The bus driver finished cursing, but as he looked at the young man’s appearance, he felt a chill run down his spine. No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t a normal person. He stepped on the gas pedal, spat, and muttered about his bad luck as he drove the bus away.
Meng Ting didn’t look back anymore. She turned her head, her heart pounding. For the first time, she realized that even if some things changed, fate still steadily moved toward its original trajectory.
Shu Yang asked softly, “Do you know him?”
Meng Ting remained silent for a while. Shu Yang glanced at her but didn’t ask anything further.
When they arrived at the hospital, they still had to wait in line for an hour.
Meng Ting’s attending physician was an acquaintance, who had come from the same town as her mother and was also a middle school classmate.
“Aunt Sun,” Meng Ting greeted.
Sun Qiaoyu’s gentle smile was visible beneath her medical mask. She took off Meng Ting’s glasses and had her lie down on the examination bed, then shone a light to check her eyes.
Meng Ting blinked uncomfortably, and tears were physiologically secreted.
Her eye color was somewhat light, not pure black, nor the common brown, but more like a light tea color. They were as clean and clear as if washed by rain.
Shu Yang, who had been standing at the door with an indifferent look, was not spared by Sun Qiaoyu.
“Young man, come help hold this light,” she said.
Shu Yang walked over and took the light source from her hand.
As he lowered his head, he was momentarily stunned.
Brilliant points of light were reflected in the young girl’s crystalline eyes. Her skin was fair, her lips a cherry pink. Her long eyelashes were misty with tears, as light as butterfly wings, but her eyes were calm and peaceful.
For the first time in three years, Shu Yang saw the grown-up Meng Ting.
Like Shu Lan, he had a deep impression of ten-year-old Meng Ting.
At that time, his parents had been divorced for a year. His father wasn’t very good at taking care of children, so both kids were unkempt. Shu Yang had a cold, and his nose was red. He hadn’t changed his clothes for five days, and there was a stain on his collar.
Shu Lan wasn’t much better, with dirty pockets on her clothes.
That day was when Zeng Yujie officially moved into the Shu family home. Mr. Shu, feeling both awkward and attentive, had put new clothes on both children.
When Zeng Yujie led Meng Ting through the door,
Shu Lan and Shu Yang, who were watching TV, were dumbfounded.
Their father had carefully dressed them up, but it was still hard to describe the feeling of seeing Meng Ting for the first time.
She held Zeng Yujie’s hand, her face also showing apprehension about the future.
The ten-year-old girl wore a sky-blue dress, her hair falling over her shoulders. White socks, black leather shoes. The dress was clean and tidy, her face tender and beautiful.
Yes, beautiful.
Not the kind of cuteness used to describe children, but a kind of budding beauty. Like a young dragonfly in early summer, lightly perched on a blade of grass. A beauty that was almost fragile and delicate.
Seeing the siblings staring at her with their mouths agape, encouraged by Zeng Yujie, she extended her small hand and smiled shyly, “Hello, little brother and sister, my name is Meng Ting.”
Shu Lan quickly reached out to shake her hand.
Shu Yang, still dazed, quietly wiped his dirty little hand on the back of his clothes before gently grasping the girl’s hand.
It was white and soft, with cute dimples on the back.
Like cotton.
After Meng Ting left, Shu Lan whispered in his ear, “Brother, she’s so pretty.”
He nodded silently.
Shu Lan said, “I wish I could be that pretty.”
Shu Yang didn’t say anything.
“Brother, your snot is about to drip out, eww, so dirty.”
For the first time, Shu Yang felt utterly ashamed, wanting to dig a hole and bury himself in it.
When she was fourteen, something happened to Meng Ting’s eyes.
This didn’t affect Shu Yang’s life at all, but that delicate and beautiful young girl now wore clumsy, comical blind person’s glasses. She had to rely on a white cane to walk, her world plunged into darkness.
Sometimes, when walking on the street, she would attract stares from onlookers.
Gradually, the entire apartment building forgot about the former Meng Ting. That beautiful, fresh, and dazzling young girl. Including Shu Yang, who found it hard to connect the current quiet and reserved stepsister with the fairy-like Meng Ting of the past.
Until today, when he held a beam of light, illuminating her grown-up appearance.
She was seventeen now.
She had grown into a beauty that made Shu Lan jealous at first sight, far more beautiful than he could have imagined back then. Shu Yang didn’t know how to feel and silently averted his gaze.
Sun Qiaoyu complained, “Young man, pay attention, the light is off.”
Shu Yang raised his hand slightly.
After finishing the examination, Sun Qiaoyu smiled with satisfaction, “Ting Ting, congratulations. Your eyes have recovered, you don’t need to wear glasses anymore.”
Shu Yang glanced at Meng Ting but said nothing.
Meng Ting hadn’t expected it to be so quick.
In her previous life, it had taken half a month to recover fully. Thinking carefully, she understood the key difference. In her past life, during this time, she had cleaned up many messes for Shu Lan, nearly causing a secondary infection in her eyes. In this life, she hadn’t bothered with Shu Lan, protecting her eyes well, so naturally, they healed faster.
However… all her misfortunes had begun after her eyes recovered.
Meng Ting said, “Aunt Sun, my eyes still hurt when I see strong light.”
Sun Qiaoyu replied, “That’s normal. You’ve worn glasses for so long, that you’re used to a gray-and-white world. Your eyes can’t handle stimulation, so of course they’re uncomfortable suddenly seeing light. That’s why you can’t rely on them anymore, you need to learn to re-accept this world. I’ll prescribe you two bottles of eye drops, but you still need to be careful not to overuse your eyes. If they still hurt, rest for a while. Just gradually adapt, and if there are any problems, come see me anytime.”
