Blinded by Lust chapter 2

“Didn’t I tell you not to ride that damn motorcycle of yours? Now look at you! Let this be a lesson to you!” Huo Xiao stood in the middle of the hospital room, yelling furiously at the person lying in bed.

Huo Zhanyan remained unmoved, staring intently out the window at the blood-red sunset. The orange light bathed his delicate profile, making it seem as if his father’s rage had nothing to do with him.

Seeing his son’s indifference, Huo Xiao started pacing back and forth in anger. In a fit of rage, he shouted, “I’m going to get rid of that damn motorcycle of yours!”

This finally got a reaction from Huo Zhanyan. He turned his head, and the anger in his once lifeless eyes began to burn. In a cold, stern voice, he said, “Don’t touch my motorcycle.”

“Don’t touch your motorcycle? Do you have any idea what you look like right now? You’re lucky to be alive! And now you’re telling me not to touch it? What if you end up dead on the street one day? Who’s going to take care of your body then?”

“I told you, it wasn’t the motorcycle’s fault. I was trying to help someone!” Huo Zhanyan’s agitation caused him to cough violently, his whole body shaking, and the veins on the back of his hands bulging as if his blood was about to flow backward.

Seeing that the argument was getting more intense, Huo Zhanting, afraid that her brother might get too worked up and affect his recovery, quickly stepped in to stop their father, “Dad, Ge just got a little better. Please don’t argue with him right now.”

“You’re taking his side too? Look at him—where’s the discipline? How dare he talk to his father like that? Is this what I raised him to be?”

Huo Zhanting was only in the second year of middle school, a small girl who could hardly persuade Huo Xiao, a grown man. In the end, it was the nurse who came in and drove them all out.

The nurse glanced at Huo Zhanyan lying on the hospital bed and reminded him, “You’ve just come out of danger and are still in the recovery period. Keep your emotions stable and don’t get too agitated.”

Huo Zhanyan turned his head away and said indifferently, “If your hospital didn’t allow visitors, I wouldn’t see anyone, and I wouldn’t get agitated.”

After the nurse left, the room fell completely silent. Huo Zhanyan endured the pain in his body and tried to turn over. Unfortunately, like sunsets and sunrises, fleeting moments that pass quickly, the sun had already begun to set as he argued with his father.

From the car accident to the surgery and finally to being completely out of life-threatening danger, more than half a month had passed, yet he still couldn’t accept the fact that he was lying in a hospital bed. Each time he turned over, the sharp pain in his bones reminded him that he might never stand up again. Just days ago, he was still riding his motorcycle to wherever he wanted to go…

A bird of an unknown species flew past the window, heading toward the last rays of the setting sun. The phone under the pillow vibrated with a “buzz, buzz.” Huo Zhanyan snapped out of his thoughts and slowly reached out to feel for it. When he saw the short video notification, he hesitated for a couple of seconds before opening it. It was a reply from the account named “Don’t.”

“Hello.”

Huo Zhanyan was still caught up in his emotions from earlier. He stared at the words “Hello,” feeling a bit at a loss. In the few seconds that he was in a daze, the account named “Don’t” had already followed him back. The person was apparently impatient and sent another message.

“Who are you?”

Not only was this person impatient, but you could also sense a rather harsh tone just from the text alone, which matched the impression given by their videos.

Yes, Huo Zhanyan had watched the videos under the “Don’t” account over and over again, from daily work scenes to views of the sea and the customs and cultures of various places around the world. These were things that fascinated Huo Zhanyan, who was now lying in bed with crippled legs.

He clicked into the “Don’t” homepage. He had already watched today’s newly uploaded video many times. The man’s skin wasn’t particularly dark, but under the sunlight, his well-proportioned muscles looked exceptionally fit. His hair was short, and when he emerged from the water, you could see his sharp, well-defined features. He was a handsome man, full of a wild charm.

After a brief hesitation, another message came through from the other person, followed by several more.

“Are you selling tea?”

“Trying to trick me into buying something?”

“Let me tell you! I’m not falling for it!”

“I’m blocking you!”

Initially, Huo Zhanyan felt quite disheartened and didn’t want to reply, but when he saw this message, he panicked, afraid the person would block him.

“No.”

“I just watched your videos.”

“I really envy you.”

The chat interface showed that “the other party is typing,” and the message Huo Zhanyan sent didn’t get marked with the little red dot that indicated being blocked. A few seconds later, a reply came.

“What’s there to envy? It’s just sailing.”

The person’s attitude had clearly softened, still cautious but easy to believe.

Huo Zhanyan’s tense nerves gradually relaxed. He thought of the man’s appearance and could even imagine the man’s expression when he said this, which made him smile.

