One day, Tong An'an stayed up late working overtime. Returning to her empty apartment alone, she felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness.
Calculating the time difference, she figured it was almost time for Jiang Jingyu to wake up, so she called him for a video chat.
As it turned out, Jiang Jingyu was indeed just getting out of bed.
His phone was propped up on the nightstand, and he was dressing himself.
Watching his well-defined physique and the sense of strength radiating from his every move, Tong An'an couldn't help but swallow hard.
After pulling on his pants and shirt, Jiang Jingyu, while buttoning his shirt, realized she hadn't said a word.
He leaned his head over to see what she was doing, only to find her staring at him with wide eyes.
"Why aren't you talking?"
From this angle, Tong An'an had a perfect view of his collarbone, which she found incredibly alluring.
Unable to resist, she called out to him in a rather peculiar way, "Husband."
Jiang Jingyu immediately knew what she was thinking.
"What's this? You have wicked intentions towards me?"
Tong An'an replied, "Yes. What do you propose we do about it?"
"What do we do? You fly back. I promise not to resist. Whatever you want to do, you can do."
Knowing full well she couldn't fly back, wasn't he just teasing her?
Tong An'an bantered with him for a bit before changing the subject.
"I have something to tell you."
"I'm listening, go ahead."
"I'm going on a business trip to a certain place tomorrow. I'll probably be staying for two days. It's quite close to Anna's post, so I plan to go see her."
"You're going alone?"
"Yes. Manager Li said my recent performance has been quite good, and I'm capable of meeting clients independently, so he gave me this opportunity to practice."
"That's great. Comrade Tong is progressing rapidly and deserves praise. But you should still be careful when traveling alone. Don't talk to strangers. Remember to lock your car windows and don't stay overnight casually."
After spending two days handling her work, Tong An'an took a day off and went shopping with Anna.
She had been here for three months but hadn't gone shopping once, so the two girls were extremely excited.
They drove to the city center and bought some clothes that they wouldn't necessarily wear but that looked pleasing to the eye and were a bit more glamorous.
They took many photos on the streets, browsed through street stalls, bought some peculiar handmade items, and then went to a restaurant for dinner.
Estimating that Jiang Jingyu had already finished work, Tong An'an sent him a WeChat message, attaching a photo of her food.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Jingyu immediately called her via video.
It was quiet on his end, with only him present, while Tong An'an's side was noisy and lively. It was a rare occasion for them to switch roles, and Tong An'an was very content.
"Hello, Mr. Jiang."
"You seem so happy? Where did you go to play?"
She told him the name of the place.
"With Anna?"
"Who else? Some new handsome guy I met?"
Jiang Jingyu let out a cold snort, seemingly a little jealous.
Tong An'an pretended to take a picture, "Really! If you don't believe me, I'll take one for you to see!"
Anna proactively stood up and leaned into the camera.
"Hurry and take it. See if I've gotten prettier again. Hello, Mr. Jiang."
After a rare day of vacation, Tong An'an returned to work.
This day, she, who always prided herself on being as strong as an ox, woke up feeling unwell.
Her head was groggy, and her body felt weak.
Thinking she had caught a cold, she took two cold pills and went to work. She endured the day, but not only did her condition not improve, she felt terribly unwell by the evening.
However, it was so late that going to the hospital was inconvenient. Feeling unwell, she didn't want to drive, so she decided to take a leave of absence the next day to see a doctor.
She skipped dinner, sent Jiang Jingyu a goodnight message, and then collapsed into bed.
The next day, she was woken by intermittent abdominal pain and a churning sensation in her stomach.
She grabbed her alarm clock and saw it was almost 11 o'clock, having severely missed her work hours.
This was the first time she had made such a mistake. While regretting it, she thought about calling Li Kai to explain.
However, her body was so weak that she didn't even have the strength to get up.
As she fretted about what to do, wondering whether to ask Mrs. Li to take her to the hospital, there was a knock on her door. It was Li Kai's voice.
He asked why she hadn't come to work today and if she was feeling unwell.
Tong An'an weakly said she thought she had a cold. Upon hearing this, Li Kai hurriedly told her to open the door.
"Could it be malaria? Hurry up and get up, I'll take you to the hospital."
As it turned out, it was indeed malaria.
Tong An'an had contracted malaria and had to be hospitalized.
She was to rest for two days, receive injections and IV drips, and her discharge would depend on her condition.
Lying alone in the hospital, all her symptoms appeared within an hour.
She vomited and had diarrhea, experienced alternating chills and fever, and her head felt like it was going to explode.
She felt drowsy and just wanted to sleep.
She slept, then woke up, then slept again. During the rare moments of clarity, she desperately missed Jiang Jingyu.
But she didn't dare tell him, fearing he would worry.
For two consecutive days, she refused his video calls, saying she was busy. Her WeChat messages were also perfunctory; she simply lacked the energy to chat.
Fortunately, the doctor had years of experience in treating malaria, and with Mrs. Li's care, she finally showed signs of improvement on the fourth day.
The doctor re-examined her and found her to be fine. He prescribed some medication, and she drove back in her beat-up van.
She hadn't chatted properly with Jiang Jingyu for a while, but thankfully, he hadn't become suspicious.
On the way, she looked at their chat history, which was still from the previous morning.
She drove back, parked the car, and wearily walked towards the dormitory entrance.
As she reached the ground floor and was about to go up, she noticed someone standing to the left of the main door.
Because the person was exceptionally tall and had an outstandingly upright posture, and there was a suitcase standing beside him, he was quite eye-catching.
Tong An'an's heart skipped a beat, and she thought of Jiang Jingyu.
Just as she was about to get a closer look, he turned his head.
Their eyes met. It was indeed Jiang Jingyu, and Tong An'an's eyes immediately welled up.
He was dressed casually that day but still exuded an air of nobility.
When he looked at her, his eyes held a mixture of knowing reproach and tender concern. Tong An'an felt a surge of surprise, grievance, happiness, and shame, unsure of how to react.
After a moment of stunned silence, she suddenly burst into tears.
Jiang Jingyu had learned of her illness from Li Kai's call and had rushed over immediately.
He had intended to scold her for not telling him the truth, but seeing her cry, he immediately reached out to embrace her.
Tong An'an quickly stepped back, "Don't come over, I'm sick, it's contagious."
Jiang Jingyu paid no heed, insisting on pulling her closer, holding her in his arms for a while, and then attempted to kiss her.
Tong An'an dodged again, "It really is contagious!"
Jiang Jingyu gritted his teeth, "Who told you malaria is transmitted through saliva? You're afraid now? If I hadn't inquired, how long were you planning to endure this alone?"
Tong An'an was speechless and met his gaze with tears streaming down her face.
Jiang Jingyu's heart softened again. "Alright, alright, I won't talk about it anymore. I'm here now, you're fine, don't cry."
They lingered downstairs for a while, and then Tong An'an took him upstairs.
Passing by the Li family's residence, she knocked on Mrs. Li's door.
Mrs. Li was just preparing to go to the hospital to deliver food for her and rushed forward to greet her upon seeing her return.
"You're discharged? Are you alright? What did the doctor say?"
"I'm fine now. Thank you for your trouble these past few days, I'm really sorry."
Mrs. Li smiled, "We're colleagues, no need to be so polite."
After speaking, she noticed the person standing behind Tong An'an and was taken aback.
"This gentleman..."
Tong An'an opened her mouth, the word "husband" hovering on her lips for several moments before she could utter it.
"My boyfriend, he came to see me."