Little Meteor Chapter 16
byChapter 16 Shen Mu, Don’t Scare Me Like That Again
Shen Mu hadn’t returned home for over half a month, but it wasn’t entirely to avoid Jiang Chengxuan. His scenes were demanding, and the shooting schedule was packed until he finally finished the last shot today. As the crew began packing up the equipment, Shen Mu stood a short distance away, took out his phone, and sent Jiang Chengxuan a message: I can go back today.
Not long after the message was sent, his phone vibrated.
“Finished shooting over there?”
“Mhm, just wrapped up.”
Jiang Chengxuan chuckled, his voice sounding a little hoarse: “Are you tired?”
“Not really.” Shen Mu hesitated. “What time do you… get off work today?”
Jiang Chengxuan didn’t answer immediately. Someone on the other end of the line seemed to say something to him. He responded with a “Got it, I’ll be right there,” before speaking into the phone again: “There was an emergency. I might be late, probably won’t finish until around 7:30.”
Jiang Chengxuan let out a soft laugh: “What, are you planning to come pick me up?”
Shen Mu was ruthless: “No, I was just asking.”
Jiang Chengxuan deliberately sighed: “Alright, I guess I’ll go back by myself then. But if you suddenly decide you want to come, I’ll be at the Nurse Station on the third floor of Inpatient Building Five. Just wait for me there.”
Shen Mu heard someone call him again. Jiang Chengxuan quickly said “See you later” and hung up the phone.
By the time the crew’s car arrived at the hospital, it was nearly seven in the evening. Everyone was starving, having skipped dinner. They called for Shen Mu to join them at a restaurant, but Shen Mu said he had something else to do and didn’t go along.
Shen Mu arrived at the third-floor Nurse Station and found an inconspicuous corner to lean against the wall and scroll through his phone.
The female patient Jiang Chengxuan had admitted finally woke up two days ago. As soon as she was transferred from the ICU to a regular ward, she asked to see Jiang Chengxuan, finally determined to call the police: “I want to report him for intentional assault. He hits me constantly, beating me half to death. The moment I mention divorce, he hits even harder. If it weren’t for the child, I wouldn’t have tolerated it until now… When I came back from the hospital, I told him I wouldn’t tolerate it this time, that I wanted a divorce, and he just pushed me straight down the stairs. Doctor Jiang, please save me. If I stay with him, I really will die!”
Jiang Chengxuan’s voice was deep and reassuring: “It’s good that you’ve made up your mind. Don’t worry, I will help you contact the police and the Women’s Federation. All your medical records and injury reports are in the system, and these will be submitted to the police as crucial evidence. Right now, the most important thing is to recover your health so you have the energy to face what comes next.”
The ward door was suddenly slammed open. Her husband’s bag of fruit dropped to the floor with a smack, oranges and apples rolling everywhere.
He rushed in, pointing at Jiang Chengxuan and cursing loudly: “I knew you had bad intentions! Was it you?! Were you the one instigating my wife to divorce me?! You bastard! May you die a horrible death for breaking up other people’s families!”
He grabbed a glass water cup from the nearby bedside table and hurled it at Jiang Chengxuan. Jiang Chengxuan quickly dodged, and the glass cup shattered against the wall. After throwing it, the man ran directly out of the ward and stood in the hallway, waving his arms at the passing people: “Everyone, come judge this! Look at this unscrupulous doctor! It’s this Doctor Jiang! He has ill intentions! He’s stirring up trouble between me and my wife! He insists on making my wife divorce me! Our child is so young, and he’s trying to break up our family! Is there no justice left in the world!”
His wailing was so tragic that it immediately drew the attention of everyone in the corridor.
Seeing that he had an audience, he performed even harder: “We’re just ordinary people who came to see a doctor, and how did we run into a doctor like this! We spent so much money on treatment, and now he wants to destroy someone else’s family! What kind of hospital is this!”
The nurses at the Nurse Station were pale with anger and wanted to step forward to argue, but the Head Nurse stopped them with a look. The correct course of action at a time like this was to immediately call the police; rushing forward would only risk injury and cause a negative impact.
