Let Me Meet You chapter 57

 Butterfly

The conversation ended on a sour note. To be precise, it was one-sided from Li Mingge’s side. Li Xuan knew from the start that he wouldn’t let him leave so easily and didn’t care.

But when the second CT scan results came out, there was no significant reduction in the residual blood clots in his brain compared to the last time. So, the next few days, he had a bit of a leisurely time.

“Originally, this hemorrhage(blood clot) wasn’t much, and it could have been absorbed on its own,” the elderly doctor scolded seriously. “You young people don’t rest properly. So many things to do, don’t you? Why do you have to rush these two days on the sickbed? Your family doesn’t seem to be short of money, so why the hurry? If you continue like this, you’ll need surgery to remove it.”

The doctor meant well and followed medical advice without caring if the patient was in a VIP room or not. Visiting hours were naturally shortened, but Li Xuan didn’t mind much. However, when he was caught working in his hospital room twice, even his laptop was taken away.

There were tasks that Qi Boyuan could handle, and if he took two or three more days, the company wouldn’t fall apart. But Li Xuan couldn’t relax and be an absentee boss, so he thought maybe he should just leave the hospital. But before he could act, Yang Xu came again.

“Only half an hour,” the nurse reminded. “The patient needs rest.”

“I won’t need that long, I’ll just say a few words and leave,” Yang Xu said as he sat down, picking up a guava and taking a bite before realizing, “Can I eat this?”

“You can.”

“Nice, Li Xuan. You’re really not what you seem,” Yang Xu bit the guava loudly, looking around his room. “Your treatment here is even more luxurious than Sheng Ge’s. That guy the other day, was he your dad’s secretary? What’s your dad’s name again… oh, I looked it up but I forgot… Your family’s business seems pretty big. Sheng Ge endorses those cameras; the lenses are from your family, right?”

“It has nothing to do with me,” Li Xuan said coldly.

“Tsk tsk.” Yang Xu obviously wasn’t listening, continuing to eat while asking, “Your family’s so rich, why’s the young master running around working as Sheng Ge’s assistant?… Wait a minute…” He paused halfway, holding the half-eaten guava, his expression a little comical. “You’re not doing this to flirt with him, are you?”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

Yang Xu looked at him skeptically.

Li Xuan cleared his throat awkwardly, changing the subject. “What are you here for today?”

“I came to check on you. Ge couldn’t come himself.”

“What happened to him?” Li Xuan’s heart sank, and he unconsciously sat up straight from where he was leaning against the headboard. “Didn’t they say his injuries weren’t serious?”

“They aren’t serious,” Yang Xu replied, taking a moment to respond. “He’s hiding from the paparazzi… He got into a car accident on the street, and by the time he was brought in, it was already on the news. Fans probably already know he’s in the hospital. I don’t know how many paparazzi and fans snuck in. Last time when he came to see you, as soon as he stepped out the door, ten people rushed at him, cameras flashing. They almost reopened his wound.”

As Yang Xu was speaking, he got angry, biting into the guava with force, almost splattering juice onto Li Xuan’s arm. “The hospital security came, and it took more than an hour. Other patients were complaining. Now, I don’t know how many stalkers are hiding around here. Yesterday, one person even tried to climb in through the window… Is he Spider-Man or what? Ge has a good temper, but if it were me, I’d send them straight to the police!”

“He’s got a good temper, but your company’s not doing anything about it?!” Li Xuan frowned. “What about Zhang Zhihua?”

Yang Xu froze for a moment, and Li Xuan realized his mistake. He quickly took the initiative: “I’m asking you.”

“Zhang Zhihua is terrified of Sheng Ge now. The company assigned four bodyguards to stand guard at the door of the ward,” Yang Xu replied, still looking at him oddly. “Hey, Li Xuan. You were quiet and calm before, but now you’re all cocky. Did you hit your head or something?”

Li Xuan sighed and reminded himself not to lose his temper.

Yang Xu didn’t mean to ridicule him, and after saying that, he slapped his thigh in realization. “Oh, I almost forgot. You really did hit your head.” His tone actually sounded quite cheerful.

