TBWE Chapter 1

Peeping

 

Chu Li woke up drenched in cold sweat, the scene from her dream lingering in her mind——

 

Under the dark sea surface, deep red bloomed in vast patches.

 

She opened her eyes to complete darkness.

 

This was the eighth day of Chu Li’s blindness. Last week, she and her soon-to-be-engaged boyfriend Huo Xiu had gone on a trip to an island. During the voyage, their ship first encountered dense fog and then accidentally hit rocks, resulting in heavy casualties.

 

She had suffered a head injury, with blood clots pressing on her optic nerve causing temporary blindness. Huo Xiu was luckier, sustaining only some relatively minor external injuries.

 

Since Chu Li lived alone and didn’t live with her parents, for safety reasons, after being discharged from the hospital, Huo Xiu brought her to his home to recuperate.

 

Chu Li groped to the right, her fingertips touching a cold, hard wooden cabinet, then continuing forward to find a thermos cup. The water temperature was just right, and drinking it eased the palpitations from waking up from the nightmare.

 

“Yuan Bao, what time is it?”

 

“Master, it’s currently 16:35.”

 

The smart assistant responded cheerfully.

 

The room was very quiet, with only occasional “rustling” sounds coming from the left direction, probably the wind blowing the gauze curtains.

 

Inexplicably, she felt a bit cold.

 

Being in darkness for a long time, Chu Li couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild, feeling as if every corner of the room was filled with long shadows, staring at her motionlessly.

 

Just as she was thinking this, a subtle bloating sensation arose in her lower abdomen.

 

She tried hard to suppress these thoughts, groping her way out of bed, planning to go to the bathroom. Her foot accidentally kicked a slipper away, so she had to squat down to look for it.

 

Chu Li knelt on the floor, one hand gripping the edge of the bed, leaning forward with her body, reaching under the bed, feeling along the cold floor tiles.

 

Inch by inch.

 

Without warning, her fingertips touched something cold and soft.

 

At the same time, she felt a naked, impossible-to-ignore gaze, like wet cold moss, hiding in the sunless space under the bed, continuously peering at her.

 

“Ahhh——!!”

 

Chu Li instantly pulled back her hand, her back hitting the low cabinet beside the bed, shaking the thermos cup which rolled off and crashed beside her with a “bang.”

 

The room fell into dead silence. From her fingers to her spine, everything was numb and stiff, her violent heartbeat causing her eardrums to ache.

 

“Li Li?”

 

“Li Li? What’s wrong!”

 

A male voice came from above. His speech was consistently gentle and composed, but now sounded very flustered.

 

His voice brought back some of Chu Li’s rationality.

 

Right, there were surveillance cameras in the room. There was one in the upper left corner by the door, and another on the low cabinet by the bed, which could also enable real-time conversation. They were all installed because of her blindness.

 

She stiffly reached for the surveillance camera on the cabinet, pointing it toward under the bed.

 

“Under the bed, under the bed there’s…”

 

The surveillance was silent for a while before the voice came through. “Li Li, there’s only one of your slippers under the bed. Did you have a nightmare this afternoon?”

 

Chu Li was stunned and responded with a low sound.

 

Huo Xiu gently comforted her. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll arrange the work at hand and come back soon.”

 

After sitting dazed for a while, she was unwilling to reach under the bed again, stumbled to her feet, and went barefoot to the bathroom to take care of her physiological needs.

 

****

 

Being in darkness amplified all her senses infinitely.

 

Cold liquid leaked through her fingers, the sound of running water was rushing—the only sound in the bathroom.

 

Chu Li stood in front of the washbasin, lost in thought.

 

Before being discharged, the doctor said the experience of falling into water might stimulate her originally stable condition, and now it seemed it had indeed gotten worse.

 

She absent-mindedly turned off the water and was about to turn around when a chill shot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

 

Someone was standing behind her, watching her.

 

“Thump thump...”

 

The sound of her heartbeat pounded painfully against her eardrums. Chu Li gripped the edge of the washbasin, her fingers stiff with pain. If she hadn’t lost her sight, she could just look up and see herself in the mirror, as well as the person behind her.

