Chapter 48 The darkness before my eyes is not darkness

Liu Zhuang exerted all his strength and finally managed to pull apart the swaying Hua Cheng and Hua Yu.

The two wore the same indifferent expressions, and when they returned to the ward, they refused to even take the elevator together, and looked at Liu Zhuang outside the elevator with the same eyes.

Liu Zhuang looked at this and then at that, and finally decided to take the stairs.

Both elevators simultaneously emitted a cold snort, then returned to their respective rooms to sleep.

The next morning, Hua Cheng lost his sight again.

"The tumor has shrunk again, and now it's only the size of a fingernail. If it continues to dissipate at this rate, it will be completely healed in another week. But this small piece just happens to be pressing on the optic nerve, which is why I suddenly can't see."

Having lived for so many years, this was the first time the attending physician had seen such a dynamic and unpredictable tumor, leaving him feeling utterly helpless.

Yun Jin glanced at Hua Cheng on the hospital bed: "So it will take a week to recover your eyesight?"

"The prerequisite for restoring vision is that the tumor continues to dissipate. If all goes well, it can be restored in less than a week," the attending physician emphasized again. "If it doesn't dissipate, surgery will probably be necessary to remove it. Although there are certain risks, the difficulty has been greatly reduced compared to the previous situation."

Yun Jin nodded and then asked about Hua Yu's situation.

"Mr. Hua is recovering well. The hematoma has almost completely subsided. He can be discharged after two more days of observation."

Hua Cheng snorted softly. Although he couldn't see, he keenly sensed the warning gaze from Yun Jin the next second and immediately covered himself with the blanket.

He behaved himself.

The attending physician was already used to this. He smiled and said to Yun Jin, "President Yun, I have more detailed information on my computer. Let's discuss the specifics in the office. Let President Hua rest first."

Yun Jin agreed and helped Hua Cheng tuck the blanket in.

Taking the opportunity, Hua Cheng grabbed her hand: "Wife, are you going on a business trip today?"

Yun Jin glanced at the attending physician, who then left.

"Yes, the original plan was a business trip," Yun Jin said.

Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Are you going to change your itinerary for me now?"

Yun Jin didn't say anything, but helped him adjust the angle of the bed.

“Go ahead, so many media outlets are waiting. If you don’t show up, it will definitely cause a lot of speculation,” Hua Cheng said proactively. “I have Fatty to take care of me, or if all else fails, we can hire a caregiver. It’ll be fine.”

"Are you sure?" Yun Jin frowned slightly.

Hua Cheng: "Yeah, I'm sure. Maybe I'll be fine as soon as you come back."

After living together for so many years, he has become more and more relaxed in front of her, but he still has a strange sense of pride and doesn't want to expose his vulnerable side to her.

Yun Jin knew him well, so she wasn't surprised. After considering for a few seconds, she said, "I'll leave right after I finish talking to the doctor. Fatty will be here in a few minutes. You should lie down and not move. We can talk about it when he arrives."

Hua Cheng blinked, but everything was still pitch black: "Okay."

Seeing that he was relatively well-behaved, Yun Jin left with the doctor.

Hua Cheng heard the door close and suddenly felt bored, so he took out his phone from under his pillow and wondered if he should play some music to pass the time.

Before he could make a decision, the door was pushed open.

"Fatty?" he asked tentatively.

The visitor did not speak.

Hua Cheng subtly raised an eyebrow and handed over the phone: "Play some music for me."

The person remained silent for a moment before taking the phone just as his patience was about to run out.

The next second, the lingering, sorrowful sound of the erhu rang out.

"..."

Hua Cheng sighed softly, his face filled with sorrow: "Throughout my life, I have experienced countless ups and downs and weathered all kinds of storms. I never imagined that one day I would be defeated by such a small darkness. The thought that I might never see again in this lifetime is so painful that I want to die."

The person who came did not respond.

Hua Cheng's expression returned to normal: "I'd like some fruit, could you do me a favor?"

