“Move your hand a bit, the anesthesia should have worn off, can you feel it now?”
“I can,” Li Xuan moved his fingers, instinctively assuming a typing posture.
“What’s your job? Do you… play the piano?”
“IT.”
“Oh,” the doctor nodded understandingly, “same thing, hands are so precious, how did you manage to hurt it?”
“Is it okay?” Qi Boyuan quickly asked, “Was the surgery successful?”
“It was successful. He was lucky, only ten stitches, it shouldn’t affect the function.”
“Could there be any issues?” Qi Boyuan asked seriously. “I mean, no side effects, right?”
The doctor chuckled, “Your friend should be fine. But in the summer, you still need to pay attention. If it gets infected, that’s a problem. Avoid spicy food, avoid untreated water. Get an IV drip and observe overnight. If nothing happens, you can go through discharge procedures tomorrow morning, and just come back for regular dressing changes.”
“No need,” Li Xuan said, “I don’t need an IV, just give me the discharge form.”
“Of course you do. Don’t be silly,” Qi Boyuan quickly interrupted, turning to the doctor, “Please give us the prescription. I’ll go get it.”
“You young people,” the doctor glanced at Li Xuan, who looked displeased and waved his hand, writing out the IV order, “I said it’s fine to avoid scaring you. If it gets infected in this weather, you’ll suffer.”
“Right, thank you, doctor,” Qi Boyuan said, accepting the IV order and politely bidding the doctor goodbye. Li Xuan walked to the door with a cold expression, then paused. “Can the stitches be removed by Sunday?”
“Sunday?” The doctor gave him an exasperated look, “Wait another week.”
This hospital was the closest to the software park, newly opened last year, with complete facilities and a very impressive building. The clinic and inpatient department were separated by two buildings.
As they walked, Qi Boyuan glanced at the sign. When he wasn’t paying attention, Li Xuan had already turned down a different road.
“You’re going the wrong way, it’s this way,” Qi Boyuan quickly turned around to pull him back, “We need to go left to the inpatient department for the IV.”
“I don’t need the IV.”
Li Xuan’s answer was short and to the point. A nurse with a wheelchair passed by, and the distinctive smell of hydrogen peroxide filled the air. He really didn’t like hospitals. The last time he was hospitalized after the car accident, if it weren’t for Sheng Min being there, the doctor wouldn’t have been able to keep him. As soon as he woke up, he wanted to leave. “What’s there to observe for such a minor injury? The deepest part is just the deltoid muscle, it didn’t even touch any nerves.”
“The doctor didn’t say that.”
“I know my own hand, don’t I?”
“I think you really don’t know,” Qi Boyuan scratched his head, then heard Li Xuan stubbornly say, “I will remove the stitches by Sunday. If this hospital won’t do it, I’ll go to another one.”
“No, Li Xuan, why are you in such a hurry?” Qi Boyuan looked at his left hand, which was wrapped like a rice dumpling, “What, are you planning to be a hand model on Sunday?”
Li Xuan’s lips tightened, but his thoughts were elsewhere, thinking of Sheng Min, who would be back by Sunday. When he thought of Sheng Min and the way he had looked and spoken when he said “I’m worried about you,” the bandage on his hand felt even more glaring.
Qi Boyuan fell silent when he saw the glance that Li Xuan gave him. His expression looked a bit frustrated, and he regretted making that joke with him.
What am I arguing with an injured person for? Qi Boyuan thought to himself, trying to comfort himself. He guessed that Li Xuan was probably worried about the company matters. “It’s fine, you can rest for a couple of days. I’m here, and so is Senior. Don’t even mention next week’s updates, you’ve already prepared them, right? The rest we can keep an eye on, there won’t be any issues. You can still take some time to heal.”
“It’s not about that.”
“Then why are you so anxious?”
Qi Boyuan was even more helpless. Having known Li Xuan for so many years and worked together, he knew how stubborn Li Xuan could be. Seeing his attitude, Qi Boyuan thought that if Li Xuan insisted on not being hospitalized, they could just take the medicine and go to the clinic downstairs.