Jiang Chengxuan stood at the doorway of the ward, his face expressionless: “Your wife’s medical records and imaging data for intracranial hemorrhage, severe concussion, and multiple soft tissue contusions across her body are all complete. Everyone present has seen and heard her accusations just now, as well as your current behavior. The police and the Women’s Federation will intervene immediately to investigate. Are you sure you want to continue performing here instead of considering how to face the investigation for intentional assault?”
These words struck a nerve, and the man immediately swung his fist at Jiang Chengxuan.
The nurses gasped: “Doctor Jiang, watch out!”
The fist was firmly intercepted mid-air by a hand. Shen Mu twisted the man’s wrist, pinning him to the ground with a knee pressed against his lower back. The man screamed like a pig being slaughtered: “Let go of me! You’re all in this together! Ganging up to bully people! Assault! The doctor is assaulting people!”
Shen Mu increased the pressure on his hand, and the man howled in pain. Shen Mu said coldly: “Watch your mouth. Who threw the first punch? So many eyes are watching.”
The Head Nurse rushed over with the Security Guard and the police who had just arrived. The police saw the situation and immediately stepped forward: “What’s going on?”
Shen Mu only released his grip after seeing the police arrive and handcuff the man. As soon as he stood up, his arm was tightly grabbed. Jiang Chengxuan’s eyes swept over Shen Mu from head to toe, his voice strained: “Are you alright? Did he hit you anywhere? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” Shen Mu moved the arm he had used to block the punch and twisted his wrist. “See, I’m perfectly fine. Someone like him couldn’t hurt me.”
Jiang Chengxuan didn’t hear a single word. He reached out and touched the joint of Shen Mu’s wrist: “What about here? When you blocked that blow…”
The police awkwardly interrupted them: “Excuse me, gentlemen, please cooperate. We need to take statements. What exactly happened just now?”
Jiang Chengxuan finally snapped back to reality and cooperated with the police to give his statement alongside Shen Mu.
It wasn’t until Jiang Chengxuan had changed his clothes and walked out of the hospital entrance that he spoke a single word to Shen Mu.
Shen Mu followed behind him, staring at the back of his head for a long time. Finally unable to hold back, he quickened his pace, walked up next to him, and gently bumped his shoulder: “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Chengxuan finally stopped walking and turned his head to look at Shen Mu: “I was scared. I need a moment to recover.”
Shen Mu was stunned: “I thought you doctors saw scenes like this often. Were you really scared?”
Jiang Chengxuan didn’t answer his question. He took Shen Mu’s hand and placed it over his own heart: “My heart is pounding like a drum here. Can you feel it?”
Through the thin T-shirt fabric against his palm, Shen Mu could clearly feel Jiang Chengxuan’s strong and rapid heartbeat, thumping against his hand. Shen Mu’s fingers instinctively curled, and he tried to pull his hand away, but Jiang Chengxuan held it tightly.
Jiang Chengxuan was usually gentle, and Shen Mu had never realized that when he was serious, he could be particularly imposing: “Shen Mu, did you ever consider what if he hadn’t been empty-handed, but had brought a knife?”
Shen Mu was speechless for a moment: “…I didn’t think that far ahead at the time.”
Jiang Chengxuan reached out and embraced him, resting his chin on the crown of Shen Mu’s head. Shen Mu stayed quietly in his arms, only moving slightly after a while, lifting his head to meet Jiang Chengxuan’s gaze.
Jiang Chengxuan’s eyes traced Shen Mu’s features, finally settling on his slightly pursed lips. His gaze was deep. Shen Mu vaguely understood what he was about to do, and his eyelashes fluttered slightly. Jiang Chengxuan lowered his head, moving slowly. At first, he only brushed the tip of Shen Mu’s nose. Feeling that Shen Mu didn’t pull back, his lips gently covered Shen Mu’s.
Initially, it was a very soft exploration, gently sucking on Shen Mu’s lower lip and tracing the shape of his mouth with the tip of his tongue. Shen Mu’s breathing became ragged, and he slightly parted his lips. Jiang Chengxuan deepened the kiss until Shen Mu felt a little breathless and gently pushed against Jiang Chengxuan’s chest. Jiang Chengxuan finally stopped, kissed his forehead, and said in a low, husky voice: “Shen Mu, don’t scare me like that again.”