A bus approached, and on it sat Yun Buji, heading home. He turned his head and saw the girl standing at the bus stop, crying inconsolably as she hugged a woman. Her appearance was truly heartbreaking. Yun Buji’s gaze couldn't tear away from the maiden; her shattered state was deeply imprinted in his mind.
He felt a profound tremor in his heart. Zhou Hao had been talking to him, but suddenly noticed his stillness. "Brother Yun, what are you looking at?" he asked.
He looked over too, but Yun Buji pushed his head back down and said, "Nothing."
Zhou Hao scratched his head in confusion. Why did Brother Yun push his head down for nothing?
...
Mian Mian tugged at her mother's hand, anxiously asking, "Mom, you won't leave again, will you? Mom, I miss you so much, so, so much."
The little girl stomped her feet in distress, tears streaming down her face.
"Come with me first," Jiang Mi said, pulling her daughter towards her car and helping her inside.
Mian Mian's eyes remained fixed on her mother, not daring to blink, terrified that if she blinked, her mother would disappear. It was like this in her dreams; sometimes, in the blink of an eye, her mother would vanish, and she would wake up in distress.
This time, if she didn't blink, if she didn't turn away, just stared at her mother, perhaps she wouldn't disappear?
Once in the car, Mian Mian threw herself into her mother's arms again, holding her tightly. She closed her eyes and desperately breathed in her mother's scent. "Mom, you haven't changed at all! Mom, I knew you would come back, Mom, I've always believed you wouldn't abandon me. Mom, I've been good, I've eaten well and slept well, taking care of myself. You said, no matter what difficulties we face, we must eat well and sleep well."
Hearing her daughter's repeated cries of "Mom," Jiang Mi's heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. She smiled and said, "Mian Mian has always been the best, most obedient child. Mom knows my Mian Mian is the best."
"Mom, please don't disappear again, okay?" Mian Mian looked at her face, reaching out to touch it. It was warm.
"Mom, when I touched you in my dreams before, you didn't have any warmth," Mian Mian said innocently, blinking her eyes. She still thought she was dreaming.
It was too wonderful to believe it was real, to believe her mother had returned.
"Mian Mian, listen to me. You are not dreaming. I'm back, I've come back to see you," Jiang Mi said very seriously, stroking her daughter's soft little face.
Mian Mian froze, sat up straight, and pinched the back of her hand. Ouch, it really hurt.
She stared blankly at the real, warm person in front of her, realizing this might truly not be a dream. After all, she had just parted ways with Qian Xiao Guo, and she had eaten too much. Such scenarios were impossible in her dreams.
"Mom! You've really returned, I knew it... I knew it..." This time, Jiang Mian Mian hugged Jiang Mi and sobbed uncontrollably.
Jiang Mi held her daughter, gently patting her back to comfort her, just like when she was little. Mian Mian only stopped crying when her tears ran dry. She held her mother tightly, unwilling to let go.
"Have some water first. Your throat must be sore." Her child crying like this was a testament to her inadequacy as a mother.
"Mom, you won't leave again, right?" Mian Mian looked up at her, seeking confirmation.
"I won't leave for now. Mom has brought her work here. However, Mom's main reason for returning this time is for you," Jiang Mi said.