"He hasn't come out yet, I'll stay with you."
It's awkward to have a stranger accompany you.
Especially when you know she's looking at you with awe and gratitude, it feels even more awkward.
Hu Jiasheng simply wanted to help her, to leave no regrets.
He wasn't looking for any reward, not even a spiritual one.
He stated firmly again: "Really, you don't have to. I don't like people following me."
Tang Nannan sensed his desire to avoid entanglement. She looked at him again and discreetly left.
Hu Jiasheng stayed in the hospital for a night, not sleeping at all.
He disliked the smell of the hospital, the bed was narrow, and there were other patients in the room.
The night passed very slowly, very arduously.
Finally, when dawn broke, he prepared to go to the hospital entrance to buy something to eat, then come back for two bags of saline and leave the hospital for good.
As soon as he got out of bed, before he could reach the ward door, Tang Nannan came in from outside carrying breakfast.
"You're awake? I bought you breakfast, eat it while it's hot."
It was the common steamed buns and soy milk from the hospital entrance. Although they looked steaming hot, Hu Jiasheng wasn't interested.
He was a bit of a germaphobe and couldn't accept street food.
Besides, they weren't close at all, and her obvious attitude of repaying a debt only put him under pressure.
"I don't like eating this. Thank you for your kindness. Eat it yourself."
Without toiletries, Hu Jiasheng washed his face after waking up, but didn't brush his teeth.
He felt a strange taste in his mouth.
When speaking to Tang Nannan, he deliberately kept his distance and turned his face away.
In Tang Nannan's eyes, he seemed to see himself from the past.
Faced with someone she didn't think highly of but didn't want to hurt, she seemed to be in the same state.
"I just felt it would be impolite not to buy you a portion since I was buying breakfast. If you don't like it, that's fine."
"Are you leaving the hospital?"
"Yes," Hu Jiasheng replied casually, not wanting to say more.
Tang Nannan was surprised that he was leaving so soon. She quickly consolidated the items in both hands into one.
"I can't repay you the money for now, but I won't default. Please leave me your phone number and bank account. I'll call you when I've saved enough."
Thirty thousand yuan wasn't a lot.
Hu Jiasheng wanted to say it was unnecessary, but then he thought that saying so would only lead to more meaningless talk.
He could agree and simply not give her his real number.
"Okay."
Tang Nannan quickly took out her phone. He pressed two incorrect digits based on his own number.
"I don't remember my account number, so save this for now. No rush, call me whenever you have it."
"Thank you so much, how should I address you?"
"My surname is Hu."
"Mr. Hu, would you like me to save my number too? Or, I can take a picture of my ID for you."
"No need."
Hu Jiasheng maintained his aloof demeanor, eager to leave, seeming like he didn't want to talk to her further.
"I trust you. Go back and take care of your brother."
He was so afraid of Tang Nannan clinging to him; if the conversation continued, it would seem too undignified.
Tang Nannan immediately turned around.
Hu Jiasheng followed her out of the ward.
After taking two steps, he checked the time on his phone and remembered he had something to do. Hu Jiasheng called out.
"Wait a moment."
Tang Nannan stopped and turned back, seeing him walking over with his phone.
"Although I already submitted this video to the staff yesterday, just in case, you should keep a copy. If it's needed for a lawsuit later..."
It was too troublesome. If she needed a witness for a lawsuit later, he would have to appear and testify.
It wasn't that he feared Third Master He and dared not testify, but rather that he wouldn't know where he would be at that time.
Although he felt a bit hurt and resentful that Third Master He wasn't made to pay, Hu Jiasheng really had no interest in getting entangled with such a hooligan.
Tang Nannan had also not slept all night and had thought of many ways to deal with Third Master He.
In the end, she realized that the least costly approach was to control Tang Dong's leg and prevent him from provoking him again in the future.
Not to mention the time, energy, and money involved in a lawsuit, she simply had no intention of fighting with Third Master He.
Even if she did, how much evidence would there be to prove Third Master He guilty?
Protecting herself through legal means was, for someone like her, a fantasy, a joke.
"No need, I won't sue him. Thank you for your kind offer."
This statement made Hu Jiasheng think of her as a smart person.
When encountering problems, it's not always necessary to fight to the death.
Sometimes, recognizing one's own limitations, managing oneself, and avoiding provoking people one shouldn't, is the most important thing for ordinary people.
"Then I have nothing more to say. You can go."
Tang Nannan, carrying two cups of soy milk and several steamed buns, continued to walk forward.
Hu Jiasheng looked at the time on his phone, calculating his work progress, and followed her at a moderate distance.
After walking for less than half a minute, a man's furious voice suddenly came from ahead.
"You still have the nerve to eat? Why don't you just die?"
Then, two cups of soy milk and buns were thrown from around the corner, hitting the ground in front of Hu Jiasheng. The hot soy milk splashed onto his pant leg.
He took two steps forward to the corner of the corridor.
Indeed, he saw Tang Nannan covering her face, standing in the hallway, with a tall, burly middle-aged man poking her scalp with his finger.
While poking, he scolded, "How many times have I told you, take good care of him, take good care of him! Do you take my words for granted?"
"Because of you, how much trouble has he gotten into? Huh, tell me yourself!"
"Either you go with Third Master He, or you stay completely away from him! You're being ambiguous with him, and every time it results in Dong Dong getting hurt. Don't you think you're less than human?"
"Tang Dong is the only heir in the Tang family. He's been weak since childhood, and now he's injured all the time. If he can't get through this..."
Tang Nannan stood with her head lowered, silently enduring his scolding.
It was as if Tang Dong's injuries were all her fault.
Hu Jiasheng was somewhat confused.
She didn't seem like someone easily bullied or weak in front of Third Master He, so why was she like this in front of her family, in the place where emotions were most freely expressed?
With people coming and going in the corridor, their loud argument naturally attracted the attention of many passersby.
Unfortunately, no one stepped forward to help her.
Her uncle grew increasingly angry, poking her head fiercely a few times, then grabbed her wrist.
"You go see Third Master He with me right now! Doesn't he always like you? You don't have a better future anyway, so just go with him!"
"You don't need to compensate Dong Dong for the money, and there won't be so much trouble later. What's there to be so coy about?"
"To put it bluntly, it's just like that, isn't it? You've had boyfriends before, so stop pretending. Come with me now!"
Tang Nannan finally reacted, kicking her legs backward and shaking her head vigorously.
"He doesn't like me at all. You know his psychology better than anyone, and I don't like him either. I can't go to him. Uncle, let me go!"