Let Me Meet You chapter 56
The Contract
On the third day in the hospital, Li Mingge arrived.
When the door opened, Li Xuan was on the balcony, speaking on the phone with Qi Boyuan. Most of the pre-launch work for their game was complete. With Li Xuan absent from the company, Qi Boyuan was managing everything on his own, juggling multiple responsibilities like a spinning top. Yet he neither complained nor pressured Li Xuan, simply asking, “Will you be coming to the office on launch day? To be honest, I’m a bit nervous. If you’re free, drop by.”
“What’s there to be nervous about?” Li Xuan glanced back at Li Mingge but didn’t acknowledge him, continuing his phone call. Qi Boyuan had prepared himself for a rejection, but Li Xuan’s next words surprised him: “I’ll return to the office in a few days. Thanks for holding down the fort.”
“Are you serious?” Qi Boyuan’s delight was evident in his tone.
“Yes,” Li Xuan replied casually, not mentioning he was in the hospital. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now… Oh, and about the promotional graphics, go with Chu Tianheng’s last version. Tell him to stop overthinking it.”
Qi Boyuan chuckled, “You’re one to talk about overthinking. Fine, I’ll let him know.”
After ending the call, Li Xuan rubbed his temples. The car accident had caused a concussion, leaving him with headaches and nausea. He’d planned to discharge himself, but a CT scan revealed residual blood clots in his brain, prompting the doctor to insist on further observation.
“You seem busy,” Li Mingge remarked from the couch.
Li Xuan’s tone was indifferent. “Not particularly.”
“Not particularly? Busy enough to land yourself in the hospital?” Li Mingge’s disdain was evident. “And what’s this about you being in the same car as that minor celebrity? What on earth are you doing, hanging out with these kinds of people instead of coming home?”
His mocking tone darkened Li Xuan’s expression. “I don’t need to explain my friendships to you.”
“If you could manage yourself properly, we wouldn’t need to have this conversation. Skipping the lab, not applying to any summer programs—getting yourself a concussion and ending up hospitalized? And you think you’re doing well?” Li Mingge scolded. “I haven’t even told your mother about this. If she knew, I’d have to clean up your mess again.”
Li Xuan chuckled coldly. “You’re not protecting me; you’re protecting her. If you want, you can tell her everything. It makes no difference to me.”
Hearing this, Li Mingge’s expression shifted. Li Xuan didn’t care. Dusk had fallen, and after a day of medical tests and reviewing documents Qi Boyuan had sent over, he’d barely touched the dinner delivered to him. He decided to order a new meal.
“Must you always speak with such an attitude?” Li Mingge finally said, suppressing his anger, though his tone carried the condescension of someone accustomed to authority. “Li Xuan, we’ve never treated you poorly. The traffic authorities contacted me immediately after your accident, and I arranged everything to ensure you were cared for. I even considered transferring you to a private hospital, but the doctors said it wasn’t necessary, so I left you here for convenience. You’re staying in the best room this hospital has, with top specialists attending to you. Over the years, have we ever deprived you of anything? And yet, you still act like you don’t want to be part of this family.”
“Yes, I don’t want to.” Li Xuan spoke lazily, thought for a while, and then started with an irrelevant topic. “Before I went to your house… no, it should be after I went there, before the third blood draw, I actually didn’t have much of a concept of illness… It was probably the nurse who noticed I had a fever during the blood draw, and she said I couldn’t have it done. That’s when I realized I could get sick. It didn’t seem like a big deal, I even tried to convince her to still do it…”
“That was still your choice,” Li Mingge interrupted impatiently.
“Yes, of course,” Li Xuan nodded firmly, seeing the look on Li Mingge’s face made him almost want to laugh. “Don’t misunderstand. What do you think I’m trying to say? There’s no hidden meaning. I just want to say that I’m someone who lives a rough life, I don’t need a delicate living environment. I don’t need a luxury hospital room with a personal caregiver. Haven’t I lived days with the sky as my blanket and the ground as my bed? I never had the concept of being sick before, headaches or fevers didn’t need treatment, just tough it out for a couple of days and it’s over, I’d be fine. It’s the same now.”
Li Xuan took a sip of water. “I’ve already transferred the hospital fees to that card you gave me. I haven’t touched the card, it’s been sitting at your house all this time, and the password hasn’t been changed. You should know this, so it’s pointless to keep bringing it up… As for this car accident and the traffic police contacting you, yes, I didn’t expect that. So when you have time, let’s move my household registration, and I won’t trouble you again. Or, if you think this has affected your work and you need compensation, feel free to mention it.”
Li Mingge seemed to hear a joke, his tone still full of contempt: “You’re talking to me about money? Have you grown wings? How much have you saved over the years? That game company hasn’t earned a cent, right? Do you think I need your money?”
“Why would I need to compare?” Li Xuan said calmly, “It’s not about whether you need it, it’s about what I can offer.”
“You’re really getting bold.” Li Mingge repeated, sneering, “Do you think that if you don’t use my money, you don’t owe us anything? Li Xuan, you have to keep your word.”
This old, repetitive argument made Li Xuan’s headache worse. But his mind wandered for a moment as he thought about how Li Mingge’s nagging resembled that of the Tang Monk. Too bad he wasn’t the Monkey King, the more the curse was recited, the less it would help. But he didn’t want to waste time on this issue anymore. He slowly finished his water and placed the cup on the table. “Are you sure this is something you should be saying to me? Our contract ended after the surgery. If the surgery failed, it’s not my fault. I did my part, but your son didn’t have the will to live…”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Li Mingge glared and slammed the table.
