Upon hearing Zhou Jiang’s words, Han Shuangshuang let out a puzzled “Ah?”
Zhou Jiang didn’t elaborate further.
She straightened up and opened the door, letting both the person and the dog in.Â
“Weren’t you coming over to drink? Come on in!”
Seeing Xiao Bai dart inside, Han Shuangshuang quickly followed.
Once inside, Han Shuangshuang noticed several empty beer cans on the coffee table in the living room.
Zhou Jiang walked over and sat down on the floor in front of the table, gesturing to Han Shuangshuang,
“Since you’re here, sit down and have a drink with me.”
Xiao Man, now in her dog form, naturally settled down beside Zhou Jiang.
Xiao Man noticed a phone lying on the sofa, its screen lit up with an incoming call.
However, the phone was on silent, so it made no sound.
Xiao Man recalled Zhou Jiang’s earlier response to Han Shuangshuang.
Knowing Zhou Jiang, she had probably called her mother first to explain the situation, ensuring her mother wouldn’t bother others, and then muted the phone to avoid further calls.
Well, at least it gave her some breathing room.
As a dog, Xiao Man obviously couldn’t drink.
She sat quietly, watching Zhou Jiang down one beer after another in silence.
Han Shuangshuang, after fidgeting for a while, finally opened a can of beer and took a small sip, grimacing as she slowly drank the bitter brew.
The two of them didn’t exchange a single word until Zhou Jiang had finished even the beer Han Shuangshuang had brought.
Han Shuangshuang’s alcohol tolerance was notoriously poor.
After just one can of beer, she was already feeling woozy, her eyes half-closed as she leaned back on the sofa.
Zhou Jiang, on the other hand, seemed unaffected, her eyes unusually bright.
After tossing the last empty can into the trash, Zhou Jiang stood up unsteadily and muttered,
“No more. Need to get more.”
Xiao Man knew Zhou Jiang’s alcohol tolerance was average, but even with low-alcohol beer, drinking like this would inevitably lead to drunkenness.
She was definitely drunk now.
Xiao Man blocked Zhou Jiang’s path, barking several times to stop her from going out.
When you’re drunk, you should lie down and rest.
Going out at this point was just asking for trouble!
Zhou Jiang said,
“Where did this dog come from? Move aside, don’t block the way.”
As she stumbled forward, she tripped over her slippers and fell onto the sofa.
After the fall, she went silent, lying there as if she had fallen asleep.
Xiao Man went over to check on her.
Her breathing was normal; she seemed fine.
She then checked on Han Shuangshuang.
The girl had clearly never drunk before and didn’t know her limits.
One can was enough to knock her out, and she was now sound asleep.
Xiao Man kept moving between the two, busy as a bee.
This dog was carrying too much responsibility!
Just as she was considering whether to clean up the apartment, she suddenly heard a soft whimper.
Turning around, she saw Zhou Jiang lying on the sofa, quietly crying.
After a while, Zhou Jiang suddenly scrambled up from the sofa, muttering something under her breath as she headed for the door.
Xiao Man’s expression changed drastically.
With a dog’s keen hearing, she heard Zhou Jiang say,
“I can’t let Xiao Man’s home become a haunted house.”
What the hell are you planning to do?!
She ran out a few steps, then turned back and bumped into Han Shuangshuang, trying to wake her up.
But the girl was too drunk, mumbling incoherently without waking.
Seeing that she couldn’t rouse Han Shuangshuang, Xiao Man turned to see Zhou Jiang already opening the door to leave.
She rushed over.
In her haste, Xiao Man didn’t notice the door closing and ran straight into it with a loud thud.
After a dizzying spin and seeing stars, her vision gradually darkened.
Xiao Man didn’t know how long she was out, but when her consciousness returned and her vision cleared, she suddenly sat up.
Then she found herself face to face with a handsome, startled man.
“Director Xu?”
Xiao Man was surprised, but after speaking, she froze.
How could she talk?
Wait, she was back in her own body!
The mechanical voice of the audiobook was still playing in the hospital room.
After a brief moment of surprise, Xu Yan immediately pressed the call button by the bed.
The nurse’s voice almost overlapped with Xiao Man’s.
The nurse asked, “What’s wrong in Room 5?”
Xiao Man: “Did you drive here?”
The nurse, hearing Xiao Man’s voice, was excited:
“…Has the patient in Room 5 woken up?!”
Xu Yan: “Yes.”
Good, one sentence answered two questions, very efficient.
Xiao Man felt her head was heavy.
Having experienced this before, she knew she probably wouldn’t stay awake for long.
She immediately grabbed Xu Yan’s hand and pleaded,
“Please ask Chen Yao for my home address. My friend Zhou Jiang just left my house and is planning to commit suicide. If you can’t find her, please call the police.”
Xu Yan truly didn’t expect that his spontaneous decision to stay for a while would lead to witnessing Xiao Man suddenly waking up.
