“Brother, are you okay?” Xiaoxing felt his brother’s grip tighten around his wrist, but before Lin Fanxing could answer, someone pried his hand off Lin Fanxing’s wrist.
“You’ve lost your sight again, haven’t you?” Qin Xin noticed something was wrong the moment he got off the motorcycle. The lively sparkle in Lin Fanxing’s eyes had vanished, replaced by a vacant stare, like a puppet without a soul.
When Lin Fanxing didn’t answer, Qin Xin became even more certain, so he quickly took both of Lin Fanxing’s hands and rested them on his own right forearm, saying, “Come on. Let’s go to the hospital.”
“I’m fine, really.” Lin Fanxing forced his emotions down.
How could he possibly go to the hospital now? This matter was already too urgent, ah!
Kong Yue and Xiaoxing were still trying to understand what was happening, especially Xiaoxing.
“How did this happen?” He asked, feeling confused. “What’s wrong with my brother’s eyes?!”
“What else could be wrong? He can’t see.” Qin Xin showed the younger brother no mercy. “This is all because of the mess you caused. Your parents wouldn’t give back the money, so your brother borrowed it to save you. When he couldn’t pay it back, someone damaged his eyes.”
That had happened in his previous life, yet Qin Xin said it so naturally that it was obvious how deeply it had scarred him. But Lin Fanxing heard something completely different… If he and Little Fei hadn’t been complete strangers, he would have thought Little Fei had somehow read the script of his previous life.
“…No, I wasn’t injured.” Lin Fanxing waved his hand, trying to calm his brother down, but Xiaoxing refused to listen. He quickly pushed him toward the helmeted stranger, begging, “Brother, you go to the hospital first! I can handle this myself!”
“Exactly. He’s already nineteen. He can handle it,” Qin Xin agreed.
“…”
That strange feeling surfaced in Lin Fanxing’s heart again. Not only did Little Fei seem to know his fate somehow, but how did he know Xiaoxing was nineteen?
Had he ever mentioned that?
“Stop trying to persuade me.” Lin Fanxing shook his head. “If this isn’t settled, I won’t be able to relax. Kong Yue, stay with my brother later. You two have met that guy before. If my brother loses his nerve, use your presence to intimidate him.” Then, like a field commander assigning everyone’s roles, he continued, “Little Fei… Ge.”
The moment Qin Xin heard those three words, alarm bells went off in his head, so he mumbled, “…Don’t call me that.”
“Please,” Lin Fanxing pleaded. “Just let me make sure everything’s okay first. Then I’ll go to the hospital with you immediately.”
Qin Xin’s fingers tightened around his wrist. They loosened and tightened in rhythm with Lin Fanxing’s hurried breathing before gradually clenching again. Although Kong Yue couldn’t see the expression hidden beneath the motorcycle helmet, the rider’s body language made one thing perfectly clear:
He genuinely didn’t want Lin Fanxing to care about his younger brother.
And if he refused to budge, there was no way a blind Lin Fanxing could win an argument against him.
“…”
Who exactly is this guy?!
“…Fine.” In the end, Qin Xin gave in, but it wasn’t for Xiaoxing’s sake. He simply couldn’t let Lin Fanxing carry future regrets. If something went wrong today because the stupid boy handled things poorly, his Fanxing would blame himself forever for not coming.
So better to settle everything once and for all. That way, neither brother would owe the other anything. Having reached that conclusion, Qin Xin said, “Kong Yue, go in with him. Fanxing and I will stay outside and keep an eye on things.”
“But…” Lin Fanxing protested instinctively.
“What are you going to do even if you’re sitting across from that manager?” Qin Xin asked. “Can you even see what he looks like?”
The words stung, but they were also undeniably true. Left with no better option, Lin Fanxing finally agreed. Kong Yue would accompany Xiaoxing into the café, while he and Little Fei stayed outside somewhere they could intervene quickly if necessary.
You always had to prepare for the worst. If things turned violent, at least they could… But after sitting down, Lin Fanxing immediately dismissed the thought.
Come on.
Them?
…A blind man and a stick insect?!
If a fight actually broke out, Xiaoxing alone probably had better odds than the two of them combined.
“Have they sat down yet?” Lin Fanxing asked, deliberately facing away from the table.
Qin Xin sat sideways. The advantage of wearing a motorcycle helmet was that no one could tell where he was looking, so he quickly reported, “They’ve sat down. The man across from him is slightly bulky, but he looks friendly enough.”
