As she descended the stairs, Xia Wan’an’s mind was filled with unsettling thoughts. “Maybe even his life might be in danger… His life… Could it be that the elevator incident last time was a deliberate murder?” 

While her interactions with him had been minimal, she knew that wherever he was, his assistant, was usually not far behind. However, that night when she encountered him in the hallway, he was alone. 

The elevators in the company were typically serviced at the end of each month, usually in the morning. But on that particular night, it was in the evening. Furthermore, in over a year of working at Han Corporation, she had never experienced a power outage at the office, but it happened that night. 

As these thoughts raced through Xia Wan’an’s mind, she couldn’t help but shiver uncontrollably. She suddenly halted, standing on the staircase steps without moving. 

Everything that had happened seemed too coincidental. There was a saying, “When things go awry, there must be a demon at play.” 

Upon closer examination, the events of that day had been full of anomalies. For example, how was the elevator maintenance time changed? Why did the power outage occur that night? Each of these anomalies, taken separately, might not raise suspicion. However, when they were connected to Han Jingnian, they became potentially life-threatening. If her grandmother hadn’t informed her tonight that he had a fear of the dark, she might never have suspected that the incident that night was a silent murder. 

No wonder her grandmother’s expression had changed drastically when she had just talked about that evening’s events. Perhaps her grandmother had known right away that it wasn’t a mere coincidence, but rather a deliberate accident. 

So, perhaps… her grandmother wasn’t trying to scare her earlier. Her grandmother was serious. If it hadn’t been for her chance encounter with him that night, he might… have already died. 

“What’s wrong?” 

A gentle and soothing voice entered Xia Wan’an’s ears. 

She paused for a moment, then turned to see that Han Jingnian had appeared in front of her at some point. 

“Are you… not feeling well?” Han Jingnian spoke again, his tone as calm and pleasant as before. 

Xia Wan’an shook her head. “No…” 

She only managed to say one word before stopping, realizing that her voice was trembling. 

Taking a deep breath to calm herself a bit, she glanced at the nearby mirror. No wonder Han Jingnian had asked if she wasn’t feeling well. Her complexion was deathly pale, and she had broken out in a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. 

She knew that she had been frightened by the thoughts that had raced through her mind. She stood still, waiting until her emotions had completely settled before looking forward again. She noticed that Han Jingnian was still standing in front of her, gazing at her without turning away. 

She was surprised for a moment and asked, “Is there something else?” 

Han Jingnian continued to stare at her for a while, ensuring that she was back to normal, before he finally moved his lips. “Nothing.” 

“Okay,” Xia Wan’an responded with a brief acknowledgment, not saying anything further. 

She had thought that Han Jingnian wouldn’t say anything more, but to her surprise, he spoke again, “Heading home?” 

Xia Wan’an was once again taken aback. She gave Han Jingnian another look to confirm that he was indeed asking her, and then she replied, “Yes.” 

“In that case, let’s go.” Han Jingnian said and turned to walk downstairs. 

Was he implying that he wanted to accompany her home? He had never done that before… 

Uncertain, Xia Wan’an remained standing in place until Han Jingnian pressed the elevator button, turned to look at her, and then lifted her foot to follow him. 

On the way home, the two of them didn’t engage in much conversation. The car was quiet, and Xia Wan’an stared out the window at the receding night scenery. She closed her eyes several times but couldn’t fall asleep. 

Her thoughts were in disarray. One moment, she thought about what her grandmother had told her about his childhood, and the next, she wondered who might be plotting against him. 

She wasn’t naive. She understood that her grandmother had told her those things tonight to gain sympathy. She realized that she was still too young. She thought she had concealed her emotions well in front of her grandmother, but her grandmother had seen through her. 

Yes, she had been angry with Han Jingnian. From his comment about her entering Han Corporation to the night when he had slept with her against her will, she had spent the entire day questioning the meaning of her marriage. She had her whole life ahead of her, did she really want to continue living like this? She even contemplated whether she should end this marriage. However, at this moment, she had to admit that “the old are cunning.” Her grandmother’s sympathy card had shaken her resolve. 

—

As they neared home, Han Jingnian received a phone call. From the content of his conversation, Xia Wan’an understood that they were discussing some work-related matters. 

Perhaps there was an urgent work issue that needed to be addressed. When they arrived home, Han Jingnian headed straight for his study. 

Xia Wan’an didn’t disturb him and went directly to the master bedroom. 

After taking a shower and lying down in bed, Xia Wan’an picked up her phone to set an alarm. She noticed two unread messages from Qin Shujian. 

The first message was a photo of a plump woman dressed extravagantly in red and green, adorned with glistening jewelry. She was playing mahjong and laughing heartily, exposing her gold tooth. 

The second message was a text: “Little Fourth Sister, the more I think about it, the more I feel like Brother Jingnian’s wife fits this type.” 

Xia Wan’an thought to herself, “What’s a ‘Little Fourth Sister’? And what’s with that photo? Since when did I become so uncultured?” 

She gritted her teeth and ignored Qin Shujian’s messages. She forcefully tapped the screen to set an alarm and then put her phone down, lying back in bed. 

After finishing his work, Han Jingnian returned to their bedroom. He noticed Xia Wan’an sleeping under the warm, gentle glow of the bedside lamp. The light accentuated her delicate and clean facial features, making her appear even more beautiful. 

As he watched this scene, he inexplicably felt an overwhelming tenderness in his heart. His actions, from closing the door to undressing and taking a shower, became much gentler. 

When he emerged from the bathroom, he walked quietly to the side of the bed. Just as he was about to lie down, he caught sight of something in his peripheral vision. 

His whole body tensed for a moment. After a few seconds, he turned his head slowly and looked in the direction of the nearby trash bin. 

There was nothing particularly unusual in the trash bin; it only contained an unopened bottle of Yakult that had been quietly abandoned. 

Han Jingnian stared at the bottle of Yakult for a while before picking it up from the trash bin. He rinsed it in the bathroom and then placed it on the sink before going to bed. 

The next morning, as usual, Han Jingnian woke up first. After getting ready, he was about to leave when he thought for a moment and decided to take the Yakult bottle from the bathroom sink with him. 

When Assistant Zhang saw Han Jingnian exit the elevator, he immediately got out of the car and opened the door for him. 

As Han Jingnian approached, Assistant Zhang noticed the uncharacteristic bottle of Yakult in his hand and couldn’t help but give him a puzzled look.