It was January in Yuncheng, and it had snowed a little a few days ago. The afterglow of the setting sun was shining through, painting the dark sky with a slight glow. White snow was falling like ink that couldnât be melted.
Song Fengwan had just left the airport when a gust of cold wind blew, making her shiver.
âI proposed to your mother last night, and she agreed. What do you think about this? She said she wanted to seek your opinion.â
Yan Wangchuanâs words were simple and crude, scaring her so much that she didnât regain her senses for half the night.
She was at a loss for how to answer him. She had only been away for a few days, but the world had changed.
When they reached the car, Huai Sheng climbed in first, while Shi Fang and Yan Wangchuan loaded the luggage. Song Fengwan hurriedly pulled Qiao Aiyun aside. âMom, what happened? Are you really together with Uncle Yan now?
âHe proposed to you, and you agreed?
âWhy didnât you tell me something so important? When did it happen?â
Qiao Aiyunâs head was about to explode. âNo, itâs not like that at all!â
âBut Uncle Yan doesnât lie.â
âThis matter is a little complicated.â
âExplain it simply then.â
âI was tricked by him.â
Song Fengwan was suspicious. Over the past few days, she had also gained some understanding of Yan Wangchuan. He wasnât the kind of person who would use manipulative tricks. Tricked her? She didnât believe it.
âMs. Qiao, Miss Song, please get in the car.â Shi Fang closed the trunk.
They had two cars, Yan Wangchuanâs and the Fu familyâs.
âWanwan, take Huai Sheng to that car. I have something to tell him.â Qiao Aiyun gritted her teeth in hatred as she glared at Yan Wangchuan, wishing she could swallow him alive.
Song Fengwan hurriedly dragged Huai Sheng into the other car. Shi Fang drove, following closely behind Yan Wangchuan.
***
While Yan Wangchuan drove out of the airport, Qiao Aiyun took a deep breath and turned her head to look at him.
âSenior Brother, why did you say that in front of Wanwan just now?â
âDidnât you say that we need to seek her opinion?â Yan Wangchuan looked ahead, his voice still serious and his face expressionless.
âBut before you say it, shouldnât you discuss it with me first? Sheâs still a child, and her father and I just got divorced. Do you think she can accept this so soon?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Yan Wangchuan shot her a look out of the corner of his eye and lightly grunted in agreement.
Qiao Aiyun heaved a long sigh of relief.?Huh? Is that it?
âIâve gotten used to doing things alone. Iâll change. Iâll discuss everything with you in the future.â
Qiao Aiyun gritted her teeth anxiously. âWe havenât even matched our birth characters yet. Youâre making things very difficult for me right now.â
âWanwan is a good child. She will understand you.â
Qiao Aiyunâs jaw nearly dropped from shock. This was obviously not what she meant.
âDonât worry. Although I donât have a child, I will treat her well.â Yan Wangchuanâs tone was firm, as though he was making a very solemn promise.
Qiao Aiyun sighed. âActually, when I was with Song Jingren, I found out a long time ago that he had cheated on me, and he wrote me a letter of guarantee. Back then, when my mother-in-law was still alive, she cried and begged me, saying that the Song family couldnât afford to lose face. Besides, I was pregnant at the time, so I gave up on the idea of a divorce.
âMy mother-in-law kept telling me that as long as the child was born, Song Jingren would definitely straighten out. But the outcome wasnât like thisâ¦
âI kept feeling that I could put up with it and continue living like this to give Wanwan a complete family. It was only when that girl came all the way to our house that I realized how laughable my years of suffering were.
âWanwan is very important to meâ¦â
Yan Wangchuan listened earnestly. After a long time, he suddenly stopped the car by the roadside.
Qiao Aiyun turned her head to look at him and found that he was staring at her. His eyes were deep and as cold and sharp as usual, looking as though they contained some inexplicable feeling.
âAiyunâ¦â
âWhatâs wrong? Donât look at me like that. Itâs all in the pastâ¦â She lowered her head and smiled bitterly.
Yan Wangchuan suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand. She was shocked and subconsciously wanted to pull her hand away. His hand was very big and thick with calluses, and his palm was burning with a heat that could melt people.
Her heart skipped a beat from the burning sensation.
âYouâ¦â?Whatâs wrong with him? Why is he suddenly touching me?
âI wonât cheat on you. I will only treat you well,â Yan Wangchuan said solemnly.