 

The other person moved, the fabric rustling with subtle sounds, getting closer and closer.

 

Her shoulder was suddenly gripped. Chu Li, like a startled cat, grabbed whatever was at hand and swung it backward.

 

Clatter! The mouthwash cup and toothbrush rolled to the floor.

 

“…Li Li?” The person behind her sounded astonished.

 

The person in the mirror stood barefoot, her figure slender under her nightgown, her black hair making her face appear even paler. She turned her pupils following the sound, her beautiful eyes unfocused and somewhat misty.

 

Chu Li turned and crashed into his embrace, hugging his waist tightly. The clean scent enveloped her, soothing her wildly beating heart.

 

Huo Xiu was stunned for a moment, then slowly reached out to embrace her. “Don’t be afraid, I’m back.”

 

The arms around her waist tightened to the point where she could barely breathe.

 

Only after hearing her intake of breath did Huo Xiu belatedly loosen his grip.

 

“Sorry Li Li, I was too worried about you. Did I hurt you?”

 

Chu Li buried herself in his embrace, shaking her head silently without making a sound.

 

Her feet left the ground as Huo Xiu lifted her onto the washbasin counter. His slender, warm hands gripped her ankles, wiping them with a dampened towel.

 

His movements were gentle and patient, but a slight tremor traveled up along her skin.

 

Chu Li couldn’t help but flinch, but the hands holding her didn’t move an inch.

 

He said, “Be good, it’ll be done soon.”

 

After wiping her feet and putting on brand new slippers, Chu Li asked, “Did I hit you just now?”

 

Huo Xiu chuckled lightly. “It’s nothing.”

 

So she had hit him. She lowered her eyes, feeling a bit guilty. “Why didn’t you say anything when you came back? I thought someone had broken in.”

 

“When I came back, I saw you with the water running, standing here in a daze. I called out but you didn’t respond.”

 

Called out? Chu Li was confused.

 

Maybe he had. She was indeed lost in thought at that moment.

 

Huo Xiu picked her up and walked outside. “What happened this afternoon?”

 

Chu Li tightened her arms around his neck, saying hesitantly, “When I woke up looking for my shoe, there seemed to be something under the bed watching me.”

 

Huo Xiu’s steps paused, then he walked out of the guest bedroom and placed Chu Li on the living room sofa.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll have someone check the surveillance.”

 

This area of villas came with a butler team. Huo Xiu made a phone call, and they soon gave a reply.

 

From yesterday to today, no strangers had entered or left.

 

An expected answer.

 

Chu Li sat in a daze. There were only two possible explanations for what happened in the afternoon: either it was a paranormal event, or her condition had worsened.

 

The probability of the second answer was infinitely close to one hundred percent, and Huo Xiu obviously thought the same.

 

By the time Chu Li came back to her senses, he had been talking for quite a while.

 

“…Before being discharged, the doctor said the experience of falling into water might trigger a worsening of your condition. Li Li, shall I accompany you to see a psychologist tomorrow?”

 

The four words “psychologist” made her inexplicably resistant.

 

“No.” Her voice was very low. “I won’t go.”

 

Huo Xiu didn’t insist, running his fingers through her long hair. “If this continues for the next period of time, you’ll definitely have to go, okay?”

 

Chu Li didn’t make a sound, which counted as tacit agreement.

 

Huo Xiu turned on the TV for her and got up to cook.

 

The variety show channel was full of laughter, and intermittent chopping sounds came from the kitchen. When one episode of the variety show finished, a simple meal of two dishes and one soup was also ready.

 

Chu Li refused Huo Xiu’s guidance and groped her way to sit at the dining table.

 

Not knowing when her blindness would recover, she had to adapt to life without sight.

 

At the dining table, the two chatted casually from time to time, talking about the engagement ceremony that was supposed to be held next week. If not for this accident, everything would have proceeded smoothly. Now they could only wait for her eyes to recover before holding it.

 

Chu Li took a sip of soup—it was too salty and had a fishy taste. The two dishes were rather bland, and the stir-fried lettuce was cut unevenly in thickness.

 

“How’s your hand?”

