What to do in Chapter 10?

The torrential rain pounded vertically against the ground, accompanied by flashes of lightning that occasionally streaked across the sky, like a silver snake weaving through the clouds.

Chen Jiashu's villa is located in the development zone, a villa area that was specially planned in earlier years. There is no property management. The small road winds up the low hillside, a two-lane road paved with asphalt, with thick and tall plane trees planted on both sides, which are lush with branches and leaves in spring and summer.

Another thunderclap shook the heavens and the earth.

Qin Qiao changed her sitting position, turned off the car's hazard lights, put down her phone. The phone screen was lit up, and the page was still related to retinal detachment. Ten seconds later, the screen went out.

Before driving, she habitually glanced at the rearview mirror to check the road conditions behind her, only to find two flickering yellow lights about ten meters away.

In the split second that lightning streaked across the sky, she saw the car's exterior clearly through the rain: a black Bentley with three white letters on a blue background: 688.

Chen Jiashu's car.

For a moment, Qin Qiao really wanted to push open the car door, rush over and ask him what he was trying to do.

But when she spread her fingers, the little building block in her palm seemed to transport her through time and space, allowing her to see the heartwarming scene of her family of three interacting in the villa.

It was less than half the size of a fingernail, yet it pressed against my palm until it turned white and it hurt quite a bit.

Qin Qiao started the car, the windshield wipers swished back and forth, but couldn't clear the thick darkness.

With a light touch on the accelerator and a turn of the steering wheel, the car slowly drove out of the peninsula and soon onto a wide main road.

The car continued to follow her silently, maintaining a distance of nearly 100 meters. When they stopped at a traffic light, they were two car lengths apart.

With her slender fingers lightly tapping the edge of the steering wheel, Qin Qiao's mind was in turmoil, like a tangled mess of weeds. She let out a long sigh, which finally brought some relief.

Chen Jiashu, inside the Bentley, was also sighing.

Because of his eye condition, he hadn't driven much even though he had a driver's license, and unlike other boyfriends, he never picked up or dropped off his girlfriends from get off work every day.

He even frequently troubled Qin Qiao to pick him up.

More than 20 years ago, the driving test was not strictly enforced. Zhang Shuang wanted to learn to drive and also wanted someone to accompany him, so he cheated his father out of more than 3,000 yuan and stole his ID card to register him as well.

Men are all drawn to cars, fantasizing about stylishly speeding down the road. At the time, he didn't know where the money came from; since he had already enrolled, he returned the money to Zhang Shuang so she could go learn with him.

It went more smoothly than he expected, and he quickly got his driver's license. The following year, nineteen-year-old Zhang Shuang received the greatest gift of his life: his father's second-hand Santana. He had driven this car more than ten times until one time when he suddenly went black after entering a bridge tunnel. The car body scraped against the tunnel wall, causing a minor rear-end collision.

Night blindness made his dark adaptation very poor. Underpasses, tunnels, and bad weather would all affect his driving safety. Later, no matter how much Zhang Shuang tempted him, he resolutely refused to drive again.

Nine years ago, when he had more money, he bought two cars: a Mercedes worth over a million yuan for himself to drive and to show off, and another car worth over 500,000 yuan for Qin Qiao to replace the Volkswagen she had driven for three years.

The saying "money emboldens people" is true. When the weather was good, he would drive this car, avoiding underpasses and tunnels, to factories and business partners to discuss cooperation.

However, his smugness didn't last long before an accident occurred, fortunately it was just a minor incident.

It was noon that day. When he turned left at the intersection, he didn't see a person on an electric scooter parked next to him. He turned and knocked the person down.

He called the police and settled the matter privately, paying over a thousand yuan in compensation. After Qin Qiao found out about this, he strictly forbade Qin Qiao from driving again.

Actually, he was distracted at that time, but Qin Qiao wouldn't listen to his explanation at all. The two even had a fight about it in the office. At that time, he used the word "half-blind" to insult himself in every sentence.

"So, I'll always have to rely on others, even for driving! Isn't that right?"

Qin Qiao retorted, "Why did you rely on someone else to hire a driver? Chen Jiashu, you insist on being stubborn and ignoring traffic rules!"

"Ignoring traffic regulations? Which traffic regulation says a half-blind person can't drive? Tell me!"

"Are you only half-blind? Don't you know you also have night blindness?"

The words had barely left her mouth when Qin Qiao immediately covered her mouth, her bright almond-shaped eyes fluttering, revealing obvious regret and a hint of fear.

People are generally allowed to make fun of themselves and belittle themselves, but they can't stand it if others say it to them.

He stormed off and slept in the factory that night in a huff. He felt stifled and upset, but he wasn't really angry with Qin Qiao. However, the moment he heard her voice, he felt suffocated and couldn't shake off the feeling.

This was their first cold war in six years of dating, but it only lasted one night.

The next day, Qin Qiao came to see him, bringing shrimp dumplings that she had made herself.

"Don't be angry." She grabbed his left arm and shook it. "Let's go shopping together tonight for Christmas, and then watch a movie."

After swallowing the last dumpling, he put down his chopsticks and replied indifferently, "No, I'm half-blind and can't see the road, let alone watch any movies... It's a waste of money."

These words enraged Qin Qiao. She slammed her hand on the table, her face flushed red. "Chen Jiashu, are you never going to stop? What exactly do you want? Do you want me to apologize and promise to be more careful with my words in the future? Or do you want me to wholeheartedly support your driving?!"

Ms. Qin is usually gentle, but she's not without a temper. Occasionally, when she gets angry, she's like a pricked kitten, which is quite cute.

