In the following days, Zhao Jizhe became quieter. He didn’t call just to talk aimlessly or text him at random times, offering pleasantries.
The company was busy, and Li Xuan was also finding it difficult to spare much energy. Even his rare moments of free time were filled with bigger worries, and none of it was directed at Zhao Jizhe.
The next time he heard about him was when Zhu Zhou called, mentioning that Zhao Jizhe had recently become more enthusiastic about managing the internet café. He had even started asking for advice on things he didn’t know.
“I think Zhao Ge still wants to manage the internet café well. Maybe he just wasn’t used to it when he first took over,” Zhu Zhou said optimistically.
“Let’s hope so,” Li Xuan replied with little enthusiasm after hearing him out. “Don’t tell me about these things anymore. If he wants to manage, let him. You just focus on doing your job. If he doesn’t, you focus on yours.”
“Okay…”
Li Xuan nodded, then said, “How about the thing I asked you to look into last time?”
“Oh, right! That’s what I was going to mention,” Zhu Zhou said hurriedly. “I almost forgot when we got off track. I found that shop you asked about.”
He quickly found a piece of paper from the bookshelf, the pages thin, with ink smudging slightly, as if a summer storm had come, dark clouds gathering in the sky.
Li Xuan stared at the address and number for a while before looking away. His fingers paused on the touchscreen for a few seconds before he opened the video from Sheng Min’s birthday party the day before.
There was no livestream of the party, only fan-recorded videos from inside the venue. The quality was decent, though the shaky camera made it hard to watch for long.
Even so, Li Xuan had watched every video he could find the night before. He lost track of time and missed midnight, with the birthday comments on Weibo quickly exceeding a million, and Sheng Min’s name still trending.
“You’re still here?” Qi Boyuan pushed the door open, surprised.
Li Xuan quickly closed his computer screen. “Looking for me?”
“I’m not looking for you,” Qi Boyuan said, rummaging through Li Xuan’s desk. “I came to pick up the contract with the property company. It was left here yesterday.” He soon found the folder and then asked, “What were you looking at? Why are you still here?”
Li Xuan calmed himself, reopened the screen, and minimized the window. “Where else would I be if not at the company?”
“Aren’t you going to your play tonight?” Qi Boyuan looked at his watch in confusion. “There’s just under two hours left, and it’s pretty far from here, right?”
Li Xuan scratched his chin. “Oh.”
“Oh what?” Qi Boyuan sized him up with a smile, leaning on the desk. “If you’re not going, why don’t you just give me the tickets?”
“Get lost.” Li Xuan frowned. “Last time you said you had no interest in this kind of thing.”
Qi Boyuan grinned and raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, I take it back. I heard from Jia Jia that your tickets were expensive. With that money, you could buy half a square meter in the city center. A little bit of foreign torture won’t hurt.”
Li Xuan twirled his pen without saying anything.
“I’m not joking. You should go,” Qi Boyuan said, tilting his chin.
Li Xuan lowered his gaze and said quietly, “You want me to go, but you don’t even know why.”
“I don’t know? Isn’t that because you haven’t said anything? … Ah, don’t say it. I’m not interested,” Qi Boyuan replied.
Li Xuan shot him a glance, and Qi Boyuan just laughed, jumping off the desk. “Alright, go. It’s just a few hours. I’ll keep an eye on things. You’re afraid the company will fall apart?”
“What’s in it for you if you convince me to go?” Li Xuan pressed his brows.
“Obviously, nothing.” Qi Boyuan said seriously. “But I feel like you want to go.”
That was true and not true.
Li Xuan really couldn’t bring himself to say any more lies. His expression was hard to read, like he was at odds with someone. Who could that someone be but himself? Qi Boyuan, seeing his expression, didn’t push the matter further.
Just as they fell into silence, Li Xuan’s phone rang. Qi Boyuan, ever sharp-eyed, noticed that the notification was from a Weibo post that Li Xuan had marked as a special follow. This wasn’t his usual style, and Qi Boyuan’s eyelid twitched. But then he saw Li Xuan glance at the phone, put it down, and stand up as if he’d made a decision. He grabbed the car keys and headed for the door.
Qi Boyuan, not able to react in time, muttered, “You’re leaving again?”
“I’ve got something. I’ll text you.” Li Xuan was already gone like the wind.
Once in the car, Li Xuan opened his phone again. Sheng Min had posted on Weibo five minutes ago. It was a simple line: “Thank you for all your support in my new year.” The photo showed him holding a small cake, smiling sweetly.
The background was deliberately blurred, but Li Xuan recognized the curtains in the bedroom.
Sheng Min alone on his birthday at home? Li Xuan furrowed his brows at the discovery. He had completely forgotten that, just like every other day, he had been focused on coding from morning to night, even Qi Boyuan only knew his birthday was in July but didn’t know the exact day.
For Li Xuan, companionship and ceremony were the least important things. Yet, when it came to Sheng Min, it felt unbearable.
He drove at top speed to the building where Sheng Min lived, only realizing how impulsive he had been. The photo could have been taken at any time. Even if Sheng Min was at home, he might not have been alone. He had so many people around him. If he needed it, someone would always be there.
But Li Xuan remembered that dream, where Sheng Min lay lifeless in a bathtub soaked with blood.
The grand and lively things were within his reach, yet he had never had a companion.
Could he be that person? Over the time they were apart, Li Xuan had asked himself this countless times. Up until this moment, he still had no answer.
Leaning back in the car seat, Li Xuan exhaled softly. The bright overhead lights in the underground garage illuminated the dust particles in the air. The envelope in the armrest box reflected faint golden lettering.
He ran a hand through his hair as the elevator doors across from him slid open and shut, one car after another passing by. Some people got out, others came back. Time passed slowly, and when the elevator’s alert tone rang, two familiar figures suddenly appeared before him.
Li Xuan furrowed his brows, straightening up. He looked at the people across from him, unconsciously frowning. His throat tightened, and he controlled his emotions to stop himself from getting out of the car, instead quietly rolling down the window.
“Don’t worry, I will make him back down sooner or later. It’s just a house, what’s the big deal? Last time, when we needed to buy a car, didn’t I get you one?” Wang Shuying’s loud voice echoed through the empty garage.
“What kind of car was that? What he drives and what he bought me—what, is he trying to fool me?” Sheng Hui spat, turned around, and spit toward the elevator direction, “Earn all that money, why not spend some on me?”
“It’s nothing, what’s there to be upset about? It’s only natural. Don’t worry, as your mother, I will figure something out,” Wang Shuying reassured him.
“Who needs you to figure something out?” Sheng Hui shook off her hand. “Every time it’s the same thing. Next time, I won’t bother to come here to see his face, what a joke.”
Mother and son quickly got into the car and drove off. Li Xuan felt disgusted, and Yang Xu’s voice echoed again in his mind, “His mother is crazy, always causing a scene every birthday.”
So it was all true.
…..
When the doorbell rang, Sheng Min was still sitting on the wooden floor, staring blankly. The sofa leg was propped against his back. He looked tired, not wanting to move. His shoulder jerked, like an animal startled, and he turned his head cautiously, “Who is it?”
There was silence.
Sheng Min furrowed his brows and stood up, stepping around the smudged birthday cake on the floor. He stopped at the entrance. It wasn’t the first time he had been followed by paparazzi. For this reason, he had moved several times and was always extra cautious. He asked again, “Who is it?”
“It’s me,” came the voice from outside the door, “Li Xuan.”
