He lifted Tiantian up and gave her a general explanation of the control buttons.
“The wheelchair is for your convenience when moving around and for fetching water. It’s not suitable for reaching high places or for using the restroom. Use these two items flexibly, depending on the situation.”
He looked at the crutch, which didn’t seem to have enough grip.
“Wait a moment. I’ll make it more slip-resistant. Do you have any clothes you don’t wear anymore that have a rougher texture?”
Tiantian replied, “Why don’t you take apart a pair of jeans?”
Besides that, she really had nothing else rough to offer.
Chen Dongyang pushed her to the cloakroom, and Tiantian casually picked out a pair.
He glanced at the brand. “If I’m not mistaken, these pants cost nearly ten thousand. You’re quite generous.”
Tiantian hadn’t expected him to know about such things. “What else can I do? I don’t have anything else I can use.”
“Use mine.”
Chen Dongyang was wearing the company uniform, with “So-and-so Decoration Company” printed on the back. The fabric was much tougher than her jeans.
He cut off two pieces from the legs and wrapped them around the bottom of the crutches. He tested it, and it felt good.
After taking off his outer jacket, he was left with a black short-sleeved T-shirt. Tiantian worried he would be cold.
“What will you do? You have no clothes to wear.”
“It’s fine. I won’t feel cold when I’m working. I’ll change into another one tomorrow.”
After the delay, another hour passed.
Chen Dongyang had many things to do. He placed her back on the sofa.
“I’m leaving now. I’ll pack some food for you at noon. Just wait.”
Tiantian felt that running back and forth would take up too much of his time. “I can order takeout myself at noon.”
But he insisted, “Takeout isn’t allowed upstairs. How will you go down to get it?”
“I can take the elevator…”
“Forget it. Didn’t you hear what the doctor said? What if you accidentally bump into something, and it leaves you with a disability later? You don’t want to be a cripple at such a young age, do you? Either way, I’ll be resting at noon. Don’t be shy.”
After speaking, he noticed the water on the coffee table from the morning hadn’t been drunk and had gone cold. He picked it up and downed it in one gulp.
He refilled Tiantian’s cup.
“I’m leaving now.”
This made Tiantian even more distracted. She couldn’t even focus on the popcorn movie anymore.
She kept checking the time, hoping noon would arrive quickly.
In her eager anticipation, the time finally arrived at eleven-thirty.
Chen Dongyang called her again.
“You’re not picky, are you? There’s a fast-food place where I’m working, and the food is quite good. I’ll pack you a portion of rice and a few dishes. Or do you want noodles?”
Tiantian asked him, “What are you eating?”
“I’m eating rice.”
“Then I’ll eat noodles.”
Chen Dongyang said okay and hung up.
However, due to a delay on the road, by the time he arrived, the noodles had become a clump.
With Chen Dongyang’s great strength, he tried to shake the noodles with chopsticks, but they wouldn’t come apart.
“Forget it, you don’t eat this. I’ll eat it. You eat the rice.”
Tiantian asked him why. “Why can’t I eat the noodles?”
“They’re clumped together and don’t taste good.”
“Even if they don’t taste good, you can eat them, so why can’t I?”
Hearing her say that, Chen Dongyang smiled and pushed the noodles over.
“Then you try them.”
Tiantian picked up the entire clump of noodles and took a bite.
The texture really didn’t seem great.
“You’d better eat the rice. I’ll eat the noodles.”
Chen Dongyang observed her expression, then, without a word, snatched them away and pushed the rice and dishes towards her.
He seemed to have a great appetite for anything, gobbling down the sticky noodle clumps with plain boiled water in a few bites.
Tiantian looked at the large box of dishes and the box of rice in front of her.
“I’ll give you some. I can’t finish it all.”
“It’s okay, I’m full. My appetite isn’t as large as you imagine.”
“I really can’t finish it. I strictly follow my carbohydrate ratios when I eat.”
Chen Dongyang glanced at her.
A delicate young lady, so thin, her appetite probably isn’t very large.
He used his chopsticks to move a little into his own bowl. “Is this enough?”
“Move some more.”
“How about now?”
“Move some more.”
“If you move any more, there will be nothing left.”
“I’m not hungry. I’ve been sitting here all morning without moving. Eating too much will make me gain weight.”
“You’re not fat, and you’re still thinking about losing weight?”
“A girl, you know.”
He moved another mouthful down with his chopsticks and forcefully pushed it back.
“Alright, you’re a patient now. Eating more will help you recover faster. Eat quickly.”
Tiantian lifted the dish box and scooped more than half of it into his bowl. The two began to eat.
While eating, she asked Chen Dongyang what time he had to go to work in the afternoon.
Chen Dongyang checked the time, fearing he would have to leave right after eating.
“One o’clock.”
“I’m sorry. It’s a shame you can’t rest at noon either.”
“Didn’t you say it yourself? We’re friends, so why be so formal? Maybe you’ll need my help in the future.”
After eating, they sorted and cleaned up the trash. Chen Dongyang then carried her to the restroom.
He told Tiantian, “If no one comes to take care of you, I’ll stay at your place for these few days. I’ll go pack some clothes after work, and it might be a bit late.”
For some reason, Tiantian’s heart leaped upon hearing him say that.
“Okay.”
“If you get hungry, just bear with it for now. I’ll try to be as fast as possible.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t be afraid to drink water. Be slow when you go to the bathroom, be careful. I noticed you haven’t drunk anything all morning.”
“Okay. I’m leaving now.”
“Mhm, drive carefully.”
The two of them chatted for a long time, like a pair of reluctant lovers.
Chen Dongyang went to the door. Before closing it, he couldn’t help but glance at her again.
Tiantian was also looking at him.
Their eyes met, and both of them couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m leaving. You can take a nap. Remember to cover yourself with the blanket. Don’t put pressure on your feet.”
“I know. Hurry up and go. Don’t be late.”
All afternoon, Tiantian felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey. She lay on the sofa watching variety shows.
Whether it was because of her good mood or the shows were truly that entertaining, she laughed alone like a twenty-year-old fool.
She hadn’t been this happy in a long time.
Finally, work ended. Chen Dongyang hurried away. Douya followed him and asked.
“Brother Chen. Where are you going? Are you coming back tonight? Where were you last night? Is Doubao not feeling well again?”
“Stop your jinxing.”
Chen Dongyang said, “A friend is not feeling well. I’m going to take care of her for a couple of days. I’m going back to pack some clothes, so I won’t be staying home for the next couple of days.”
“Which friend isn’t feeling well? Sister Huihui? Is she sick?”
“I said, can’t you stop jinxing things?”
Douya really couldn’t think of any other friends he had. Just as he was about to ask again, Chen Dongyang looked like he was about to hit him, so he quickly shut his mouth.
“Okay, okay, I won’t ask. That…”
“Is there something else?”
“Nothing else, I just wanted to remind you that the underwear you hung on the balcony yesterday had bird droppings on it. I thought it was dirty and threw it away. Buy another one when you have time.”
Chen Dongyang gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, about to punch him. Douya shrank his neck with a smile.
“Then I’ll tell you the truth! It was too worn out, there was a hole in it. I really couldn’t stand it, so I threw it away.”
“If you smoke one less pack of cigarettes, you can replace it. Quit smoking, Brother Chen.”