Seeing her like this, he calmly got up and walked around to her. When she was at her most aggressive, he pulled her into his arms.

The sudden hug startled her so much that her body stiffened.

His right hand rested on her protruding shoulder blade, a gentle warmth filling his palm: "Actually, I just wanted to see how much my Qiaoqiao cares about me."

Her body softened, and then her hands wrapped around his waist, her head burying deeper, as if listening to his heartbeat.

He easily lifted her onto the table. Qin Qiao gazed at him with teary eyes, and asked in a sobbing voice, "Are you not angry anymore?"

He flicked his finger across her nose and smiled, "The dumplings were delicious today. I'll treat you to a movie and shopping tonight. We're also going to buy a down comforter for the new house."

She stopped crying and started laughing, then clenched her fist and gently punched him.

"Bang!"

The office door was forced open from the outside.

The sound suddenly stopped. Zhang Shuang slammed on the brakes, her eyes wide:

"Damn it, in broad daylight, can't you two at least be a little more considerate!"

He picked up the documents on the table, walked over, slapped Zhang Shuang on the forehead, and asked, "Can't you knock?"

Qin Qiao jumped off the table, cleared away the tableware, and walked out as if nothing had happened.

*

Qin Qiao was surprised that Tian Jiayue would come to find her.

After a torrential downpour late last night, the sky today is a clear, bright blue, like a perfectly pressed, fine blue silk, smooth and without a single wrinkle.

Qin Qiao took the elevator downstairs and just stepped out of the main gate when she saw Tian Jiayue standing outside the guardhouse wearing sunglasses.

Tian Jiayue also saw her. She raised her hand and took off her sunglasses, revealing her curved eyebrows and eyes.

Under the dazzling light, Qin Qiao's lips twitched slightly as a response.

After exchanging greetings, the two crossed the street side by side and entered the coffee shop across the street.

The air conditioning in the coffee shop was blasting, and the cool air made Qin Qiao's exposed skin break out in goosebumps. She crossed her arms and rubbed her skin.

We chose a seat by the window and sat down one after another. The bright midday sun shone through the gaps in the leaves and then through the window, falling obliquely on them, with dappled light shimmering on their shoulders.

Qin Qiao asked Tian Jiayue what she wanted to drink, and the answer was that anything was fine.

The waiter waited quietly with the menu in hand. Qin Qiao looked up at her and said, "One Americano and one cappuccino."

Both of them were very busy with work, and their phones kept vibrating on the table. They would glance at them and then put them face down on the table.

"What's wrong?" Qin Qiao asked first.

Tian Jiayue got straight to the point: "Sister-in-law, in the six years you and your brother have been separated, he has had two repositioning and reinforcement surgeries on his right eye, plus the third one four days ago."

That was an instinctive reaction that couldn't be suppressed.

Tian Jiayue pursed her lips: "After you two separated that day, my brother wanted to take a walk. At a bend in the road, he was hit by a car that was turning around and was immediately taken to the hospital."

In an instant, tears welled up in Qin Qiao's eyes: "I..." It was all because of her.

Tian Jiayue lowered her eyes: "My brother told me not to tell you, because he was afraid you would worry."

The waiter brought over two cups of coffee, gently placed them in front of the two, and, seemingly sensing the awkward atmosphere, nodded slightly before quietly turning and retreating.

“The night you left the country last year, my brother was hospitalized because of internet addiction. He already had symptoms, but he was delayed because of Shuang Ge’s matter those few days, which is why…”

Tian Jiayue couldn't continue, her eyes reddening, and she said in a hoarse voice, "I don't know when I'll go blind, and I feel... my brother is quite scared."

Qin Qiao picked up her phone; at that moment, it felt especially heavy, almost too heavy to hold.

She knew that number by heart. She pressed it on the screen and was about to dial when Tian Jiayue whispered, "My brother is in ward 101 of the ophthalmology department at the city hospital. He just had his stitches removed this morning."

The sound seemed to travel through a thick layer of sponge into her ears.

The phone slipped from my hand and slammed onto the table with a loud thud. The pain instantly surged through my body like a wildfire, yet my mind went completely blank.

She picked up her phone, ran out of the coffee shop, and took a taxi directly to the hospital.

Half an hour later, Qin Qiao stood outside the ward door and looked through the small window, where she saw Chen Jiashu's male caregiver standing against the wall.

The partition wall that extended out completely blocked her view, and she couldn't see Chen Jiashu on the hospital bed.

Overwhelmed by grief, she couldn't suppress the bitterness in her heart, so she turned and ran, hiding in a deserted stairwell.

With her back against the wall, Qin Qiao slid helplessly to the ground.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside, sometimes near, sometimes far. Afraid of being overheard, she buried her head and bit the back of her hand to keep her sobs from disturbing others.

It's all her fault. Only those who know each other best know how to precisely hurt each other. She did it on purpose. Yet, seeing his distraught state, she even felt a shameful sense of pleasure.

What on earth is she doing?

Her ideals, her studies, everything she has now—all were given to her by this man with everything he had. And what did she do in return? She repaid him in such a vicious way…

Hot tears seeped through her fingers, slid down her cheeks, and fell to the ground one after another.

Oh God, what should we do... She really doesn't know where to turn... I'll give you my eyes, my hands, my legs, please stop torturing him, okay?

Sadness crashed down on her like wave after wave. She gritted her teeth and tried to hold it back, but in the end, she couldn't take it anymore.

The next second, the crying burst forth uncontrollably.

A note from the author:

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