They had stayed up too late and the warmth of being so close made it difficult to wake up the next day. Li Xuan didn’t hear the alarm go off until Chu Tianheng called, waking him up.
“It’s nothing, I just overslept… What, am I not allowed to sleep in?” Li Xuan casually tucked the blanket around Sheng Min and lowered his voice. “Hmm, okay… Don’t worry about it, I’ll handle it in a bit.”
After hanging up, he turned around and saw that Sheng Min had also opened his eyes.
“Did I wake you up?”
Sheng Min shook his head, still drowsy, and grabbed Li Xuan’s wrist, glancing at the time. “Are we going to the office?”
“Is it necessary?” Li Xuan smiled.
“If it’s not necessary, we don’t go?”
“Yes.”
“Then we’re not going.” Sheng Min gave him a look, his tone neutral. He got up to dress, but after fastening two buttons, he suddenly turned and hugged Li Xuan tightly, his forehead resting against his collarbone.
“Li Xuan.”
“Mmh?”
Sheng Min remained silent.
Li Xuan gently stroked his soft hair, turned his head, and kissed his ear. “I promise you, everything will be fine.”
They deliberately didn’t mention the events from the day before, but there’s always someone who doesn’t take the hint. As they stepped outside, they saw Li Mingge and his recently bailed-out secretary standing at the entrance of the neighborhood.
It was clear they were waiting for them. Li Mingge was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, not sure if he hadn’t gone home or if he had come back early this morning. He recognized Li Xuan’s car and hurriedly approached them as soon as he saw them.
“Li Xuan…”
Li Mingge had completely lost any sense of dignity. The passersby gave surprised looks, but he didn’t care and directly tried to block Li Xuan’s car. The secretary quickly grabbed him. “President Li, President Li, please calm down.”
Li Xuan frowned, instinctively pausing for a moment. Then he quickly turned the steering wheel, pressed the gas pedal, and without hesitation, drove past Li Mingge. After driving two streets, he stopped in front of a chain dessert shop that Sheng Min often frequented.
“Layered cake? Don’t space out.” Li Xuan snapped his fingers. “Chestnut or strawberry?”
“Matcha.” Sheng Min’s expression had darkened when Li Mingge appeared, and now it had eased a little as he smiled at Li Xuan. When Li Xuan was about to get out of the car, he suddenly changed his mind, unbuckled his seatbelt, and said, “I’ll go.”
He got out of the car, wearing a hat and mask, glanced around to make sure Li Mingge hadn’t followed, then lowered his hat and entered the dessert shop.
Li Xuan watched his cautious figure from the car and couldn’t help but sigh. He looked down at his phone, and the message notifications kept ringing. Different unknown numbers sent similar messages, all from the same person. He took a quick glance and blocked each one.
Sheng Min bought the cake and also picked out some savory sea salt crackers for Li Xuan’s breakfast.
The layered cake here was light on sweetness, which he usually liked, but he didn’t have much of an appetite. He picked at it and had only eaten a quarter by the time they reached the theater.
“Tastes off?” Li Xuan stopped the car and took a bite from his spoon.
“I’m just not hungry,” Sheng Min softly said. “I’m leaving.”
He said he was leaving but didn’t move, his dark eyes just staring softly at Li Xuan. Li Xuan smiled, pinched his chin, and kissed him. The faint matcha flavor lingered in their kiss. After pulling away, Li Xuan nuzzled his nose. “I’ll pick you up tonight?”
“Won’t you be working overtime today?”
“Nook isn’t updating this week. I’m not that busy.”
Sheng Min murmured softly and wrapped his arms around Li Xuan’s waist, not letting go. Li Xuan understood his concern. “It’s okay. You can relax.”
“You’re mine,” Sheng Min said, looking up at him stubbornly.
Li Xuan hooked his finger with his, smiling. “Always have been.”
He seemed carefree, but he knew that once Li Mingge had set his sights on something, he wouldn’t back off easily. So when he came out of the meeting and heard from the administration that someone was looking for him, he wasn’t surprised.
Li Xuan paused before asking, “Where is he?”
“In the reception room.” The administration had seen Li Mingge last time, knew he was Li Xuan’s father, but also remembered the unpleasant scene in the office. Not knowing what to do, they temporarily placed him in the reception room.
