Little Meteor Chapter 10
byChapter 10 “Please Don’t Be Mad at Me, Okay?”
The filming was going relatively smoothly. Shen Mu stayed on set for most of the day, and the director, seeing him constantly yawning, finally felt a pang of sympathy: “Go back and get some sleep. Don’t collapse here later.”
Shen Mu rubbed his tired eyes, no longer trying to push through. He went over to brief the actors on the script before leaving.
He slept soundly until he was woken by the persistent vibration of his phone on the pillow. He fumbled for it, squinting at the caller ID: Jiang Chengxuan.
Shen Mu swiped to answer, his voice thick with sleep: “Hello?”
Jiang Chengxuan chuckled softly: “Did I wake you?”
“No, I just woke up.” Shen Mu yawned, propping himself up. “Are you off work?”
“Mhm, I was on night duty yesterday, so I can leave on time today.” Jiang Chengxuan paused. “Do you have any energy left?”
Shen Mu rubbed his hair. It was already dusk outside. “What’s up?”
“The fridge at home is empty. I plan to go to the supermarket and pick up some groceries to make dinner.” Jiang Chengxuan’s tone was casual and natural. “Want to come along?”
“Grocery shopping?”
In his mind, doctors never had time to cook, let alone cook for themselves.
“Yeah, shopping alone is pretty boring. It’ll be a chance to get some fresh air; it’s not good to stay cooped up in the room all the time.”
He paused, then added: “Plus, you can order dishes on the spot and see if there’s anything you particularly want to eat.”
“Sounds good.” Shen Mu agreed quickly. “But I have to say upfront, I don’t cook.”
Jiang Chengxuan’s voice held a smile: “I’m not asking you to cook, just eat. Go wash up quickly. I’ll wait for you downstairs in twenty minutes.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Shen Mu quickly took a shower, changed clothes, and spent half a minute tidying up in front of the mirror before heading out.
Jiang Chengxuan’s car was already parked by the roadside. He rolled down the window, his gaze sweeping over Shen Mu’s face: “You look much better.”
Shen Mu opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. The car’s air freshener smelled very similar to Jiang Chengxuan’s scent—crisp and clean, with a hint of minty coolness.
He fastened his seatbelt: “Which supermarket are we going to?”
“It’s not far, but it might be a bit congested right now.”
The car smoothly merged into the evening traffic. The sunset outside the window painted the street a warm gold. Shen Mu relaxed against the seatback, watching the scenery rush past.
As he watched, his professional habit kicked in. He unconsciously pulled out his phone and took several photos of the flowing light and shadow outside the window.
While waiting at a red light, Jiang Chengxuan turned his head to look at him: “What are you taking pictures of?”
“Nothing much, I just thought the light and shadow looked beautiful.” Shen Mu scrolled through the photos he had just taken, the screen light reflecting on his face. “Look, this angle…”
He instinctively tilted the phone toward Jiang Chengxuan, but the next second, he suddenly realized something and froze.
Shen Mu had always been extremely sensitive to details, a trait that had been infinitely magnified after becoming a Screenwriter. Observing life and capturing subtle moments was his professional instinct, and recording inspiration with his phone anytime, anywhere had become routine.
He remembered in college he would often agonize over a photo filter for ages, pulling Jiang Chengxuan over to ask which one looked better. Jiang Chengxuan would usually just glance at it and say, “They’re all about the same, don’t waste time,” or simply “There’s no difference.” After a few times, Shen Mu stopped asking, not wanting to invite a snub.
Shen Mu pursed his lips and put away his phone: “It’s nothing, just playing around.”
Jiang Chengxuan’s gaze lingered for a moment on Shen Mu’s slightly pursed lips. The light turned green, and he slowly started the car.
“My phone broke a while ago, so I went to get a new one. The clerk asked me what features I wanted, and what price range. I thought for a long time and told them, ‘As long as it can make calls and send messages, that’s fine.'”
Shen Mu turned, looking at him with some surprise.
Jiang Chengxuan gave a self-deprecating smile: “The clerk laughed, saying my requirements were like an elderly person’s. Which young person buys a phone now without aiming for the camera and video functions? But I’m just not particular about those things; as long as it works.”
