Chapter 1: He is Blind

1980, Xinghua High School.

Outside the teaching building, cicadas chirped incessantly from the massive locust tree, making the already sweltering weather even more irritating.

In the classroom of Class 3, chaos erupted due to Su Yan’s arrival.

Standing at 1.65 meters, her figure was slender and delicate, yet even in black trousers, the perfect proportions of her long legs could not be hidden. Unlike the typical girl with two braids hanging over her chest, her long hair was tied up high, looking clean and free-spirited.

But what drew the most attention was her face. A black cloth covered the better part of her palm-sized cheeks, making it impossible to see her full features.

Dozens of eyes were fixed squarely upon her.

She was a transfer student who had arrived today, and what’s more… she was blind.

When she walked in, she was holding a black stick in her hand.

Not to mention the students in the class, even Zhou Fang, the homeroom teacher, was stunned for a full ten seconds upon seeing the black cloth over Su Yan’s eyes.

"Ahem, quiet! This student, please introduce yourself."

The noisy classroom fell instantly silent. Everyone wore the exact same expression.

Gossip and curiosity.

Su Yan faced forward. "My name is Su Yan."

One second.

Two seconds.

It took another dozen seconds of silence for everyone to realize she had finished.

"You can sit in the last row, by the window."

It was the first time in his life Zhou Fang had heard such a brief self-introduction, but he didn't intend to ask anything more and pointed directly to her seat.

"Teacher, she can't see!"

Suddenly, someone shouted out, gloating with malicious glee.

But to everyone’s surprise, Su Yan began to walk amidst the jeers.

And the direction she walked in was exactly the seat Zhou Fang had just pointed to.

All sound ceased abruptly.

Wasn't she blind?

Even if she weren't blind, wouldn't she be unable to see anything with a black cloth covering her eyes like that?

Under the gaze of astonishment, Su Yan reached the back seat.

The atmosphere in the classroom was bizarre to the extreme.

Zhou Fang suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, dismissing Su Yan’s movement as mere luck.

"Alright, let's start class."

Su Yan sat by the window, turning her head to face the outside. Looking in that direction, one could clearly see the massive locust tree outside the principal's office.

As soon as the bell rang for the end of class, she immediately became the focus of the classroom.

"Su Yan, can you really not see?"

Song Xue, the class beauty, was surrounded by others at the front, waving her hand in front of Su Yan’s face as she asked.

"Yes." Su Yan allowed them to probe, neither dodging nor flinching.

"If you can't see, can you even write? Is it even possible for you to walk out of this classroom?"

Song Xue stared at her face, her words filled with provocation and sarcasm.

Although it was only Su Yan’s first day at school, she knew about her.

Because she was very close friends with Su Mo, and Su Mo was Su Yan’s stepsister.

The situation in the Su family was quite unique. A few days ago, she hadn't even known that the Su family had a daughter named Su Yan.

Su Mo’s mother was part of a blended family; when Su Mo was six, her mother remarried. Su Jianguo was a good man who treated her as his own.

Over the course of more than a decade, Su Mo had long since come to regard Su Jianguo as her biological father, becoming the eldest daughter of the Su family.

But just three days ago, Su Mo had told her in a state of despair that it turned out Su Jianguo had another daughter who had been fostered elsewhere, and that Su Jianguo had already arranged for a car to bring her back.

And that daughter was this blind Su Yan!

Su Yan’s return made Su Mo feel a deep sense of crisis, fearing that she would steal her spotlight as the eldest daughter and her father’s affection.

She hadn't expected this blind girl to end up in her class, so naturally, she had to "take care" of her on behalf of her good friend.

"No need for concern."

Su Yan’s perfunctory response caused sarcasm and dissatisfaction to appear on many faces.

"Hey, what kind of attitude is that? I think you’re just putting on an act, wearing a black cloth over your eyes like you’re some masked hero!"

Li Hu, in the crowd, was the first to act. He had always had a crush on Song Xue, so he wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to show off. As he spoke, he reached out toward Su Yan, wanting to rip the black cloth off her face and humiliate her.

Just as he was about to touch the cloth, Su Yan suddenly gripped his wrist.

The speed was so fast that no one even saw how she moved.

By the time everyone reacted, Li Hu was already screaming in pain.

He felt as if his wrist had been clamped by iron pliers; if Su Yan had used even a little more force, his bones would have snapped.

The way everyone looked at Su Yan changed completely.

They had all taken her for a little blind girl who could be bullied at will, never expecting her to have such fierce methods.

Li Hu wailed incessantly, tears nearly streaming down his face.

Su Yan sneered, and as she let go, he was flung aside.

This time, even the air in the classroom seemed to freeze.

Perhaps frightened by her ruthless move, no one dared to approach her seat for the rest of the afternoon.

However, the news of a blind transfer student in Class 3 quickly spread throughout the school.

Even many teachers couldn't suppress their curiosity and came to see her.

If an ordinary student were stared at like this, they would have long since been unable to cope and fled, but Su Yan remained calm throughout, allowing them to scrutinize her.

Until the last physical education class, Song Xue and a few other girls found Su Yan cooling off under the tree again.

"Su Yan, the PE teacher said the rest of the activities are moving to a different location, and told us to bring you over."

Because she was blind, the PE teacher had let her do as she pleased when class started.

There was still a considerable distance from here to the playground, and even with all the students active on the field, no sound could be heard.

Su Yan looked up. Perhaps because of the contrast with the black cloth, her cheeks looked even more delicate, and her skin was so fair it seemed translucent.

Song Xue felt a sudden pang of jealousy, her gaze toward her turning venomous.

"Where to?" Su Yan didn't seem to doubt what she had just said.

Song Xue and the other girls showed an excited expression. "We'll take you there."

Su Yan stood up, still holding that black stick in her hand.

Song Xue put on the facade of a good classmate, leading the way with meticulous "care."

Soon, the girls exited the school through the back gate and arrived at an abandoned building a few hundred meters away.

This building had mostly collapsed; not a single window was intact, spiderwebs covered the hallways, and a musty odor rushed to meet them.

The chattering girls all tightened their expressions upon entering, subconsciously huddling together.

If it weren't daytime, they wouldn't have dared to come near this place for anything.

Reading Guide: The background of this new book is fictional; please do not try to relate it to reality. The new book has begun; I hope everyone enjoys the story~

(End of chapter)