As soon as I finished speaking, I heard a rustling sound, followed by the refreshing scent of citrus spreading in the air.

In Hua Cheng's outstretched hand, a peeled orange quickly appeared.

"I don't want to eat oranges."

The orange in my hand was taken away and replaced with a banana.

"I don't want bananas either, I want apples," Hua Cheng continued to make his request.

"..."

A minute later, the peeled apple was handed to me.

Hua Cheng took a bite: "Open the window, it's so stuffy in here."

The sound of a window opening soon filled the quiet room.

"Ugh, it's so cold, I need to turn it off quickly."

"..."

Close it.

"Never mind, let's open it anyway."

It opened again.

"No, it's too cold, let's turn it off."

He closed it again, this time clearly with anger.

Hua Cheng was in a good mood and rolled around on the bed, but forgot that he was lying on the edge of the bed and rolled straight onto the floor.

He exclaimed in surprise, and was caught steadily the next second.

When Liu Zhuang entered the room, he saw Hua Yu with a cold face, rushing to the bedside and carrying Hua Cheng in a princess carry.

...Wait, what's going on?

Weren't we shaking our heads at each other yesterday?

Hua Cheng couldn't see anything, rolled back onto the bed from Hua Yu's arms, and leisurely munched on an apple.

Hua Yu found it hard to pretend she couldn't see Liu Zhuang's astonished expression; her ears turned red instantly, but she still tried to remain calm.

“You…” Liu Zhuang seemed to be deep in thought.

Hua Yu stiffly stood up, walked past him, and left.

Liu Zhuang watched him leave until the door closed again before coming to the bedside.

"Fatty," Hua Cheng greeted.

Liu Zhuang waved his hand in front of him: "Really can't see it?"

“Yes, I can’t see it,” Hua Cheng replied.

Liu Zhuang: "Then how did you know it was me?"

"Judging from your footsteps, they're so heavy, it can only be you," Hua Cheng admitted.

Liu Zhuang rolled his eyes.

"Did you roll your eyes at me?" Hua Cheng asked.

Liu Zhuang: "...You really can't see it?"

This was Hua Cheng's second time going blind. Perhaps because everyone clearly knew that this was the last darkness before dawn, everyone was in a relaxed mood.

Besides the blooming flowers.

Recalling Hua Yu's expression just now, Liu Zhuang couldn't help but ask, "Do you know who hugged you just now?"

“…That wasn’t a hug, it was just a helping hand,” Hua Cheng corrected him. “Of course I know that, it’s Hua Yu.”

Liu Zhuang: "Did he get these apples, oranges, and bananas for you?"

"Um."

Liu Zhuang: "You two have made up?"

“We’ve never had an easy time,” Hua Cheng emphasized.

Liu Zhuang: "Then why is he so good to you?"

"Yes, why is that?" Hua Cheng smiled.

Liu Zhuang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly gasped: "He doesn't think you've become like this because he shook the tumor apart, does he?!"

Hua Cheng couldn't help but laugh: "I was pretty naive at 20, wasn't I?"

"Oh dear, the child will feel so guilty. I'll go explain..."

As Liu Zhuang was about to leave after speaking, Hua Cheng immediately stopped him, saying, "Don't go. Let him continue to blame himself."

"What do you mean?" Liu Zhuang frowned.

Hua Cheng casually crossed his legs: "If this sense of self-blame can make him take the initiative to return to 2013, that would be even better. After all, it's not good for him to stay here all the time, right?"

Liu Zhuang remained silent for a long time, then sighed: "You're just shameless."

The scoundrel warned, "Don't let anything slip."

Liu Zhuang wanted to roll his eyes, but he couldn't do anything about it and could only suppress his anger and agree.

After staying inside with him for a while, Liu Zhuang went out to buy something. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Hua Yu sitting alone outside.

He paused, about to flee.

"Fatty."

