Tian Tian immediately drove back to the residential building they had just left.
She video-called Dou Ya and asked him for the room number.
Dou Ya, clearly caught off guard by the situation, stammered out the details. Tian Tian hurried upstairs.
It was an old-fashioned residential building with narrow staircases, likely housing 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, receiving stares all the way to the door, where Dou Ya waited anxiously.
"I'm so sorry for making you come back. I'm really sorry."
"This is the first time I've ever encountered something like this. He's so tall, I can't carry him alone. I tried calling Boss Huang, but couldn't get through. If I wanted to call an ambulance to take him away, I don't have any money, and I'm worried they won't treat him if I go to the hospital..."
Tian Tian wasn't in the mood for explanations. "Never mind all that for now. Where is he?"
Dou Ya quickly moved aside, allowing her into the room.
Under the bare bulb, on the cold floor, Chen Dongyang's slender yet tall body lay at the entrance of the bathroom.
"The floor is so cold. What if he stays like this? Let's carry him downstairs, and I'll take him to the hospital."
"Okay." Dou Ya rushed to grab Chen Dongyang's arms, and Tian Tian went to lift his feet.
However, despite being thin, Chen Dongyang was tall. Unconscious, he was still very heavy.
Dou Ya was short, and Tian Tian lacked strength. After a brief attempt, they couldn't lift him at all.
"We can't do it, just the two of us. Go find someone to help."
Dou Ya mumbled an "Okay," quickly put Chen Dongyang down, and dashed out the door.
Tian Tian crouched beside his head, hesitated for two seconds, looking at his pale face, and then patted him.
"Chen Dongyang, Chen Dongyang? Wake up! You can't lie on the floor, wake up!"
Whether he had recovered or Tian Tian had patted him too hard, after a few seconds, he slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at Tian Tian, then around the room. Weakly, he propped himself up with his arms.
Tian Tian quickly knelt down, using her body to support him, letting him lean against her shoulder.
"Are you okay? Why did you suddenly faint?"
Before Chen Dongyang could speak, his throat began to itch intensely.
He covered his mouth with his hand, coughed weakly, and 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 burly men.
Seeing Chen Dongyang awake, he looked confused. "Isn't he awake? It seems like he's okay now. Do we still need to carry him?"
Dou Ya quickly crouched down to check on him. "Brother Chen, you're awake? You scared me to death, Brother Chen, are you alright?"
Chen Dongyang clearly realized what had happened. His face flushed with embarrassment. He pushed Dou Ya away, straightened up from Tian Tian's shoulder, and leaned weakly against the wall.
"I'm fine. Tell them to leave."
Dou Ya turned and thanked the two men. They said nothing and turned to leave.
Tian Tian, however, was still worried. "You don't look fine at all. 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, showing no gratitude.
"Did you ask her to come?"
Dou Ya said, "When I got back, you had fainted, and it scared me. You know, I've already sent all my money home, so I don't have any 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 part 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 fully understand the situation of a hero being stumped by a mere penny, she could tell that Chen Dongyang was a person with immense pride.
A man who didn't want to show weakness in front of a woman could only put on a brave face.
"It's alright, I wasn't going to sleep that early anyway. Let's go to the hospital."
"There's no rush for you to repay the money. You can use it for now. I..."
This sentence seemed to hit Chen Dongyang's sore spot. His expression suddenly darkened, and he looked at Dou Ya with reproach.
"What have you been telling people?"
Dou Ya seemed very afraid of him. Seeing his reaction, he opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
Tian Tian quickly came to his rescue. "He didn't say anything to me, I just 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 me whenever you can."
Chen Dongyang closed his eyes again. After a moment, a meaningful smile tugged at the corner of 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 insisted on refusing her offer, Dou Ya had no choice but to ask Tian Tian to leave.
As they walked downstairs, Dou Ya apologized to her profusely.
"He's just like this, he prefers to carry his burdens alone. Miss Jiang, please don't take it to heart. He didn't mean to speak to you like that; men are quite proud."
"Alright, I'm not angry with you."
Although she said that, she still felt a bit hurt, offering help and receiving such a cold shoulder.
Tian Tian told him not to bother seeing her off. "I know the way, you should go back and take care of him."
The day felt like it had been unproductive, yet a lot had happened. Tian Tian was exhausted.
She collapsed into bed as soon as she got home and continued drawing the next day at the company, communicating with clients.
Her busy work kept her from dwelling on other matters until evening, when Dou Ya sent her a WeChat message.
First, a voice message, followed by several pictures.
They had been quite efficient. The entire floor of the room was now tiled, and even the master bedroom tiles had been laid.
Tian Tian knew Dou Ya couldn't have done it so quickly alone, and she thought Chen Dongyang was truly reckless, working when he was so ill.
She didn't reply, nor did she open the voice message. She deleted the chat window.
After leaving the company and returning home, she ordered takeout. Dou Ya messaged her again.
It was a red packet.
"Brother Chen paid me back, so I'm returning the money for yesterday's medicine. Thank you, Miss Jiang. I'm really sorry about yesterday."
Tian Tian accepted the red packet, replied "You're welcome," and deleted the chat window again.
After that, she didn't visit Wushuang's place anymore.
With Dou Ya's WeChat updates, she felt there was no need for her to go.
Besides, Chen Dongyang was always so awkward, seeming to dislike seeing her, as if Tian Tian was particularly fond of seeing him.
A week passed quickly. Both designs she had worked on were submitted, and the clients were very satisfied. Tian Tian began to focus on other projects.
The annual Southern City New Star Interior Designer Competition was about to begin. She had wanted to participate last year but was afraid of failure.
She had always excelled academically, and her parents had high expectations for her. Knowing she would participate, she worried about their disappointment if she didn't achieve an ideal ranking, and also feared a blow to her own confidence.
Tian Tian preferred sure bets, so she had spent another year honing her skills.