Chapter 78: Blindness in the Left Eye

"Yes, I'm curious too." On the other end of the line, Richard could be heard fiddling with his lighter.

Lian Youyou continued, "So Richard, could you help me look into whether Qu Wuyan's injury is real or not?"

...

Outside the hospital, a team of medical staff hurriedly pushed Qu Wuyan’s gurney toward the main building, followed by a swarm of reporters creating a noisy commotion, relentlessly attempting to push their way inside. Dozens of bodyguards formed a human barricade behind the gurney, doing their utmost to keep the reporters at bay.

Such a scene, such a spectacle—this was undoubtedly big news!

Though blocked outside, the reporters were not discouraged. Each held up their microphones, craning their necks and tiptoeing to catch a glimpse toward the emergency room.

Not long after, a black Lincoln sped into view, coming to a stop in front of the hospital. Dressed in black and wearing dark sunglasses, Fan Chi was the last to emerge from the car under the protection of bodyguards, his entire demeanor shrouded in gloom.

No sooner had he stepped out than the eager reporters, desperate for a headline, swarmed around him.

"Director Fan, can you tell us why Mrs. Fan was injured?"

"Director Fan, there are rumors of marital discord. Was it trouble in your marriage that distracted Ms. Qu during filming, leading to her injury?"

"Director Fan, with Mrs. Fan hurt, do you plan to sue the production team?"

Fan Chi's secretary, supporting him as he kept his head lowered, led him forward through the corridor cleared by the bodyguards, announcing loudly, "Director Fan is deeply distressed over his wife's condition and is in no state to answer any questions. Once Mrs. Fan’s health improves, we will certainly hold a press conference to provide the answers everyone is seeking!"

Fan Chi and his secretary sat down on the bench outside the emergency room. Fan Chi glanced around and asked, "The reporters didn’t follow us, did they?"

"I don’t think so," the secretary replied cautiously, "But I can’t guarantee no reporter has slipped into the hospital. Please endure a little longer, Director Fan."

Hearing this, Fan Chi, who had already half drawn his phone from his pocket, reluctantly put it away again. He couldn’t check his phone and had to keep up an anxious façade—the passing time felt like an eternity.

After what seemed like ages, he glanced at his watch.

Damn! Only half an hour had passed!

Leaning in, Fan Chi whispered to his secretary, "Find a way to notify the emergency room. That’s enough—there’s no need to drag this out inside."

The secretary leaned in and said quietly, "Director Fan, we have to make it look convincing."

The news all said the injury was severe—if she comes out after barely an hour, who would believe that? The reporters and the public would never buy it.

...

"So? Are you pleased by Qu Wuyan finally getting her comeuppance?" Lian Youyou called Quan Qing’er.

"Oh," Quan Qing’er’s tone was indifferent, almost devoid of emotion. "That’s good, I suppose."

Lian Youyou sounded puzzled. "Aren’t you happy?"

"I am—very happy," Quan Qing’er replied, "But there’s something odd about it."

"You think it’s strange too, don’t you? I also feel it’s suspicious that Qu Wuyan suddenly suffered such a serious injury."

"I’m not talking about the injury itself. What strikes me as odd is that the news says it’s her left eye. Youyou, do you remember? That day at the hotel when I argued with Qu Wuyan, she complained about pain in her eye—she was clutching her left eye! It was so bad she even fainted."

What? The left eye again?

It was far too much of a coincidence!

Resting her chin between her thumb and forefinger, Lian Youyou speculated, "Do you think maybe her eye was already having problems, and she decided to seize the chance for publicity by faking this ‘accident’ on set?"

"Should I try going to the hospital to check things out?" Quan Qing’er offered.

"You won’t be able to see Qu Wuyan even if you go," Lian Youyou replied. "Even Richard’s people can’t get in. He said the place is crawling with bodyguards—aside from doctors and nurses, no one gets through!"

Quan Qing’er smiled and said, "Don’t worry, Youyou. Fan Chi trusts me now."

Ever since she’d followed Lian Youyou’s advice to carve ice in plain sight, deliberately letting Fan Chi catch her at it, his attitude toward her had done a complete one-eighty. Not only had his passion rekindled, but he was even better to her than when they first dated.