If that didn’t work, they could always get an IV stand at his office? Qi Boyuan pondered, struggling, and gave it one last try: “I think, it’s not impossible to remove the stitches by Sunday. So you really should get the IV. If it gets infected, that’s when it becomes a problem, and you won’t even be able to get the stitches removed next month.”
“Do you think I’m still in kindergarten?” Li Xuan clicked his tongue, turned around, and started walking toward the hospital’s inpatient department.
“Hey, you…” Qi Boyuan wasn’t sure which of his words had hit the mark, but at least they didn’t need to find an IV stand to bring to the office now. He shrugged and followed him.
The surgery ward was originally on the fifth floor, but since Qi Boyuan knew that Li Xuan had some quirks and might get impatient, he paid extra to get a private room on the top floor. After the nurse inserted the needle and explained some precautions, she left.
The IV dripped slowly, and Li Xuan found it unbearably slow. It was frustrating to watch, so he looked away and thought of something else. “What about Mr. Song?”
“Mm?” Qi Boyuan, who was about to order food using the business card on the bedside table, frowned when he heard this. “Oh, right, where did he go? After you went into the operating room for the stitches, he seemed to disappear. I didn’t even notice until you mentioned it. I was too focused on your hand… I’ll give him a call. He specifically brought you here… Hey, Mr. Song…”
As he spoke, he had already dialed the phone: “Sorry, did you go home already? …We’re at the hospital ward. Nothing major, just monitoring… Oh, you’re still at the hospital?”
Qi Boyuan pressed the phone away from his ear and whispered to Li Xuan, “He’s still here, says he’s coming to see you.”
“Alright,” Li Xuan thought for a moment. “You go downstairs and pick him up.”
Fifteen minutes later, Qi Boyuan brought Mr. Song back to the room. The man was in his early thirties, tall and muscular, wearing a casual T-shirt. He didn’t look much like a businessman; in fact, he looked more like a personal trainer at first glance.
“Hello, hello,” Mr. Song greeted eagerly before even coming close. “Song Wen, Song as in the Song dynasty, Wen as in culture.”
He spoke as he reached out his hand. Halfway, he noticed the bandages and the needle on Li Xuan’s hand and retracted it.
“Hello,” Li Xuan noticed his intention, nodded, and greeted him back.
Mr. Song didn’t mind at all and casually pulled a chair over to sit. “I heard you’ll be discharged tomorrow? … That’s good, as long as you’re fine. There was so much blood, it was a bit alarming. I was getting my car washed, and the guy was startled when he saw the blood.”
“Sorry about this morning. The car wash fees… Qi Boyuan will take care of them later…”
Mr. Song refused repeatedly, “How can I accept that? I’m the one who insisted on bringing you here. That would be like me extorting money from you. No need to be polite; young people have spirit and personality, which is a good thing.”
It was hard to tell if he was sincere or not, but his tone and expression seemed genuine. Qi Boyuan, who was listening from the side, raised an eyebrow, not understanding the logic behind the compliment. Li Xuan said flatly, “No free lunch. This is the first time we’ve met, and I really don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“Today is indeed the first time, but you understand my intentions. If you’re willing, we have a chance for cooperation, and we’ll meet more in the future.”
Li Xuan found it easier to talk with such directness: “Mr. Song, let me be blunt. I think you already know this. Before I came here, Qi Boyuan must have told you that Yuan Yi isn’t currently considering any investments. If this is just a chat, that’s fine. But for investments, it’s too early right now.”
“I understand that,” Mr. Song waved his hand. “I didn’t expect to close the deal on the first try. I’ll be going to Sweden for a Mountain climbing competition in the next few months, so before I leave, I wanted to meet. If one day you decide to accept investment, at least you’ll think of me. I wouldn’t want others to beat me to it.”
“Mountain climbing?” Qi Boyuan was puzzled, wondering if he had heard wrong.
“Just a personal hobby,” Mr. Song chuckled.
Li Xuan thought to himself that this guy really was into sports, but his expression didn’t change. He gave a small laugh. “I appreciate your goodwill Mr. Song, and I’ll remember it. If Yuan Yi ever needs investment and you’re still interested, I’ll contact you.”
