BFILWY CH 5

Chapter 5: Little Blind Boy

It is said that Little Blind Boy had only recently gone blind, and he couldn’t go to school anymore. He spent his days trying to shake off his white cane, singing and working odd jobs to save money, hoping to cure his eyes. It was the time when he was most reliant on others, and that was when he encountered him—someone with all the bad luck in the world.

Little Blind Boy came from a poor family and wasn’t skilled at dressing himself. To be honest, he had delicate features. Even though his eyes were always hidden behind sunglasses, beneath the glasses, his skin was clean, pale, and smooth, with a straight nose and lips that naturally curved upward, giving him a youthful and obedient look. He was a very neat and cute person.

But being neat and cute couldn’t attract someone like Ye Qinghe. He usually preferred boys who were more flamboyant and flashy. If it weren’t for that bet, Ye Qinghe wouldn’t have even glanced at him. But unexpectedly, this ordinary-looking person had a really good voice. Ye Qinghe cared more about a person’s voice than their looks. His reasoning was—“You can do it with your eyes closed, turn someone over in bed, but can you shut your ears? A nice voice is much more important than a pretty face.” In the end, he was just a sound enthusiast.

Little Blind Boy’s voice was clear and crisp. Despite having gone through puberty, his voice was still bright and mellow, which added a bit of fun to Ye Qinghe’s process of collecting his playthings. He sat at the table, listening to him sing, but all Ye Qinghe could think about was how such a voice would sound in bed. Hearing a pure and innocent voice mixed with desire, how wonderful that would be. Ye Qinghe had played around before, but it was always in places like brothels or bars where everyone was worldly, street-smart. He had never played with someone so young and pure, so he patiently lured his prey. On the one hand, he was afraid of scaring the little blind boy away, and on the other, he didn’t want trouble, so he waited until the boy was of legal age before making his move.

Ye Qinghe still remembered that day clearly. The restaurant was brightly lit, and Little Blind Boy, hearing his boyfriend was taking him to eat French food, had somehow gotten a mismatched, out-of-season suit. It was the beginning of May, and the weather was already warm. Little Blind Boy was dressed in woolen fabric, which made him sweat profusely. His suit was outdated, and the fabric wasn’t good quality. The threads from the shoulder seam were sticking out, which made Ye Qinghe feel uncomfortable. He didn’t want to talk much and didn’t even bother to ask what the boy wanted to order. Instead, he took the initiative to choose the meal for him. Little Blind Boy, being extremely grateful, thought his boyfriend was so considerate.

The appetizer quickly arrived. Little Blind Boy, feeling a bit awkward, reached for the shallow dish in front of him. It was filled with steaming seafood chowder. Without thinking, he dipped his finger into the soup. The thick soup didn’t let off much heat, and when he pulled his finger out, it had been scalded. He sucked in a breath from the pain, and when he drew his finger back, it was red.

Ye Qinghe had been watching the whole time. He saw Little Blind Boy hastily suck his finger to cool it down, and Ye Qinghe couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. After a couple of coughs, he pretended to be concerned, pulling the boy’s hand and playfully rubbing his finger.

He applied some pressure, rubbing the burnt skin. It must have hurt, but Little Blind Boy just smiled foolishly, squinting his eyes into tiny crescents hidden behind his sunglasses, radiating joy.

“It’s fine, I was careless. It doesn’t hurt.” Little Blind Boy, happy that Ye Qinghe was concerned for him, and wanting to ease his worries, smiled up at the air and said a reassuring line. He didn’t know that Ye Qinghe had already returned to his seat, drinking soup on his own.

Little Blind Boy’s hands started fumbling around the table again. A waiter who passed by wanted to help, but Ye Qinghe stopped him with a glance, so the waiter had no choice but to leave. Ye Qinghe, with a mischievous grin, moved the boy’s spoon further away and watched as Little Blind Boy fumbled around the table for a while before finally finding it. Happy, he was about to take a sip when Ye Qinghe spoke again: “A little black pepper makes it taste better.” He handed over a salt shaker, leisurely watching as Little Blind Boy shook it vigorously, salt flakes falling like snow into his soup.

Little Blind Boy didn’t have much experience with Western food. After watching for a while, Ye Qinghe suddenly feigned surprise and exclaimed, “Oh no, I grabbed the wrong one. Stop for a second, taste it, and see if it’s too salty.”

Little Blind Boy paused, carefully placing the salt shaker in an empty spot on the table before starting to drink.

“…”

He took a sip of the soup and clearly froze for a moment. His spoon hovered in the air, his expression strange. The mist from the hot soup fogged up his sunglasses, and the water vapor made him look like a fool, just like an old comedic movie character being pranked.