Of course, he was envious. He didn’t even have a fully functioning body, let alone the ability to travel around the world like this man.

“I can’t go, so of course, I envy you.”

The other person clearly wasn’t the most emotionally intelligent, replying in a straightforward manner, “Working on a ship has its limitations; it’s not like I can go everywhere. But if you come for a visit, this place is pretty nice.”

Huo Zhanyan had expected this kind of personality, so he replied honestly, “I had an accident, so I’m still in the hospital. I can’t go anywhere, so please don’t block me.”

Right now, aside from this “Don’t” account, he had no other way to access such lively, vibrant videos.

Wu Bie suddenly sat up straight in bed, wiped his forehead, and reread the message several times.

Just a few words made him feel quite guilty. He quickly replied, “Hey, if you’re not selling tea, I definitely won’t block you. How about this, I’ll post more videos from now on so you can watch them every day.”

The other person replied quickly, “Thank you.”

After making such a promise, Wu Bie suddenly remembered that he was out of data. The other person had already thanked him, and as a man of his word, he couldn’t back down now.

In fact, his video views were never very high, usually around a hundred likes. It was rare for someone to be this interested, so Wu Bie was also excited. “There’s nothing to thank, it’s just a few videos.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t be so polite; it’s no big deal.” The other person’s politeness made Wu Bie scratch his head. He repeatedly clicked into and out of this person’s profile and suddenly realized that although the profile was empty, the IP address was from his hometown.

The conversation quickly opened up, and Wu Bie enthusiastically said, “Hey, we’re from the same place. I’m from there too. I’ll be back in a few months. Maybe we’ve even met before.”

When you’re far from home, seeing someone from your hometown feels particularly comforting, and Wu Bie completely let down his guard.

The other person replied, “Probably not. I just came back to recover. I was studying at a university out of town before.”

Still a college student, huh.

Wu Bie felt a bit emotional. The other person mentioned that he was recovering from an accident. At such a young age, lying in a hospital bed, what a waste.

Wu Bie wasn’t good at comforting people, so he swore to the other person, “Don’t worry, as long as I’m out at sea, I’ll make sure to record every day for you!”

Although the two had never met, Huo Zhanyan had watched all of Wu Bie’s videos. Wu Bie’s voice, his appearance, everything was etched in his mind. He could even imagine Wu Bie’s tone and expression as he said this.

This familiar yet unfamiliar feeling fascinated Huo Zhanyan. He was like a pervert, obsessively spying on everything about Wu Bie. He liked the vitality and sunshine emanating from Wu Bie, which he now desired but couldn’t obtain.

Huo Zhanyan downloaded Wu Bie’s videos and examined them frame by frame. He also took clearer screenshots from the videos. He poked at Wu Bie in the photos with his fingertip, only touching the cold screen—after all, it wasn’t a real person, just an internet friend through the web.

The ship was docked, and the cargo wasn’t unloaded yet. With not much to do, Wu Bie was feeling particularly bored. Usually, he had company, but now even Chen Xian was gone. He was left alone, and it was quite dull.

Breakfast wasn’t ready yet. Some sailors were cleaning rust. Wu Bie stood at the bow of the ship, watching the sea breeze ripple the surface of the water. The calm sea was covered in layers of ripples, and the salty, moist scent filled the air. After sniffing a few times, his craving for cigarettes hit him. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and struggled to light it against the wind.

After being out for so long, the cigarettes in his pocket had become foreign brands. Wu Bie took a deep drag; the taste was different from domestic ones. He couldn’t quite pinpoint how, but maybe he was feeling a bit homesick.

Even though he was still single and no one was waiting for him back home, he still missed that land of his origins.

Indeed, he had been away for too long, and it was time to go back.

The “vroom vroom” of the phone vibrating interrupted Wu Bie’s thoughts. Holding the cigarette in his mouth, he took out his phone and saw a notification for a short video message.

“Good morning, Ge.” The notification beside the seagull avatar showed “1”.

Wu Bie’s eyes were slightly irritated by the smoke, and the wind was blowing hard against his face. He had no choice but to take the cigarette out of his mouth.

The word “Ge” made his heart flutter. Was it a man or a woman?

While he was unsure, another message came through with a small cat emoji blinking. It was probably a girl; who else would send such a picture?

“Good morning. What time is it in your country? Why are you sending me messages at this hour?”

“My bones are a bit sore; I can’t sleep.”

Wu Bie’s peripheral vision caught the cat emoji. He easily associated it with a female college student—someone who had an accident and was lying in a hospital bed, probably without anyone to talk to, which was why she was chatting with a stranger like him online.

It was quite pitiable.