Sometimes the most significant turning points in life are not necessarily the ones that feel the most vivid at the time.
Li Shanqing walked into the hospital room, sat on the small guest sofa, and answered the phone, hearing the other party say, “Shanqing, hello, this is Lu Zhengming. I’m not sure if you remember me.”
Still thinking of Zhuang Xu, he was only mildly surprised and politely asked, “You were one of the investors at the pitch, right? The one who spoke for our project.” He also named the venture fund Lu Zhengming represented.
“The kid’s got a good memory,” Lu Zhengming said warmly.
Li Shanqing did have a good memory and clearly recalled that Lu Zhengming, who appeared to be in his forties, had a refined and upright demeanor that inspired goodwill.
Lu Zhengming told Li Shanqing that after the pitch, he and another investor disagreed with the majority, believing the project had great potential. Over the past few days, they had tried to persuade others, with Professor Whitaker providing help and advice. They ultimately prevailed, deciding to let Li Shanqing enter the incubator. Lu Zhengming would provide seed funding, connect him with labs, and support team-building, asking when Li Shanqing could meet.
Learning he was hospitalized, Lu Zhengming expressed concern like a family elder and arranged to set a meeting time after his discharge.
After hanging up, Zhuang Xu returned.
Li Shanqing, immersed in the joy of this unexpected turn, wanted to share the good news but feared Zhuang Xu questioning the project’s ethical correctness in this warm moment. So he spoke circuitously.
Zhuang Xu didn’t sit beside him, standing opposite like a proctor, arms crossed, looking down at him. After Li Shanqing finished, Zhuang Xu didn’t hesitate, judging directly, “Isn’t this just what you wanted to do before leaving Bingang?”
“It’s different,” Li Shanqing said, caught out. Studying Zhuang Xu’s expression and seeing no anger, he shamelessly continued, “My concepts have completely evolved. Those childish ideas I told you about are long gone.”
“Really?” Zhuang Xu didn’t buy it. “What’s evolved?”
“It’s confidential. You can’t ask,” Li Shanqing dodged. “Anyway, it’s not a SyncPulse competitor. It might even boost your stock price someday.”
Unexpectedly, Zhuang Xu’s face turned icy, seeming to hold back from arguing but failing, saying coldly, “So this is why you were questioned at the pitch.”
Hearing Zhuang Xu say this, Li Shanqing felt both angry and aggrieved. “I’m telling you good news, and you bring up morality. I’m not clueless or a kid. I can handle it myself. Do you need to mention the pitch again? Am I telling you this so you can mock me?”
As Li Shanqing got emotional, his rashes itched intensely. He scratched a few times, and Zhuang Xu stepped closer, leaning down to grab his hand, saying, “Li Shanqing.”
“Fine, I won’t talk,” Zhuang Xu shook his head almost imperceptibly, his warm hand firmly holding Li Shanqing’s wrist. “Don’t scratch.”
Seeing Zhuang Xu’s helpless look, as if Li Shanqing were an unteachable child or an unreasonable brat, he couldn’t help defending himself. “If you made sense, I’d listen. But I’ve heard enough of these criticisms at the pitch.”
At some point, evening fell, and the room grew dim. Zhuang Xu looked at him for a while, compromising more. “I won’t say more. What’s the investor’s name?”
“Why ask?” Li Shanqing’s eyes widened warily. “You want to ruin my good news at the source?”
“Li Shanqing,” Zhuang Xu said, exasperated, glaring and taking a deep breath before continuing, “I’ll check on him, ask about his reputation.”
“Alright, his name’s Lu Zhengming,” Li Shanqing told him, adding, “Check all you want, but don’t meddle too much.”
Zhuang Xu had been fine, but this remark seemed to genuinely anger him. He let go of Li Shanqing’s hand, stepped back, his dark eyes turning cold. “What have I meddled in?”
Knowing he was in the wrong and not wanting to fight, Li Shanqing apologized at once. “Sorry, I spoke nonsense.” He stood to grab Zhuang Xu’s hand, offering various flamboyant apologies. Seeing Zhuang Xu soften slightly, he added a line he was proud of: “In my heart, you’re like my parents. You can meddle however you want. I know it’s for my good.”
Zhuang Xu, praised by others as gentle and reasonable, was, in Li Shanqing’s view, quite the opposite. He was extremely difficult, quick to temper, and hard to please.
Even comparing him to family wasn’t okay; he’d give Li Shanqing the cold shoulder. When Mary arrived with food, Zhuang Xu left. The next morning, he flew to Licheng, never returning.
Li Shanqing texted him from morning to night, and Zhuang Xu replied the next day.
But with Zhuang Xu gone, Li Shanqing’s luck returned slightly. With active treatment, his health improved significantly. After discharge, he met Lu Zhengming with Zhao Zixi and Fang Tinghan.
Lu Zhengming held significant sway among the incubator’s investors. With a biomedical engineering background, he focused his investments in this field. The four had a pleasant chat. He called Li Shanqing a rare genius, making even thick-skinned Li Shanqing a bit shy.
Lu Zhengming proved not just talk, providing fast and generous funding, and, as promised, maximal support. Soon, Li Shanqing recruited new team members, rented offices, and established their early R&D center. Zhao Zixi dreamt of a good name, so they named the device NoaLume.