It seemed that downstairs someone was spraying disinfectant, and the smell wafted up, pungent in the air. Li Xuan closed the window, unmoved by Li Mingge’s outburst. “Don’t think I’m speaking harshly. It’s just the truth, and truth is never pleasant. The reason I stayed for so many years was because I promised him that if anything happened during the surgery, I would take care of Aunt Shu. No one expected her to go mad…”
“She didn’t go mad!” Li Mingge said angrily.
Li Xuan shrugged. “Then maybe you’re the one who’s gone mad… Anyway, the care I promised wasn’t about replacing him, but if you think that’s what I meant, then so be it. But we agreed at the start, everything began because of Zhao Jizhe, so the care would last until his release from prison, and then it would end. I told you all this five years ago.”
“Li Xuan, he’s gone now. You can say whatever you want… but at that time, how old were you? What did kids’ words even mean?”
“I stand by everything I said, regardless of age.” Li Xuan shook his head, his temple still hurting as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why bother? You know in your heart, if I don’t agree and if I’m set on leaving, no one can stop me. Who’s the one failing to keep their word?”
The door to the hospital room was knocked on; it was the meal Li Xuan had ordered.
“Visiting hours are almost over, the patient needs to rest.” The nurse, who was also coming for rounds, reminded him.
Li Xuan nodded, indicating that he understood, and sat down to take out his chopsticks. The hospital food was bland, but he was hungry, so he drank half a bowl of soup first. He didn’t look at Li Mingge and casually said, “Zhao Jizhe will be out next month. I think it’s on the 9th or 10th, I can’t remember. Before that, if needed, I can play the role of a filial son for one more day.”
There was no real room for negotiation in his words, and Li Mingge naturally understood that.
“Fine, fine,” he frowned and said the word fine twice, but his tone wasn’t approving. “I don’t care what you said back then. But what did you tell me? You remember you switched majors in your first year, right? You promised you’d finish your degree. Have you finished it now?”
Li Xuan unconsciously tightened his grip on his chopsticks. After a moment, he raised his head and looked at Li Mingge until Lu Mingge awkwardly shifted his gaze. Li Xuan smiled: “To be honest, I didn’t expect you to bring this up… But it’s fine, you’re an elder, and since you’ve mentioned it, let me clarify… This semester, I’ll have completed the required credits. The graduation project has been prepared from the start. If you’re worried, I can send it to you. You’re in this field, so you’ll understand. This way, next semester, I won’t have to take any more classes. Isn’t that considered finishing?”
“Then stay for the whole year and graduate next year officially. I can tell your mom you went abroad,” Li Mingge paused, reluctantly conceding.
“No.” Li Xuan rejected directly, “Next year, you’ll have a new excuse, and I don’t have the time to deal with it again… I’m afraid that by then, you’ll want me to pursue a PhD in physics and join a research institute. Sorry, I’m not interested.”
It seemed Li Mingge had been hit in a sore spot, his expression darkened even further, and he remained silent for a long time.
Li Xuan quickly finished his meal, and called the nurse to take it away. He felt like smoking, but when he checked his pockets, he didn’t have a cigarette pack, so he took out a mint candy instead. “Actually, you might as well just tell Aunt Shu the truth… She might understand, it’s you who…”
“Do you think your mother can handle this? Are you trying to kill her?” Li Mingge suddenly stood up, slamming the table in anger.
At this point, he remained stubborn and refused to change his way of addressing him. Over the years, Li Xuan had come to understand this, but at that moment, he still found it somewhat tiresome: “Well, that’s your business. I’ve fulfilled my responsibilities and obligations… I didn’t explain things clearly before, but it’s all clear now.”
“You’re determined to go against me, aren’t you?” Li Mingge sat back down.
Li Xuan sighed helplessly: “It’s really not going against you from my side. But if you think it is, then fine.”
“You’re not qualified to do this,” Li Mingge sneered. “I already told you last time, don’t really think that just because you’re a little clever, that you’re a genius, it makes you worth something. To me, you’re just a naive kid.”
Last time. Li Xuan rolled the mint candy around his mouth as he thought about when Sheng Min went to the Li family for him. Thinking of Sheng Min, he unconsciously pressed his lips together. Seeing his expression, Li Mingge thought he was intimidated and, mixing soft and hard tactics, said: “Li Xuan, you’re a good kid. Even though you refuse to call me ‘Dad,’ your mother and I won’t have any other children. You have your own ambitions and ideals, which is good. But there’s no need to rush. Listen to me, and after a few years, everything will be yours… So don’t be so stubborn. Things like opportunities falling from the sky don’t happen all the time. But if you keep being this stubborn… we’ve spoiled you too much over the years, maybe you really need some experience.”
He probably had just come from a meeting, wearing a suit, his hair neat. Aside from a few strands of gray hair and wrinkles on his face, he didn’t look much different from when he first sought out Li Xuan. Always high and mighty, arrogant.
Li Xuan bit into the mint candy with a snap, and the spicy taste went down his throat, making him feel refreshed. He smiled faintly: “Sorry, I don’t like to take handouts. I don’t need anything anyone gives me. I’ll define my own success. Even if I only end up with a handful of glass shards, I can still swallow it. No need to worry about me.”