Blindfolded in Black Satin

 "Blazing August".

"Drip, drip, drip—!"

The piercing cicada chirps mixed with the intermittent honking, reverberating in the bustling streets, the scorching sunlight roasting the gray-brown asphalt pavement, heat surging, the entire street seemed to distort.

Under the few clusters of trees on the roadside, a few young people were gathered together, smoking cigarettes while waiting for the traffic lights.

Suddenly, one of the young men who was puffing smoke seemed to notice something, he exclaimed softly, his gaze falling on a corner of the street.

"Arno, what are you looking at?" his companion asked.

The young man named Arno stared blankly at the street corner for a moment before speaking, "You say... how do blind people cross the road?"

His companion paused, hesitated for a moment, then slowly replied, "Generally, blind people have someone to accompany them when they go out, or they have guide dogs to lead them. In more modern cities, there are also voice prompts at traffic lights. If that's not available, perhaps they can rely on sound and a cane to move little by little?"

Arno shook his head, "But what if there's no one to accompany them, no guide dogs, no voice prompts, and even the cane is being used to carry vegetable oil?"

"Do you think you're funny?" his companion rolled his eyes, then followed Arno's gaze and froze in place the next moment.

Across the street diagonally, a teenager wearing a black short-sleeved shirt stood there, thick black cloth wrapped around his eyes, blocking out all light.

In his left hand, he carried a cheap shopping bag full of vegetables, and in his right hand, he dragged a walking stick slung over his shoulder, like carrying a pole. At the end of the walking stick, a large bucket of golden peanut oil was shining brightly in the sunlight!

Wrapped eyes, walking stick on shoulder, vegetables in left hand, oil in right hand...

This bizarre scene immediately attracted the attention of a crowd nearby.

"Hey, look, that person looks strange."

"With so much cloth covering his eyes, can he see the road?"

"Didn't you see the walking stick in his hand? Maybe he's really blind?"

"In this day and age, most blind people wear sunglasses. Who wraps their eyes with cloth on a hot day? Aren't they afraid of suffocating?"

"Yeah, and have you ever seen a blind person not using a walking stick to walk, but instead using it to carry things?"

"Young people these days really know how to play."

"..."

The cicadas of summer couldn't cover up the whispers of the pedestrians around them. They curiously looked at the teenager, quietly discussing whether he was truly blind or just pretending, while also looking forward to the blinking red light.

At that moment, a crisp voice sounded next to the teenager.

"Brother, shall I help you cross the road?"

It was a girl in school uniform, about twelve or thirteen years old, with a few glistening sweat beads on her cheeks, her big black eyes looking at the teenager with concern, pure and simple.

The teenager was slightly stunned, turned his head to look in the direction of the girl, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes."

He hung the bag of vegetables on his right hand, freed his left hand to wipe the sweat from his clothes, and gently held the girl's hand.

Click—!

The green light came on.

The teenager stepped forward, walking with the girl towards the other side of the road.

The girl was very nervous, looking left and right at the vehicles, walking cautiously and timidly.

As for the teenager... he walked steadily.

In the eyes of the onlookers, this scene wasn't like a kind girl helping a blind person cross the road, but rather like an older brother helping a younger child cross the road.

The road wasn't wide, and in just over ten seconds, the two reached the other side of the road. The teenager thanked the girl and walked away without looking back towards a secluded alley.

"He's not blind." Arno saw this scene and said decisively, "He must be able to see."

Behind Arno, a young man was holding his chin in one hand, lost in thought, then suddenly seemed to realize something and exclaimed:

"I get it, he's cosplaying as Lee Sin!"

Slap—!

A crisp slap landed squarely on the back of his head, and Arno cursed, "Idiot, all you think about every day is playing games. Who the hell cosplays as Lee Sin in the middle of a busy street? Are you asking for trouble?"

After a pause, Arno muttered under his breath and added, "Besides... Lee Sin's blindfold is red, this cosplay doesn't look like it."

"Arno, you still say I..."

"Shut up."

"Oh."

As the two argued, the young man who had been silent on the side watched the teenager's departing figure, his brows slightly furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Arno noticed his gaze.

"I know him."

"You know him?"

"Yes." The young man nodded, "When my younger cousin was in elementary school, I heard that there was a student in their school who had an accident, his eyes had problems, and he had to use black cloth to cover them, and it was said that he also had mental issues..."

"Mental issues?" Arno was puzzled, carefully recalling the situation just now, "It seems like there's no problem."

"That was ten years ago. Maybe he's already recovered. But at that time, it seemed like a big deal. The student withdrew from school in a few days and later transferred to a special school for the blind."

Just then, another person chimed in eagerly, "By the way, what kind of accident was it? To make someone blind and have mental problems, isn't that a bit too bizarre?"

"I don't know." He paused, "But... it's said to be something even more bizarre than that."

"He's a pitiful person." Arno sighed, "What's his name?"

