At 7:15 in the evening.
As the sky darkened and dusk drew near, the bewitching night gradually blanketed the world overhead.
At Villa Number One in the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee Compound, the aroma of food drifted out through the crack in the kitchen door, delicious and enticing. In the living room, Xie Huilan was using a blood pressure monitor on Han Jing, who had only been discharged from the hospital that morning. Xie Jing, Xie Ran, Xie Hao, and the other younger family members watched anxiously from the side. Before long, several crisp beeps sounded, and the results came out. "Pulse: 76. Blood pressure: 70 over 110. Normal, right?"
Xie Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Han Jing smiled gently. "See? I told you I was fine. There's no need to worry."
Xie Huilan narrowed her eyes and slowly undid the cuff around her mother's arm. "It's time to eat. Drink your medicine first. Xiao Hao, go get a glass of water."
"Okay!" Xie Hao hurried off at once.
Han Jing lightly smacked Xie Huilan's hand. "All you know is how to order your brother around. Why don't you go? By the way, where's Xiao Bin? Is he coming today?"
Xie Huilan smiled. "I called and told him. He said he was coming, but I called him a few more times just now. Maybe his phone ran out of battery—it's switched off. I don't know what he's busy with. I'll try calling again." With that, she picked up her phone and dialed. A few seconds later, she put it down, her eyes narrowing even further. "Still switched off. He actually dares to be late for my mother's birthday and make the whole family wait for him. That Xiao Bin!"
Han Jing patted her hand. "Something must have