# 20
**Chapter 20: I’m Better**
After feeding Nyx her medicine, Lin Qiye withdrew from his mind and gradually sank into sleep.
This time, he didn’t have that exhausting dream of knocking on doors. Ever since the Asylum of the Gods had merged with him, he seemed to have completely broken free from that dream’s restraints and finally gained real, restful sleep.
He had a beautiful dream. He dreamed that he got into university, became successful in his career, and brought his aunt and Yang Jin to live in a big house. He dreamed that the three of them could finally travel together, to see the mountains and waters they had only ever watched on TV.
Due to his physical disability and the tight family budget, Lin Qiye hadn’t traveled once in seventeen years—not even left Cangnan City.
Deep down, he longed for the outside world.
When the alarm rang, Lin Qiye reluctantly got up, changed his clothes, and prepared to head to school.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw his aunt hurriedly changing her shoes at the entrance, getting ready to leave.
“Auntie, why are you heading to work so early?”
“The factory got a new batch of parts. They want us to process them quickly. I’ve got to go. You and your brother eat breakfast, and don’t be late!” his aunt rattled off.
“Okay.”
Just as she was about to close the door, Lin Qiye spoke again.
“Auntie.”
“What is it?”
She paused and turned to look at him in confusion.
“N-nothing.” Lin Qiye hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, a smile forming on his lips. “When you get back, I’ll tell you some good news.”
His aunt gave him a puzzled look and chuckled. “This kid, keeping secrets now? Alright, I’m in a rush. Tell me tonight!”
With that, she closed the door and clattered down the stairs.
Lin Qiye stood silently at the door, head lowered, lost in thought…
Suddenly, he lifted his head, as if having made a decision. Wearing slippers, he opened the door!
He stood at the top of the stairwell and shouted down!
“Auntie! I can see!!”
The next moment, the clattering footsteps below suddenly stopped, and his aunt’s trembling voice echoed up from five floors below.
“Say that again?!”
“I can see! I’m better, Auntie!”
After a brief pause, a flurry of footsteps—faster than when she’d gone down—came rushing back up. Soon, his aunt stood before him, panting.
Her lips trembled, but the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curve upward…
“You can see? Really?”
“Really.”
“Is it blurry? Double vision? Does it hurt? Does light still sting?”
“No, none of that, Auntie.” Lin Qiye smiled, reaching up to untie the black cloth over his eyes. A pair of strikingly beautiful eyes slowly opened. “I’m really better, Auntie.”
His aunt stared at those eyes, tears streaming uncontrollably from her own!
She laughed, her wrinkles blooming like flowers. In her forties, she laughed like a child.
In ten years, Lin Qiye had never seen her smile like this.
She pulled him into her arms. Lin Qiye could feel her body trembling slightly.
“Good… good… Our little Qi has finally made it through!” She let go, wiped her tears, and smiled. “Little Qi, I’ve got to get to work. When I come back tonight, I’ll buy extra food. We’ll celebrate!”
“Thanks, Auntie.”
“Alright, I’m off. Go to school, okay?”
“Mm.”
His aunt hurried down the stairs, tears still falling. She wiped her face, her steps lighter than ever.
Lin Qiye watched her leave, then turned back inside, eyes red.
He had originally planned to wait until evening to formally announce it, but then he remembered how people in movies who set flags like that usually ended up doomed…
He didn’t want anything to happen to his aunt. Even if it was just superstition, he refused to take the risk.
So he yanked that flag out, tore it to shreds, and tossed it into the Pacific.
As he turned around, he saw Yang Jin standing behind him, holding Little Black Mutt, eyes also red.
The two brothers looked at each other for two seconds, then both laughed.
“Congrats, bro.”
“Yeah. Now the sunglasses you gave me can finally be put to use.” Lin Qiye ruffled Yang Jin’s hair with a smile.
“Let’s eat, bro. When Auntie gets back tonight, we’ll feast.”
“Deal!”
Little Black Mutt poked his head out from Yang Jin’s arms, licked Lin Qiye’s hand, and barked, “Woof—!”
…
Second Middle School.
When Lin Qiye walked into the classroom, the entire class fell silent.
The students blinked in confusion for a moment before someone hesitantly asked:
“Are you… Lin Qiye?”
Lin Qiye, no longer wearing the black cloth, raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly.
After a brief silence, the classroom erupted in even louder chatter than before!
“His eyes are better?”
“Must be—he can see now!”
“His eyes are so pretty!”
“Right? I never noticed how handsome he is…”
The girls’ gazes toward Lin Qiye had completely changed. They huddled together, whispering and glancing his way.
The boys nearby crowded around him, asking questions. When they confirmed his eyes had truly recovered, they were stunned.
“I could always see, but my eyes couldn’t handle light. After a hospital visit yesterday, I’m fine,” Lin Qiye explained.
Only then did the class remember he’d been absent the day before, and everything clicked.
Amid the buzz, two people stood out.
Liu Yuan sat in the corner, head down, sneaking glances at Lin Qiye, face flushed with awkwardness.
He clearly remembered shoving Lin Qiye aside while fleeing that day. After escaping, he assumed a blind kid like Lin Qiye couldn’t possibly survive the monster. He’d felt a twinge of guilt, but brushed it off.
Never had he imagined that Jiang Qian would be the one to die—while Lin Qiye, the one he’d written off, had not only survived…
But regained his sight!
Liu Yuan couldn’t even name the swirl of emotions inside him—awkwardness? Guilt? Frustration? Or… regret?
Though Lin Qiye’s back was turned, every flicker of Liu Yuan’s expression was crystal clear to his mental perception. His eyes narrowed.
Just then, another person approached.
Li Yifei stood awkwardly beside Lin Qiye’s desk, glancing around before leaning in to whisper:
“Qiye… um… can we talk outside? There’s something I need to say.”
Lin Qiye hesitated only a moment, then nodded.