Chapter 462: The Truth Comes to Light
"No, I didn’t fall because I lost my grip. You pushed me."
While some people were still looking on in confusion, not yet having processed what they heard when the voice rang out, Bai Xinyue was the first to react.
The strange glint in her eyes was abruptly replaced by disbelief.
Once the realization hit, she whirled around, her face a mask of terror laced with panic.
For the first time in her life, she felt an ineffable sense of terror.
’That... that Little Hei is awake?’
’Impossible. It can’t be. I asked the doctor. He said for a case like his, the chances of waking up were minuscule. How could he possibly be awake?!’
Bai Xinyue did feel a pang of guilt toward Little Hei. After all, the boy had adored and looked up to her, treated her so well, and had even acted as her guide.
But that sliver of guilt wasn’t very deep. After all, she hadn’t *meant* to do it.
The sound was clearly the tree groaning under the weight. It was only natural for her to instinctively protect herself.
’Every man for himself.’ And although it was an accident, she had paid the price for it later—she had gone blind.
When Bai Xinyue later heard about Little Hei’s condition, she secretly thought it wasn’t a bad outcome.
In her mind, she had already written Little Hei off. She never imagined he would wake up.
Because she assumed he would never wake up, she never gave him a second thought, no matter what she did.
But now... now she was suddenly hearing Little Hei’s voice. How could Bai Xinyue not be terrified and bewildered?
She whipped her head around but saw nothing out of the ordinary—just a dense crowd of people, all of them familiar faces and acquaintances.
They looked just as baffled as she did, craning their necks to see what was behind them.
’I must have misheard.’ Bai Xinyue instantly relaxed, a wave of relief washing over her.
But just as she was thinking this, that voice rang out again.
"I was holding on tight. I didn’t lose my grip. You pushed me. That’s why I fell."
With none of the previous background noise, the voice was perfectly clear this time.
Bai Xinyue, who had been about to exhale in relief, froze, her expression rigid.
The crowd parted, revealing a small figure in a wheelchair.
Little Hei, sitting in the wheelchair, immediately locked his eyes on Bai Xinyue.
Bai Xinyue’s pupils contracted violently, and she looked as if she had just seen a ghost.
Little Hei stared at Bai Xinyue, his eyes filled with hatred. "It was you. It was you. You’re the one who pushed me."
Before, Little Hei had liked Bai Xinyue, the "kind person" all the adults talked about. He thought she was pretty and knew so much. That’s why, for the first time ever, he had disobeyed and listened to her, taking her up the mountain.
He never imagined Bai Xinyue could be such a horrible person.
Little Hei was nine years old, an age where he knew right from wrong. His world was simple and direct: liking was liking, and disliking was hating.
The feeling of his admiration being betrayed, along with the terror and disbelief he felt as he was pushed from the tree, was still fresh in his mind.
He hated Bai Xinyue with every fiber of his being.
"I heard everything you said! You’re a bad person! A really big bad person!"
The look Little Hei gave Bai Xinyue was one of pure, unadulterated hatred.
A child’s affection is pure, but their hatred is even purer.
He glared fiercely at Bai Xinyue, completely unaware of the bombshell he had just dropped with his appearance and his words.
The crowd had originally gathered to condemn Wu Sheng. They were there to denounce his ingratitude, his insults toward a public hero, and for driving Bai Xinyue—the woman who had lost an eye for him—to suicide. Filled with righteous indignation, they were about to deliver what they saw as justice when the tables suddenly turned.
Little Hei’s sudden appearance and his sharp accusations were like a drop of water in a sizzling pan of oil.
"What does that mean?"
"Who is this kid?"
"Bai Xinyue pushed the kid?"
After two seconds of stunned silence, the crowd erupted.
Outside the crowd, the reporters Mrs. Bai had called were just arriving. They hadn’t expected to walk into such a bombshell of a story and immediately began fighting their way to the front.
Bai Xinyue, who had just been giving a stellar, heartfelt performance, froze as if someone had hit a pause button the moment Little Hei appeared.
Her mind went completely blank. No matter how strong her nerves were, at this moment she was utterly stupefied, as if struck by lightning.
Little Hei and his parents, who had wheeled him in, all glared hatefully at Bai Xinyue.
Mrs. Bai was also stunned. Just like her daughter, her mind was a complete blank.
She had met Little Hei before. After hearing about the incident, she had even made a special trip to see him.
Her feelings during that visit had been complicated. She saw Little Hei as indirectly responsible for Bai Xinyue losing her sight, so she harbored no goodwill toward him.
And now, not only had the boy woken up, but he had immediately uttered such shocking words.
The single word ’impossible’ was all that echoed in Mrs. Bai’s mind, leaving her speechless.
The crowd, along with Bai Xinyue and her mother, were stunned. Wu Sheng and Su Li were shocked as well, but their shock was mingled with elation.
They were thrilled that Little Hei was awake.
"Little Hei, you’re awake."
Wu Sheng’s voice was filled with delight.
Little Hei, who had been glaring at Bai Xinyue and was about to continue his accusations, was immediately distracted when he heard Wu Sheng’s voice.
"Big Brother!"
Little Hei immediately turned to Wu Sheng, his expression of hatred replaced by fervent gratitude and admiration.
Little Hei’s parents immediately wheeled him over to Wu Sheng’s bedside.
"Big Brother, thank you for saving me again."
"As long as you’re awake, that’s all that matters." Wu Sheng looked at him and let out a long sigh, his voice filled with relief.
"Yeah, I’m awake! I’m here to protect you, Big Brother! I won’t let bad people bully you!"
Full of fighting spirit, Little Hei turned back to look at the statue-like Bai Xinyue.
"I told you we couldn’t go up the mountain, but you said it was fine! I was nice and took you up there to find Big Brother, but just because Big Brother told you off, you pushed me from the tree... you wanted me to die..."
Little Hei condemned Bai Xinyue from his own, childish perspective.
Hearing the word "push" again, and listening to Little Hei’s accusation, Bai Xinyue instinctively retorted.
"I didn’t! I didn’t push you because Wu Sheng yelled at me! The tree made a sound and I thought it couldn’t hold our weight..."
Bai Xinyue’s mind had practically shut down the moment she saw Little Hei and heard his words. Her retort came out without thinking, and she blurted out exactly what had happened.
By the time she realized what she’d said and clamped her mouth shut, it was too late.
Bai Xinyue couldn’t believe she had said such a thing. Her face filled with terror as she slapped a hand over her mouth.
"No, that’s not right! I didn’t push you! You fell on your own!"
She was quick to correct herself, but it was useless.
Though she had spoken quickly, everyone present had heard her initial rebuttal loud and clear.
The expressions on everyone’s faces were a mixture of shock and stunned disbelief.
Mrs. Bai’s face was ashen as she stared at her daughter in disbelief.
Bai Xinyue saw everyone staring at her. Utterly terrified, she couldn’t stop herself from shouting another denial.
"I said it wasn’t me! He lost his footing and fell!"
But by now, no one believed her.
No one could have imagined that this was the truth behind the incident. No one had expected this to be the real reason it all happened.