“Tell him to leave. Say I’m not here, and don’t ever let him in again.” Li Xuan frowned and said coldly, “If he doesn’t leave, contact the security downstairs.”
“Ah? This…” The administration girl was stunned, not knowing how to handle the situation, hesitating and unsure.
“I’ll go.” Chu Tianheng saw how flustered the girl was and spoke up.
Li Xuan didn’t respond, turning and entering his office. Before long, the sound of an argument could be heard from outside.
It was mainly Li Mingge’s voice. With Chu Tianheng’s calm demeanor, it was hard to imagine him getting into an argument, but Li Xuan’s name was being thrown in every now and then. At first, the exchange was polite, but after realizing it wasn’t working, Li Mingge became more frantic and started hurling insults, shouting for Li Xuan to come out.
The employees of Yuan Yi had more gossip for their lunch, but it was clear that Li Mingge had lost all rationality. Even if Li Xuan went out personally, there would be a scene—just maybe even worse. It was unavoidable.
Li Xuan ignored it, calmly opening his computer and starting to write some code. But the argument went on for fifteen minutes without ending. By the time he had finished editing one function, he was getting a little impatient. He frowned, stood up, and was about to go handle the situation himself when the noise finally quieted down.
“He’s gone. Got a call, and finally left,” Chu Tianheng said as he pushed the door open, sweat pouring from his body in the cold weather. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” Li Xuan looked up, then frowned tightly. “Did he hit you?”
Chu Tianheng had a swollen lump on his forehead the size of a coin. Realizing it too late, he touched it with his hand, exhaling sharply. “Oh, no. Just knocked over a vase and it grazed me. It’s nothing, honestly, I didn’t even feel it until you mentioned it.”
“Go take care of it. I remember there’s a first aid kit at the front desk.”
“Okay, I’ll go in a bit. It’s nothing, no broken skin, it’ll heal in a few days,” Chu Tianheng said, then asked, “It’s almost noon. Should I ask admin to order lunch for you?”
There was a subtle pause. “I was going to go downstairs to eat, but you should probably stay up here for now.”
Li Xuan nodded, then as Chu Tianheng was about to leave, he couldn’t help but turn around again.
“Is there something else?”
“It’s nothing.” Chu Tianheng scratched his ear, sighing. “I just think, you’re… “
He didn’t know whether to say “pitiful” or “tragic.” Neither felt right, but either one would feel like an insult when directed at Li Xuan. Finally, he chose a middle ground. “Your life’s not easy.”
Li Xuan smiled nonchalantly. “You guys are working for me. That’s not easy either.”
“True, but it’s worth it,” Chu Tianheng said, looking at him like a kind older brother. “It’s okay, it’s over now… It was pretty ugly earlier, but I don’t think he’ll come back.”
Of course, that was just reassurance, quickly proven false when Li Mingge showed up again.
Chu Tianheng had already warned the security downstairs, but Li Mingge quickly pulled some strings and pressured the property management higher-ups to let him upstairs to see Li Xuan, making the situation awkward and uncomfortable…
“Mr. Li, Mr. Chu.” The sturdy property manager came in, trying to mediate. “This isn’t fair to us…”
“Manager Wang,” Chu Tianheng explained patiently, “How is this unfair? We’re the property owners, and we’ve always paid our maintenance fees on time. Isn’t it your responsibility to ensure the safety of the residents?”
“That’s not it… Mr. Chu, you don’t understand the situation…” The property manager hesitated.
“Then how would you explain it?” Li Xuan lifted his gaze coldly.
He didn’t appear as friendly as Chu Tianheng, and the property manager was a little intimidated. However, the leadership’s orders were clear, so he had to press on. “Mr. Li, you’re making things difficult for me… I’m just the one handling things downstairs…”
“So this is how you handle things? By sacrificing the interests of the residents to cover your own back?” Li Xuan’s words made the manager’s face go red and white. “I’m not making things difficult for you. If you think it’s hard and don’t know what to do, I’ll help you solve it…”
Saying this, he snatched the property manager’s phone and dialed 110 directly. “Hello…”
He finished the call quickly and threw the phone back at the property manager. “Got it? If you don’t know what to do, just call the police.”
“Hey no!!…” The property manager was left speechless, his mind racing as he slapped his forehead. He was afraid that if the police did show up, he would upset the higher-ups. He stomped his foot in frustration and quickly scurried off.
