"As long as I see you, everything will be okay."
She tilted her head, her eyes bright, and the corners of her lips curving into a gentle arc. "I knew you must be waiting for me at home, so the journey wasn't too hard."
Ning Anmiao knew that in many things, she was always habitually dependent on him and used to looking for his trace.
Once a habit was formed, it was hard to break.
Lu Yan lowered his eyes, feeling something indescribable in his heart.
He couldn't bear it.
Lu Yan had always been rational. As early as the snowy night three years ago when he brought Ning Anmiao home, he had already known the distance between them.
If they wanted to be together, the biggest and most thorny problem between them would be the rift between Ning Anmiao and her parents.
That was why he had been preparing for a divorce from Ning Anmiao for the past three years.
But the fact proved that he couldn't do it.
Since he couldn't let go, he had to find another way.
Lu Yan looked into Ning Anmiao's eyes seriously and said, "I'll go back to the Ning family with you in a few days."
His tone was calm, and it seemed that he wasn't just talking casually.
Ning Anmiao widened her eyes and was about to refuse. "No need. My dad is very stubborn. He might even beat you then."
Seeing her nervous look, Lu Yan gave a low laugh. His voice was deep and pleasant, more like a relieved laugh. "If I get beaten, will you protect me?"
"I'll pull you and run away together." Ning Anmiao blinked, not taking his words to heart. "Give up. You can't convince him."
If he could really be convinced to accept a businessman as his son - in - law, he would have agreed three years ago instead of dragging it on until now.
"Even if I know I might not be able to convince him, I still have to try." Lu Yan said faintly. "A conversation between men will be much more mature than you think."
He knew that he had to take responsibility for their relationship.
He also had to take responsibility for the impulsive act of taking Miaomiao away without saying a word three years ago.
"If you're really eager to get beaten, all I can do is wish you good luck." Ning Anmiao shrugged, looking a bit arrogant.
Seeing that she was no longer sad, Lu Yan let her be sharp - tongued. Afraid that she would spill the water in the cup, he took the cup from her hand and placed it on the bedside table.
"Take off your clothes." Lu Yan's voice was textured. Every word was so proper, but when it came from his mouth, it carried a bit of ambiguity.
Ning Anmiao's face immediately flushed red. She bit her lip and nervously turned her head away. "What for? I don't want to."
Lu Yan paused for a moment and gave her a meaningful look.
He sat beside her, reached out his hand to pinch Ning Anmiao's face, enjoying the touch on his fingertips, and said, "I mean, let me take a look at your back."
Although Ning Anmiao had passed it off lightly just now, he hadn't forgotten that she had been hit by a few sticks.
Lu Yan was always meticulous and never neglected small details. "Does it still hurt?"
Only then did Ning Anmiao realize that she had misunderstood him.
She blinked and tried to force a smile. "When I saw you, I didn't feel that much pain anymore."
"Let me take a look, be good." The man still insisted, with a spoiling tone in his voice. "Miaomiao, be obedient."
Ning Anmiao's heart skipped a beat. She simply couldn't refuse such a Lu Yan. So she slowly turned around, took off her pajama top, and showed her back.
On her usually fair and smooth back, there were several blue marks, and some of them even oozed dark red blood.
Lu Yan's eyes darkened, and his emotions were unclear.
He raised his hand, and his rough fingertips gently touched those wounds, slowly caressing them inch by inch, remaining silent all the time.
His eyes wandered on her back, as if he wanted to engrave this scene in his heart.
From then on, he would never let her get hurt again.
Ning Anmiao had her back to him and didn't know what he was doing. She just felt the man's fingers on her back, which made her shiver involuntarily.
"Have you... have you finished looking? I'm a bit cold." Ning Anmiao's voice trembled, and she felt a bit panicked.
Although she had told Lu Yan that it didn't hurt, those were real blows from the sticks. It was definitely a lie to say it didn't hurt.
But she instinctively didn't want Lu Yan to worry.
Before she could put on her clothes, the man's hand suddenly circled around from behind and hugged her waist.
"I regret not going back to the Ning family with you."
"I'd rather those sticks hit me than see you get hurt even a little bit."
Lu Yan was more mature than Ning Anmiao. Coupled with his status and environment, he had a strong sense of crisis and could even predict future risks.
That was why he thought he could protect Miaomiao well.
He was always calculating accurately, but he knew that what he could give Miaomiao definitely didn't include family affection.
"It's okay, I..." The two suddenly got closer, and Ning Anmiao immediately panicked. She stammered, trying to comfort him.
The man leaned down slightly, lowered his head gently, and kissed those wounds one by one.
The places he kissed were hot and burning.
Ning Anmiao's heart was pounding. She felt the man moving down inch by inch, and her body began to go limp.
"Lu Yan..." She unconsciously called out his name. Her face gradually flushed red, and her voice was softer than she realized.
Such a call was undoubtedly an encouragement to Lu Yan.
He squinted his eyes and saw that her neck began to turn red, gradually spreading all over her body. Even her round and fair shoulders were tinged with a beautiful pink.
Lu Yan's voice deepened. He rested his chin on her shoulder and gently bit her ear. "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
"This is my compensation for not being able to accompany you back to Jiangcheng."
Ning Anmiao's blood boiled instantly. Her breathing was disrupted, and she didn't dare to raise her head.
Both of them knew very well what would happen next in this ambiguous atmosphere.
"We just finished..." Ning Anmiao protested in a low voice.
Lu Yan was very patient in this regard. He gently guided her. "I didn't notice the wound on your back just now. I'll be more careful this time."
His voice was deep, incredibly sexy and mature.
His kisses never stopped.
Soon, Ning Anmiao was lost in his arms, and her eyes became blurred. "How will you be careful..."
The man let out a hoarse laugh, seemingly very pleased with her docility. "Be good. Lie down."
Ning Anmiao was in a daze and could only follow his order.
When she lay on the bed, the man's strong hand grabbed her waist and easily lifted her body.
By the time she realized what he meant by "being careful", she had already lost the ability to resist, and her consciousness gradually faded into blankness...