A faint voice sounded, and Liu Zhuang froze, silently turning back: "Ha... what are you doing here?"

"How is he?" Hua Yu asked.

Liu Zhuang gave a slight twitch of his lips: "Still can't see."

Hua Yu was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Is it because I shook his head yesterday?"

Liu Zhuang: "..."

He really misunderstood.

Hua Yu lowered her head and defended herself: "He shook me first... I didn't expect it to turn out like this."

Seeing his dejected look, Liu Zhuang couldn't bear it: "Well, actually, it's about you..."

Hua Yu looked up.

Seeing this face that looked exactly like Hua Cheng's, Liu Zhuang instantly snapped out of his daze: "I suddenly remembered I have something to do, so I'll be going now!"

After saying that, he turned and ran away.

Hua Yu asked his retreating figure, "What will happen to him now that you're gone?"

"I'll hire a caregiver!"

Liu Zhuang originally only intended to buy something and then return to his ward, but he couldn't bear the torment of his conscience, so he ran away and never came back.

Hua Yu remained seated outside Hua Cheng's ward, watching the caregiver come and go, until Hua Cheng was once again left alone in the ward.

Suddenly, a sound came from the room, as if something had fallen to the ground.

Hua Yu rushed in immediately.

Hua Cheng stood innocently in front of the hospital bed, with a broken glass at his feet.

"Don't move!" Hua Yu warned immediately.

Hua Cheng couldn't see, so he instinctively turned his ear to the side and asked, "Why are you here?"

Hua Yu silently picked up the cleaning tools and cleaned up everything on the floor before placing the slippers at his feet.

Hua Cheng tested the slippers with his foot and was about to put them on when Hua Yu suddenly said, "You've put them on backwards."

"You help me put it on," Hua Cheng suddenly said matter-of-factly.

Hua Yu was speechless: "You were able to put it on by yourself just now."

“I can’t now,” Hua Cheng said.

Hua Yu remained motionless with a cold expression.

Hua Cheng sneered: "Don't forget who ruined me and made me like this."

This sentence was like a spell; once it was uttered, Hua Yu began to obey the command.

Noticing that he was putting shoes on his feet, Hua Cheng instinctively held onto the hospital bed and helped him put on the shoes.

After putting it on, Hua Cheng felt something was off: "Did I put it on backwards?"

Hua Yu: "Yes."

Hua Cheng: "?"

Hua Yu: "This is the price you pay for ordering me around."

Hua Cheng: "..."

Although the cost was high, Hua Cheng insisted on doing it, putting a hand on his shoulder and walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

Hua Yu stayed by his side the whole time, handing him things with a blank expression when he couldn't find them, and helping him complete his washing up.

After washing up, Hua Cheng instructed Hua Yu to hand him skincare products. Hua Yu looked at the bottles and jars on the sink and randomly picked one for him.

"No, this isn't it. I need to apply toner first. This is lotion." Hua Cheng touched the shape and tossed it back onto the table.

After serving him for half a day, Hua Yu had run out of patience: "I'll call the caregiver in."

"No need to call him, I've already sent him away." Hua Cheng couldn't see, but he still habitually kept his eyes open.

Hua Yu frowned: "Why did you tell him to leave?"

Hua Cheng: "I don't like strangers."

"Then who will take care of you?"

"You."

"On what grounds?"

Hua Cheng silently turned to him, his bright pupils looking no different from usual.

He didn't say anything, just 'looked' at Hua Yu.

Hua Yu took a deep breath, her face ashen, and helped him back to the hospital bed.

They ate lunch together, but after Liu Zhuang brought the food over, he ran off without looking back, leaving Hua Yu no chance to say a few words to him.

"What's on the menu today?" Hua Cheng asked.

Hua Yu glanced at it casually: "Fried hamster, stir-fried earthworms with scallions, and dry-fried giant ants."

"You're disgusting," Hua Cheng said with a look of disgust.