“…Anyway, Ge can’t come over now, and I heard you’re causing trouble and not resting properly, insisting on discharging yourself, so he asked me to come over and try to convince you.”

Li Xuan rubbed his forehead and lightly bit down on his molars. “I’m not causing trouble.”

“Well, that’s the gist of it,” Yang Xu finally finished the guava. “He can’t come over, but once you recover, you can go visit him. Just wait a few days, he actually hopes you’ll rest and stay in bed. Don’t move around too much, and for heaven’s sake, stop making things worse. Ge’s really worried.”

“He’s worried about me?” Li Xuan softly repeated.

“Hey, look at your face, you’re all smug,” Yang Xu rolled his eyes with a sly smile. “He’s worried sick. Not long ago, he was still quite energetic, but now he’s all mopey like Lin Daiyu.”

“He’s not feeling well?” Li Xuan furrowed his brow unconsciously.

“You’re the one who’s not feeling well!”

“I meant emotionally,” Li Xuan sighed.

“Oh.” Yang Xu scratched his chin, “Well, not really. He was just really energetic recently, seemed like a different person. Now he’s back to normal? Mostly, he’s just worried about you. Once you’re better, maybe you two will be all lovey-dovey again. He’ll probably feel better then… Honestly, I didn’t like you much before. But if Ge’s happy with you, then I’m happy.”

Yang Xu had a simple way of thinking and was quite optimistic. Li Xuan, however, knew things had changed. He pursed his lips and couldn’t think of a response. Yang Xu didn’t notice his silence, complimented the sweetness of the guava, and cheerfully ate another one. Li Xuan just let him take it all with him.

“Well, I’m leaving now. Ge will need to eat soon… Auntie should have made pigeon soup for him today. Do you want some? I can bring you a portion.”

“No need.”

“Right, you must have a nanny at home,” Yang Xu said, with a knowing expression. “Ge wanted to send you some nutritious meals, I persuaded him not to. Anyway, just stop making trouble and get better. When the doctor says you can move around, come visit him. His ward’s down the hall.”

“Okay.” After a long pause, Li Xuan replied, “Keep an eye on his emotions. Let me know if anything happens.”

That’s how the conversation went, but the next time Li Xuan saw Sheng Min was a week later.

In the meantime, new news had surfaced regarding Qin Zhengchen.

Many of his compromising photos had spread online, and his agency quickly issued a contract termination letter. These were the official stories, but there were also rumors that he had been kicked out of the ICU while still hospitalized, and no hospital in N City dared to take him in.

It was clear someone wanted this to be a big scandal. The news spread like wildfire, almost overshadowing Sheng Min’s car accident.

Qin Zhengchen had been in the entertainment industry for so many years, and probably never faced this level of attention, but he had already disappeared from the public eye.

Some people said he had gone abroad for treatment, but others argued that he probably couldn’t afford to pay the breach of contract fees owed to the company and the brands, so traveling abroad seemed impossible. However, compared to finding out who the other people were in the scandalous photos, Qin Zhengchen’s whereabouts seemed insignificant.

Li Xuan knew who was behind it. Qin Zhengchen’s phone, along with a large number of photos, had been sent by Skinny Monkey to the office of the vice president of the video platform. This vice president had built his career through his wife’s family. His father-in-law passed away, but his wife’s brothers were quite capable. With the youngest sister being insulted like that, someone had to step in.

At nearly the same time, the video platform announced that the vice president had resigned. However, those who didn’t know the details wouldn’t connect the two.

“They know each other, right? They’re from the same group?”

“Really? I didn’t know, I’ve never heard of this person before. I’ve watched Sheng Min’s TV dramas though…”

“Keep it down… I don’t know either. I only heard about it from my daughter…”

Two nurses, after changing the bandages, walked out with a tray while sneaking glances at Sheng Min and whispering.

“Is it over?” Once the nurses closed the door, Sheng Min suddenly spoke.

It was a sunny day, and from the hospital room’s window, many patients were enjoying the sunlight in the hospital garden, with children playing and laughing in small groups. Even from the upstairs, the sounds of their joy could be heard.

