Chapter 1

The room was completely darkened by the curtains, not a single ray of light could get in.

The doorknob was suddenly pressed down, but the person sleeping on the bed seemed completely unaware. The person tiptoed in, intending to give the person on the bed a surprise wake-up call, but before she could even touch the blanket, she was startled by the person on the bed bouncing up.

"Hey!"

Hua Rong was surprised that Zhou Mo woke up so early. She sat on the edge of the bed, hugged the girl who rushed towards her, and gently stroked her long hair. "Didn't you go to bed very late last night? How come you were able to get up this morning?"

"Mom, you underestimate the biological clock of high school seniors."

Zhou Mo pouted and snuggled into her mother's arms, acting coquettishly. "Hmph, I haven't needed anyone to wake me up in so long. Mom didn't even know. Did you forget about your daughter while you were away on a business trip?"

Hua Rong: "It was your father who said that."

There was a knock at the door, and a voice with suppressed laughter came from inside: "If you stay in bed any longer, it won't matter how early you get up."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Mo yawned, picked up the remote control, and opened the curtains. As the sunlight streamed in, the strikingly similar faces of the mother and daughter came into Zhou Qinian's view.

Zhou Qinian is forty-five years old this year and is a high school Chinese teacher. Perhaps because he teaches Chinese, he exudes a refined and elegant temperament. His wife, Hua Rong, is a well-known fashion designer with a beautiful appearance. Their daughter, Zhou Mo, perfectly inherited Hua Rong's beauty and her quirky personality, so Zhou Mo has been praised by everyone since she was a child.

"Mom, you've been tricked by Dad again."

After saying that, Zhou Mo jumped off the bed with a grin, put on her slippers, and slipped into the bathroom to wash up like a slippery fish.

She brushed her teeth while listening to her parents bickering outside, a happy smile on her face.

Their family always had a hearty breakfast. Sometimes Zhou Qinian would cook, and sometimes Hua Rong would cook. Her parents were both very good cooks, and when they weren't busy, they would even give Zhou Mo some pointers on how to cook.

As Zhou Mo ate, she glanced at her watch. Zhou Qinian noticed her absent-mindedness and casually picked up a heart-shaped fried egg and put it in her bowl. "I'll drive you to school in a bit."

Zhou Mo's eyes lit up, and Hua Rong, seeing her sparkling eyes, couldn't help but smile, resting her chin on her hand, "How can our little Moli be so cute?"

"Have any boys at school confessed their feelings to you?"

Zhou Mo nearly spat out the mouthful of porridge in her mouth. She swallowed it with difficulty. "Mom, what are you saying? I'm a senior in high school. My studies should be my top priority. Nothing else can distract me!"

Zhou Qinian didn't even lift his eyelids, directly confirming Zhou Mo's statement, "Last week when it rained, I went to pick her up from her class and saw her politely declining several boys' umbrellas. If she hadn't seen me, our girl would probably have gone home soaked in the rain."

“My daughter is so cute, it’s only natural that people like her.” Hua Rong raised her hand and patted Zhou Mo’s head. “Next week is your birthday. Mom designed a gorgeous dress for you. We’ll book a private room and invite your friends and classmates to have a fun time.”

Zhou Mo's personal outfits from childhood to adulthood have all been arranged by Hua Rong. Hua Rong's professional attributes are evident, and every outfit suits Zhou Mo perfectly.

Upon hearing Hua Rong's words, Zhou Mo nodded her head vigorously, her excitement and exhilaration impossible to conceal.

"After you finish eating, check your schoolbag. I'll wait for you downstairs." Zhou Qinian seemed to be taking his time, but he acted extremely quickly. While the mother and daughter were talking, he had already tidied himself up and was standing at the door putting on his shoes.

Zhou Mo swallowed the last bite of her fried egg and went inside to check her schoolbag.

Hua Rong had nothing to do today and was leisurely drinking her porridge when suddenly she felt a cool sensation on her cheek. Looking up, she saw Zhou Qinian had leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek. Hua Rong laughed at him, "What? You only dare to kiss me after your daughter has left?"

"Don't let her go astray," Zhou Qinian muttered softly.

"Then stay away from me."

Zhou Qinian gritted his teeth upon hearing this, "We'll send her away in a bit."

Zhou Qinian dropped Zhou Mo off at the school gate. Just as Zhou Mo was about to get out of the car, a hand reached out from the side with several hundred-yuan bills. Zhou Mo refused to accept them, saying, "No need, Dad, I still have enough New Year's money."

"You don't even want any extra sponsorship? Looks like you've really become a little rich lady. Next time, how about you help out your old man?"

Zhou Mo's eyes darted around, and she quickly snatched the money from Zhou Qinian's hand. She smiled at her father and said, "Never mind then. I wouldn't dare to help you behind Mom's back. If I get caught, the old beggar on the street will become a little beggar on the street."

Zhou Qinian realized that Zhou Mo was insulting him, so he flicked her forehead.

Zhou Mo nimbly dodged the attack, opened the car door, and got out in one smooth motion. As she ran forward, she didn't forget to wave goodbye to Zhou Qinian inside the car.

Before starting the car, Zhou Qinian glanced at the blue sky outside.

A peaceful and happy life; I hope tomorrow will also be a sunny day.

Senior year of high school is a monotonous and busy time. Whenever one subject distributes exam papers, other teachers will inevitably follow suit. Every time the papers are handed out, it's like snow is falling in the classroom, with a constant rustling sound everywhere.

I thought today would be just another ordinary day, until a piercing alarm went off, and my classmates hadn't even realized what was happening yet.

