When they arrived at the Ning family's door, Lu Yan told Song Qin to wait outside and then took some things out of the trunk himself.
He was dressed formally in a suit, with his beard neatly groomed. Before knocking on the door, he even tidied up his tie and cuffs.
His attitude was solemn and serious.
He raised his hand and slowly knocked on the door a few times with his knuckles, then began to wait patiently.
Not long after, the door was opened by Bai Jiaying. The moment she saw Lu Yan, she tugged at the hem of her top. Her expression was a bit unnatural, and for a moment, she didn't know how to address him.
"Just call me Xiaoyan," Lu Yan said gently, with a mild tone and a soothing look in his eyes, showing no hint of distance.
Bai Jiaying pursed her lips. Just like before, Lu Yan always gave people a sense of courtesy and modesty. He was respectful but not humble.
"Come in first," Bai Jiaying opened the door wider and invited him in.
Lu Yan nodded to show his gratitude. After changing his shoes in the entrance hall, he looked up and saw Ning Zhijing sitting on the sofa.
The old man was leaning on a walking stick, with a serious face. He didn't even glance at Lu Yan and was holding an ancient book in his hand.
"Is Uncle busy?" Lu Yan asked.
Bai Jiaying paused for a moment, turned to look at Ning Zhijing, and then said, "Not busy. He's been waiting for you."
She wondered what kind of airs this old man was putting on. He had been looking at the time waiting for Lu Yan to come, but now that the young man was here, he was pretending to read a book.
Lu Yan didn't really care. He nodded with a smile and said, "I see. Thank you." Then he took out a gift box from his hand and handed it to Bai Jiaying.
"This is a little gift for you. I hope you'll like it," he said.
Bai Jiaying was stunned for a moment. She seemed not to expect that Lu Yan would prepare a gift for her. There was a flash of surprise in her eyes. "For me?"
"Yes. I don't know if you'll like it," Lu Yan said with a bit of nervousness on his face.
His cautious look melted Bai Jiaying's heart. A more natural smile appeared on her face. "It's enough that you have this kind thought. You're such a sensible child."
Actually, Lu Yan was still young and good - looking. If he hadn't taken Miaomiao away without a word before, Bai Jiaying would have really liked this young man.
Now seeing how sensible he was, her prejudice against Lu Yan faded a lot. He was so sincere this time that it was hard not to have a good impression of him.
"Go and sit down quickly. Your uncle wants to have a good talk with you today," Bai Jiaying said in a lower voice. "Don't argue with him. He's a stubborn old man."
Just as Lu Yan was about to thank her in a low voice, a powerful male voice came from the sofa. "What are you two whispering about? Can't you come over and say it?"
Bai Jiaying immediately turned around with a smile on her face. "I'll go and make tea for you. You two talk."
Actually, Ning Zhijing had noticed their little interaction from the corner of his eye, and his mood was a bit complicated.
Although Ning Zhijing was stubborn - mouthed and hot - tempered, he wasn't blind or heartless. He knew what Bai Jiaying thought of Lu Yan.
Most women were soft - hearted and gentle. That was why he had even stricter requirements for Lu Yan.
After Bai Jiaying left, Lu Yan's expression remained calm and composed. He respectfully called out to Ning Zhijing, "Uncle Ning."
Although Lu Yan was young, he had an outstanding temperament, giving people a sense of superiority and dominance that only a person in a high position could have.
"Sit," Ning Zhijing was also a man who had seen a lot in the world. His aura was no less powerful than Lu Yan's. He no longer looked angry as he did every time they met before, but more serious.
Lu Yan sat down on the sofa. Even sitting, he sat upright, looking directly into Ning Zhijing's eyes.
Neither of them started the conversation first. It wasn't until Bai Jiaying came over and served the tea. After Ning Zhijing took a sip of the tea, he slowly began to speak.
"Lu Yan, you're a good young man. You've achieved great success in your career at a young age, and your character is mature and steady."
Lu Yan wasn't affected by his words. He just smiled slightly and said, "You're overpraising me."
Ning Zhijing raised his eyebrows and calmly said, "However, I won't agree to you being with my daughter."
"This has nothing to do with the status and background of our two families. You don't have to take it too much to heart," Ning Zhijing added. "It's just for Miaomiao's future life. She can't be with you."
His attitude was very firm. "You're the heir of the Lu family and the boss of a large company. You have access to a wide range of resources. Miaomiao isn't your only choice."
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
Lu Yan raised his head. His expression remained unchanged, as if he wasn't surprised at all. "I can understand your concerns."
"In your eyes, in this relationship between me and Miaomiao, Miaomiao is the vulnerable one. If there's a problem in this marriage, the one who will get hurt must be Miaomiao."
Ning Zhijing kept a straight face and didn't say a word.
That was exactly the case.
According to social status, Lu Yan now held power and had a fortune of hundreds of millions, which made him stand at a high position, being looked up to by others.
Although the Ning family was a scholarly family, in terms of influence and action, they were far inferior to Lu Yan.
In other words, if in this marriage, Lu Yan changed his heart in the future or there were problems in their relationship, then whether it was on a material or emotional level, Miaomiao would definitely be the one who got hurt, and she might even be kicked out of the house.
Actually, the reason why Ning Zhijing didn't accept Lu Yan wasn't just because of his prejudice against businessmen, but because as a mature man, he understood another mature man.
Because Lu Yan was mature, his considerations would surely be comprehensive and appropriate, but also more cruel and cold - blooded.
As a father, he didn't want Miaomiao to experience such a thing.
Lu Yan continued, "If you're worried because of the power and money I have, fearing that I'll plot against her in the future, then I assure you that this will never happen."
Ning Zhijing snorted and didn't comment.
A man's promise made in a moment of passion was the least valuable.
Of course, Lu Yan knew that a verbal promise wasn't enough. He had already prepared and directly took out a paper version of the prenuptial agreement and put it on the table.
"For the previous marriage with Miaomiao, I wasn't sincere enough. Here, I would like to apologize to you two again sincerely. And this time, I'm serious about remarrying Miaomiao."
Lu Yan said, "This is a prenuptial agreement, which contains a series of regulations. One of them is to give half of my property under my name to Miaomiao as a gift."
He continued, "Another one is that if there are any contradictions between me and Miaomiao after marriage that lead to the breakdown of the marriage, all my property under my name will belong to Miaomiao."