Hu Jiajia finished speaking and continued walking forward openly, not noticing the change in Tang Nannan's expression.
The two took a taxi at the hospital entrance and headed straight for the residential complex.
Upon reaching the apartment and opening the door, Tang Nannan was startled by the scene before her.
She had been away from a clean and comfortable environment for too long, living in a cramped one-bedroom rental like a pigsty with her uncle and younger brother every day, she had almost forgotten what a normal home looked like.
It wasn't until this moment, seeing Hu Jiasheng's home, that memories of the past slowly resurfaced.
So clean, so tidy.
Apart from the basic necessities, there wasn't a single superfluous item.
Everything was arranged neatly and orderly, showing how disciplined he was.
The windows were open, and a fresh scent emanated from the room, making the overall environment incredibly pleasant.
On the way, Tang Nannan had actually felt a bit uneasy.
After all, many men were hypocrites who were not what they seemed.
To be honest, she hadn't known Hu Jiasheng for long and had some doubts about his character.
Until now, she was convinced she had made a good choice.
"I usually live alone, so I don't have many slippers. You can wear these."
Hu Jiasheng offered her his slippers and walked into the living room wearing only 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."
Something was wrong, the plot was taking an unexpected turn.
A man and a woman alone, in his territory, and he wanted her to go to sleep?
Watching his retreating back, with one hand still in a sling around his neck, Tang Nannan suddenly realized.
He was sick and injured, and 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, "Is there something else?"
"No, no, I just wanted to ask about your injury..."
"It's fine. I'll be better after some rest."
Noticing she was a bit dirty and her hair was messy, likely having not slept all night, Hu Jiasheng gestured towards the bathroom.
"You can go in and freshen up. There are clothes on the balcony; wear mine for now. There's a dryer in the bathroom."
What a gentleman, Tang Nannan couldn't help but sigh inwardly again.
"Alright, thank you, Mr. Hu."
Hu Jiasheng was too tired and went straight to his room without freshening up.
Tang Nannan looked down at herself. Her clothes had been worn for two days, they were dirty, and she had sweated repeatedly, making them smell.
She hadn't slept all night yesterday either, she must look like a ghost now.
To even think he might have feelings for her was a sign of overconfidence.
Hu Jiasheng had entered the room and there was no more sound, as if no one was home, the silence so profound one could hear a pin drop.
Tang Nannan tiptoed to the balcony, looked up at the row of neatly hung clothes, picked out a loose black t-shirt, took it down, and went into the bathroom.
After a thorough wash, she hand-washed her own clothes, put them in the dryer, and then went to the balcony with a towel to dry her hair.
It was already evening. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on her, a gentle breeze blew, neither too cold nor too hot, making her feel pleasant.
It seemed as if this bath had washed away all the unhappiness of the past two years.
Tang Nannan felt reborn.
Hu Jiasheng had said he would be up in an hour, but Tang Nannan sat alone on the sofa until nine o'clock in the evening, and he still hadn't woken up.
Although she had eaten a lot at noon, her stomach was still hungry by now.
Tang Nannan checked her phone repeatedly, hoping Hu Jiasheng would come out soon.
It wasn't that she was too hungry to wait, but she was worried something might have happened to him.
Unfortunately, she didn't dare to knock on his door out of concern.
They weren't that familiar with each other, and disturbing someone while they were sleeping was impolite.
She waited from nine to ten, then from ten to eleven. She was also getting sleepy and dozed off on the sofa without realizing it.
She slept restlessly.
In her dreams, she kept replaying the scenes from the day.
She followed Hu Jiasheng, walking back and forth in a hurry, feeling exhausted.
With a turn, she almost fell off the sofa, and 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 still hadn't woken up.
She grabbed her phone to check the time. It was 1:30 AM. She was truly starting to panic.
Hu Jiasheng didn't seem like someone who would break his word and oversleep. Could something have really happened?
She tried knocking on his door.
She called out twice, but there was no answer.
She gently turned the doorknob; the door was unlocked.
She dared not turn on the light, fumbling her way in, and softly called out, "Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu?"
The bedding was a gray four-piece set, blending into the darkness. She could only see a faint outline under the quilt.
Hu Jiasheng was curled up in the quilt and finally let out a soft, "Mmm."
Seeing that he had responded, Tang Nannan became a little bolder and walked further forward.
"Are you alright? You've been sleeping for a long time. Are you hungry?"
There was no response again.
She turned on her phone screen, walked to the bedside, and shone it on his face.
Whether it was the light or something else, Hu Jiasheng's face was frighteningly pale.
Tang Nannan boldly took two more steps, sat on the bed, and reached out to touch his forehead.
Her palm was covered in sweat.
The room had air conditioning, and the temperature was comfortable; it wasn't hot.
"Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu?"
Hu Jiasheng's brows were tightly furrowed, his lips were dry and cracked, and he mumbled another "Mmm" groggily, but he couldn't open his eyes.
Tang Nannan knew he was sick.
He had such a large cut on his arm, left the hospital without taking medicine or receiving proper treatment, and then rushed around all day yesterday. It was no wonder he got sick.
She couldn't care about anything else now. Tang Nannan ran to the door, turned on the light, took 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 unfocused, his voice hoarse, and his dazed appearance made him look like a big child who hadn't fully 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 become infected? I'll take you to the hospital."
"No need."
Hu Jiasheng tried to sit up, but he had no 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 created some distance between them. "How many hours have I slept?"
"Eight hours."
"You've been waiting for me?"
"You said you had something to tell me when you woke up."
"I'm sorry."
Tang Nannan quickly stopped him, "You don't need to apologize to me. It was my fault you got injured, and it was my fault you got sick... I'll take you to the hospital."
"No need. I have work to do tomorrow, and going to the hospital would take too much time."