LMMY chapter 136

On the day of the Beginning of Spring, Yuan Yi’s second game, “Reverse Track,” officially launched.

Within three hours of launch, the download count surpassed 200,000, and it topped the action-adventure game charts.

Posts related to the game flooded various social media and gaming forums. In the discussions about content and strategies, a small detail caught the curiosity of players.

Despite the game’s overall brutal tone and style, the opening background still paused on a bright, beautiful full moon.

Its soft light dispelled all the darkness.

Many speculated, and employees also discussed it, but no one knew the answer.

At the celebration party, the young founder made a brief speech before leaving. Under the moonlight, he headed to the theater to attend the premiere of “Not Just a Mountain.”

Li Xuan didn’t understand much about theater, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Sheng Min on stage, moved by the emotions he expressed. It wasn’t until the crimson curtain fell that he suddenly realized it had all been like a dream.

At first, there was an eerie silence, followed by thunderous applause. The excited audience stood up unconsciously, shedding tears as they shouted the names of the actors, each cheer louder than the last.

The curtain opened again, and the actors, holding bouquets of flowers, bowed in gratitude. Sheng Min stood at the center, his red African daisies and sunflowers shining brightly in his hands.

Gold powder and ribbons rained down on him, and through the beams of light and amidst the crowd, his gaze, filled with a soft smile, was directed solely at Li Xuan.

Once the audience had exited, Li Xuan stood up and made his way backstage.

Along the corridor, flower baskets lined the path, and among them, he even saw one from Zhang Shan. After the press conference, Sheng Min and the Dongyi people hadn’t had contact, but for some unknown reason, Zhang Shan never released those photos of them.

The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers as staff members pushed carts of costumes and props back and forth. It was busy but orderly, and not too noisy.

Turning a corner, Li Xuan heard Sheng Min’s voice.

He was talking with an elderly, gentle woman. They were chatting, and the woman patted his shoulder with a sigh of admiration. Sheng Min nodded, leaned in to hug her briefly, and saw her off at the elevator, smiling as he said goodbye.

Turning around, he saw Li Xuan and smiled even more warmly.

As they entered the lounge and closed the door, they naturally exchanged a lingering kiss.

That whole week, Li Xuan had been busy with the launch of Reverse Track. Sheng Min had also been occupied with ‘Not Just A Mountain’, and it had been two days since they last saw each other, so there was a sense of longing and reunion.

Having just removed his makeup, Sheng Min’s bangs were slightly damp, and a droplet of water fell, merging into the collar of Li Xuan’s dark coat.

“Was that your former professor?” After their lips parted, still catching their breath, Li Xuan softly asked.

“She still is.” Sheng Min’s fingers gently stroked the water stain on Li Xuan’s collar as he looked at him, his eyes and smile filled with warmth. “My re-enrollment procedures are complete, and once this round of tours ends, I want to go back to school and finish my studies.”

Li Xuan listened and kissed him again. After letting go, he proudly said, “That’s a deposit.”

“A deposit for what?” Sheng Min chuckled.

“To hire me as your chauffeur, to pick you up after school.”

Li Xuan wrapped his arm around Sheng Min’s waist, nuzzling his nose. After two days apart, the affection quickly grew intense. But just as things seemed to take a more intimate turn, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

Yin Qianping pushed the door open and greeted Li Xuan, looking quite familiar. “Are you joining the celebration party later? If you don’t show up, I’m afraid you’ll steal my lead actor.”

Li Xuan had run into Yin Qianping twice when he came to the theater to pick up Sheng Min, but Sheng Min couldn’t recall any extra personal interactions between them. Seeing how familiar they seemed, he glanced at Li Xuan, who responded calmly, “I’ll follow Sheng Min’s lead. If he doesn’t want me to go, I can wait outside.”

“On such a cold day, we can’t have an investor waiting outside.” Yin Qianping raised an eyebrow and handed over an envelope. “I knew you were coming today, and it’s just in time—the documents are signed.”

Sheng Min sensed something was off and hesitated, asking, “What investment?”

“Sorry for the trouble.” Li Xuan took the envelope and handed it over to Sheng Min naturally.

Inside the envelope was an equity acquisition agreement. Li Xuan had purchased 25% of the theater company’s shares, and there was also a gift agreement included. The shares Li Xuan acquired were entirely gifted to Sheng Min. Li Xuan had already signed his name as the donor, just waiting for Sheng Min’s signature.

“Thanks to your generous President Li, the new office building was bought so smoothly.” Yin Qianping joked. “If it weren’t for him, I’d actually have to rob a bank.”

Li Xuan smiled lightly. “Don’t you think I’m just taking advantage of the situation?”

