Little Meteor Chapter 23
byChapter 23 The Snail
The weather was gradually cooling down, and Jiang Chengxuan resumed his morning exercise routine, attempting to bring Shen Mu along. Shen Mu, good-natured as he was, didn’t have any morning temper when woken up and followed him for two days. However, the process was far from pleasant; he ran with a look of utter despair, yawning constantly, enduring purely out of a desire not to spoil the fun.
By the third day, Shen Mu found it difficult to get up. He stayed curled up under the blanket for a long time before finally whispering, “Running is so tiring.”
Jiang Chengxuan chuckled, smoothing down his messy sleep-tousled hair. “If you don’t like running, then don’t run. Why didn’t you say so before? You forced yourself for two days—wasn’t that uncomfortable?”
Shen Mu blinked blankly, seemingly not quite understanding the statement, or perhaps not being used to such privilege. “…Huh? I can not run?”
Jiang Chengxuan said of course he could. If he didn’t like it, he didn’t have to run. He could refuse anything he disliked.
Shen Mu felt that Jiang Chengxuan was incredibly tolerant of him. It wasn’t just about not forcing him to run; he could be willful, emotional, and vulnerable in front of Jiang Chengxuan. He had never before experienced the security of knowing he would be caught, no matter what, but this feeling of security didn’t last long.
Shen Mu’s mother called him, saying his father had suddenly fainted last night and asking him to rush home. Shen Mu’s knuckles tightened around his phone as he comforted his mother before hanging up.
When Jiang Chengxuan called him for breakfast, he found Shen Mu sitting rigidly on the sofa. He walked over, took his hand, and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Shen Mu’s eyes held a moment of blankness, as if his soul had been momentarily drawn away, only to struggle back into his body upon hearing Jiang Chengxuan’s voice.
“I…” He opened his mouth, his voice dry. “I need to go home.”
“Did something happen?”
Shen Mu pulled his hand away, his tone relatively calm. “My dad fainted last night and is in the hospital now. Mom asked me to go back and check on him.”
Jiang Chengxuan’s palm felt empty, and that instant of withdrawal made his heart sink. Shen Mu’s calmness was more worrying than any panic. There was no color in his face, and the fingertips that had just been held were still cold.
“Is it serious? I’ll drive you to the airport right away.”
Jiang Chengxuan had already picked up the car keys when Shen Mu’s voice suddenly rose slightly. “No need!”
He quickly realized his lapse in composure, took a deep breath, lowered his gaze, and avoided Jiang Chengxuan’s eyes. “You really don’t need to trouble yourself. I can take a taxi to the airport myself.”
He stood up and walked stiffly toward the bedroom. “I’m going to pack a few clothes.”
Shen Mu called the director to ask for leave. Fortunately, the filming was already in the final stages, and his presence wasn’t strictly necessary.
Shen Mu’s state was clearly off, and Jiang Chengxuan would not let him go to the airport alone under any circumstances. He rarely refused to compromise, and the car was silent on the way to the airport. Shen Mu looked sideways at the rapidly receding streetscape outside the window, not saying a word.
At a red light, Jiang Chengxuan gently placed his hand over Shen Mu’s hand resting on his thigh. “Don’t be afraid. Whatever it is, go back and check the situation first. Call me anytime if you need anything, okay?”
Jiang Chengxuan’s palm was warm and dry. This time, Shen Mu didn’t immediately pull away, and he even managed a smile. “Got it.”
Arriving at the airport departure level, Shen Mu got out, carrying his backpack.
“I’m leaving.”
“Shen Mu.” Jiang Chengxuan called out to him.
Shen Mu turned back. Jiang Chengxuan tucked a plastic bag into Shen Mu’s arms. Inside were bottled water and some individually packaged cookies and small cakes that he had quickly packed while Shen Mu was getting ready. “Take these for the road. You don’t know how long you’ll have to wait. Have something to tide you over. Tell me when you arrive.”
“…Mhm.” Shen Mu replied, turning to merge into the flow of people.
Jiang Chengxuan looked at his slender back and sighed silently.
Shen Mu had retreated again.
Like a startled snail, having just tentatively extended its soft antennae and felt a little warmth and wind from the outside world, it immediately withdrew into the shell it considered safe, and this time, it sealed the entrance tightly shut.
Shen Mu arrived at the hospital early the next morning. His mother was dozing against the headboard, but his father was awake. His face was pale, but he seemed to be in good spirits.
Shen Mu’s voice was hoarse from the overnight journey. “Dad, Mom.”
