The Gentle Breeze Reflects in My Eyes - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Gu Yitong led Xia Lusheng slowly through the crowd. Wearing sunglasses and carrying a white cane, Xia Lusheng was inevitably the center of attention. Passersby cast frequent glances her way—curiosity mixed with pity—before turning to whisper to their companions.

Xia Lusheng kept her lips pressed tight. It was hard to tell if she was taking their murmurs to heart.

Noticing the girl’s face growing increasingly tense, Gu Yitong decided to find a distraction. “Lusheng, is the cello difficult? I’ve never tried it.”

“It’s alright,” Xia Lusheng replied. “It gets easier once you’re familiar with it.”

“Then will you teach me when we get back?”

“Okay.” Xia Lusheng’s attention successfully shifted. She tilted her ear toward Gu Yitong’s voice, no longer focusing on the surrounding noise.

As they chatted, Xia Lusheng gradually began to relax. A person in front of them turned back, saw Xia Lusheng, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped aside to make room for them. Gu Yitong gave a grateful smile and waved a hand slightly to indicate it wasn’t necessary.

By the time they actually entered the amusement park, an hour had passed.

Gu Yitong scanned the area, her eyes lighting up. She turned to the girl beside her. “Want to drive a car?”

Xia Lusheng didn’t follow. “What?”

Gu Yitong chuckled. The bumper car arena was moderately busy. She tucked Xia Lusheng’s sunglasses into her pocket, bought the tickets, and led her into one of the cars. Xia Lusheng instinctively moved toward the passenger side, but Gu Yitong pulled her back. “You sit here.”

“But I can’t see…” Xia Lusheng replied automatically.

Gu Yitong reached out to pat the girl’s head, her voice tender and coaxing. “These are bumper cars. You don’t have to worry about hitting people. In fact, you’re supposed to hit them! They don’t go fast, so it’s perfectly safe. I’ll be right here next to you to guide you. Trust me.”

Xia Lusheng stood there hesitantly, frozen. Seeing this, Gu Yitong gently pulled her in. With a mix of reluctance and compliance, the girl was settled into the driver’s seat.

After fastening the seatbelt, Gu Yitong guided Xia Lusheng’s feet onto the pedals. “This one is the gas; step on it to go. This one is the brake; step on it to stop. Give it a try.”

Xia Lusheng was visibly terrified. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white, and her palms were likely sweating.

“Trust me, Lusheng. I won’t let you be in any danger. Just drive forward,” Gu Yitong encouraged from the side.

After a long pause, Xia Lusheng finally moved. She floored the accelerator, and the car jerked forward.

Surprisingly, Xia Lusheng wasn’t the one who was scared—it was Gu Yitong. “Easy! Don’t floor it! Slow down, turn the wheel a little to the right.”

Xia Lusheng obeyed, and the car began to circle the arena steadily. They were a bit far from the main cluster of cars, so no one had bumped into them yet. As Xia Lusheng got a feel for the car, a small smile appeared on her face. Her playful side was waking up.

Seeing her become more proficient, Gu Yitong’s lips curled into a smile. “Now, turn the wheel a bit to the left. Straighten it out. There’s a small car in front of us… hit it!”

Since Xia Lusheng couldn’t see, she relied entirely on Gu Yitong’s descriptions. Hearing there was a car ahead, she instinctively slammed on the brakes. “Hit… hit someone? I…”

Before she could finish, Gu Yitong saw another car charging straight for them. Instead of telling Lusheng to dodge, Gu Yitong laughed, covering Lusheng’s hand with her own on the wheel. “We’re about to get hit!” she shouted with mischievous glee.

As soon as the words left her mouth—BAM!

Their car was hit so hard it spun several times before coming to a halt. Xia Lusheng was so shocked she forgot to scream. She gripped Gu Yitong’s hand like a lifeline. It took a good while for her to come back to her senses.

Though Gu Yitong had let them get hit on purpose, she was worried she might have actually terrified the girl. “Are you scared?” she whispered.

Xia Lusheng finally exhaled, swallowed hard, and slowly uttered two words:

“That’s… thrilling.”

Gu Yitong blinked, almost wondering if she had misheard.

But then, Xia Lusheng let go of Gu Yitong’s hand, gripped the steering wheel firmly, and stomped on the pedal. The car surged forward again, but this time, there was none of the previous caution. She was driving with wild abandon.

Xia Lusheng began to rampage through the arena as she pleased. She laughed out loud, keeping the accelerator pressed down. Bumper cars aren’t fast, but under her “reckless” driving, screams broke out wherever she went.

The other players didn’t know she was blind. After being bumped by her, they immediately turned their cars around for “revenge,” and soon a string of cars was chasing and bumping them.

Gu Yitong leaned her head back and watched the girl. At this moment, Xia Lusheng looked like a mischievous, naughty child. Every time she heard someone scream because of her, the smile on her face deepened.

Gu Yitong’s eyes were full of indulgence. This was how a girl her age should look—carefree, joyful, and finding pleasure in simple things. So what if she was blind? She was still just a normal girl who shouldn’t miss out on the experience of happiness.

When the time was up, Gu Yitong led a sweaty but highly excited Xia Lusheng out of the arena. Today, she hadn’t just “driven” a car; she had successfully crashed it! She was practically beaming with pride.

This time, without waiting for Gu Yitong to take her hand, Xia Lusheng reached out and sought Gu Yitong’s hand herself. As they re-entered the crowd, she wasn’t as tense as before. While still a bit unnatural, she was significantly more relaxed.

The park was crowded, and they spent more time in lines than on rides. By the time the park closed at nightfall, they had only managed three attractions. But for Xia Lusheng, it was more than enough.

Once they returned home, Gu Yitong urged Xia Lusheng to take a shower, as she was soaked through after an afternoon at the park. Xia Lusheng obediently took her pajamas and slipped into the bathroom.

As the warm water hit her skin, Xia Lusheng leaned against the wall, eyes closed, replaying the day’s events.

Yitong-jie had taken her to do things she never would have dared to dream of. She had always felt that she was “different” from normal people, destined to drift outside of this world forever. But today, Yitong-jie had pulled her drifting, displaced heart back down to the human world.

Even waiting in line at the amusement park felt vivid and curious. She had never heard “life” so clearly before—the crying of children, the bickering of couples, the casual chatter and laughter of friends.

That hustle and bustle was right there by her ear, within reach. For the first time, she felt that she was truly, genuinely alive in this world.