The aura and pressure emanating from "Ning Anmiao" made it hard for people to even lift their heads.
"Ning Anmiao, just because Lu Yan has been with you these days, do you think he's on your side?"
Lu's mother raised her eyebrows, convinced that she was just bluffing, and looked at her with disdain. "He's my son. No matter how good his relationship with you seems on the surface, he'll always side with me in the end!"
"Don't think that just because you're refusing to get a divorce, Lu Yan will go along with you."
"How many times do I have to tell you? Lu Yan doesn't like you at all. Why can't you be a bit more reserved? Why do you have to cling to him so desperately?"
"As a young girl, even if you have no family upbringing, you should at least know what shame is!"
Lu's mother didn't mince her words. Every word was like a sharp sword, stabbing at her heart.
So, his mother had used such disgusting words to insult Ning Anmiao over and over again, trying to make her leave him.
These words were enough to make him burn with anger just by hearing them once. What about Miao?
He lowered his eyes, a strange sourness welling up in his heart.
He was sorry for Miao.
"How do you know Lu Yan has no feelings for me?" Lu Yan raised his head, his voice clear and loud. "Did Lu Yan tell you that himself?"
Lu's mother was instantly at a loss for words.
"He..." She stammered, unable to come up with a retort for a moment. "He didn't say so, but that's just to give you face. Considering you're a young girl. But look at you, you don't know how to appreciate it!"
That must be it!
Her son was usually gentle and polite, humble and kind to others. He must have kept Ning Anmiao by his side just to give her face. There was no way he could have developed feelings for her.
Thinking of this, Lu's mother regained some confidence. "We agreed before that as long as you get pregnant within six months, I won't interfere in your relationship with Lu Yan. But half a year has passed, and there's still no sign of you being pregnant?"
Hearing this, Lu Yan's expression suddenly became complicated.
Now he understood why Ning Anmiao had been so desperate to get pregnant.
She had wanted to keep their marriage, so she had tried to get pregnant to reassure Lu's mother. That's why she had gone to such lengths to talk to him about having a child.
But he had failed to notice anything amiss. Instead, he had refused her under the pretext of "being good for her".
He was supposed to be Ning Anmiao's last resort, but instead, he had become the final straw that broke her.
How ironic.
He was silent for a long time.
So long that Lu's mother thought "Ning Anmiao" had finally seen the light. Only then did her voice soften as she coaxed, "Miao, listen to me. You and Lu Yan are not from the same world. Even if you force yourselves to be together, you'll just be making each other suffer."
"Be a good girl and talk to Lu Yan about getting a divorce as soon as possible. I'll transfer the money to you right away. If it's not enough, come to me again. I guarantee you'll have a stable life for the rest of your life."
How absurd.
If Ning Anmiao wanted a stable and respected life, why would she have to live under their Lu family's roof, being meek and submissive?
He gave Lu's mother a disdainful look, finding it utterly absurd and ridiculous!
The last string of his rationality snapped.
"Mom, I won't get a divorce." "Ning Anmiao" looked cold, and her words were equally cold. "The relationship between Lu Yan and me doesn't need anyone's judgment."
His eyes were deep, and his tone clearly implied that it was time for her to leave. "It's getting late. You should go back early. Staying here for too long will only affect your mood."
With that, he didn't say another word and pushed her towards the door.
"You little bitch! How dare you kick me out? This is my son's house!"
Lu's mother's face turned extremely ugly. She wanted to push "Ning Anmiao" hard, but to her surprise, the other person reacted quickly and dodged her move.
Instead, he grabbed her hand and used the momentum to push her towards the door. Then he turned around, opened the door, and pushed her out.
"Don't bother to come back."
Immediately afterwards, there was a loud "bang" as the door closed.
It was quite a resounding sound.
Lu's mother stood at the door, her eyes wide open in disbelief.
She had actually been kicked out of the house by Ning Anmiao.
---
Half an hour later, "Lu Yan" managed to finish dealing with some ordinary work matters in advance and rushed home.
After entering the house, she waved her phone and looked at "Ning Anmiao", who was sitting on the sofa with a calm expression, leisurely.
It seemed that Lu's mother had called "Lu Yan" again.
"You're really a filial son, kicking your own mother out in the rain." Ning Anmiao looked at him with a half - smile. "What, did you two quarrel again?"
She used the word "again" very cleverly.
When Lu's mother had called to complain about Ning Anmiao before, Lu Yan had said the same thing.
"You and mom just can't get along again? She's getting old. You should give in to her more."
"You and mom have another disagreement? Just talk to her less. Let her do as she pleases on a daily basis."
"You again..."
"..."
Recalling all the things he had said back then, Lu Yan pursed his lips and remained silent, looking at her quietly with his head down.
"Miao, I was wrong before."
He said it very sincerely, but Ning Anmiao didn't take it seriously.
"Forget it. It's not a big deal." She waved her hand indifferently, took out a document from her bag, and handed it to him.
"If you really feel guilty about the old me, just read this design specification a few more times. When it's time for the speech that day, just follow what's written on it."
Ning Anmiao had managed to spare some time to organize this these days, hoping that Lu Yan could give a perfect design overview speech.
There were still four days until the final review. With Lu Yan's memory speed, it shouldn't be a problem at all.
Lu Yan took the document and glanced at it.
"Okay, I got it."
---
Three days later, the two of them got in the car together and headed for Jiangzhou.
Along the way, Ning Anmiao was extremely nervous. She was even more nervous than if she were the one giving the speech. From time to time, she would turn around and ask Lu Yan about the content of the manuscript, worried that he might have forgotten it.
"Miao, you don't have to keep asking me like this." Lu Yan couldn't help but smile as he looked at her serious face. "It's just a speech manuscript. I can handle it."
Not to mention Lu Yan's influence in the business circle of Shanghai, just his golden - lined campus resume during college was enough to show that he didn't need to be afraid of this speech.
Realizing that he thought she was being naggy, Ning Anmiao fell silent and muttered softly, "If this design competition wasn't so important to me, I wouldn't have spent so much effort on it."
Lu Yan smiled.
He knew very well how important this design competition was to Ning Anmiao.
The reason she wanted to win first place so badly was that this competition was hosted by the Jiang family.
The Ning family had always been noble and aloof, rarely having deep friendships or interactions with the other prominent families in the circle.
The Jiang family was one of the few families that had a good relationship with the Ning family.
Thinking of this, Lu Yan's eyes darkened, and there was a hint of vigilance on his face that he didn't even notice.
He remembered that the Jiang family seemed to have a son named Jiang Zhou, who had a very good relationship with Ning Anmiao.