Dawn of Life

After saying that, she opened the "Little Genius" app on her phone. The last location was the after-school program, and then the phone ran out of battery and shut down. She ran all the way to the garage, started the engine, and drove to the after-school program without daring to waste a moment.

The car screen showed 21:15 PM. It was already dark, and it was raining outside. Raindrops pounded against the car window, each one hitting Lin Yuexin. Xiaoyu's adorable face kept flashing through her mind, and the words, "Mommy, I don't want you and Daddy to be separated," kept echoing in her ears.

She bit her lip and silently prayed, "Baby, where are you? Please don't scare Mommy."

"How do you drive? Don't you have eyes?" Lin Yue slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a stop less than half a meter from a food delivery driver. She froze there, only regaining consciousness a few dozen seconds later when the driver had driven away and a car behind her honked.

Upon arriving at the after-school program, one of the teachers anxiously approached and said, "We've searched the entire street where the school is located. An hour has passed since we realized he was missing. Should we call the police?"

Lin Yue clenched her fists, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Many scenes of children getting lost and never being found again flashed through her mind. Suddenly, she felt her whole body sink down, and another teacher next to her quickly caught her.

Seeing her pale face, the teacher comforted her, "Don't worry, there are surveillance cameras around here, the area is very safe. Think about whether he usually goes to any other places around here."

Lin Yue remembered that before Xiao Yu was enrolled in after-school care, she would always take a different street to pick him up from school, so she decided to ask around at some of the shops she and Xiao Yu used to frequent.

The rain was still falling, and it was late autumn; Lin Yue felt a chill creeping through her. She wandered through the gloomy streets, wondering if Xiao Yu had gotten wet, if he was cold, and what she would do if she couldn't find him. She dared not think further and could only ask at each shop along the street.

Lin Yue first went to a bubble tea shop. Because driving near the school was too congested, she usually parked her car in the parking lot on this street. This bubble tea shop was the place Xiao Yu was most likely to go; she used to often bring Xiao Yu here to rest and buy small cakes.

She pushed open the door and entered. The landlady greeted her warmly, saying, "Xiaoyu's mom, it's been so long since I've seen you and Xiaoyu."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue's heart sank; Xiao Yu was clearly not here. But she still wouldn't give up, explaining her purpose and asking, "Have you seen Xiao Yu?"

Perhaps because she was also a mother, the landlady anxiously inquired about her situation, but at that moment she had no strength to respond to the landlady's enthusiasm.

Lin Yue hurriedly said goodbye to the proprietress and continued walking with heavy steps. Passing by a fried chicken shop, she saw a child in a red Ultraman costume flash by through the glass door; Xiao Yu was wearing that outfit today.

A glimmer of hope ignited in her heart, and her heart skipped a beat. But when she opened the door, she saw clearly that the child was not Xiaoyu.

Lin Yue's heart leaped into her throat, only to plummet back down.

Lin Yue walked helplessly down the street. A gust of autumn wind brought rain, which intensified and the street became nearly deserted. Further down the street, there were only two or three shops left. Holding an umbrella that had been blown over by the wind, she looked so small and desperate.

She arrived at another toy store, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. With almost all her might, she managed to utter a weak voice from her throat: "Boss, have you seen...?" Before she could finish speaking, her gaze fell on a corner of the store and she saw the profile of a little boy playing with Lego.

"Baby, Mommy has finally found you!" Lin Yue rushed over, almost crying, and hugged Xiao Yu tightly.

At this moment, Lin Yue finally regained her senses. She saw herself in a mirror in the corner of the shop; her lips were pale, a few strands of wet hair clung to her forehead, and there were tear tracks at the corners of her eyes.

Just then, a middle-aged man with a few gray hairs at his temples walked over and said, "The child was soaked when he came here. I was worried he'd catch a cold, so I found some clothes my son wore when he was little to change into. He's been playing here for almost an hour. I asked him if he knew his parents' phone numbers. He said, 'Dad isn't coming home, and Mom is too busy with work every day to have time.'"

The boss then sighed and asked, "Did you and your husband have a fight? Kids are maturing so early these days."

Lin Yue was too embarrassed to tell her boss that they were divorced, so she offered to wash the clothes and return them to him the next day. But the boss shook his head and said, "The clothes were old anyway. Just take good care of the kids from now on."

