The loud crash was deafening, and Qiao Yue’s vision was shrouded in darkness. He didn’t feel much pain from the fall, mainly because he had stumbled onto the nearby sofa and coffee table, knocking over a glass of water in the process. The scraping noise between the sofa and the floor sounded exceptionally grating in the quiet of the night.
He heard the sound of the door being opened from his side, and then in the dimness, Shen Muchuan raised his voice, asking, “What happened?”
Qiao Yue was momentarily dazed but soon tried to sit up, propping himself against the sofa. The living room was only lit by a few small lamps, so it wasn’t very bright. Shen Muchuan walked over quickly and was about to reach out to help him up. However, he abruptly stopped when he saw Qiao Yue’s next action.
He only saw Qiao Yue appear to be bewildered for a moment, and then his hands groped along the armrest of the sofa. His movements were cautious, as if he were afraid of knocking something over…
While the main light in the living room wasn’t on, the ambient lighting, although dim, was enough to prevent complete darkness.
Shen Muchuan’s breath caught, and for a moment, it was as if a thunderbolt had struck, rendering his mind blank. Yet, his heart sank without a sound, trembling fiercely, stirring up waves of panic and confusion. However, his body seemed frozen, unable to move in that split second.
Qiao Yue, seemingly unaware of his presence, continued to grope along the sofa armrest for a while and then began to make an effort to stand.
However, in that very moment, Shen Muchuan suddenly felt as if he had been jolted by something. He reached out and grabbed Qiao Yue’s wrist, while at the same time, the blood that had stagnated in his chest rushed to his limbs and body, so swift that it almost seemed like the sound of blood coursing through his veins could be heard.
Shen Muchuan struggled to speak. “What are you… doing?”
After he uttered those words, he realized that his voice was trembling significantly. There was even a hint of sharpness and loss of control in it, with almost a breaking point in the tone.
Qiao Yue was suddenly taken aback.
“Nothing, I just didn’t stand steadily earlier…” Then he pushed Shen Muchuan away and stood up.
Shen Muchuan stared at him, torn between belief and doubt. However, Qiao Yue appeared perfectly normal now, both in expression and demeanor, as if what he had seen earlier was almost an illusion. Shen Muchuan’s gaze lingered on Qiao Yue’s eyes, which were as black as ink. Suddenly, memories of Qiao Yue’s unusual behavior in the past few days flooded his mind. His heart skipped a beat, and he made a move that even he hadn’t imagined.
He raised his hand and shook it in front of Qiao Yue’s eyes in a probing manner.
The meaning of this action was quite clear, to the point of being somewhat bizarre. But before he could even chastise himself in his mind for doing something foolish, he witnessed something that shattered his heart and soul.
Qiao Yue simply blinked and then apologized, “I just remembered I wanted to drink some water, I didn’t expect to wake you up.”
He had no awareness of the action Shen Muchuan had just made.
In fact, if a person were truly in a state of blindness, their gaze would be completely unfocused. But Qiao Yue was different; both his expression and his eyes appeared indistinguishable from those of a sighted person.
He seemed utterly normal.
Shen Muchuan’s eyes widened in disbelief, unable to comprehend what was happening. His heart felt as if it had frozen in an icy cavern, and a strong sense of sourness welled up in his throat. He was stripped of the ability to speak or think.
Qiao Yue didn’t seem to hear his response. There was a moment of uncertainty and confusion on his face, but it was fleeting.
Shen Muchuan noticed Qiao Yue’s reaction and interpreted it correctly. His heart trembled silently once more, and he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He firmly gripped Qiao Yue’s shoulders with both hands, his voice hoarse as he demanded, “When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?”
His voice was filled with an indescribable mix of emotions, as if something had rolled deep in his throat.
Qiao Yue fell silent for a while, as if he were trying to decipher the meaning behind Shen Muchuan’s words. He hesitated for several seconds, appearing as though he wanted to argue but ultimately felt it was futile. His face displayed a somewhat dazed expression, though to be fair, his original complexion wasn’t particularly healthy-looking, and at this moment, it appeared even paler.
Shen Muchuan watched him, his breath trembling, his eyes reddening. He felt as if the softest part of his heart had been sharply pierced. Along with the numbing pain, it continued to stimulate the throbbing nerve endings.
2333: [Host, can you see now?]
Chu Yan smiled and replied: [Yes, I can see now. I couldn’t earlier.]
2333 had nothing to say, as Chu Yans’ acting was indistinguishable from that of a real blind person. Host Chu Yan was truly dedicated to his role.
Shen Muchuan changed his grip on Qiao Yue’s shoulder to a firm hold, while his own hands couldn’t help but tremble lightly. “If I hadn’t found out, were you planning to keep this from me?”
All the buried emotions were pouring out at this moment — despair, pain, regret, and worry. He couldn’t fathom Qiao Yue’s thoughts, not back then, and not now. Just like before, he had believed that Qiao Yue loved him the same way he loved Qiao Yue. However, with just one trip back to China, everything had deviated from his expectations.
“Or maybe you felt there was no need to tell me…” Shen Muchuan said with bitterness. “Just like five years ago when you did all those things, you never considered my feelings. Why would you now?”
Outside the window, cicadas were singing, their voices distant and soothing, but the night was as thick as black ink. Qiao Yue’s expression quivered slightly, and his lips trembled heavily, his face nearly unable to conceal its paleness.
