When the plane landed at Luocheng Airport, it was early evening. The stunning sunset spread across the half-dark sky, an exquisite display of color.
Shangguan Yu sat upright in his wheelchair, his expression calm, a black cashmere blanket covering his legs.
Behind him, the airport staff member pushing his wheelchair asked curiously, “Mr. Shangguan, the temperature in Luocheng is more than ten degrees higher than in New York. Would you like me to put the cashmere blanket away for you?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. Thank you,” Shangguan Yu declined politely.
“All right. My colleague just mentioned that the car you booked is already waiting for you at Exit B. Your luggage has also been placed in the trunk. Is there anything else you need assistance with?”
“No, that will be all. Thank you.”
At Exit B, the staff and his colleague placed Shangguan Yu’s luggage into the car’s trunk. Then stood beside him, looking a bit hesitant.
“Uh, Mr. Shangguan,” the staff member spoke cautiously, “do you need us to help you into the car?”
“No, thank you,” Shangguan Yu said with his usual courtesy. “Just put the wheelchair in the trunk after I get in, and that will suffice.”
“Oh, oh, okay,” the two airport staff members nodded repeatedly, but their eyes inevitably drifted toward Shangguan Yu’s legs beneath the cashmere blanket.
Their gazes weren’t subtle at all, but after a year of being treated like an oddity since the car accident, Shangguan Yu had long since grown accustomed to such stares.
Ignoring their gazes, Shangguan Yu maneuvered his wheelchair to the car’s back door without a word. He casually lifted the cashmere blanket from his legs and draped it over his shoulders. With one hand gripping the car door and the other pressing against the backseat for support, he used his strength to shift himself swiftly from the wheelchair into the car seat.
Once he was seated, the two airport staff, guided by Shangguan Yu, folded the wheelchair and, with the driver’s assistance, stowed it neatly in the trunk.
Shangguan Yu told the driver his destination, then removed the cashmere blanket from his shoulders and covered his legs again.
Underneath the loose sweatpants were his unmistakably frail, misshapen legs—weak, sensitive to cold and dampness, and utterly useless. Shangguan Yu hated letting others see his legs, so he always made sure to keep them tightly concealed beneath the thick cashmere blanket.
As he lowered his head to tuck the blanket neatly around himself, he suddenly felt an unwavering gaze from above. Looking up, his eyes met the driver’s, who had been watching him through the rearview mirror.
The driver, realizing he’d been caught staring, quickly averted his gaze. Flustered, he forced an awkward smile and said, “So, it’s Xingfu Jun Community, right? Okay, okay, we’ll head out now.”
“Mm.” Shangguan Yu responded with a simple hum, his gaze drifting out the window. His expression remained calm and indifferent, as if nothing had happened.
Outside the car, the passing scenery blurred—familiar yet strangely distant—as they drove toward Shangguan Yu’s home in Luocheng.
A year ago, Shangguan Yu had been on the highway with his colleagues, heading to inspect their company’s newly developed real estate project in a nearby city. A dense fog caused a massive chain collision on the highway, and Shangguan Yu’s lower back was injured, resulting in spinal cord damage that left his legs completely numb and immobile below the knees.
He spent six months receiving treatment at Luocheng Central Hospital, but his condition showed no improvement. Later, on the recommendation of his attending physician, he traveled to New York for another six months of intensive treatment.
Yet, after a grueling year of therapies, Shangguan Yu still couldn’t stand.
And, after spending so much time abroad, even his own father had started hinting—subtly but unmistakably—that it was time for him to come home. So, Shangguan Yu returned.
Lost in thought, Shangguan Yu barely noticed when the taxi pulled up to the entrance of Xingfu Jun Community.
The driver stopped at the curb, turned to him, and asked, “Hey, young man, do you want me to drive into the underground parking lot?”
“No need, just stop here,” Shangguan Yu instructed while scanning his phone to pay. “Driver, could you open the trunk? A friend of mine is coming to pick up the wheelchair.”
“Sure thing.”
