Chapter 79 Defeat

The day after her surgery, Qin Qiao went to a medical supply store and bought a Braille stencil. She sat on a stool beside the bed and carefully traced the characters on a piece of paper from right to left with a Braille pen. After finishing, she took the paper, turned it over, and handed it to Chen Jiashu.

"How could you..." Chen Jiashu froze as his fingertips touched the raised dots.

Qin Qiao took back the paper and continued stamping: bookshelf, top shelf, Braille book, Braille board

The night she returned from Wanping Village, she couldn't sleep and went into his study alone, sitting there in silence. As dawn approached, she wanted to find a book to read and accidentally discovered the Braille books and tools that he had carefully stored away on the top shelf.

Later, on every sleepless night, besides spacing out, she would practice repeatedly while watching the instructional videos. It was easier to learn than she had imagined.

After touching the token, Chen Jiashu smiled sheepishly, "You found out. When did this happen?"

Qin Qiao continued writing: After twelve days of learning, I'm still not proficient.

“All accurate,” Chen Jiashu smiled. “You’re very smart.”

For the next two days, they communicated entirely using Braille. Every night, Qin Qiao continued to study, revising and correcting on paper, striving to make the text more fluent.

However, Chen Jiashu still had a low-grade fever, and he slept more often than he was awake.

After Tian Jiayue told Zhu Ao that Chen Jiashu was receiving treatment in Beijing, Zhu Ao immediately changed his flight to Beijing as soon as he finished negotiations with the German company HA. As soon as the plane landed, he went straight to the hospital without stopping for a moment.

Unfortunately, Zhu Ao stayed in the ward all afternoon, but Chen Jiashu still hadn't woken up. When Qin Qiao returned from the supermarket, she went over and was about to pat Chen Jiashu on the shoulder to wake him up when Zhu Ao immediately stopped her.

He glanced at his watch and said, "I have a meeting tomorrow morning, so I have to go back now. Don't wake him up, let him get some rest."

Zhu Ao is gone.

A few days later, when Chen Jiashu was in a better mood, Qin Qiao told him about the changes that had taken place in the group over the past month: Zhu Ao had temporarily taken over as chairman in accordance with regulations, stabilizing the situation; Sun Gang had brought his message and the agreement, and her decision was to temporarily take care of "our group" for him; the core leadership had already learned of his disappearance and were keeping it a secret from the outside world, and everyone was waiting for him to return.

Chen Jiashu's lips curved slightly, but suddenly, a tear quietly slid down from the edge of the gauze.

From his left eye.

Qin Qiao's heart tightened, fearing it would affect the outcome of the surgery. Just as she was about to get up, his outstretched hand gently grasped her wrist.

“Our group…” His voice was low and hoarse, with a slight tremor in his words.

Although he is deaf, he has a keen sense of volume, which is largely related to the duration of the sound.

Qin Qiao thought to herself that once they returned to Lanchuan, she would accompany him to see a psychologist. She slowly leaned closer, slipped her hands through his arms, gently wrapped them around his back, rested her chin on his shoulder, and nodded solemnly.

The next day, after Chen Jiashu had his stitches removed at the ophthalmology center, they boarded a private plane arranged in advance by his assistant and flew back to Lanchuan together at noon.

When they got home, it was still early. Qin Qiao helped Chen Jiashu upstairs, settled him down to rest, and gently told him that she would call him when it was time to eat.

She turned and went downstairs, heading straight into the kitchen. She instructed the nanny to cook some of Chen Jiashu's favorite dishes for dinner, and they quickly nodded in agreement.

They had no idea what Chen Jiashu had been through these past few days, assuming he had just returned from a business trip abroad. But this time, when they saw him, he was not only wearing sunglasses the whole time, but his expression also carried a distance and indifference unlike his usual self. The nannies exchanged glances discreetly, feeling somewhat uncertain about his future.

Qin Qiao walked out of the kitchen, through the living room, and was about to go upstairs when Old Song came up to her, looking hesitant, and asked in a low voice:

"Madam...do you need me...?"

"No need." She shook her head, her tone gentle.

After finishing her sentence, Qin Qiao went up the stairs. Old Song watched her figure disappear around the corner of the stairs before turning back and exchanging a silent glance with Sister Jing and Sister Bai.

Chen Jiashu was standing in front of the bathroom mirror. He took off his sunglasses and then removed the gauze covering his left eye.

He wasn't unfamiliar with darkness; he experienced it every time he was hospitalized, but back then he knew he would get better. This time, however, he knew that this darkness would accompany him for the rest of his life, with no end in sight.

His trembling fingertips hesitantly rose and gently placed on his eye socket, slowly moving down until he touched the slightly drooping eyelid and the round thing inside. He seemed to be burned by fire and hurriedly withdrew his hand.

It must look...awful, right?

His eyes were clearly open, yet his fingertips had just clearly touched a gap about one centimeter wide.

It's ridiculous, laughable. Now he doesn't even know what he looks like anymore.

Suddenly, a warm hand gently landed on his shoulder. He knew who it was, but his heart still skipped a beat. He hurriedly groped around on the table, grabbed his sunglasses, and put them on.

Her hand slid down to his arm and gently tugged at it. Chen Jiashu silently turned around and, led by her, slowly walked towards the bedroom.

