Let Me Meet You chapter 59
Decent
As Li Xuan walked downstairs and out of the shop, he could still feel Zhao Jizhe’s gaze following him from the second-floor loft.
Zhao Jizhe had always been a bit extreme—something Li Xuan had known since they were kids. Back then, he’d chalked it up to childhood insecurity and their chaotic environment. It wasn’t until Zhao Jizhe’s imprisonment that Li Xuan realized how deep those issues ran.
At that time, Li Xuan had just arrived at the Li family, and for several months, he had no time to visit the prison. Zhao Jizhe attempted self-harm while in prison because of it… Li Xuan had thought that after these years, things might have changed, but now it seemed they hadn’t.
Still, it was hard for him to blame Zhao Jizhe too much. After all, Zhao Jizhe had left the orphanage together with him. For many things, Li Xuan always felt a sense of responsibility, which made him inevitably more lenient. Suppressing a faint sense of unease, he quickened his pace towards the car.
When he returned to school, there were still fifteen minutes left before the exam started. He found his examination room just as the test papers were being handed out.
To be honest, he hadn’t paid much attention to Structural Mechanics that semester. Before the two quizzes, he had only skimmed through the book. Preparing for the final exam, after being discharged from the hospital in recent days, he simply practiced a couple of exercises at night after finishing his work during the day.
The exam paper wasn’t particularly difficult for him. The last question was a bit more complicated, but he used a different method and solved it quickly. When he looked up, there were still 30 minutes left. Feeling a bit drowsy from waking up early, he rested his head on the desk for a quick nap and left as soon as the bell rang for collecting the papers.
“Li Xuan.” Just as he walked out of the teaching building, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind.
“You walk so fast.” He turned around to see a fellow student who seemed vaguely familiar, likely someone from a large lecture.
“How did it go?” the boy asked enthusiastically. “Did you use the materials I gave you? Managed to predict some of the questions, right?”
Li Xuan realized who he was and nodded slightly. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.
“Ah, there’s no need to be so formal,” the boy said, looking embarrassed. “It’s no big deal… Are you heading back to your dorm? Going to the cafeteria for food?”
“No,” Li Xuan shook his head. “I have something else to do.”
“Alright, see you around then.”
When Li Xuan returned to the software park, he noticed the same bench as before while parking. Birds were still hopping around, searching for food nearby, but there was no one feeding them this time. Li Xuan stared at the empty bench for a while, snapped out of it, and started his car, driving out of the parking lot.
Initially, he thought he was driving aimlessly. But the further he went, the more familiar the surroundings became. Eventually, as he stopped outside Sheng Min’s residential complex, he sighed in resignation.
Sheng Min’s social media hardly ever showed any updates and Yang Xu had already blocked him on WeChat. Judging by Sheng Min’s words when they last parted, he should currently be on set. However, his studio had released his schedule earlier in the month, which showed a magazine shoot in N City two days ago. Li Xuan had no idea where he was now.
Li Xuan parked on the roadside and walked to the convenience store across the street, from where he could see Sheng Min’s apartment windows. But since it was still daytime, there was no way to tell if any lights were on inside.
Focused on the view, he was bumped into by a passerby, who didn’t apologize and hurried away.
Li Xuan suddenly thought that he and Sheng Min were no different—strangers crossing paths. After brushing past each other, the chances of meeting again were slim.
Life wasn’t a movie. Unless deliberate or forced, everything depended on luck.
That day, it seemed luck wasn’t on his side. The people passing by changed one after another, but none of them were the person he wanted to see. Li Xuan pulled out his phone, staring at a number he knew by heart, but hesitated to press it.
What would he even say?
He despised his current state. He had never been so hesitant, so indecisive. This wasn’t like him at all.
While he was wavering, his phone lit up suddenly. His heart skipped a beat, only to drop again when he saw the caller’s name.
“Hello,” he answered.
“What’s up with you?” Qi Boyuan sounded surprised. “You don’t sound right.”
“Nothing. What do you need?”
“Did you finish your exam? Are you back at the office?”
“Not yet. Just tell me what’s up.”
“Oh, it’s not urgent.” Qi Boyuan continued, “We’ve run tests on all seven mainline tasks this afternoon—no issues. Are you planning to hold a meeting today? The launch is next week. It might be good for Operations to report their progress on the promotions, and we can finalize the last few publicity activities.”
“Alright,” Li Xuan glanced at the time. “6:30. I’ll head back now.”
After hanging up, he paused for a moment by his car but ultimately didn’t look back. He opened the door and drove away.
“Ge? Hey, Ge!” Yang Xu waved a hand in front of Sheng Min’s face. “The car’s here. What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.” Sheng Min shook his head. By the time he looked again, the person had vanished.
It was just a silhouette that looked a little familiar. Forcing himself to look away, Sheng Min muttered, “It just looked a bit like him.”
“Sir, in the future, don’t stop at the entrance of the complex. Always drive into the garage,” Yang Xu instructed the new driver. “The old driver used to do that—it’s safer. Fans often lurk at the entrance.”
“Got it. I couldn’t find the garage entrance earlier, though,” the driver replied earnestly while helping load the luggage into the trunk. “Heading to the airport now?”
“Yes, let’s go.” Sheng Min nodded but paused when Yang Xu suddenly said, “Wait,” and ran over to toss a black plastic bag into a trash bin.
“What did you throw away?” Sheng Min asked casually as the car ascended a flyover.
Yang Xu didn’t respond. Sheng Min asked again, and after some hesitation, Yang Xu raised the partition and nervously glanced at Sheng Min. “A book.”
“A book?” Sheng Min was puzzled. “What book?”
“Li Xuan’s.” Yang Xu sighed in resignation. “I’ve never seen you read it anyway, so it must’ve been his. I found it while packing your luggage…”
Sheng Min sighed. “You’re something else.”
“I’m just saying,” Yang Xu retorted angrily. “The guy’s gone, so why keep his stuff around? Taking up space for no reason.”
“He probably just forgot to take it,” Sheng Min replied lightly. “It wasn’t intentional.”
“Then just throw it away. It’s not like he can’t afford another. He’s filthy rich. Why should you care?” Yang Xu continued, his anger barely contained. “I told you he was no good. As soon as his father showed up, he pushed for you two to break up…”
“What drama are you watching lately? I’ve told you, we didn’t break up.” Sheng Min rubbed his temples. “And he’s not bad, so stop talking nonsense.”
“Oh.” Yang Xu’s face was full of disbelief, as if saying, Yeah, keep defending him. I don’t buy it. “Then what was it?”
Sheng Min didn’t respond, gazing out the window in silence. Yang Xu, recalling how poorly Sheng Min had been sleeping recently, started to feel a little regretful.
“Ge, I…”
“Have you heard the story of Dong Yong and the Seventh Fairy?” Sheng Min suddenly asked.
“Huh?” Yang Xu was taken aback. “Of course, I’ve heard it. The Seventh Fairy descended to the mortal world, and Dong Yong stole her clothes, so she stayed behind to be his wife.”
“Exactly. He relied on stealing to keep her.” Sheng Min’s eyes seemed to focus on some unknown point, and his voice softened. “When a person covets something they shouldn’t, they end up losing their dignity.”
Yang Xu still didn’t understand. After a long pause, he asked in confusion, “Ge, are you the fairy or Dong Yong?”
Sheng Min gave a faint smile without answering. “I’m tired. Let me nap for a bit. Wake me up when we get to the airport.”