“Why is everything black in front of me? Why do my eyes hurt so much? Why can’t I open them?”
In a VIP ward for high-ranking officials at a hospital in Zhonghai City, Zhuang Rui, who had been unconscious for three days, finally woke up. The intense headache made him forget what had happened before he fell unconscious. The darkness before his eyes and the pungent smell of disinfectant filled him with panic. He desperately tried to open his eyes, only to find it all futile, his hands flailing in the air.
“Xiao Rui, don’t be afraid. Mom is here…”
A familiar voice sounded in Zhuang Rui’s ear, accompanied by the sound of soft sobbing—it was his sister’s voice. Hearing that his loved ones were right beside him, Zhuang Rui slowly calmed down. His mother’s and sister’s voices brought him a sense of comfort, and he drifted back to sleep.
Zhuang Rui’s grandfather was a renowned geologist in his hometown’s ancient city, but he didn’t survive the ten years of turmoil. Even Zhuang Rui’s father was implicated and passed away due to health reasons when Zhuang Rui was five years old. Zhuang Rui’s mother, an ordinary middle school teacher, worked tirelessly to raise Zhuang Rui and his sister, and she had taken early retirement last year.
Zhuang Rui's older sister, Zhuang Min, was five years older than him. She was already married and had a child over three years old. After giving birth, she stopped working. Her husband's family had several brothers, all from ordinary backgrounds, and his parents couldn't help much. The brother-in-law was an average worker, a very honest man who treated Zhuang Rui's sister well, but his income wasn't high. The family of three lived a bit tight on money. Usually, most of Zhuang's mother's retirement pension went to support them. This was one reason Zhuang Rui came to Zhonghai to find a high-paying job.
After Zhuang Rui was injured this time, his mother and sister rushed to Zhonghai City as soon as they got the notice. They had been watching over his hospital bed for two days now. Both mother and daughter showed signs of exhaustion and worry on their faces.
"Doctor, how is Xiaorui? Why is he unconscious again?".
Zhuang's mother tightly grabbed the white coat of the doctor who had come at the news. Her tear-filled eyes were full of hope, afraid to hear bad news from the doctor.
"It's okay. His electrocardiogram is very stable. He should be asleep now. Don't disturb him; let him wake up naturally. The patient's eyes still need further examination, but his retina hasn't detached. It was just a strong shock. There shouldn't be any risk of blindness. Rest assured. The patient is a hero in this city. The leadership has also given instructions. We will do our best to treat him."
The doctor's words calmed the mother and daughter. They looked at Zhuang Rui on the bed with worried expressions.
……
The morning sunlight came through the ward's curtains, brightening the dim room. The ward Zhuang Rui was in was part of the inpatient area. Most patients had overnight caregivers, and now most of them were getting up to wash up. The doctors had also started their rounds. For a moment, the previously quiet place became a bit noisy, giving the hospital—a somewhat chilly place—some signs of life.
Today was the day for Zhuang Rui to have his stitches removed from the back of his head, and it was also the day he would find out whether his eyesight could recover. If there were no major problems with his eyes, he could be discharged today; as for full recovery, that would take time and gradual care.
More than half a month had passed since the robbery at the pawnshop. Under the scrutiny of many people, the case had become quite clear.
It was a robbery gang that drifted into Zhonghai City, four in total. The lookout was arrested by the Zhonghai police a few days later. Interrogation revealed that in the week before the crime, they had dressed as customers and scouted the pawnshop multiple times. On the day of the incident, Xu Ling's early leave made them think the robbery could easily succeed. However, Zhuang Rui's good habit—developed over a year of work—of strictly locking valuables in the counter before leaving every day caused the robbers' plan to completely fail. The early arrival of the bank armored car also sealed their miserable fate.
Regarding Zhuang Rui's professionalism and bravery in this incident, both the public security authorities and the leadership of the pawnshop fully affirmed and highly praised him. A few days earlier, they had delivered 100,000 yuan in solatium to his bedside. After all, if Zhuang Rui hadn’t handled things properly, those dead pawned items worth over a million yuan could easily have been taken by the robbers.
“Mom... it’s fine. The doctor said the worst that could happen is some impact on my eyesight, not blindness. Don’t worry...”
In the ward, Zhuang Rui felt his mother’s hands trembling slightly on his shoulders, so he comforted her. His sister had returned to Pengcheng after visiting him after he first woke up because she had to take care of her kids. These days, his mother had been accompanying him in the ward.
Zhuang Rui was quite confident that his eyes would regain their sight, because after waking up the second time, he felt a cool breath surrounding his eyes, enveloping them, which prevented the burning sensation that usually accompanies an eye injury. Moreover, that cool breath greatly alleviated the pain from the wound at the back of his head.
