Tian Tian immediately drove back to the neighborhood where she had just been.
She video-called Dou Ya and asked where their room was.
Dou Ya was clearly unaccustomed to such a situation and flusteredly told her. Tian Tian hurried upstairs.
It was an old-fashioned residential building with narrow stairs. The tenants were likely ordinary working-class people.
Even at this late hour, many people were coming and going, carrying takeout bags, their faces etched with fatigue.
Tian Tian brushed past them, drawing curious glances as she walked, and found Dou Ya waiting anxiously at the door.
"I'm sorry to have made you run back again. I'm truly sorry."
"This is the first time I've encountered something like this. He's so tall, and I can't carry him alone. I tried calling Boss Huang, but I couldn't get through. If I wanted to call an ambulance to take him away, I don't have any money in my pocket, and I'm afraid they won't treat him at the hospital..."
Tian Tian wasn't in the mood to listen to his explanation. "Let's not talk about it for now. Where is he?"
Dou Ya quickly moved aside, letting her into the room.
Under the bare light bulb, on the cold floor, Chen Dongyang's thin yet tall body lay by the bathroom door.
"The floor is so cold. What will happen if he stays like this? Let's carry him downstairs together, and I'll take him to the hospital."
"Okay." Dou Ya hurriedly grabbed his two arms, and Tian Tian went to lift his feet.
However, despite Chen Dongyang being thin, he was tall, and unconscious, he was still very heavy.
Dou Ya was short, and Tian Tian lacked strength. After trying, they couldn't lift him at all.
"No, the two of us can't do it. Go find someone to help."
Dou Ya said "oh," quickly put Chen Dongyang down, and dashed out the door.
Tian Tian squatted beside his head, hesitated for two seconds looking at his pale face, and patted him.
"Chen Dongyang, Chen Dongyang? Wake up! You can't lie on the floor, wake up!"
Whether it was because he had recovered or because Tian Tian had patted him too hard, a few seconds later, he slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at Tian Tian, then around the room, weakly propped himself up on his arms, wanting to get up.
Tian Tian quickly knelt on the ground, using her body to support him, letting him lean on her shoulder.
"Are you okay? Why did you suddenly faint?"
Before Chen Dongyang could speak, his throat felt a burst of intense itchiness.
He covered his mouth with his hand, tilted his head, and coughed. When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse.
"I'm fine. Why did you come?"
Before Tian Tian could answer, Dou Ya entered with two tall, burly men.
Seeing that he was awake, he looked confused. "Isn't he awake now? It seems like he's fine. Do we still need to lift him?"
Dou Ya quickly squatted down to check on him. "Brother Chen, you're awake? You scared me to death, Brother Chen. Are you okay?"
Chen Dongyang clearly realized what had happened. His expression was somewhat embarrassed. He pushed Dou Ya away, straightened up from Tian Tian, and leaned weakly against the wall.
"I'm fine. Tell them all to go back."
Dou Ya turned and thanked the two men. They didn't say anything and turned to leave.
Tian Tian, however, was still worried. "You don't look like you're fine. Since you're awake, walk downstairs yourself. I'll take you to the hospital."
Chen Dongyang weakly lifted his eyelids, glanced at her, then at Dou Ya, with no hint of gratitude.
"You called her?"
Dou Ya said, "When I got back, you had fainted, and it scared me. You know, all my money has been sent home, and I don't have money to take you to the hospital..."
Chen Dongyang interrupted him. "I'm perfectly fine, why would I go to the hospital?"
He said the latter half to Tian Tian. "I'm sorry to have made you come all this way to see a joke. You should go back."
Although Tian Tian didn't know what it was like to be penniless, she could tell that Chen Dongyang was a person with immense pride.
A man who doesn't want to show weakness in front of a woman can only pretend to be strong.
"It's okay. I won't be sleeping that early anyway. Let's go to the hospital."
"There's no rush for you to repay the money. Take it and use it first. I..."
This statement seemed to have struck a nerve with Chen Dongyang. His expression suddenly darkened, and he looked at Dou Ya reproachfully.
"What nonsense did you tell people?"
Dou Ya seemed very afraid of him. Seeing his reaction, he opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
Tian Tian quickly interjected to ease the situation. "He didn't tell me anything. I thought of it myself. If you're not going to the hospital because of money, there's no need. I can lend you some now, and you can repay it whenever you can."
Chen Dongyang closed his eyes again. After a moment, a meaningful smile played on his lips.
"Miss Jiang is truly a good person. But it's not necessary. I'm really fine. Thank you for your kindness. Dou Ya, see her out."
Seeing that he was determined not to accept her kindness, Dou Ya could only ask Tian Tian to leave.
As they went downstairs, he apologized to her profusely.
"He's just like that. He likes to carry his burdens alone. Miss Jiang, please don't take offense. He didn't mean to speak to you like that; men are just very concerned about their pride."
"Alright, I'm not angry with you."
Although she said that, she still felt a little uncomfortable, having offered help only to be met with indifference.
Tian Tian told him not to bother seeing her off. "I know the way. You should go back and take care of him quickly."
It felt like she hadn't accomplished anything all day, yet also like she had been very busy. Tian Tian was exhausted.
She went straight to bed when she got home and the next day went to the company to continue drawing and communicating with clients.
The busy work kept her from thinking about anything else until evening, when Dou Ya sent her a WeChat message.
First, there was a voice message, followed by a few pictures.
They had been quite efficient. The entire floor of the room had been laid with flooring, and even the master bedroom tiles had been installed.
Tian Tian knew that Dou Ya couldn't have done it so quickly alone. She thought Chen Dongyang was truly reckless, working even when he was on the verge of death.
She didn't reply, nor did she open the voice message. She deleted the chat.
After leaving the company and returning home, she ordered takeout. Dou Ya sent another WeChat message.
It was a red packet.
"Brother Chen repaid me, so I'm returning the money for yesterday's medicine to you. Thank you, Miss Jiang. I'm really sorry about yesterday."
Tian Tian clicked on the red packet, replied "You're welcome," and deleted the chat again.
After that, she didn't visit Wushuang's place anymore.
With Dou Ya's WeChat updates, she felt there was no need to make another trip.
Besides, Chen Dongyang was always so awkward, seeming to dislike seeing her, as if Tian Tian particularly liked seeing him.
A week passed quickly. The two drawings she had were submitted, and the clients were very satisfied. Tian Tian began to work on other projects.
The annual New Star Conference for Interior Designers in Nancheng was about to begin. She had wanted to sign up last year, but she was afraid of failure.
She had always been a good student, and her parents had high expectations for her. Knowing she was participating in a competition, she feared they would be disappointed if she didn't achieve an ideal ranking, and she also feared it would damage her own confidence.
Tian Tian liked to be sure of success, so she had spent another year honing her skills.