Shangguan Yu lowered his head, tapping on his phone to make a call, when suddenly, a familiar voice came from outside the car window.
“Shangguan!”
Looking up, Shangguan Yu saw Wang Hao standing beside the car, waving enthusiastically. He had no idea when Wang Hao had arrived.
“Where’s your stuff? The trunk?” Wang Hao called out, loud and energetic as always. “Driver, could you open the trunk for me?”
With the help of the driver and Wang Hao, Shangguan Yu carefully got out of the car and settled back into his wheelchair.
Wang Hao grabbed the suitcase in one hand and moved to help push Shangguan Yu’s wheelchair with the other.
However, before Wang Hao’s hand could even touch the wheelchair’s handle, Shangguan Yu had already maneuvered the electric wheelchair forward by himself.
“You take the luggage; I’ve got this,” Shangguan Yu said calmly.
“Ah,” Wang Hao sighed helplessly, “it’s been over half a year, and you’re still the same—always too stubborn to trouble anyone.”
Shangguan Yu didn’t respond. He kept his head down, silently moving forward in his wheelchair. Wang Hao trailed behind, looking at his thin and solitary figure for a moment, and let out another sigh before catching up with the suitcase in hand.
“How was the treatment overseas? Are you planning to continue?”
“No,” Shangguan Yu said flatly. “I’m not going back. I’ve stopped all treatments. It’s pointless.”
Wang Hao opened his mouth as if to protest, but in the end, he swallowed his words and remained silent.
He had been Shangguan Yu’s closest colleague back when they both worked at the construction company. They had gone on countless business trips together, inspected construction sites, and worked overtime side by side. After work, they often shared meals and drinks.
When the accident happened, Wang Hao became one of the few people who visited Shangguan Yu regularly in the hospital.
He knew Shangguan Yu’s story—how his mother had passed away when he was very young, and how his father had remarried and immigrated to New Zealand when Shangguan Yu was in middle school, leaving him and his grandmother behind.
For years, Shangguan Yu lived with his grandmother, but after her passing a few years ago, he had been living alone in Luocheng.
Wang Hao knew that if he didn’t visit, Shangguan Yu’s life would likely be reduced to the company of nurses and caretakers.
Thinking about this, Wang Hao couldn’t help but sigh again as he looked at Shangguan Yu’s frail and solitary figure ahead of him.
Shangguan Yu lived on the sixth floor. The two of them took the elevator up, and as Shangguan Yu unlocked the door, the stale, musty smell of a house left unoccupied for months rushed out to greet them.
“Ugh, cough, cough,” Wang Hao coughed , waving his hand in front of his face to fend off the dust. He quickly made his way to the balcony to open the windows. “This place hasn’t been lived in for months. There’s dust everywhere. Let me help you clean up a bit.”
“No need. I’ve already hired a cleaner to come tomorrow,” Shangguan Yu said.
Wang Hao nodded, then suggested, “That’s good, but I still think you should hire a full-time helper. Someone who can handle your meals, housework, and even run errands for you. It’ll make things a lot easier.”
Shangguan Yu shook his head. “I’m not comfortable having strangers at home.”
“Who’s used to having strangers around? But you’re in a special situation now,” Wang Hao said bluntly. “Take meals, for example. You’ll need to buy groceries, rice, and all that. You can’t just rely on takeout every single day, right?”
“Alright, stop worrying about it,” Shangguan Yu cut him off, clearly wanting to end the conversation. He pulled out his phone. “What do you want for dinner? I’ll order takeout.”
Wang Hao sighed in resignation, his lips curling slightly in defeat. “Fine, fine, you’re stubborn as always. I can’t change your mind. You try living on your own for a couple of days. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll talk again.”
“What do you want to eat?” Shangguan Yu asked, barely glancing up from his phone, his tone edged with impatience.
“…Some rice with toppings. Something with meat.”
After they finished eating, Wang Hao stayed to help Shangguan Yu do a basic cleanup of the apartment. He even swapped out the old bedding for new sheets and pillowcases to ensure Shangguan Yu could sleep comfortably that night.
