Hu Jiajia finished speaking and continued forward openly, not noticing the change in Tang Nannan's expression.
The two hailed a taxi at the hospital entrance and headed straight for the residential complex.
Upon reaching the apartment and opening the door, Tang Nannan was surprised by the sight before her.
Having been away from a clean and comfortable environment for too long, living in a cramped one-bedroom rental unit that resembled a pigsty with her uncle and brother, she had almost forgotten what a normal home looked like.
It was only now, seeing Hu Jiasheng's apartment, that memories of the past slowly flooded back.
So clean, so tidy.
Aside from the basic necessities, there wasn't a single superfluous item.
Everything was arranged neatly and in perfect order, a testament to his self-discipline.
The windows were open, and a refreshing scent filled the room; the overall environment was incredibly pleasant.
On the way, Tang Nannan's heart had been a little apprehensive.
After all, many men were hypocrites, all show and no substance.
To be honest, she hadn't known Hu Jiasheng for long, and she harbored some doubts about his character.
Now, she was certain she had made a good choice.
"I usually live alone, so I don't have many spare slippers. You can wear these."
Hu Jiasheng offered her his slippers, walking into the living room in his socks.
"If you want water, boil it yourself. There are two books on the coffee table; you can read them or lie down and rest for a while. I'll be up in about an hour."
Wait, the plot was taking a strange turn.
A man and a woman, alone in his place, and he wanted her to sleep?
Watching his retreating back, with one hand still in a sling around his neck, Tang Nannan suddenly realized.
The man was injured and sick. It was normal for him not to be in the mood at such a time.
"Mr. Hu, please wait a moment."
Hu Jiasheng stopped and looked back at her. "Something else?"
"No, no, I just wanted to ask about your injury..."
"It's fine. I'll be better after some rest."
Noticing she looked a bit dirty and her hair was messy, clearly having not slept all night either, Hu Jiasheng gestured towards the bathroom.
"You can go in and freshen up. There are clothes on the balcony; you can wear mine for now. There's a dryer in the bathroom."
Such a gentleman, Tang Nannan couldn't help but think, feeling impressed once again.
"Okay, thank you, Mr. Hu."
Hu Jiasheng was too exhausted to wash up and went straight to his room.
Tang Nannan looked down at herself. Her clothes had been on for two days, they were dirty, and she'd sweated in them repeatedly, giving off an odor.
Having not slept all night yesterday, she must look like a ghost right now.
To have even thought he might be interested in her was quite presumptuous of her.
Hu Jiasheng disappeared into his room, and the apartment became deathly quiet, as if no one were home.
Tang Nannan tiptoed to the balcony, looked up at the row of neatly hung clothes, picked out a black oversized t-shirt, took it down, and entered the bathroom.
After a thorough wash, she hand-washed her clothes and put them in the dryer, then took a towel to dry her hair on the balcony.
It was now evening. The afterglow of the sunset hit her face, and a gentle breeze, neither too cold nor too warm, lifted her spirits.
It felt as if this shower had washed away all the unhappiness of the past two years.
Tang Nannan felt a sense of rebirth.
Hu Jiasheng had said he'd be up in an hour, but Tang Nannan sat alone on the sofa until nine o'clock, and he still hadn't woken up.
Although she had eaten a lot at noon, her stomach was still grumbling by now.
Tang Nannan checked her phone repeatedly, hoping Hu Jiasheng would come out soon.
It wasn't just the hunger that made her impatient; she was worried something might have happened to him.
However, her worry made her hesitant to knock.
They weren't that familiar with each other, and it would be impolite to disturb someone while they were sleeping.
From nine to ten, and then from ten to eleven, she also grew sleepy and dozed off on the sofa without realizing it.
Her sleep was restless.
In her dreams, she kept reliving the scenes from the day.
She followed Hu Jiasheng, rushing about, walking here and there, feeling incredibly tired.
With a turn, she almost fell off the sofa. Tang Nannan woke up.
Opening her eyes, she saw that only a faint light was coming from the balcony. The room was dark and quiet, and Hu Jiasheng was still asleep.
She grabbed her phone to check the time. It was 1:30 AM, and she was truly starting to panic.
Hu Jiasheng didn't seem like the type of person to break his word or oversleep so easily. Could something have genuinely happened to him?
She tried knocking on his door.
She called out twice, but there was no answer.
She gently turned the doorknob; the door wasn't locked.
Afraid to turn on the light, she fumbled her way in and softly called, "Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu?"
The bedding was a grey four-piece set, blending into the darkness. She could only make out a faint outline beneath the duvet.
Hu Jiasheng was curled up under the covers and finally let out a soft "Mm."
Seeing that he had responded, Tang Nannan grew a little bolder and walked further in.
"Are you okay? You've been sleeping for a long time. Are you hungry?"
There was no response.
She turned on her phone screen and walked to the bedside, shining the light on his face.
Whether it was the light or something else, Hu Jiasheng's complexion was frighteningly pale.
Tang Nannan took a few more bold steps, sat on the bed, and reached out to touch his forehead.
Her palm was covered in sweat.
The room had the air conditioning on, and the temperature was comfortable; it wasn't hot.
"Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu?"
Hu Jiasheng's brow was furrowed, his lips dry and cracked. He mumbled another "Mm" vaguely but couldn't open his eyes.
Tang Nannan knew he was sick.
He had such a large gash on his arm, and he had left the hospital without taking any medication or receiving proper treatment. Yesterday he had been busy for so long; it was no wonder he fell ill.
At this point, she couldn't care about anything else. Tang Nannan ran to the door, turned on the light, grabbed a tissue, and sat beside him to wipe his sweat.
As she wiped, she called out to him to wake up.
"You have a fever, please get up. I'll take you to the hospital. Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu?"
Hu Jiasheng finally opened his eyes.
His gaze was lost, his voice hoarse. In his muddled state, he looked like a big child who hadn't quite grown up.
After a few seconds, he asked her, "What time is it?"
"It's almost two in the morning. You have a fever. Are you feeling unwell? Has your wound gotten infected? Let me take you to the hospital."
"No need."
Hu Jiasheng tried to sit up, but his body lacked strength, and his injured arm made it inconvenient.
Seeing this, Tang Nannan quickly moved closer and helped him sit up, leaning against the headboard.
Hu Jiasheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled away from her. "How many hours have I slept?"
"Eight hours."
"You've been waiting for me?"
"You said you had something to tell me after you woke up."
"I'm sorry."
Tang Nannan quickly stopped him. "You don't need to apologize to me. I'm the reason you got hurt, and I'm the reason you're sick... Let me take you to the hospital."
"No need. I have work tomorrow, and going to the hospital would take too much time."