Let Me Meet You chapter 10
Threats (Part 1)
“Do you have a driver’s license?” Sheng Min asked as they parked in front of the hospital, realizing he hadn’t checked before.
Li Xuan seemed lost in thought as he looked at the hospital sign. Sheng Min called him again before he responded, “Yes.” He nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered.”
“Then let’s go. Put on your mask and hat.” Sheng Min undid his seatbelt, noticing that Li Xuan hadn’t moved. “What’s wrong?”
Li Xuan pursed his lips, looking somewhat unhappy. Sheng Min thought he might be feeling annoyed and coaxed, “You have to wear the disguise; there are a lot of people at the hospital, and it’d be a hassle if I got recognized.”
He had checked before they left; no one had taken photos of them last night, but in broad daylight, they likely wouldn’t be as lucky.
“I know.” Li Xuan replied, still not moving.
Sheng Min was puzzled—Li Xuan was the one who insisted on the check-up. After thinking about it, he tentatively offered, “How about I go by myself, and I’ll show you the results afterward?”
“Have you ever come to the hospital alone before?”
Sheng Min shook his head: “I can ask if I don’t know.”
“Forget it, I need to be there for the check-up.” Li Xuan exhaled, putting on his mask. Seeing Sheng Min still watching him, he explained, “I just haven’t been to a hospital in a long time. I don’t like it here.”
“No one likes hospitals.” Sheng Min assumed he might be squeamish about needles or blood and tried to reassure him.
Li Xuan’s face was mostly hidden by the mask, but a faintly ironic smile appeared in his eyes.
“It’s different,” he said nonchalantly, then got out of the car.
Though Li Xuan claimed not to like hospitals, he was familiar with the process, wasting no time. Once Sheng Min had completed a full body check-up and he also had his wrist cut redressed at the outpatient surgery department, they left the hospital just after noon.
As Li Xuan had suspected, other than bruises and skin scrapes, his internal organs were fine.
“Where to next?” Li Xuan put away the check-up report. Sheng Min asked, “Back to my place?… Looks like we’ll have to stay together until we switch back.”
Saying this, he realized he didn’t know when that would happen and let out a quiet sigh.
Li Xuan nodded: “No rush.” He checked the time. “I need to track down that taxi driver.”
“Which driver?”
“The one who hit me, of course. I can’t just let that slide.”
“But how will you find him?” Sheng Min frowned slightly, reluctant but unable to say so directly.
Li Xuan spun his phone around. “I have his license plate number.”
He called 114, claiming that his car was blocked by another and needed to be moved. He gave the license plate number and easily obtained the phone number. Sheng Min thought he would call the driver directly, but instead, he saw Li Xuan open a dialing app and start calling repeatedly without pause.
“What are you doing?” Sheng Min asked. “Aren’t you going to contact him?”
“If I call him directly, what if he runs off? Give me your phone.”
Sheng Min didn’t understand but handed over his phone. Li Xuan took it and started calling every local taxi company, and by the fourth call, he found the right one.
“Is this your company’s car? Here’s the situation: I left an important bag in the cab yesterday. Could you give me the driver’s number?”
The dialer app kept the line busy, and after a minute, Li Xuan called back, saying the phone was still busy.
“You can’t reach him either?” Li Xuan, sitting in the passenger seat, continued spinning his tale. “So, what now? I’m in a hurry. How about you give me his home address, and I’ll go directly… No? Why not? Then I’ll just come by your office. That bag I left was cash from the bank. What if you guys are working together to scam me…? Who’s being unreasonable? I told you I’m in a hurry. Why would I waste my time coming after you if it wasn’t urgent? Give me the driver’s address, and I’ll handle it. Otherwise, I’ll come find you…”
With some threatening and pestering, he actually managed to get the address. He even thanked them politely before they hung up.
Sheng Min pursed his lips. “You…”
“What?” Li Xuan didn’t look up.
Sheng Min had been about to say it didn’t seem quite right but changed his words. “You could’ve given me the number. I could’ve had someone check it for you.”
“No need.” Li Xuan pulled up the navigation app and entered the address. “Not far. Let’s go.”
The driver lived behind a market in the south of the city, and it took about half an hour to get there. Busy with the hospital visit all morning, they hadn’t eaten lunch yet. They parked the car at the alley’s entrance and ordered two bowls of wonton noodles from a small restaurant nearby.
