Chapter 11: Intermittent Blindness 4

The ringing phone startled Lu Shun awake just as he had fallen into a shallow sleep, his nerves still in a highly sensitive state.

Who would call at such an ungodly hour…

Groggy and irritable, Lu Shun frowned as he groped for his phone beside the pillow. Without checking the caller ID, he answered and pressed the device against his ear, grumbling, This better be important.

The voice on the other end paused briefly before responding with suppressed breathing.

He Qiuting’s fingers tightened around his phone, stunned to realize he had accidentally called Lu Shun. Curled under the blankets drenched in cold sweat, his stomach aching as if pierced through, he had blindly tapped the recent contacts list assuming he’d reach either his assistant Lin Xu or Li Feng—never imagining he’d connect with the person who had blocked his number.

The real shock was that the blocked number had miraculously gone through?

He Qiuting instinctively wanted to hang up, but a fresh wave of pain twisted through his stomach, forcing him to curl tighter. A low, strained gasp escaped his lips.

With the phone trapped between his cheek and the pillow, He Qiuting crossed his arms over his abdomen, pressing down hard as he bit back a moan.

The faint rustling through the receiver gradually faded into silence. Seconds later, even the breathing grew indistinct. Lu Shun’s drowsy mind began to drift back toward sleep when a sudden sense of familiarity jolted him awake. He forced his eyes open to check the caller ID.

[Cloud Horizon – President He]

He Qiuting?

Lu Shun’s heart skipped a beat. He bolted upright in bed, feeling his Sun Spot throbbing violently.

What’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything? Lu Shun didn’t turn on the light, the darkness sharpening his hearing. He detected the sound of the other person shifting positions, followed by fragmented, labored breaths.

Though faint, those sounds carried an undeniable allure in the deep night.

It’s 1:30 AM, Lu Shun said. You wouldn’t call me for no reason. Are you unwell?

No… ah…

The moment He Qiuting uttered that single word, the damned System’s punishment mechanism activated again, intensifying the discomfort in his eyes and head.

His eye sockets burned with searing pain, sharp needles stabbing into his eyeballs. He arched his neck back, fingers clawing into the bedsheets.

No…

He Qiuting drew a shaky breath, steadying himself before whispering, Not… unwell. Just… accidental dial.

Sorry for disturbing you.

Hearing this, Lu Shun’s tension eased slightly. Leaning against the headboard, he rubbed his temples with a faint curl of his lips. You just wanted to check if I’d taken you out of my blocklist, didn’t you?

He Qiuting remained silent.

Taking the silence as confirmation, Lu Shun felt a secret thrill, though his tone remained stern. I unblocked you yesterday after you left the office. We’ve signed a contract—we’ll need to communicate frequently moving forward.

His voice gravelly with sleep, Lu Shun added, I saw the note you left me, President He. There will be plenty of time ahead.

He Qiuting remained as taciturn as ever, barely able to squeeze out a word. After a moment of silence on the phone, he said, Okay… I’ll hang up first then. Goodnight.

Goodnight? What goodnight.

Wait. Lu Shun stopped him. Don’t hang up yet.

He Qiuting was drenched in sweat on his head and neck, gasping with his mouth open. Hearing Lu Shun’s voice from the receiver beside him—so irritatingly smug—Hey, since you dumped me, I’ve been having trouble sleeping these past couple days.

Lu Shun was clearly lying through his teeth.

He Qiuting turned his face slightly, his voice faint. You were the one who proposed the breakup.

Then if I propose getting back together now, would you agree? Lu Shun asked directly.

He Qiuting fell silent, genuinely pondering the question carefully in his mind.

Now that he was bound to this Frail System, which randomly inflicted an illness every three days that could only be alleviated by seeking help from a loved one, it meant he would have to ask Lu Shun for help every single day.

Headaches, stomach pains, Asthma, blindness…

Who knew what other illness might strike two days from now.

A relationship should be about mutual support and equal footing—how could one person completely drain the other?

He didn’t want to be the weaker party in a relationship, nor did he want to be a burden to Lu Shun’s life and career.

I was joking. Lu Shun let out a dry laugh on the other end, lazily teasing, Look how scared our President He is—he doesn’t even dare to speak.

He Qiuting’s face turned deathly pale, his back hunched as he bit his lip until it bled. After a long moment, he managed to force out a few words, It’s not suitable anymore…

Mm.

Lu Shun responded with his usual nonchalance. If we can’t be lovers, we can still be friends, right? We’ve known each other for almost twenty years. Don’t let a failed relationship ruin everything—it’s not worth it.

He Qiuting was momentarily dazed.

Twenty years.

Had it really been almost twenty years since he first met Lu Shun…

He Qiuting, I just had a dream. Lu Shun slid further down, lying on his pillow. He stretched his neck comfortably in the dark, closed his eyes, and chuckled softly. I dreamed of when we were kids, playing soccer.

Lu Shun’s voice softened, speaking slowly, dragging out the syllables as if he were about to fall asleep any second.