Li Xuan rubbed his temples and sat back down. Chu Tianheng moved toward the window. The position wasn’t perfect, but he could still vaguely see a crowd of people gathered downstairs.
“Stop looking,” Li Xuan leaned back in his chair. “If the police come, they’ll disperse.”
Chu Tianheng turned to him, hesitating for a moment before speaking. Li Xuan raised an eyebrow. “What? Do you think I went too far?”
“Not really,” Chu Tianheng said. “That Manager Wang is a jerk. When the company had its issues, he was so worried we’d run off that he came to ask for the maintenance fees two months early, hounding me every day, acting like a big shot…”
“That’s my fault,” Li Xuan chuckled.
“Of course not,” Chu Tianheng realized he was joking. “It’s because of Li Mingge…” He glanced down and hesitated. “Maybe you should hide for now? With him causing a scene like this…”
“Hide where?” Li Xuan kept typing, his fingers never stopping. “Should I relocate just for him?”
Chu Tianheng sighed, understanding that none of this would solve the issue. Given Li Mingge’s current stance, even if Li Xuan went to the moon, he would probably follow.
In reality, Li Xuan still had the plagiarism lawsuit for Void Island to deal with. Even though Song Wen was keeping an eye on things, Li Xuan had to remain in the company to oversee everything—it wasn’t something he could escape from. If Qi Boyuan was around, that would be another matter, but bringing it up now wouldn’t help.
“What’s all this for, anyway?” Chu Tianheng still couldn’t understand. Li Xuan was just his adopted son, not his biological child. Why would Li Mingge go this far to chase him down?
Li Xuan coldly smiled. “Don’t worry about his thoughts. He probably won’t show up today… Take care of things with the employees, and if Li Mingge comes back, just pull the shutter down for now. Reverse track needs to launch in the first quarter, and there’s no time to let him disrupt the rhythm.”
…..
The next few days played out similarly—with Li Mingge stopping him outside the neighborhood in the mornings and afternoons, then trying to catch him at the software park during the day.
Relentlessly, Li Mingge managed to succeed running into Li Xuan several times. Originally, Li Xuan had an appointment with Song Wen to discuss business, but somehow, Li Mingge found out and rushed to the coffee shop where they were meeting.
With a third party present, Li Mingge had no shame, but Li Xuan still had to go out and deal with the situation.
“You don’t have to,” he said, exhausted from staying up the night before, feeling a bit off. He asked the waiter for an Americano. “If you have the energy to look for me, you might as well find someone else who’s willing to take your money, and whose matching type fits. You’ve said it yourself—organ transplants don’t have such high requirements for HLA.”
His suggestion was sincere, but Li Mingge took it as mockery. The veins on his wrinkled neck stood out as he clenched his teeth. “How many times have I told you, I don’t have time!”
“Right, because you’ve spent all your time on me,” Li Xuan replied calmly. “But President Li, have you thought this through? We have experience with organ transplants. Apart from HLA, there are other requirements. You were lucky back then I matched with your son, but now that the recipient has changed, do you think it will work the same way?”
“Go try! Go try!” Li Mingge was too desperate to listen, and had completely lost his mind.
“Why should I try?” Li Xuan retorted. “Are you hoping I’ll try and donate a kidney? Why should I?…” He shook his head and couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “Do you think I’m still fifteen?”
Those words hit Li Mingge hard. He looked at the young man in front of him, remembering the days when he could easily manipulate and control him… How had things changed? Was time really this cruel?
The few feelings of guilt he had left were replaced by anger. His face turned pale and flushed with resentment and unwillingness. He gasped for breath, his expression wild. “Why shouldn’t you do it? You promised to take care of Shu Xin! You’ve been living off our family for so long… You should give what you owe, and now even when he’s dead, he can’t rest in peace!”
“We have no trust between us,” Li Xuan calmly replied, taking a sip of his coffee. “As for whether he can rest in peace, what does that have to do with me? He’s not my son. Do you really think we had such a deep relationship?”
“You promised to take care of Shu Xin for him!” Li Mingge shouted. The two women in the next booth jumped in shock and quickly grabbed their purses to leave without finishing their snacks.
