Chapter 1: A Calamity Strikes

"Something's happened, something's happened!"

"Xia Lei's eyes got injured by an arc flash! Quick, call for help!"

On the construction site, people exclaimed, some rushed, and others urgently dialed the emergency line for an ambulance. The scene was chaotic.

Crouched on the welding site, Xia Lei's left eye was scorched in a ring by the arc flash. It emitted a burnt odor, blood and dust mixed on his face, presenting a gruesome sight.

"Ah, such a young and handsome lad, and he lost an eye like this. What a pity," someone sighed.

"He has a younger sister who just got into university. If he goes blind, how is his sister supposed to go to college?"

"Ah, Xia Lei is a good lad, always eager to work and treats people kindly. How could something like this happen to him? It's really a misfortune."

Discussions went on, with many people expressing their condolences.

Xia Lei's mother passed away early, and his father mysteriously disappeared five years ago. That year, he had just been accepted into Kyoto University. However, considering his younger sister Xia Xue, who was still in middle school, he tearfully tore up the acceptance letter. When his sister asked him, he claimed he hadn't scored enough to get in. Since then, he started working on construction sites, doing any job he could to earn money. Now, his sister Xia Xue also got into Kyoto University, but he encountered such a calamity...

After a brief numbness, intense pain surged through Xia Lei's body. His body convulsed, and then he lost consciousness, darkness enveloping his vision.

Voices called out his name in his ears, but he could no longer hear them. In the darkness, he felt as if his body was floating in a river, drifting aimlessly towards the direction of hell.

For someone in a state of unconsciousness, time has no awareness.

After an unknown duration, Xia Lei opened his eyes. He saw a glimmer of light and then a chubby face—his childhood friend Ma Xiao'an's face. However, due to having only his right eye open, his vision was not very clear and a bit blurred.

"Leizi, you're awake?" Ma Xiao'an's voice quivered, showing excitement.

"Where am I?" While speaking, Xia Lei suddenly realized something. He reached to touch his left eye. His left eye was wrapped in bandages, and touching it caused a searing pain.

Ma Xiao'an quickly grasped Xia Lei's hand. "Don't worry, Leizi, the doctor said your left eye might not necessarily go blind. Just focus on your treatment, and you'll get better."

"Might not necessarily? What does that mean?" Xia Lei was getting anxious, and his emotions were starting to get out of control.

Ma Xiao'an hesitated to speak, seeming to know something but hesitating to reveal it.

"Tell me!" Xia Lei grew even more impatient.

At that moment, a middle-aged man entered the room from the doorway. He had a slightly chubby figure, wore a branded suit, and was adorned with gold and silver, giving off an air of affluence. He was Chen Chuanhu, the owner of the construction company.

Seeing Chen Chuanhu enter, Ma Xiao'an made room for him.

Struggling, Xia Lei sat up on the bed and greeted, "Mr. Chen, why..."

Before he could finish his words, Chen Chuanhu cut him off, "Xia Lei, what did you do? You not only burned out a welding machine but also a transformer. Do you know that a welding machine plus a transformer costs over twenty thousand yuan? That's not all, you delayed the project. Whose loss is that?"

A surge of anger rushed to Xia Lei's heart. Just a moment ago, he thought Chen Chuanhu had come to visit him, but he didn't expect this guy to come to settle scores!

Ma Xiao'an couldn't hold back either and angrily said, "Hey, you with the surname Chen, what do you mean by this? Huh? My friend might have a ninety percent chance of going blind in one eye, and you're actually saying these things. Are you even human?"

Those words hit Xia Lei's mind like an exploding bomb. He was left utterly dumbfounded.

Ma Xiao'an suddenly realized he had blurted out something he shouldn't have, but once words are spoken, they can't be taken back. He stood there stunned, not knowing how to comfort Xia Lei.

At this moment, Chen Chuanhu sneered, "What does his blindness have to do with me? Do we have an employment contract? No, right? So, even if you take this to court, I'm not afraid."

Xia Lei's face had turned iron gray due to anger, and his teeth were grinding.

Yet Chen Chuanhu was adding fuel to the fire, "I'm considering you pitiful, so I sent you to the hospital. I've paid ten thousand for your hospitalization. You'll be discharged when you're done with treatment. Also, let me give you a piece of advice—this ten thousand is compensation to settle the matter. Don't bother me again, even if you come to me, it won't help."

"Asshole!" Ma Xiao'an angrily exclaimed, "His eye might go blind, and you think ten thousand yuan will solve it?"

Chen Chuanhu pointed at Ma Xiao'an's nose, instantly changing his tone, "You kid, stay out of this. If you're looking for trouble, I'll accompany you! Damn it, don't you even try to find out who I, Chen Chuanhu, am? If you keep causing problems, I'll ruin you in minutes!"