With the crisis at Yuan Yi just resolved, Li Xuan had started discussing stock investments with Yin Qianping. However, if it wasn’t for the need for funds to buy the building, things might not have gone this smoothly.

“President Li, you are quite generous. If we had a few more ‘taking advantage of the situation’ like this, I think it wouldn’t be a problem,” Yin Qianping said seriously, glancing at his watch when he heard someone calling from a distance. “I’ll go ahead and arrange things, I’ll send you the address later on WeChat. Come over when you’re done.”

The calling grew louder, and it was clear it was Deng Jing’s voice. Yin Qianping impatiently replied, “Don’t bleed my ears out,” before quickly heading off.

“Struck it rich?” Sheng Min paused for a second before speaking.

Li Xuan laughed, reaching out to pinch his face. “Found a treasure.”

“I think you’re the treasure.” Sheng Min said softly, his words hard to read, as he casually rolled up the valuable contract in his hands.

“I had to do this,” Li Xuan explained to him. “I know you’ve been getting along well with Yin Qianping, but the future is uncertain. If he was just the director, maybe it wouldn’t matter, but he’s also the owner of this theatre troupe. Beyond being an artist, he’s a businessman… No matter what, we can’t let the Dongyi situation repeat.”

“And what about the other one?” The question was vague, but Li Xuan knew he was referring to the other contract. “Is that still uncertain?”

Li Xuan smiled but didn’t answer. Slowly, he leaned in, and though Sheng Min tried to pull away, he couldn’t. Li Xuan grasped the back of his neck and finally resumed the kiss that had been interrupted, murmuring softly in his ear, “It’s because I know too much that it doesn’t matter who holds it.”

It doesn’t matter who gets it; he always hoped that Sheng Min would receive more.

“Silly.” Sheng Min blinked quickly, feeling his eyes welling up. He tightly hugged him.

The celebration party was held at a newly opened glass-walled restaurant, offering fusion cuisine, which was subjective in taste, but the wine was good, and the night view was stunning.

Among the theater troupe staff, some knew Li Xuan’s identity. Their eyes scanned him with curiosity, but their smiles were all warm and friendly.

The huge success of the performance excited everyone. The drunken actors had the waiters bring various musical instruments, playing and singing one old song after another, talking about friendship, love, and the countless years…

The laughter and music never stopped, with people continually coming to chat with Sheng Min, and Deng Jing dragging him to watch the fireworks explode in the night sky.

Li Xuan didn’t stop them; he leisurely stood by the window, holding his wine glass, smiling indulgently and gently as he watched Sheng Min talk to the people around him.

By the time the party ended, it was already deep into the night. Both of them were tipsy, so they left the car in the parking lot, giving the key to the waiter to return it the next day.

It wasn’t far, so they held hands and slowly walked home.

“Li Xuan.”

After walking for a while, Sheng Min suddenly called out to him.

“Mmh?” He turned his head.

“You’re so good,” Sheng Min said softly, shaking his arm. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

“And you’re the best,” Li Xuan pinched Sheng Min’s chin and tilted his head to look at his face, “Are you drunk?”

Sheng Min’s eyes, still a bit watery, looked at him in confusion for a moment before leaning in to kiss his lips. “…I don’t think so.”

Li Xuan had been watching him earlier. Sheng Min hadn’t even finished two glasses of red wine, and he hadn’t known that Sheng Min had such a low tolerance for alcohol.

He tried not to laugh. “I think you are, just a little bit.”

“That’s nonsense,” Sheng Min muttered softly.

“Yeah, I’m talking nonsense.”

Sheng Min smiled again, happily pulling Li Xuan forward. Not far ahead, a lighted area appeared, and after passing a small bus stop, Sheng Min suddenly stopped.

“Are we taking the bus back?” Li Xuan asked.

But Sheng Min looked at him with a bit of grievance, silent.

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t you remember?” After a moment, Sheng Min finally spoke, pointing to the sign at the bus stop. “It was here, you were so harsh and told me to get up, then scolded me, saying, ‘Are you waiting for me to carry you?’”

Of course, it wasn’t the same bus stop, but Sheng Min was drunk and couldn’t tell. He mimicked Li Xuan’s tone at the time, but his voice was soft, not quite like Li Xuan’s.

“I wasn’t that angry, was I?”

“You were,” Sheng Min said quietly.

“Then, how about I carry you now?” Li Xuan coaxed gently, squatting down in front of him. “Come on, I’ll carry you.”

Under the light, Li Xuan’s back looked so steady, it was truly an irresistible temptation. Sheng Min thought for a moment before slowly wrapping his arms around Li Xuan’s neck. “If I’m too heavy, just say it.”

“You’re not heavy,” Li Xuan said, slowly walking forward with him on his back.

It was late, and there were no pedestrians on the street. It was quiet, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the willow branches. After a few spring breezes, new buds would sprout.