His mother instantly woke up. Seeing him, her eyes reddened again. “Xiao Mu is back. You scared me to death last night…”
His father frowned. “Why did you come back? Making a fuss over nothing. I just lost my footing for a moment and felt dizzy. It’s an old problem, I just need rest.” He looked at Shen Mu’s mother with a hint of reproach. “I told you not to call Xiao Mu. He’s busy with work, and traveling back and forth just causes trouble.”
His mother felt a little wronged by the scolding. “I was terrified at the time! Your face was frighteningly white.”
“Frightened of what? I’m perfectly fine now, aren’t I?” His father waved a hand at Shen Mu. “Alright, alright, you’ve seen me. I’m fine. Go buy a ticket and get back to work. I can be discharged tomorrow.”
Shen Mu looked at his father, who was still lying down receiving an IV and whose complexion hadn’t fully recovered, yet insisted on putting on a facade of “I’m fine, I’m very strong.” The tight string in his heart relaxed by half, the remaining half being a helpless sorrow.
He tried to make his tone sound lighter. “Dad, what kind of talk is that? You fainted, of course Mom had to tell me. Isn’t it right that I come back to check on you? Work is not as important as your health.”
He walked to the bedside, picked up the water cup on the nightstand, checked the temperature, added some hot water, and handed it to his father. “What did the doctor say? Have all the tests been done? What’s the specific situation?”
“They just said it was insufficient blood supply to the brain. They prescribed some medicine and told me to observe for two days. I can be discharged if everything is fine.” His father took the cup. “It’s a minor issue. Don’t look like the sky is falling. Hurry up and get back to your business. You don’t need to stay here and watch over me.”
Shen Mu peeled an apple for him. “Don’t be stubborn, Dad. The doctor made you stay for observation; how can it be a minor issue? I’ve already taken leave. Just stay put for two days, get a thorough check-up, and everyone will feel better.”
The apple peel spiraled down, and Shen Mu’s voice was steady. “Work won’t suffer for a day or two. Don’t worry about it.”
“What’s there to check? Just wasting money,”
His mother leaned in and whispered to Shen Mu, “The doctor said it’s just a bit of insufficient blood supply to the cerebral blood vessels. They said he shouldn’t overwork himself in the future, and shouldn’t lose his temper or get stressed easily.”
Shen Mu cut the peeled apple into small pieces, stuck toothpicks in them, and handed them to his father. “Hear that? The doctor told you to lose your temper less. Stop yelling at Mom so much from now on.”
His father, in a good mood, retorted, “When did I yell? It’s your mother who yells at me, isn’t it?” He chewed a few pieces of apple, then suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right, about your brother. I can’t go see him this week, so you…”
Shen Mu was busy clearing the apple cores and didn’t stop his movements. “Mhm, I know. Don’t worry about it. I’ll go see him tomorrow.”
His father looked at the dark circles under his eyes and his tired face. He opened his mouth to say something, but finally just sighed. “You haven’t slept all night either. There’s nothing much going on here. You should go back, get some sleep, take a shower, and change your clothes. Look how dusty you are.”
Shen Mu shook his head, walked over to the narrow folding cot in the corner, and lay down directly in his clothes, pulling his jacket over himself casually. His voice was heavy with sleepiness. “Too lazy to move. I’ll just nap here. If the doctor comes by later, or if Mom needs anything, I’ll be able to hear.”
He was truly exhausted, both physically and mentally. He fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes. He didn’t know how long he slept. When he opened his eyes, he was momentarily disoriented, only fully waking up when he saw the white ceiling and the IV pole. He was in the hospital, not at Jiang Chengxuan’s house.
He propped up his heavy body and sat up, seeing his mother quietly talking to a nurse.
“You’re awake?” His mother noticed him and walked over. “Did we wake you? The nurse came to take his temperature.”
Shen Mu shook his head. “It’s fine. What time is it?”
“It’s almost noon.” His father’s tone held some concern. “I told you to go home and sleep. How can you sleep well on this little broken bed? It must be uncomfortable.”
“It’s alright.” Shen Mu stood up and stretched his stiff neck. The folding cot was indeed narrow and hard, making his back and waist ache, but at least his eyes weren’t so sore and swollen anymore.
He habitually took out his phone to check messages. The top one was from Jiang Chengxuan an hour ago: Did you arrive? How is the situation?
Shen Mu’s fingertips paused over the screen. He typed and deleted many times, finally only sending one sentence: “I arrived. My dad is fine, a false alarm, thank you.”