Lu Xi went from being shocked to stunned, and then her eyes reddened. In her mind, An Rong was an incomparably handsome man. How could he have turned into this?

The wounds on his face were horrific; the longest one had been stitched up, making it look more like a crawling centipede, a truly shocking sight.

It turns out it was true.

The fat man said that Princess Lin'an faked a pregnancy in order to get that man, but the man was unyielding and disfigured himself, finally making Princess Lin'an give up.

"Is what they said true?" Lu Xi stared in disbelief.

An Rong remained noncommittal; whatever, he would find out sooner or later.

“Lu Xi, as I just said, this matter is over, you don’t need to dwell on it anymore.” An Rong didn’t know how to explain such a shameful thing to a child, just as he didn’t know how to explain it to Anji.

"Lu Xi, just know that I will never leave your sister Dou Dou, even if it costs me my face." This was his innermost declaration, which he had never told anyone.

Lu Xi was surprised. An Rong did this so that Princess Lin'an would stop bothering him. He didn't hesitate to ruin his appearance, but he still had such a handsome face.

As an outsider, he was deeply moved, realizing how great An Rong's love was.

But when he thought of DouDou and Anji, he wondered if they would be even more upset because of this. Anji was still so young; he couldn't understand what Anrong was doing.

“Brother Anrong, you are my role model, I want to learn from you.” Lu Xi’s heart was boiling with enthusiasm.

An Rong was stunned, then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. Since the incident, only Lu Xi had stood by his side and said such touching words.

Although Dou Dou didn't directly blame herself, it was clear from her words that she disapproved of her impulsive behavior. As for Anji, he hadn't spoken to her for three days.

Although Huang Rong didn't say anything, her eyes were full of disdain when she looked at him.

Even Lu Chaoyang, on the night after the incident, went to the tavern, pulled him aside, and gave him a severe scolding.

His anger wasn't about the trouble disfigurement would cause, but rather why she made the decision without consulting him. If Princess Lin'an hadn't given up, wouldn't her face have been ruined for nothing?

He warned himself to think twice before acting in the future and never go to extremes.

Everyone was telling him how to do things, saying he was too impulsive.

Only Lu Xi, after learning the truth, said something heartwarming.

An Rong chuckled awkwardly, "Don't follow my example, you'll get scolded to death."

He admitted that his approach to the matter was not entirely appropriate, but there was no impulsiveness involved; on the contrary, he made the decision after calm reflection.

We shouldn't be thinking about his affairs now, but rather about Lu Xi's problems.

“You came back so rashly, Master Huang must be very angry. You can stay here tonight, and I’ll take you back to apologize to him tomorrow.”

An Rong didn't want his own affairs to delay Lu Xi's learning of the craft, as it was related to his future survival.

Lu Xi lowered his head and remained silent. He knew he was wrong, but he didn't regret it at all.

"Brother Anrong, I don't want to go back."

He'd had enough of Zuixianlou. He never wanted to see his master's stern face again, hear his senior brothers' undisguised mockery, or smell the stench in the dormitory.

Just thinking about it made Lu Xi's scalp tingle.

After closing up shop in the evening, An Rong locked the door.

Yuan Doudou and Lu Xi sat at the table, and Huang Rong didn't leave either. She was curious about what Lu Xi was thinking.

“Lu Xi, you were the one who said you wanted to learn a trade, so we found Master Huang for you. You’ve only been there for less than two months, and now you’re saying you don’t want to learn anymore. That’s called giving up halfway, or wasting all your previous efforts. All your previous hard work has been in vain, do you know that?”

Yuan Doudou was exhausted at the moment. An Rong's matter was breaking her heart. Just as she was starting to feel a little better, Lu Xi became stubborn again and said she didn't want to go anymore.

“I know,” Lu Xi said calmly.

Did he know? Yuan Doudou had a thousand words in her heart, but she had to hold them back.

"Alright, since you've made up your mind, I won't say anything more. If you ever want to go back, remember to tell us."

Yuan Doudou suddenly felt that her image had become much more imposing. At first, she wanted to be a head teacher or a tiger mom, to severely criticize Lu Xi's behavior. But when she saw Lu Xi's calm and composed demeanor, she suddenly felt that she was not as composed as a child.

If you engage in any physical contact with him, it will inevitably affect their relationship. Even if he compromises, they will never be able to return to their previous harmonious state.

Based on her past experience, there's truth to the saying that forced relationships are never happy. Even if you force him to go back, firstly, he probably won't go back, and secondly, even if he is forced to go back, it will only increase his rebellious mentality.

Someday in the future, he would still sneak back.

"DouDou, you're not angry with me anymore?" DouDou's sudden relief made Lu Xi feel uneasy.

He always thought that Sister Doudou was the head of the household. Whether it was Brother Anrong, Anji, or him and Huang Rong, they were all under her rule, and Sister Doudou had to make decisions on everything, big or small.

But An Rong disfigured himself without Dou Dou Jie's consent, and Dou Dou Jie didn't seem to be affected at all.

And he did the same; without saying a word to her, he rushed back without a second thought and insisted on not going back. Surprisingly, she didn't scold him or even get angry.

In the candlelight, her face, as beautiful as the moon and as lovely as jade, was so gentle and so lovely.

"I'm not angry, I'm actually happy. I'm going to give birth in just half a month, and we'll be short-handed at home. Your return is just in time." As she said this, she smiled, like a gentle fairy, surrounded by a beautiful halo.

Dou Dou's words struck a chord with him. He also realized that once Dou Dou had a baby, An Rong would be extremely busy and probably wouldn't have time to take care of the shop's business.

"Don't worry, Sister Dou Dou, I'll help take care of the shop after you give birth." Lu Xi smiled sincerely, something glistening in her eyes.

An Rong accompanied Dou Dou back to the bedroom, where An Ji was still asleep.

"DouDou, Lu Xi is probably just having a temporary lapse in judgment. She'll be fine in a few days," An Rong comforted her.

Yuan Doudou smiled. It seemed that An Rong understood her and guessed that she had been holding back her emotions.

"He didn't know we gave Master Huang ten taels of silver as a thank-you gift. If he had known, he probably wouldn't have acted so impulsively." Dou Dou didn't mean to blame him, but the thought of spending the silver without getting anything in return made her feel a little upset.

"After you give birth, I'll talk to Master Huang and ask him to be more understanding." An Rong brought water for Dou Dou to soak her feet.

DouDou's belly is as big as a grain hopper. When she sits on the bed, she can only lean back, otherwise her belly will press on her bladder and she will immediately feel the urge to urinate.