They walked all the way to their apartment building downstairs. Looking up, they could already see the lanterns on the balcony, which Sheng Min had hung up last week with Li Xuan holding the ladder for him.

In the glow of countless lights, they finally had their own home.

“Sheng Min,” Li Xuan asked softly, “Next month, there’s going to be the International Game Innovation Conference in the U.S. Yuan Yi has already received the invitation. I’m planning to attend. Will you come with me?”

“Sure.”

Li Xuan swallowed, his voice rare and tense. “Once we get there, maybe we can take a day off…”

“Mm?”

Sheng Min felt that Li Xuan seemed nervous, so he instinctively tilted his head and gently pressed his face against his. But Li Xuan quickly took two steps forward, set him on the bench, and pulled out a beautifully wrapped box from his coat pocket. Sheng Min’s fingertips grew cold, and when he looked down, he saw a ring already on his finger.

“Will you marry me?” Li Xuan asked in one breath, finally remembering to ask after putting the ring on.

“Yes.”

Sheng Min answered without hesitation. He didn’t mind the disordered sequence of events. But after answering, he lightly furrowed his brows, hesitating. “But…”

“But what?” Li Xuan’s heart skipped a beat.

The scent of unknown plants surrounded them. Sheng Min picked up the other ring and carefully put it on Li Xuan’s finger, slightly embarrassed as he asked softly, “But… didn’t we already get married?”

Under the moonlight, Sheng Min seemed to glow softly, and Li Xuan froze for a moment before silently smiling. “Right, we’ve already gotten married.”

Sheng Min smiled too, holding Li Xuan’s hand and sitting him down next to him, seriously looking at the matching rings on their hands.

He was really drunk. As he gazed at the rings, he leaned against Li Xuan’s shoulder and fell asleep, still not letting go of his hand.

Li Xuan lovingly kissed his forehead, then picked him up in his arms and began walking home.

In the distance, the pitch-black sky hung high with a bright moon, watching over everything in the world with a nurturing gaze.

And Li Xuan’s moon had already fallen into his embrace.

Once, everything he had was gained through struggle, through force, through exchanging.

He didn’t believe in fate, thinking that fate was something to rebel against, something to be broken.

Until he met Sheng Min.

It turned out that fate had prepared such a person for him, who, without him having to pay any price, would willingly belong to him.

His incomplete soul only became whole when it met him.

The light lingered on Sheng Min’s temple, with a silver-white hue left behind. Li Xuan felt so at peace and certain that they would accompany each other until the day they grew old and gray.

“So long, where have you been?” Li Xuan tilted his head and kissed the ring on Sheng Min’s hand. Looking at his peaceful sleeping face, he thought of the time that could never be reclaimed and couldn’t help but ask gently.

Once he finished speaking, he was stunned. Since when had he gained the right to show weakness?

He smiled unconsciously, not expecting an answer. However, Sheng Min’s lips gently moved.

Low, like a murmur, Li Xuan tilted his ear to listen carefully and finally understood.

Sheng Min said, “I’ve always been waiting for you.”

THE END.

 

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Author’s note:

Five years of writing, the first story to receive over 10,000 reads, thank you everyone.

It’s been a very lonely five years. I gained nothing in my writing, often questioning myself in the quiet of the night. I’ve thought many times about quitting, every piece of writing seemed like it could be my last. Even while writing ‘Let Me Meet You’, I thought about giving up countless times.

I am a writer without talent, relying only on hard work. What readers can finish in ten minutes took me ten hours to write, constantly revising and starting over. It’s only because of my trivial sense of responsibility and need to express myself that I was able to complete it.

Throughout the process, I received many messages from readers saying they were disappointed, and I felt powerless. It’s like I clearly wanted to write a sweet little story, but ended up drawing a tiger and getting a dog instead.

But I still love and appreciate Li Xuan and Sheng Min so much. They have accompanied me through some very lonely times. Now, they are about to go on to live their own beautiful lives. As for me, I will continue writing, even though it sometimes feels like a losing battle.

Thank you to everyone for your company along the way. The mountains are long, and the waters wide—if fate allows, we will meet again.

T/N:

This is where I stop as well. This was such a fulfilling read for me, all the emotions the characters experienced were so vivid and I felt like I was with them throughout their whole journey.

I do sympathize with the author, while I might not fully understand, I do know that writing is not always a smooth process, but I would like to appreciate the author’s talent and the hard work they’ve put into this, it is by all means among the best projects I’ve picked. Hopefully the author gets to enjoy more of their writing process days to come.

If you enjoyed my translation, do consider supporting me on Kofi through this link https://ko-fi.com/cee4409 . Any amount will be appreciated. You can also find my other completed projects there. Let’s meet on the next project hopefully.

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