BFILWY CH 14

Chapter 14: Blind Man’s Gear

By late November, it had been nearly six months since Ye Qinghe’s car accident and six weeks since he had returned home to recover. Over this period, aside from his routine follow-up appointments, he also visited the hospital every other day for rehabilitation. At his last check-up, both his neurology and ophthalmology results remained unchanged—meaning his condition was at least stable, which the doctors considered a positive sign. As for orthopedics, the doctor confirmed that his fractured thigh bone had healed well, and he could gradually wean off the crutches and start walking normally again.

Coincidentally, a package had arrived today, and An Yue planned to take Ye Qinghe outside for a stroll.

A few days ago, Ye Qinghe had asked An Yue to accompany him to buy a white cane. He tried all the available ones on the market but found them unsatisfactory. Because of his height, he required a longer cane, and standard materials made it too heavy, leading to wrist fatigue after extended use. Eventually, Ye Qinghe decided to follow the recommendation of the mobility aid shop owner and ordered a custom-made cane—lightweight, highly elastic, with high-density glass bead reflectors—at three times the usual price. An Yue didn’t approve of such an extravagant purchase.

“It’s just a temporary aid. Once your eyesight recovers…”

“And if it never does?” Ye Qinghe remained pragmatic, though not in a pessimistic way. He was simply very proactive in preparing for a potential blind man’s life. It was odd, but since he was happy about it, An Yue had no choice but to let him be.

Now that the custom cane had arrived, An Yue handed it over for him to test.

“Here,” An Yue guided Ye Qinghe to the small open space outside the elevator and placed the folded cane into his hand.

“What’s this?” Ye Qinghe ran his fingers over it and quickly realized, his tone filled with delight. “My white cane? It’s ready?”

“Yes, it arrived this morning. Give it a try,” An Yue stepped aside to make room for him. “Hold the handle and flick it open.”

With a dramatic flourish, Ye Qinghe swung the cane—only for the tip to smack directly against An Yue’s arm.

“Ow!” An Yue twisted his body to dodge, but he still couldn’t avoid the sneak attack. Rubbing his forearm, he let out a helpless laugh. “Chairman Ye, this is a white cane, not a three-section staff. Don’t swing it like that.”

Ye Qinghe let out a sheepish chuckle, scratched his nose in embarrassment, and said, “My bad.”

After folding the cane back up, An Yue took Ye Qinghe’s hand, guiding him to firmly grip the handle. Then, placing his hand over Ye Qinghe’s, he gently flicked his wrist downward. The cane unfolded instantly, snapping straight like a white snake.

He began teaching Ye Qinghe the proper way to hold the cane—how to stand, walk, and go up and down stairs. Each movement required a different grip to ensure he could protect himself without accidentally hitting others.

Only after listening to An Yue’s explanation did Ye Qinghe realize that the primary function of a white cane was to detect changes in ground level and obstacles, not to serve as a walking stick for support. No wonder when he used to see Little Blind walking with a cane, it was always stretched out far ahead, swaying widely from side to side. Back then, he had even complained that the movements were too exaggerated and disruptive to his own walking.

“The tip of the cane should stay in contact with the ground, sweeping from side to side slightly wider than your shoulder width. When going up or down stairs, don’t swing the cane—keep it vertical in front of you so you can detect the next step. Also, never hold the cane horizontally on stairs.”

As An Yue spoke, he kept an eye on Ye Qinghe. Although his gaze was unfocused as usual, he seemed clearly distracted.

“Chairman Ye?” An Yue patted him on the arm. “What’s wrong? Am I boring you?”

“Ah, no.” Ye Qinghe lowered his head briefly, hiding his emotions before looking up again with a smile. “Your voice is just so deep and magnetic—it completely mesmerized me.”

“…” This guy was just naturally foolish, wasn’t he?

An Yue cleared his throat and said sternly, “Focus! Repeat what I just said.”

Although Ye Qinghe had been spacing out, he had actually absorbed everything An Yue taught him. He smoothly repeated the key points of using the cane, leaving An Yue with no excuse to scold him.

“Alright, since you got it, let’s go downstairs for a walk.” An Yue said.

“Wait a second, where are my sunglasses?” Ye Qinghe asked.

“What sunglasses? The sunlight isn’t even strong outside. You don’t need them,” An Yue replied, then added after a moment’s thought, “What you do need is an extra jacket.”

“I do need them. Blind people always wear sunglasses—it completes the look,” Ye Qinghe insisted.

An Yue had no idea where Ye Qinghe got this misconception about blind people. Most visually impaired individuals wore sunglasses because of abnormal eye conditions—some had cloudy pupils, strabismus, or even deformed, shrunken eyeballs that caused sunken eye sockets. In general, they wore sunglasses to avoid making others uncomfortable.

But Ye Qinghe’s blindness was due to optic nerve damage, not any issue with his actual eyes. His eyes were large with round inner corners, and his double eyelids were narrow at the front but widened toward the ends, slightly lifting at the outer corners. His pupils were deep and dark, reflecting a hint of moisture.

Looking more closely, An Yue even noticed a small, faint tear mole on his left cheekbone, just beneath the outer corner of his eye.

To be honest, they were a pair of strikingly beautiful, soulful eyes. Even though they had lost their former brilliance, traces of their once-vibrant charm remained.

At that moment, Ye Qinghe’s expression was serious, his unfocused gaze directed at An Yue. Even though An Yue knew Ye Qinghe couldn’t actually see him, he still felt as though he was being looked at—his face heating up involuntarily.

“Y-You really don’t need them,” An Yue took a step back, fanning his face with his hand in an attempt to cool down. “Other people wear them to hide imperfections. Your eyes aren’t unsightly. You don’t need to cover them.”

“Oh? So they’re just ‘not unsightly’?” Ye Qinghe caught the subtle unease in An Yue’s voice and chuckled lightly. “I used to be told that my eyes were beautiful.”

His laughter carried a trace of melancholy.

But what’s the use of being beautiful?

They’re blind. Whether in the past or now, they’re still blind.

(To be continued…)