Lin Yue thanked the boss repeatedly, then pulled Xiao Yu away.

The after-school care teacher breathed a sigh of relief when Xiaoyu was found and kept apologizing to Lin Yue. The teacher, who had seemed very anxious earlier, said, "This kind of thing will definitely not happen again. I will pay more attention to Xiaoyu. I have two children of my own, and because I have to take care of them, I can't work. So I partnered with a few other mothers to open this after-school care center. I thought we could earn money and take care of our own children at the same time, but actually this job is quite risky, especially now that the government doesn't allow training classes. If anything happens, the parents and our organization will have to bear the responsibility."

Lin Yue wanted to tell the teacher that she and Xiao Yu's father had just separated and hoped the teacher could help pay more attention to Xiao Yu's emotions. However, she couldn't bring herself to speak after several attempts. She didn't want the teacher or classmates to look at Xiao Yu with pity or sympathy. That would be a second hurt for him. But the teacher's last words made her realize that putting Xiao Yu in after-school care was not a long-term solution.

On the way home, Lin Yue looked at Xiao Yu sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

After a long silence, she finally spoke gently, "Sweetie, tell Mommy, are you upset with me? Why did you run out by yourself without telling the teacher? Do you know how worried Mommy is about you?"

Xiaoyu burst into tears, and Lin Yue choked out, "Baby, Mommy isn't blaming you." Then, her own tears welled up and flowed silently down her cheeks.

After returning home and comforting Xiaoyu, Lin Yue picked up her phone and dialed that familiar number once again.

The call was answered quickly, and she took a deep breath and said, "Mom, Xiaoyu just got lost at the after-school program..."

She had hoped that Liu Cuiying would come and help her for the sake of her grandson.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing that her grandson had almost gone missing, Liu Cuiying's voice suddenly rose several decibels: "How can you, a grown adult, not even be able to take care of your own son? If you couldn't, you shouldn't have asked for custody in the first place. I told you not to marry so far away, but you didn't listen. Why can't you stick to the path you chose?"

Liu Cuiying became more and more agitated as she spoke, and finally said angrily, "It's all your own fault, you deserve it now."

Lin Yue's anger, which she had been suppressing all day, was suddenly ignited, and her voice unconsciously rose: "Fine, we just can't see eye to eye. From childhood to adulthood, all you ever do is complain and compare me to others. Now that I'm in such a difficult situation, you're unwilling to help me and just stand by and make sarcastic remarks."

Beep beep... Liu Cuiying hung up the phone.

The night was still, and the air was thick with despair and resentment. She felt as if she were walking in a desert, with no way forward and no one behind her.

At midnight, Lin Yue sent Lin Haifeng a text message; it was her last hope. If all else failed, or if Xiao Yu had another accident, she might ask the after-school care teachers if they needed more staff. But she was unwilling to give up.

The next morning, Lin Haifeng replied, "Don't worry too much, I'll talk to your mother again."

The next few days were difficult for Lin Yue. Thinking about Liu Cuiying's words, and the night Xiaoyu went missing, she would sometimes understand, and then get stuck in those same thoughts again, leaving her feeling incredibly drained. She realized she couldn't continue like this; not only would she lose her job, but her health wouldn't hold up. Su Ling's words echoed again: "What will happen to Xiaoyu if you collapse?"

So she started researching a lot about anxiety and depression, and even found a bunch of online scales to assess herself. Finally, she got a membership to "Fan Deng Reading" and would listen to psychology books while driving.

She began to adjust herself according to the methods in the book: how to maintain mindfulness, how to meditate, and how to detach herself from her emotions when she was particularly sad.

The book says that when someone is extremely sad, they should never fight the emotion, but rather accept it and then detach themselves to quietly observe it. This method is much better than simply suppressing the emotion, and gradually her mood improved. She felt fortunate that as long as she didn't want to give up, she could find a way to stay strong.

One day, Sheng Xing called Lin Yue into his office. Unlike before, he didn't directly discuss work, but instead inquired about her well-being and future career plans. Lin Yue responded evasively, but a question began to linger in her mind: "Does Sheng Xing know about her family situation, or has he noticed that she's been acting strangely lately?"