“Everyone, go outside, I’ll handle the examination!” Han Jingnian ordered. 

“Oh, okay, okay!” Assistant Zhang, who had snapped back to attention, reflexively rushed towards the door. However, midway, he noticed that Dr. Xie and Han Jingnian’s niece were still inside the room. He quickly reversed course and grabbed the door handle to exit in a hurry. 

As the door closed behind them, Han Jingnian approached Xia Wan’an. He asked, “Should you undress yourself, or should I help you?” 

Xia Wan’an blinked her eyes, momentarily not comprehending what Han Jingnian was referring to. 

Seeing her lack of response, Han Jingnian spoke again, “I said, should you undress yourself, or should I assist you?” 

A flush crept onto Xia Wan’an’s face, and she vigorously shook her head. Instinctively, she took a step back, stammering, “No need, I’m fine… I really…” 

Before Xia Wan’an could finish her hesitant words, Han Jingnian, seeming to have lost patience completely, reached out, pulled her into his embrace, and without waiting for her reaction, he raised his hand and unzipped her dress, gently removing it from her body. 

Xia Wan’an instinctively tried to break free, reaching for her dress collar in an attempt to resist him. However, as her fingertips grazed the fabric, Han Jingnian had already turned her around to examine her back. 

Jingnian When his cold eyes touched her back, he was stunned for a moment. 

Frozen in place, Xia Wan’an realized that she might be too late. Had he already seen the extensive bruises on her back? 

Xia Wan’an’s fingertips clenched the collar of her dress tightly. 

Han Jingnian, with an unwavering gaze, stared at Xia Wan’an’s back for quite some time before finally snapping out of it. 

Her entire back was covered in extensive bruises, some of them a deep purple color. It seemed that when she fell to the ground earlier, she must have hit her back, causing one area to bleed. 

Han Jingnian continued to stare at Xia Wan’an’s visibly bruised back, and then he slowly came back to his senses. 

Except for the bleeding area, the other bruises appeared to be old injuries. They hadn’t faded yet, so they were probably from recent incidents. When he returned home last week, she hadn’t been injured, which meant these injuries had occurred in the past few days. 

Such severe injuries would likely require hospitalization, but he… he had been completely unaware? 

In contrast to Han Jingnian’s thoughts, Xia Wan’an was the first to react. She took a cautious step forward, lifting her dress to cover the numerous marks on her back. 

Her movements alerted Han Jingnian. 

He looked at her for a long time before finally speaking, “How did you injure your back?” 

It seemed like the first time since they got married that he was asking her something related to her. 

Xia Wan’an was slightly surprised and couldn’t believe her ears. She looked up at Han Jingnian and then smiled lightly, as if the injuries were not on her own body. While adjusting the zipper of her dress with a casual demeanor, she replied, “I just wasn’t paying attention and accidentally got hit.” 

After a pause, she added, “It’s almost healed now.” 

Han Jingnian remained silent, continuing to gaze at her. 

Unsure of the meaning behind his stare, Xia Wan’an felt uneasy under his scrutiny. She glanced around the room and then spoke hesitantly, “Um, there are many other things waiting for you to handle downstairs. You can go attend to those… I mean, I…” 

She wanted to say that he didn’t need to worry about her, but she realized that he had never really cared about her. 

Xia Wan’an hesitated for a moment, not sure what to say next. She stammered a few “I”s but then fell silent. 

The atmosphere in the room became incredibly awkward. 

Seeing that Han Jingnian was still standing in front of her without any intention of leaving, Xia Wan’an decided to try and ease the tension of the situation by coming up with a plan. Since there was no need for her downstairs, she considered finding an excuse to go home. 

With her mind racing, Xia Wan’an started, “I…” 

Before she could finish her sentence, Han Jingnian suddenly turned towards the door and called out, “Come in!” 

The door swiftly swung open, and Assistant Zhang, with a gleam in his eyes and a look of anticipation, poked his head inside. “Mr. Han, do you need anything?” 

“Bring Dr. Xie in,” Han Jingnian ordered. 

“Of course, Mr. Han.” Zhang didn’t even pull his head back out; instead, he reached for Dr. Xie and pulled him into the room. “Mr. Han, Dr. Xie is here. How can I assist you?” 

Accompanying them into the room was Han Jingnian’s niece. 

Once Dr. Xie had positioned himself, he greeted, “Mr. Han.” 

Han Jingnian’s facial expression remained unchanged. He simply issued a direct order to Dr. Xie, “Her back, make it heal.” 

His tone was forceful and left no room for resistance, typical of Han Jingnian’s style. 

Seeing that there was no need for him in the room, Assistant Zhang reached into his pocket, retrieved a few freshly salted melon seeds, and began preparing to enjoy them with great enthusiasm. 

After taking a couple of bites, Assistant Zhang noticed that Han Jingnian’s niece was looking at him. With great generosity, he offered her half of his melon seeds and whispered, “Miss, would you like some too?” 

Han Jingnian’s niece nodded and accepted the melon seeds, sharing this newfound experience with Assistant Zhang as they indulged in their little melon seed feast while observing the ongoing drama. 

Dr. Xie approached Xia Wan’an and said, “Madam, please unzip your dress slightly and lower it a bit so that I can examine your back.” 

The request to unzip her dress, as long as she preserved the integrity of the garment in the front, wouldn’t expose anything inappropriate. Xia Wan’an didn’t think Dr. Xie’s request was unreasonable. However, she hadn’t had a chance to respond yet, and then Han Jingnian, standing nearby, abruptly interjected in a stern tone, “No!” 

Assistant Zhang, upon hearing Han Jingnian’s order, nearly jumped up in excitement right on the spot. What a thrilling turn of events! 

Dr. Xie, puzzled by Han Jingnian’s command, glanced at him and asked, “No what?” 

Han Jingnian’s tone remained cold as he repeated, “No.” 

Now Dr. Xie understood Han Jingnian’s meaning. He was forbidding Madam from unzipping her dress or lowering it slightly and, consequently, preventing him from examining her back. If none of these actions were allowed, there was no way he could conduct an examination. 

“Mr. Han, I’m just here to treat Madam, and her injury is on her back. If you don’t allow her to lower her dress a bit, I won’t be able to proceed,” Dr. Xie explained. 

“That’s your problem. Find a solution yourself. In any case, my word is final – no means no!” Han Jingnian’s tone was resolute and unyielding, characteristic of his domineering style. 

Facing this situation, Dr. Xie turned to Assistant Zhang for assistance. 

It was always the same; he couldn’t even enjoy his melon seeds properly without being called in to clean up the mess. With a sigh, Assistant Zhang put away the last melon seed from his hand and then smiled as he adopted a conciliatory tone. He said, “How about this, Dr. Xie? You can call your best female doctor over to examine Madam. Mr. Han, would that be acceptable to you?”