Chapter 213: Chapter 213

Shi Nian arrived at Huo Danru’s office. She sent a text message to Tang Yanqing while walking.

No matter what, she was still under 24-hour police protection, so she should inform Tang Yanqing wherever she went.

However... since she was visiting a marriage counseling expert, she really didn’t want Tang Yanqing to accompany her. Otherwise, it would feel a bit strange.

Most of her attention was on her phone, and she was a little distracted, so she didn’t notice the tall, thin man sitting in the reception area.

After sending the message and greeting Huo Danru’s secretary, she turned her head and unexpectedly met the man’s smiling gaze.

Shi Nian was stunned—

She never expected to encounter Mark here!

She took a few steps back, bumping into the secretary’s desk with a "thud."

The secretary was startled, quickly reached out to support her, and asked, "Ms. Shi, are you okay?"

In contrast to Shi Nian’s panic, Mark was not too surprised. He sat straight on the sofa, with an open magazine on his knee, looking at her calmly. Seeing Shi Nian flustered, he found it amusing and slightly curved the corner of his lips.

Then, he closed the magazine, placed it back on the shelf, got up leisurely, adjusted his suit, and walked towards Shi Nian.

"Hey, darling, you came here too? You knew I was here, so you came to see me, right?"

Shi Nian’s heart was filled with anxiety.

She wasn’t afraid of Mark; she was just worried that Mark might have come with Xiang Yuan. Although she knew Xiang Yuan was Mark’s lawyer, Xiang Yuan still didn’t know she was the Nana Mark intended to harm. The three of them meeting so suddenly, she was unprepared for it.

Huo Danru’s secretary also sensed something was wrong, especially since Mark called Shi Nian "darling," and promptly informed Huo Danru.

The door to the consultation room opened, and Huo Danru and Xiang Yuan walked out together, both startled by the scene.

Xiang Yuan saw the bruise on Shi Nian’s arm and quickly went to hold her hand, "What happened?"

Mark squinted his eyes and said unceremoniously, "Let go of her!"

Xiang Yuan was also taken aback. Besides once being rebuked by Tang Yanqing, he never expected to be scolded for touching his wife. Surprised, he looked back at Mark and saw anger in his eyes. He raised his eyebrows, "Mark, what’s wrong with you? This is my wife."

Confusion flashed in Mark’s eyes, "What? Your wife?"

The situation was a bit delicate, and Shi Nian didn’t know where to begin.

That’s when the glass door of the office was suddenly pushed open, and Tang Yanqing rushed in.

Huo Danru didn’t expect it to be Tang Yanqing... This child was the offspring of Tang Mingyi and Shen Wan, and she had a complex feeling towards him.

Tang Yanqing glanced at Huo Danru and respectfully bowed, "Auntie Huo, sorry for visiting unexpectedly. But I’m not here to see you; I have other urgent matters."

After speaking, Tang Yanqing ordered Mark and Xiang Yuan, "You two, come out with me!"

Mark and Xiang Yuan exchanged a glance, Xiang Yuan looking a bit displeased; Mark, however, was more composed, shrugged, and walked towards the door first.

Tang Yanqing then turned his gaze to Shi Nian.

Shi Nian understood that his sudden arrival was to help her out of an awkward situation. She wanted to say a few things, but in front of Xiang Yuan and Mark, she was unsure whether to call him "Mr. Tang" or "Professor T." After all, to Xiang Yuan, he was just Mr. Tang; to Mark, he was Professor T.

He noticed her dilemma, smiled, and gently shook his head, "Don’t worry. Stay here for now, don’t wander around. I’ll come back for you after I’ve spoken with them."

The way he spoke softly to Shi Nian made both Huo Danru and the secretary exchange glances.

In Huo Danru’s mind, as a mother, she couldn’t help but compare Tang Yanqing with her own son Yan Xi, naturally hoping her son was better. Therefore, she was very surprised at Tang Yanqing’s behavior since she knew all about his rebellious nature.

This unruly child, when had he ever spoken so gently to someone? Especially to a girl?

But strangely, Shi Nian, who initially looked shocked, calmed down after he said those two sentences. The light reflected softly on her face, she lifted her head high, only looking into his eyes, then—smiled gently, nodded, and obediently said, "Okay, I understand. You be careful too."

"Oh," he also smiled, that dazzling smile slowly rekindling his usual defiance, becoming the unrestrained and dazzling child once again.

