Su Ziyan was discharged from the hospital 1 month later.
At the time, both he and Xu Duyan were considered quite fortunate. Xu Duyan miraculously hadn’t sustained any injuries, and he had miraculously survived.
His back had been scorched by the flames that rose when the two cars collided. This happened to cauterize the wounds and stop the bleeding; otherwise, he likely would have died from massive hemorrhaging on the spot.
Whether it was luck or misfortune was hard to say.
The driver of the car that hit them was a drug addict. Before getting on the highway, he encountered traffic police checking for drunk driving.
Out of fear and a clouded mind, he accelerated, broke through the railings, and drove against traffic onto the highway.
The traffic police promptly contacted another team to block the exits on the other side. This allowed the police to arrive at the scene immediately after the accident and rush Su Ziyan to the hospital.
Getting to the hospital in time was another reason Su Ziyan was able to save his life.
Although his life was saved, flying debris had slashed across his eyes and the bridge of his nose, leaving a horizontal scar and causing him to lose his sight.
Even though the doctors had done their best to treat him, he only recovered to the point where he could see the outlines of large objects in bright light.
The injury to his back was not simple either. He lay in bed for 20 days before he could barely stand.
After being hospitalized for an entire month, he was finally able to walk with a cane and was barely fit for discharge.
Even though he had anticipated it, Su Ziyan still felt a deep sense of despair when the bandages were removed and he realized he could no longer see clearly.
He had already expected this at the time of the accident. If not for the adrenaline and his willpower, he never could have dragged Xu Duyan out of the car.
As for those seemingly open-minded words he spoke back then, it was only because he thought he was dying, so nothing seemed to matter anymore.
Now that he was no longer under the threat of death, he felt the true despair that blindness brought him.
On the 1st day Xu Duyan told him the result, he could still pretend to be calm and say it was enough just to be alive, even comforting Xu Duyan, whose voice was thick with tears.
However, as the period of blindness grew longer, he could no longer smile.
Perhaps most people were given an assignment like this by their teachers in elementary school or kindergarten.
They were told to go home and move around with their eyes closed for 5 minutes to experience the life of a blind person and understand their hardships.
Su Ziyan had done such an assignment when he was young. After it ended, he indeed understood their difficulties, but his lips were still curled in a smile at that time.
No matter the educational significance or insights gained, for a child, it was mostly just a novel and interesting experience.
But when this experience became permanent, he couldn’t smile anymore.
Barely 1 hour after smiling and comforting Xu Duyan, he found it difficult to smile again.
Only when Xu Duyan took care of him did he squeeze out a forced smile with all his might.
Although he could no longer look in the mirror, Su Ziyan was certain that his smile must have looked hideous.
After being blind for an entire day, he could no longer smile. Darkness enveloped him at all times, and his body struggled to make even the slightest movement…
Only when Xu Duyan held his hand could her body heat provide him with a sliver of warmth.
3 days later, he was able to attempt some slight movements.
However, the liberation of his body did not bring him the slightest bit of relaxation. Instead, it made him even more desperate.
He could do nothing, do nothing well, and see nothing.
The things he could once do with ease now required him to endure pain and exert all his strength, only to achieve a failed result.
Even though Xu Duyan was constantly comforting and caring for him gently, his heart was dying of anxiety.
He didn’t understand why he was thinking this way. Clearly, there was no need to be in such a hurry.
Many days later, he finally realized what the feeling in his heart was.
It was impotent rage.
His temper before hadn’t been particularly good or bad, but at the very least, he had never lost his temper with his sister over small things.
Now, he could clearly feel himself becoming irritable.
He knew very well that he shouldn’t be like this, yet his body felt as if it were out of control.
The feeling of powerlessness that surrounded him at all times made his entire being irritable.
He didn’t want to hurt Xu Duyan, who was taking care of him, so he could only become silent and taciturn.
Xu Duyan saw the change in him as well. She continued to look after her younger brother meticulously, finding different ways to cook various delicious foods for him.
But this did not make Su Ziyan feel any better.
Something had happened to Su Ziyan that added fuel to the fire.
Although his hearing and sense of touch had become sharper after becoming blind, his sense of smell and taste were slowly disappearing.
Fine food had always been a good way for humans to relieve stress, especially sweets. Simply putting them in one’s mouth could bring happiness to most people.
Now, Su Ziyan’s happiness was also stripped away.
He could not taste anything.
In this way, he lived through days of repeated despair until the day of his discharge.
It was likely a sunny day. At least, Su Ziyan could feel the sun shining on him, warm and gentle.
“I’m finally out of the hospital…”
Su Ziyan spoke softly.
“It feels like I’ve been reborn.”
His right hand was holding a cane, slowly getting used to it, while his left hand was held tightly in Xu Duyan’s embrace.
“Yeah.”
Xu Duyan said as she supported him.
“After all, you won’t have to smell the disinfectant anymore.”
After saying that, she realized something was wrong because Su Ziyan’s grip on her left hand tightened for a moment.
Usually, she was very cautious, afraid that her actions or words would trigger him.
But her nerves had been strained for the past month, and the sudden relaxation caused her to say the wrong thing subconsciously.
She already knew his sense of smell and taste were fading.
She heard from the doctor that it was psychological, and there was no good way to cure it. They could only let nature take its course.
Su Ziyan felt his sister’s body stiffen. Considering how close they were, nothing could be hidden from the other.
Xu Duyan must have noticed his emotions just now.
“It’s fine, Elder Sister.”
Su Ziyan wanted to smile, but he couldn’t.
“I’m just not used to the wind outside. Let’s go home.”
“As long as I go home, everything will get better, right?”
He wanted to return to that home with Xu Duyan, returning to those happy and blissful moments they spent together that he dreamed of.