 

Huo Xiu served her two pieces of fish belly. “It’s almost healed.”

 

He was lying.

 

Chu Li absent-mindedly ate the food he had served her. This afternoon, both times he held her, he only used his left hand—clearly it wasn’t healed.

 

After waking up from falling into the sea, she had been in the hospital, with Huo Xiu busily taking care of her. When asked if he was injured, he only mentioned lightly that he had some external injuries. It was only before discharge, when she asked the doctor privately, that she learned his right arm had a hairline fracture.

 

She didn’t complain and silently finished the meal.

 

After eating, Huo Xiu went to wash dishes while Chu Li continued sitting and listening to the variety show. Then she heard a “crash” from the kitchen—he had broken something again.

 

Recently he had already broken things three times. Chu Li was somewhat worried.

 

“Huo Xiu.” She groped to turn down the volume. “Let’s hire a housekeeper to come cook.”

 

The sound of running water from the kitchen quickly stopped, followed by the sound of dishes being put away. Soon, footsteps approached from far to near, stopping near Chu Li. The sofa sank as Huo Xiu sat beside her.

 

“What’s wrong? Has my recent cooking not been to the young lady’s taste?”

 

His voice carried a hint of laughter, helpless yet indulgent. It was a familiar tone.

 

“You have to work, and you have to come back to cook lunch and dinner—it’s too exhausting.” Chu Li groped beside her to hold his hand. “Besides, with a housekeeper here, you won’t have to be distracted watching over me.”

 

“Didn’t you dislike having strangers come to the house?”

 

This comment brought up some unpleasant memories. Chu Li said, “It’s not that I dislike it, I’m just afraid of scaring people when I have episodes. You can explain my situation to the housekeeper in advance.”

 

“Alright.” An arm circled her waist, pulling her sideways, and then her shoulder dipped as warm breath pressed against the skin of her shoulder and neck.

 

Chu Li was ticklish and instinctively pushed back. “You’re so clingy lately.”

 

Recently, whenever he wasn’t doing something else, he would stick to her like a magnet.

 

Huo Xiu held her and wouldn’t let go, lingering and sniffing at her neck, his voice slightly low and somewhat muffled. “Because… I almost lost you. I’m very worried about you, Li Li.”

 

****

 

Chu Li had to take medication every day.

 

Three times a day, after meals. She took it punctually, hoping the blood clots would be absorbed quickly and her vision would return.

 

After losing her sight, her entertainment options became limited. She curled up on the sofa, listening to audiobooks for a while until the medication took effect and she became drowsy.

 

The sound of pages turning nearby stopped, and Huo Xiu asked, “Do you want to wash up and go to sleep?”

 

Chu Li turned off her phone and nodded. She had just stepped into her slippers when she was picked up.

 

Huo Xiu carried her with one arm like carrying a cat, very easily, walking steadily toward the second floor.

 

“I can walk by myself.” She tapped his shoulder.

 

“You can’t see—going upstairs is dangerous.”

 

“I can walk slowly. I have to adapt. What if my vision doesn’t recover quickly?”

 

“It doesn’t matter, I can take care of you forever.”

 

“Easy to say.” Chu Li deliberately found fault. “Maybe after taking care of me for a while, you’ll get tired of it and want to break up with me.”

 

Huo Xiu stopped. “Never. Li Li, I will never, ever leave you.”

 

This sentence was articulated clearly, spoken slowly.

 

She was stunned for a moment. When she came back to her senses, she realized Huo Xiu had carried her into the guest bedroom. The afternoon’s experience flashed back, and her back involuntarily tensed.

 

“Wait!”

 

His shoes made “tap tap” sounds on the wooden floor, but Huo Xiu seemed oblivious. “What’s wrong?”

 

The window that had been opened in the afternoon wasn’t closed. The night wind made the gauze curtains rustle softly, as if hands were constantly playing with them.

 

Chu Li felt as if she were immersed in boundless darkness. Only the person in front of her was real and warm.

 

“I don’t want to stay in this room anymore.” Her voice was hoarse.

 

The rustling sound disappeared. After a moment of silence, Huo Xiu chuckled softly, “Alright.”