“He’s alone?” Lin Fanxing reached for the drink he’d just ordered. The weather was scorching, and his mouth was dry. He remembered the straw being somewhere to his right and reached out to feel for it.
Suddenly, someone gently took hold of the fingers of his right hand and slipped the straw between his index and middle fingers. Then that same person caught his left hand and placed it against the cup. Guided by those cool hands, his right hand successfully inserted the straw. As if still worried, the other hand guided his fingers upward until they found the tip of the straw.
“…Thank you.” Once again, Lin Fanxing was struck by how thoughtful Little Fei was. At the same time, he was surprised by how poor his circulation seemed to be.
His fingers were ice cold.
Qin Xin slowly let go. Another warmth seemed to linger on his fingertips, and he rubbed them together twice before speaking again: “It looks like the conversation’s going smoothly.”
“You’re not part of this industry,” Lin Fanxing said. “Never trust someone just because they look gentle.”
It wasn’t that he doubted Little Fei, but he had simply suffered too many losses.
The motorcycle helmet dipped slightly while the voice behind it said, “You’re right. I don’t really understand your industry.”
“The gentler someone appears, the more frightening they might be underneath,” Lin Fanxing continued. “On the other hand, someone who looks unreliable at first glance might actually end up helping you.” He thought of his assistant, Zhao Xiaobai.
At first, Zhao Xiaobai’s sloppy appearance and fiery temper had made Lin Fanxing guard against him constantly, nearly causing him to miss out on a true friend.
“Mhm.” Qin Xin smiled. “I’ll remember that.”
“Oh, right.” Lin Fanxing added, “Find an angle and secretly take a picture of that man. Don’t let him notice. Make sure it’s clear, then send it to me.”
Qin Xin did exactly as he asked, thinking that Fanxing was probably still worried and wanted to examine the man’s face once his vision returned. But whatever the reason, Qin Xin only hoped this matter would be resolved as quickly as possible.
Perhaps his previous life had simply been too miserable, and maybe this life really had blessed him with extraordinary luck. About twenty minutes later, Qin Xin nudged Lin Fanxing’s right foot, reporting, “They’re getting up.”
Lin Fanxing, who had been slouched in his chair, immediately sat up straight.
“They’re shaking hands. Looks like they’re saying goodbye.” Qin Xin pressed a hand onto his shoulder. “Don’t make it so obvious.”
As if it wasn’t already obvious enough… Lin Fanxing had practically bounced out of his chair.
Remaining seated, Qin Xin continued his detailed commentary: “He handed your brother a piece of paper. Your brother took out another one. They’re exchanging them.”
“The IOU?” Lin Fanxing asked.
“I think so. Your brother’s handing him a bank card now,” Qin Xin continued.
“That card probably belonged to him in the first place. Thank goodness my brother returned it intact.” Lin Fanxing finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Kong Yue’s recording everything,” Qin Xin said. He hadn’t expected the guy to be so quick-witted, leaving them with video evidence.
“Good. He had to record it.” Although Lin Fanxing couldn’t see, he could more or less picture what was happening.
The darkness before his eyes made every second feel unbearably long, leaving him restless and tense. Just as his anxiety reached its peak, Little Fei gently patted the back of his hand.
“They’re leaving. Don’t worry,” Qin Xin said.
They really were. The imposing “manager” was wearing a yellow jacket and brown trousers, with a black waist pouch around his waist. His body was stocky, yet his face was surprisingly thin. When he smiled, his cheeks hollowed slightly, making his face seem oddly mismatched with the rest of him.
“He’s left the café,” Qin Xin said after watching him get into the car waiting outside.
Lin Fanxing had been sitting as though on a torture device, perched on only the front third of his chair, both hands stiffly held in front of him, his arms rigid. The moment he heard those words, his shoulders visibly slumped, and his chest deflated with a long exhale, sinking inward before Qin Xin’s eyes. Only then did Qin Xin realize just how long Lin Fanxing had been holding that breath.
To be safe, they didn’t approach immediately. They waited another ten minutes. Finally, his brother and Kong Yue came out first. Lin Fanxing stood to follow them, but Little Fei caught his right hand as casually as if he were lifting a plastic bag, his thumb locking firmly around Lin Fanxing’s.
“Careful. The floor’s slippery.”
Qin Xin guided him around a spot that had just been mopped. Lin Fanxing instinctively drew his foot back, but the moment he remembered who was leading him, he relaxed again.
How strange…
It was as though Little Fei had taken care of blind people before.
Does someone in his family have a visual impairment?
