Little Meteor Chapter 15
byChapter 15: The Spring Breeze That Only Bypassed Me
The cast had a dinner gathering today. Shen Mu genuinely disliked socializing, but there were some things in society one had to adapt to. By the time he returned to the hotel, it was nearly midnight, and he had drunk quite a bit. At the moment, he only remembered playing Truth or Dare when someone asked him, “If you could be reborn, which moment in the past would you return to?”
He had simply smiled then: “I probably wouldn’t want to go back. Life is already difficult enough; who would want to do it all over again?”
If he did it all over again, would he meet Jiang Chengxuan? If he could meet Jiang Chengxuan earlier, maybe he would consider doing it again. No, he couldn’t meet him earlier either. He was so pathetic back then that he even despised himself; how could he let Jiang Chengxuan see him like that?
His mind was still fuzzy when the driver woke him up, but he remembered to scan the payment. After getting out of the car, he saw Jiang Chengxuan standing at the hotel entrance and thought he was dreaming. His steps were unsteady, and a gust of evening wind made him sway involuntarily.
Jiang Chengxuan quickly stepped forward and supported him: “Did you drink too much?”
Shen Mu looked up, his eyes slightly hazy: “It really is you. I’m not dreaming.”
The mosquito bites on Jiang Chengxuan’s arm were particularly noticeable under the streetlights: “Who else did you think it was? If you won’t come find me, then I can only come find you.”
Shen Mu stared at him blankly: “Why are you looking for me?”
“That’s right,” Jiang Chengxuan countered, “Why am I looking for you?”
Shen Mu pursed his lips, his gaze falling on Jiang Chengxuan’s arm: “How long have you been waiting? Why didn’t you wait inside?”
Jiang Chengxuan looked at Shen Mu, who was swaying and unable to stand straight, and sighed: “Don’t worry about me right now. What’s your room number? I’ll take you up.”
Shen Mu was indeed very drunk, and his mind wasn’t working well. He simply pulled out his room key card and handed it to Jiang Chengxuan.
Jiang Chengxuan glanced at the room number, then helped him into the elevator. The alcohol had fully hit Shen Mu now; he was leaning completely against Jiang Chengxuan. Jiang Chengxuan’s arm supporting him remained steady the entire time.
Opening the door and entering the room, Jiang Chengxuan helped Shen Mu sit down on the sofa: “Sit still. I’ll go pour some water.”
Shen Mu obediently drank the water he was offered. A drop of water slid down the corner of his mouth, and Jiang Chengxuan wiped it away with his thumb: “Want more?”
Shen Mu shook his head: “There’s ointment in the drawer. Can you get it for me?”
Jiang Chengxuan retrieved the ointment and handed it to him. Shen Mu twisted the cap open and carefully applied it to the swollen red bumps: “Don’t do this again in the future. You could have just asked me where I was.”
Jiang Chengxuan looked into his eyes: “Would you have told me?”
Shen Mu’s hand paused while applying the medicine, and he didn’t answer.
Jiang Chengxuan gently lifted his chin, forcing him to look at him: “Shen Mu, why are you avoiding me? At least give me a reason. Did I do something that made you uncomfortable?”
Shen Mu blinked his hazy eyes, then slumped softly into Jiang Chengxuan’s arms. Jiang Chengxuan caught him and stared at his sleeping face for a long time before finally resigning himself to carrying him to the bed and covering him with the blanket.
Shen Mu woke up first the next morning. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Jiang Chengxuan sleeping beside him. Shen Mu was startled at first, then belatedly remembered what happened last night. The moment he moved, Jiang Chengxuan woke up. Jiang Chengxuan yawned and reached out to check Shen Mu’s forehead: “You’re awake. Do you have a headache?”
Shen Mu instinctively shrank back, then felt his reaction was too obvious. He forced himself to remain calm and said, “I’m fine.”
