After taking a shower, Yuan Zhuan stepped out of the bathroom and saw her younger brother and mother still lying face down, sleeping soundly. She shook her head with amusement. Thinking of something, she prepared to go back to the bathroom, but suddenly her body stiffened. Yuan Zhuan lowered her head, her left thumb and middle finger lightly touching, and a soft sigh escaped her lips. Understanding flashed in her eyes. She knew this would be the result, so she had made a backup plan.
At the intersection of Wensheng Road, Xu Yu was awakened by the violent jolting and her mother's screams.
"Where did this child come from?!" the driver muttered. "I'm sorry, madam, I'm sorry to have startled you. I'll go down and check."
Still shaken, Yang Ailan's eyes were wide open. She clutched her chest, breathing heavily, her eyes still filled with lingering fear. If they hadn't been wearing seatbelts, they would likely have suffered head injuries from the driver's sudden braking.
"Xiaoyu, are you alright? Did you bump your head?" After calming down a bit, Yang Ailan's first reaction was to check on her daughter.
However, Xu Yu could no longer hear what her mother was saying.
Her clear pupils contracted sharply, as if she had been greatly shocked. At the bridgehead, the iconic blue signpost for Wensheng Road trembled violently. Then, huge spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the weathered bridge piers, which rapidly crumbled and extended outwards. Passersby screamed in terror. The next second, the stone bridge crashed into countless pieces, along with countless cars, motorcycles, taxis, bicycles, and pedestrians. The river water was smashed up with huge splashes, flying several meters into the air!
Some people were screaming, some were stunned, and some fainted from the shock.
In her ears, the thin little girl's smiling words kept repeating, "Sister, don't go on Wensheng Road, that's not a place for you."
"Sister, don't go down Wensheng Road, that's not a place for you."
...
"Ah..." After a scream of despair, Xu Yu fainted.
People often lack the capacity to accept fantastical elements they've never experienced before.
In the hotel bathroom, a small white paper figure in Yuan Zhuan's outstretched palm burst into flames and quickly turned to ashes.
"Thank you, little one," Yuan Zhuan murmured, turning on the tap and letting the water wash away the grime from his palms.
A slow smile played on his lips. It seemed that souls did exist in this world.
With the world now confirmed to be in order, a huge weight was lifted from Yuan Zhuan's shoulders.
In this way, she wouldn't have to worry about going hungry while following Zhao Yuxiang and her son.
Xu Yu leaned against the headboard in a daze, her mind a jumble of chaotic images, her lips pale and bluish, her whole body trembling like a leaf.
She was terrified, so much so that she didn't know how to tell her worried parents and brother.
If, she wanted to say, if the driver hadn't stopped because he almost hit a child, the car would have already been on the bridge, and then she and her mother might have...
I can't imagine it! I can't even think about it!!
When Yang Ailan carried the soup bowl into the room, she saw her daughter, pale-faced and trembling, curled up in a ball.
A pang of pain shot through her heart. She quickened her pace, placed the bowl on the bedside table, bent down and sat on the edge of the bed, embracing her daughter. "Xiaoyu, are you feeling unwell? Tell Mommy, and Mommy will go call the doctor."
The body in her arms was trembling violently, and Yang Ailan was heartbroken. She knew that what had happened today was too dangerous and had frightened the child, so after the child fainted, she didn't dare to take him home and came straight to the hospital. Fortunately, the child was physically fine, but he was quite frightened and needed to be with her and rest.
When Xu Ran and Xu Qing walked in, they saw a mother and daughter huddled together, crying.
"Ailan, Xiaoyu."
"Mom, Xiaoyu."
After crying, Xu Yu's fear subsided considerably. Perhaps it was because her family was around, which gave her a sense of security. She was no longer flustered and, after careful consideration, decided to tell her family what Yuan Zhuan had said to her.
After a few words were spoken, the entire ward fell silent. Yang Ailan stared blankly at her daughter, seemingly shocked or perhaps in disbelief.
"Xiaoyu, what you're saying is really a bit far-fetched. I think it's very likely a coincidence. That little girl was just trying to scare you!" As a college student, Xu Qing believed in science and naturally didn't believe it. He thought it was just a coincidence. Besides, what could a seven or eight-year-old child understand?
Xu's father didn't say anything, but stepped forward and gently stroked his daughter's head.
Once they confirmed the child was alright, the entire Xu family drove home that evening, planning to settle the bill the next day.
In the middle of the night, the couple lay in bed, unable to sleep. The events of the day had frightened them, even though they were both adults. The accident had come so suddenly and unexpectedly, and they couldn't imagine what it would be like if such a danger had happened to them.
"Old Xu, I asked Xiao Zhang, and he said he saw a three or four-year-old child in white clothes running happily towards the front of the car, which is why he braked suddenly. He felt like he grazed the child, but when he got out to check, there was nothing there. Don't you think this is very strange?"
Xu Ran bent his arm and gently patted his wife's back, seemingly lost in thought, but still remembered to offer words of comfort, "Don't overthink it, it's just a coincidence."
As the principal of Beiyu High School, Xu Ran was not required to get up early to go to school, but he had something on his mind and couldn't get over it. He felt uneasy and thought about getting to school early to use work as a transition.
"Poor Teacher Tao, her husband was holding that woman's hand when he died, tsk tsk... I guess even God couldn't bear to see such a good woman wasted, so He let that despicable couple die under the bridge. Speaking of which, the stone bridge on Wensheng Road has been under frequent repairs for a long time, supposedly to be rebuilt. They've applied many times, but the higher-ups never approved it, so it's been delayed. Now look what happened, it collapsed, and everyone who fell in didn't survive. What a tragedy!"
"That's right, it's a real tragedy. But Teacher Tao has also turned misfortune into blessing this time. That man is an only child, his parents have passed away long ago, so all the remaining property will go to her and her two children."
"Tsk... This is what Buddhism often refers to as cause and effect, karma, and retribution."
"Yes, yes, I think so too."
Outside the door, the two teachers talked for a while and then left. Inside, Xu Ran slumped on the stool, his fair forehead covered with a layer of cold sweat.
None of them survived?
Xu Ran opened and clenched his right hand on the table, repeatedly opening and clenching it several times. He let out a long sigh, slumped onto the chair, and stared blankly into space.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, he suddenly had a strong urge to see that little girl.
Having an idea, Xu Ran put it into action, tidied up the table, and got up to leave.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com