Before he could ask, a gust of wind rushed toward him, and a second later, someone threw their arms around him. His brother’s voice sounded beside his ear, thick with emotion.
“Bro… can you see now?”
The moment Qin Xin heard him call out “Bro,” his head started aching.
Is the whole world yours just because you have a brother?!
He instinctively reached up to massage his temples, but instead, his fingers poked the side of his motorcycle helmet.
Kong Yue shot the biker a sideways glance.
…Were you just trying to act cute?!
Qin Xin silently lowered his hand. Then he peeled the younger brother, who was practically hanging off Lin Fanxing, away from him.
“Business first.”
Xiaoxing’s swollen and aggrieved face looked almost comical as he mumbled, “…I gave him the card back and thanked him for his kindness. He didn’t make things difficult for me. He just said it was a pity we couldn’t sign a contract.”
“He also said that if I ever wanted work, I could contact him. He knows a lot of directors and film crews and could arrange for me to start with small roles.”
“Nothing else?” Lin Fanxing asked immediately, and Xiaoxing shook his head. “Nothing else. We exchanged the IOUs and tore them up together. Kong Yue recorded our whole conversation. That should be enough, right?”
“That should be safe enough.” Lin Fanxing placed a hand over his chest.
Only at that moment did he truly feel that he had been reborn. The disastrous hellish beginning of his previous life had been completely rewritten. His eyesight hadn’t been permanently damaged, his brother was safe, and he had cut off his hopelessly biased parents.
He had abandoned the family he was born into. He had even deleted Qin Xin, the online boyfriend who had ruined his previous life. Every factor that could have led him toward that tragic ending had been dealt with, and nothing could stop him anymore.
“So…” Qin Xin interrupted the brothers’ conversation. “Can we go to the hospital now?”
“…”
“Okay.” Lin Fanxing rubbed his brow. “I’ll go with you. Let’s go.”
His younger brother left with Kong Yue first. For the second time, Lin Fanxing climbed onto the motorcycle, wrapping his arms around Little Fei’s waist.
It seemed his benefactor had already arranged everything the day before, so the entire process went surprisingly smoothly. Eye examinations, neurological tests, brain scans… Like someone undergoing a routine physical, Lin Fanxing was led from one department to the next.
“Thank you. We’ll wait here for the results.”
The final examination was an MRI of his brain, and by the time it was finished, lunchtime had already passed. After thanking the doctor, Qin Xin took Lin Fanxing to a fast-food restaurant next to the hospital.
“You’ve worked hard today. Let me buy lunch…” the temporarily blind Lin Fanxing said as he pulled out his phone.
“Forget it.” Qin Xin shook his head. “You don’t have much money either.” But the moment he thought about money, he thought of Fang Feiyu.
Come on, my little wallet. Work harder.
Don’t let your Best Actor brother starve to death.
Therefore, the two broke “celebrities” bought set meals and found a relatively quiet corner to sit. “The hospital we just went to is private,” Qin Xin continued. “A friend helped me arrange everything. After lunch, we’ll wait in the VIP lounge. You can even take a nap.”
“I’ve really troubled both you and your friend. Once I’m better, I’ll treat you to dinner…” Lin Fanxing once again couldn’t find his straw.
“You should save your money,” Qin Xin said as he inserted the straw into the drink for him like before. “No rush.”
Dinner probably isn’t a good idea… Qin Xin thought. I still have to wear the motorcycle helmet, and Steward Bai would probably insist on accompanying me on Grandfather’s orders… With him sitting beside us… the whole scene would be so bizarre.
After taking a sip of cola, Lin Fanxing smiled with complete relief. “Don’t forget what I do for a living. I’m still an actor, even if I’m only eighteenth-tier. Even an eighteenth-tier actor can make a little money. Actually…” he continued excitedly, “my assistant already got me an appointment. Do you know URBAN magazine? Lots of celebrities have appeared in it. I’m shooting an inside editorial!”
“Huh?” Qin Xin had just picked up his hamburger, and he slowly put it back down. Then he took out his phone and opened the message Fang Feiyu had sent that morning.
Fang Feiyu: [URBAN is confirmed. Zhao Yin’ang will be there too, plus a few unknown small-time artists. Not important.]
Now wearing a mask instead of his motorcycle helmet, Qin Xin stared at the words “not important.” Among those “unimportant” artists…
Was Lin Fanxing.
They were finally about to meet each other…
With their real identities.
T.N: If you like his novel, you can read up to chapter 24 on my Patreon, with new updates coming every week!
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