Let Me Meet You chapter 18
I Like Men (Part 1)
Sheng Min found a secluded stairwell. After ringing for a while, the call had automatically hung up, but soon, the phone started ringing again relentlessly.
“Mom.” Sheng Min took a deep breath and answered.
“Xiao Min.” Wang Shuying’s voice was laced with a bit of flattery, a telltale sign she wanted something. “What are you doing?”
“Working.”
“Busy, huh?” Her tone had that sycophantic quality. “I knew you were capable. Just the other day, I saw you on TV in that drama…what’s it called? Oh, I can’t remember it now.”
Sheng Min felt a headache coming on. “Mom, if there’s something you want to say, just say it.”
“What could I want?” She paused, and her tone turned affectionate. “Your birthday’s coming up soon, so I thought I’d call to check in. How are things going for you lately?”
His birthday was actually more than a month away. Calling this early felt like a stretch. Sheng Min, knowing it was just an excuse, didn’t expose her pretense but suddenly remembered that Li Xuan’s birthday was on the same day as his.
“Why are you so quiet?” Wang Shuying pressed.
“Nothing. I’m doing well.”
“As long as you’re doing well, I’m at ease. You’re almost twenty-two, and your younger brother is nineteen now. By the way, he took some exam at school recently and did well. He said he wanted to tell you as his older brother to make you proud, but you’re never around.”
Sheng Min hummed. Sheng Hui had always struggled academically, barely scraping by last year to even qualify for vocational schools. Refusing to retake the exams, he’d been enrolled into a private college with Sheng Min’s connections and financial help. He knew well enough that the story about him doing well in school was likely fabricated.
“I’m too busy with work,” Sheng Min replied, hearing some faint voices from the floor above. He slowly walked downstairs, eventually reaching a flowerbed at the building’s base.
“That’s right; you’re so busy. You barely get to see your brother. You don’t even know what’s going on with him.” Her tone took on a sad tinge. “Oh, right. Your brother signed up for driving lessons recently. You didn’t know that, did you?”
This call’s purpose was becoming clear. “Has he gotten his license yet?”
“Not yet, but I think he’s close. There’s something about a theory exam; I don’t really understand. People say that if a car isn’t driven often, it gets rusty. I thought maybe you could just let him use one of your cars?”
Actually, Sheng Min only had one car. He didn’t go out much himself and generally didn’t care about material things. He knew, though, that she wasn’t really asking for his old car for Sheng Hui. “Once he has his license, I’ll buy him a new one.”
“Ah, if you say so, then I’m relieved. He’s been talking about this certain model he likes; I didn’t really get it, but I’ll have him send the details to you.”
With a pleased tone, she continued, “You two brothers should stay close, you know? Your brother’s too shy. I keep telling him that he should come to you for help because you’re so capable and can solve anything. Once you buy him a car, he could take you around his school and check out this apartment he’s been eyeing.”
“What apartment?” Sheng Min frowned.
“Well, it’s not really about the apartment,” she replied, sidestepping. “He recently started dating a girl, and you know how materialistic young women are nowadays. Besides, he’s a man; eventually, he’ll need a car and a house. Buying it now just saves time.”
Sheng Min pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. “He’s only nineteen.”
“What’s wrong with that? The earlier, the cheaper.”
Sighing, Sheng Min stared at the struggling saplings in the flowerbed, which, deprived of sunlight, barely survived.
He was at a loss for words. Sensing his silence, Wang Shuying grew anxious. “You know your brother isn’t very capable. He needs you to look out for him. You’re brothers. What’s yours is his. Even the tiniest bit of what you have can help him go a long way.”
“Mom, I…”
“You’re not unwilling, are you?” Wang Shuying’s tone changed instantly. “Sheng Min, if it hadn’t been for me pushing you to become a child star, would you be where you are today? A person shouldn’t forget their roots. Now you’re a big star, making good money, and you don’t care if your mother and brother live or die…”
There it was again. The same old routine of coaxing followed by scolding. Sheng Min had grown accustomed to it over the years and could only smile bitterly to himself.
In reality, his finances weren’t as abundant as Wang Shuying assumed. Though he’d been in the industry for a while, he’d only really gained fame in the past two years. His company took a substantial cut, and much of his earlier income had gone to paying off family debts. He also had to send Wang Shuying a monthly allowance, and last year, he had even bought them a new house. He really didn’t have as much money at his disposal as she thought.
Sheng Hui’s school was in the city center, where property prices were sky-high. Now that he’d swapped bodies with Li Xuan, there were many jobs he couldn’t take on, leaving his future uncertain even to himself.