From morning till late evening, after waiting five or six hours, Qu Wuyan—wrapped head to toe in bandages—was finally wheeled out and sent into the presidential suite.

Bodyguards were already stationed outside, awaiting her arrival.

Once Qu Wuyan was brought in, two doctors lifted her onto the bed and then closed the door behind them as they left.

As soon as she heard the door click shut, Qu Wuyan sat up abruptly.

"I thought I was going to suffocate."

She grumbled as she began unwinding the layers of bandages. The wrappings over her head came off first, exposing her left eye to the air. At the sight, Fan Chi couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.

Her left eye was blind.

But what unsettled Fan Chi the most after seeing it several times wasn’t simply the blindness—it was the way her left eye wasn’t rolled back or shut, but half-open, showing only the white, the eyeball protruding grotesquely.

He turned away, not wanting to see more. Too much of that and he’d have nightmares.

But Qu Wuyan showed no fear. She picked up a mirror from the bedside table and examined her ruined eye with her one good one, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "Ha."

That laugh sent chills down Fan Chi’s spine, raising goosebumps all over.

Qu Wuyan slowly set the mirror aside and looked up at Fan Chi, sneering, "Well, Director Fan, thanks to you, my career is officially over."

Fan Chi mustered his courage and glanced at her. Meeting her gaze—her one remaining eye filled with resentment—he was so unnerved he looked away again.

"Xiaoyan, this wasn’t entirely my fault," Fan Chi said shamelessly. "A man working hard in his career is bound to face pressure. The occasional flirtation is only natural, right? Why do you always have to make a scene every time you find out? All those girls got seriously hurt because of you, and you put me in an awkward position. Was it really necessary?"

He pursed his lips, lowering his voice. "Besides, you’ve got your own man on the side, haven’t you? Think I don’t know?"

"You!" Qu Wuyan was infuriated.

She had been struck so hard by Fan Chi on New Year’s Eve that her eye was injured. The doctor had advised hospitalization for observation, but she’d ignored it and gone home with nothing more than eyedrops. The pain worsened, and though she considered being admitted, her schedule was too full, and Cloud Smoke’s profits were down—she couldn’t afford to rest.

So she delayed, missing the best window for treatment, and now the damage was irreversible.

Fan Chi settled onto the sofa by the coffee table, hooking the ashtray toward himself with a finger.

"Xiaoyun wants to pursue graduate studies, so her filming and variety show appearances have to be scaled back for her education. And now you’re half-blind. What’s going to happen to Cloud Smoke?"

Cloud Smoke’s leading artists were none other than Fan Xiaoyun and Qu Wuyan, mother and daughter. Over the years, he had poured all the best resources into them—Xiaoyun starring in youth dramas, Qu Wuyan in period and family pieces.

But now, with both leading stars out of commission, who was supposed to clean up this mess?

"This time, even getting the production team to cooperate with our charade cost me a fortune in hush money," Fan Chi, usually lavish with money, was now constrained by the company’s financial troubles. "You didn’t even finish filming—there’s a huge penalty for breaking the contract. Add the hush money to that, and it’s an astronomical figure."

"Half-blind?" Qu Wuyan was enraged by his words. "Fan Chi! Have you no conscience? I ended up like this because—"

"Yes, you’re right," Fan Chi interrupted impatiently, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray. "I have no conscience! Not an ounce. Satisfied? What does a conscience even look like? I’ve never seen one. I’ve been heartless for years—why keep asking? Hmph, Qu Wuyan, you say I lack a conscience, but do you have one yourself?"

Qu Wuyan snapped, "What do you mean by that? How have I no conscience?"

Fan Chi shot her a cold glare. "If you had a conscience, would you have betrayed Lian Meng, your mentor, and then killed her?"

Qu Wuyan’s face flushed and paled by turns, her one remaining eye clouded and unfocused.

"Say less—someone might overhear..."

"Exactly, Qu Wuyan. You and I both know—we’re two of a kind," Fan Chi said, lighting another cigarette, his words swirling through the smoke. "Little Meng was too gentle for either of us. Only you are ruthless and unscrupulous enough. We’re made for each other."