But before he could ask the question that had been gnawing at him, he watched as Xiao Man quickly finished speaking, closed her eyes, and slumped back down.
Xu Yan instinctively reached out to catch her.
Perhaps due to her long-term bed rest, she felt light in his arms, her disheveled long hair slipping down his arm, creating a graceful arc.
He gently laid her back on the bed as two nurses rushed in, asking, “How is the patient?”
Xu Yan heard more footsteps in the hallway.
A comatose patient suddenly waking up was enough to pique the interest of doctors and nurses, and a series of examinations were likely to follow.
Thinking of what Xiao Man had said while gripping his hand, Xu Yan glanced at her pale, delicate face amidst the crowd and quickly left the bustling room, sending a message to Chen Yao.
Halfway through writing the message, worried that Chen Yao might be out enjoying her holiday and not receive it in time, he decided to call instead.
As the dial tone rang, a small doubt crossed his mind.
He remembered that only Han Shuangshuang frequently visited Xiao Man, suggesting they were close.
The last time Xiao Man woke up, she had appointed Han Shuangshuang as her medical decision-maker.
Why did she ask him to get her home address from Chen Yao instead of Han Shuangshuang?
Before he could figure it out, the call connected, and Chen Yao’s voice came through, puzzled: “Director Xu?”
She even sounded a bit worried, fearing he might assign her work during her holiday.
Xu Yan immediately reassured her: “Give me Xiao Man’s home address right now. It’s urgent. I’ll explain later.”
Chen Yao: “Huh? Oh, okay, Director Xu!”
What a divine boss!
Although he gave a strange command, he was willing to say a few words to reassure her!
Before Chen Yao could ask more, Xu Yan hung up.
Soon, Xiao Man’s home address appeared on his WeChat.
By then, Xu Yan was already in his car.
Looking at the address, he realized it was only a few minutes’ drive from the hospital.
Calling the police might not be faster, and explaining the situation would take time.
Xiao Man probably didn’t have that time, which was why she asked if he had a car and sent him first.
Xu Yan drove at the speed limit, his mind inevitably drifting to Xiao Man’s appearance earlier.
She had been awake for less than ten seconds, but she recognized him immediately and didn’t question why he was in her room, directly roping him into helping.
Xu Yan was deeply frustrated.
Why did she only wake up for a few seconds?
If it had been a bit longer, he would have definitely asked her how she knew him and how she knew he was in danger at that time.
And today, how did she know what was happening at her home?
Xu Yan suddenly spoke up:
“Xiao Man, are you in the car? If you are, make the car radio make a sound.”
The car radio remained silent.
Xu Yan glanced in the rearview mirror, but of course, there was nothing there.
He let out a soft sigh.
Although he had initiated it, if the car radio had actually made a sound, he would have been startled.
Despite years of education, he was still a staunch atheist.
If it weren’t for the inexplicable nature of these events, he wouldn’t have even considered the possibility of a soul leaving the body.
Xu Yan indeed arrived at Xiao Man’s residential complex within minutes.
As he approached, he slowed down, scanning the surroundings for anyone who looked distraught.
The name “Zhou Jiang” didn’t strongly indicate a gender, and Xiao Man hadn’t had time to describe any distinguishing features.
Xu Yan quickly parked the car by the roadside and ran to the security guard, asking if anyone who looked particularly troubled had left the complex.
The guard was baffled by the question.
Seeing that the guard hadn’t noticed anything unusual, Xu Yan didn’t waste any more time.
As he hurried towards Xiao Man’s home, he pulled out his phone to call the police.
When Xu Yan reached Xiao Man’s doorstep, he was in the middle of explaining to the dispatcher how he knew someone was planning to commit suicide.
While fabricating a reason, he distractedly thought that Xiao Man had been right to send him first.
Reporting this to the police was indeed hard to explain.
Then he abruptly stopped.
He saw a woman lying at Xiao Man’s doorstep, her back to him, motionless.
His throat tightened.
Was he too late?
The dispatcher, hearing no response from Xu Yan, pressed: “What’s happening?”
Xu Yan’s tense voice replied: “You might need to send someone over.”
As he cautiously approached, he continued to the dispatcher:
“I see her lying at the doorstep, probably…”
Xu Yan’s words cut off abruptly.
The dispatcher asked: “What’s wrong?”
Xu Yan: “…”
The dispatcher grew anxious: “What’s the situation there?”
Xu Yan: “Sorry, it’s nothing. I thought someone was about to commit suicide, but she’s been found, safe and sound. She’s just drunk and decided to sleep here.”
The dispatcher, hearing this, also relaxed and didn’t scold him for a false alarm.
After all, knowing someone might commit suicide, it was better to call the police promptly.
After hanging up, Xu Yan looked down at the woman on the ground, then glanced around, his expression exasperated:
“Xiao Man, is this the person you said was planning to commit suicide?”
The corridor outside the apartment was quiet, except for Zhou Jiang’s muttering as she lay on the ground:
“Just let me freeze to death out here. If I die, all these troubles will be over…”