Lin Yu, however, showed no sign of backing down. He looked at Shen Muchuan and said, “Mr. Shen, you’ll be interested in this matter.”
His tone was resolute, but Shen Muchuan’s expression turned cold. “I hope you can understand what others are saying before opening your mouth.”
His assistant observed the situation, noting that while Shen Muchuan had a short temper, he was usually good at controlling his emotions. However, during the recent board meeting with several major shareholders, he had clearly lost his composure several times, resembling a ticking bomb ready to explode at any moment.
Lin Yu’s eyes revealed a struggling expression, and after a moment of hesitation, he continued, “But what if it’s about you and Mr. Qiao?”
Shen Muchuan turned to look at him, his eyebrows still tightly furrowed. “I don’t think there’s anything between me and my brother that requires an outsider’s intervention.”
Seeing the tense atmosphere, the assistant hesitated for a moment, glanced between Lin Yu and Shen Muchuan, and wisely exited the office.
Lin Yu, however, didn’t back down. He spoke with determination, “You call me an outsider, but I don’t think you necessarily see things more clearly than an outsider.”
Shen Muchuan chuckled indifferently, but his smile was cold and mocking, devoid of any warmth. “It sounds like you have quite a few ideas about me.”
“What’s wrong? Is this tone of yours defending him?” Shen Muchuan asked.
Lin Yu shook his head and sighed almost inaudibly. “No, I just feel like there are some things I have to say.”
“These past five years, Mr. Qiao has also suffered a lot… Now that you’ve taken back what belongs to you, can’t we just stop here?”
Shen Muchuan found his words rather amusing. “How do you know I won’t let him go? And why do you think you can tell me to stop? What makes you think you understand him better than I do, based on just five short years?”
“If you came here just to tell me these insignificant words, then it’s not necessary,” Shen Muchuan replied coldly.
Lin Yu clenched his teeth. “Isn’t it enough? He has paid the price. For the past five years, he has been living in deep pain every day. Otherwise, why do you think he didn’t defend himself in court at all? Why did he let you easily take back the company?”
Shen Muchuan’s fingers tightened. He had an intuition that what Lin Yu was saying was correct. Back then, it was true that Qiao Yue didn’t say a word in his own defense, almost as if he had been prepared for that day for a long time…
Lin Yu, seeing that Shen Muchuan was not responding, thought he didn’t believe him and continued, “He searched for you for a whole five years, but you were nowhere to be found. You don’t know how happy he was when he saw you come back unharmed that day.”
Shen Muchuan’s voice was hoarse as he interrupted him, “I know all of what you’re saying…”
He knew that he did have a place in Qiao Yue’s heart, and he knew that Qiao Yue didn’t regret everything that happened… Even in this whole incident, Qiao Yue was also a victim.
Rationally, he could understand all of this. But what truly bothered him was that the passionate love he had given to the person he loved with all his heart, those moments they spent together that felt like mutual affection, turned out to be nothing more than a self-delusional illusion.
—
The doctor’s words were like a verdict, and even though Shen Muchuan didn’t want to face it, he was powerless and had almost no way out.
Originally, Qiao Yue’s temporary blindness only occurred in weak light and cloudy weather. However, now, the situation had worsened considerably.
For safety reasons, Shen Muchuan had initially considered hiring a caregiver, but Qiao Yue refused.
However, since that night, Shen Muchuan had ordered unnecessary furniture to be removed from their home, and any sharp edges had been covered with soft silicone, ensuring there would be minimal risks.
However, on this particular day, when Shen Muchuan returned home from the office at noon, there was no one at home. He tried calling but received no answer. He dialed again, but it was the same result.
He searched the nearby supermarket and garden, but in the middle of the day, there were hardly any people around.
For a moment, his mind went blank. It was as if a tightly stretched string, which had been under immense tension for days, had suddenly snapped.
He couldn’t believe it, and he returned upstairs to search again, fearing that Qiao Yue might be somewhere, asleep and unaware.
But he wasn’t.
Shen Muchuan sat in the car, his hands trembling uncontrollably, a constant buzzing in his head. His thoughts were aimless, like a headless fly, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop.
One intersection after another, he had searched every possible place, yet he found nothing. Shen Muchuan replayed all the worst scenarios in his mind almost masochistically. However, in the end, all that remained was that he couldn’t see.
He couldn’t see anything.
As the sky gradually darkened, Shen Muchuan’s eyes felt dry. He stared at the pedestrians on the street, his temples throbbing, and there was a distinct lump in his throat.
To find him, he couldn’t see anything.
