Ahmang’s sudden appearance had indeed shocked Xiao Shu quite a bit. However, Xiaoyu being safe and sound added layers of intrigue to that shock. It seemed to perfectly validate the old saying: the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. Whoever had taken their eyes was, in the end, the one who transplanted them back.

After the five individuals underwent surgery, two permanently relinquished their own eyes, while three others began observing the world through borrowed sight. It was a marvelous exchange, almost orchestrated by the cycles of reincarnation, where mutual sacrifice was necessary for peaceful survival in this world. Anyone attempting to live in isolation, rejecting both giving and receiving, could not remain unscathed. Perhaps this was the underlying law of all things, unignorable and unbendable; only by adhering to it could one secure a sliver of life granted from above.

Old He and Xiaoyu shared the same hospital room, and Xiao Shu, along with Li Taiming and Li Bingyu, took on the roles of nannies, undertaking the heavy responsibility of caring for the two men.

The anesthesia wore off quickly. With a weak moan, Old He was the first to awaken. From this moment forward, however, he would see nothing, relying only on his past memories to conjure images of the surroundings.

“Xiaoyu…” Old He managed to push himself up, calling out softly. As he tried to sit upright, a wave of dizziness suddenly crashed over him, and he slumped back down with a muffled thud. Fortunately, Xiao Shu was right beside him and steadied his back with a hand, so the fall didn't jar his sutures.

“Don’t worry, I’m Xiao Shu.” Xiao Shu stacked two pillows against the headboard and gently helped Old He recline against them. “I wanted to call Sister Xiaoyu, but I couldn’t find her phone number.”

“Oh, the phone is in my coat pocket. Right,” Old He fumbled for Xiao Shu’s hand by touch and asked quietly, “How was Xiaoyu’s surgery?”

This topic brought a touch of weariness to Xiao Shu, as he disliked Ahmang and also disliked the nightmare of eye-gouging that his Elder Brother Ming had conjured for Xing'er. He replied simply, “You not only gave him eyes, you saved his life too.”

“Mmm, I know that.” Old He still held Xiao Shu’s hand, pulling him closer to sit beside the bed, then lowered his voice to a whisper, “If you contact Sister Xiaoyu, how will she react when she sees me like this, blind? Will she still consider me a friend?”

“Sigh, you worry too much. If Sister Xiaoyu is noble, she will be eternally grateful to you. If she shuns you because of this, then she wasn’t worth the trouble anyway. You didn't give what you gave to Xiaoyu in order to receive anything in return, did you? This gift you gave him, he can never repay in this lifetime.” With that, Xiao Shu reached into his coat draped over the bedside rail, pulled out the phone, and dialed Sister Xiaoyu.

At that moment, Sister Xiaoyu was applying liniment to two children who had fallen and scraped themselves. Hearing suddenly that Xiaoyu and Old He were in the hospital following surgery, she was utterly terrified. Without waiting to clarify the details, she stumbled out and flagged down a police car, directing the officer to take her straight to the psychiatric hospital. The driver who took her had heard that Xiaoyu had once been admitted to a hospital for several months due to schizophrenia. After dropping her off and returning, a gale of rumors immediately swept through the shelter: some claimed Xiaoyu’s schizophrenia had relapsed and he was forcibly committed; others whispered that Xiaoyu was the prime suspect in those street murders and had been taken into custody due to mental instability; still others maintained that Xiaoyu had attempted suicide due to severe mental illness. In short, the speculation was endless, and the idle townsfolk not only spun their theories but also harbored boundless anticipation for the rumored reappearance of Sister Xiaoyu.