The two of them exchanged smiles, then he turned and left. His steps were light, and his back exuded such confidence that it made people involuntarily raise their eyebrows slightly.

The three men left, leaving the office quiet. Only three women remained.

Shi Nian finally felt the atmosphere was a bit subtle, so she quickly turned her head to look over, only to see Huo Danru and the secretary staring at her with expressions of surprise. She quickly lowered her head and frowned.

She realized that for a moment there, she had somewhat forgotten that others were present.

Huo Danru couldn’t help but frown and said to her, "Come in with me." She then turned and entered the counseling room first.

The secretary also awkwardly smiled and made a "please" gesture, routinely asking, "Ms. Shi, would you prefer coffee or tea?"

Shi Nian modestly bowed slightly, "Just water is fine. Sorry for the trouble."

Inside the counseling room, Huo Danru was already sitting properly behind the desk. Shi Nian entered and immediately lowered her head, carefully sitting down on the chair across from the desk.

Huo Danru couldn’t help but frown, "I thought tonight would be a good opportunity for both of you to open your hearts, but obviously, I was overly optimistic."

Shi Nian was startled and looked up.

Huo Danru sighed lightly, "Look at you, ever since you walked in through the counseling room door, your head has been down the entire time. It’s like you’re trying to hide your facial expressions from me."

"Unexpectedly, last time it was Xiang Yuan who wasn’t willing to open up to me; this time he finally did, but now it’s your turn to deliberately hide something from me."

Huo Danru’s words were straight to the point, and Shi Nian felt quite sorry, sincerely saying, "I’m sorry."

Huo Danru actually wished she hadn’t seen the scene between Shi Nian and Tang Yanqing just now... After all, simply doing marital counseling for Shi Nian and Xiang Yuan was already fine, but if this matter involved Tang Yanqing—it certainly added a lot of complications.

However, her professional ethics didn’t allow her to pretend she hadn’t seen it, so she had to cross her arms, frown slightly, and say, "...Just now, Yanqing’s attitude towards you was quite unusual; and you towards him, as well."

"Shi Nian, I really hope I was mistaken—the real issue affecting your marriage with Xiang Yuan isn’t the knot in your hearts over the past four years, but actually someone else who has barged in; and this person happens to be Yanqing, right?" The rightful source is NoveI★Fire.net

Shi Nian’s heart skipped a beat.

Indeed, in front of an excellent psychology expert, nothing remains a secret.

She carefully composed herself, pondering how she should respond, yet didn’t ignore a particular term in Huo Danru’s words—Huo Danru referred to Tang Yanqing as "Yanqing" and unconsciously used the term "that kid," which seemed quite familiar.

Shi Nian couldn’t help but ask, "Doctor Huo, could it be that you knew Mr. Tang before?"

"Oh." Huo Danru raised her eyebrows, surprised by Shi Nian’s sharpness, then avoided the main point by saying, "Our families are considered old friends."

Shi Nian lowered her head, "But you... actually misunderstood. I had problems in my marriage with A Yuan first, and only met Mr. Tang afterward."

"Really?" Huo Danru couldn’t help but question.

Just because, from Xiang Yuan’s description, she knew the separation between Shi Nian and Xiang Yuan hadn’t been long; yet the expressions between Shi Nian and Tang Yanqing—those definitely didn’t seem like emotions that could develop in such a short time.

In her view, it was almost a—profound and overwhelming emotion. The kind that must be brewed and fermented over a considerable period of time.

Huo Danru couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed in her heart: Was Shi Nian lying to her face?!

Objectively speaking, during the first marital counseling session for Shi Nian and Xiang Yuan, Huo Danru had a less favorable impression of Xiang Yuan, feeling he wasn’t sincere enough, and in his speech, he utilized some lawyer-like tactics to sidestep issues; while Shi Nian was different, she was earnest and willing to face the problems.

But now, Huo Danru had no choice but to adjust her impression of this couple.

As a lawyer, Xiang Yuan could acknowledge his mistakes and even broke through the psychological barriers typical of his profession, willing to undergo hypnosis to save his marriage; yet this Shi Nian was not only being called "darling" by Xiang Yuan’s friend, but was also deeply affectionate with Tang Yanqing.

No matter how many years she’s been in M Country, Huo Danru still held onto the Eastern sense of aesthetics and didn’t like girls being excessively varied in their romantic endeavors.

[Third update in the morning]