The cashier scanned his phone, and the payment was successful.
Tian Tian felt even more embarrassed.
Over a thousand yuan wasn't enough for her to buy a pair of shoes, but heaven knew what it meant to Chen Dongyang.
Yet, she didn't want to appear too concerned about his balance, fearing it might hurt his pride.
So, as Chen Dongyang pushed her out, she teased, "You've spent too much. The last person who paid for me like this was my dad and my brother. Mr. Chen, how old are you?"
She had high emotional intelligence, successfully diffusing the awkward moment.
Chen Dongyang played along, "Older than you."
"You know you're older without even being told how old you are?"
"No need to say. I can tell by looking at your face."
Tian Tian turned back and smiled at him, "Are you saying you have more wrinkles than me? Men don't take care of themselves, there's no point in comparing. Honestly, how old are you this year?"
Chen Dongyang chuckled softly, "Twenty-eight, am I older than you?"
Tian Tian was a bit surprised.
He looked quite young. She had always assumed they were the same age, or that she was younger.
She hadn't expected him to be two years older than Zhan Jingrui and Jiang Jingyu.
Chen Dongyang saw her surprised expression and chuckled again, naturally ruffling her hair.
"Call me 'Ge'."
It felt as if the distance between them had suddenly shortened.
Tian Tian couldn't help but laugh too, mimicking Dou Ya's tone and calling him Brother Chen.
In the following days, Chen Dongyang was busier than usual.
He would return on time to cook for her. Sometimes, when he was stewing pork ribs or fish soup, he would leave the pot simmering on the stove when he left. He would call to remind Tian Tian to watch the heat and be careful not to scald herself when checking.
They weren't a couple, but they lived their days with the feeling of an old married couple.
Tian Tian's mood stabilized considerably. One day, while checking the chicken soup simmering in the clay pot, she suddenly had an inspiration and a design concept.
She buried herself in work for the next few days and successfully drew the blueprints she wanted.
With the competition deadline fast approaching, she and Chen Dongyang both submitted their entries, quietly awaiting the judges' review.
Eight days passed. Chen Dongyang took Tian Tian for a follow-up check-up at the hospital and had her stitches removed.
The doctor said she was recovering well, but a broken bone takes a hundred days to heal. There would be a long recovery process ahead; she shouldn't overexert herself and should remain vigilant.
As usual, Chen Dongyang pushed her in a wheelchair in and out of places.
They thought they could smoothly keep it a secret from Zhan Beijue and Jiang Nan Fang, but who would have thought that Jiang Nan Fang would suddenly call to visit that day.
"Tian Tian, are you home? I made your favorite food today. You've been busy lately, participating in the competition, so your dad and I didn't want to call you back or bother you. But now that the submission is done, you should relax. Eat something you love to nourish yourself. Your dad and I will come over and stay with you for a night. You don't mind, do you?"
Tian Tian was terrified.
It wasn't that she didn't welcome them, but she couldn't welcome them in her current state.
If her parents saw that she had cut her own tendons, they might have a heart attack.
She had been busy for so many days; she couldn't let it all go to waste now.
So, she pretended to have a bad signal and hung up on Jiang Nan Fang, immediately calling Chen Dongyang.
"What should I do? My parents want to visit me and are already on their way. I can't let them see me like this, help me think of a way."
Chen Dongyang was on his way home from work. He asked, "How long will they take to get here?"
Tian Tian replied, "At the earliest, it'll take an hour from their place to here. But I don't know how far they've gotten. Where are you now?"
"I'm about ten minutes away. We should have time. How about I pick you up?"
"Pick me up, but where will we go?"
"I'm driving. We'll talk when we meet."
Chen Dongyang hung up and sped towards the residential complex.
He raced back and saw Tian Tian sitting in the wheelchair with a panicked expression. He asked,
"Do they know your apartment password?"
"Yes."
"Have they been here before when you weren't home?"
"Yes."
"Then I need to pack up everything in the spare room. And your medicine. Pack it up. Let's go quickly."
They moved as if in a battle, splitting up to pack away anything suspicious. Jiang Nan Fang sent another WeChat message.
"What's going on, Tian Tian? Why did you hang up the phone? Are you busy? Why do you always work overtime? Could you still be at the company?"
Tian Tian's heart raced. She asked Chen Dongyang if he was done packing. Chen Dongyang did a final check. "Alright," they both said, and as they went out, she replied to Jiang Nan Fang's message.
"I'm not working overtime. I'm with Wushuang. She just finished a project, and we decided to have dinner and relax together. Mommy, you and Daddy don't need to bring me food, we're already eating."
Jiang Nan Fang felt something was off.
Her reply message was strange.
"Really? I haven't seen Wushuang in a while either. Let's video call, so I can chat with her too."
"And the food, I've already prepared it. It's no fun just bringing it back. Send me Wushuang's address, and we'll go to her place to give you the food. Don't worry, we won't bother you, just a quick hello and we'll leave."
Jiang Nan Fang was extremely meticulous, fearing her daughter might be deceived by some bad person behind their backs.
Tian Tian could only reply to her, "Okay, then bring it over. Since you're bringing it, let's not video call. Wushuang already feels distant from you, and she'll be even more uncomfortable on camera."
After replying to Jiang Nan Fang, she immediately called Wushuang.
"Are you home? I'm coming to your place now. My parents are doing a surprise check, and there are some things I can't tell them, so I told them I was with you and staying at your place tonight. You can't let me down at this critical moment!"
Thank heavens, Wushuang was home.
They rushed to the downstairs of her apartment. Chen Dongyang carried her upstairs.
Wushuang rented an old residential building too, with no elevator.
Knowing Tian Tian was coming, she stood at the door waiting.
Seeing Chen Dongyang carry her upstairs, her eyes nearly popped out.
"What's going on? You, you guys this..."
"Let's go inside and talk."
Chen Dongyang placed Tian Tian on the sofa and then immediately ran back downstairs to get her wheelchair, folded it, and hid it in the bathroom.
He had been running back and forth for so long without taking a breath that he broke into a light sweat. Before Tian Tian could even thank him, he left with hurried steps, as if to avoid suspicion.
"You guys get ready. I'm leaving now, call me if you need anything. I'm not far anyway."
His tall figure disappeared at the stairwell in the blink of an eye. A moment later, the sound of a van starting could be heard from downstairs.
Tian Tian looked at Wushuang with an awkward expression, raising her hands.
"There's nothing between me and him, I swear. My leg is just injured, and he happened to be there. He's helping out of kindness."