Your Highness, your wife doesn't want you anymore!

It was already dark outside.

Aunt Qing looked at the now-cold food and sighed silently, "Young Madam, should we reheat this food?"

As Nan Zhi sat on the sofa, Aunt Qing's words rang out louder in the quiet room. She replied, "Let's heat it up again, one more time."

"Didn't he... say he'd be back for dinner?"

Aunt Qing opened her mouth, but it was already completely dark outside. She thought the young master should be back for dinner by now, especially since she had promised the young mistress that they would celebrate her birthday together.

Why did you break your promise?

Aunt Qing took the food into the kitchen and reheated it.

Nan Zhi rubbed her phone, opened WeChat, and sent a message to Jin Si Nian: "If you're busy, I won't wait for you."

He didn't reply.

I'm probably just too busy.

Nan Zhi stood up and didn't wait for him.

I can't go to sleep hungry, I can't let the two little babies in my belly go hungry.

After having Aunt Qing sit down and eat with her, Nan Zhi looked at the cake in the refrigerator and said, "Let's wait until he comes back... then we'll cut it."

I wonder if Kings will be able to come back today.

At 8:30, Nan Zhi was already in bed, ready to sleep.

The guide to pregnancy advice says that you should go to bed early, but she probably can't manage to get up early.

I don't know if it's because of the time Jin Nian kept nagging me to exercise at night, but I don't sleep at night and don't wake up during the day.

I haven't done "that" with Jin Si Nian for a long time now, and I wake up early but just don't want to get up.

She's probably just gotten lazy!

On the other side, the abandoned old houses in the suburbs of S City exude a desolate and lifeless atmosphere.

Jin Si Nian slowly walked out of the house, his brows furrowed with unyielding irritation, his fingers gripping an unlit cigarette, his knuckles slightly clenched.

Not only were there no clues pointing to Mr. Z, but not even a single useful trace was left.

Damn! I really want to give them a bad review.

How could a living person be lost?

Vincent quickly stepped forward, took out a lighter, and intended to light the cigarette for him.

As soon as the flame lit up, Jin Si Nian raised his hand to stop it, his fingertips pressing down on the lighter. His expression was cold, and his dark eyes were full of pressure. He said, word by word, "I'm giving you three more months."

"Within three months, I want you to find Mr. Z's exact whereabouts, alive or dead."

Vincent stiffened, knowing this was the biggest concession Kings had made. Under immense pressure, he bowed and replied, "Yes, sir, we will do our utmost and will not delay anything."

Jin Si Nian nodded slightly, then looked up at the dark sky with annoyance. He subconsciously reached for his phone in his pocket to check the time and send Nan Zhi a message that he would be back later.

But when my fingertips touched the cold, black screen, I realized that the phone had already run out of battery and was turned off.

The anxiety in my heart instantly intensified.

Today is Zhizhi's birthday. He had promised to go home on time tonight and cut the birthday cake with her.

"What time is it?" he asked in a low voice, his voice tinged with barely concealed impatience.

Vincent glanced down at his watch and answered truthfully, "Mr. Jin, it's 8:45 PM now."

8:45.

Jin Si Nian frowned deeply, a strong sense of regret welling up in his heart.

Before I knew it, it was already so late.

It's so late, I hope Zhizhi won't be angry!

He didn't waste any more time and walked straight to the black car parked by the roadside, bending down to sit in the back seat.

As the car door closed, he looked at his assistant, Zhang, beside him: "How long would it take to get back to the villa in the city now, at the earliest?"

Assistant Zhang pondered for a moment and respectfully replied, "Sir, although there is less traffic at night, there are speed limits on some sections of the suburban roads, so the fastest journey will take more than an hour."

More than an hour.

By the time he gets back, he'll probably have already missed tonight's birthday cake.

Jin Nian wearily pinched his throbbing temples, his chest filled with frustration and unease.

"Let's go, let's head back immediately."

He gave a low instruction, leaned back in his chair, and a thin layer of worry appeared in his eyes.

I just hope that Zhizhi won't be angry with him tonight.

I'm rushing back, but I don't know if I'll make it in time to cut a cake.

He spent a long time choosing a cake today. All the other cakes were colorful, so he chose the pinkest one.

It was almost ten o'clock when Kings finally got home.

I pushed open the door; it was pitch black, so everyone was probably asleep.

He hadn't had dinner yet, so he decided to go find Zhizhi and apologize first.

He explained that there was a reason for it, and Zhizhi shouldn't be angry with him.

I wonder if Zhizhi is asleep yet.

Jin Si Nian went upstairs and opened the door. There was a warm yellow lamp on the bedside table for him. He reached out and stood in front of the bed.

Nan Zhi, who was sleeping with her eyes closed, clearly sensed someone standing in front of her bed. She opened her eyes, rubbed them, and sat up as she looked at him: "You, you're back..."

She couldn't fall asleep; she didn't know why she just couldn't.

Jin Si Nian sat down by the bed, leaned over and pulled Nan Zhi into his arms, holding her tightly. His chest was filled with unconcealed guilt, and his voice was low and hoarse, full of self-reproach: "I'm sorry, Zhi Zhi, I came back too late."

"I promised you that I would celebrate your birthday and cut the cake with you tonight, but I broke my promise in the end."

Nan Zhi leaned against his warm chest, her nose filled with his refreshing scent.

After a few seconds of silence, she gently placed her slender hand on the man's back, her movements soft and even, and stammered softly, "N-nothing."

Deep down, I am not entirely without emotion.

He had promised to spend her birthday with her, but after waiting for a long time, he still hadn't returned, and a slight sense of disappointment inevitably welled up in her heart.

But this sense of loss was fleeting.

She silently told herself that there was no need to care.

This was her last birthday with Kingsman.

Two months later, the two will be completely at odds and never meet again.

Ultimately, it was just a short-lived transaction, an insignificant birthday; whether he was there or not was irrelevant.

Having excessive expectations will only lead to embarrassment for yourself in the end.

But this calm tolerance sounded particularly jarring to Jin Si Nian.

He stiffened slightly, and in the dim light, he lowered his head to carefully trace her features, trying to see through the true emotions in her eyes. His tone was uncertain: "Zhizhi, you really don't blame me at all?"

Nan Zhi slowly shook her head, her tone gentle yet distant: "I...I know...you're busy, I understand."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Si Nian's guilt turned into restlessness and unease.

He raised his hand and gripped her soft little hand tightly, his fingertips rubbing it forcefully, his brows furrowed, his tone carrying blunt dissatisfaction: "No."

"wrong."

"That's not right at all."

He leaned down, his forehead touching hers, his dark eyes fixed on her intently, a mixture of obsession and grievance in his voice: "Zhizhi, you shouldn't be like this."

"You can throw a tantrum, feel wronged, get angry, or even question me about why I came home late."

"You should blame me as a matter of course, instead of telling me so casually that it's okay."

Is that all there is to it?

He preferred to see her express her emotions directly, even if it was just a temper tantrum, rather than her understanding and tolerance.

At this moment, Nan Zhi's overly sensible nature seemed to isolate him from him like an invisible film, making him feel uneasy.

He doesn't like this; it's not a normal reaction between couples or spouses.

Zhizhi should scold him and make a scene.

At least this way, he'll know that Zhizhi has feelings for him...