When the children came home from school, they learned from the nanny that Chen Jiashu was upstairs, and they immediately cheered and rushed into the elevator to find their father.

Hearing cheerful footsteps approaching, Qin Qiao's eyes welled up with tears, and she quickly went to open the door. The children, like birds released from their cages, rushed into Chen Jiashu's arms, who was sitting on the sofa.

"dad!"

"dad!"

"uncle!"

Zhaoye and Xixi each held one of Chen Jiashu's hands, while Danie stood quietly beside him, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes with her little hands.

Worried that his sunglasses would fall off, Chen Jiashu kept his left hand gripping the temple of his sunglasses, and medical gauze was faintly visible through the lenses.

He reached his free hand over Zhao Ye and Xi Xi's heads, and paused slightly when his hand missed.

His fingers curled up one by one, hanging back at his sides. A slight smile played on his lips, his voice low and husky: "Dad isn't feeling well, why don't you all go out and play first, okay?"

Qin Qiao took in all of this, her heart clenching as if gripped by something, a bitter feeling she couldn't express.

The children miss him, and he misses them day and night too. We can only... take it slow, things will get better.

She stepped forward slowly and said softly to the children, "Okay, let Dad rest for a bit first. Shall we go downstairs for dinner?" As she spoke, she gently put her arm around their shoulders and tenderly escorted them to the door.

Chen Jiashu ate dinner alone upstairs.

After finishing their meal downstairs, Qin Qiao came upstairs to tidy up the coffee table. Chen Jiashu stood up and said, "Have Sister Jing help me tidy up the guest room. I'll sleep there for the next few days."

Qin Qiao put down her plate and straightened up. She didn't object to him sleeping alone, but she went up to him, took his hand, and wrote in his palm: You sleep here, I'll sleep there.

He was more familiar with this place, and Qin Qiao had considered everything thoroughly. After a few seconds of silence, Chen Jiashu said, "Okay."

Chen Jiashu's eye stitches had just been removed, so he couldn't get it wet yet. Just like in the hospital, Qin Qiao prepared a basin of warm water for him to wash himself. While he was in the bathroom, she carefully squeezed out the toothpaste and placed it next to the mouthwash cup.

Therefore, he would never allow himself to be weak, no matter when or where. Qin Qiao believed that he could get through this time as well, but the process would be excruciating.

*

When Qin Qiao woke up in the morning, she heard the patter of rain outside the window. She got up, slipped on her slippers, and went to the master bedroom to wash up.

He habitually lowered his head slightly, his nose bridge drooping slightly due to the posture, revealing two cold, dark, sword-like eyebrows.

She closed the door, went to wash up, and then went back into the study.

Today, Qin Qiao is going to work at the group company. There is an important meeting in the morning, so she plans to leave work early in the afternoon to accompany Chen Jiashu to see a psychologist.

She had already discussed this matter with him yesterday, so she didn't bother him when she left.

On the way to the group, the rain intensified, and we encountered a severe traffic jam.

Qin Qiao stared at the endless red brake lights ahead, the windshield wipers swaying back and forth in front of her, blurring and clearing her vision again and again.

The more she looked, the more agitated she became, so she simply closed her eyes and leaned back.

Darkness... endless darkness, so dark that you couldn't even tell which way to go, or where you were.

Her heart was beating faster and faster, as if it were about to burst open; she was in great pain.

A car behind honked its horn to urge them on. Qin Qiao suddenly opened her eyes, but everything in front of her was blurry. No matter how the windshield wipers moved, they couldn't clear the fog.

On the other side, Chen Jiashu, supporting himself against the wall, slowly walked to the balcony. Raindrops fell on his face, slightly cool.

He took two steps forward, stretched out his hand, and his open palm was quickly soaked by the rain.

It's raining, and the rain is quite heavy.

He stopped and did not go any further.

Chen Jiashu took out the lighter and cigarettes he had gotten from Sun Gang the day before yesterday from his coat pocket. He lightly bit the cigarette between his teeth, tapped the flip cover with his thumb, and lit the flame.

He could feel the heat of the flames, and as he lowered his head to search for them, he was unexpectedly burned on the forehead by the flames.

He winced in pain, jerked his head back, and his nose strap slipped on the bridge of his head, nearly causing his sunglasses to fall off.

Frustration and frustration surged to their peak in an instant.

Chen Jiashu bit the filter and threw the lighter away with all his might!

He suddenly turned and walked into the house, but after a few steps he bumped into the half-open glass door with a "bang," and a dull pain came from his forehead and the bridge of his nose.

He took a large step around the door and continued inside, only to bump solidly into the edge of the bed. He went around it again, as if he were struggling with something, recklessly moving forward.

Until he bumped into a heavy vase, he instinctively dodged, lunged to the side, and fell heavily to his knees.

But this still didn't stop him. Chen Jiashu crawled to the door on all fours, groped for the doorknob with his hands, found the doorknob, and pulled the door open.

The man's urgent shouts echoed throughout the building, his voice distorted as he lost control.

The two housekeepers who were cleaning the living room were startled by the noise. They dropped their rags and ran upstairs with Old Song, who rushed out from another room.

But Old Song stopped them at the corner of the stairs. They had no choice but to stop and watch helplessly as Old Song rushed up the stairs two steps at a time and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.