The Ning family was in a complete mess at the moment. Bai Jiaying and Father Jiang supported Ning Zhijing and helped him sit down on the sofa step by step.
Ning Zhijing's chest heaved violently. His face was extremely pale, and his eyebrows and eyes looked much older.
Bai Jiaying was extremely anxious. She quickly fetched the medicine that Ning Zhijing usually took and let him swallow it with warm water. "You're such an old man. Why are you still getting so angry!"
"You don't care about your own health at all!"
Ning Zhijing closed his eyes tightly. In his mind, the picture of Miaomiao straightening her back and refusing to give in just now automatically emerged.
The Jiang couple beside them were also very nervous. It was a small matter to seek justice, but if Ning Zhijing were to be hospitalized and fall ill because of this, it would be a big deal.
A group of people stayed with Ning Zhijing. After seeing him take the quick - acting heart - saving pills and his pale face gradually regain some color, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Only Jiang Xixi in the corner lifted the corners of her lips happily.
With such a big commotion today, it was estimated that Ning Anmiao had been completely kicked out of the Ning family.
The Jiang family didn't stay long. They told Ning Zhijing to have a good rest and then left together.
After everyone left, the room was extremely deserted.
Perhaps because the quarrel just now had been so intense, the sudden silence now seemed a bit desolate.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
While wiping the sweat off Ning Zhijing's face, Bai Jiaying looked towards the door, wondering who would come to visit at this time.
"Could it be... Miaomiao has come back?" Bai Jiaying murmured to herself. Ning Zhijing, who was sitting on the sofa, immediately opened his eyes.
"She'd better not come back. Don't ever come back to this home in her whole life!"
With this roar, his anger flared up again. He coughed desperately and had trouble breathing.
Bai Jiaying stroked his chest and scolded him gently, "Okay, stop talking."
She sighed helplessly. "Others may not understand Miaomiao, but as her father, don't you know your daughter's stubborn temper? If she really did something wrong, would she be so confident?"
Ning Zhijing remained silent.
He knew there was a big problem with this matter. Maybe Miaomiao had really been misunderstood.
But since the Jiang family had come to demand an explanation, as an elder, he couldn't overly protect his own daughter.
Originally, he had planned to smooth things over and deal with the problem behind closed doors after the Jiang family left. Who would have thought that the girl was more stubborn than him and didn't give him any face.
"Okay, I'll go and open the door."
As Bai Jiaying got up, she didn't forget to turn back and remind him, "If Miaomiao comes back later, remember not to be so stubborn. I guess she's coming back to apologize."
"Apologize? Humph!" Ning Zhijing let out a cold snort from his nose, seemingly disdainful, but his eyes frequently glanced at the door.
When she opened the door, the person standing there was not Miaomiao but another man.
He had changed out of his Hanfu and was wearing a simple - style suit and long pants. His expression was as calm as usual. He nodded slightly. "Sorry to bother you, Auntie."
Surprised to see Lu Yan, Bai Jiaying was stunned for a few seconds. "You..."
"I'd like to have a talk with Uncle."
Before Bai Jiaying could say anything, Lu Yan walked straight past her and headed towards the sofa in the living room. "Sorry for my rudeness."
When Ning Zhijing saw Lu Yan, his face instantly darkened. "What are you doing here?"
"Uncle, maybe you don't want to hear what I have to say, but I still have to offend you."
"Regarding the incident of Jiang Xixi's wardrobe malfunction at the charity auction, it has nothing to do with Miaomiao." Lu Yan paused for a moment. "I have evidence to prove it."
After saying that, he opened a file on his phone. It was exactly a photo of the finished dress, with the date marked in the lower - right corner.
"Miaomiao has a habit of taking detailed and overall pictures as a souvenir every time she designs a dress. You can clearly see in the photo that the waistline is intact."
Lu Yan's eyes were deep, and his voice was steady and calm. "Miaomiao is as serious about design as some scholars are about their academic research."
Ning Zhijing felt a lump in his throat.
Since childhood, he had always taught Miaomiao to be serious and careful in everything she did. Looking at those photos now, it seemed that this was indeed the style he had taught her.
"I believe that as the daughter you've raised since childhood, no one knows Miaomiao better than you, and no one is more important to her than you."
Lu Yan said slowly, "I know that you've always been brooding over the fact that I took Miaomiao away three years ago, and you also have a lot of doubts about me."
He looked up at the increasingly obvious wrinkles on Ning Zhijing's face and couldn't help but feel a bit touched. "I can understand a father's desire to let his daughter live a happy life, and I naturally know what you're worried about."
Hearing this, Ning Zhijing's frowning eyebrows loosened a bit. He seemed a bit surprised.
He didn't expect this young man to know what he was worried about.
Looking at Lu Yan standing tall in front of him, Ning Zhijing unexpectedly felt a bit of appreciation for this young man for the first time.
In his perception, Lu Yan was an unreasonable and domineering businessman. That was why he didn't want Miaomiao to marry him and live with him.
Because such people were mostly heartless.
The risk for Miaomiao to be with him was very high.
"Today, I'm not standing on any side. I just want to tell you neutrally that Miaomiao has always respected and loved you, her father, from beginning to end."
"From beginning to end, it has never changed."
Ning Zhijing was stunned. Looking at Lu Yan's face, he suddenly didn't know how to reply to him.
"Although I have no experience of being a father and have never experienced fatherly love, I still believe that there is no insurmountable barrier between you and Miaomiao."
While saying these words, Lu Yan had already observed Ning Zhijing's expression. There was regret and guilt in his eyes.
How could there be real hatred between a father and a daughter?
——
When Lu Yan got back into the car, Ning Anmiao had already stopped crying. There was only worry left in her eyes.
"What did you go do?"
As she asked, Ning Anmiao leaned over to look at his face.
Noticing her look, Lu Yan couldn't help but smile. "What, are you worried that I'll get beaten up?"
Seeing that he was really okay, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned her head away. "You're lucky. You didn't get punched by the old man."
After saying that, she started to care about another thing. "What did you go do? Why did it take you so long to come back? What did you talk to my dad about?"
Lu Yan lowered his head and looked at her face. The light in the car wasn't very bright, and he could see the tears that hadn't been wiped away in her eyes, still faintly showing a bit of worry.
He knew that it was worry about Ning Zhijing.
"Don't worry. Your dad is okay."
Lu Yan paused for a moment. "I went in just now to stand up for the little girl."