Sun Qiaoyu’s words changed her world.
Outside the hospital was a large paulownia tree.
In early winter, this old tree had lost many leaves, but the crown still stubbornly clung to some green leaves. Brown branches supported the winter leaves, and Meng Ting seemed to smell a faint fragrance of grass, wood, and soil mixed with the scent of medicine.
The sky was azure blue, without a cloud in sight. It was a rare gentle and clear day in winter.
Meng Ting’s world had returned to color.
As she and Shu Yang walked along, they encountered people who, more or less, cast glances their way. The seventeen-year-old girl had fully blossomed, possessing a kind of eye-catching beauty.
Meng Ting walked out of Sun Qiaoyu’s sight, looked at the sky and grass, sighed lightly, then took out her glasses from her bag and put them back on.
Shu Yang didn’t think much of it, assuming her eyes were still not adapted and had started hurting again after this short while.
Despite the thin sunlight in the November weather, there was still an indescribable chill permeating the air.
In the end, He Jun Ming, Fang Tan, and the others didn’t dare to approach Jiang Ren.
He Han gave He Jun Ming a look, and He Jun Ming understood, going to buy a cup of hot tea from the milk tea shop.
They stayed far away for a long time. Finally, Jiang Ren walked over.
The intense and frightening emotions seemed to have ebbed away from him like a tide, and he became unusually quiet.
He Jun Ming offered the milk tea: “Ren Ge, have some water.”
The cold air stung as it entered the lungs.
Jiang Ren reached out to take it, glancing at them without saying a word. Among these young men, some had grown up playing with him since childhood, while others were friends he had made after being sent to H City.
But now, their eyes all revealed a hint of awkwardness and avoidance.
Only He Jun Ming, like a fool, showed no reservations in his eyes: “I didn’t let them add that black stuff, hehe, Ren Ge, you can drink it without worry.”
Jiang Ren patted his shoulder, saying nothing.
Fang Tan was much sharper.
When Jiang Ren first came to H City, countless people tried to curry favor with him. He sneered, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you all with my illness?”
It would be a lie to say they weren’t afraid, but severe irritability syndrome sounded like just a term, something no one had seen, so it didn’t inspire that kind of fear. Jiang Ren would beckon, and a group of people would rush to serve him. Those who couldn’t get close to him would seize on this point to mock sourly, “Oh, just a rich psycho, what’s he so arrogant about?”
They realized for the first time that Jiang Ren really couldn’t control his emotions.
If that car had stopped at that moment, who knows what might have happened?
He Jun Ming lived near Jiang Ren.
They rode their bikes home together.
He Jun Ming said, “Ren Ge, you’re emotionally unstable, why don’t I give you a ride?”
Jiang Ren gave him a cold glance. His look clearly said, “Get lost, I’m a man.”
He put on his helmet, swung his long leg over the bike, and put on his jacket.
As he looked up, he encountered a familiar face.
Shen Yuqing was arm in arm-with a boy, laughing and talking. The boy was also wearing the uniform of No. 7 Middle School. She felt someone looking at her and turned her head, seeing Jiang Ren.
Her face went from white to green, quite a spectacle. She let go of the boy’s arm and ran towards Jiang Ren.
He Jun Ming snorted disdainfully, “Oh, look at that, the great beauty Shen has found a new love?” That’s why he always said Lu Yue was better. He Jun Ming had thought that with Jiang Ren’s personality, he wouldn’t even look at her.
But unexpectedly, Jiang Ren didn’t leave.
A pair of black eyes under the helmet quietly watched Shen Yuqing approach.
Shen Yuqing, her face pale, said, “Jiang Ren, let me explain. There’s nothing between us. We have monthly exams coming up, he just lent me some books, I was just returning them.”
Jiang Ren looked at the boy’s No. 7 Middle School uniform, then lowered his gaze to Shen Yuqing: “Doesn’t your No. 7 Middle School forbid dating? Why are you in a relationship?”
Shen Yuqing said, “Because I like you, I don’t care about anything else.”
Jiang Ren was unexpectedly quiet for a few seconds, “What do you like about him, his good grades?”
Shen Yuqing was stunned for a long time before hurriedly saying it wasn’t like that. She suddenly felt that Jiang Ren seemed to be asking her, but also not asking her. It felt like he was looking through her, asking about another possibility. She couldn’t understand it and took the opportunity to say a few more words about liking Jiang Ren.
Jiang Ren said nothing, started his bike, and left.
In the whooshing wind, He Jun Ming said, “Ren Ge, you still have feelings for her? Why bother with her? That kind of fickle woman, how can she compare to Sister Lu Yue? Shen Yuqing doesn’t like you like she says.”
Jiang Ren looked at the road ahead, his hands gradually tightening.
“I know.” He had always known that among the many people who showed they liked him, few had genuine feelings. He had never cared. After all… he was unruly, uneducated, smoked, fought, and had a mental illness.
The wind made his voice hoarse as he spoke, “He Jun Ming, with her good grades, why would she date?”
He Jun Ming was stunned, thinking he was talking about Shen Yuqing.
He sighed for a few seconds, answering uncertainly, “Maybe she’s not against dating? Not as rigid as those old-fashioned types.”
Jiang Ren was silent for several seconds: “Then, why couldn’t it be me?”
Apart from her good grades, she wasn’t that outstanding, her eyes had some minor issues, and she wasn’t as eye-catching as Shen Yuqing. He didn’t mind. And his illness, could be tolerated, right?
His voice was very soft, blown away by the November wind, inaudible.