“Good evening, you’ve been here for a while now. Do you have any insights into the General Office? Is there anything I should be particularly careful about? I’m afraid I might unintentionally offend someone or make someone unhappy…” As a new message arrived, Xia Wan’an quickly snapped out of her daze. “I haven’t interacted with the people in the General Office much, so I don’t have much insight…” 

Thinking of Ai Jiang’s usual worries, Xia Wan’an added, “You don’t need to overthink it. Just focus on doing your job well, and you won’t run into any problems.” 

Ai Jiang sent an embarrassed emoji. “Okay.” 

After a while, Ai Jiang sent another message. “Wan’an, why don’t you come up during lunch? I’m not familiar with the company, but you’ve been here for a while. Can you show me around?” 

Xia Wan’an didn’t refuse. “Sure, let’s meet for lunch.” 

… 

Noon, at the top floor of the General Office. 

After leaving the meeting room, Han Jingnian listened to Assistant Zhang while walking towards his office. 

Halfway there, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a very familiar figure. He stopped in his tracks and looked, but the person he had just glimpsed was nowhere to be seen among the coming and going figures. 

“Mr. Han?” 

Seeing that Han Jingnian had stopped, Assistant Zhang stopped as well, thinking he might have some instructions. However, after waiting for a while and seeing that Han Jingnian didn’t say anything, but instead stared in one direction, Assistant Zhang followed his line of sight. What was there to see in the lounge area? 

Just as Assistant Zhang was wondering, Han Jingnian, who was standing next to him, suddenly spoke in a very soft tone, “I saw it wrong…” 

“What?” Assistant Zhang was even more puzzled. 

“Nothing.” With those words, Han Jingnian continued walking. 

Assistant Zhang scratched his head, turned to glance at the lounge area again, and then caught up with Han Jingnian. 

… 

Accompanied by the closing of the door to Han Jingnian’s office, Ai Jiang, who had taken some small cakes from the bar counter in the lounge area, walked to the sofa. She looked at Xia Wan’an, who had fallen asleep with a pillow in her arms for such a short time, and stayed silent for a moment. Then she sat down next to her and gently woke her up, saying, “Wan’an, you shouldn’t sleep here. It’s quite cold with the air conditioning. You might catch a cold…” 

Xia Wan’an’s workload today wasn’t heavy, but at 5:00 p.m., her supervisor suddenly announced that they would have to work overtime. As the person in charge of the project, she ended up working in her office until 10:00 p.m. When almost everyone had left the entire building, she finally finished her work. 

Having not eaten dinner, she was feeling a bit lightheaded from hunger. She boiled a pack of instant noodles in her office to satisfy her hunger, and after eating, she prepared to leave for home. 

She threw the instant noodle container into the trash bin, packed her things, and was about to take the elevator when she suddenly remembered the notice she had seen in the morning: elevator maintenance from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. 

Her timing for leaving work couldn’t have been worse… 

After hesitating for a while, she considered whether to wait for the elevator to be fixed or take the stairs. She then saw that it would take over half an hour for the elevator to be repaired and decided to take the stairs. 

Her office was on the ninth floor, and as she descended to the eighth floor, the building’s power suddenly went out for some unknown reason. Xia Wan’an had no choice but to take out her phone and turn on the flashlight, using its light to continue descending one floor at a time. 

When she was about to reach the third floor, she suddenly heard a muffled groan. Startled, she shivered all over and froze in place. 

Another muffled groan followed, and this time, Xia Wan’an recognized that it was coming from one floor below. It was a male voice. 

Summoning her courage, she continued descending while asking, “Is someone there?” 

There was no response, but the groans became clearer. 

She reached a corner of the stairs, illuminated the path ahead with her flashlight, and saw a tall figure sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, his chest heaving heavily… 

With his head lowered, the silhouette of this person seemed oddly familiar to Xia Wan’an. 

However, she quickly dismissed the thought. She often longed for him so much that she mistook others for him. But every time, it ended in disappointment. 

Someone as dignified as him wouldn’t be climbing stairs, let alone sitting here in such a disheveled state, right? 

The man’s breathing became increasingly rapid, as if he were struggling to breathe and might faint at any moment. 

Xia Wan’an couldn’t afford to overthink; she hurried down the stairs, clattering each step. 

“Sir, are you…” 

Xia Wan’an only managed to say three words before freezing. 

As she got closer, illuminated by her flashlight, she could see the person in front of her more clearly. Even though he kept his head down, she immediately recognized him. 

This time, it wasn’t because she missed him so much that she mistook someone else for him. It was really him… 

But why was Han Jingnian here alone? Why had he ended up like this? 

Xia Wan’an was momentarily stunned, then hurriedly called out, “Han, Han Jingnian?” 

He didn’t respond to her, but she could feel him trembling all over. 

Xia Wan’an quickly squatted down, reached out her hand, and lightly touched him, saying, “Han Jingnian, you…” 

Before she could finish her sentence, her fingertips brushed against his arm. She had been gentle, but it was as if he were being chased by someone with a knife, and he reflexively pushed her hand away. 

His strength was quite strong, and as a result, Xia Wan’an was thrown backward, landing on the ground. Her phone flew out of her hand, and the flashlight’s beam happened to shine on Han Jingnian’s face. 

Originally, Han Jingnian was extremely anxious and his heart was pounding. When he saw the light, he calmed down slightly. Slowly, he raised his head and looked ahead. 

Seeing Xia Wan’an, whom he had just pushed to the ground, he hesitated for a moment. Then, he moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out. 

Xia Wan’an noticed that he wasn’t as agitated as before and tentatively spoke, “What’s wrong with you?” 

He didn’t speak, only stared at her. 

Sweat covered his forehead, and his face was frighteningly pale. 

Could he be… sick? 

Thinking this, Xia Wan’an began to worry. She asked, “Are you feeling unwell? Should I take you to the hospital?” 

He was still breathing heavily, as if he couldn’t breathe properly. However, this time, he shook his head slightly in response. 

“But this isn’t right either. How about I call Dr. Xie to come over?” Xia Wan’an offered. 

“No need…” Han Jingnian only said two words, but it seemed quite strenuous. Then he extended his hand to push himself off the ground, attempting to stand up. However, despite several attempts, he couldn’t manage to get up. 

“Do you want to get up?” Xia Wan’an asked. She remembered how he had pushed her away earlier, so she hesitated to help. “Shall I assist you?” 

Han Jingnian stopped struggling to get up and hesitated for a moment. Then, he nodded gently in Xia Wan’an’s direction. 

Only then did Xia Wan’an move closer to him, extending her hand. She used her shoulder to support his arm, her movements strained, and helped him to his feet.