Hua Yu: "Eat it or don't, it's up to you."

"Eat? Who said I won't eat?" Hua Cheng said, slowly opening his mouth.

Hua Yu: "?"

"Hello?" Hua Cheng urged, waiting in vain.

Hua Yu laughed: "Your eyes are blind, and your hands are useless too?"

"My hands aren't crippled, but I can't see, so I can't pick up food," Hua Cheng said honestly.

Hua Yu took his bowl, filled it with some food, and handed it to him, along with a pair of chopsticks.

"Even with their eyes closed, a normal person can put food in their mouth," he casually reminded him.

Hua Cheng didn't get to play with him and quietly ate his meal.

When the doctor came to check on the patients, he saw the two sitting face to face eating and smiled, saying, "You two brothers have such a good relationship."

Hua Cheng: "..."

Hua Yu: "..."

After finishing their meal, Hua Cheng put his arm around Hua Yu's shoulder and walked around the ward for ten minutes before returning to bed for a nap.

Finally, it's quiet again.

Hua Yu breathed a sigh of relief and was about to return to her room when the person on the bed suddenly sat up.

Hua Yu: "..."

Three seconds later, he collapsed again.

Hua Yu remained silent for a long time, then decided not to leave and simply settled down on the sofa in the corner for a nap.

Although the sofa was soft, it wasn't as comfortable as a bed. Hua Yu tossed and turned for a while before finally falling asleep. She had only been asleep for a few minutes when she was woken up by an annoying noise.

He sat up groggily, thinking the hospital was under renovation, but when he opened his eyes he realized that Hua Cheng was tapping on the wall with his phone.

"...What are you doing?" Hua Yu frowned.

Hua Cheng looked completely innocent: "I need to go to the toilet."

Hua Yu: "..."

After a full minute of stalemate, Hua Yu finally gave in, coldly helping him to the restroom before turning to leave.

Hua Cheng grabbed him.

Hua Yu instantly became alert: "What are you doing now?"

"Help me adjust my direction," Hua Cheng said, gesturing in the air. "I'm a little lost right now."

Hua Yu: "The toilet is right in front of you, feel it yourself."

"I won't touch it, it's dirty." Hua Cheng looked disgusted.

Hua Yu laughed: "How about I just help you support yourself?"

"Is that okay?" Hua Cheng retorted.

After saying that, the two fell silent.

I was annoyed by the other party.

Hua Yu forcibly pressed his hand onto the toilet seat, ignoring his cursing, and closed the door from the outside.

Taking care of a blind person, especially a blind person who is unreasonable and deliberately causes trouble, is a task that truly requires a great deal of patience.

Hua Yu was angered by Hua Cheng several times, but seeing his lifeless eyes, she silently held back.

He stayed in Hua Cheng's room all day, only returning to his own room at night.

Finally, she could rest, but Hua Yu couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned until the middle of the night, when she suddenly sat up.

It was late at night, and the entire top floor of the hospital was quiet.

Hua Yu quietly pushed open the door to Hua Cheng's room and walked in, just in time to hear the sound of a cup falling to the ground.

It was a plastic cup he bought during the day, not as fragile as a glass cup. After falling to the ground, it rolled twice and then stopped.

Hua Cheng squatted on the ground, groping aimlessly with both hands. The cup was right next to him, but he couldn't reach it no matter what he did.

Hua Yu couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she strode forward and helped him up.

Hua Cheng looked surprised: "Who?"

Hua Yu ignored him, picked up the cup, washed it clean, and poured him a cup of warm water.

“Hua Yu.” Hua Cheng lowered his eyes, a smile still playing on his lips.

Hua Yu couldn't understand him: "How can you still laugh?"

"Why can't you laugh?" Hua Cheng asked in return.

Hua Yu: "Are you blind? You're blind!"

He didn't know what he was thinking at 32, but for him at 20, the world plunging into darkness was a terrifying thing.