He didn't know what caused this phenomenon. At first, Zhuang Rui was somewhat panicked, afraid that he might lose his sight. But later, feeling that this cool energy seemed to make his eyes more and more comfortable, he set his mind at ease.
Zhuang Rui didn’t know that when the bullet grazed past his eyes, the strong airflow had ruptured all the pores around his eyes and damaged his cornea. However, by the time he was carried onto the hospital ambulance, the injuries had miraculously healed—all thanks to that mysterious cool breath in his eyes.
The doctor explained that it was due to the cool nature of the medicine taking effect, which made Zhuang Rui feel a cool presence in his eyes. The airflow from the bullet only irritated his eyes without causing actual damage （by the time he arrived at the hospital, the wounds on his eyes had fully healed）, so it wouldn’t significantly affect his vision. The head wound, however, made the doctors nervous for a while, but after observation, it left no sequelae.
Just after eight in the morning, the leaders of the municipal investment company and the pawnshop manager, Uncle De, arrived at the ward.
Due to Zhuang Rui's outstanding performance in this incident, the pawnshop suffered no loss at all. Coupled with Uncle De's recommendation, it is very likely that after Zhuang Rui recovers from his illness, he will be appointed as the manager of the pawnshop. This was privately revealed by Uncle De when he visited Zhuang Rui a few days ago. Zhuang Rui was quite happy about this, as it meant his income could increase significantly. Along with the consolation money he received this time, he could consider moving out of his current Zhabei shantytown residence, taking out a loan to buy a small apartment in Zhonghai City, and bringing his mother to live with him.
……
“Young man, relax, don't be nervous, it's okay…”
Zhuang Rui's attending physician patted him on the shoulder, then signaled to the nurse following behind him to step forward and unwrap the gauze on Zhuang Rui's head and face.
The nurses in the special care ward were selected from the entire hospital. Not only were they young, but their looks were also top-notch. A few days ago, the eldest roommate from Zhuang Rui's university days came to visit him and kept praising Zhuang Rui behind his back for his good luck with women. Zhuang Rui didn't know whether to laugh or cry—he couldn't see, so no matter how pretty they were, he wouldn't know.
As the nurse's soft, seemingly boneless hands unwrapped the gauze from his face layer by layer, Zhuang Rui's heart calmed down. The anxiety of gains and losses he had felt earlier completely disappeared, replaced by the faint scent of the nurse's body emanating from her.
Finally, the gauze was removed from his face, but the nurse was still assisting the doctor in dealing with the sutures on the back of Zhuang Rui's head. A cut had been made there by a piece of glass, and six stitches were sewn at the time, which could now be removed. However, at that moment, the nurse's and Zhuang Rui's posture was somewhat strange. Seen from behind, it looked as if the nurse was cradling Zhuang Rui's entire head against her tall and firm place.
“Xiao Zhuang, first let your eyes adjust to the light, open them slowly, don't rush…” said the doctor who was behind Zhuang Rui treating the wound on the back of his head.
In fact, when the black eye patch covering the outermost layer of medicine around Zhuang Rui's eyes was removed, even before he opened his eyelids, he could already sense the presence of light. Hearing the doctor's instructions, he slowly opened his eyes.
"Eh？ Pink..."
Through a narrow slit, the first thing his eyes saw was a blurry patch of pink, seemingly very close to him. The faint, fragrant scent he had detected at the tip of his nose earlier should have come from there. Zhuang Rui widened his eyes, trying to see what exactly that place was.
Just as Zhuang Rui focused his gaze on that patch of pink, he suddenly felt a greenish light appear in his eyes. The entire world before him turned a shade of greenish-blue. At the same time, the black pupils in Zhuang Rui's eyes, like cell division, suddenly split into two and then quickly merged back into one. This process was extremely brief, maybe only a few tenths of a second. Within the recombined pupils, an invisible and colorless ray of light, following Zhuang Rui's concentrated gaze, shot towards the place of pink that he was looking at.
Zhuang Rui only felt that as he focused his gaze, trying hard to see what was in front of him, a flash of green light passed by. The cool sensation that had been wrapped around his eyes for over half a month suddenly began to flow around his eye sockets, and, following his gaze, shot out like lightning. Before Zhuang Rui could react to what was happening, the scene that followed left him completely stunned.
First, a flash of green passed before his eyes, and then what appeared in Zhuang Rui's vision was actually a expanse of dazzling white, so close that if Zhuang Rui lifted his head just a little, the tip of his nose could touch it. Zhuang Rui had never felt that white could be so blinding, making his body, which had been moisturized by several bottles of glucose water every day recently, feel parched and dry.
"Why does it seem like I've seen similar objects somewhere? Mutan Rion? Matsushima Minoru or Aoi Sora???"
At that moment, Zhuang Rui suddenly felt that his brain, which he had always prided himself on for being adept at calculation, was a bit insufficient, showing a blank space, and only four words flashed in his mind： So big, so white...