Jiang Chengxuan propped himself up halfway, rubbing his hair with sleepy eyes: “I’ll go buy you some hangover medicine.”
The situation was truly awkward, and Shen Mu didn’t stop him, but Jiang Chengxuan checked his phone and then lay back down.
Shen Mu’s speech was still a bit sluggish: “Aren’t… aren’t you going to buy hangover medicine?”
Jiang Chengxuan rolled over, closing his eyes: “It’s 5:30 in the morning. The pharmacy probably isn’t open yet. I’ll sleep a little longer.”
Seeing that he seemed genuinely intent on going back to sleep, Shen Mu got up and said, “Then I’ll get up first…”
Just as he was about to get out of bed, Jiang Chengxuan pulled him back under the covers. Without even opening his eyes, he tugged the blanket toward him: “Don’t get up. Lie here with me for a while.”
Shen Mu lay back stiffly, casually bringing up a topic: “How did you know I was staying at this hotel? I didn’t tell you where the film set was.”
Jiang Chengxuan chuckled with his eyes closed: “You didn’t tell me, and the photos on your Moments didn’t show where you were.”
“Isn’t your actress named Su Xieyi? I checked Su Xieyi’s Weibo Super Topic, and I only found out from the set visit photos posted by her fans.”
Shen Mu listened for a long time without speaking. Jiang Chengxuan opened his eyes, propping his head up to look at him: “Are you touched?”
Shen Mu was a little confused: “Huh?”
“Someone as old-fashioned as me, who never uses Weibo, going into a Super Topic to play Detective Conan—don’t you think that was difficult for me, and very touching?”
Shen Mu genuinely couldn’t hold back a laugh when he heard this: “Pfft… How are you old-fashioned?”
Jiang Chengxuan saw that he had finally relaxed a little and smoothed down his messy hair: “Didn’t you used to say I was old-fashioned all the time? Have you forgotten?”
That was true. Shen Mu’s face was still a little red: “It was a bit difficult for you. Well, thank you.”
Jiang Chengxuan stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly sighed and lay back down: “Forget it. We’ll talk after you’re completely sober.”
Shen Mu still wanted to say something: “Jiang Chengxuan…”
“Don’t talk,” Jiang Chengxuan closed his eyes. “I’m really tired. Let me sleep for an hour.”
Jiang Chengxuan’s voice was heavy with fatigue. After saying that, he truly stopped moving, his breathing quickly becoming even and long, falling asleep instantly.
The rest of Shen Mu’s words were stuck in his throat. He even softened his breathing, afraid of waking the person beside him.
Jiang Chengxuan had a clean, gentle appearance. His facial lines were soft, without overly sharp angles, yet still well-defined. He gave the impression of a Jiangnan ink painting—a modest gentleman, warm and refined like jade. Those two phrases suited him well.
The morning light quietly crept in through the gap in the curtains, casting a soft halo on Jiang Chengxuan’s face. Shen Mu watched quietly. Jiang Chengxuan’s eyelashes were very long. Shen Mu unconsciously counted his breaths—one, two—and slowly fell asleep himself.
He woke up again, roused by the dryness in his throat and a faint throbbing pain in his head. He squinted, adjusting to the sunlight streaming through the curtain gap, and propped himself up to sit.
The door beeped, and Jiang Chengxuan walked in carrying several bags.
“You’re awake? Perfect, I bought food.”
Jiang Chengxuan walked over and reached out to check the temperature of his forehead: “No fever. Is your headache bad? Are you nauseous?”
The cool, dry palm against his forehead felt comfortable to Shen Mu: “Just a little dizzy. I’m okay.”
Jiang Chengxuan lowered his hand: “Normal for a hangover. Go wash up first, then eat breakfast. Having something in your stomach will make you feel much better.”
Shen Mu obediently got out of bed, his steps still a little shaky, but much better than last night. He walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. Looking at his pale face and messy hair in the mirror, he took a deep breath.
