Inside the apartment, Jiang Chuan and Hu Yishu stared at each other in a daze, watching Lu Huai'an dash out the door wearing only a T-shirt and shorts.
"What is this kid up to again, running out dressed like that early in the morning?"
"Who knows? Though I think I heard a woman's voice," Jiang Chuan said with a yawn.
"Really? How come I didn't hear it?"
"I probably woke up too early and wasn't fully awake. I'm going back to sleep..."
"I'm hallucinating too? No way, I gotta go back to sleep. I must still be dreaming..."
......
In the hallway, Lu Huai'an dragged Lin Jiayu along at a trot.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Lin Jiayu stumbled along behind him, her tone carrying a hint of playful reproach.
Lu Huai'an retorted bluntly, "Big sis, didn't you know our apartment is shared? With three or four grown men living together, if you show up holding breakfast, wouldn't they treat me like a monkey in a zoo?"
Lin Jiayu's eyes flashed with amusement, the corners of her lips curling into a smile as she purposely asked, "Seeing you so nervous, are you afraid your roommates might see something they shouldn't?"
Lu Huai'an shrugged, not bothering to take the bait. "Why did you come over so early? You just got out of the hospital, you should be resting more."
Lin Jiayu blinked, a spark of curiosity in her eyes. "Are you worrying about me?"
Lu Huai'an stretched his arms and let out a huge yawn. "You're overthinking it. I just purely feel that you came too early and interrupted my sleep."
Lin Jiayu let out a scoff, clearly not believing his nonsense.
"What about the medical bills? We can't just keep dragging this out, can we?" Lin Jiayu blinked, her tone suddenly softening.
She raised the breakfast bag in her hand and gave it a shake. "Besides, I brought you breakfast. Do you want to eat some together? Authentic crab roe steamed buns! I stood in line for ages to get them!"
"No thanks, I want to go back and catch up on sleep." Lu Huai'an refused without a second thought. Because of Lin Jiayu, he hadn't fallen asleep until four or five in the morning, and now it was only eight o'clock. All he wanted right now was to hurry back and sleep.
"Just eat a little. If you skip breakfast, you'll easily get stomach problems," Lin Jiayu coaxed, her voice softening further. "Besides, I bought so much, one person can't possibly finish it all. What a waste..."
"Being wasteful is a shameful act, but since you bought it yourself, you can take responsibility for finishing it." Unshakable, Lu Huai'an turned to leave as soon as he finished speaking.
"Hey! Huai'an!" Panicking, Lin Jiayu called out with a slightly aggrieved tone, "Even if we aren't eating together, don't leave me all by myself! I was in the hospital just last night, what if I faint again?"
Lu Huai'an paused in his tracks and looked back at her.
Seeing this, Lin Jiayu instantly put on a pitiful expression, blinking her large eyes at him as her voice softened again. "I'm a patient after all, can't you show a little gentlemanly behavior?"
Watching her put on that "too frail to take care of herself" act, the corners of Lu Huai'an's mouth twitched.
This woman changes her face way too fast! Just a moment ago she was the epitome of a cold goddess, and now she's instantly turned into a delicate little white rabbit?
He sighed, resigned to his fate, and walked back. "Fine, fine, you win. I'm scared of you. Won't that do, I'll eat with you?"
"That's more like it!" Lin Jiayu beamed instantly, shoving the breakfast bag in her hand right in front of him. "Since you're afraid of your roommates gossiping, let's go to my place."
"Go to your apartment?" Lu Huai'an's eyes widened. "A big guy like me going to your apartment? Won't your roommates call the police and have me arrested?"
"I don't have roommates, I live alone," Lin Jiayu said casually.
"You live alone? Then the rent..."
"Of course I pay for three people's share."
"Wow, looks like you're super rich," Lu Huai'an remarked. Even splitting rent with Jiang Chuan and Hu Yishu was a bit financially draining for him; he could only imagine how much a whole apartment to herself must cost Lin Jiayu...
Lu Huai'an took the bag and followed Lin Jiayu upstairs.
Lin Jiayu's apartment was on the fourth floor, directly above theirs. It was exquisitely decorated, and the air was filled with a faint scent of lilies.
As soon as Lu Huai'an stepped inside, his gaze was drawn to a bunch of fresh lilies on the coffee table. The petals still had water droplets on them, clearly having been just replaced.
"Make yourself at home," Lin Jiayu motioned toward the sofa, then walked into the kitchen and took two bottles of milk from the fridge.
After sitting down, Lu Huai'an took a bite of a crab roe bun and asked indistinctly, "What happened to you last night? How did you suddenly faint out of nowhere?"
Lin Jiayu paused for a moment, then smiled. "It was all because of you!"
"Because of me?" Lu Huai'an looked bewildered. "What does that have to do with me?"
"If you hadn't accidentally bumped into me during the day, would I have been in a bad mood? If I hadn't been in a bad mood, would I have lost my appetite? If I hadn't lost my appetite, would my gastroenteritis have flared up?" Lin Jiayu justifiedly pinned all the blame on him.
Lu Huai'an listened in utter astonishment. This logic... was simply too formidable!
Crying tears of laughter, he said, "By that logic, I have to take full responsibility?"
"Of course!" Lin Jiayu nodded unhesitatingly. "So, you have to compensate me properly!"
"Fine, fine, I'll compensate you, won't that do? But how did you even know my name?" Lu Huai'an quickly gave in. He didn't want to bicker with this woman anymore; he was afraid she'd talk him in circles.
"That's more like it." Lin Jiayu smiled with satisfaction. "Though I'll have to think about what the compensation should be."
"I looked at the bill when I was discharged, and your signature was on it," Lin Jiayu blinked, saying with a hint of triumph.
"They even do that?"
"All right, I'm done eating. You take your time, I'm heading back first." Lu Huai'an finished one crab roe bun, stood up, and said.
Lin Jiayu held up her phone. "Let's add each other on WeChat, so it's easier for me to transfer the medical money to you."
Helplessly, Lu Huai'an pulled out his phone and scanned her QR code. Looking at the newly added name in his contacts, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
"There, can you let me go now?"
Lin Jiayu smiled and blinked. "Remember to miss me~"
"..." Speechless, Lu Huai'an turned and left. If he stayed any longer, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold back his complaints.
He couldn't quite figure out what this woman was up to early in the morning. She had been freezing cold toward him right after waking up last night—had she undergone a personality transplant this morning?
"Showing excessive courtesy without a reason usually means someone's up to no good..." he muttered, walking briskly away from the apartment.
Back at the apartment, Jiang Chuan and Hu Yishu were still asleep. He tiptoed back to his room and crashed straight into bed.
He slept until Jiang Chuan and Hu Yishu shook him awake.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Lu Huai'an's brain wasn't fully booted up yet, stuck in a half-asleep state.
"Stop sleeping, old Lu. The counselor said there's a class meeting at two this afternoon in the main teaching building." Seeing Lu Huai'an close his eyes again, Jiang Chuan gave him a ruthless smack on the head.
"Ouch! I'm awake, I'm awake, stop hitting me. What time is it?"
"Uh... ten-thirty..."
"Jiang Chuan, I swear to ##￥￥%#￥!"