Xia Linchen removed the gauze. Cheng Kou stood beside him, his fingers digging into the flesh. He was even more nervous than Xia Linchen.
Xia Linchen's long eyelashes trembled, but his pupils were still dark and shining with a moist luster. He turned his eyes and looked straight in the direction of Cheng Kou.
Cheng Kou's heart was in his throat, but Xia Linchen smiled and shook his head slowly.
Cheng Kou turned her head away, trying hard to hold back her tears.
The doctor over there was examining Xia Linchen and asking him some questions.
Xia Linchen's voice was very calm: "It's not completely invisible, there is a little bit of light... a little bit."
In the office, the doctor told Zhuang Wanhua and Cheng Kou that they could only wait in line for an opportunity, and if a suitable donor was found, they could undergo a corneal transplant.
Zhuang Wanhua stayed to talk with the doctor in detail, while Cheng Kou left the office and returned to Xia Linchen's ward.
Xia Linchen was still sitting on the edge of the bed, not moving.
He heard a sound at the door, tilted his head and "looked" over, frowning slightly, as if he was trying to figure out something.
Cheng Kou tried to keep his voice light and cheerful: "Hey, what are you thinking about?"
"Remember your footsteps." Xia Linchen smiled. "Everyone walks in a unique way. I'm trying to distinguish them."
Cheng Kou was standing close to him, and Xia Linchen still maintained his previous habit of "looking" at people while speaking, so he raised his head slightly.
Cheng Kou saw that his still beautiful eyes had lost focus and for a moment she didn't know how to face him.
Xia Linchen pointed to the chair opposite and asked Cheng Kou to sit down and talk.
The direction he gave was actually off, but Cheng Kou didn't tell him. He quietly walked over and sat down.
Xia Linchen sighed slightly and said seriously: "Cheng Kou, you really don't need to blame yourself. This invisible world is a new experience that others have never experienced. You don't understand me yet. You are not stable, so you like new things."
"But—" Cheng Kou hesitated, but finally gritted his teeth and asked, "What about your job?"
"Photography... I'm tired of looking at the camera every day, so I might as well put it aside for now." Xia Linchen said optimistically, "The doctor also told me that if I have surgery, I still have a chance to regain my sight. Don't be so pessimistic. Just think of it as me experiencing another different life. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to see again in a year or two."
"I really don't know what to say about you, too optimistic?"
"This is what you taught me. Instead of spending this precious time grieving, I might as well live my current life better."
Cheng Kou thought about it. These were the words she had said in her babyish voice when she first pestered Xia Linchen. Of course, these were not her original words when she was young, but she had imitated Song Qingwu in a very detailed way.
Cheng Kou could only say: "Is there anything I can help you with..."
Xia Linchen interrupted her: "As long as you don't mind having a visually impaired friend, it's fine."
"How could I!"
"That's all right."
When Cheng Kou walked out of the hospital, the sky was bright and gentle. The sky was clear and blue, clean without a trace of impurities. Looking around, the greenery in this area was very good, and the eyes were full of green and lush colors. Gray floor tiles, red and white fences, and traffic lights composed of three primary colors, these colors would not appear in Xia Linchen's eyes for the time being.
All he had was endless darkness and a little bit of faint light.
Cheng Kou stood on the busy street and cried for the last time.
After venting, she wiped away her tears and dried her wet eyes.
She also taught Xia Linchen that by taking a deep breath, he could muster up the courage to face all difficulties.
"Don't think too much and don't cause him trouble," she said to herself.
Su Yan went home to visit his parents, and Su Lei happened to be there too. The two brothers had been meeting for nothing but business recently, and it was also a long time since they had a chance to talk to each other.
Su Lei asked him: "Mom doesn't dare to urge you, she always asks Gu Luo when you can get married."
Su Yan was slightly startled, then smiled: "Then I'm really sorry, sister-in-law."
Su Lei waved his hand: "So, for the sake of my wife's peace of mind, when are you going to propose?"
"Wait a little longer. There are a lot of things going on recently."
"I can give you a leave for work." Su Lei raised his eyebrows, "Last time, Cheng Kou's parents didn't agree, and you said you would solve it yourself. How are you doing now?"
"I don't object anymore."
"That's good." Su Lei nodded, "Then why are you still hesitating?"
Su Yan's eyes darkened slightly, and he said, "There are other things."
"Xia Shibang's eldest son? What a pity." Su Lei had also heard about Xia Linchen's affairs, and felt a little sad when he mentioned it.
Su Yan smiled bitterly: "So I don't want to force her now."
Su Lei sighed helplessly and said, "To tell you the truth, it was my mother who asked me to be the lobbyist today. She was afraid that you would be upset, so she didn't dare to speak on her own. Her original words were, if Xiaoyan is not in a hurry to get married, then get engaged first, and at least the two families can meet and have a meal first."
When Su Yan returned home in the evening, Cheng Kou was already lying on the bed.
He went to the bathroom and took a shower. The warm water sprayed from the shower head, flowing over his skin, taking away his fatigue and exhaustion.
When Su Yan returned to the bedroom, Cheng Kou was still awake. He walked over, kissed her smooth and moist forehead, and then asked, "Are you sleepy?"
