However, the issue wasn’t serious and wouldn’t affect her plans for the evening gathering. Still, to be cautious, after having breakfast, she prepared a packet of Banlangen herbal drink. 

In the afternoon, she lounged around at home, dozing off for about four hours. Eventually, Xia Wan’an slowly got up, and started to prepare for the evening gathering. 

The meeting was set for 8 o’clock at “Jinbi Huichang” restaurant, so Xia Wan’an purposefully left at 7:30. 

When she arrived at “Jinbi Huichang,” it was just past 8 o’clock, but the private room was already bustling with people. 

This gathering had been organized by Han Zhijin, so most of the attendees were his friends. 

Han Zhijin was Han Jingnian’s elder brother’s son, making him Han Jingnian’s nephew. He was the same age as Xia Wan’an, having been her classmate since elementary school, middle school, and high school. If Han Zhijin hadn’t gone abroad for university studies, they might have been college classmates too. 

Among Han Zhijin’s friends, a few were his and Xia Wan’an’s high school classmates. Among them, Song Youman and Xia Wan’an had grown up together since childhood. Ai Jiang was Xia Wan’an’s high school classmate, but they truly became close during college. 

When Xia Wan’an arrived, neither Song Youman nor Ai Jiang were there yet. Han Zhijin was chatting animatedly with his group of friends, but upon seeing her, he quickly came over. 

Regarding her marriage to Han Jingnian, only their families knew, and very few outsiders were aware. Therefore, when Han Zhijin encountered Xia Wan’an, he still greeted her the same way as before, saying “Wan’an, Wan’an.” 

After Xia Wan’an took her seat, it didn’t take long for Ai Jiang to arrive. With someone accompanying her, Han Zhijin left. 

The room gradually filled with more people, but Song Youman was conspicuously absent. Xia Wan’an couldn’t help but send her a message asking where she was. 

Song Youman replied almost instantly, “I’m almost there.” 

Xia Wan’an didn’t reply to Song Youman’s message. She put away her phone and, in the next moment, the door to the private room swung open. 

Thinking it was Song Youman, she instinctively looked towards the entrance. However, upon seeing who had entered, her intended greeting of “Youman” froze on her lips. 

Never in her wildest dreams could Xia Wan’an have imagined that Han Zhijin would actually invite his uncle – her husband, Han Jingnian – to join them. 

Han Jingnian had an air of natural authority around him, radiating strength. Even though his expression appeared calm, it carried an undeniable aura of dominance. As he entered the room, the previously lively atmosphere immediately quieted down. 

All eyes were on him, yet he seemed unaffected by the attention. Not just his expression, but even his gaze remained devoid of any emotion. 

After three seconds, Han Zhijin stood up reflexively and greeted with proper decorum, “Hello, Uncle.” 

Han Jingnian didn’t respond verbally, but his gaze landed on Xia Wan’an’s face, who was seated somewhat inside the room. It was a fleeting look, and he quickly withdrew his gaze, nodding slightly at Han Zhijin. 

With his actions, the atmosphere in the private room noticeably eased. 

“Uncle, please have a seat!” Han Zhijin’s tone when he spoke again was much more relaxed than before. He patted the empty seat next to him in a fawning manner, then gestured for Han Jingnian to sit down and promptly poured a glass of wine for him. 

Without hesitating over the seat, Han Jingnian took his place as indicated by Han Zhijin. 

Xia Wan’an couldn’t tell if Han Zhijin had done it intentionally, but Han Jingnian ended up sitting right beside her. 

Xia Wan’an felt a bit uneasy. She turned her head to glance at Han Jingnian, and after a moment, she looked at him again. 

Han Jingnian seemed to sense her gaze and also turned to look at her for a brief moment. Their gazes met once, causing Xia Wan’an’s nervous fingertips to tremble. She forgot to avert her eyes, and Han Jingnian didn’t look away either. He kept his gaze on her for a short while before nodding slightly in her direction. 

His distant and formal gesture was like a small pebble that struck hard at Xia Wan’an’s heart, creating ripples that spread through her innermost being. 

Ai Jiang, who was sitting next to Xia Wan’an, noticed their continuous exchange of glances. She couldn’t resist leaning close to Xia Wan’an’s ear and asked, “Wan’an, do you know Han Zhijin’s uncle?” 

Song Youman and Xia Wan’an were neighbors, and their families had a strong bond. They had even arranged a marriage for their children, but both families ended up having daughters. So, the news of Xia Wan’an marrying Han Jingnian was known to Song Youman. As for Ai Jiang… Xia Wan’an remembered that Han Jingnian didn’t want others to know about their relationship, so she hadn’t informed Ai Jiang. 

Hearing Ai Jiang’s question, Xia Wan’an lowered her eyes slightly, concealing the fleeting dimness in her eyes. “I don’t know.” 

Indeed, she didn’t know him, even though she wanted to tell Ai Jiang that he was her husband. However, outwardly, she had to claim not knowing him. In the two years of their marriage, she had consistently said this because he had told her that their marriage was in name only and she shouldn’t affect his life or cause him any trouble. So, she portrayed herself as unfamiliar with him to others. 

“I saw you looking at him the whole time. Since you’re so close with Han Zhijin, I thought you knew him.” Ai Jiang continued in a hushed tone, “But Han Zhijin’s uncle is really good-looking. Haha, I secretly stole a few glances at him too.” 

Xia Wan’an didn’t say anything; she merely smiled and nodded in agreement with Ai Jiang’s words. 

After Han Jingnian took his seat, he was engrossed in his phone. 

Gradually, the room became livelier, but Han Jingnian remained a presence that couldn’t be ignored. Therefore, despite the usual lively and carefree nature of those present, his mere presence subdued the atmosphere. 

Before long, Song Youman arrived. After a brief exchange with her, Xia Wan’an leaned on Song Youman’s shoulder, wrapping her arm around Song Youman’s, and drifted into a light doze. 

Xia Wan’an had always been a good sleeper since childhood. Regardless of the time or place, as long as there was nothing important going on, she could fall asleep. Her most impressive feat was during junior high school military training when she fell asleep while standing in formation under the scorching sun, eventually falling flat on her face. 

However, Xia Wan’an didn’t sleep for too long this time. The door to the private room was pushed open, not by anyone leaving, but by someone entering – a woman with a melodious and silky voice, soft like silk. 

“Ge, I saw a car downstairs that looked a lot like yours, and it turns out it really is yours, Jingnian ge…” 

“Ge” – Xia Wan’an furrowed her brows slightly, waking from her half-dreaming state. As she opened her eyes, she saw a very beautiful and young woman. 

Xia Wan’an recognized her, and so did everyone else in the room. It was none other than Qin Shujian, who had recently been the center of hot rumors with Han Jingnian.