Li Xuan ate quickly, finishing while Sheng Min was still halfway through. He went to a nearby convenience store to buy two bottles of water.
“After you finish eating, go wait in the car.” Li Xuan opened a bottle, took a sip, and, after thinking for a moment, added, “No need to come with me.”
“Shouldn’t I go with you?” Sheng Min looked up at him.
“No.” Li Xuan thought for a moment. “But I’ll remind you to behave yourself. Don’t make me regret trusting you.”
Sheng Min hadn’t wanted to go find the driver anyway, and he was about to agree, but then he saw Li Xuan pull a knife from his pocket and sharpen it against the wall.
“Where did you get that knife?” Sheng Min was startled.
“Bought it at the convenience store.”
“Why did you buy a knife?”
Seeing his worried expression, Li Xuan suddenly smiled, tilting his head with a teasing tone. “Guess.”
“I won’t guess. Just pull your hat down lower,” Sheng Min tentatively said, “You’re planning to reason with him, right?”
“Maybe.” Li Xuan stretched his arms.
From his tone, Sheng Min could tell otherwise and sighed, putting down his chopsticks and saying cautiously, “I think it’s better to call the police… Don’t look at me like that. I can help by saying he hit me, and then I’ll report it, okay?”
Li Xuan blew on the knife blade. “No. If we go to the police now, it’ll be treated as a minor injury, only dangerous driving. That’d be too easy on him.”
“But you’re okay, aren’t you? You’re alive and well…”
“You call this ‘alive and well’?” Li Xuan narrowed his eyes. “Get it straight. In a way, we’re both already dead.”
Sheng Min was at a loss for words, and Li Xuan stood up. “Alright, finish your food and wait in the car. I’ll take care of this quickly, and you’d better stay out of trouble.”
“No.” Sheng Min, seeing him about to leave, grabbed his sleeve. “I… I’ll go with you.”
Li Xuan frowned. “I said no. I prefer to handle my own business alone.”
“But I’ve come this far, and you didn’t ask me to leave at the hospital entrance,” Sheng Min replied quickly, worried Li Xuan might act recklessly. “Besides, this isn’t just your business. You’re using my face.”
Li Xuan looked at him for a moment, then tugged his sleeve. “Let go.”
Sheng Min, not one to argue much, felt uncomfortable but only shook his head and tightened his grip. “I’m coming with you.”
Li Xuan frowned. Sheng Min said, “I might not control myself. Who knows what could happen, and that would cost you. I’m looking out for you, too.”
“Threatening me now?” Li Xuan smirked.
Sheng Min held his gaze silently.
“Fine, let go first.” After a moment’s standoff, Li Xuan scolded in a low voice, “I need to pay the bill.”
Li Xuan paid and walked outside, and Sheng Min hurried after him. On the way, he sent a message to Yang Xu, asking him to look into this driver’s background.
“Put your mask on too.” When they reached the building, Li Xuan finally spoke, his tone irritated. “If you insist on coming, just stand quietly and say nothing.”
The hit-and-run driver lived on the third floor. Li Xuan stood at the door, double-checked the address he had noted on his phone, and knocked on the door to the left.
“What if he escapes?” Sheng Min asked. “Or isn’t home?”
“Then I’ll keep looking. Even if he hides underground, I’ll drag him out.” Li Xuan replied coldly. “You seem to be hoping he’s not here. But you’ll be disappointed. I saw his car when we parked, and the lights are on.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Sheng Min sighed.
Li Xuan scoffed, saying nothing, and kept knocking patiently. After a moment, a wary male voice came from inside, “Who is it?”
“Downstairs neighbor,” Li Xuan responded naturally, changing his tone quickly with the skill of an actor. “Is your place leaking? My ceiling is soaked.”
The door was cautiously opened just a crack. In the next instant, Li Xuan kicked it wide open and strode inside.
“What do you want? Who are you?” Inside was the man who caused the accident last night. He was tall and thin, dressed casually, and looked only a few years older than them. However, his face bore signs of long-term alcohol abuse, making him look much older.
Li Xuan’s forceful entry startled him; he staggered backward, bumping into a table and falling to the ground.
“Zhao Yi, right?” The room was heavy with the smell of alcohol, making the air unpleasant. In one corner of the living room, there was a half-packed suitcase. Li Xuan frowned slightly and bent down to look at him. “Still hungover? Remember hitting someone last night?”
