Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: Like Heaven and Earth

“Over here, Mr. Huo, Mrs. Huo.” Uncle Wen, the butler, smiled kindly as he escorted Huo Sili and Jiang Qin to the main house’s dining room.

Jiang Qin glanced around and saw two familiar figures already seated at the table—Master Wen and Madam Wen.

Madam Wen and Madam Huo were close friends, so Jiang Qin had seen her quite a few times.

Respect for elders was paramount, so she quickly put on a smile and was about to walk over when her peripheral vision caught sight of the other side of the living room. Wen Chen was holding a book, telling a story to Duoduo.

But Duoduo’s gaze wasn’t on the book; she was looking at her. The little girl’s grape-like, luminous eyes sparkled brightly, as if she wanted to climb down from Wen Chen’s lap, though Wen Chen held her firmly.

Remembering the earlier business negotiation, Jiang Qin hastily averted her eyes. At that moment, Huo Sili, who had been walking just behind her, took a half-step forward, standing right beside her.

Tall and well-built from his rigorous workouts outside of work, his presence completely blocked her view of Duoduo.

Jiang Qin cast him a slightly exasperated glance, retracted her gaze, maintained her smile, and proceeded toward the dining table.

Upon arrival, she politely greeted the two elders seated there. The Wen family was a prestigious Kyoto lineage, a typical scholarly household.

The elderly couple had kind and gentle expressions, responding to her greeting with warm smiles.

Especially Madam Wen, likely due to her close friendship with Madam Huo, treated Jiang Qin with particular kindness and affection. “Come, Qin Qin, sit next to Grandma,” she invited warmly.

The table was not the usual large round one found in hotels but an antique rosewood Eight Immortals table, paired with long high stools of the same material.

Over the four years of her secret marriage to Huo Sili, Jiang Qin’s knowledge had grown considerably. She immediately recognized this set as no ordinary furniture; its value easily exceeded seven figures. But her first impression was not its cost—it felt warm and comforting.

Her childhood grandmother’s house had a similar Eight Immortals table, though made of simple solid wood, not such precious rosewood. That table held many precious, sweet, and warm memories of their time together.

Obediently, Jiang Qin took her seat, and Huo Sili followed, sitting on the opposite bench. Wen Chen carried Duoduo over.

There was no elaborate ceremony or unpleasant conversation. Master Wen simply announced, “Let’s eat,” and after the first chopsticks moved, dinner began.

This surprised Jiang Qin slightly, but she quickly suppressed the unexpected feeling.

“Sili, Xiao Chen is your age and already has a daughter. When do you plan to let your grandmother have a great-grandchild?”

The question came from Master Wen just as Jiang Qin was placing a steaming piece of tofu into her bowl.

She habitually tried to use her chopsticks to divide the tofu into four evenly sized pieces to cool it down, but upon hearing that remark, her chopsticks faltered, and the tofu ended up in uneven, unsightly chunks.

Huo Sili glanced at the tofu in her bowl, then met Master Wen’s gaze with a polite smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Grandpa Wen, did Grandma send you as backup to urge me for great-grandchildren?”

His words—

Master Wen opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. Madam Wen cast a glance at Huo Sili, then smiled at her husband with a hint of reproach in her eyes.

“All right, all right, eat, eat. The dishes will get cold and taste bad.”

Jiang Qin stared at the steaming tofu in her bowl, suddenly losing her appetite.

Madam Wen was the one closest to Madam Huo, not Master Wen. Though Jiang Qin had only met him a few times, she knew of him from whispers since he was famously henpecked among their social circle.

The elderly couple had been childhood sweethearts, inseparable since youth, and now with white hair, they were known throughout the Kyoto circles as an exceptionally loving pair.

Though Jiang Qin knew the question would cause discomfort, Master Wen still asked it, obviously on behalf of Madam Wen.

And why did Madam Wen care so much? Naturally, because of her close friendship with Madam Huo.

In other words, Madam Huo, Huo Sili’s grandmother and Jiang Qin’s benefactor, had long wished to hold a great-grandchild.

But as for when that could happen—

The answer was undoubtedly unpleasant.

Because the truth was, it simply wasn’t possible. Huo Sili had explicitly warned her twice about having children.

They would not have any. She was not to tell him if she became pregnant.

Jiang Qin finished the uneven pieces of tofu in her bowl, looked at the residue left behind, and thought of those two sentences. Though she had warned herself not to love him anymore, at that moment, her heart felt exactly like what was in the bowl.

Shattered beyond repair, broken into unrecognizable fragments.

Yet suddenly, she realized it wasn’t entirely impossible—Madam Huo’s wish to advance in family status wasn’t impossible, just that the child couldn’t be hers.

If it were Li Xueqian, Huo Sili would surely be delighted.

“Huo Sili.”

On the way back to Yunhai Mansion, Jiang Qin called the man beside her, recalling the thought she had at the dinner table.

She wanted to say, “Why not just get divorced sooner? You and Li Xueqian, try harder, so Grandma can have her great-grandchild sooner.”

Huo Sili turned toward her, his dark eyes unreadable, signaling her to speak. Jiang Qin opened her mouth but thought better of it, her mind racing to rephrase. “Nothing, just want to ask, how much longer until we arrive? I forgot to change my sanitary pad when we left—feeling a bit uncomfortable.”

That made sense. When she mentioned divorce earlier, Huo Sili had clearly stated that because of Madam Huo’s fluctuating health, the divorce would have to wait until after the grandmother’s longevity celebration. Jiang Qin had agreed.

If she pushed now, she feared he might grow stubborn and refuse to divorce altogether.

One must be sensible and know when to hold back.

“Soon. If there’s no traffic, about twenty minutes,” Huo Sili replied, glancing out the window.

Jiang Qin quickly added, “Oh, then I’ll bear with it a bit longer…”

Before she could finish, he interrupted, “Stop at the restaurant ahead.” He picked up the car’s communicator and spoke to the driver.

Jiang Qin was speechless.

Ahead was a very high-end reservation-only restaurant.

There was a hierarchy even among the wealthy—a social snobbery Jiang Qin had always been aware of but never personally experienced until today. Thanks to Huo Sili, she now vividly felt what it meant to be silently looked down upon by everyone present.

The guests were mostly dressed in splendid, luxurious attire, clothes emblazoned with famous brand logos, large designer bags on their seats, dazzling high-carat gemstone jewelry, and men’s custom suits with flashes of diamond watches peeking from under their sleeves—pure opulence.

And she? Wearing a simple professional skirt, rushing in, heading straight to the restroom, then coming out and walking straight toward the exit.

But after this experience, Jiang Qin understood something more clearly.

The gap between her and Huo Sili’s status was as vast as heaven and earth.

The rightful ending was probably an early separation; he should marry someone of equal standing like Li Xueqian, and she should return to her original, ordinary life.

Back at Yunhai Mansion, Jiang Qin immediately went upstairs to open her gifts.

The ticket Xie You’an had snatched was for an exhibition next Saturday.

She sifted through the free time slots she had noted earlier at the Wen estate and finally confirmed the schedule.

Next Tuesday afternoon, she would go to the hospital for another checkup.

After booking the appointment, recalling the recent dull pain in her abdomen, Jiang Qin instinctively began searching for information again.

Suddenly, the door handle was pressed down!