At this moment, Han Jingnian’s phone rang again. 

Assistant Zhang wisely remained silent, planning to wait until Han Jingnian was done with his call. 

However, in the next moment, he watched through the rearview mirror in shock as Han Jingnian hung up the phone without blinking an eye. 

Assistant Zhang was so surprised that he could have fit an egg in his open mouth. 

His mouth remained agape, forming an “O” shape for quite a while. Only after sensing Han Jingnian’s impatient gaze did he finally speak, “Madam sustained her injury last Monday. She was taken to People’s Hospital. The nurse who looked after her said an ambulance was called to take her to the hospital around noon. She remained unconscious for about six or seven hours until she woke up in the evening. The nurse also mentioned that Madam stayed in the hospital for five days before being discharged…” 

Suddenly, Han Jingnian asked a completely unrelated question, “What day of the week was it when she called you?” 

“Um…” Due to the busyness of each day, Assistant Zhang couldn’t remember right away. He thought for a moment and said, “…It was last week, I think…” 

As Assistant Zhang spoke, he suddenly stopped. After a while, he was shocked to say, “…Madam called me last Monday night… Madam said she had an urgent business trip, but in reality, she was, she was, she was hospitalized? But why did Madam lie? She…” 

Before Assistant Zhang could finish his sentence, he felt that the atmosphere in the car was becoming a bit strange. He immediately fell silent. 

The car continued to move forward smoothly. 

In the back seat, Han Jingnian sat with a detached expression, gazing out of the window, and he still hadn’t said a word. 

His phone continued to receive calls, but he didn’t answer any of them. 

Assistant Zhang couldn’t tell how far they had driven when a thought suddenly flashed through Han Jingnian’s mind. That day, while he was at the assistant’s desk, answering a call, he had felt something was off about her voice. He wanted to ask, but in the end, he thought he had misheard and hung up the call… Now, thinking back, could her voice have trembled because of the pain from her injuries? 

Han Jingnian’s facial expression remained mostly unchanged, but he applied subtle pressure with his fingertips on the phone, causing his fingertips to turn pale. 

… 

Today, Xia Wan’an had worked for half an hour overtime and, combined with the traffic, she didn’t return home until nearly 7 o’clock. 

By the time she cooked dinner and set it on the table, it was already 8:30. 

As usual, she set two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, and before she began eating, she didn’t forget to ladle soup into the bowl opposite her. 

Not particularly hungry, Xia Wan’an didn’t eat much and put down her chopsticks. 

Checking the time, she realized it was still early. Without any hurry to clean up, she sat at the dining table and absentmindedly wrote words on the table with her chopsticks dipped in clear soup. 

Suddenly, a sound came from the door, making Xia Wan’an’s fingertips tremble, causing the chopsticks to fall to the ground. 

She bent down to pick up the chopsticks and realized that the only person who could enter this house without notice, besides herself, was the owner of this house, Han Jingnian. 

How could he suddenly come back? While Xia Wan’an was pondering this, she heard footsteps approaching from outside the dining room. 

Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed the bowl of soup in front of her, quickly poured half of it into her mouth to make sure there were no traces left, and then put the bowl back on the table. 

Just at that moment, Han Jingnian’s figure appeared at the dining room door. 

Xia Wan’an had just turned her head to look at him when, from the corner of her eye, she noticed the words she had written on the table. Some of the words were still wet, but she could vaguely make out what they were. In a fluster, she raised her hand, wiped off the oily words, and then looked at the door with a somewhat guilty smile. “You’re back?” 

In a rare moment, Han Jingnian responded with a simple “Mm” and then his gaze fell onto the table. 

He had seen her busy hands just now, as she seemed to be concealing something. However, besides some greasy stains on the table, he couldn’t see anything else… 

There was only one word next to the half-bowl of soup she had drunk – “韦” (Wei). 

However, she was also quite puzzled. Why did she set up two sets of bowls and chopsticks when she was dining alone? 

Seeing Han Jingnian staring at the two sets of bowls and chopsticks in front of her, Xia Wan’an immediately felt guilty. “A pair of chopsticks fell on the floor…” 

She paused for a moment and then continued, “Um… Have you had dinner? Would you like…” 

Before she could finish her sentence, he interrupted her, his tone as calm as ever. “I’ve eaten.” 

“Oh, okay. I’ll clean up then.” Xia Wan’an glanced at the dining table with a somewhat disappointed look. 

Han Jingnian poured himself a glass of water in the dining room and then went to the study. 

After Xia Wan’an finished tidying up, she glanced at the time and figured that Han Jingnian probably wouldn’t return to the bedroom anytime soon. She took a shower and, when she thought of his possible prolonged absence, sat on the bed and painstakingly applied medicine to her own back. 

She had just finished applying the ointment to her left shoulder when the bedroom door was pushed open, and Han Jingnian walked in. 

Although they had been intimate before, Xia Wan’an still instinctively wrapped herself in a bathrobe. 

She was just about to go to the bathroom to finish applying the medicine when, as soon as she got up, he blocked her way. 

He didn’t say a word, just reached out and took the ointment from her hand. Then, he pulled her to sit on the bed and took off her bathrobe, applying the ointment to her back. 

Xia Wan’an nervously held her breath, not daring to make a sound. The room was very quiet, with a faint scent of Chinese herbs surrounding them. 

After a short while, when he had finished applying the ointment, Han Jingnian’s fingertips lingered at Xia Wan’an’s waist and didn’t move. Xia Wan’an could vaguely guess the message his fingertips were conveying. Just as she was wondering if she should interrupt this strange and ambiguous atmosphere, he suddenly got up from behind her and went to the bathroom. 

When Han Jingnian came out again, Xia Wan’an had already put on her pajamas and was lying on the bed. 

Over the past two years, he rarely came home, but every time he did, certain things were inevitable. Xia Wan’an thought tonight would be no exception, but she didn’t expect that after lying down, Han Jingnian would simply close his eyes and appear to fall asleep. 

Xia Wan’an looked at Han Jingnian in disbelief, then at Han Jingnian again… Was he… simply back to stay?