Just then, a phone call suddenly came in, pulling Shen Muchuan out of his chaotic and anxious thoughts.
“Hello, this is the police station in M City. May I speak with Mr. Shen? Do you happen to know Mr. Qiao Yue?” the voice on the other end asked.
Shen Muchuan felt as though he had been struck by a thunderbolt and exclaimed, “What happened to him?”
The police officer on the other end seemed taken aback. “Nothing, nothing at all,” he replied.
“He just didn’t obey traffic rules, ran a red light, and disrupted traffic.”
The blood rushed back up to his head, and Shen Muchuan suddenly felt his vision go dark for a moment. He pressed his wrist against his temple, his voice trembling, as if he were defending on behalf of someone else. “He can’t see.”
With this thought, a surge of bitterness welled up in his throat. He lowered his head abruptly, and a single teardrop fell onto the steering wheel. He repeated, amidst the faint crackling of the phone line, “He can’t see.”
“Yes, we know that, but we still need you to come over.”
The road was now shrouded in darkness, neon lights lit up the streets on both sides, leaving only the cars on the roadside to cast dark shadows on the road. Shen Muchuan hung up the phone, gazing at his own pale face in the rearview mirror. He let out a muffled laugh, then closed his eyes heavily.
“You just want my life, don’t you?”
*
Qiao Yue propped his chin up, yawning. It was nearly 10 PM, and the police station’s lobby was empty. The on-duty police officer had ordered takeout for Qiao Yue, but he seemed either not hungry or occupied with something else since he hadn’t taken a single bite.
It was quite late, and most people had finished work. The police officer initially wanted to engage in some conversation with him, but Qiao Yue completely ignored him, appearing indifferent.
However, even in this state, he couldn’t help but attract attention. Perhaps it was because of his exceptionally striking appearance.
A face like his was hard to forget after seeing it once.
System 2333, seeing Shen Muchuan with red eyes rushing over in a hurry, couldn’t help but feel great sympathy for him.
[If this misunderstanding is resolved, they will probably have a very tough time together for the rest of their lives.]
[No, if the misunderstanding is really cleared up, I will definitely treat him well. I won’t cause him trouble and I won’t let him worry.]
2333 didn’t believe him; it only believed what it had seen during these days.
[Do you really think you can live peacefully together?]
[Don’t I seem like I can?]
For the first time, 2333 didn’t want to reply to him.
Having registered at the security gate, Shen Muchuan saw Qiao Yue sitting on a bench from a distance. His gaze first fell on Qiao Yue’s eyes, then swept over his wrists, neck, and exposed skin, reassuring himself that there were no obvious injuries.
The on-duty police officer next to him explained the situation, and Shen Muchuan listened in silence. However, he paused for a moment when he heard a particular word.
M City First High School?
Shen Muchuan’s expression seemed momentarily distant. He instinctively turned to look at Qiao Yue.
Both of them had attended the same middle school and high school at First High School. It could be said that this place held some of their most beautiful memories.
So, why did his brother come here?
After completing the formalities, Shen Muchuan returned to the lobby and said to Qiao Yue, who was sitting on the bench, “Let’s go back.”
Qiao Yue stood up, but before he could steady himself, he felt a dizzy spell.
Shen Muchuan hurriedly went over to support him, his expression filled with concern. “What’s wrong with you?”
The police officer nearby chuckled and joked, “I guess he’s just hungry.”
He laughed at his own remark, but noticed that the other two people didn’t find it funny at all.
Shen Muchuan furrowed his brows tightly, his voice hoarse as he said, “I’ll help you.”
After coming out of the police station, Shen Muchuan indeed noticed that the M High School was just across the street. It was quite late now, and the school gate was closed. Occasionally, a few students in blue and white uniforms walked by in pairs.
Shen Muchuan couldn’t help but turn his head to look at Qiao Yue beside him and recalled the words that Lin Yu had said earlier. Finally, he couldn’t restrain himself from asking, “Why did you come here?”
At the same time, an uncontrollable sense of eagerness welled up in his heart.
“It’s nothing. I just wanted to come and take a look,” Qiao Yue replied.
Qiao Yue’s response left Shen Muchuan uncertain about whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied. He just nodded, but then he thought that Qiao Yue couldn’t see, so he responded with a soft acknowledgment.
After asking these questions, Shen Muchuan bent down to fasten Qiao Yue’s seatbelt. His fingers hesitated for a moment, and he sighed, saying, “You’re always like this, never considering my feelings.”
Qiao Yue was momentarily stunned, but then he heard Shen Muchuan pause for a moment and add, “If you want to come here next time, please don’t come alone. I can accompany you.”
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