Such a voice made her mysteriously lonely. So, after she returned to her bedroom, she deliberately turned on the TV and raised the volume a little higher.
She didn't aim to watch the TV, but rather to fill the home with some vitality, so she didn't particularly care which channel was chosen.
As she listened to the cliché lines occasionally emanating from the TV, Xia Wan'an did forty minutes of pre-bed yoga and then went to take a shower.
When she reappeared half an hour later, she wrapped her wet hair with a towel and started to apply skincare products in front of the vanity mirror. As she lost count of the skincare steps she was applying, she heard a familiar name from the TV.
"The General Manager of Han Enterprises, Mr. Han Jingnian, has accepted our interview..."
The movements of Xia Wan'an's fingertips, gently pressing against her skin, abruptly ceased. She stared at herself in the mirror for a good few seconds before finally turning her attention to the TV.
Han Jingnian appeared on the screen, in a black suit and white shirt, graciously seated on a sofa, engaging in an amicable conversation with the host.
He was decidedly handsome – a man so attractive that even the term 'handsome' seemed mundane when used to describe him. No matter how long you looked at him, you'd never tire of his appearance. Instead, he grew even more appealing, irresistibly so.
Toward the end of the not-too-lengthy interview, the host casually, almost playfully, lobbed a juicy gossip question, "Mr. Han, there've been many reports about your frequent engagements with Miss Qin Shujian. If it's not too inconvenient for you, could you confirm whether you and Miss Qin are really on your way to 'good news,' as the rumors suggest?"
Qin Shujian... the leading lady of the biggest blockbuster film of the lunar new year...
Xia Wan'an, holding an eye cream with her fingers, slightly trembled, almost dropping the bottle.
Throughout the program, Han Jingnian's expression didn't shift noticeably. His responses unfailingly evasive and untraceable, "I'm sorry, but I don't like to waste my breath on rumors."
As the interview concluded and the commercials began, Xia Wan'an, spying the spokesperson on the screen, mused about their attractiveness. Then a caption beside the screen announced the spokesperson - 'Qin Shujian.' Xia Wan'an then retracted her gaze back to the mirror.
After a dizzying skincare routine, she climbed onto her bed, grabbed her phone and began searching for Han Jingnian and Qin Shujian.
As the host had described, all the results pointed to them being a couple.
— "An insider revealed that Han Jingnian, the General Manager of Han Enterprises, and Qin Shujian were spending evenings together."
— "Qin Shujian and Han Jingnian have been spotted together at Han Enterprises' Starlight Jewelry Store, presumably selecting wedding rings."
— "On the evening of the 18th of this month, Han Jingnian and Qin Shujian entered the Four Seasons Hotel one after the other, a suspected secret rendezvous."
— "..."
Xia Wan'an, staring at the news on her phone, slowly turned dumbfounded.
After a while, she clicked open the calendar and began to count back the days.
1, 2, 3... 47, 48... 52... It's been 52 days since he last came home... She hasn't seen him for 52 days...
She didn't recall how she fell asleep. She had forgotten to blow dry her hair before bed. Even though it was still summer, she woke up with a touch of a cold.