“It’s not that I’m uninterested,” Jiang Chengxuan’s voice was soft, “it’s just my personality. I’m not that sensitive to those things.”
He quickly glanced at Shen Mu: “Don’t mind it, and please don’t be mad at me, okay?”
Shen Mu’s fingers gripping his phone tightened slightly, and the subtle bitterness in his heart instantly dissipated. He hadn’t expected Jiang Chengxuan to explain so directly, nor had he expected him to notice his disappointment.
“I’m not mad.” Shen Mu’s voice was much softer than before. “It’s just… a little surprising that you would say all this.”
Jiang Chengxuan smiled without speaking. The car turned a corner, and the supermarket sign appeared in their view.
It was rush hour, so there were quite a few people. Jiang Chengxuan pushed a shopping cart, and Shen Mu walked beside him.
Jiang Chengxuan sought his opinion: “Shall we check out the vegetables first?”
“Sure.” Shen Mu nodded, his gaze sweeping over the snacks on the nearby shelves before quickly moving away. “What are you planning to make?”
“Depends on what you want to eat.” Jiang Chengxuan pushed the cart toward the fresh produce section. “Ribs? Or fish? We definitely need to buy some greens.”
“Anything is fine, you decide.” As Shen Mu spoke, he suddenly stopped. “Wait, there are samples over there.”
A small crowd was gathered around the sample table in the deli section, where a promoter enthusiastically greeted passing customers. Jiang Chengxuan looked at the slight sparkle in Shen Mu’s eyes and couldn’t help but chuckle: “Hungry?”
“A little.” Shen Mu admitted honestly, his feet already moving in that direction.
The promoter picked up a small piece of grilled sausage and handed it over. Shen Mu took a bite and nodded: “Not bad.”
“Want to buy some?”
Shen Mu pressed down on his hand: “No, I just wanted a taste. If I buy it, I’ll be too lazy to cook it when we get back.”
Jiang Chengxuan’s fingers paused slightly, then he naturally lowered his hand: “Then let’s go look at the fresh stuff.”
They slowly selected items in the fresh produce section. Jiang Chengxuan picked up a packaged box of spare ribs, checked the date, put it back, and chose a fresher box.
When they reached the seasoning aisle, Shen Mu stopped and picked up a bottle of light soy sauce: “This brand is better; my family always uses this one.”
Jiang Chengxuan took it, looked at it, and put it in the cart: “Noted.”
The shopping cart gradually filled up. Besides the planned ingredients, there were also some snacks. Shen Mu hadn’t picked up anything but vegetables, but Jiang Chengxuan had seen him glance at the snack aisle several times when they first entered, so he grabbed some of Shen Mu’s old favorites, and also bought some yogurt.
While waiting in line to check out, Shen Mu looked at the full cart and couldn’t help but laugh: “Did you buy too much?”
Jiang Chengxuan took the items out of the cart and placed them on the conveyor belt: “It’s fine, we’ll eat it slowly.”
When they left the supermarket, the sky had already darkened. Streetlights flickered on, and the evening breeze carried a slight chill.
“Is it heavy?”
Shen Mu reached out to take the shopping bag from Jiang Chengxuan’s hand.
Jiang Chengxuan handed him a very light bag, carrying the other himself: “It’s alright. Let’s split them. It’s only a few steps to the car.”
Reaching the car, Jiang Chengxuan placed the shopping bags in the trunk and opened a box of yogurt, handing it to Shen Mu: “Have some of this first.”
On the way back, Shen Mu drank the yogurt. It was peach flavored—Jiang Chengxuan still remembered.
“I’m actually quite surprised,” Shen Mu suddenly said. “I didn’t expect you actually knew how to cook.”
Jiang Chengxuan chuckled: “Doctors need to eat too. When you’re on night duty, the cafeteria is closed. You can’t just eat instant noodles every day.”
The car drove into the complex. After parking, the two carried the shopping bags upstairs.
Shen Mu had never been to Jiang Chengxuan’s place before. His apartment was a three-bedroom, one-living room, mainly decorated in light gray and natural wood tones. Everything was spotless. A light gray blanket was casually draped over the white sofa, and the coffee table only held a half-read medical book and the TV remote—nothing superfluous.
