Before Charlie Wade arrived, Jacob was still upset about Matilda’s impending marriage to Hank. However, after Charlie’s arrival, Jacob’s main concern shifted to whether Matilda would send him an invitation to the wedding.


    Meanwhile, Matilda and Hank were busy discussing the guest list for their uing banquet.


    Although their social circles differed, they shared simr attributes. Most of their friends lived in the United States, with only a few distant rtives in China. In Aurous Hill, both had some colleagues, and while Matilda had a few ssmates, they had little contact with them, leaving Jacob as someone she still interacted with frequently.


    This led them to deliberate over whom to invite and whom to leave off the list.


    Matilda was the first to voice an opinion: “Let’s go through the list systematically. We should start with our American friends. My thought is that we shouldn’t notify them about the wedding. It’s quite a journey for them, and it feels a bit presumptuous to expect them toe from such a distance. What do you think?”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Hank nodded, smiling as he replied, “Ipletely agree. While we have many close friends in the U.S., it wouldn’t be right to put them in a position where they feel they have to attend. If they wish toe, that’s great, but if not, we wouldn’t want to create any awkwardness. I suggest that after we’re married, we n a trip back to the States together. We can visit each other’s friends then. How does that sound?”


    Matilda beamed at his suggestion, responding, “That’s exactly what I was thinking! After the wedding, we can take some time to revisit old ces and reconnect with friends.”


    Hank added, “Fantastic! We could even make our honeymoon in the United States. What do you think?”


    Matilda replied enthusiastically, “I think that sounds perfect! The main thing is you—will it be easy for you to take time off from school?”


    “No problem at all,” Hank assured her with a grin. “I’ll speak to the dean and arrange for a wedding leave. Ten days to a month should be manageable.”


    Then Hank continued, “By the way, regarding colleagues, I’d like to invite the dean and a few close colleagues to the wedding. However, since we’re getting older, it’s important to acknowledge that many of them are married. Instead of epting gifts, I think we should ask them to join us to celebrate and enjoy a meal together. What do you think?”


    Matilda nodded in agreement, smiling as she said, “I think it’s best not to ept gifts. Doing so feels a bit too materialistic.”<fn8d91> Official source is find{n}ovel</fn8d91>


    Hank then asked, “What about your colleagues at the University for the Elderly? Should we invite them too?”


    Matilda paused, then responded, “Yes, we should. We will be working together in the future, and it’s important to keep good rtions. If we don’t inform them, they might feel left out.”


    Hank nodded, then hesitated before asking, “What about Jacob?”


    “You mean Jacob…” Matilda replied with a shy smile. “When I left the University for the Elderly today, he mentioned wanting to take me out to dinner. I told him I was busy and brought up my marriage to you. Ideally, he should already be aware, so we should invite him.”


    Hank was surprised. “Jacob wants to take you out? Did you tell him why?”


    “No,” Matilda responded with a smile. “It was probably just the old ssmates wanting to catch up.”


    In truth, Matilda was quite perceptive.


    She understood Jacob’s motive for inviting her to dinner near the school. While she declined, she used the opportunity to inform him of her marriage to Hank, hoping to dissuade Jacob from harboring any lingering feelings for her. After all, she had moved on from their past rtionship and was ready to embrace her future with Hank. She didn’t want Jacob to hold onto any illusions about them.


    However, she also wanted to avoid raising any unnecessary concerns for Hank, so she downyed Jacob’s true intentions.


    Hank, being equally astute, was aware of Matilda’s history with Jacob, including that Matilda’s son, Paul, was named Han Mukun. While he believed she had truly moved on, the thought of her long-standing connection with Jacob did stir some jealousy within him.


    Yet, Hank recognized that dwelling on the past—especially one that didn’t directly involve him—was unproductive. Thus, he smiled and said, “Since you mentioned it to Jacob, wouldn’t it be inappropriate to not invite him?”


    Matilda agreed, saying, “You’re right; it would be improper not to invite him. However, it’s also a bitplicated because he has a family. If we invite him, we must extend the invitation to his entire family. But when I think of his wife, ine, I feel a bit overwhelmed. Honestly, I’d rather not have anything to do with her. This puts me in a tricky situation. I can’t just tell Jacob he’s the only one invited. If ine finds out, it could cause so much trouble.”