Blazing August.
Beep—beep—beep!
The harsh sound of cicadas blended with the constant blaring of car horns echoed across the bustling city streets. The scorching sun baked the grey-brown asphalt, making the air ripple with heat. The entire street seemed to warp in the sweltering wave.
Beneath the sparse patches of shade along the roadside, a group of young men stood huddled together, cigarettes dangling from their lips, waiting for the light to change.
Suddenly, one of the smoking youths squinted, as if he noticed something unusual, and let out a curious "Hmm?" His gaze fell toward a certain corner of the street.
"Arno, what are you looking at?" asked his companion.
The young man named Arno stared blankly at the street corner for a moment before slowly speaking. "Say… how does a blind man cross the street?"
His friend paused, caught off guard, then replied, "Well, usually, blind people have someone to accompany them, or they're guided by a seeing-eye dog. In more modern cities, there are audio signals at intersections. Worst case, they might rely on sound and a cane to feel their way across."
Arno shook his head. "But what if there's no companion, no guide dog, no audio signal—and he's using the cane… to carry a jug of peanut oil instead?"
"…You think you're funny?"
His friend rolled his eyes and followed Arno's gaze. The moment he saw what Arno was looking at, he froze.
At the opposite corner of the intersection stood a teenager in a black short-sleeve shirt. His eyes were tightly covered with several layers of black satin ribbon, completely blocking any light.
In his left hand, he carried a cheap shopping bag filled with vegetables. In his right, he slung a white cane over his shoulder like a carrying pole—and at the end of that cane, a large container of golden peanut oil gleamed in the sun.
Black satin wrapped his eyes, a blind man's cane rested on his shoulder, veggies in one hand, oil in the other…
The absurdity of the scene immediately drew the attention of nearby pedestrians.
"Hey, look at that guy—he's weird."
"With all that fabric over his eyes, can he even see where he's going?"
"You didn't notice the white cane? He's blind, obviously."
"Seriously? In this day and age, blind people usually wear sunglasses. Who wraps their eyes with thick cloth under the scorching sun? Isn't that suffocating?"
"Exactly. And who uses a blind cane to carry stuff instead of walking with it?"
"Kids these days are really something else."
"…"
Even the chirping of the cicadas couldn't drown out the murmurs of passersby. They eyed the boy curiously, whispering about whether he was truly blind or just faking it, while occasionally glancing at the still-red traffic light in anticipation.
At that moment, a crisp voice sounded beside the teenager.
"Big brother, want me to help you cross the street?"
It was a little girl in a school uniform, around twelve or thirteen years old. A few beads of sweat shimmered on her cheeks, and her large, dark eyes looked up at him with simple, sincere concern.
The boy seemed surprised. He turned his head toward her and smiled softly.
"Sure."
He shifted the vegetable bag to his right hand, wiped the sweat from his left on his shirt, and gently held her hand.
Click—!
The light turned green.
The boy stepped forward, walking across the street with the girl.
The girl was nervous, glancing warily at the cars on either side. Her steps were small and cautious.
As for the boy… he walked steadily.
To the onlookers, it didn't look like a kind girl guiding a blind man—it looked like a big brother calmly leading a child.
The crosswalk wasn't long. In just over ten seconds, they reached the opposite side. The boy thanked the girl, then walked away without looking back, disappearing into a quiet alley.
"He's not blind," Arno said firmly. "He can definitely see."
Behind him, one of the young men propped his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful. A moment later, realization dawned on his face.
"I get it now! He's cosplaying as Lee Sin—the blind monk!"
Smack!
A loud slap landed on the back of his head. Arno cursed, "Idiot. You think someone would cosplay Lee Sin in the middle of the street? You want to die?"
After a pause, Arno muttered under his breath, "And besides… Lee Sin's blindfold is red. That one's black. Doesn't even look right."
"You're criticizing me?"
"Shut up."
"Oh…"
As the two bickered, a young man who had been silent all along frowned, eyes fixed on the boy's retreating figure.
"What's wrong?" Arno noticed his expression.
"I know him."
"You do?"
"Yeah," the young man nodded. "When my cousin was still in elementary school, he told me there was a kid in their school who had an accident and lost his sight. They said he also had… some mental issues. He used to wear black satin over his eyes."
"Mental issues?" Arno was startled, recalling the boy's calm demeanor. "He seemed fine to me."
"That was ten years ago. Maybe he recovered. But back then, it caused a big stir. Not long after, he dropped out and transferred to a special school for the blind."
Another guy jumped in, intrigued. "So what kind of accident was it? How do you lose your sight and get mental problems from the same thing? Was it something supernatural?"