“That would be the best,” Mr. Song nodded, smiling. “To be honest, since ‘Nook’ launched, I’ve been keeping an eye on Yuan Yi. I know you’ve been contacted by quite a few investors. I’ve been working through several connections to meet you; I’m sure other venture capital firms have reached out to you too.” His expression became a bit more serious as he mentioned several institutions. “Frankly speaking, I might not be able to compete with these professional firms in terms of financial strength. But one thing I can guarantee is that if I invest, I won’t interfere with Yuan Yi’s operations.”
This kind of talk was something most investors were skilled at, painting a picture of what could be, but Li Xuan didn’t respond either way.
Mr. Song noticed this and, after thinking for a moment, added, “You might not know, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m also from N University, your senior. But to be honest, I didn’t finish my degree. I started a business instead and got too busy making money.”
Upon hearing this, Qi Boyuan nearly laughed, coughing to suppress it. He glanced at Li Xuan, thinking that this guy was really putting on quite the show, but Li Xuan’s expression remained calm.
“I wasn’t originally in computer science. I barely made it into N University and was assigned to metallurgy. I couldn’t stand it. The seniors who were studying for their doctorates were still working in the lab, making metal. I ended up skipping classes and gaming in my dorm. Eventually, I got tired of that, and one of my roommates, who was studying computer science, was working on mobile apps. He joked, ‘You’re always on the computer, why don’t you learn to code and make your own games?'”
“It’s not without a bit of pride when I talk about it: I was naive and believed it. As a result, in a muddled way, I ended up developing a few games. At that time, smartphones were just starting to become popular, it was a blue ocean, completely different from now. There were more opportunities than competitors, and I was lucky enough to make a good profit from a few games.”
Li Xuan already knew about this rags-to-riches story, but hearing it from the person himself, there was more of a sense of fate than anything else.
Song Wen continued, “I won’t be modest about it; I can make this money, and I do think I have some talent. But my potential has its limits. I can’t come up with, nor can I write, too complicated programs. But I really am interested in this industry. Over the past few years, I’ve invested in quite a few companies, though luck hasn’t been on my side like it was back then. Some were profitable, but there were a lot of mistakes too, and the recent few projects have all been losses.”
After this long speech, Song Wen got up and casually poured himself a glass of water, clearly not being overly formal: “It might sound like a sales pitch, but honestly, I’m a bit scared of losing now. When you throw a pile of money down, the splash isn’t even loud. After the last project fell apart, I thought I might be done with this industry, that we just weren’t meant for each other. I considered changing industries, but then I saw ‘Nook,’ and my hands itched to give it one last shot.”
After hearing all that, Li Xuan didn’t seem affected: “Then I’m truly honored.”
He remained calm, and Song Wen wasn’t disappointed. His eyes gleamed as he looked at Li Xuan. “You have talent, far beyond me. No, to be more precise, you surpass most people. I heard that the world view and overall structure of ‘Nook’ came from you… You must have heard this many times already, but you truly are a genius. That’s why if I get to invest, I will never interfere, because in this field, I can’t catch up to you. Asking you to follow my instructions would be nonsense.”
“I have heard it many times,” Li Xuan responded nonchalantly, still relaxed. “But ‘Nook’ isn’t just my achievement.”
He glanced at Qi Boyuan.
“Rumors always have some bias,” Song Wen realized, laughing heartily as he slapped Qi Boyuan on the shoulder. “You’re both young talents.”
His slap was so hard that Qi Boyuan nearly gasped, sharing a look with Li Xuan, both of them understanding that this was probably Li Xuan’s limit of patience. With a sigh in his heart, he had no choice but to play the bad cop: “Mr. Song, no need for pleasantries. In a few years, I won’t even qualify as a young person anymore. I think we’ve talked enough for today. We understand your intentions and will definitely consider them seriously. But Li Xuan’s hand is still injured, so…”
“Alright, then I won’t keep you any longer.” Probably realizing it was time to wrap things up, Song Wen was quick to conclude. “You have my contact information, and my sincerity is clear. If you need any investment, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
Li Xuan finally stood up and nodded. “Will do.”