The project launched and progressed smoothly. Li Shanqing reverted to his preciously busy, borderline unhealthy, yet not quite sick state. From March to September, he shuttled between classes, labs, and offices, sleeping less and less. Mary’s scolding went from biweekly to every two days, chiding his darkening eye circles, likening him to a Halloween ghost in a white sheet.
Besides helping with the project, Lu Zhengming took Li Shanqing to investor and entrepreneur gatherings to network.
With high emotional intelligence, good looks, and witty speech, Li Shanqing mastered the card games popular in these circles after a few nighttime events. Quick to remember faces and personalities, he easily won people over, soon becoming familiar with Lu Zhengming’s intended connections. Sometimes, Li Shanqing got invitations before Lu Zhengming.
Once, driving Li Shanqing back, Lu Zhengming couldn’t stop praising him, saying he was the least worrisome to bring along, needing no introductions, only worrying about his late nights harming his health, urging him to sleep earlier.
Truthfully, Li Shanqing didn’t enjoy these nightly revels in salons and banquet halls. The indoor air quality was poor, and they wasted his research and study time.
But Lu Zhengming had been kind to him, and these were within his ability, so Li Shanqing told himself that growing up meant compromising. Nearing twenty, he thought of Zhuang Xu at twenty-one, facing countless challenges, surely forcing himself to do the same.
The only downside was Zhuang Xu hadn’t visited in ages, even passing through Fancheng thrice without saying until after, baffling Li Shanqing. During his acute urticaria earlier that year, Zhuang Xu had rushed to see him overnight, yet now he was colder than a casual friend. Was the “like my parents” comment so hurtful?
Did Zhuang Xu care that much about his age?
But, frankly, Li Shanqing wasn’t entirely normal either.
Logically, not seeing someone for long should distance emotions, fading even strong bonds. Yet his feelings for Zhuang Xu were the opposite. The longer the time, the more restless and urgent he felt. After summer, as Fancheng cooled, he called Zhuang Xu, asking when he’d visit.
Zhuang Xu gave no answer, leading to a fight. Zhuang Xu went silent, and Li Shanqing, unable to help himself, sought reconciliation.
When angry, Li Shanqing domineeringly felt part of Zhuang Xu belonged to him, and without meeting, his scent on Zhuang Xu would vanish.
When calm, he thought Zhuang Xu might see him as unimportant, but if he became Zhuang Xu’s equal, they’d inevitably cross paths. So he worked harder.
In early October, Li Shanqing got a chance.
Lu Zhengming casually mentioned attending a Licheng banquet where Zhuang Xu would be present. Li Shanqing schemed to join, not revealing his true intent but expressing a desire to expand his social circle. Lu Zhengming praised his ambition and agreed.
Li Shanqing’s health made flying risky, so he endured a six-plus-hour drive, hitting four traffic jams, arriving in Licheng dizzy, feeling he’d suffered a lifetime’s worth of hardship to see Zhuang Xu. Stepping out, he thought: first, he’d never drive again; second, he disliked Licheng; third, Zhuang Xu must apologize upon seeing him.
After resting briefly at the hotel, showering, and dressing sharply for the banquet, he didn’t find Zhuang Xu.
Probing, Lu Zhengming said Zhuang Xu was the type to arrive late and leave early, his presence already a favor to the host.
“He’s not here yet, which is normal. Shanqing, you rarely come to Licheng. Let me show you around,” Lu Zhengming said, introducing him to socialites, touting NoaLume as the year’s top investment project.
After an intense hour of socializing, Li Shanqing was exhausted. As Lu Zhengming was pulled aside by a friend, Li Shanqing, holding his ice water, sneaked outside the banquet hall to a quiet balcony in the outdoor corridor, hoping to rest and clear his mind.
Unexpectedly, someone was smoking below, the smell wafting up. Too tired to notice immediately, Li Shanqing coughed, triggering an asthma attack. He set his glass on the railing and pulled out his inhaler.
Just after using it, resting, a stranger’s voice came from behind: “What are you inhaling?”
Li Shanqing turned to see a slightly taller, blond, blue-eyed man smirking. Having socialized with Lu Zhengming for a while, Li Shanqing had learned to read people quickly, instantly pegging this as a frivolous rich kid.
No need for excessive respect with such types. Already in a bad mood from missing Zhuang Xu and now encountering this fool, Li Shanqing smiled back. “Guess.”
“Can I try?” The man stepped closer, nearly face-to-face, whispering, “Maybe I can tell where it’s from.”
Li Shanqing almost laughed, widening his eyes and tilting his head slightly. “Oh, you have asthma too?”
The man’s expression shifted. Li Shanqing held out his inhaler, feigning innocence. “Try it. If you can tell where my Ventolin’s from, I’ll give it to you.”
The man, likely realizing Li Shanqing’s mockery, darkened, about to speak, when a commotion arose behind Li Shanqing. Turning, he saw Zhuang Xu with Zhou Kaiqi, surrounded by a few people.
Zhuang Xu, holding a champagne glass and chatting, suddenly looked up, spotting Li Shanqing. Li Shanqing waved with a smile. Zhuang Xu paused, then saw the man beside him, his face abruptly darkening, stopping mid-sentence.
Li Shanqing guessed Zhuang Xu might have hesitated, as he was steady, never impulsive, not one to interrupt work or socializing for others.
Yet Zhuang Xu moved quickly, as if without time to think, handing his glass to Zhou Kaiqi, saying something to those beside him, and striding toward Li Shanqing. So fast, it startled Li Shanqing, wiping away the glee from toying with the idiot.