“Look, look…” He frantically tapped his phone, but it took several tries before he finally brought up the photo. “She’s so thin now, just bones. Her hair’s fallen out. She can’t eat anything… You’re happy now, satisfied, aren’t you? You can save her! You can save her!”
On the screen, Shu Xin lay on a hospital bed, pale and frail, looking like a skeleton covered with human skin.
The image was striking, but Li Xuan, having seen enough bloody scenes, just furrowed his brow slightly, his expression unchanged.
“Why won’t you save her! We’ve supported you for so long… You didn’t fulfill your promises, now even after my son’s dead, he won’t rest easy!”
When a person’s life doesn’t go well, they start hoping for the help of ghosts or gods, as they say.
“So what?” Li Xuan leaned forward, his hand on the table. “Are you trying to say he’s going to come after me for revenge? Fine… I’ve seen living ghosts, but I’ve never seen a dead one. And even if he does come back, do you think he’ll listen to you?”
Li Mingge’s cloudy eyes flashed with memories from years ago.
Li Xuan also recalled when the boy had said to him, “My dad hates me so much.” At the time, Li Xuan hadn’t believed it and even thought it was overly dramatic. Now, he believed it.
“If you really want your son to rest in peace, at least burn some paper money for him now and then. The dust on his tombstone is two fingers thick. He lived a life of ease, but in death, he’s struggling. Do you think he’s mad at me or at you? Yet you’re still hoping that when he becomes a ghost, he’ll listen to you? There’s no such thing.”
“Shut up!” Li Mingge suddenly exploded. Li Xuan had no doubt that, at that moment, Li Mingge wanted to strangle him. But just then, the sudden ringtone of a phone broke the tense silence.
“Hello…” Li Mingge’s hand shook as he answered, and the words “bleeding,” “emergency,” could be heard faintly on the other end.
“I’m coming now, I’m coming now.” He didn’t pay any more attention to Li Xuan and turned to leave, almost stumbling down the stairs, holding the railing as he staggered away.
The coffee had completely cooled, and the bitterness was more intense. Li Xuan calmly drank it down.
A shadow loomed in front of him. Song Wen raised his hand to call the waiter. “One cup of lo han guo tea.”
Li Xuan put down his cup, and just as Song Wen was about to speak, Li Xuan interrupted. “Did you send him off?”
Song Wen was momentarily stunned, then realized Li Xuan was asking about the business partner. “He’s gone.”
“How did it go?”
“Pretty good. No problems. I told them you had a personal matter. Their boss is interested in the collaboration anyway. I gave them the materials and set up a meeting next Tuesday at my company. You’re fine with that, right?”
“No problem,” Li Xuan replied. “…What are you looking at?”
Song Wen looked away and smiled. “Nothing, just really admire you. How can you start with work the moment you see me?”
“Because when I see you, I remember I need to give you a bonus at the end of the year,” Li Xuan replied flatly. “I also admire you. You stood at the stairway for fifteen minutes without a sound.”
“You really have sharp eyes,” Song Wen shook his head. The waiter brought the tea, and Song Wen took a sip. “I know a reliable security company. If you need it…”
“No need.”
No one could persuade him. Song Wen sighed helplessly. “I heard from Tianheng, it’s been a week? I’m not implying anything, but his mental state is starting to seem a bit off.”
Li Xuan said nothing, leaning back on the sofa, turning his phone absentmindedly. He heard Song Wen pause for a few seconds and then continue, “You should also control yourself. Don’t provoke him on purpose… It’s getting a little disturbing.”
The phone in Li Xuan’s hand suddenly stopped spinning, and his sharp gaze lifted. Song Wen spoke sincerely, “It’s pretty obvious.”
He could directly feel that after Li Xuan had seen the photo, or more accurately, after Li Mingge kept mentioning someone, Li Xuan’s attitude had changed.
“I couldn’t control myself,” Li Xuan admitted, pressing his brows tiredly. After a long silence, he murmured, “I’m wondering… Is it that some things are unavoidable, or do I just not want to avoid them?”
Song Wen wasn’t clear about the situation and couldn’t quite understand what was being said. At this moment, he couldn’t rashly offer his opinion, and besides, it was clear that Li Xuan wasn’t expecting any response from him. His voice was very low, almost as if he were asking himself.
