BFILWY CH 8

Chapter 8: An Yue’s Misfortune

Director Zhong said, “He’s a bit strange.”

“How is he strange? Did he suddenly jump up and cheer?” An Yue, who was already annoyed by this unexpected trouble, snapped back at him.

Director Zhong gave him a look. “No, not at all. He just calmly accepted it.”

“Huh?” An Yue still hadn’t figured out what the director meant when Director Zhong had already pushed him into the patient’s room.

“Mr. Ye, hello. I’m Director Zhong from the ophthalmology department,” Director Zhong greeted the patient, who was sitting on the bed with his head turned toward the window, basking in the sunlight. “How are you today? I’ve brought someone with me. He’s a volunteer from our department, and he’ll be here to chat with you.”

The man turned his head and smiled politely at them. “Hello, please sit. The weather is nice today.”

Ye Qinghe was sitting there, with sunlight casting a bright glow on his face. Due to his craniotomy^[1], his head had been shaved, and after a month or two, short stubble had started to grow back. The haphazard haircut^[2], with the uneven stubble, actually highlighted his well-defined features and made him quite handsome.

An Yue sighed softly, regretting that he hadn’t realized earlier that the patient Director Zhong referred to was the same “thug” he had brought to the hospital two months ago. He looked at Ye Qinghe, who was leisurely basking in the sun and talking about how nice the weather was, feeling oddly confused. He glanced at Director Zhong, who raised an eyebrow as if to say, “See, he’s really strange, right?”

As Director Zhong had said, most people would be terrified if they found out they had gone blind. But the man in front of them appeared completely calm. His smile even made it seem like he was in a good mood. But how could he be? He had been in a car accident, narrowly escaping death, only to lose his sight. How could anyone suddenly go blind and act like he did?

Ye Qinghe moved slightly. After he had said, “The weather is nice today” to his visitors, the room fell silent. He tilted his head and listened for a few seconds, then asked, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

“We’re here. We’re all here!” Director Zhong immediately responded, then gently pushed An Yue forward to greet Ye Qinghe.

He reluctantly introduced himself, “Hello, I’m An Yue.”

“Hello. Ye Qinghe,” the man replied, his hand raised in the air, as if to say something curious, “My name should be on the patient card. How do you write your name?”

“An, as in ‘safe’— 安, and the character 瑀, with the radical for jade and the character for Yu, as in the legendary Yu the Great,” An Yue hesitated, lightly touching the patient’s hand that was still in the air. Ye Qinghe immediately grabbed his hand. He kept his smile, but his voice carried a hint of concern, and he asked with mild worry, “An Yue, have you caught a cold? Your voice sounds hoarse; is your throat uncomfortable?”

“…”

An Yue, who had already been cared for by three people, felt a bit helpless. “No, my voice has always been a bit raspy,” he explained. Ye Qinghe still held his hand, so An Yue struggled slightly before he finally let go.

“I see. If it’s not a cold, that’s good. Being sick is really unpleasant,” Ye Qinghe nodded, still wearing a smile on his face, not showing any sign of discomfort despite his own condition.

“Mr. Ye, An Yue has been volunteering in our ophthalmology ward for a while and has quite a bit of experience with vision impairment. Director Yang told me that you were looking for someone to help with your life after being discharged, so I brought him over to chat with you,” Director Zhong said.

An Yue couldn’t believe that the old director had just thrown him into this. He widened his eyes and shook his head at Director Zhong to express his dissatisfaction and reluctance. Unfortunately, Director Zhong pretended not to notice.

“Yes, I indeed want to find someone to assist me in adjusting to a blind person’s life and teach me some living skills for the blind,” Ye Qinghe said. “Can An Yue help me with this? I’m happy to negotiate the fee. I won’t shortchange you.”

An Yue really wanted to refuse.

When he was in college, he had wanted to live freely, so he used the convenience of transportation as an excuse to rent a place near campus. But his cold-hearted, strict brother convinced their father to buy him a small apartment instead. Over the years, he had become accustomed to living alone, and sometimes, even when returning to his parents’ home, he didn’t feel entirely comfortable. He had no intention of moving into a stranger’s house and becoming a full-time caregiver. He simply didn’t want to get involved in other people’s affairs.

However, seeing Ye Qinghe’s hopeful expression and his unfocused gaze, An Yue found it hard to reject him outright. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Director Zhong told me earlier that your blindness is temporary, and there’s a high chance you’ll regain your sight once the blood clot in your brain is absorbed. So, Mr. Ye, you only need someone to take care of your daily needs during this time. Why do you specifically want to learn blind living skills?”

“But what if I’m in the other, very small possibility? Perhaps I will never see again in this lifetime, and I need to get used to it sooner rather than later.” Ye Qinghe said this depressing thought with a smile.

When Ye Qinghe was hit by the car and thrown into the air, he thought it was karma coming for him.

But when he woke up and realized he had gone blind, that was when he truly understood what real karma was.

Very well. The second shoe had dropped. This time, the heavens had finally found the right person.^[3]

(To be continued…)