Chapter 25 The sunlight outside was blinding, shining brightly...
Xu Jialan spent the night in the emergency room, with Zhang Ting by her side the whole time.
After receiving intravenous fluids all night, Xu Jialan finally managed to get some restful sleep as dawn approached.
Xu Jialan slept until 10 a.m. When he woke up, Zhang Ting was sitting by his bed playing on his phone.
His throat was sore and dry. He tried to speak, but a cough came out instead. Zhang Ting heard the noise and looked up at him. "You're awake."
"water."
Zhang Ting poured him a glass of warm water and fed him a few sips.
Xu Jialan then felt a little better.
How are you feeling now?
"Much better."
"Then we'll move you to a regular ward in a bit. The doctor said you'll need to stay in the hospital for a few more days."
"Um."
The two fell silent for a moment, and Zhang Ting didn't know whether she should bring it up with him.
Seeing that he seemed hesitant to speak, Xu Jialan couldn't help but say, "Just say what you have to say."
"Yes, I've informed the chairman about your hospitalization."
Xu Jialan's eyes flashed with displeasure. "Who told you to be so talkative?"
"He is still your father, you should inform him if you are sick."
Xu Jialan was a little tired and didn't want to talk to him anymore.
Afterwards, Zhang Ting accompanied Xu Jialan to a regular ward.
"The doctor said you can only eat liquid food for the next few days. I called my wife and asked her to cook some porridge and soup for you. I'll go home and get them."
Thanks.
"Why are you being so polite with me?"
Zhang Ting first went to Xu Jialan's house to get some daily necessities for him, and then went back to her own house to get some porridge and soup.
This round trip took quite a bit of effort, and by the time they arrived at the hospital it was already past 1 p.m.
He had just stepped into the hospital lobby when he received another call from his wife.
His wife's voice was urgent: "I just received a call from home saying that my mother fainted at home and is now in the hospital. They want us to go back."
Zhang Ting panicked upon hearing this, but still tried to reassure her, "Don't worry, I'll take care of things here and come home right away. Wait for me at home."
"Okay, hurry up."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Ting looked worried.
What a coincidence that everything is happening all at once!
He needs to take care of both sides; he can't just split himself in two.
Just as he was worrying, Zhang Ting saw a familiar face in the hospital lobby.
Chen Yaoan came to the hospital after lunch. Zhou Yao had run out of her medication, so she contacted a doctor she knew and got him some new medicine.
She was walking out of the hospital after picking up her medicine when Zhang Ting stopped her.
"Mr. Zhang."
Zhang Ting looked at her as if she had seen a savior.
"It's so good to see you."
"What's wrong?"
"I need to trouble you with something. My mother-in-law is sick and hospitalized, and I need to go back to my hometown. Mr. Xu, could you please take care of her for the next few days? Also, this is for Mr. Xu."
Before Chen Yao'an could process his words, he stuffed her into his arms.
"Why……"
Before she could finish speaking, Zhang Ting had already turned and left, leaving her with only his back view.
They do seem to be in a hurry.
However, Chen Yao'an was troubled by a pile of things.
Did Zhang Ting just say that she would take care of Xu Jialan for the next few days?
Standing there for a long time, she hesitated, but finally went to Xu Jialan's ward.
Unfortunately, Zhang Ting didn't tell her which ward Xu Jialan was in, so Chen Yao'an had to call Xu Jialan, but he didn't answer. She had to ask around and spent a lot of time finding out.
When she reached the door of the ward, she saw that there were people inside, so she stood at the door and did not go in.
Voices could be heard coming from inside the ward.
Xu Qingbang looked at Xu Jialan lying on the hospital bed, pondered for a long time, and finally said with endless disappointment, "Is this the result of all your actions?"
"If you don't want to see me, you don't have to come."
Xu Qingbang snorted coldly, "I have to come and see if you're dead or not."
Xu Jialan smirked. "What? You're disappointed I didn't die?"
"I wouldn't say I'm disappointed. It's just that my son is useless."
"I'm going back to Beijing today, do whatever you want with me."
Xu Qingbang's eyes were completely indifferent.
"No need to see me out."
Xu Qingbang didn't waste any more words with him and turned to leave the ward.
Chen Yao'an, who was standing at the door, bumped into Xu Qingbang. She nodded slightly to him.
Xu Qingbang stopped in his tracks and asked her, "Who are you?"
"I'm here to deliver something to Xu Jialan." She gestured to the things in her hands.
Xu Qingbang looked her up and down a few times.
The scrutinizing gaze made her uncomfortable.
In the end, he said nothing and left with the people behind him.
Chen Yaoan pushed open the door and entered the ward.
Xu Jialan was in a single room, and he was the only one in the room. At this moment, he was lying on his side facing the window.
The sunlight outside was dazzling; it shone into the ward but didn't fall on him.
Hearing the commotion behind her, Xu Jialan's voice sounded as if it had been poured into ice water, "Get out."
Although he had never seen him before, Chen Yaoan guessed that the person who had just gone out was his father.
She had never seen a father and son interact so coldly, as if they wished the other would disappear from the world.
Chen Yaoan put the things aside, "This is what General Manager Zhang asked me to bring to you."
Xu Jialan turned over.
What brings you here?
Chen Yaoan explained to him, "I just ran into Mr. Zhang in the hospital lobby. He said his mother-in-law is sick and he needs to go back to his hometown. He might not be able to take care of you for the next few days, so he asked me to bring you these things."
"knew."
Chen Yaoan opened the food box for him and placed it on the dining table in front of him. "You can eat first."
Xu Jialan slowly sat up from the bed, her stomach aching terribly if she wasn't in the right position.
