He finished eating in less than two minutes, and it was unclear if he was hungry or if Chen Dongyang always ate that fast.
He took a tissue, wiped his mouth, and said to Tiantian, "I'll get you a wheelchair and buy you a pair of crutches tomorrow, so it'll be convenient for you to be home alone. Do you have any other friends? Do you want to find someone else to take care of you?"
She did have a friend, Ge'er, whom she could ask for help, but she didn't want Ge'er to know she had ended up in such a miserable state after only being away from home for a short time.
"Didn't you say you were going to buy me a wheelchair and crutches? With those, I won't need to bother anyone else. I can manage myself."
Chen Dongyang didn't find her behavior strange and nodded. "Then we'll make do like this today. Don't shower, lest you touch your wound. Eat first. I'll borrow your computer to look at something."
There was a desktop computer at the bar counter, and a laptop on the sofa. Tiantian asked him which one he would use, and Chen Dongyang went to the bar counter.
One ate, the other worked. Ten minutes later, Tiantian finished eating.
Chen Dongyang first went to open the bedroom door, then went to carry her.
He looked thin, but he was quite substantial. His arms were strong and powerful as they held her. Tiantian's hands clung to his neck, and she felt his shoulders were very broad. This was the first time in her life she had been so close to a man other than her father or Ge'er, and he was someone else's man. What a sin, what a sin.
Chen Dongyang placed her on the bed, carefully covered her with a quilt, and then went outside to pour a glass of water and place it on the bedside table. "Is there anything else you'd like to do?"
Tiantian's face was hot, but thankfully he hadn't turned on the lights, so he couldn't see her clearly. "No. It's getting late. You shouldn't go back. Go wash up and go to bed."
Fortunately, it wasn't the first time he had stayed at her place, so Chen Dongyang wasn't awkward.
The bedroom door was gently closed. Tiantian listened to him walking around the living room, then heard him drawing water to wash and the sound of the washing machine running. Although he hadn't said a word, knowing there was someone in the house who existed for her made her feel quite secure. Tiantian soon drifted off to sleep.
The next day, she was woken by the alarm at seven o'clock. Before she had fully woken up, Chen Dongyang heard the sound and knocked on the door from the outside. "Miss Jiang, are you awake?"
"I'm awake. You can come in."
He pushed the door open, turned off her alarm, and asked, "Do you want to get up now?"
"Yes."
"Breakfast is ready. I'll carry you to wash up."
He carried her to the shared bathroom outside. After surgery, her entire lower leg was swollen after sleeping through the night. She was even more hesitant to put weight on it than yesterday. Chen Dongyang had originally intended to put her down on the floor so she could wash her face and brush her teeth, but then he thought about it. "Wait a moment."
He carried her out again and pushed her ergonomic chair into the bathroom. He sat down and had Tiantian sit in his lap. "This is better. Start now."
Tiantian was mortified. Not only was she being held by a man, but she also had to sit on his lap to wash her face and brush her teeth. What a public humiliation this was. But she couldn't help it; she had left the hospital in such a hurry yesterday that she hadn't prepared anything. Fortunately, she had helped him out of kindness twice before; otherwise, she would have been too embarrassed to face him.
She faced the faucet to brush her teeth, and Chen Dongyang watched the back of her head. The pampered young lady's hair was shinier and more lustrous than that of ordinary people. It cascaded like silk onto her satin shirt. Just by looking at the back of her head and her slender shoulders, one could tell she was a great beauty. As he watched, his thoughts began to wander, and he had to look away again.
When Tiantian finished washing up and put her toothbrush back, she noticed that Chen Dongyang was also washing up there. He conscientiously found a spare toothbrush and chose a dark blue one, clearly for men, placing it on the side of the washbasin. Tiantian's pink toothbrush was placed next to his, suddenly creating an ambiguous feeling.
After they finished washing up, Chen Dongyang carried her back to the sofa, then pushed the chair back and sat opposite her, letting her eat. While she ate, he said to Tiantian, "Try to contact Ms. Zhu again. Whether you reach her or not, report back to me. I'll make time later to bring you the wheelchair and crutches."
Tiantian said, "Okay." Like yesterday, he finished his meal quickly. Chen Dongyang pursed his lips. "Then I'll be leaving. I'll have my phone with me, but I might not be able to hear messages, so if there's an emergency, don't text me, just call me directly."
After saying that, he realized Tiantian didn't seem to have his phone number. "Give me your phone, I'll save it."
They exchanged phone numbers, and then he left. However, before leaving, he seemed to have thought of something and turned back. "You haven't been to the restroom since you woke up. I'll carry you to the bathroom first."
Uh... Tiantian, blushing, offered her hands to him. The door was gently closed by him, and she was alone in the room again. Tiantian stared at the empty doorway for a few seconds, grabbed a nearby throw pillow, buried her face in it, and roared a few times. Good heavens, what was all this?
Chen Dongyang went to work, and she didn't idle either. She first called the company's vice president to say she was feeling a bit unwell and would be working from home for the next few days, instructing him not to gossip. Then she contacted Wushuang. Thank goodness, Wushuang's phone finally connected.
"What were you doing? I tried calling you yesterday, and your phone was unreachable. I thought something had happened to you. You scared me to death."
Wushuang apologized. "I had an urgent matter and had to go on a business trip to Beicheng. I boarded the plane around ten o'clock and didn't arrive until after four in the morning. As soon as I arrived, I fell asleep. I didn't check my phone and made you worry."
"Hehe, why were you looking for me so late at night?" Tiantian originally wanted to confide in her, but seeing how busy she was, she didn't want to add to her troubles. "It's nothing, I just missed you. Get back to your work, and we can chat again when you're back."
After a few pleasantries, she reported the situation to Chen Dongyang, calling his phone. Chen Dongyang seemed to be at a construction site; the background sounded very noisy. "Is everything okay?"
"Nothing much, I just wanted to let you know that I've contacted Wushuang. She's fine; she's on a business trip out of town."
"That's good. Is everything okay with you?"
"No. I'm done. You get back to work."
"Okay. I'll hand things over here and then come to buy you the wheelchair. Keep your phone on, and I'll call you when I get there."
After they hung up, Tiantian picked up her computer to continue drawing. However, she felt a strange emotion interfering with her thoughts, preventing her from concentrating. She decided not to force herself, put down her computer, turned on the TV, and found a popcorn movie to watch.
Halfway through the movie, Chen Dongyang called her, saying he was already at the entrance of the residential complex. Tiantian turned down the TV volume and eagerly watched the entrance. A few minutes later, there was a sound from outside the door. The door was pushed open, and Chen Dongyang entered, pushing a wheelchair with one hand and holding a pair of crutches in the other. "I found this secondhand at a medical supply store near the hospital. You won't need it for many days anyway, so don't mind it. I tried it, and it's quite responsive. Come on, I'll teach you how to use it."