His eyes seemed to be fixed on the faint smoke rising from the teacup, but the smoke had already dissipated, and his gaze hadn’t shifted.
This state made Song Wen feel a bit uneasy. He broke the silence, “…If it keeps going on like this, it won’t be good.”
“It won’t last much longer.” Li Xuan finally spoke softly.
How much longer could it last… Once Shu Xin was dead, could Li Mingge still ask him to swap someone for a dead person?
Death. The word crossed his mind again, and then he thought about the bones he had seen earlier. This led him to imagine the scent of the pines in the cemetery and the dust-covered inscriptions on the tombstone… Suddenly, the realization hit him that Shu Xin was really about to die.
“What?” Song Wen didn’t understand. He had arrived midway through, so he hadn’t fully grasped what Li Mingge had been arguing about. “Is his wife in serious condition? What’s the point of asking you? You’re not a doctor…”
Li Xuan was silent for a long time before suddenly asking, “Do you know anyone reliable at the hospital?”
For the next two days, Li Mingge didn’t show up. It seemed like Shu Xin’s condition had gotten worse, and he was too busy to spare the time.
But he didn’t give up. Zhou Qi came every day, even more punctually. It seemed that Li Mingge was paying well enough for him to be so attentive. However, Zhou Qi was either intimidated by Li Xuan or felt awkward. Unlike Li Mingge, whose attitude was forceful, Zhou Qi seemed more like he was keeping guard.
In fact, as long as it didn’t reach Sheng Min’s ears, Li Xuan didn’t mind that much. But Sheng Min was aware of this and had become very uneasy. Recently, he had been accompanying him everywhere, and it was hard to avoid seeing Zhou Qi.
“Why don’t we go stay at a hotel for a while?”
It had been less than five minutes since they left the apartment complex, but the familiar car was following them again. Li Xuan noticed Sheng Min’s furrowed brows and spoke gently.
Sheng Min looked back briefly and didn’t miss the intentional vagueness in his words, “Are you coming with me, or am I going alone?”
Caught, Li Xuan smiled and stopped the car at the red light, reaching out to pinch his stiff face. Sheng Min dodged and waved his hand in displeasure, accidentally brushing against Li Xuan’s arm. Li Xuan frowned for a brief moment, which Sheng Min noticed.
“What’s wrong?” He quickly looked over, a visible apology in his eyes. “Did I hurt you?”
“Don’t fuss, the green light’s on,” Li Xuan said, not letting him touch him, starting the car again. “It doesn’t hurt, you didn’t use much strength.”
Sheng Min gave him a doubtful look. “Roll your sleeve up, let me see…”
“It’s fine.” Li Xuan turned on the left indicator, pressed the accelerator, and sped up onto an overpass to shake off the following car. “Really, it doesn’t hurt. Just a little sore.”
Sheng Min paused, then noticed the smile on Li Xuan’s face and realized, pressing his lips together. “Oh, in that case, you go stay at the hotel by yourself. I have a membership at that star-rated hotel by the Software Park, I can get you an 80% discount.”
“That won’t work. I won’t be able to sleep without you beside me.” Li Xuan said seriously, seeing Sheng Min glance at him and smiled. “Okay, fine… it’s not your fault. I’ve been writing code for too long recently, so my arm’s kind of stiff.”
“Spending all day in front of the computer…” Sheng Min sighed. “I even got you a physiotherapy card, but you never use it.”
Li Xuan’s words triggered another concern in Sheng Min. He inwardly regretted the excuse he had used. “Once this is over, and the new game launches, I’ll go. You can come with me.”
“I won’t come with you.”
“Come on, be good.” He knew where Sheng Min’s bad mood was coming from. “If you don’t want us to go to a hotel, then we won’t. I was just asking. You’re busy with rehearsals for the play, right? I don’t want you stressing about all this too.”
“I just want to be with you,” Sheng Min spoke after a long pause. “It’s not that they bother me. It’s just…” He didn’t finish his sentence, leaning against the car window and softly added, “Anyway, I don’t want to go anywhere. Lately, I don’t even feel like going to the theater. I can’t see you during the day, and I’m always worried.”
“That’s not going to work. If Yin Qianping finds out, he’ll hate me.” Li Xuan said lightly. “Don’t worry, times have changed. Now, Li Mingge can’t do anything to me. He can only annoy people.”