Just then, Xia Lei suddenly grabbed the water cup from the bedside table and hurled it.

With a muffled sound, Chen Chuanhu's head was struck, catching him off guard. A cut opened up on his head, and crimson blood flowed down, quickly wetting half of his meaty face.

"Damn it! You dare to hit me!" Chen Chuanhu exploded in rage.

Two tall and thin young men suddenly rushed in from the door, tattoos and earrings evident, their gazes fierce—clearly street thugs.

"Teach him a lesson!" Chen Chuanhu pointed at Xia Lei on the hospital bed and roared.

The two young men lunged at Xia Lei.

Ma Xiao'an turned around and shielded Xia Lei behind him. The fists of the two young men landed forcefully on his head and back. Ma Xiao'an gritted his teeth, enduring the blows while protecting Xia Lei with his body and restraining him from acting impulsively.

"What are you guys doing?" a nurse rolled in with a medical cart, hesitated for a moment, and then screamed, "Help! There's a fight!"

She hurriedly rushed out to call the security.

"What are you waiting for?" Chen Chuanhu threw out a harsh statement and then turned to leave. The two young men followed him out.

Only then did Ma Xiao'an release his hold on Xia Lei. Several bumps had appeared on his head, causing him to wince in pain.

"Why did you block me?" Xia Lei's emotions were somewhat out of control as he shouted, "I wanted to beat him up!"

"Beat him up? He's a scumbag, but you still have to take care of your sister. He's enjoyed his life with alcohol, women, and money, while you haven't even had a single good day. Is that worth it?" Ma Xiao'an sighed, "Lei Zi, calm down a bit!"

In truth, Xia Lei wasn't an impulsive or reckless person. The absence of his parents had made him independent and mature. But the situation today was simply too terrible. Just the thought that there was a ninety percent chance he might lose sight in his eye made it difficult for him to remain calm.

"I'm sorry, Xiao An..." Xia Lei tried to say something but held back. His mind was in chaos.

Ma Xiao'an patted Xia Lei's shoulder. "Why be polite with me? If it were you, you would do the same for me."

Indeed, whenever Ma Xiao'an was bullied in the past, Xia Lei would rush to protect him at all costs, standing up for him.

"Should I tell Xia Xue?"

"No, don't tell her." Xia Lei nervously said, "She's giving extra lessons in school now. She'd be really worried if she found out."

"But she'll eventually find out."

"When the time comes..." Xia Lei bit his lip, "let's talk about it then."

At that moment, a nurse and a security guard entered the room. The security guard inquired about the situation from Xia Lei, while the nurse tended to the wound on Ma Xiao'an's head. After a while, they both left, and the matter seemed to be unresolved.

Ma Xiao'an stayed with Xia Lei until late into the night before leaving the hospital. After he left, Xia Lei couldn't fall asleep no matter what. He was lost in thought, pondering many things. He thought about the medical expenses, his future, and his sister Xia Xue, along with her dream of attending Kyoto University. Eventually, tiredness overcame him, and he closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

After an unknown duration, his left eye began to itch, causing him to wake up. It was an indescribable itch, maddeningly intense, driving him nearly crazy.

Xia Lei called for a nurse, but the nurse didn't respond for a while. He reached for the call button on the bedside table, but it turned out to be broken.

"Unfortunate. How much more misfortune must I endure? What kind of lousy hospital is this?" Xia Lei was feeling quite frustrated. He got out of bed, carefully made his way toward the door.

Originally, he planned to go to the nurses' station, but when he reached the door, he stopped in his tracks.

"The doctors and nurses here know I don't have money. Plus, with Chen Chuanhu causing a ruckus during the day, they'll be even more convinced that I can't afford medical expenses. I'm asking them to check and treat my wound at night, so they won't pay attention to me for sure, maybe even look down on me. Forget it, I'll endure a bit more." Thinking this through, he turned around.

The bathroom door was ajar. Xia Lei saw his reflection in the mirror.

His appearance wasn't bad at all. He had handsome features, a high level of attractiveness. Coupled with his 1.8-meter-tall frame and robust body, he was one of those sun-kissed, handsome young men. Unfortunately, all of this seemed to be slipping away from him. If his left eye went blind and a large scar remained on his face, wouldn't women avoid him?

The reflection in the mirror filled Xia Lei with sadness.

A sudden itch interrupted his thoughts. He reached to his left eye, and when he did, he froze.

His left eye was covered with a layer of white ointment. The ointment was thickly applied, but strangely, as he observed his left eye, he faintly felt as if his vision was penetrating the thick layer of ointment and seeing the light in the bathroom, though it was quite blurry.

"This... how is this possible?" Xia Lei was stunned.

Under normal circumstances, even if his left eye hadn't been injured, and even if it was covered in ointment, he still wouldn't be able to see anything. Yet now, he was seeing light through it!

What was going on?