Little Meteor Chapter 35
byChapter 35 “Everything will be fine.”
Jiang Chengxuan’s words made Shen Mu want to laugh. Although he knew he must look wretched and ugly right now, Jiang Chengxuan was amazing. It was as if no matter the situation, big or small, and no matter the emotion, as long as this person appeared, he could catch him. As long as this person was by his side, no difficulty was insurmountable. Shen Mu wanted to tell him he was fine, but the moment he tried to curve his lips into a smile, the injury on his face pulled, and he gasped in pain.
Shen Mu’s father had hit him truly hard; two days later, it was still severely swollen. Jiang Chengxuan gently stroked his cheek. Shen Mu gripped his wrist: “I’m really fine. It’s not a lie that things are better than expected. My dad just has high blood pressure, and he’s not in serious danger. That’s the best thing for me.”
Jiang Chengxuan didn’t reply, simply pulling him toward a small hotel across from the hospital. The accommodations in the small county town were simple but clean. He booked a room, had Shen Mu sit on the edge of the bed, and went downstairs to the convenience store to buy a bottle of iced cola.
“There are no ice packs, so this will have to do.” Jiang Chengxuan wrapped the cola bottle in a towel and gently pressed it against his swollen cheek. Shen Mu hissed. Jiang Chengxuan asked him, “Does it hurt a lot?”
Shen Mu originally wanted to say no, but seeing Jiang Chengxuan made it impossible to be tough. He nodded very honestly: “It hurts a lot, it hurts like hell. What should I do?”
Jiang Chengxuan placed the cola bottle on the nightstand, and his lips lightly covered Shen Mu’s. Mindful of the injury, he didn’t dare to kiss too hard, but this kind of elusive touch was even more tantalizing. Shen Mu unconsciously tilted his head slightly, wanting more. Jiang Chengxuan chuckled softly, raising a hand to cup the back of Shen Mu’s neck. Both their breaths fell out of rhythm. Shen Mu’s emotions started to spiral out of control again. Jiang Chengxuan’s tongue pried open his teeth, and Shen Mu immediately wrapped around him in response, his fingers threading into Jiang Chengxuan’s hair, pulling him closer, as if pouring all the suppressed emotions of the past two days into this kiss.
While kissing him, Jiang Chengxuan’s other hand slowly slid down his spine, like he was soothing a startled cat. Sensing Shen Mu’s unsteady breathing, Jiang Chengxuan pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against Shen Mu’s: “Does it still hurt?”
Shen Mu didn’t speak, just buried his face in Jiang Chengxuan’s neck, his breathing gradually evening out. Jiang Chengxuan smiled, his palm still gently stroking his back.
He hadn’t slept for two days, and now nestled in Jiang Chengxuan’s arms, he didn’t want to get up. Jiang Chengxuan looked down at the sleeping person in his embrace. His breathing was steady and deep, and the dark circles under his eyes were particularly noticeable against his pale skin. Jiang Chengxuan carefully lowered Shen Mu onto the bed and covered him with the blanket. The redness on Shen Mu’s face had subsided a little. Jiang Chengxuan squeezed some of the ointment he had just bought onto his fingertip. When he touched Shen Mu’s face, Shen Mu still flinched in pain and shrank further under the covers. Jiang Chengxuan coaxed him softly, “It will be better soon.”
The ointment was for swelling, and its texture was cool and refreshing. Applying it did make him feel much better. Shen Mu’s brows gradually relaxed, and he fell into a deeper sleep.
Jiang Chengxuan tidied up a few things. Shen Mu’s phone, which he had tossed onto the nightstand, kept vibrating. Jiang Chengxuan glanced at the caller ID, took the phone, and walked to the window to answer. Before he could speak, the person on the other end spoke first, sounding very anxious: “Xiao Mu, where are you?”
Jiang Chengxuan lowered his voice: “Hello, Auntie.”
The person on the other end was clearly stunned, then became even more agitated: “Who are you? Where is Xiao Mu? What happened to him?”
“Auntie, please don’t worry,” Jiang Chengxuan’s voice was gentle and reassuring: “Mumu is asleep. Do you need me to wake him up?”
Shen Mu’s mother didn’t speak for a long time, likely having already guessed Jiang Chengxuan’s identity: “Then don’t wake him. He hasn’t closed his eyes for days; let him sleep for a while. Are you free right now? I’d like to see you.”
“I am,” Jiang Chengxuan smiled, “Just tell me where, Auntie.”
Shen Mu’s mother named a location. Jiang Chengxuan tucked the blanket around Shen Mu, picked up his phone, and left.
Older people didn’t know how to choose a coffee shop. There was a KFC near the hospital. Jiang Chengxuan waited outside for ten minutes. When Shen Mu’s mother rushed over, she was slightly breathless: “I’m so sorry. I had to calm Xiao Mu’s father down first and fool him for a long time before I could leave. Have you been waiting long?”
“No,” Jiang Chengxuan smiled and helped steady her, “Let’s go in, Auntie.”
The two went inside and found a table. Jiang Chengxuan ordered two cups of milk and some snacks. Shen Mu’s mother’s gaze hadn’t left him. After a long pause, she finally spoke: “What do you do?”
Jiang Chengxuan placed the milk in front of her and replied, “I am currently a doctor in the Neurosurgery Department.”
“A doctor? Ah, that’s very impressive.”
For elders, a profession like a doctor sounded very commendable. Furthermore, the older generation valued appearances, and Jiang Chengxuan had a very pleasant, clean-cut look. Therefore, all the guesses and stereotypes Shen Mu’s mother had formed on the way were overturned. She hesitated before asking, “Is your community… messy?”
