Ning Anmiao bit her lip as she stared at Lu Yan sitting on the sofa. For some inexplicable reason, she felt a fire burning inside her.
She was extremely unhappy.
"I'm sorry, Miaomiao." There was still little expression on Lu Yan's face, but a hint of apology could be detected. "I overthought things back then, so I..."
"Lu Yan, you wasted three years of my joy for an uncertain outcome."
Suddenly, Ning Anmiao felt a deep sense of grievance welling up inside her.
During those three years, there wasn't a single day when she didn't look forward to their married life. Although Lu Yan had always been rather lukewarm towards her, she had always thought it was just his personality.
But today she had finally learned that it had all been on purpose.
The deliberate coldness, the intentional distance, the purposeful indifference...
She couldn't accept it.
"Miaomiao, I'm sorry." Seeing the moisture in Ning Anmiao's eyes, Lu Yan was instantly flustered. He stood up and reached out to hug her. "I was immature back then. I..."
"You were too mature! That's why you put me on the scale of your calculations and considered me something disposable!"
The more Ning Anmiao spoke, the more aggrieved she felt, and her voice softened. "Why didn't you trust my feelings for you?"
Lu Yan's expression changed. For the first time, he was completely at a loss. "Miaomiao, I never doubted your feelings for me. I just..."
"Okay, I'm quite busy with work. I'll go back first."
Ning Anmiao almost fled, not bothering to listen to Lu Yan's explanation.
Her mind was in a complete mess. She couldn't sort out her emotions at all and had no idea how to get along with Lu Yan anymore.
Even when she returned to her workstation, her head was still buzzing, like a tangled mess of threads.
Lu Yan sat on the sofa, watching Ning Anmiao's back as she left in a huff. He rubbed his temples in frustration.
He knew that his words had hurt Miaomiao.
He couldn't blame Miaomiao for this. Who could accept that the man they had been living with day in and day out had actually been planning a divorce all along, and all in the name of being good for her?
It was nothing short of moral coercion.
He was also well aware that he had been irresponsible towards their three - year marriage and, more importantly, towards Miaomiao.
After work, as Lu Yan had expected, Ning Anmiao didn't wait for him.
If he guessed correctly, she should have returned to the small home she used to share with Yin Yiyan.
Lu Yan made a phone call and confirmed that she was with Yin Yiyan. His expression relaxed slightly.
——
Yin Yiyan hung up the phone and turned to look at Miaomiao, who had been sitting on the sofa hugging a pillow and crying non - stop since she got back. She guessed that there must have been a conflict between Miaomiao and Lu Yan.
She walked over and put her arm around Miaomiao's shoulders. "What's wrong? Have you been wronged?"
Ning Anmiao sniffed, her voice muffled. "I know why Lu Yan agreed to divorce me."
Yin Yiyan was taken aback. She had to hold back her laughter with great effort.
"I knew it! The other day you two were like newlyweds after a short separation. A phone call would even interrupt your 'loving connection', and today you're crying as if you've broken up."
"So you two are digging up old bones today?"
Yin Yiyan stroked her chin and clicked her tongue. "People in love are really different. Instead of enjoying the sweet days, they always look for trouble and dig up old things to upset themselves."
Ning Anmiao pursed her lips. Her voice was hoarse. "He never really wanted to live a good life with me. He was just waiting to divorce me, and he even said it was for my own good."
"For your own good? Isn't that moral coercion!"
Yin Yiyan slapped her thigh hard. She stopped joking and started scolding Lu Yan. "What a jerk! A real jerk!"
Ning Anmiao lowered her eyes. Her heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions. "I feel like I was a clown for those three years. He clearly knew my feelings for him, but he remained indifferent."
After hearing the whole story, Yin Yiyan fell into silence.
"Well, this matter..." Yin Yiyan couldn't quite decide who to blame for a moment. "Actually, from another perspective, Lu Yan's concerns were normal."
"You grew up in the Ning family. The Ning family is extremely important to you. There's a chance that one day you might wake up and regret breaking up with your parents."
Being the apple of the Ning family's eye since childhood, family was definitely of utmost importance.
Yin Yiyan handed a tissue to Ning Anmiao so that she could wipe her tears. "From your perspective, you're not wrong either. Who would let someone have false hopes for three years?"
Seeing that Ning Anmiao had stopped crying, Yin Yiyan said slowly, "But if that's really the case, why does Lu Yan want to win you back now?"
Ning Anmiao was stunned.
Her emotions had flared up suddenly, and she hadn't really thought about it.
Yes, the Ning family still didn't accept Lu Yan. Why was he still so determined to choose her? He had even defended her in front of his mother and said he wanted to divorce her.
"Maybe he has realized his mistakes from those three years. He thinks he shouldn't have assumed things about your relationship and now wants to make amends."
As Yin Yiyan speculated, she tried to persuade Ning Anmiao. "Otherwise, you should observe him for a while and see what his real intentions are."
"I don't want to." Ning Anmiao was still angry and stubbornly refused. "Who knows if this time he wants to get back together with me is just another calculated choice on his part."
Yin Yiyan knew that she wouldn't be able to console Ning Anmiao in a short time, so she started joking around. "Indeed, there are millions of men in the world. If one doesn't work, we can just change every day."
Seeing that she had completely stopped crying, Yin Yiyan joked, "If my younger brother wasn't already married, I would introduce him to you."
"I'll ask my younger brother if there are any suitable men around his age. Maybe there's someone more suitable than Lu Yan."
Mentioning this, Yin Yiyan suddenly got excited. "Or, I think Zhou Si from our studio is quite good. Do you want to give it a try?"
At the mention of Zhou Si, Ning Anmiao instinctively thought of Lu Yan.
For some reason, Lu Yan always seemed to be hostile towards Zhou Si, as if there was something going on between her and Zhou Si.
But in fact, her relationship with Zhou Si was just ordinary. Apart from some work - related interactions, they had little communication.
They didn't even have each other's contact information.
"Haven't you two added each other's contact information? I'll push his card to you!" Yin Yiyan picked up her phone and immediately pushed Zhou Si's contact card to Ning Anmiao.
"Add him quickly. Let Lu Yan, that cold - hearted machine, see that you're very popular and he doesn't get to pick and choose you."
Originally, Ning Anmiao didn't want to add him, but at the word "calculation" from Yin Yiyan, she suddenly became competitive and sent a friend request directly.
In less than a minute, the other party approved her friend request.
"Are you still awake?"
The message from the other party surprised Ning Anmiao.
She didn't know what to reply. After hesitating for a few seconds, she chose a universal answer. "I was playing a game with Yanyan just now. I lost the truth or dare."
This answer was always safe.
Who would have thought that in just a few seconds, the other party replied with this.
[I'm really honored that you chose me for your dare.]