Hua Cheng held the cup, slowly took a few sips, and then fumbled to put the cup down.

Hua Yu took the cup away and helped him back to bed.

After Hua Cheng sat down, he sighed and said, "We're already blind, what else can we do but laugh, cry?"

Hua Yu opened her mouth, but didn't say anything.

When a person can't see, their other senses become more acute. Hua Cheng vaguely sensed his emotions, and after a moment of silence, he smiled bitterly: "My eyes are probably going to be hard to recover."

Hua Yu: "..."

“I don’t blame you, really,” Hua Cheng’s voice became very soft. “Compared to death, losing your eyes is already a very lucky thing.”

"sorry……"

"No need to apologize to me. In the end, it's my own fault for being so useless." Hua Cheng raised the corners of his lips, then fell silent again.

Hua Yu didn't know what to say, so she could only stay by his side in silence.

After a while, Hua Cheng suddenly asked, "You must be very tired."

Hua Yu's eyes flickered slightly.

“In a time and space that doesn’t belong to you, even if you have familiar relatives and friends, there will always be a 12-year distance between you. You must have been having a hard time lately,” Hua Cheng asked with gentle concern.

Hua Yu remained silent for a long time before turning her face away: "No, not at all."

"Stop pretending, we're one person, how could I not know you?" Hua Cheng smiled. "Although it's tough, I get to see Yun Jin and hear her voice every day, so it's all worth it, right?"

Hua Yu lowered her eyes and remained silent.

“I understand your thoughts. If it were me, I would make the same choice, but…” Hua Cheng closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he suddenly noticed a glimmer of light.

A few question marks popped up on his forehead, and he was momentarily speechless.

"Just what?" Hua Yu asked.

Hua Cheng subconsciously looked at him.

For a moment, Hua Yu thought he had regained his sight, but the next second she saw that his eyes were vacant.

"Ah..." Hua Cheng hesitated for a moment.

Hua Yu: "Are you trying to take advantage of my guilt to persuade me to go back to 2013?"

"Yes." Hua Cheng couldn't think of anything else to say, so he simply admitted it.

Hua Yu: "I won't reply."

Hua Cheng: "..."

I'm so sorry for messing up your eyes.

"Sorry, but you're still going to try and take Yun Jin from me?"

“Sorry is sorry, but what does that have to do with Yun Jin?” Hua Yu retorted.

Hua Cheng was speechless for a moment because of his overly confident tone.

"Don't worry, if you really can't see in the future, I'll take responsibility."

"How will you take responsibility?" Hua Cheng was speechless.

Hua Yu: "I'll stay in 2025 and take care of you for the rest of my life."

Hua Cheng: "..."

This statement is scarier than any ghost story.

When persuasion failed, Hua Cheng lay down straight, and Hua Yu left without saying a word.

The next morning, Hua Cheng intensified his actions.

"Pour me some water."

"Too hot."

"Too cold."

"You can't even pour a glass of water properly, yet you expect me to take care of you for the rest of my life?"

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll shove the cup down your throat," Hua Yu said in a deep voice.

Hua Cheng was silent for a few seconds, then sighed, "It's so painful not being able to see anything."

Hua Yu: "..."

One minute later, Hua Cheng got his wish and got a glass of water that was neither too hot nor too cold.

After drinking the water, Huayu was asked to adjust the temperature again. One degree higher was too high, and one degree lower was too low, which made Huayu lose her temper again.

Liu Zhuang had anticipated the chaos in the ward, so he accompanied Bei Bei to a parent-child activity early in the morning, refusing to get involved in Hua Cheng's one-man war.

Hua Yu couldn't wait for Liu Zhuang to come, so she had to help Hua Cheng go for a check-up herself. Hua Cheng was afraid of being exposed, so as soon as they got to the examination room, he said he wanted to eat cantaloupe.

Hua Yumu said with a blank face, "Eat after the check-up."

"Go buy it now, and I'll have finished checking it by the time you get back."

