Little Wang was missing.

  Ruan Xia and Song Tingshen went to the Ruan’s home. After settling down Father Ruan, who was already beside himself and Mother Ruan, who had fainted, they went back and forth between the local police station and nearby neighborhoods. There were surveillance cameras everywhere these days, but there were still lost kids getting abducted every year. The community that Father Ruan and Mother Ruan lived in was a bit old, and the surveillance cameras here were empty shells. There was no way to find out where Little Wang had gone missing with them.

  According to what Father Ruan and Mother Ruan remembered, at the time, Father Ruan had gone to buy something for Little Wang and Mother Ruan was keeping an eye on Little Wang. Little Wang was a lively and mischievous child. One moment she saw him dashing around with his friends, and the next moment, she lost sight of her grandson.

  Song Tingshen and Ruan Xia drove around, shouting their son’s name, but they couldn’t find him.

  The police had already been dispatched. The best time to find a lost child was in the first 24 hours, so they had to make the most of that time.

  Ruan Xia was sitting in the passenger seat. She was out of her wits. She really wanted to calm down, but her mind was blank. She could clearly hear what others were saying, but it was as if she couldn’t understand what they were saying. Her hands were cold.

  Since she had gotten Mother Ruan’s call, Ruan Xia hadn’t said a single word. Although she didn’t cry or fuss, her current state made Song Tingshen even more worried.

  Towards 11 PM, Song Tingshen made a U-turn and headed towards home.

  Ruan Xia saw the familiar road and asked in a daze, “Go… Going home?”


  Song Tingshen held her hand. “En, we’re going home. You need to rest.”


  Ruan Xia suddenly became anxious. Her speech was incoherent. “No! Little Wang isn’t back. He hasn’t gone home. We can’t go home!”


  Her eyes grew red as she spoke. She felt as if she was floating. Her hands and feet were numb. It was as if only her brain was working.

  How could they go home?! Little Wang wasn’t home!

  Song Tingshen braked. Ruan Xia leaned forward from inertia.

  He said with a serious expression, “You need to rest. After you fall asleep, I’ll go back out to look for him. Xiaxia, calm down. Everyone is out looking for him. He’s very well-behaved too. Believe me. He’ll be fine.”


  Ruan Xia’s eyes were red. She couldn’t speak.

  She really wanted to calm down and regain rationality, but she couldn’t do it. For the very first time, she realized that the mind and body were separate.

  The mind wanted to be clear-headed, but the body was out of its control.

  She didn’t even dare to think too much. She was scared to think about the news she had read on Weibo before and the movies about missing children. As soon as she touched on those thoughts, she felt like she was on the verge of collapse.

  In the past, she thought she wasn’t able to take on the role of a mother yet, but today she found out that Little Wang had become a very important person to her without her noticing. She suddenly understood emotionally how parents who had lost their children felt. It felt like the sky had fallen down on her and as if the world had ended. It was impossible for her to be strong and rational.

  Ruan Xia’s remaining rationality told her that she had to calm down and rest. If she gave herself free rein to continue being in this state, she might suffer a mental breakdown before they even found Little Wang.