Of course, during all of this, Wang Hao couldn’t help nagging again, urging Shangguan Yu to hire a live-in helper. But, as before, Shangguan Yu brushed off his concerns with the same unyielding responses, leaving Wang Hao no choice but to drop the matter for now.
When Wang Hao finally left, Shangguan Yu transferred himself onto the large bed, collapsing spread-eagle onto the soft, comfortable mattress. His empty gaze drifted toward the stark white ceiling above him.
Everything in the apartment felt just as familiar as it always had. And yet, for Shangguan Yu, it all felt different.
Before, he had clung to the hope that he might someday stand and walk again. He had lived with that dream, that determination, driving him forward. But now? After countless treatments and the undeniable realization that he would never rise again—what was left? How was he supposed to keep going?
Shangguan Yu propped himself up on the bed, reaching over to pick up the photo frame sitting on the nightstand.It was a picture of him and his grandmother, taken long before his life had turned upside down. His expression dimmed as he gazed at it, his fingers brushing lightly against the frame.
“Grandma…” he murmured softly, his voice tinged with melancholy. “What am I supposed to do now?”
He had planned to fall asleep right after, but the uncomfortable feeling in his body from the long-haul flight refused to let him rest. After some hesitation, Shangguan Yu sat back up, deciding to take a shower.
The long hours of the international flight had left him feeling sticky and uncomfortable. Though he knew that bathing alone in his current condition was risky, the need to freshen up outweighed his cautious instincts.
Shangguan Yu shifted himself onto his wheelchair and wheeled over to the closet. He grabbed a set of clo clean clothes, placed them on his lap, and maneuvered the chair toward the bathroom.
Having spent the first six months after the accident receiving treatment in Luocheng, his home had already been outfitted with basic accessibility modifications. Stainless steel handrails lined the bathroom walls, and the floor was covered with soft, non-slip mats to minimize the chance of falls.
Shangguan Yu positioned his wheelchair just outside the shower area. Then, with steady hands, he gripped the bathroom handrails and transferred himself onto the shower seat inside.
Shangguan Yu’s legs were completely devoid of sensation, leaving him with just enough stability to sit upright while showering.
Warm water cascaded from the showerhead, streaming over Shangguan Yu’s face and body, easing his discomfort. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, savoring the fleeting relief it brought.
After rinsing his upper body, Shangguan Yu leaned forward, his movements careful, as he began to clean his lower body.
Before the accident, Shangguan Yu had been 176 centimeters tall with a perfectly balanced weight of 70 kilograms. Regular exercise had given him a well-defined physique, with toned muscles and a figure that drew envious glances.
But now, his once-proud body had withered after a year of relentless but unsuccessful treatments. His weight had plummeted to 55 kilograms, leaving him gaunt and fragile.
His upper body, though still somewhat functional, was gaunt, with his ribs sharply outlined beneath his skin. His legs, however, were the most affected—so atrophied from disuse that they no longer seemed proportionate to the rest of his body, resembling the legs of a young child rather than a grown man.
The warm water slid down his thighs, trickling over his unresponsive calves before disappearing into the drain.
After finishing his shower and changing into clean clothes, Shangguan Yu was already gasping for air from exhaustion.
A towel hung loosely around his neck, and his damp hair dripped water onto his clean shirt.
He leaned back against the shower seat, gathering what little strength he had left. Just dry your hair after you’re in the wheelchair, he told himself.
Reaching for the wheelchair, he adjusted its position carefully, angling it for an easy transfer. He tightened his grip on the armrests, and with a determined breath, he began to lift his body up.
But just as he was about to lower himself into the wheelchair, the wheels suddenly slid out of place.
His hands grasped at empty air, finding no support. In that split second, his body twisted and fell, his weight crashing heavily onto the slippery, wet bathroom floor.
A loud thud echoed through the bathroom, the sound of his fall reverberating in the quiet apartment.
Axolotl Translations 
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