Chapter 29: Restraints

Ye Qinghe caught Xiang Ge's reaction clearly. He gave Xiang Ge a gentle smile and shook his head softly.

"What on earth did he see? Why is Xiang Ge reacting so dramatically?"

"Yeah, what's under that blanket?"

"My curiosity is completely through the roof right now — I just have to know what's going on!"

"Could it be something really..."

The viewers watching the livestream couldn't hold back any longer. Xiang Ge's expression, his movements, and his words had made them even more desperate to know — what did Ye Qinghe look like beneath that blanket?

"I'm sorry, I lost my composure a little. It's mainly because I truly never imagined that Qinghe had to fix himself in place this way.

What's more, today's recording took so long, and he stayed like this the entire time without a single word of complaint. I genuinely feel terrible about it!

If I had known earlier, I would have gone to the production team and asked them to let him wait somewhere off-camera in a more comfortable position!"

As a host — and a well-known one at that — Xiang Ge recovered quickly. Glancing at the bullet comments, he understood that his earlier reaction had left many people burning with curiosity about what he had seen.

Since Ye Qinghe himself didn't mind letting everyone see, it was only right to make clear to the audience exactly what state Ye Qinghe had been in throughout the recording of these two episodes.

After saying that, he reached over to help Ye Dali, and together they pulled the blanket completely off Ye Qinghe.

There was nothing shocking beneath it — only a series of restraint straps of the kind used to keep patients from moving excessively.

These straps held Ye Qinghe's body perfectly upright against the wheelchair.

Strap after strap secured his torso, his thighs, and his calves firmly in place.

"There's no other way. I'm fully paralysed. If I tried to sit in this position without support, I basically can't stay upright on my own. So to avoid sliding down or tipping over while being moved, this is the only solution.

There's no need for anyone to feel heartbroken over it, because I genuinely can't feel any of it.

Of course, being restrained for too long isn't ideal either — even though my body has lost sensation, I still need regular massages to maintain muscle activity if there's any hope of recovery.

But compared to what you might be imagining, I'm not in any pain, and there's nothing to pity."

When the bullet comments flooding the screen went silent in shock, Ye Qinghe addressed the livestream viewers with a calm, unhurried smile.

Yet the more composed his tone, the brighter his smile — the deeper the knife sank into the viewers' hearts.

He spoke so lightly, as though his body had nothing to do with him at all. But paired with his Frail as Xi Shi aura, that image of fragility wrapped in quiet strength shattered the hearts of countless people in an instant.

"I truly deserve to die!!!"

"What the hell have I been doing — I'm not even human. Why was I so damn curious? Why did I have to insist on seeing?"

"The production team isn't human either. Didn't anyone look into this beforehand? Didn't anyone think to ask what kind of physical condition Ye Qinghe was actually in...?"

"Oh my god!!! I honestly cannot imagine what it feels like to have your body strapped down by so many restraints!

Even though Ye Qinghe says he can't feel it, just thinking about it makes my skin crawl!"

"I suddenly understand why he can memorise so much. It's because pouring all his energy into learning, into focus, is the only way he can forget about his body."

"Right — just imagine lying there, no physical sensation at all, only your mind awake and aware, while your body is completely beyond your control and utterly without feeling. Just thinking about it is enough to drive a person mad."

After Ye Qinghe finished speaking, bullet comments blanketed the entire screen. Countless viewers were stunned by the sight of him bound in those restraints.

They had never imagined that Ye Qinghe had spent an entire day at the recording venue in that state.

And even after they saw it, he still spoke in that calm, unhurried voice — trying to ease their guilt and their sense of having wronged him.

In that moment, they felt a light radiating from Ye Qinghe — a sliver of life's light shining through the darkness of despair.

It was a faint light, yet it was dazzling.

So dazzling that they couldn't keep their eyes open. So dazzling that tears slipped from the corners of their eyes beyond their control.

"Qinghe's mindset is truly remarkable. If I try to put myself in his position, I honestly think I couldn't bear it — I might lose my mind."

Xiang Ge, sitting beside him, couldn't help but say.

"It wasn't always like this. It took a lot of time and a lot of hardship. Only recently have I truly been able to look at myself — at having lost control of most of my body — with any real calm.

Of course, there have been some more encouraging developments lately. Some parts of my body have started responding again, and that's the most wonderful thing of all!"

Ye Qinghe smiled as he continued, and as he mentioned regaining some control, he wiggled his right index finger and thumb.

"Really — they can actually move freely. That's wonderful. Maybe before long, you'll make a full recovery!"

Seeing that only his right index finger and thumb could move, Xiang Ge still couldn't stop his eyes from reddening.

"There's really no need for that. Let's see if any viewers have questions!"

Unable to move his body, Ye Qinghe raised his right index finger and gave it a little wave.

"I did lose my composure quite a few times today — mainly because I was genuinely moved. Alright, let's take a look at some questions from the viewers!"

Xiang Ge turned his head to the side, wiped the tears from the corner of his eye, then turned back and did his best to compose himself professionally.

"I know this question might be a little inappropriate, but I still want to ask — what was Ye Qinghe's most desperate moment during this period?"

It was a question from a viewer. Xiang Ge read it aloud.

Since Ye Qinghe didn't even mind people seeing his physical condition, Xiang Ge felt this question was fair to ask — and surely something many people were wondering.

"My most desperate moment?"

Ye Qinghe thought for a moment, then broke into a smile.

"The most desperate moment was probably when there was a mosquito — buzzing around your face, circling endlessly, looking for a place to land, and all you could do to drive it away was blow at it."