“What?” Li Xuan was momentarily stunned, then realized that Sheng Min was referring to the unfinished conversation from before. He pursed his lips, his voice a little stiff, “It’s over.”

“That’s good.”

Sheng Min gently responded, then after a while, picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup of red date ginseng tea. After taking a sip, he suddenly said, “Qin Zhengchen went to Germany. The doctors there said that if he does the right rehabilitation, maybe in two or three years, he could stand again.”

“You saw him off?” Li Xuan actually didn’t want to talk about this with Sheng Min, and frowned upon hearing this.

Sheng Min shook his head. “He had a girlfriend before joining the industry… Over the years, Qin Zhengchen should have saved up a fair amount. After paying everything off, he still had a bit left. But he had trouble with his visa. He couldn’t stay in the country, and the girl, knowing we had a good relationship, came to me when she was out of options. I had someone handle it. She left on a flight a few days ago and is there now to take care of him.”

Li Xuan smiled ambiguously. “Some people are stupid to this extent.”

“It’s a matter of hardship revealing a person’s true character, not stupidity,” Sheng Min bit his lip. “They’ve been childhood sweethearts for years. They were originally going to get married, but her family thought he was poor and had no future, so they made them break up. That’s when Qin Zhengchen tried to break into the entertainment industry. But after one or two years without making a name for himself… When he was in our season of Pick the Moon, it was under closed management. After the group was formed, he found out she had already married. He even showed me a picture of her. After marriage, her husband abused her. Early this year, Qin Zhengchen hired a lawyer to help her get a divorce and gave her money to help her survive. After that, they lost contact… She only came to find him after hearing about his incident.”

“Did his girlfriend tell you all this?” Li Xuan looked up. “I guess she knew you were soft-hearted and would help anyone.”

“… He ended up like this because of me…”  

Li Xuan almost immediately interrupted him. “I already told you, it has nothing to do with you.”

The words were familiar, and Li Xuan blurted them out, but after speaking, he felt uneasy. He lowered his eyes, pressing his lips into a thin line.

“People are multifaceted,” Sheng Min sighed. “A lot of times, the initial intention may not have been bad, but if things go off track, it’s hard to go back. If he hadn’t been so stubborn back then, maybe he would’ve already been married with children, and things would have been much better than now.”

“You don’t need to tell me this,” Li Xuan said. “Anyway, I did what I did. Whatever happens to him now, he deserves it.”

Sheng Min didn’t respond. After a while, Li Xuan finally raised his eyes to look at him: “Are you blaming me?”

His tone was still calm, but his hand had unknowingly clenched.

“Li Xuan.” Sheng Min shook his head and called his name softly. “Don’t you understand? I don’t blame you, and I never will.”

This unexpected answer made Li Xuan’s heart tremble. For a moment, he felt at a loss and didn’t know how to react. Sheng Min, however, seemed not to notice. After a moment, his voice sounded again: “I just think, maybe you didn’t expect things to turn out this way. Anyway, I don’t want you to keep dwelling on it.”

“Impossible,” Li Xuan firmly denied. “I’ll say it again, he deserves it.”

“That’s what I wanted to say,” Sheng Min didn’t argue, lightly sighing again. “Anyway, it’s over. From now on… don’t be so impulsive.”

After the tea had cooled, it began to heat up again, bubbling with a faint sweet fragrance.

“Do you only want to talk about other people?” After a while, Li Xuan asked in a dull voice.

“What do you want to talk about?” Sheng Min looked down at his tea, his eyelashes obscuring his eyes, his gaze unreadable.

Li Xuan paused, subconsciously licking his lips, unusually hesitant.

“When are you getting discharged?” The silence in the room lasted for a long time before Sheng Min spoke first.

“Probably next Monday,” Li Xuan coughed lightly, then asked, “And you?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

“Is everything okay?”

“The doctor said I’m fine.”

Li Xuan nodded and thought for a moment before asking, “So how’s your mood these days? I mean, your body’s recovered. Will you… Yang Xu said you’ve been feeling down lately…”

He stuttered more than usual, but Sheng Min understood.

