Chapter 20: Pink Eye

Chapter 20: Red Eye Disease

Outside the building, under the shade of the trees, the faintest insect chirping could be heard.

Bai Li’s round, bright eyes closed in the darkness as she suppressed her sobs.

The past could not be changed.

Nor could she obstruct Ms. Hu’s thoughts.

Bai Li kept telling herself that avoiding the issue was useless.

All she could do during the two-month summer vacation was to try her best to accomplish what was within her power.

With this resolve,

That night, Bai Li’s sleep was completely disrupted, and she didn’t fall asleep until two in the morning.

Whether it was because she had fallen into some terrifying dream, she pressed her face against the pillow, curled up tightly, her expression inexplicably pained.

When the mind is bound, the corners of the mouth refuse to lift.

June quietly slipped away during that drunken gathering.

July arrived, even hotter than before.

The greenery throughout the ancient city deepened into a richer shade of dark green; this summer was truly stifling.

After returning the little white cat to her brother, Bai Li woke early for several consecutive days, bought breakfast to place on the table, then diligently finished the household chores, and devoted herself to drawing from dawn till dusk.

Every penny she earned—mere dozens of yuan—was saved without spending, reserved to give to Fang Ye when she left.

Fang Ye noticed these small details but said nothing, continuing his routine of leaving early and returning late every day.

He seemed very busy.

So busy that he had no time to oversee these matters.

Yet he still found moments during mealtimes to send Bai Li messages asking what she had eaten.

Days passed like this for a long time.

One morning in mid-July, Bai Li was awakened by a message from him.

She grabbed her phone and glanced at the time.

It was 10:30 a.m.

Getting up so late was something that had never happened before.

Suppressing the hoarseness in her throat, she opened WeChat and tapped into Fang Ye’s chat.

[Fang Ye: Are you up yet?]

Bai Li quickly typed back.

[Bai Li: I’m up.]

After waiting a few minutes with no reply, she rose to wash up.

While brushing her teeth in front of the mirror, she suddenly noticed something was wrong with her eyes—the whites, once clear, had turned a bright red.

Blinking, she felt a dry itchiness that made her want to rub them.

Under the light, her eyes looked like those of a vampire.

Bai Li was startled.

She took out her phone and opened Baidu.

Typing her symptoms into the search bar:

“Why are my eyes dry and red?”

She clicked search and found many answers.

Doctors’ opinions varied widely.

Some said it was eye fatigue from prolonged overuse.

Others claimed it was conjunctivitis caused by poor hygiene.

There were mentions of dry eye syndrome, glaucoma, even infectious endocarditis.

The more she read, the more anxious she became, until she stumbled upon a particularly alarming warning:

“If left untreated, there is a risk of blindness.”

“...”

Bai Li closed her eyes and silently turned off her phone. Indeed, one should never ask Baidu when sick—it was always a life-threatening disease.

After browsing, she believed the most fitting explanation was simply eye strain from overuse, since she had been drawing nonstop these past days without much rest.

Fortunately, the commissions paid well, and she had saved several hundred yuan.

Her eyes ached and itched constantly, making it impossible to continue drawing.

She grabbed her phone and randomly tuned into a radio channel, lying back quietly to rest.

A female host’s soft voice was reading an article, gently narrating its content.

“Dear listeners, today’s submission is about self-redemption stemming from one’s original family.”

The theme was fitting.

Bai Li didn’t bother switching channels.

The soothing voice created a comfortable mental space, paired with the occasional birdsong outside the window, and gradually she fell asleep.

She didn’t hear the phone ring repeatedly.

When she awoke, it was already noon.

Sunlight streamed through the windowsill, warming the thin quilt at the foot of the bed until it felt soft and cozy.

“Knock knock knock!”

Startled by the sharp knocking, she sat up abruptly, glanced around in confusion, then realized she had fallen asleep again.

The knocking persisted, accompanied by a young man’s deep, pleasant voice.

“Bai Li, are you there? Open the door.”

Bai Li was alarmed. Fang Ye never came back at this hour, so instinctively she felt something was wrong.

Hurriedly, she climbed out of bed and went to the door.

Suddenly recalling her reddened eyes, she wanted to avoid scaring Fang Ye, so she grabbed a pair of sunglasses from the table and put them on before opening the door.

A rush of cool air from the living room air conditioner swept in, dispelling the heat in the room.

Through the dark lenses, Fang Ye came into view.

He wore a black trench coat and carried a bag of food, which blocked most of the light.

Bai Li noticed that Fang Ye must have returned in a hurry—his black hair was damp, his chest rose and fell slightly, and his expression was especially serious.

Her heart tightened as she anxiously asked, “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Fang Ye didn’t answer immediately; instead, he glanced at the oversized sunglasses on her face and smiled wryly.

“Wearing sunglasses at home? What habit is that?”

“...”

Bai Li adjusted the sunglasses carefully, afraid he would notice something and cause trouble, and after a moment said, “The light’s too harsh. I wear them to sleep.”

Fang Ye clearly didn’t believe her excuse. His gaze fell on the thick curtains in her room—enough to block out all light. He raised an eyebrow as if silently saying, Are you taking me for a fool?

Bai Li felt guilty and avoided his eyes, muttering softly, “I was so tired I forgot to close the curtains.”

Fang Ye didn’t press further. He lifted the food in his hand and turned to leave.

“Alright, take off the sunglasses and come down to eat.”

Bai Li felt like a vampire and naturally didn’t want to remove the sunglasses, even considering skipping the meal altogether.

But Fang Ye had gone out of his way to bring her food; refusing would be rude.

After hesitating for half a minute,

Fang Ye’s voice came up from downstairs, lazily urging her.

“Bai Li, still not coming? Should I treat you?”

She had no choice.

Bai Li took a deep breath, adjusted her sunglasses, and went downstairs.

At the dining table,

Fang Ye had already opened the takeout boxes, revealing fresh dishes steaming hot and deliciously fragrant.

Bai Li swallowed hard and sat down opposite him.

Fang Ye didn’t look at her but pushed a box of rice toward her and handed her a pair of chopsticks.

Bai Li, understanding the unspoken message, ate silently.

Just then, several message alerts sounded from Fang Ye’s phone, the vibrations particularly noticeable.

After a few seconds,

Bai Li heard a voice message played aloud.

“Ye Ge, did you get back? How’s Bai Li? Have you found her?”

Bai Li instinctively glanced at her own phone, which showed several missed calls from Fang Ye.

She looked up sharply.

So...

Fang Ye hadn’t returned home suddenly but had hurried back because she hadn’t answered his calls?

There’s still one more chapter.

(End of this chapter)