Zhao Yi’s eyes widened in fear as he looked at Li Xuan. Li Xuan took out his phone and said slowly, “I have road surveillance footage here to refresh your memory.”
Zhao Yi clenched his teeth, remaining silent. He thought that particular street had no cameras, which was why he dared to flee. But the certainty in the young man’s voice made him uncertain and scared.
“Really can’t remember?” Li Xuan smiled. “Then let’s take a look. The resolution’s a bit low, but if it were any clearer, we might even see the brain splatter…”
Before he finished speaking, Zhao Yi jumped up from the ground, picked up a nearby beer bottle, and aimed it at Li Xuan’s face. As Li Xuan dodged, Zhao Yi tried to escape through the door.
“Now you’re just asking for it.” Li Xuan frowned, grabbed Zhao Yi by the throat, and forced him back into a corner, the beer bottle shattering on the wall.
“Get up, don’t play dead.” Li Xuan’s voice was icy, and Zhao Yi, now too frightened to run, cowered on the floor, looking at him with a mix of fear and resentment.
Li Xuan looked down at him. “Why are you trembling? Weren’t you just tough a moment ago? Panicking now? You seem pretty relaxed to me—killed someone, but you’re still drinking at home. What, you think if the police don’t come, the matter’s over? Sorry to disappoint you, even if the police don’t come, you can bet the dead will.”
“D-d-dead? Is the person really dead?” Zhao Yi’s teeth chattered as he trembled uncontrollably.
Li Xuan leaned down, grabbing his collar. “Don’t believe me? Fine, I’ll take you to see the body in the morgue…”
“No, no, no! I’m not going!” Zhao Yi screamed, desperately reaching out to grab Sheng Min, who was standing nearby. “I’m not going! Please!”
Sheng Min had been standing next to Li Xuan since they entered, and aside from intervening when Zhao Yi aimed the bottle at Li Xuan, he had remained still. Though his expression was uncomfortable, he hadn’t moved aside. Zhao Yi’s sudden action surprised him, and he didn’t react immediately.
“I told you not to come up, but you wouldn’t listen.” Seeing Zhao Yi about to grab Sheng Min’s sleeve, Li Xuan quickly pulled Sheng Min aside, using his elbow to press Zhao Yi back down onto the floor.
Li Xuan shook his hand and, with an exasperated look, said to Sheng Min, “Stand back and stay put.”
Sheng Min glanced at Zhao Yi and, hesitantly, looked back at Li Xuan. “Just be careful…”
“We’ll see.” Li Xuan grabbed a cup from the table and splashed water on Zhao Yi’s face. “Stop stammering. Sober up and think clearly before you speak.”
The lingering smell of alcohol mixed with cooking odors from who knows where made Sheng Min feel nauseous. Across the room, Zhao Yi’s resistance had been shattered by Li Xuan’s intimidation. He no longer struggled and instead began to wail like a ghost. Sheng Min indeed didn’t want to watch any more, so he moved to stand by the window. However, he noticed the bedroom door was open, and a pair of dark eyes was watching from inside.
Sheng Min was startled. “Who’s in there?”
“What?” Li Xuan turned around. Sheng Min gestured toward the bedroom, where a small girl, about five or six years old, stood peeking out.
“My daughter,” Zhao Yi replied shakily, his voice still trembling. “She doesn’t know anything. I really didn’t mean it…”
“She doesn’t know, but you certainly should. Whether you did it on purpose or not is questionable. Did someone throw themselves in front of your car?” Li Xuan looked down at Zhao Yi with narrowed eyes. “I’m busy and don’t have time for small talk. When I ask a question, just nod or shake your head.”
Zhao Yi looked at him fearfully. “Who… who are you…?”
“That’s irrelevant. What matters is that I can settle this. Want to go to jail?”
Zhao Yi responded quickly, “No, I don’t want to.”
“Then stop stuttering. If you don’t want to, we can settle privately. I’m not extorting you; we’ll calculate according to the compensation standard for traffic accident fatalities. Twenty years of the average disposable income for urban residents—1,120,000 yuan. Oh, and cancel your driver’s license.”
Zhao Yi seemed stunned, then panicked and clung to Li Xuan’s sleeve. “I can’t… I don’t have that kind of money! I can’t come up with it!”
“Then it’s simpler.” Li Xuan smirked and pulled a knife from his pocket. “Cut off a hand, then.”