âMy parents have recently gone on a trip abroad,â Zhuang Tianya said with a dispirited voice and gaze. âYou can go back. Itâs alright, I can handle it myself.â
Xu Baohan pursed his lips in silence.
He wanted to leave, but it didnât seem like he could do so.
âWhat about your friends?â He asked again.
âItâs already so late, they must be asleep. Those who used to play well with me have also found boyfriends and gotten married. Itâs better not to disturb them,â Zhuang Tianya said with a bitter smile, âIâm really fine, I know your stomach isnât feeling well, go home and rest. I remember you had stomach bleeding in the past and stayed in the hospital for a few days.â
Xu Baohan was slightly startled, recalling the past events. He was still working in the county. At that time, his position was small, so it was inevitable for him to drink and socialize. That time, he had stomach bleeding and stayed for three days. During those three days, she went to the county hospital to take care of him and his needs. It was also because of that time that he was moved and truly accepted her.
âI didnât expect it to be so long in the blink of an eye,â Zhuang Tianya suddenly said with a complicated tone.
âOkay.â Xu Baohan quickly calmed down from his past memories. âYou should rest.â
âYou... arenât leaving?â She looked at him.
âIâll leave after you finish the drip.â Xu Baohan looked at the time. He could finish the drip at four oâclock latest, and he could still rush back to sleep for a while.
âThank you.â Zhuang Tianya looked deeply at his handsome face under the light. âThereâs an empty bed by the side, you should rest for a while too.â
Xu Baohan was indeed very uncomfortable. He laid down and closed his eyes.
Zhuang Tianya stared at his side profile for a long while before she averted her gaze.
Xu Baohan had always been half asleep and half awake. He would wake up every now and then to take a look at the drip.
It was not until four in the morning that the nurse came over to remove the needle.
âIâll go with you.â Zhuang Tianya struggled to sit up from the bed. âI want to go back too. I donât want to spend the night in the hospital.â
Xu Baohan nodded.
The two of them took a taxi to the entrance of Zhuang Tianyaâs neighbourhood. Only then did Xu Baohan realize that her place was really close. It was right across the street from his neighbourhood.
He frowned. This was really troublesome. If An Lan found out about this, her imagination might run wild.
But he couldnât just ask her to move away.
Forget it, he would just stay at An Lanâs place from now on. When the house was renovated next year, he would marry An Lan and move into the new house.
âBaohan, Iâm leaving,â Zhuang Tianya turned back and said.
Xu Baohan returned to his senses, nodded and turned to leave.
âBaohan,â Zhuang Tianya suddenly called out to him.
He turned back and frowned. Zhuang Tianya looked at him with a complicated expression, âBaohan, Iâm sorry. Iâve always felt rather guilty about what happened in the past, but at that time, I really had no choice. I only wanted to save my father. My father has always been very good to me, so I couldnât turn a blind eye to it. I didnât want my mother to cry all day long. You should know that if anything happened to anyone in the family, that family might just fall apart.â
Xu Baohan thought of his own home, but he didnât regret it, âEveryone has their own choices. I didnât hate you, I just felt that our paths were different and we werenât from the same world. Donât think too much about the past, since it is already in the past. Besides, we live so close to each other. If you see me with my girlfriend one day, I hope you can pretend that you donât know me. I donât want her to be unhappy.â
With that, he turned around and left.
Zhuang Tianya looked at his back bitterly and muttered, âBaohan, you donât understand women. Your girlfriend and I have talked before, she must have seen my photos in her Wechat moments. Itâs impossible that she doesnât know me.â