Zhou Mo heard someone ask, "Is it a fire drill? Why so suddenly?"

Zhou Mo listened carefully to the alarm. She couldn't quite remember what she said at the time, but it seemed like she said something like, "Earthquake! Run!"

The people around her, hearing her words, continued to laugh and say, "Earthquake? You don't need to run during a small earthquake, but you can't run during a big one."

Zhou Mo was no longer in the mood to joke with them. She was the first to run out, only to find that students from other classes were already running out when she reached the corridor. A teacher running in the opposite direction was heading towards their classroom, shouting, "Hurry up, it's an earthquake! Get out of the classroom immediately!"

Seeing the teacher, Zhou Mo's heart skipped a beat. She didn't care about anything else and ran out quickly. When she reached the back door, she looked into the classroom through the narrow rectangular glass and saw a few people standing there dumbfounded, not knowing what had happened.

Without hesitation, she opened the back door, rushed in, and grabbed the dazed girl, running out.

They had learned about earthquakes in their textbooks; they explained that they were the result of crustal movement, caused by the constant friction between continental plates.

They had also seen news reports of the ground suddenly cracking open and instantly swallowing up an entire high-rise building.

Human beings are truly insignificant in the face of natural disasters.

Fortunately, they were lucky.

When Zhou Mo pulled the girl to the empty playground, the teaching building began to collapse, dust flew everywhere, and cries of agony filled the air. It was hard to imagine that in today's modern civilization, there would still be such a helpless situation.

With a restless heart, Zhou Mo clutched her chest, trying to suppress the uneasy thoughts. She wanted to go home and see her parents, but now she couldn't go anywhere and could only wait for reinforcements to arrive. The teachers who had run out and the school leaders were organizing the students to be counted.

But Zhou Mo couldn't hear what they were saying at all. When a teacher told her to line up for the third time, she remained unmoved. Just as the teacher was about to come over, the girl Zhou Mo had pulled out reached out and pulled Zhou Mo to stand behind her.

"How are you?"

Qi Xiao had never seen Zhou Mo so dejected. Zhou Mo was beautiful and had a good personality, making her very popular in class. Everyone wanted to be her friend, and Zhou Mo was always smiling. She was already beautiful, and her smile was like a little sun, making her even warmer.

But now Zhou Mo is like a withered branch that has been drained of light and water, utterly dejected.

Zhou Mo was brought back to her senses by Qi Xiao's pull. She shook her head when she heard Qi Xiao's concern, "I'm fine. I'm just worried about my parents."

Qi Xiao comforted her, "It's okay. We were able to get out, so your parents will definitely be able to too. Besides, the earthquake doesn't seem to be very noticeable now. Maybe it was just a small tremor."

Things never go as planned. The earthquake at the beginning was just the prelude to this natural disaster. Zhou Mo and her classmates waited at school and received relief supplies, but then an even more violent earthquake struck, forcing them to evacuate. During this time, she tried to contact Zhou Qinian or Hua Rong, but to no avail.

Communication was cut off.

The only time I made the call, no one answered.

For five hours, Zhou Mo did not eat or drink a drop of water.

Qi Xiao couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she forced her to eat some instant noodles.

That night, Zhou Mo couldn't sleep. She wasn't a sentimental person and understood that it was a special time, but she just felt uncomfortable. She attributed it all to the hard bed frame, but when tears unexpectedly welled up in her eyes, she could no longer deceive herself.

Thirteen hours have passed, and there is still no news of Zhou Qinian and Hua Rong.

Zhou Mo looked at the gray sky, thinking that her parents were also missing her, and she would wait until the day they were reunited.

At 24 hours, the teacher suddenly called Zhou Mo out.

Zhou Mo sat on the bed inside the tent. The teacher, who had lifted the curtain, was backlit, so she couldn't see the expression on the teacher's face. But for some reason, she felt that it was a sad expression. She felt a little resistant and didn't want to go out.

Qi Xiao held Zhou Mo's cold hand. Her hand was also very cold, but she was still willing to pass on the only bit of warmth she had to Zhou Mo.

Zhou Mo adjusted her breathing and walked out alone.

She followed the teacher to a corner where a man in uniform and a woman holding a child stood. The man looked to be about the same age as her father, Zhou Qinian.

“Zhou Mo, I am a friend of your father. This news may be hard for you to accept, but I hope you can stay strong.”

"Your parents' bodies have been found."

"Your father was searching for the students who remained inside the building and couldn't escape when the second earthquake struck. Your mother, trying to save this mother with her child, was hit in the shoulder and lower leg by a falling beam..."

The clear sound in my ears gradually turned into a buzzing sound, and the world spun before my eyes.

Was it another earthquake?

Could she also die in this earthquake?

If they don't come looking for her, then she should go looking for them.

Zhou Mo's body went limp uncontrollably, and she was caught just as she was about to hit the ground by the female teacher who had come to inform her. The man in uniform took out a piece of candy from his pocket and put it in Zhou Mo's mouth. "Zhou Mo, are you alright?"

The disheveled woman next to Zhou Mo suddenly knelt down and said, "I'm sorry. I know it's because of me that she couldn't escape. I'm so sorry, girl."

Zhou Mo grabbed the teacher's arm to barely steady herself. Tears welled up in her eyes, obscuring her vision, but they couldn't hide the sadness and despair in them.

She heard herself say, "It's not your fault, it's not your fault."

Whose fault is that?

God.

This is a question without an answer.

But Zhou Mo received a different answer.

She has no home anymore.