The tip of Qiao Aiyunâs nose felt sore as she suddenly yanked her fingers from his palm. She tilted her head and looked out of the window without saying a word.
After a few seconds, he added, âIâll treat you twice as well.â
Qiao Aiyun smiled bitterly, not knowing what to feel.
Although her feelings for Song Jingren had dissipated, she hadnât sorted out her thoughts about accepting another person immediately. If she only wanted to find someone to rely on or live with for the rest of her life, Yan Wangchuan was indeed the best choice.
But he had waited for her for more than 20 years. The feelings he held toward her were too heavy, so she didnât dare accept him easily.
She was afraid of not being able to take him up on it, and she was also afraid of letting him down.
***
In the other carâ¦
Song Fengwan, on the other hand, was very happy that her mother was in a separate car. She could call Fu Chen in the meantime.
Fu Chen and his group had just gotten off the plane and were taking a taxi to the capitalâs medical school.
The medical school was located in the university town, bordering on the outskirts. It was very far from the airport, so it would take at least two hours to drive there.
But the Duan family had borrowed a private jet. Before Song Fengwanâs plane reached Yuncheng, they had already alighted.
âYou havenât reached the hospital yet?â Song Fengwan rubbed the tip of her nose. Just now, the cold wind had made her nose dry and cold.
âTen more minutes.â Fu Chen looked at Duan Linbai beside him with disdain.
âThenâ¦â Song Fengwan bit her lips. âIâll accompany you for ten more minutes.â It would take more than an hour to get from the airport to her house.
Fu Chen let out a low laugh. âOkay.â
When he hung up, the car had already driven into the medical school.
The driver was Qian Jiang. According to the GPS information sent by the Duan Family, they searched around the school for a long time before finding the medical building where the ophthalmology department was located.
Fu Chen reached out to take off Duan Linbaiâs earphones. âWeâre here. Get out of the car.â
This was the first time he saw someone still in such a good mood when they were blind.
Previously, when he was in the hospital aboard, the doctor had even specifically reminded him that patients with snow blindness who suddenly lost their eyesight would have big fluctuations in their mood. They might become depressed or become extremely irritable and lose control. He had told him that he had to pay attention to the mental and physical health of the patient.
Meanwhile, the person beside him had been listening to hip-hop and rap the entire way. He was dancing with joy and didnât look like a patient at all.
There was a lot of snow in the capital, and the ground was slippery. The car door opened, and Qian Jiang carried him upstairs on his back.
Duan Linbai couldnât see, and his fingers touched Qian Jiangâs neck twice. Only after making sure that it was his neck did he reach out to hug him tightly. His body rose into the air, and he lost his balance. His heart skipped a beat. The feeling of not being able to see was truly uncomfortable.
Qian Jiang had a good physique and could walk steadily. Butâ¦
Why is this person rubbing my chest with his fingers?
âOh, Qian Jiang, your figure is pretty nice.
âYouâre indeed worthy of being a former soldier. You probably work out regularly too.
âThe muscles are clearly defined. Not bad, not bad.â
â¦
Qian Jiang looked at Fu Chen beside him, shooting him a look.?Can I throw this person down?
Fu Chen coughed twice. âBear with it.â
âBear with what?â Duan Linbai snorted. âIâm a patient now.â
âIâve never seen a patient happier than you.â Everyone was anxious to death, but he was the only one who was happy.
âIâm trying to find joy in suffering. Do you think Iâm not upset? Men all cry silently in their hearts.â
Fu Chen laughed lightly.?No one will believe your nonsense.
***
When Fu Chen and his group arrived at the room, the expert doctors had been waiting for a long time.
Qian Jiang put him down, and Mrs. Duan ran over anxiously to support him. âLittle Bai, youâ¦â
Learning that he had lost his eyesight and seeing it with her own eyes were two different things. Mrs. Duanâs eyes reddened as tears streamed down her face.
âMs. Lin, donât cry. Iâm not really blind.â Duan Linbai reached into the air to feel around twice before patting his motherâs shoulder tentatively. âYouâre making me uncomfortable with the crying. Iâm not supposed to tear up. Donât agitate me.â
âDonât cry. Quickly let the doctors examine Little Bai.â Father Duan helped his wife to the side.
A doctor immediately walked over. âYoung Master Duan, donât be afraid. Follow my instructions and walk forward.â
Duan Linbai subconsciously reached out to feel his way around. Actually, he was more nervous than anyone else.