Chen Yaoan couldn't bear to see it, so she helped him put a pillow behind his back.
Xu Jialan ate with her head down, while Chen Yaoan sat beside her looking at her phone; neither of them spoke.
After Xu Jialan finished eating, Chen Yaoan packed up her things and went to the bathroom to wash the lunchbox.
After returning, Chen Yaoan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you have any close friends here? They can come to the hospital to take care of you."
Zhang Ting asked her to take care of Xu Jialan for a few days, but she really didn't have that much time, and besides, she didn't want to.
"No."
"Do you have any other acquaintances? Like colleagues?"
Xu Jialan had barely been to the company, so how could she have any colleagues? "No."
Chen Yao'an stopped asking.
Is she really going to stay and take care of him?
For a moment, both of them fell silent.
Xu Jialan seemed to know what she was thinking and didn't make things difficult for her.
"Could you please help me find a caregiver, a male one?"
Chen Yao'an readily agreed, "Okay."
So, that afternoon, Chen Yaoan found a male caregiver for Xu Jialan. Xu Jialan met him and nodded in agreement, so Chen Yaoan went back home with peace of mind.
For the next two days, Chen Yaoan focused on her own business and didn't pay attention to Xu Jialan's matter.
On the third day, she received a call from Zhang Ting.
He started by apologizing, "I'm really sorry, I was in a real rush that day, so I just passed the task to you."
"It's alright. How's your mother-in-law doing?"
"It's not a big problem, the situation has basically stabilized, but he will still need to stay in the hospital for a while."
"That's good."
"How's it going with President Xu?"
“Xu Jialan asked me to hire a caregiver for him, and he has been being taken care of by the caregiver for the past two days.”
"That's good." Zhang Ting said with some difficulty, "However, I would still like to trouble you to help look after things when you have time."
Chen Yao'an bit her lip, but finally agreed.
After hanging up Zhang Ting's call, Chen Yaoan decided to make a trip to the hospital when she had some free time.
Chen Yaoan went to the hospital in the afternoon. When she entered the ward, neither Xu Jialan nor the caregiver were there.
A box of millet porridge lay haphazardly on the bedside table next to the hospital bed. Only a third of it had been consumed. The porridge looked thin and watery, with not a trace of rice oil visible, and it had no appeal whatsoever.
She was staring at the porridge when Xu Jialan returned, pushing the IV pole.
What brings you here?
Xu Jialan was still receiving an IV drip, but she seemed to be in much better spirits.
"Mr. Zhang called me."
"Oh," Xu Jialan replied indifferently.
He lay back down on the bed.
How have you been feeling these past few days?
"I'm much better. I'll talk to Zhang Ting about it myself later."
Chen Yao'an: "..."
She tried to change the subject, "Where's the caregiver?"
"have no idea."
Chen Yao'an frowned, her gaze falling on the porridge on the cabinet. "Is this all you've been eating these past few days?"
This porridge must have been bought from the hospital cafeteria; it doesn't look nutritious at all.
"It's good enough to have something to eat."
Chen Yao'an: "..."
Indeed, people nowadays are good at reading between the lines. Xu Jialan was all alone in Dai County, with no relatives or friends to take care of her, so the caregiver naturally didn't care.
Looking at the mess on the cabinet, she felt a little soft-hearted.
Chen Yao'an left the ward and called the caregiver to bring him back. She had agreed to have him provide 24-hour care when she hired him, so what was going on with him disappearing?
I waited a long time before the caregiver finally appeared in the ward; I don't know what she was doing there.
Chen Yaoan is not one to cause trouble, but she still gave him a serious warning: "We agreed to provide 24-hour care, so I hope you won't slack off."
The caregiver, a man in his forties, awkwardly touched his nose upon hearing this and said, "I understand."
She looked at Xu Jialan a little embarrassedly, "I'll cook dinner and bring it to you tonight."
Xu Jialan was somewhat surprised. "Okay."
After leaving the hospital, Chen Yaoan went to the market to buy some ingredients to cook porridge and soup for Xu Jialan.
Going home would take too much time, so Chen Yaoan took it directly to the studio, where there were ready-made cookware.
Chen Yaoan washed the millet, poured it into a pot, added water, and then put a few red dates in it. In another pot, she stewed pork ribs, corn, and mushroom soup.
It took several hours to prepare all of this. The millet porridge and pork rib soup were ready at the perfect time, and Chen Yao packed them into an insulated box and delivered them to Xu Jialan.
When she arrived this time, the caregiver was obediently staying in the ward, so it seemed he wasn't slacking off. Chen Yao'an told him to go eat first.
After the caregiver left, Chen Yaoan opened the insulated food container and placed it on the dining table. "Eat up."
This was indeed the most comfortable meal Xu Jialan had eaten in the past few days.
Before leaving, Chen Yao'an asked him while packing her things, "When did the doctor say you could be discharged?"
"tomorrow."
Chen Yaoan nodded, thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll help you with the discharge procedures."
Xu Jialan glanced at her in surprise.
She explained, "After all, Mr. Zhang is quite worried about you being alone."
"good."
The next day, Chen Yaoan went to pick up Xu Jialan from the hospital. On the way back, she stopped by the market and bought some vegetables.
Back at Xu Jialan's house, Chen Yaoan first made him lunch.
After all, Xu Jialan doesn't seem like someone who can cook or take care of herself.
Chen Yaoan only prepared some light porridge and side dishes, since the doctor had instructed him to eat only a bland diet.
At the dinner table, Chen Yaoan said, "You should find a cook to take care of you."
Xu Jialan flatly refused: "No need."
He speaks coldly and harshly, and has been like that for the past few days.
Chen Yao'an stopped trying to persuade her, saying, "Whatever you want."
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