Seeing Cheng Kou shaking his head, he said again: "I have something to tell you."
He wanted to tell Shen Wenzhou what he meant and ask for the Cheng family's opinion. Unexpectedly, Cheng Kou touched his nose and said awkwardly: "Actually... my mother also mentioned this to me today."
Song Qingwu had always thought that Cheng Kou lived in Xia Linchen's house. It was not until Xia Linchen was recently hospitalized that she learned that her daughter had secretly moved to Su Yan's house.
She was so angry that she gave Cheng Kou a lecture over the phone, and then said to Cheng Kou: "Why don't you get engaged to Xiao Su first."
Cheng Kou was startled by her, but did not dare to respond.
Song Qingwu said earnestly, "Your father and I are not such old-fashioned people, and we can easily deal with the gossip among the neighbors. But Koubao, as a girl, it won't hurt to think more about yourself."
Cheng Kou had no choice but to agree and repeatedly promised that he would find a chance to talk to Su Yan.
"So, Auntie completely approves of me?"
"You got the point wrong?" Su Yan pondered for a while. Cheng Kou thought he was thinking about something important, but he blurted out this sentence.
"That's right. If uncle and aunt agree, I can arrange a meeting between the two families tomorrow."
“Is it too fast?”
Su Yan pinched her nose and said with a smile: "I have thought so for a long time."
As soon as he got to work the next day, Su Yan asked Shen Ru to call and book a private room at a private club that Shen Wenzhou loved to frequent.
Shen Ru was very efficient. Within a few minutes he knocked on the door and came in to report that it had been done.
In the evening, Su Yan got off work on time and was stopped by Shen Ru when he passed by her desk.
Shen Ru pointed at the clothes on him and said, "Mr. Su, are you going to wear this to meet your future father-in-law and mother-in-law?"
Su Yan followed her gaze and looked at his own attire, and asked in confusion, "Is there any problem?" He wore the same outfit when meeting a client today, and nothing went wrong.
"Look, here, and here." Shen Ru pointed out a few places, "You were so engrossed in your work just now that you wrinkled them all."
Su Yan: “…”
"Mr. Su, don't have that expression." Shen Ru shook his finger and said like an expert, "The way you dress tonight represents how seriously you take this meeting."
Shen Ru said a lot more, and finally Su Yan was successfully fooled by her. He returned to the private lounge in the office and changed into a spare set of clothes.
When he was tying his tie in front of the mirror, he saw his expression at the moment and thought that it was only because of something related to Cheng Kou that made him so stupid.
However, the man in the mirror, besides being silly, also has a slowly growing happiness.
This private club has an elegant style, a grand exterior, and ancient interior decoration. Although there are no pavilions, there are rockeries, strange rocks, and small bridges and flowing water.
Su Yan led Cheng Kou and her parents in. The waiter here recognized him and smiled at them in a trained manner. He walked up to them and whispered that Mr. and Mrs. Su had arrived.
Su Lei's family was also there. Little Cuttlefish was squatting beside the artificially dug waterway teasing the koi. He looked up and saw Su Yan, and walked over with a smile.
"Uncle, you are here." Considering the occasion, Little Squid changed his address, "Hello Grandpa, Hello Grandma, Hello Aunt Cheng Kou."
"This child is so well-behaved." Song Qingwu had heard from Cheng Kou a long time ago that Su Yan had a very cute little nephew. When she saw him today, she liked him very much and took out a red envelope from her bag and put it in his hand.
The little cuttlefish was at a loss, and looked at Su Yan for help. Su Yan raised the corner of his mouth slightly and nodded to him. The little cuttlefish accepted it and said sweetly to Song Qingwu: "Thank you, grandma."
Song Qingwu touched his head, and Cheng Kou came over and led him to the booked private room.
Mr. and Mrs. Su Zhong and Mr. and Mrs. Su Lei were already seated, and they stood up quickly when they saw someone coming.
After greeting each other, they sat down. While waiting for the food to be served, the two mothers talked about their two children's lifelong events.
Shen Wenzhou has always liked Cheng Kou. Her family has never cared about one's background. Although the Cheng family's financial situation is average, Song Qingwu is tasteful in her dress and neither humble nor arrogant in her speech. She is even happier to see such a relative.
Parents all have the same feelings. No matter whether it is their son or daughter, they don’t want them to be wronged.
Soon, the waiter knocked on the door to serve the food, so they had to eat first and talk after the meal.
Cheng Kou sat next to Su Yan, who thoughtfully served her dishes and took care of her in every detail. Song Qingwu saw it all and was delighted.
After dinner, the two fathers got together to chat, and surprisingly they found common ground in flower-growing and chess. They also agreed to meet again another day to exchange flower-growing experiences and play a few games.
When they parted, Shen Wenzhou held Song Qingwu's hand and said, "I like Koubao very much. I really want her to marry into our family. With me here, she will never suffer any grievances in the Su family."
After seeing off the parents on both sides, Su Yan drove Cheng Kou home. Cheng Kou hummed along the way, and it was obvious that he was in a good mood.
She looked up at the sky outside the car window—it should be a sunny day tomorrow.