But he couldn’t explain all this to Wang Shuying; even if he did, she wouldn’t believe him. She would always think he had limitless money and just didn’t want to share it.
Sometimes, Sheng Min wondered why his place in Wang Shuying’s heart was so much lower than Sheng Hui’s, despite both being her sons.
“Mom.” Wang Shuying was still scolding, and Sheng Min, weary, was gently kicking a pebble by his foot. “Can we talk about the house later? I have work soon. Once Sheng Hui gets his driver’s license, I’ll buy him a car first.”
Only after grumbling a bit more did Wang Shuying stop. Figuring it was best to secure the car first, she softened her tone, complaining, “I don’t mean anything else. I just think you two brothers are closest. After I’m gone, it’ll be just the two of you relying on each other. My health isn’t great, you know. I had chest pain recently and went to the doctor; who knows how long I’ll be around? It’s even expensive to go to the hospital these days. Do you think the doctors are just trying to scam me?”
“How much are the medical expenses?” Sheng Min asked, numbly.
“Around 60,000. I have a little saved up, so you just need to cover 50,000.”
Sheng Min doubted any treatment could cost so much: “You haven’t started gambling again, have you?”
“How could you think that about your mother? I only play a little mahjong now and then, just to pass the time. How is that gambling? If I were gambling, wouldn’t the police arrest me?” Wang Shuying raised her voice defensively.
“Please stop gambling.”
Sheng Min closed his eyes, the afternoon sunlight glaring and casting dull, dusty light on the flower bed. He couldn’t help but wonder how Li Xuan would handle family like this, how he’d deal with problems as hard to get rid of as dust.
But he wasn’t Li Xuan. He was used to enduring, seeking only peace. “I’ll transfer the money to you soon. I have things to do, so I’ll hang up now.”
Back in the lounge, the makeup artist had finished removing his makeup. Li Xuan had waited a while but still hadn’t seen Sheng Min return. He was puzzled as to what could be taking so long. Suddenly, the door flew open, and Yang Xu rushed in like a gust of wind.
“Gw!” He was panting. “Zhang Ge left!”
“If he left, he left,” Li Xuan replied. “Are you planning to go after him?”
“Did you chase him away?” Yang Xu asked excitedly. “You were so cool, snapping at him.”
Li Xuan glanced at him, not fully understanding his excitement.
“Of course, you’re always cool, but especially today.” Yang Xu grinned, pulling out a thermos box. “By the way, I bought your favorite osmanthus rice balls. It was nearby, so I got it while it’s still hot.”
“I don’t eat sweets,” Li Xuan said.
“Huh?” Yang Xu stared at him in surprise. “But you…”
“I don’t feel like it right now,” Li Xuan corrected himself. “Give it to Sheng…to Li Xuan later.”
“…Alright.” Yang Xu hesitated and looked around. “Where is he?”
“He’s on a call.”
Yang Xu made a sound of understanding and set the thermos on the table next to him. Li Xuan, unfamiliar with Yang Xu, didn’t want to make conversation, so he pulled out some resumes that Qi Boyuan had sent over and began reviewing them.
After a while, Yang Xu, seemingly unable to sit still, sidled over to a chair next to him. “Ge.”
Li Xuan looked up impatiently. “What?”
“Is that Li Xuan really your assistant? Why did you suddenly need a new one? Am I not doing a good enough job?”
“What’s wrong with having someone to help you? It doesn’t reduce your salary.” Li Xuan placed his phone face-down on the dressing table.
“Ah, that’s not what I meant.” Yang Xu continued, “It’s just that he doesn’t look like an assistant.”
“What does he look like?”
“Like someone who’s here to compete with you for jobs.”
Li Xuan chuckled at this notion. “So there are appearance standards in the assistant field?”
Yang Xu laughed along, saying, “But he seems nice, easy to get along with. I feel like I’ve met him before.”
Well, because he is your boss, Li Xuan thought, and gave a quiet grunt. He figured the conversation was over, but Yang Xu continued to stare at him.
“Is there something else?”
After a moment of hesitation, Yang Xu glanced around before shutting the door. “No, Ge, you have to tell me the truth. Is Li Xuan really your assistant?”
Li Xuan almost asked if Yang Xu had amnesia. Hadn’t they just gone over this a minute ago? He’d thought Sheng Min’s comment about Yang Xu’s emotional intelligence was a joke, but perhaps it was actually about IQ?
“I just told you,” Li Xuan replied patiently.
“But he doesn’t look like one.”
Oh, heavens. It really is about IQ.