To Ye Qinghe, he indeed seemed like that fool.

“So, how is it? Too salty?” Ye Qinghe’s voice sounded apologetic, but before Little Blind Boy could answer, he added, “Is it good? The lobster bisque is the restaurant’s signature dish. You can’t get it without a reservation. They’ve been simmering the broth with crab and lobster heads for two days, and the soup is full of lobster meat.” Ye Qinghe’s face showed a teasing expression, but his voice was full of caring anticipation. “I wonder if it suits your taste? Today is your 18th birthday, so I made sure to arrange everything in advance.”

“…”

Little Blind Boy bit his lower lip and nodded vigorously. “It’s delicious!” To prove the soup was truly good, he took another spoonful and ate it.

Ye Qinghe held back a laugh. “Really that good? What a pity, though. When I made the reservation, it was a bit late, and I could only book one bowl.” This wasn’t a lie; he really had only reserved one bowl, but that bowl of authentic lobster bisque was right in front of him, with only two spoonfuls left. The bowl in front of Little Blind Boy was just a regular seafood soup from the set meal. Ye Qinghe watched the bewildered look on the boy’s face and teased him, “How about this? You share some with me…”

“No!” Before Ye Qinghe could finish speaking, Little Blind Boy hurriedly protected his bowl, shouting. After shouting, he was taken aback by his own reaction. He rarely refused anyone, but this time, he just couldn’t. He felt deeply guilty. His boyfriend had put so much thought into reserving such a delicious lobster soup for him, only for him to ruin it by making it too salty. He couldn’t let Ye Qinghe drink it, and he didn’t want him to find out.

Qin Sian seemed to have forgotten that the reason for the salty soup was because of the salt shaker Ye Qinghe had handed him earlier.

“Oh? You’re being stingy?” Ye Qinghe raised an eyebrow, teasing him. But deep down, he was a little curious. Normally, when someone was pranked, wouldn’t they try to prank back? Was Little Blind Boy really so naive that he didn’t even realize he was being tricked?

“This was specially reserved for me, so I’m not sharing it with anyone. I… I don’t often get to spend my birthday with friends,” Little Blind Boy smiled shyly. “Thank you for helping me celebrate my birthday. This soup, I want to drink it all by myself, and I’ll share the cake with you later.”

“…” Idiot! Ye Qinghe cursed inwardly as he watched Little Blind Boy enjoy every spoonful of the soup. He couldn’t shake the feeling of irritation. Little Blind Boy must have heard that the soup was expensive, and that’s why he stubbornly wanted to finish it all. Tsk, poor people who have never seen the world are like this!

Drink it all, let’s see if it won’t make you sick. Ye Qinghe, with a blank face, moved the water bottle further away, pretending not to notice that Little Blind Boy was groping around, trying to find something to drink.

That night, Ye Qinghe took him back to his place in the Lakeside District, a house he specially kept for his lovers. He coaxed and tricked him into fulfilling their bet. Poor Little Blind Boy, having his first time in such a painful and miserable way, screaming in agony. Not only did he feel as if he were being torn apart, but he almost died of thirst, begging Ye Qinghe softly to pour him some water. Ye Qinghe didn’t care, enjoying himself and rolling over to sleep after finishing. Little Blind Boy had no choice but to endure the burning pain in his lower half, crawling and groping his way to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and drank a bellyful of tap water. On his way back, he almost tripped over Ye Qinghe’s discarded pants, barely avoiding falling. The noise was so loud, but Ye Qinghe didn’t even bother to open his eyes to look.

Two months later, Ye Qinghe dumped Little Blind Boy.

Actually, according to their bet, recording the sound from one night would have been enough. But Little Blind Boy, as Ye Qinghe had expected, though inexperienced, had a voice that was exactly to his liking—soft and seductive. The young boy, newly awakening to desire, was led by Ye Qinghe to the point of ecstasy, drowning in waves of pleasure. For this, Ye Qinghe, the high-and-mighty man, “kindly” played with him for an extra two months.

What was wicked about Ye Qinghe was that, instead of simply treating it as a one-night stand, he wanted to play with emotions and hearts. He made Little Blind Boy spin in circles, took his body, but that wasn’t enough. He had to coax and deceive him into offering his heart, then kick him to the curb. And after kicking him, he didn’t stop there—he ground that heart beneath his heel, grinding it into pieces, blood and tears flowing.

He also had to compete with his friends to see whose ex-lover was in the worst shape.

That time, he won a bottle of Johnnie Walker Oldest Blue Label^[1]. Everyone agreed that his ex was the most pitiful!

(To be continued…)