When he came out, the small table had already been set up.
Jiang Chengxuan sat down opposite him and pushed a small plastic bag toward him: “This is hangover medicine. Drink some porridge first to warm your stomach, then take the medicine in half an hour.”
Shen Mu scooped a spoonful of porridge, brought it to his mouth, and then put it down: “Did you wait for me for a long time last night?”
Jiang Chengxuan was peeling a tea egg, and he smiled faintly: “Not too long. There were quite a few mosquitoes, though.” He placed the peeled egg into Shen Mu’s bowl. “However, I thought you’d ask how your clothes got changed first.”
Shen Mu nearly dropped his spoon into the bowl. He hadn’t mentioned it because he didn’t want to make things awkward for both of them. He hadn’t expected Jiang Chengxuan to bring it up proactively. Jiang Chengxuan looked at his instantly flushed face and his look of helplessness, and laughed: “I remember your skin wasn’t this thin before.”
Shen Mu tossed the spoon into the bowl, his face stern: “I remember you weren’t this much of a hooligan before.”
“I’m a hooligan?” Jiang Chengxuan looked up at him, speaking frankly, “If I were truly a hooligan, you wouldn’t be able to get up today.”
Shen Mu’s face instantly turned red enough to drip blood. He glared at Jiang Chengxuan in shame and indignation, then lowered his head and quickly ate several mouthfuls of porridge.
Seeing that Shen Mu was truly embarrassed to the point of nearly steaming, Jiang Chengxuan softened his voice: “Alright, alright, my fault. I won’t tease you anymore.”
Shen Mu ignored him. Jiang Chengxuan half-knelt in front of him: “Are you really angry? I’m sorry. I just saw you were too tense and wanted you to relax a bit.”
Only then did Shen Mu reluctantly look up at him. Jiang Chengxuan raised his hand and gently rubbed the corner of his eye with his thumb: “Shen Mu, I know you might have some concerns, or feel that something isn’t right, which is why you’re avoiding me like this. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you. But I came to find you because I wanted to see you. That’s all.”
I wanted to see you.
These four words burned and swelled painfully in Shen Mu’s chest. Shen Mu looked into his eyes and asked, “Jiang Chengxuan, why do you like me?”
Jiang Chengxuan was stunned, seemingly not expecting that question: “Do you think you don’t deserve to be liked?”
“I…” Shen Mu opened his mouth, forced a smile, and answered evasively: “I’m not without experience seeing what completeness looks like, but when it comes to me, I just don’t quite believe it.”
Shen Mu spoke poetically: “I always feel that completeness is like a spring breeze with eyes, brushing past everyone, but only bypassing me.”
“Do you think I’m being overly sentimental?” Shen Mu said softly: “But that’s just how I am. I don’t believe in sudden good fortune, and I don’t believe anyone will love me unconditionally.”
Jiang Chengxuan didn’t speak. He stood up, pressed Shen Mu’s head against his waist, and gently patted his back twice with his palm: “It’s not being sentimental, you just haven’t gotten used to it yet. Haven’t gotten used to good things happening to you, haven’t gotten used to someone constantly watching you and walking toward you.”
He felt the person in his arms gradually relax, though his breathing grew heavier. Jiang Chengxuan continued in that steady tone: “It’s okay, Shen Mu. You’re right not to believe in those vague promises. We won’t look at those.”
He loosened his grip slightly, looking down at Shen Mu’s slightly red eyes, and raised his hand to gently brush the corner of his eye with his fingertip: “It’s enough that you can see me. I am here, and I am real. My desire to see you is also real. We’ll take the rest slowly. You’ll get used to it eventually.”
Shen Mu wrapped his arms around Jiang Chengxuan’s waist, burying his face in his stomach. His shoulders trembled slightly, and it took a while for him to calm down. But he still didn’t look up, his voice thick with a nasal tone: “Jiang Chengxuan, you’re so annoying.”