Shen Muchuan felt a tumultuous surge in his chest but couldn’t bear to say more. He forcefully restrained his emotions and poured a glass of hot water for Qiao Yue before turning to the balcony.
Although it was summer, the nighttime temperature was a bit low. After making phone calls and scheduling a doctor’s appointment, Shen Muchuan felt like a taut string had suddenly snapped without warning. He gazed at the river-like night and couldn’t help but let thoughts that bordered on self-destructive slowly emerge in his mind.
His thoughts were in disarray, lacking any logic. Memories rushed in, one after another, and for a moment, he felt like he had been transported back to five years ago. At that time, he had been overseas when he suddenly received news of his parents’ car accident. As soon as he landed, he had tried calling Qiao Yue multiple times, but none of the calls went through…
Perhaps it was more like returning to every silent night in the past five years, where the silence was so deep it felt like being stuck in quicksand, surrounded by thick darkness with no hint of light seeping in…
Shen Muchuan buried his head slowly, his thoughts drowning in the chaos. His throat felt dry and uncomfortable, and his eyes were dry as well, but he didn’t even blink.
Fate always had a way of delivering its most devastating blow when you least expected it.
*
“Kidney organ failure, declining eyesight. If this deterioration continues, it might result in permanent blindness.”
The bustling streets at noon were filled with people. The municipal hospital, thanks to its high fees, provided a serene environment. In the elevated corridor, aside from the occasional footsteps and the beams of light streaming in from the sides, everything was quiet.
Shen Muchuan leaned against the glass, looking down at the bustling streets below. Suddenly, his head began to spin, and his knees weakened. He swayed for a moment but managed to hold himself up.
With his head lowered, it took him a while to hear the approaching footsteps. He turned sharply and saw Qiao Yue walking towards him. For a moment, he was stunned, locking his gaze onto Qiao Yue’s eyes.
The noon sunlight streamed in through the glass on all sides, creating a bright and dazzling scene.
Seeing Qiao Yue approaching, Shen Muchuan took a few steps forward, then stopped in his tracks.
Qiao Yue continued to walk towards him. Half of his face was shrouded in shadow due to the angle of the sunlight, and his expression appeared almost indifferent, as if he wasn’t greatly affected by the news or had much of a reaction to it.
But he was still so young, and life was long. If he were to be plunged into darkness from this point on, Shen Muchuan couldn’t fathom the depth of despair that would bring.
Shen Muchuan wiped his face and stood up straight, trying to sound more relaxed. He said, “This isn’t the worst outcome… Don’t give up, I…”
He wanted to say, “I’ll be with you all the way, I’ll always be by your side.” However, for some reason, he couldn’t finish the sentence. Maybe he felt it was unnecessary, or maybe he thought he had said those words too many times before. Perhaps Qiao Yue didn’t need to hear them, or worse, maybe he considered them a burden.
Moreover, sincere words were most precious the first time they were spoken; saying them too often diminished their value.
Qiao Yue turned to look at him for a moment but didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the window, bathed in the blinding sunlight. His lips appeared almost translucent as he spoke slowly, “Yes, you’re right… This is already good enough.”
“Someone told me five years ago that when you do too many bad things, there will be consequences. At the time, I didn’t believe it much… but now, I think there’s some truth to it…”
Since they reunited, this was the first time he had brought up what had happened five years ago. However, he used the word “consequences,” and Shen Muchuan felt like a poisonous snake had bitten into the softest part of his heart, penetrating his flesh and causing excruciating pain.
He gritted his teeth, and his voice was forced out from deep within his throat, “Didn’t you say to let go of the past…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Shen Muchuan couldn’t bear to look at Qiao Yue anymore and left without saying another word.
Because he realized that he couldn’t argue anymore.
Even though he knew that he was also a victim of what happened five years ago, even though he understood that Qiao Yue might not have been as heartless toward him as he thought, even though he knew that Qiao Yue had done a lot for him. Still, he couldn’t help but think, if it were him, he would never have allowed it to happen.
How could he ever bear to place the person he loved the most in such a dangerous situation?
*
The meeting that started at 9 AM didn’t conclude until noon. Some of the old and stubborn members of the board were hard to deal with, and they argued for a good two hours over the expenses of a particular project.
The assistant placed some documents on the desk. “Mr. Shen, this is Lin Yu’s resignation request. I’ve already informed the HR department.”
Shen Muchuan paused for a moment, as if trying to recall who Lin Yu was, and then he furrowed his brows. “Resignation?”
Lin Yu was his brother’s assistant, and they had been working together for many years. They should have had a good working relationship…
The assistant, seeing that Shen Muchuan seemed lost in thought, continued, “Yes, he submitted it a few days ago, and all the handovers have been completed.”
Shen Muchuan just nodded without saying a word. At that moment, his phone vibrated, and he checked the time. He then stood up, pushed his chair back, and picked up the coat draped over the back of the chair. He said to his assistant, “Let HR know and calculate his departure allowance based on this month.”
The assistant nodded, “Okay.”
But as soon as Shen Muchuan pushed open the glass door, he saw someone standing at the entrance. Lin Yu was there, his hand still in the position of knocking on the door. When he saw Shen Muchuan, he lowered his hand and said, “Mr. Shen, is it convenient to talk for a moment?”
Shen Muchuan felt agitated and sluggish, his brow furrowing involuntarily. He lowered his voice, saying, “I have some matters to attend to right now. If it’s about work, you can discuss it directly with my assistant.”
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