afternoon, she didn't think much and dialed back.
On the other end of the phone came her mother's gentle voice, "Miaomiao, are you busy?"
"I'm working. What do you want from me?"
Bai Jiaying hesitated, as if she had something to say but held back, "Are you available to come back these two days? Your father said he wants to talk to you..."
Hearing this, Ning Anmiao's breath caught. Knowing that her parents were getting old, she was worried that something had happened at home. She didn't dare to delay at all, "Okay, I'll go back today."
Unexpectedly, when she rushed back in a hurry, what awaited her was a barrage of scolding.
...
"Ning Anmiao, kneel down for me!"
As soon as she entered the door, before she could figure out the situation, Ning Anmiao's calf was hit by a walking stick. The pain made her knees buckle and she knelt on the ground.
In the quiet living room, there was a sudden "thud"!
Ning Zhijing held a mahogany walking stick in his hand. His usually gentle face was now gloomy, and he didn't even give her a chance to speak.
He was imposing, his face ashen with anger, hating that his daughter couldn't become a worthy person, "Ning Anmiao! Do you think I'm too lenient? You keep testing the bottom line of the Ning family again and again!"
Ning Anmiao was still in a daze. Hearing the accusation in her father's tone, she almost shed tears.
But she remained calm, raising her head and looking at Ning Zhijing firmly, "Dad, I don't know what I did wrong."
Her face was pale, but her expression was still composed, "Even if you want to punish me, you should give me a reason."
The Ning family had always been a place that valued reason.
Ning Zhijing sneered, then directly picked up an envelope from the coffee table and threw it hard on the ground. The photos in the envelope immediately scattered all over the floor.
Ning Anmiao glanced at them, and her pupils suddenly shrank.
The pictures on the photos were of her and Lu Yan abroad not long ago.
It was obvious that the person who took the pictures was very meticulous. Whether it was her toasting with Lu Yan in the castle or being held in Lu Yan's arms after spraining her ankle, the pictures were extremely clear.
The two of them were extremely intimate.
Ning Anmiao's heart skipped a beat. She instantly understood where her father's anger came from.
"What, where's that proud look you had just now?"
Seeing that Ning Anmiao suddenly fell silent, Ning Zhijing became even angrier. He tapped his walking stick on the ground with a "dong dong" sound. It seemed that he might hit Ning Anmiao at any moment.
"I allowed you to return to Shanghai to do what you like, but what about you?" Ning Zhijing's vicissitudinous eyes were filled with anger, "Ning Anmiao! Are you really that vulgar?"
Bai Jiaying stood on the attic, looking down at her daughter kneeling on the ground. Her heart ached, and she felt extremely distressed.
But the rules of the Ning family were the rules. When Ning's father was educating his children, no one was allowed to interfere in the slightest.
Ning Anmiao gritted her teeth, supported herself on the floor and stood up. She endured the pain in her calf and forced herself to look her father in the eye.
She knew very well how much her father disliked Lu Yan.
"Dad, I'm an adult now. I can handle my emotional problems rationally!"
"I have the right to choose who I want to be with!" Scenes of her recent time with Lu Yan flashed through her mind. She didn't know where she got the courage from, but suddenly she shouted loudly.
"What, now that you've grown up, you think you've got wings?"
Ning Zhijing's voice suddenly rose, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged, "Ning Anmiao, you really forget the pain once the wound heals!"
After saying that, he raised his walking stick and slammed it hard on Ning Anmiao's back!
Again and again, Ning Zhijing didn't hold back at all. Every time he hit, there would be a dull sound from Ning Anmiao's back!
Ning Anmiao stood stubbornly, still holding her head high. Her eyes were as stubborn as Ning Zhijing's. She seemed determined not to give in until she was beaten to death.
"Good! Well done!" Seeing Ning Anmiao's determination, Ning Zhijing became even angrier. His anger almost overwhelmed all his reason. He raised his walking stick and was about to hit hard again -
"Enough, enough!" Bai Jiaying was worried that something might happen if this continued. She didn't care about the rules of the Ning family anymore. She quickly ran down from the attic and protected Ning Anmiao behind her.
She shouted out in distress, and her eyes were also red, "That's enough! Stop it. Do you want to beat Miaomiao to death!"
Ning Zhijing's walking stick stopped in mid - air. Looking at Bai Jiaying, he was so angry that he coughed violently, "With such a disgraceful daughter, I wish I could beat her to death!"
"Get out of the way, or I'll beat both of you mother and daughter!"
It seemed that he didn't intend to stop. Bai Jiaying quickly turned around and helped Ning Anmiao up. Her eyes were filled with distress and helplessness, "Miaomiao, your father is angry. You should..."
"I know. I'll leave now!" Ning Anmiao clenched her fists tightly, trying not to let her tears fall.
There was a burning pain on her back, but she seemed not to feel it. She turned around and rushed into the rainy night.
After a two - hour drive, she appeared at Lu Yan's door.
---
After hearing all this, Lu Yan frowned, his face a bit cold.
Ning Anmiao was leaning against the head of the bed. After telling all this, she was a bit thirsty. She opened her mouth, "I want to drink water."
Lu Yan turned around and went out to pour her warm water, then fed it to her.
After a while, Lu Yan finally spoke, "Since it was like this, why didn't you call me to pick you up in Jiangcheng?"
It was late at night and rainy. If she met a driver with bad intentions, it was easy to have an accident.
Ning Anmiao pursed her lips and answered honestly, "The rain was too heavy. My phone got wet and turned off."
She had thought about calling Lu Yan, but unfortunately she was soaked from head to toe, and the phone in her pocket was no exception.
All the way, she was shivering in the taxi. There was only one belief in her heart.
As long as she went back and saw Lu Yan, everything would be okay.
Lu Yan didn't say much. His expression was very serious, "If that's the case, I should have accompanied you back."
His tone was a bit heavy, "I originally thought you were going back to reunite with your parents, so I didn't want to go there and spoil the fun and affect your relationship."
Hearing the words "spoil the fun", Ning Anmiao's heart suddenly tightened. She felt indescribable pain and quickly denied it, "It's not your fault. You don't need to blame yourself."
Her father's old - fashioned ideas and prejudice against businessmen couldn't deny Lu Yan's excellence.
From beginning to end, Ning Anmiao always thought that Lu Yan was an outstanding person at the top. He was so excellent that he was dazzling. The height he could reach was unattainable.
This had nothing to do with family background.
The more so, the more she felt that her choice was right, and the more determined she was to be with Lu Yan.
As long as she wasn't the only one maintaining this relationship, she would have enough courage to face all the difficulties and obstacles.
"On the way back, I kept thinking that as long as I saw you, everything would be okay."