I'm Healed
909 Words
After feeding Nyx her medicine, Lin Qiye withdrew from his thoughts and slowly drifted into sleep.
This time, he didn't fall into that exhausting dream of endless knocking. Ever since the Asylum of the Gods had merged with him, the dream no longer plagued him. For the first time, he truly slept.
He dreamed of a beautiful future—being accepted into university, finding success, moving into a big house with his aunt and Yang Jin. He dreamed of the three of them traveling together, visiting mountains and rivers he had only ever seen on TV.
Because of his disability and his family's financial struggles, Lin Qiye hadn't traveled once in seventeen years—not even beyond Cangnan City. Deep down, he longed for the outside world.
When the alarm rang, he reluctantly got up, dressed, and prepared for school. As he opened the door, he saw his aunt hurriedly changing her shoes at the entrance.
"Auntie, why are you leaving for work so early?"
"The factory just got a new batch of parts. We need to process them quickly. You eat breakfast with your brother, okay? Don't be late!" she said while fussing over him.
"Alright."
Just as she was about to close the door, Lin Qiye called out again.
"Auntie."
She stopped and looked at him, puzzled.
"What is it?"
He hesitated, then smiled. "Nothing… I'll tell you some good news when you get back."
She gave him a curious glance and laughed. "This kid, always so secretive. Fine, I'll be waiting tonight!"
She hurried down the stairs, footsteps echoing. Lin Qiye stood silently in the doorway, head lowered in thought.
Then suddenly, he lifted his head, as if making a firm decision. He opened the door wide and shouted down the stairwell:
"Auntie! I can see! My eyes are healed!"
Her footsteps stopped abruptly. After a pause, her trembling voice rose from below:
"Say that again?!"
"I can see! I'm healed, Auntie!"
Moments later, her hurried footsteps thundered back up. Soon, she appeared breathless before him, lips trembling but smiling uncontrollably.
"You can see? Really?"
"Really."
"Is it blurry? Double vision? Pain? Does light still sting?"
"No, none of that." Lin Qiye untied the black ribbon covering his eyes and revealed his beautiful gaze. "I'm really healed, Auntie."
She stared at his eyes as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
She smiled, a radiant, youthful smile that seemed to erase her forty-plus years.
For ten years, Lin Qiye had never seen her smile like this.
She pulled him into her arms, trembling with joy.
"Good, so good… Our Xiao Qi has finally made it!" She wiped her tears, still smiling. "Tonight, I'll buy more food. We'll celebrate properly!"
"Thank you, Auntie."
"Alright, I'll go now. You head to school."
"Mm."
She hurried downstairs, tears still falling, yet her steps were lighter than ever.
Lin Qiye watched her leave, eyes reddened, then turned back inside.
He had originally wanted to wait until the evening to announce it formally, but he suddenly recalled how, in movies, people who delayed sharing good news often met with tragedy.
He couldn't risk that happening to his aunt, not even by superstition.
So he tore the "flag" down immediately and tossed it far away.
As he turned, he saw Yang Jin standing there holding their dog, Little Black Mangy, eyes red.
The two brothers locked eyes for a moment, then both smiled.
"Congrats, brother."
"Mm. Guess now your sunglasses gift will finally come in handy." Lin Qiye ruffled Yang Jin's hair with a chuckle.
"Let's eat, brother. Tonight when Auntie comes back, we'll have a feast."
"Yeah!"
Little Black Mangy poked its head out and licked Lin Qiye's hand.
"Woof—!"
…
At school.
When Lin Qiye entered the classroom, silence fell instantly.
His classmates stared in confusion until one asked cautiously:
"You're… Lin Qiye?"
He raised his eyebrows and nodded slightly.
The silence broke into an uproar, louder than before.
"His eyes are healed?"
"They must be—he can see!"
"His eyes are so beautiful!"
"Yeah, how did we never notice he's this handsome…?"
The girls whispered among themselves, sneaking glances at him. The boys nearby crowded around, bombarding him with questions about his eyes. Once they confirmed it was true, they were stunned.
"I could always see, just couldn't handle light. But after going to the hospital yesterday, it was cured," Lin Qiye explained.
The students recalled his absence the previous day and finally understood.
But in that noisy classroom, two people stood apart.
In the corner, Liu Yuan kept his head down, sneaking glances at Lin Qiye with a complicated expression.
He remembered how he had shoved Lin Qiye aside while fleeing for his life, convinced the blind boy couldn't possibly survive. He had felt a twinge of guilt, but soon forgot about it.
Who would've thought? Jiang Qian had died, while Lin Qiye—of all people—had survived.
And now, his eyes were healed.
Liu Yuan didn't even know what to feel—embarrassment, guilt, frustration, or… regret?
Though Lin Qiye's back was turned, he sensed every flicker of Liu Yuan's emotions through his mental perception. His eyes narrowed slightly.
At that moment, another student approached.
Li Yifei shifted nervously at Lin Qiye's desk, glancing around before leaning close and whispering:
"Qiye… um… could you come outside with me for a moment? There's something I want to say."
Lin Qiye hesitated briefly, then nodded.
- Writer
