Chen Dongyang and the woman sat in the corridor while Tiantian waited in Director Gao's office.
After an unknown amount of time, the child was brought out.
Director Gao, while removing his mask and gloves, explained the situation to them.
He spoke a lot of medical jargon, but Tiantian only grasped one crucial point.
The child needed a heart transplant as soon as possible. If things continued as they were, not even a divine being could save him.
Chen Dongyang and the woman stated they would comply with the hospital's arrangements, whatever they were.
The director said that a series of procedures would follow and asked for their cooperation, assuring them there was still hope.
The child was to be admitted to the hospital and was assigned a room. Everyone stood by the bedside. The director stated that so many people were unnecessary.
"A noisy environment is detrimental to the child's recovery. Moreover, there are medical staff here. It's sufficient to have one family member stay with him."
The woman stood up and looked at Chen Dongyang with affection.
"You have work during the day. Don't exhaust yourself here at night. I can manage alone. You should go back and rest."
Chen Dongyang was worried the woman would wear herself out.
The woman said, "What about you? Your body is also important. Besides, I don't have to work during the day and can catch up on sleep. What good will it do if you stay up? Go back. If you collapse, Dou Bao will truly have no hope."
Chen Dongyang had no choice but to leave. He went down the elevator with Tiantian.
Unknowingly, it was already midnight.
The pouring rain continued. The two stood on the steps looking at the vast sheet of rain. After a moment of silence, Chen Dongyang said,
"I've called a car. I'll take you back first."
Neither of them lived nearby, and Chen Dongyang lived even further away. Tiantian calculated the time for the round trip, and by the time he got home, it would be past one in the morning.
"No need. I can get back by myself."
"You're delaying this because of my matters. It's late at night, and it's raining. What if something happens? Let's go."
Tiantian had indeed never experienced such a situation.
Her parents had always taught her to pay attention to her safety. She felt a little scared thinking about it.
It wouldn't make much difference to wait for him. If he wanted to send her, let him.
The two, holding Chen Dongyang's wet coat, ran to the entrance. The ride-hailing car had just arrived.
The car drove slowly, stopping and starting. It took over 40 minutes to reach Tiantian's residential complex.
Looking at the thin, tired man beside her, Tiantian felt a pang of sympathy.
"Why don't you get off with me?"
Chen Dongyang blinked, not understanding what she meant.
Tiantian said, "I live alone, and I have plenty of empty rooms. You've been running around and haven't had much rest. You have work tomorrow. Why not just stay over for the night."
In hindsight, she was quite carefree.
She wasn't familiar with him at all. After all, he was a man. How could she be so casual about bringing him home?
Chen Dongyang was surprised by Tiantian's warmth. Touched, he politely declined.
"No need. It won't take much time, and I can't trouble you any further. I'll watch you go in. Thank you so much today."
Tiantian didn't say anything more. She was just soft-hearted and kind, unable to bear seeing suffering.
Since he didn't need it, she was happy to be relieved of the burden.
As she was about to open the door to get out, the driver turned around and said to Chen Dongyang,
"Bro, I have to say a word or two to you."
"Your girlfriend is so beautiful, and she's actively inviting you. She's said all that, and you're still hesitating, like a man?"
"Go on, go. It's raining so heavily, and the car is almost out of gas. I'm too lazy to drive around anymore. Let's both call it a day. I'll drop you both downstairs, and we'll all be happy. Give me a five-star review, what do you say?"
Chen Dongyang stared at the driver for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, leaned back against the seat, and said,
"Miss Jiang, then I'll have to trouble you again."
Tiantian used her face recognition to have the driver drop her off downstairs. The two entered the lobby without getting wet.
The lights were bright all the way as they went upstairs.
Chen Dongyang had a vague idea of Tiantian's financial status, so he wasn't too surprised to see the luxurious, spacious house.
However, being drenched, the contrast with the clean and tidy environment felt awkward.
Tiantian asked him to leave his shoes and socks by the door and found him a pair of guest slippers.
She poured him a cup of water and handed him a set of guest pajamas.
"That's it for today. The guest room has a bathroom and a washing machine. The toiletries are in the drawer. Wash your clothes while you're showering. I'm going to sleep now."
Chen Dongyang thanked her again, finished his water, and they each went into their respective rooms.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Tiantian was woken up by a knock on the door.
Remembering Chen Dongyang was at home, she quickly got up.
When she went out, he was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but they looked clean and fresh, making him appear energetic and renewed.
He was already ready to leave.
Tiantian rubbed her eyes, "Why are you up so early?"
It wasn't even seven o'clock. Chen Dongyang smiled apologetically at her.
"I didn't want to disturb you and planned to go straight to the company, but the security at your residential complex is too strict."
"I know you haven't had enough sleep. Could you drop me off first before coming back to sleep?"
Actually, it wasn't much different. She usually woke up at seven anyway.
Tiantian casually tied her hair up and walked towards the bathroom, saying, "No need. Wait for me for a moment. We'll go out together later."
After a quick wash-up, she changed into warmer commuter attire, skipped makeup, and they left together.
Tiantian went to the garage to get her car, "Are you going home or to the company? I'll give you a ride."
Chen Dongyang said, "No need. It will delay your work to shuttle me around. I'll just take a taxi myself."
Tiantian drove out, "Tell me the address first. I'll see if it's on the way. If it is, I'll give you a ride. I'm already using this much gas driving alone anyway."
Chen Dongyang seemed to think this made sense and provided his company's address, so they could travel together for a while.
Tiantian continued driving, unsure what to say. After a period of silence, Chen Dongyang took out his laptop.
"The renovation plans for Ms. Zhu's house, have we decided to use your design?"
Tiantian glanced at him, "If you have any better ideas, yours can be used too."
Chen Dongyang didn't say much and pushed the laptop towards her.
"I don't have any particularly brilliant ideas, but I've designed a large-capacity storage wardrobe and bed specifically for her house structure. Take a look when you have time."
"However, this design has a drawback: it needs to be custom-made and is a bit troublesome to assemble. The cost might be a bit higher than expected. I haven't discussed it with Ms. Zhu in person yet."
As there was a red light, Tiantian stopped and glanced at his design.
It was a storage design commonly used by small-apartment dwellers to save space, balancing practicality and aesthetics.
She made the decision for Wushuang, "It's fine."
Chen Dongyang said, "Alright, then it's settled. I'll measure the dimensions later. Will you find the custom craftsman, or shall I?"