After a phone call, she tidied up and went out, wandering aimlessly on the street, suddenly curious if Chen Dongyang would keep his word.
What if she was nice to him, and he slacked off and got busy with other things again?
With that thought, she turned the steering wheel and went to Wushuang's apartment complex again.
The complex was newly developed, with few residents moved in, and it was quite deserted overall.
As she took the elevator up, she was surprised to find the lights on inside.
Accompanied by coughs, people were actually working overtime.
Suddenly, she felt she had a small, petty mind. Coming here so late to peek at others' work progress, what would she say when they met later?
Wanting to slip away unnoticed, she accidentally stepped on a stone.
With a "crash," Douya, like a nimble mouse, darted out in an instant.
Seeing her, his face showed surprise: "Miss Jiang, why are you here so late?"
Tian Tian felt embarrassed and waved at him: "I, I lost something and thought it might have fallen here. I came up to look. Why aren't you guys off work yet?"
The coughing stopped, and Douya looked inside and said.
"It's just the two of us. Our progress was already slow, and Brother Chen said he was delayed again during the day, so we wanted to catch up."
"What did you lose? I cleaned the entire floor today and took out the trash. I didn't pay much attention. Could it have been thrown away by me?"
Douya was an honest person. Seeing him work so diligently, she felt a bit guilty about deceiving him.
Tian Tian said, "Is that so? It's okay, it's not anything particularly important. If I can't find it, then so be it."
"Then I won't come in. You guys shouldn't work too late either. Get off work early."
As she spoke, Chen Dongyang also appeared behind Douya.
Whether it was the glare of the incandescent lights or his complexion was truly that bad.
His rugged features lacked any color, and his chin had a layer of stubble, making him look much more haggard than in the morning.
He turned his head and coughed a couple more times before pushing Douya.
"Alright, you don't need to stay here any longer. Let's go. I'll leave after a while."
Although Douya was half a head shorter than him and just as thin, his face was ruddy, his lips had color, and his voice was strong. He looked much more like a person than Chen Dongyang.
"I'm not leaving. You haven't slept for 40 hours and you're still standing here. How can I leave you alone?"
"If anyone should leave, it's you. You really have a fever. Go back and rest, buy some medicine. Otherwise, you won't be able to get up tomorrow."
Chen Dongyang opened his mouth to retort, but his throat itched again.
He turned his head and coughed a couple more times, then punched Douya on the shoulder.
"Stop talking nonsense and leave when I tell you to. When did you learn to talk back? I'm not working overtime either, let's go, let's all go."
"But I have to say, the electric scooter hasn't been charged for two days, and it won't be enough to carry you. Figure out how to get back yourself."
Hearing that he wasn't working overtime, Douya seemed to have heard great news and grinned.
"It's okay. It's still early. I can run back in a few steps. Then let's go together."
Tian Tian got into the elevator first. Seeing that the two were also leaving, she waited for a moment.
A moment later, the three stood together. Douya chatted enthusiastically with her.
"Miss Jiang, I'm sorry, you came all this way for nothing. I really didn't notice."
Tian Tian said, "It has nothing to do with you, it was my own carelessness. Have you guys eaten?"
"Not yet. We'll grab something on the way. Brother Chen, you must go buy medicine. What are you eating tonight?"
Chen Dongyang didn't want to engage in this pointless conversation. Suppressing the itch in his throat, he looked ahead and said.
"Eat your own meal, don't worry about me. Where's your jacket?"
Douya: "I was so hot working that I didn't need to wear a jacket at all. I didn't even bring one."
As they spoke, they reached the ground floor, and the three went out together.
Tian Tian unlocked her car, and Chen Dongyang went to get his electric scooter.
Douya said goodbye to Tian Tian: "Miss Jiang, I'll be going now. Drive carefully. See you tomorrow."
After saying that, he took off running.
Tian Tian looked at his thin clothes and small stature, and couldn't help but call out.
"Wait a moment."
"What is it, Miss Jiang?"
"Get in, I'll give you a ride for a bit."
Douya didn't recognize her car's brand and didn't know how advanced it was, but instinctively he refused.
"No, no, I live very close to here. I can run back in a few steps."
Tian Tian gave him an out: "Don't overthink it. I haven't eaten either, and it's boring to eat alone. I want to find someone to eat with. We'll eat whatever you eat later. Let's go."
She put it in such a way that it was impossible to refuse, so Douya had to say goodbye to Chen Dongyang.
Chen Dongyang watched the gleaming black car disappear into the night, lost in thought for a moment. He took out a cigarette, wanting to smoke, but the intense itch in his throat returned.
He had to put the cigarette back.
On the road, Tian Tian chatted with Douya, asking where he lived. Douya said he lived with Brother Chen.
"It's not very far from here. Binjiang South Road."
"You live with him?"
"Yes. It's Brother Chen's apartment. I only came to Nancheng not long ago and didn't know where to find a suitable rental, so Brother Chen let me share the apartment with him."
Tian Tian looked astonished: "Your Brother Chen isn't married?"
"No." Douya was also surprised. "Who told you he was married?"
Tian Tian realized.
He was allowed to have siblings, so why couldn't others have them too?
Not every opposite sex must be his wife.
God, it was a good thing she hadn't said anything messy, or it would have been awkward today.
"Oh, I didn't hear that. I saw him taking a child to the hospital the other day and thought it was his child."
Douya suddenly understood: "Oh, you mean Dou Bao? That's not his son."
Just as Tian Tian was about to ask what he was, he added, "But he's almost like a son."
What did that mean? If he was his son, he was, if not, he wasn't. What did "almost" mean?
Douya scratched his head and said, "Brother Chen is tight-lipped. He doesn't talk about his private affairs with others. I heard it from the boss."
"Once the boss advised him not to be so stubborn, putting all his effort and money into others. That's when I learned that Sister Hui Hui seemed to be the wife of his friend."
"I don't know what happened, but the mother and son are in a rather pitiful situation now, so Brother Chen has been spending his salary and energy on them."
"Otherwise, with his income, he wouldn't be sharing an apartment with me."
Tian Tian was truly enlightened.
He took in his friend's wife and child to take care of them? What was all this about?
But it had nothing to do with her, and nothing to do with Wushuang.
A man wouldn't be good to a woman for no reason, especially if that woman was married and had a child.
How much must he love her to be willing to give so much?
Douya couldn't afford anything fancy, so he pointed to a noodle restaurant by the roadside. The two of them ate a bowl of noodles each.
After the meal, he wanted to pay for Tian Tian, but she refused.
"Let's split it. I just gave you a ride along the way, there's no need to be so polite."