"It seems like his name is... Mu Yi Yang?"

...

In the twilight, Mu Yi Yang pushed open the door.

Almost instantly, the aroma from inside the house filled his nostrils. He sniffed, swallowed, and carried his things into the house.

Creak—!

The old door made a piercing creak, covering the sound of cooking coming from the kitchen. A middle-aged woman pushed open the kitchen door, saw Mu Yi Yang carrying bags, exclaimed, and hurriedly approached.

"Little Mu Yi, why are you bringing so many things back again?" The woman wiped her hands on her apron, hastily took the things from Mu Yi Yang, and chattered away.

"A big bucket of peanut oil? You, this child, did you misuse the government's subsidy again?"

"Auntie, the subsidy given by the government to disabled people is for living expenses. I used it to buy oil, so it's using resources to the fullest." Mu Yi Yang smiled.

"Nonsense, that money is for your university education. How can you misuse it? Let me tell you, Auntie's earnings from work are actually enough to support the three of us. Don't randomly spend your money."

Auntie gently wiped the oil drum, her expression somewhat pained,Whispering to herself, she murmured, "Such a big bucket of oil, and it's branded... Must have cost quite a bit, right?"

Before Mu Yi Yang could say anything, Auntie suddenly realized.

"Wait... How did you bring back so many things?"

"Oh, I met a few kind-hearted people on the way who helped me bring them back," Mu Yi Yang said calmly.

"Good, good. It seems there are still many good people in society... Did you thank them properly?"

"I did." Mu Yi Yang changed the subject. "Auntie, where's Ajin?"

"He's on the balcony doing his homework... Oh, this year's routine check-up doctor from the psychiatric hospital is here, resting in the room. Can you go see the doctor? Auntie will go prepare dinner and call you when it's ready."

Mu Yi Yang's steps hesitated for a moment, then he said, "Okay," and turned to the bedroom.

---

"Hello, I'm Dr. Li from Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital."

Seeing Mu Yi Yang enter, the young man sitting on the small stool in the bedroom stood up and spoke gently. He wore a pair of large black-framed glasses, looking scholarly.

Mu Yi Yang raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wasn't it Dr. Han who usually came?"

"Dr. Han was promoted to vice dean last year," Dr. Li smiled, with a hint of envy in his eyes.

Mu Yi Yang nodded slightly and said, "I see."

Seeing Mu Yi Yang sit down, Dr. Li cleared his throat and took out a stack of medical records from his bag.

"Sorry, I'm new here, so I don't know much about your situation. Let me briefly understand it first." Dr. Li apologized.

Mu Yi Yang nodded.

"Your name is... Mu Yi Yang?"

"Yes."

"Seventeen years old this year."

"Yes."

"Well... according to the medical records, you lost your sight ten years ago and were sent to our hospital due to some problems?"

"Yes."

Dr. Li pondered for a moment. "Did you change your name?"

"...No, why do you ask?" Mu Yi Yang was surprised.

Dr. Li scratched his head awkwardly. "Um... I seem to have overthought it."

He pointed to the age on the medical record and then to the words "ten years ago." "You see, you lost your sight ten years ago when you were seven years old, and your name happened to be Mu Yi Yang, so I thought you changed your name after losing your sight..."

Mu Yi Yang remained silent for a long time, shaking his head. "No... I have never changed my name. My parents gave me the name Mu Yi Yang before I was born."

"Well, that's quite... um..." Dr. Li stopped halfway through, realizing it wasn't very polite, and closed his mouth in time.

"Quite coincidental," Lin Qi Ye said lightly. "Indeed, quite coincidental."

Dr. Li felt a bit embarrassed, but he quickly changed the subject. "Um... the medical records don't seem to detail the accident that caused your blindness and mental instability. If it's convenient, could you tell me about it?"

Mu Yi Yang hadn't spoken yet, so Dr. Li hurriedly added, "I don't mean to offend. Understanding more about patients can help us treat them better. Of course, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you."

Mu Yi Yang sat quietly, his eyes seemingly fixed on Dr. Li beneath the black ribbon.

After a while, he spoke slowly:

"There's nothing I can't say... it's just that you might not believe it, or you might even bring me back to the psychiatric hospital."

"No, no, no, don't think of our relationship as doctor and patient. This is just a normal conversation between friends. It won't go that far," Dr. Li joked half-seriously. "Even if you tell me you were pulled into the alchemy furnace by Laojun, I would believe you."

Mu Yi Yang was silent for a moment, nodding slightly.

"When I was a child, I loved astronomy."

"Okay, and then?"

"That night, I was lying on the roof of our old house, looking at the moon."

"What did you see? A moon rabbit?" Dr. Li joked.

Mu Yi Yang shook his head. His next words made Dr. Li's smile freeze on his face.

"No, I saw an angel," Mu Yi Yang said seriously, gesturing with his hands in front of him.

"An archangel enveloped in golden light, with six white wings."