On the other side, the female medical student who had been in charge of pouring tea was currently standing by the side with a few classmates.
Snow blindness wasnât an incurable illness, and they hadnât come to see an expertâs consultation. But the people who came today were all big names in the field of ophthalmology. Just like many people chasing celebrities nowadays, these people were their idols. Naturally, they had come to join in the fun.
Duan Linbai was supported by a few doctors as he sat down carefully on a stool.
He was thin and fair, and he was wearing a bright yellow windbreaker. His hair might have been covered in frost, as a few strands of hair were sticking to the sides of his ears. Water droplets rolled down the ends of his hair. His shoulders were broad, his legs were long, and his lips were slightly pursed. Clearly, he wasnât used to the darkness yet because he was using his toes to test the waters when walking.
He seemed beyond mundane affairs, looking innocent and clean. Even though he was blind, he still had an arrogant and wicked vibe.
âYoung Master Duan, donât be nervous.â The doctor sitting opposite him removed his goggles.
He couldnât see, so his eyes were unfocused. His dark brown eyes were narrowed, revealing a sense of helplessness. But he forced himself to remain calm. For a moment, his aura was especially awkward, but it instantly disappeared again.
âI know.â Duan Linbai took a deep breath.
âWeâll give you a check-up first. Donât move.â
Duan Linbai could feel his eyelids being pried open by fingers. But he had no idea what they were doing or how many people were in front of him.
âOh, itâs really Duan Linbai. Heâs really good-looking. Look at his skin. Itâs even whiter than a womanâs. It looks like itâs been powdered. I always thought that he used filters on the photos on the internet.â A few medical students leaned against a corner and discussed softly.
âIâve never seen a man wear bright yellow so cleanly and freshly.â A girl reached out to touch the person beside her.
âMu Zi, after seeing such a high-quality specimen, the boys in our medical school are simply unsightly.â
âHe came in with me just now. Heâs so handsomeâ¦â
The few male students at the side turned their heads and remained silent. Peopleâs looks were inborn. Even with plastic surgery, some peopleâs appearance and bearing couldnât be changed to imitate others.
One of the girls, who had been talking for a long time, suddenly realized that her friend hadnât spoken for a while. When she turned her head to look at her, she saw that she had lowered her head and was pretending to be a mushroom, trying her best to reduce her presence.
âXu Jiamu, are you okay?â She lowered her voice.
Xu Jiamu tilted her head, wanting to hide her head in her good friendâs arms.
âAre you feeling unwell?â
âNo.â At this moment, Xu Jiamu wanted to die. She was focused on her studies, and the walls in her dormitory room were covered with eye case analysis photos. She had only heard of Duan Linbai, but she had never seen this person before.
How could she have known that she would have such an ill-fated relationship with him?
âYou know Young Master Duan?â her good friend whispered. âI heard that he has a very bad reputation outside. Heâs always surrounded by internet celebrities. Mu Zi, you and himâ¦
âDid he do something to you?â
Xu Jiamu bit her lip. âIt should be me that did something to himâ¦â
His friend was stunned. âYou⦠with him?â
No matter how she looked at it, the two of them were from two different worlds. On the university campus, there were supermarkets, bathhouse spas, and almost everything. Xu Jiamu was conducting an experiment, so she hadnât stepped out of the school for five months, much less gone out to play. How could she have gotten to know Duan Linbai?
Moreover, Xu Jiamu said that she had done something to Duan Linbai?
She couldnât help her thoughts from veering into other directions. Duan Linbai was publicly acknowledged to be beautiful, and there were thousands of people online who wanted to sleep with him. âXu Jiamu, I couldnât tell at all. Youâre usually quiet, but youâve unexpectedly set the world on fire.â
âHuh?â Xu Jiamu tried her best to reduce her presence.
âDid you give himâ¦â
Xu Jiamu was stunned.
As though her innocence had been insulted, she was so angry that her teeth were chattering. âI didnât do that kind of thing to him. Your thoughts are really dirty.â
âYou scared me. I thought you f*cked him. After all, youâre very bold.â Few medical students were timid.
Xu Jiamu gritted her teeth in anger. âI didnât f*ck him!â
In her anger, she raised her voice significantly. Duan Linbai was blind, so his ears were naturally sharper.?Whoâs talking? I seem to have heard her voice somewhere before.
Standing beside Duan Linbai, Fu Chen turned his head to size up Xu Jiamu.?This figureâ¦
⦠looks strangely familiar.