"No idea," the young man replied, pausing briefly. "But… I heard it was something even weirder than that."
"A poor kid," Arno sighed. "What was his name?"
"Something like Lin… Lin… Lin Qiye?"
Dusk.
Lin Qiye pushed open the door.
Instantly, the aroma of freshly cooked dishes wafted out from inside. He sniffed the air and swallowed a little before walking in with his bags.
Creak—!
The old wooden door screeched loudly, covering the sound of stir-frying from the kitchen. A middle-aged woman pushed open the kitchen door. Seeing Lin Qiye carrying so many bags, she let out a surprised cry and hurried over.
"Xiao Qi, why did you carry all that yourself again?" She wiped her hands on her apron and took the bags from him, nagging as she did.
"That's a huge tub of peanut oil! Did you misuse the government stipend again?"
"Auntie, that subsidy is meant for people with disabilities to live on. I'm just using it wisely." Lin Qiye chuckled.
"Nonsense. That money's for your college fund, not for spending like this. I'm working—my income's enough for the three of us. You don't need to use your own money."
She gently wiped down the oil container with a look of distress. "A whole barrel, and it's a name brand too… Must've cost a fortune, huh?"
Before Lin Qiye could reply, she suddenly realized something.
"Wait a minute… how did you bring all this home?"
"Oh, I met some kind strangers who helped me carry it back," Lin Qiye said calmly.
"That's great. There are still good people in the world… Did you thank them properly?"
"I did." Lin Qiye changed the subject. "Auntie, where's A-Jin?"
"He's doing homework on the balcony… Oh right, the doctor from the psychiatric hospital came for your annual checkup. He's resting in the room. Go let him examine you first. I'll call you when dinner's ready."
Lin Qiye paused slightly, then nodded and headed for the bedroom.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Li from Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital," said a young man sitting on a small stool in the bedroom, standing up as Lin Qiye entered. He had large black-rimmed glasses and looked mild-mannered.
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't it always Dr. Han who came?"
"Dr. Han was promoted to deputy director last year," Dr. Li replied with a smile and a hint of envy.
Lin Qiye nodded slightly. "Makes sense."
Dr. Han was getting old and was highly experienced. It wasn't surprising he got promoted. Having a younger doctor take over the regular checkups was natural.
Dr. Li cleared his throat and pulled a stack of files from his bag. "Sorry, I'm new, so I'm not too familiar with your case. I'll just ask a few basics."
Lin Qiye nodded.
"Name: Lin Qiye?"
"Yes."
"Seventeen years old?"
"Correct."
"Birthday?"
"October 5th."
"Hmm… The record says you lost your sight ten years ago and were admitted due to mental health concerns?"
"Yes."
Dr. Li hesitated. "Did you ever change your name?"
"…No. Why do you ask?" Lin Qiye looked puzzled.
Dr. Li scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Ah, maybe I'm overthinking it."
He pointed to Lin Qiye's age and the timeline in the file. "You lost your sight ten years ago—at age seven. Your name is Qiye, meaning 'Seven Nights'... I thought maybe you renamed yourself after going blind."
Lin Qiye was silent for a moment. Then he shook his head.
"No. I've always been named Lin Qiye. My parents chose it before I was born."
"That's… quite a coincidence." Dr. Li caught himself mid-sentence, realizing it might sound insensitive.
"It is," Lin Qiye replied calmly. "A strange one."
Dr. Li, a bit awkward, quickly shifted topics. "I see the file doesn't detail the incident that caused your blindness and mental issues. If you're comfortable, would you be willing to share what happened?"
Before Lin Qiye could reply, Dr. Li added quickly, "Of course, no pressure. I only ask to better understand and help you. But if it's too personal, that's perfectly fine."
Lin Qiye sat still. Beneath the black satin, it felt like his eyes were quietly watching the doctor.
After a long pause, he spoke slowly:
"There's nothing I can't say… But you might not believe it. You might even think about sending me back to the psychiatric hospital."
"No, no, no. Don't think of this as a patient-doctor chat. Just friends talking. Even if you told me the Jade Emperor dragged you into a furnace, I'd believe you," Dr. Li joked.
Lin Qiye was quiet for a moment, then nodded.
"When I was a kid, I liked astronomy."
"And?"
"One night, I was lying on the roof of my old house, staring at the moon."
"What did you see? A moon rabbit?" Dr. Li chuckled.
Lin Qiye shook his head.
His next words froze the smile on Dr. Li's face.
"No. I saw an angel," Lin Qiye said seriously, gesturing with his hands."A seraph, bathed in golden light… with six white wings."