Her concern was understandable; she had probably done some research. Jiang Chengxuan smiled: “There are certainly messy ones, but please rest assured, Auntie, I am not. And Mumu is even less so.”
“I know he isn’t,” Shen Mu’s mother forced a smile. “Actually, I had a premonition a long time ago, but I didn’t dare to say it or ask. When Xiao Mu came clean to us, I wasn’t very surprised. But his father is more volatile and can’t accept it yet. You can understand that, right?”
Jiang Chengxuan nodded: “I can understand, Auntie.”
Shen Mu’s mother sighed: “I was quite nervous coming here, worried about what kind of person Xiao Mu had fallen for. But after talking to you for a few minutes, I have a general idea. Xiao Mu is stubborn; he definitely didn’t want you to see him like this, carrying everything by himself. But you still came and didn’t let him face all this alone. You are more responsible than I thought.”
Jiang Chengxuan wanted to talk to her more deeply, but Shen Mu’s mother didn’t give him the chance. If an elder wasn’t willing to listen, he shouldn’t push the conversation; it would be ineffective. This was probably Shen Mu’s daily reality. Jiang Chengxuan handed her a tissue. She took it and wiped the corner of her eye: “Alright, I know the general situation. Although I accept it better than his father, I still need time to process it. I haven’t completely come to terms with it yet. Knowing that Xiao Mu is safe with you is enough. I’ll head back now. I need to talk to his father again.”
Jiang Chengxuan offered to walk her out, but she refused. Deep down, she still couldn’t fully accept Jiang Chengxuan, but for Shen Mu’s sake, she had to meet him. Jiang Chengxuan quietly followed behind her, watching her enter the hospital before leaving. He then went back to KFC and packed a Family Bucket. When he returned to the hotel, Shen Mu was already awake, sitting on the bed in a daze. Seeing Jiang Chengxuan enter, he rubbed his eyes: “Where did you go?”
“I bought some food.” Jiang Chengxuan placed the bag on the table. “Eat something first.”
After sleeping, Shen Mu’s mood was much better. He washed his face. He hadn’t eaten anything for two days, and now he belatedly felt hungry. Shen Mu was halfway through a hamburger when Jiang Chengxuan told him: “Your auntie called just now. I answered.”
Shen Mu froze: “Huh? You went to see her?”
Jiang Chengxuan used a napkin to wipe the breadcrumbs from the corner of his mouth: “Yes. I think she likes me quite a bit.”
…Shen Mu continued gnawing on a chicken drumstick: “Where do you get that confidence? Did she even let you speak?”
“Not exactly,” Jiang Chengxuan smiled, “I did manage to say a few words.”
Shen Mu’s expression immediately became very tense: “What did she say to you? Did she scold you? Did she hit you?”
Jiang Chengxuan was amused: “I told you Auntie likes me. How could she hit me? Your dad hitting me is more likely.”
Shen Mu covered the side of his face that had been struck: “That’s true… No, what did she say to you?”
“She said I was very responsible, that I was very handsome, and that my job was good. Basically, everything about me was good.”
Shen Mu looked at him, somewhat speechless: “That couldn’t have been the exact words, right? You must have inserted a few compliments in the middle.”
“I really didn’t,” Jiang Chengxuan hugged him. “You don’t believe me?”
“I believe, I believe,” Shen Mu preferred to deceive himself right now. “My mom loves you.”
Shen Mu ate until he was full, leaving the rest to Jiang Chengxuan. Jiang Chengxuan went out to throw away the trash. Shen Mu asked him: “Do you still have energy? Want to go for a walk?”
Jiang Chengxuan said yes, it would be good for digestion. Shen Mu led him on a circuit. It was now early evening, and the liveliest part of their town was the night market, full of small stalls everywhere. Shen Mu turned his head to look at him: “This place is pretty boring, isn’t it?”
Jiang Chengxuan smiled: “With urbanization, it’s all the same now.”
Shen Mu burst out laughing. He couldn’t hold hands here, so he just squeezed Jiang Chengxuan’s fingers: “You sound so official, like my high school principal.”
“If I could be a principal at this age, that would be pretty impressive.”
“Hey, seriously,” Shen Mu stopped, looking at him with a somewhat serious expression. “Did you really take leave, or were you fired? How could the hospital let you take so much time off?”
The hospital certainly couldn’t let him take leave like this. The Director had said that if he insisted on taking time off, it wouldn’t be severe enough to require self-resignation, but at most, he wouldn’t be eligible for this year’s performance review or title promotion.
When Song Zhe found out, he spent twenty minutes on the phone scolding him, saying his brain had been squeezed by a door, joking with his future. He was supposed to be evaluated for Associate Chief Physician at the end of the year. He called him a top-tier love-drunk idiot. Jiang Chengxuan said he had been too calm and rational when he was younger, and now he didn’t want to be calm and rational anymore. Moreover, for him, it wasn’t a sacrifice, but a choice. Back then, no matter how much he regretted it, he hadn’t chased Shen Mu abroad. Now, he chose to be with Shen Mu, moving toward a future that included him.
Shen Mu kept pressing, but Jiang Chengxuan ruffled his hair: “In short, I won’t be starving. Don’t worry.”
Shen Mu looked at him for a long time. Although he couldn’t guess exactly what Jiang Chengxuan had done, it must have been earth-shattering. They strolled to the riverbank. There weren’t many people there right now. Shen Mu suddenly hugged him, burying his face in his chest, and said in a melancholy tone: “Ah Xuan, what are we going to do?”
“It’s okay,” Jiang Chengxuan kissed his forehead, his voice still very reassuring. “Everything will be fine.”