"""
"At that time, did you realize that something unusual must have happened?"
"At that time, I was still young and didn't really understand what it meant to have an accident. I just thought that my dad was busy with his work and maybe didn't want to answer my calls. It wasn't until the afternoon when I saw my mom sitting in the room, crying non-stop, that I realized something must have happened."
"So, you mean to say, your mother was the first to know about this?"
"No, it was my grandfather who first found out. After he knew, he told my mom. Because I was young, they didn't tell me directly, just mentioned that there might have been an accident. Since then, I've never seen my dad again."
"How could they be sure that your dad had an accident? Where did this news come from?"
"At that time, it was said that my dad went to the docks to look at the direction the cargo ship was heading, and then, about an hour later, passersby noticed he hadn't returned and arranged for people to go look. Due to the strong wind and heavy rain that day, they worried an accident had occurred. But everyone had searched along the docks and couldn't find any trace of my dad."
"Could it be that he accidentally fell into the water due to some mishap?"
"At that time, that's what they thought, so my grandfather organized a full salvage team, which worked day and night at that location for three months, but still, there was no result."
"Could it be that there are perhaps crocodiles in the sea, and your dad was devoured?"
"At that time, we also thought of that, after all, it's a vast sea, and there are some unknown environmental factors, but anyway, so many years have passed without any news or reason. The main point is that there was a very high railing there. Unless my dad intentionally jumped in, it was impossible for him to fall in accidentally."
"Listening to your analysis, it still feels like your dad's disappearance wasn't caused by an accident. I can sense that there seems to be a human factor involved."
"Yes, I've always thought that way too, but after all these years have passed, we had exhaustively searched all the sea areas back then and couldn't find any clues."
"Now that we think about it, it does seem strange. If that's the case, I think we should follow up on the place where the incident occurred and investigate it carefully again. By the way, is that dock still there?"
"Of course, the dock is still in normal use, but I have never been there since the incident, because I consider it a place of heartache."
After saying this, Lin Yaru just choked up slightly, but he could still understand why.
Ye Chen quickly walked up to her and then pulled out a tissue and placed it in her hand.
"It's been so many years, there's no need to be so distressed now, but there's one thing I must remind you. Since no body was found, you must maintain the belief that your dad might still be alive."
"Yes, over these years, what has kept me going is just that thought—I always feel like he hasn't left me, you know? I've dreamt about him countless times in dreams where I remember him being in a very dark and damp environment, constantly calling out my name."
"Oh, you've had dreams about this? Then, can you roughly describe that environment?"
"I'm not sure, but they say, 'what occupies your thoughts during the day, will haunt your dreams at night,' but indeed, this dream has troubled me for many years."
"You mean to say, for many years, you have been seeing the same environment in your dreams? Has it ever changed?"
"Never, never has it changed. In every dream, I'm in a cave."
"What about the outside of the cave, what is the situation like?"
"That, I don't know. Dreams are something I can't really control, so whatever happens in them, I just have to accept it. I can't change anything else."
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen felt that this matter really deserved some deep thought.
If it were just an occasional dream about this incident, it might truly be what people say about dreams reflecting our daily thoughts.
But Lin Yaru, having the same dream repeatedly over the years, and always the same environment, what could all this suggest?
"I want to ask, in recent years, have you dreamt about these things?"
"In recent years, I have had such dreams, but obviously, they are less frequent than before, maybe three or four times a year."
"Are those three or four dreams still set in the same environment?"
"No, this time the environment is different. It's no longer the damp, dark cave but seems to be inside a wooden house, but still, I'm confined, completely deprived of freedom."
"So, if we follow the explanation of your dreams, it seems like your dad might have been deprived of his freedom by someone. Initially, he was confined in a cave, but later, it's unclear what happened, and then he was confined in a house. Is that the reasoning?"
"Ive thought about that too, but after all, it's just a dream. I even told my grandfather about it once, and he found it unbelievable, so we just had to gradually put the matter aside."
"""