Hua Yu frowned: "You want to do the examination alone?"

Hua Cheng: "There are medical staff who can help me."

Hua Yu didn't want to stay with him either, so she left decisively.

As soon as he left, Hua Cheng immediately dropped his pretense and started chatting casually with the doctor.

Hua Yu went to the fruit shop near the hospital entrance, picked out a cantaloupe at random, and came back. When she arrived at the examination room, she happened to hear the doctor talking to Hua Cheng.

"Sure enough, new changes have occurred, and the blood tests are returning to normal. At this rate, the recovery may be even faster than we anticipated. It's truly amazing how such a large tumor could disappear."

Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Maybe I'm just lucky."

Hua Yu's expression softened slightly. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Hua Cheng quickly put down the examination report in his hand.

He's... looking at the medical report?

Hua Yu hesitated.

Hua Cheng hadn't expected him to be back so soon. After leaving the medical report behind, she guiltily changed the subject: "I wanted a round cantaloupe, why did you buy an oval one?"

"This is the only one left in the fruit shop..."

Hua Yu's voice abruptly stopped.

Hua Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and he silently got up and walked out.

Hua Yu watched him approach expressionlessly until he brushed past her, then she spoke softly, "How did you know I bought an oval-shaped cantaloupe?"

Hua Cheng turned and ran.

Hua Yu's face darkened, and she threw the cantaloupe at him, yelling, "I'll smash you to death!"

Hua Cheng caught it with a jolt: "Don't you have any manners? How can you throw things like that in a public place!"

Hua Yu sneered and continued the pursuit. Hua Cheng quickly rushed back to the ward, but before he could lock the door, Hua Yu squeezed in, pushed him onto the bed, and tried to smother him with a pillow.

Hua Cheng was holding the cantaloupe, unable to fight back, and unable to suppress his laughter. He was exhausted and begged for mercy while being suffocated on the bed.

In the evening, Yun Jin finished her last meeting in another city and came out of the office building.

Today, Pingcheng enjoys clear skies, while here it's been raining continuously.

Yun Jin was going to have dinner with the board members, and she glanced at her phone before leaving.

Strangely, Hua Cheng and Hua Yu remained silent all afternoon.

What happened again?

Yun Jin pondered for a moment and asked Liu Zhuang: Are you in the hospital?

Liu Zhuang replied immediately: Yes, I'll be here this afternoon.

Yun Jin: How are they?

Liu Zhuang: Chengzi is working, Xiaohua is enjoying herself.

What does this mean?

Yun Jin raised her eyebrows slightly, about to ask more questions, when Liu Zhuang sent another message: Cheng Zi's eyesight has recovered.

She received Hua Cheng's message late last night, so she wasn't surprised to see the text message. She just selected the one that said, "Chengzi is working, Xiaohua is enjoying herself," and replied with a question mark.

Three seconds later, Liu Zhuang sent a photo.

In the photo, Hua Yu is sitting on the sofa soaking her feet, while Hua Cheng... is squatting in front of the foot bath tub with a gloomy expression.

Yun Jin remained silent for a long time, unsure of what to reply, when Liu Zhuang sent a final message: "How about some foot massage for the blind?"

Yun Jin: "..."

It seems they get along better than she expected.

Yun Jin put away her phone, and Xiao Zhou, who was next to her, immediately raised an umbrella to thoughtfully shield her head from the rain.

"Mr. Yun, shall we leave now?" Xiao Zhou asked.

Yun Jin hummed in agreement and was about to get into the car when a familiar figure suddenly appeared in her line of sight.

The man had obviously seen her too; after a moment of surprise, his eyes lit up: "Yun Jin?"

Yun Jin's expression softened slightly: "Long time no see."

-----------------------

Author's Note: A love rival has appeared! Her role is probably... one chapter?

This story is almost finished! I've checked the outline, and there are only a few chapters left. Here's a 50-yuan red envelope for this chapter!