Chapter 7: A Bird with Broken Wings
Late one night, Aze suddenly received a call from a teacher at school: "Aze, Xiaohang is gone! He left a note saying 'I'm too tired to keep going'—we've looked everywhere we can think of and still can't find him..."
Aze's heart tightened sharply. He rushed out without even putting on his coat, calling Lin Xiao and Su Yang while silently repeating to himself, Please don't let anything happen. He remembered Xiaohang mentioning once that he loved the small woods behind the school, where there was a river rarely visited by people.
When he arrived at the woods, he spotted a thin figure sitting on a stone by the riverbank—it was indeed Xiaohang. Dressed only in his thin school uniform, he stared blankly at the river surface, a crumpled note clutched in his hand.
Instead of approaching hastily, Aze sat gently a short distance away: "Xiaohang, I'm here. I know how unbearable you feel right now. Just like me back then, I thought life was meaningless..." He slowly began to talk about his own darkest moment, when he had stood on an overpass ready to jump, and how Su Yang's warm porridge and the book Gathering Light had pulled him back.
"Look, this is a photo I took of the sunflowers just yesterday." Aze pulled out his phone—on the screen was a sea of brilliant golden blooms. "The seeds we planted together have already sprouted. They'll be in full bloom in a few months. Didn't you say you wanted to see them grow?"
Tears slowly rolled down Xiaohang's cheeks, and his hand holding the note trembled slightly: "I... I'm afraid I won't make it that long..."
"We'll get through this together." Just then, Lin Xiao, Su Yang, the teacher, and Xiaohang's parents arrived. His mother wept as she held him tight: "My son, we're sorry. We should never have kept comparing you to others—we just want you safe and sound..."
Chapter 8: A Safety Net of Care
Xiaohang was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with moderate to severe depression and required hospitalization. Aze visited him every day, bringing photos of their sunflower seedlings and reading aloud letters from everyone in the group.
This incident made the Light Gap team realize that many people in psychological crisis fall into danger simply because they don't receive timely support. After discussion, Lin Xiao and the team decided to launch a "Psychological Crisis Intervention Network"—partnering with hospitals, schools, and communities to screen for at-risk individuals and provide ongoing follow-up, while training more professional volunteers.
Aze signed up for crisis intervention training without hesitation: "I've been through that despair myself. I know how crucial it is to have someone reach out when you're in the dark." During training, he took meticulous notes each day and learned from professional psychologists how to recognize warning signs and communicate effectively.
With everyone's efforts, the vocational school soon established a comprehensive mental health support system—not only regular psychological assessments, but also one-on-one mentoring. Every student facing emotional difficulties could be paired with a volunteer. Aze and Xiaohang even designed "Guardian Cards" printed with sunflower patterns and crisis intervention hotlines, distributing them to every class in the school.
Chapter 9: The Power to Fly
Three months later, Xiaohang was finally discharged from the hospital. He had lost some weight, but there was new light in his eyes. Aze took him to the farm, and as they looked at the sunflowers they had planted—now waist-high—Xiaohang reached out to touch the tender green leaves: "Thank you all. If it weren't for you, I might really have given up."
"It's not just us—you never gave up on yourself either." Aze smiled. "Now you can be a 'guardian angel' for others too."
Xiaohang nodded and joined the Light Gap volunteer team without delay. He even launched a "Winged Birds" program at school, dedicated to helping classmates struggling with psychological distress. "I was once a bird with broken wings," he said. "Everyone helped me grow new ones, and now I want to help more birds take flight."
On the day of the "Sunflower Growth Festival" held by Light Gap at the vocational school, Xiaohang stood on stage to share his story: "Depression isn't a monster—it just temporarily takes away our strength to fly. But as long as we're willing to reach out, we can touch the light and soar again."
In the audience, Aze and Xiaohang's parents watched him with tears of pride in their eyes. Lin Xiao walked over to Aze and patted his shoulder: "Look—our light is shining a little brighter now."
Aze nodded with a smile, gazing toward the sunflower field in the distance. As the wind blew, the golden heads swayed gently, as if cheering for every life that had found its way back to flight.