The darkness blurred the line between reality and illusion, allowing one to let down their guard, smooth out their edges, and ignore the constraints of morality and principles—everything guided by the intuition from deep within.

As if still dreaming.

In the dream, everyone passed the ball to me, but you stood off to the side, ignoring everyone. Lu Shun murmured like someone talking in their sleep, rubbing his face against the pillow, his voice tinged with desolation. So they say dreams are the opposite of reality.

In He Qiuting’s pitch-black vision, a hazy glow slowly seeped in. Through the blur, he saw that soccer field from many years ago.

Back then, Lu Shun had just started first grade, still very short, with a chubby little face, fair and clean like a little dumpling.

The little dumpling loved playing soccer. Dressed in custom-made outfits costing over ten thousand, he followed behind boys several years older than him, his bright eyes wide as he chased after the ball. Even when he fell and got covered in mud, he never acted spoiled—just wiped his face and got up to keep chasing.

No one was willing to pass the ball to him except He Qiuting.

Everyone grew jealous of the young master who arrived at the soccer field daily in a Rolls-Royce Phantom, eventually isolating him by refusing to pass him the ball and even deliberately kicking it at his face. Each time, his two stewards would exclaim, drop their cameras and drinks, rush over to dramatically inspect his injuries, and confront the other children’s parents.

Over time, fewer were willing to play with the young master—except for He Qiuting. Though only two years older, He Qiuting was tall, fast, and skilled, always passing the ball to Lu Shun immediately after intercepting it. Looking back, He Qiuting hadn’t particularly enjoyed playing with Lu Shun; he simply felt that as the older one, he shouldn’t bully a child nor allow others to. That was all.

He never considered his actions remarkable—just a simple gesture—never expecting Lu Shun to remember it for years, bringing it up repeatedly with nostalgia.

Somehow, the pain in his head and eyes seemed to fade, and the cramps in his stomach eased. He Qiuting relaxed the hand pressed against his abdomen, turned onto his side, and his vulnerable Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. That soccer field is now part of Commercial Zone B—luxury residences to the south, a shopping mall to the north. The land price has reached 200,000 per square meter.

Lu Shun fell silent.

He Qiuting, sometimes you really ruin the moment, he mumbled, drowsy yet unwilling to hang up. He found himself savoring this atmosphere—reminiscing freely with He Qiuting felt natural and soothing, without any awkwardness, and he could pretend nothing happened upon waking.

I still remember in elementary school when you fought with Boss Zhang’s son and got a bloody nose…

He Qiuting choked slightly, his voice weary yet gentle. After all these years, you only recall these trivial things…

The incident had started when Lu Zhao gave his younger brother a box of expensive chocolates for his eighteenth birthday. Lu Shun brought them to school to share with his best friend, but the school bully Zhang Chi brazenly stole them, accusing Lu Shun of flaunting his wealth. Lu Shun fought back but lost, then stormed off to find He Qiuting. His father had said the He family’s business relied on the Lu family, so He Qiuting would look out for him.

Though He Qiuting appeared aloof, he fought swiftly and calmly. What Lu Shun admired most was his expressionless composure during fights—never contorted, almost elegant. He Qiuting retrieved the chocolates and handed them back, saying, Your belongings—you decide who to share them with.

Lu Shun pushed them back, eyes bright and resolute. I want to give them to you.

Recalling that time, Lu Shun realized He Qiuting had always been more mature than his peers. While other kids would cry at the sight of blood, He Qiuting was different. Barely over ten years old, he already possessed an unchildlike steadiness, calmly rinsing his face in the washroom though the bleeding wouldn’t stop, frightening Lu Shun into frantically calling home to tattle…

Darkness does not judge right or wrong; it endlessly embraces and accepts all.

Lu Shun’s wandering thoughts gradually returned, a curve forming at the corner of his lips. Speaking of that Zhang Chi, last month I just acquired 40% controlling stake in his family’s company. His father even brought him to beg me personally, saying we should at least consider our classmate bond. Haha…

Mr. Zhang’s company now bears the surname Lu.

He Qiuting, don’t you find it amusing? Lu Shun particularly enjoyed calling his name, though he didn’t know why.

He Qiuting remained silent. The sensation of pain was fading from his body, his limbs growing limp, his consciousness becoming light and airy, as if his pillow had transformed into a fluffy cloud.

Lu Shun’s voice was incredibly sleep-inducing, nearly lulling him to sleep.

He Qiuting? Lu Shun smiled softly, feeling completely at ease as he asked in a gentle voice, Are you asleep~

He Qiuting let out a vague hum, his mind turning slowly.

After a long, long while, just as Lu Shun thought he had fallen asleep and was about to hang up, He Qiuting suddenly asked him a question.

Lu Shun, if someday—I mean if—I face a critical decision concerning Cloud Horizon’s survival, He Qiuting’s voice was almost inaudible, can I trust you?

Lu Shun slowly opened his eyes in the darkness and gave him a firm response.

You can.

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