Because Jiang Nan Fang's physical condition was special, and she had experienced fetal instability early in this pregnancy, she had only recently been discharged from the hospital after being on bed rest. This made everyone quite worried, so the elder master absolutely refused to let her stay in the hospital.
Zhan Bei Jue and Hu Jia Sheng also had a pile of matters to manage and could not stay to accompany her in the hospital all day. As Tang Nan Nan was free, she volunteered to stay and take care of the elder master.
The elder master was overjoyed, his eyes crinkling with a smile.
"Nan Nan and I hit it off, I liked her the moment I saw her. It would be wonderful if she could stay to keep me company. Ah Sheng, you don't have any objections, do you?"
Hu Jia Sheng certainly didn't dare to have any objections.
However, he and Tang Nan Nan were not actually in a romantic relationship, and it felt a bit awkward to have her come to the hospital to care for a patient.
How could Tang Nan Nan not understand his thoughts? With just a look, Hu Jia Sheng understood.
He had owed her a favor in the past, and now she wanted to repay it. He should give her an opportunity.
Thus, for the next few days, Tang Nan Nan went out early and returned late, diligently caring for the elder master in the hospital.
She cooked for him herself, chatted with him, discussing everything from domestic affairs to international matters, humanities, politics, and history. She kept the elder master so spirited that he didn't seem like a patient who had just been rescued.
Even the doctors couldn't help but praise her.
"When good things happen, people are naturally in high spirits. The elder master's excellent recovery is inseparable from the meticulous care of his family. The Zhan family are all filial descendants!"
A week later, the elder master was able to be discharged from the hospital.
Thinking that Tang Nan Nan had spent all day accompanying him in the hospital and had no time to date Hu Jia Sheng, and feeling reluctant to keep her any longer, he urged Tang Nan Nan to go back and rest.
There was a housekeeper, a nanny, and a caregiver at home, so Tang Nan Nan was no longer essential. She obediently went back.
Before Hu Jia Sheng finished work, she had already prepared dinner. Seeing him return, having lost weight after a week in the hospital, Hu Jia Sheng felt very guilty.
He pushed a sky-blue box across the dining table, thanking her for her recent efforts.
Tang Nan Nan disliked him acting this way.
It was as if he was meticulously accounting for every penny, clearly intending to draw a line between them.
In the hospital, despite everyone's teasing, Hu Jia Sheng had never made his stance clear. Tang Nan Nan dared not overthink it.
Looking at the necklace from a certain luxury brand that she was once very familiar with, she said softly to Hu Jia Sheng.
"Actually, your family is quite good. Although you didn't live together from childhood, they don't seem to reject you."
"I can see that Mr. Zhan isn't very good at expressing his feelings, but his wife has a really great personality. The children are also exceptionally cute. It's clear they really like you."
Hu Jia Sheng couldn't refute this, because the children were innocent and their liking was genuine, not feigned.
As for Jiang Nan Fang, whether one called her meticulous, emotionally intelligent, or good at putting on a show, she gave him a very comfortable impression.
Perhaps they truly didn't reject him, and it was his own psychological barrier.
Seeing his silence, Tang Nan Nan continued.
"I know that living a solitary life can be a very poetic way of living, but have you ever considered..."
"If you meet someone you love, even if you can't have a brood of children like Mr. Zhan and his wife, and share your lives under the sun every day, but at least when you see flowers bloom or hear the rain, you have someone to share it with, isn't that wonderful?"
"If you don't even try, how will you know you can't do as well as them?"
If you don't even try, how will you know you can't?
This sentence truly touched Hu Jia Sheng.
He had held a pessimistic view of marriage since childhood, but now, perhaps seeing so many happy people, he felt that he was not so resistant to it anymore.
However, he still hadn't made his stance clear.
Because he knew the underlying meaning of Tang Nan Nan's words.
He hadn't made up his mind yet and couldn't give her any promises for the time being, lest he disappoint her.
"You must be exhausted from being at the hospital these past few days. Go rest, don't rush back to work."
The next day, Tang Nan Nan slept in.
After waking up, she tidied the house until noon and received a call from Jiang Nan Fang.
She was invited to have dinner at the Zhan family's residence, and a driver had already been sent to pick her up.
The two had dinner like best friends and then took a long stroll around the Zhan family's villa. Afterward, Jiang Nan Fang suggested taking her to a beauty salon for a facial.
"I have a friend who owns a beauty salon. Getting a spa treatment, lying down, and chatting feels quite nice."
"I'm not working right now, and I get too bored staying at home every day. Please, just consider it accompanying me, okay?"
As Tang Nan Nan was free, she naturally wouldn't refuse. The two of them went to Chen Jiao Jiao's beauty salon together.
In fact, Jiang Nan Fang had her own agenda.
She wanted them to interact beforehand. Without knowing each other's relationship with Hu Jia Sheng, she wanted to see if they could become friends based on their first impressions alone.
If they could accept each other peacefully, then when they later learned about Hu Jia Sheng's connection to them, it wouldn't be too difficult to accept.
When Jiang Nan Fang brought her, Chen Jiao Jiao naturally greeted her warmly.
The three of them happily had facials, received spa treatments, and chatted. Mrs. Gao and her friend were in the adjacent room.
Upon hearing that Tang Nan Nan and Jiang Nan Fang were spending time together so intimately, it was clear without asking that her current relationship with Hu Jia Sheng was not simple.
Mrs. Gao was furious.
Tang Nan Nan was ambitious, and she couldn't be dissuaded with just a few words.
She had hinted and advised her indirectly so much, but not only did it not deter her, it seemed to embolden her further. She was even associating with Zhan Bei Jue's wife. She had underestimated her.
Despite her youth, she had many tricks up her sleeve.
Since ancient times, the surest path for women seeking to marry into wealthy families was through their children.
Their appearance today served as a wake-up call for Mrs. Gao.
Time was pressing, and the situation was urgent. She could no longer be soft-hearted.
If she delayed any longer, and Tang Nan Nan became pregnant, given Elder Master Zhan's current health condition, he would surely let her give birth, adding an heir to the Zhan family.
At that point, Hu Jia Sheng would be in a passive position.
Therefore, she had to get rid of Tang Nan Nan quickly, before things became irreversible.
Pretending to be oblivious, Mrs. Gao called Tang Nan Nan the next day, inquiring about her recent situation and asking her to meet.
Tang Nan Nan didn't want to go.
She had been idle at home for too long. Today, she had an appointment with an institution for a piano teacher interview.
She couldn't just wander around aimlessly day after day.
Upon hearing that she had an interview today, it was exactly what Mrs. Gao wanted.
"If you ask me, you shouldn't become a piano teacher. It's not a promising career."
"Besides, we are both women, and the intentions of the mistress of the house are clear. For someone as young and beautiful as you, any household would be wary of you. You certainly wouldn't receive good treatment."
"Why not listen to Auntie and let me introduce you to a job?"
Tang Nan Nan believed this.
Working as a tutor or a domestic helper was similar; both involved dealing with the male and female heads of the household.
If the mistress encountered a young and beautiful employee, even if the male owner had no intentions, the mistress would still be cautious and guard against her.
She didn't want to play mind games just to go to work.