Li Xuan exhaled. Fortunately, Yang Xu continued on his own, “You two seem so close. You even saved him some food, and he touched you…”
“Have I never shared food with you before?” Li Xuan didn’t understand how saving a rice ball could lead to such elaborate conclusions. Was it that people in the entertainment industry were just more dramatic? There was no way Sheng Min mistreated his staff over a snack. And when exactly had this touching happened? “When did he touch me?”
Yang Xu had a look on his face as if to say, “I saw it; don’t try to deny it”: “It was when you just arrived today, in front of Zhang Ge and everyone else. He touched your waist.”
Li Xuan was at a loss for words. That wasn’t touching—Sheng Min was just nudging him, clearly to keep him from arguing with Zhang Zhihua. He vaguely sensed something was off, but felt that talking to Yang Xu was too much effort, so he didn’t bother thinking about it further. He raised his hand and flicked Yang Xu’s shoulder: “Alright, I’m touching you now. If you’re hungry, eat the rice balls yourself; no need to save any for him, alright?”
“Come on, Ge. Why won’t you tell me the truth?” Yang Xu said, still not convinced. “Zhang Ge already told me.”
What do you mean, I’m not telling you the truth? Can’t you just speak clearly? Li Xuan was utterly exasperated. “What did Zhang Zhihua say?”
“He said Li Xuan is living at your place.”
“And what about it?”
Yang Xu looked hurt. “Ge, I’m not an outsider. Even Zhang Ge knows, but you insist on hiding it from me. I wouldn’t make a big deal of it—I’m always on your side.”
“What nonsense did Zhang Zhihua feed you?” Li Xuan was getting more and more confused, his patience wearing thin. “Just say what you mean, already! Can’t you speak without twisting everything?”
His sudden raise in volume startled Yang Xu, who almost slid off his chair. His voice rose involuntarily: “He said Li Xuan is probably your new boyfriend!”
“Anything Zhang says, you believe? Don’t you have a brain of your own…” Li Xuan started to retort but stopped halfway.
Now he knew what felt off in his conversation with Yang Xu earlier. But that wasn’t the main issue.
New boyfriend? “New”? Then that would mean there was an “old” one, too. But that wasn’t the point either.
Sheng Min likes men?
Li Xuan frowned. Yang Xu continued chattering beside him, oblivious: “I didn’t believe it at first, but I’ve been watching. Ge, why won’t you just tell me? I’d never betray you. And honestly, I think Li Xuan seems decent, way more reliable than your last one.”
“Shut up,” Li Xuan said.
“I’m serious.”
“I said, shut up!” Li Xuan took a deep breath, feeling increasingly unsettled. He walked over to the window to clear his head, just as the door opened and Sheng Min walked in.
Li Xuan, holding onto the window ledge, turned to look at him.
Judging by Sheng Min’s expression, he must have overheard.
Yang Xu had been speaking loudly enough, and there was only a thin door between them; it would have been hard not to hear. Luckily, the ad shoot was over, and the staff were busy packing up outside, so the conversation probably hadn’t spread.
Li Xuan hadn’t originally intended to confront Sheng Min about this; he figured he’d think things over first. But now, it seemed unnecessary.
“Yang Xu,” Sheng Min said without looking at him. “Could you step outside?”
His tone was firm, but without reproach. He even sounded gentle, as if afraid of scaring him.
Yang Xu sensed something was wrong, feeling uneasy. Was it possible that this person didn’t know about his boss’s past relationships? Should he try to explain things?
“Please leave,” Li Xuan added.
“Okay.” Yang Xu replied, “I’ll wait in the car.”
Once the door closed, only the two of them remained in the room. Li Xuan suddenly noticed that the lounge felt much smaller than before. Despite standing on opposite sides, he almost felt like he could sense Sheng Min’s breathing.
“So you know?”
“You heard?”
They spoke almost simultaneously, then fell silent; neither question actually required an answer.
Sheng Min pressed his lips together. The first question Li Xuan asked was, “So, you have an ex-boyfriend?”
It didn’t seem like the right question to ask, but that’s what he said.
“No,” Sheng Min said softly.
Li Xuan’s lips moved, but he didn’t speak. Sheng Min noticed this and explained, “They assumed, but it wasn’t true. I have no ex-boyfriend.”
Li Xuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and he frowned, asking quietly, “So, you like men?”
“Yes,” Sheng Min replied calmly. “I like men.”
Li Xuan seemed caught off guard by Sheng Min’s straightforwardness, frowning even more deeply. He stayed silent for a long time before exhaling a curse under his breath, rubbing his forehead, and walking out.