Ning Wan suddenly opened her eyes; the suffocating feeling from her dream was still there.

She opened her mouth and breathed heavily.

A shiver ran through my entire body. It felt like I had just been pulled from the deep sea; my hands and feet were ice-cold, and I felt completely weak.

What was that dream you just had?

Are the girl and boy in my dream her and Aman when they were young?

Who are those women who look exactly like me?

"Bang, bang bang bang..."

Ning Wan turned her head away.

The loud banging coming from the front door was the sound that had just woken me up.

The person knocking on the door was very forceful, one knock after another.

Ning Wan could still faintly hear the person outside the door anxiously calling, "Ning Wan! Ning Wan... open the door!"

...

No one answered the door when he knocked, and Shen Yurong became extremely panicked.

He pulled Ning Yanshu and Shen Xu aside: "...You two get out of my way, I'm about to break down the door!"

Shen Yurong got into position, ready to charge forward.

The sudden opening of the door made him stop abruptly.

Seeing Ning Wan standing safely behind the door, Shen Yurong breathed a sigh of relief.

God knows that he was standing outside the door just now, so scared that he had already thought about how to write his suicide note.

Ning Yanshu rushed over and hugged her, crying, "Mom!..."

Ning Wan knelt down and pulled him into her arms: "What's wrong? Why are you crying? What happened?"

Looking up, her puzzled gaze fell on Shen Yurong.

"What happened? How dare you ask me what happened?" Shen Yurong said irritably, "Why didn't you answer the phone for no reason? Do you know we were so scared we almost called the police."

"A phone call?" Ning Wan belatedly took her phone out of her pocket.

My phone had already shut down because it ran out of battery.

"I'm sorry, I fell asleep..." Ning Wan squatted down in front of Ning Yanshu and raised her hand to wipe his tears: "Mom scared you, I'm sorry."

Ning Yanshu kept sobbing.

Tears fell like beads from a broken string, dripping down her cheeks and onto her collar.

He knelt down in front of Ning Wan, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist.

It was as if they were afraid Ning Wan would disappear in the next second.

Shen Yurong comforted Ning Wan, saying, "Don't worry too much about Shen Fu. That guy is very clever; there are very few people in this world who can make him suffer."

"Besides, now that he has you all, he's even less likely to let himself get into trouble."

Ning Wan patted Ning Yanshu's back gently.

He replied, "I know, I was just a little tired from cleaning the house, and I fell asleep without realizing it. I really didn't mean any harm..."

Seeing this, Shen Yurong stopped asking questions.

"Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now." Shen Yurong looked at Shen Xu and asked, "What about you? Are you coming with me or staying?"

Shen Xu looked at Ning Yanshu.

He was curled up in Ning Wan's arms, his shoulders trembling slightly, and occasional sobs could be heard.

He silently walked to Shen Yurong's side.

"Then we're leaving." Shen Yurong stopped Ning Wan from getting up. "Don't see us off. Let's comfort the little devil. He's been crying for so long, his voice is almost hoarse."

Ning Wan nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude.

"Remember to call me if anything happens. Bye..."

...

The door was closed gently.

Inside the cramped room, only Ning Wan and her son Ning Yanshu remained.

Ning Yanshu's sobs were intermittent, helpless and pitiful.

Like a knife, it slowly shaves into Ning Wan's heart.

She hugged Ning Yanshu tightly, holding him close in her arms: "Don't be afraid, Mom is here."

"...Mom, will you die?"

Suddenly, the little person in her arms spoke, asking in a muffled sob, "Will you suddenly disappear?"

Ning Yanshu raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed.

Her eyes were also filled with tears.

He didn't understand why things had turned out this way.

He was living such a happy life with his parents.

But my aunt went abroad, Jiajia moved away, and Xiaoqi is nowhere to be found. Now even my father is locked up.

Overnight, it seemed like everything had changed.

Only he and his mother remained, still living together in this small house, relying on each other for survival.

He became very scared again.

The fear is that nothing has actually changed.

His mother didn't become gentler, and he never found his father again.

He neither loved his aunt nor cared about his uncle.

My lovely younger sister, kind friends, and the love of my family.

All those scenes he imagined as moments of happiness were actually just his own illusions.

He was terrified that when he woke up, everything would have changed...

...

Ning Wan frowned slightly, sensing that something was wrong.

Lately, Ning Yanshu seems to keep bringing up the topic of death.

Ning Wan calmed herself down.

She met Ning Yanshu's eyes and asked, "Do you remember what your mother told you before? Death is never the end, and living towards death is not scary... I'm very sorry about what happened today, but I can promise you."

"...No matter what happens in the future, Mom and Dad will always love you. No matter where you are, Mom and Dad will run to you again and again without hesitation."

"Because Xiaoshu is Mommy's child, the most important thing in Mommy's life. So no matter when or where, Mommy and Daddy will always love you."

Her pupils, cleansed by tears, were clear and bright, and Ning Wan's image was reflected in Ning Yanshu's pupils.

He asked, "Mom, what is forever?"

Ning Wan looked at him and solemnly said, "It is an eternity that transcends everything and spans time and space."

Ning Yanshu opened her bright eyes, seemingly understanding but not quite. Slowly, a smile bloomed in her eyes.

He threw himself into Ning Wan's arms and acted spoiled, saying, "Mommy, I love you so much!"

But a moment later, a voice trembled with tears: "But Mom, I miss Dad..."

In Ning Yanshu's heart, Ning Wan is a gentle presence like a breeze; while her father is a towering mountain, an invincible hero of light.

A mother is irreplaceable, and a father is a unique choice.

He loves his mother, but he also loves his father.

Ning Wan thought for a moment and said, "If Xiao Shu misses her father, she can send a message to her father's watch."

Ning Yanshu looked up, uncertainly asking, "Can Dad see this?"

"Of course! Because it's Xiaoshu's way of expressing her longing for her father, so he'll definitely be able to see it!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Yanshu smiled happily again.