“Let’s put the groceries in the kitchen first.” Jiang Chengxuan naturally took the bag from Shen Mu’s hand. “You go rest for a bit, I’ll organize them.”
Shen Mu didn’t move. He didn’t dare sit down randomly either, so he followed him into the kitchen: “I’ll be your assistant. Even if I can’t cook, I can wash and chop vegetables.”
Jiang Chengxuan raised an eyebrow in surprise: “You really want to help?”
“I can’t just wait around to be fed, can I?” Shen Mu rolled up his sleeves, revealing his pale wrists. “Assign me a task, Chef Jiang.”
A smile spread across Jiang Chengxuan’s eyes. He took out the broccoli from the bag: “How about washing this first? Remember to cut off the root.”
Shen Mu took the broccoli and diligently rinsed it under running water. As the water rushed, Jiang Chengxuan processed the ribs nearby, the knife hitting the cutting board with rhythmic sounds.
Shen Mu held up the washed broccoli and asked: “How big should I cut these?”
Jiang Chengxuan leaned over to look: “Just cut them into small florets, no need to make them too tiny.”
Jiang Chengxuan’s arm brushed against Shen Mu’s inadvertently. Shen Mu lowered his head to chop, his ears feeling a little warm.
Jiang Chengxuan complimented him: “Good knife skills.”
Shen Mu smiled, picking up a cucumber nearby: “Should I cut this?”
“Let’s cut some cucumber for a cold dish. Smashed cucumber, simple and refreshing,” Jiang Chengxuan asked again. “Do you eat garlic?”
“I don’t mind it.”
“Then we can add some.”
Jiang Chengxuan set aside the garlic and continued marinating the ribs: “Do you like braised ribs?”
Shen Mu, chopping the cucumber, replied casually: “Where I’m from, we usually make lotus root and pork rib soup.”
“Oh, right,” Jiang Chengxuan realized. “You’re from the South. I almost forgot.”
“When you went back this time, how are your aunt and uncle doing?”
Shen Mu’s cucumber chopping slowed down a beat: “Mhm, they’re doing well.”
The two were quiet for a moment, then Jiang Chengxuan asked, “Speaking of which, I don’t think I ever heard you mention your family in college. Are you an only child?”
Shen Mu was silent for a few seconds before speaking: “No, I have an older brother.”
“A brother?” Jiang Chengxuan was surprised. “You never mentioned him. How much older is he than you? Is he still in your hometown?”
Shen Mu continued to chop the cucumber, the knife hitting the cutting board with a regular rhythm: “Ten years older.”
Ten years?
Jiang Chengxuan was not someone without boundaries. In college, since Shen Mu never voluntarily brought up family matters, he was considerate enough never to pry. But things were different now; he wanted to know Shen Mu better, which was why he tentatively asked about home life.
However, when he heard Shen Mu softly say, “My brother is ten years older than me,” Jiang Chengxuan’s movements paused almost imperceptibly.
In the era when the family planning policy was strictest, a ten-year age gap between two sons clearly did not comply with regulations. There must be some special reason behind it.
He observed Shen Mu’s reaction out of the corner of his eye, seeing only that the other person was focused on chopping the cucumber, his profile looking exceptionally quiet under the kitchen light.
Jiang Chengxuan skipped the topic: “Then next time I’ll try making lotus root and pork rib soup. Will you teach me how?”
Shen Mu looked up and smiled: “Sure, it’s not hard. You just need to choose the starchy lotus root for it to taste good.”
Just as the last dish was finished, the rice cooker clicked off. Jiang Chengxuan served the rice, and Shen Mu helped carry the dishes. Four dishes and one soup were placed on the table, steaming hot and fragrant. Shen Mu took out his phone and snapped a picture of the meal.
Jiang Chengxuan walked over with his bowl of rice, his tone amused: “What are you taking pictures of this time?”
“Documenting Chef Jiang’s culinary skills.” Shen Mu put away his phone, his eyes curving into crescents. “If I can’t eat it later, I can look at the photos to satisfy my craving.”
Jiang Chengxuan paused in the act of serving rice, looking up at him: “You can come over whenever you want to eat.”