Stars In His Eyes-Chapter 1813: Sincerely Facing Each Other 26

So many years have passed since then, yet He Zhilan still remembers the first time she laid eyes on Lin Deng.

It was at Capital University, in her dorm room. Lin Deng was like a sun, possessing a kind of infectious brightness, and would sincerely say "thank you" to her, while affectionately coaxing Granma Gu in the way one would indulge a child.

But now, looking at Lin Deng, even though he never shows it, everyone knows that his world is now shrouded in gray. He can’t find his way out, nor does he have someone to guide him out.

From then on, he shut the door to his own world.

Lin Deng is proud, as he should be. He was born into a prestigious family, always living in luxury, never suffering any hardship. He himself is extraordinarily outstanding. He, like He Teng, is an exceptional soldier, and he has every right to be proud.

Yet it is this pride that forces him to endure silently, which means he will never show an ounce of weakness to anyone.

Not even to his closest friends.

Once standing too tall, now he has fallen too hard, making it even more difficult for him to emerge from the shadows than it is for He Da.

Lin Deng never reveals his broken limbs in front of others, not even to his own parents. If it weren’t for the excruciating pain, why would he be pushing a wheelchair around these days?

Once a prodigy, now behind his back, he gets called a "cripple." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

In the public men’s restroom, Lin Deng used his one leg to stand and barely managed to address his physical needs. As he wheeled himself to the sink, preparing to stand up again, a couple who came in embracing bumped into him, causing him to fall back into his wheelchair.

Lin Deng, enduring his physical pain, frowned as he glanced at the couple still holding each other; he was displeased, but said nothing, only prepared to stand up again, wash his hands, and leave.

To his surprise, the couple that bumped into him didn’t even bother to apologize. That wasn’t all; this was the men’s room, and the pair didn’t find it shameful to enter embracing. The young man glanced at Lin Deng, who had fallen back into his wheelchair, sneered, and continued eagerly fumbling with the woman’s clothes wrapped around him.

The woman, perhaps teasing or genuinely feeling embarrassed, glanced at Lin Deng, pushed the man fussing with her clothes, and sweetly said, "Someone’s watching! I won’t let you!"

"Just a cripple!" the man snidely remarked, and continued to lean forward to kiss the woman in his arms.

"Being a cripple doesn’t mean a man, right? Someone else is watching me, aren’t you even a bit jealous?" the woman teased, tapping the man’s chest, effectively halting his actions temporarily.

However, this also provoked the man’s anger.

He glanced back at Lin Deng and kicked the wheelchair with a foot, mockingly saying, "Can’t you see he’s in a wheelchair? A cripple—who knows if he can even use that thing! With such a state, can he be considered a man at all? He’s not even a person!"

Seeing Lin Deng with his head lowered, the man seemed to get a thrill from bullying. Not done, he leaned closer to Lin Deng, sleazily and loudly asking, "Hey brother, can you still use that thing of yours? Want me to lend you this chick to try? But I can tell, judging by your look, you’re probably useless, no different from an eunuch in ancient times. Though in fairness, you have what they don’t, but it’s really just decoration! Seeing you so young and already a crippled man, tsk, tsk, what a pity. How about the two of us give you a live show to feast your eyes on? Though you might not be able to participate, you can at least watch and imagine it in your head, right?"