“It’s fine, I’m doing well. I’ve been taking my medicine on time. A few days ago, I even saw a psychologist, and they said everything was okay.”

“That’s good.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Sheng Min said after finishing a cup of tea. “I just got a new drama. We’re doing a script reading next week. We start filming at the beginning of the month, so after I’m discharged, I’ll have to go to another city.”

“So soon?” Li Xuan was surprised and frowned.

“It was offered to me a long time ago, but we kept saying we were considering it. I didn’t take it at first, and they’ve been waiting for so long…”

Sheng Min paused, and the smile that he had been forcing all this time disappeared unknowingly. Suddenly, Li Xuan felt nervous about what he was going to say next.

“So if you’re going to pick up something from the apartment, I might not be there. You have the key, so just go in and take what you need. If you don’t have time for now, it’s fine. You can stay a little longer… I’ve really enjoyed this time.” He smiled and looked at Li Xuan sincerely. “Thank you.”

Without a mirror, Li Xuan couldn’t see his expression, but he knew it was anything but dignified. He felt his whole body stiffen.

“Is this what you wanted to tell me?” he asked hoarsely, “You said we should give each other space to calm down… is this your answer after thinking it through?”

Sheng Min’s fingers were twisting the fringe on the sofa, his fingertips turning pale from lack of circulation. His calmness earlier was like a thin veil, easily pierced by Li Xuan’s words. He shook his head, and after a moment, sighed. “This is your answer.”

An inexplicable sorrow and a vast emptiness enveloped Li Xuan at that moment, but he found himself unable to argue. He suddenly remembered that that day was the last day of June, and from the time he had seen Sheng Min at the bus station to now, it had only been fifty-one days. It had been such a short time after all.

“Then what about you?” Li Xuan suddenly raised his head, his voice betraying a vulnerability he hadn’t noticed, breathless as if lacking oxygen. “Sheng Min, what do you want? Tell me.”

Sheng Min stared at him, their gazes meeting before he quickly looked away, as though burned by the intensity of their connection. He turned to look out the window.

Silence stretched between them for a long time, but the laughter from downstairs grew clearer. Children, seemingly out of nowhere, had found a net and were chasing butterflies in the garden, giggling as they ran.

Suddenly, Sheng Min remembered reading something in a script once, saying that there are 17,000 species of butterflies in the world.

Which one of them had fluttered its wings to make them meet?

Of course, he could speak up, ask for anything, and Li Xuan would agree. Sheng Min knew this well, and that was why he couldn’t bring himself to say a word. He didn’t want Li Xuan to feel even the slightest hesitation or unwillingness.

They were supposed to be strangers, like two parallel rivers, only crossing for a brief moment due to a twist of fate. But they had different shores. He had managed to hold on to Li Xuan for just a moment, but he couldn’t and shouldn’t make the river stop for him.

Li Xuan was still waiting for his answer.

“Do you remember what I said when we first met?” Sheng Min finally looked at him, his expression open and honest, forcing a smile. “What happened between us was an accident, an accident that wasn’t in anyone’s plan. Now everything should be back on track. You don’t need to make changes that you’re not prepared for just because of this chapter… don’t let this disrupt your life. That’s all I want.”

…..

“Ge!” Yang Xu pushed the door open. “Why are you the only one here? Wasn’t Li Xuan just here?”

Sheng Min stood quietly by the window, his back to him.

“What are you looking at?” Yang Xu asked, not getting a response. He walked over and patted Sheng Min’s shoulder.

Only then did Sheng Min notice him. “You’re here.”

“Yeah. What were you looking at? You seemed so absorbed.” Curious, Yang Xu glanced outside. It was almost lunchtime, and most patients had already returned to their rooms. Only a few children could be seen, looking dejected as they left the garden with a net. “What are they doing?”

“The butterfly flew away,” Sheng Min said softly.

“What?” Yang Xu asked, confused. He scratched his head and then added, “Where’s Li Xuan? Isn’t he staying for lunch? I even brought him a portion.”

“He…” Sheng Min’s voice was distant, so much so that Yang Xu had to focus to catch his words. “He’s not coming back.”