The little boy had been a bit different all day.

Although Huo Miao was usually quite mature and calm, today he seemed a little too calm. The breakfast he made was also several notches above his usual fare. The runny-yolk egg he fried was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, cooked just right. With a gentle poke, the bright yellow yolk flowed out.

He just spoke less than usual, seeming to drift off in thought from time to time. Sitting at the dining table, he was busy pouring soy milk and slicing bread for his mother, hardly eating anything himself. Instead, he kept looking at his mother with exceptional earnestness.

Ren Shuangmei stroked his hair. “What are you thinking about?”

Luo Chi snapped back to reality, lowered his eyelashes with a smile, and shook his head lightly.

He sat beside his mother, took a few bites from his plate, and then secretly scooted his chair a little closer to hers.

Ren Shuangmei simply pulled the little boy into an embrace, pushing their two chairs right together. “What does Huo Miao like to eat now?”

Luo Chi was taken aback, pausing with his knife and fork, and looked up in astonishment.

“Go on, say it,” Ren Shuangmei said, a smile in her eyes as she gently tapped his forehead. “If you don’t say, Mom’s just going to make what I remember.”

Luo Chi’s eyes widened as he stared at her. After a long moment, he suddenly pressed his lips together and gave a firm, silent nod.

He watched his mother skillfully slice two pieces of bread, pick out the most beautifully fried sunny-side-up egg, squeeze a thick layer of ketchup, add a heaping pile of vegetables, and finally tuck in a glistening, crispy sausage.

The impromptu sandwich was enormous. Little Luo Chi loved to eat like this because not only could he taste everything at once, but taking a huge bite, chewing, and swallowing always gave him a great sense of accomplishment.

When little Luo Chi had first returned, he had been living in the hospital. The dizziness caused by nightmares and tinnitus had left him with no appetite for anything. But later, he grew to love eating, because whenever he ate well, his mother would pat his head and praise him with super exaggerated compliments.

Luo Chi whispered, “Thank you, Mom,” took the sandwich, examined it carefully, and then lowered his head to take a huge bite.

He ate beside his mother, wanting to eat slowly but also wanting to be praised. Each time, he took a very big bite, then chewed it carefully and slowly.

Ren Shuangmei finished her own portion, then put down her utensils and watched him intently.

For some reason, Ren Shuangmei suddenly turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut.

Noticing his mother’s tears, Luo Chi was startled. He put down his sandwich, quickly wiped his hands, and fumbled with his sleeve to wipe her tears. “Mom.”

“It’s nothing,” Ren Shuangmei said, pulling him into her arms and shaking her head. She then asked softly, “Have things been very hard for you?”

Luo Chi shook his head desperately. “No,” he said. “I’m fine, Mom. I’ve always been fine.”

“I’ve been doing super well, Mom, don’t cry.” He kept wiping away his mother’s falling tears. “I just miss you a lot. So, so much. The happier I am, the more I miss you when I fall asleep at night.”

Luo Chi didn’t know how to explain. He couldn’t even find a theory to support what was happening right now… but just as Mr. Shadow had said.

Just as Mr. Shadow had said, scientific basis wasn’t important for now.

If everything that was happening existed in principle, if it was him as a child dreaming of another version of himself who grew up alone and hadn’t seen his mother in too long, he would definitely do the same.

He would also be super generous and lend his mom out for a whole day.

Ren Shuangmei hid the little boy in her arms, rubbing his back and patting it slowly. Huo Miao’s ears were bright red. He tilted his head up to smile at her, his eyes curving silently as he raised a hand to tap the bridge of her nose.

“Mom is so cool,” Huo Miao said softly. “And you’re still crying.”

Ren Shuangmei couldn’t help but laugh. She wiped her face and flicked his forehead. “I’ll cry if I want to!”

Huo Miao had never learned to talk back. After being flicked on the forehead, he didn’t retaliate, just covering his forehead and smiling so wide he couldn’t keep the corners of his mouth down.

“Anyone can cry, no matter how cool they are. Cry when you want to cry, laugh when you want to laugh. That’s how you live comfortably. If you bottle everything up, you’ll get sick sooner or later.”

Ren Shuangmei picked Huo Miao up. “Does Huo Miao cry when he wants to cry and laugh when he wants to laugh?”

Luo Chi’s eyes curved, and he nodded forcefully.

He reported softly to his mother, “It’s all been things worth being happy about.”

Ren Shuangmei met his clear, gentle eyes. She seemed to believe him completely, and she too quickly wiped the tear stains from her face and laughed with him. “That’s so cool.”

The little boy in her arms instantly flushed red, stood up proudly, and mimicked her in a small voice, “So cool!”

His imitation was perfect, right down to the tone. Ren Shuangmei laughed so hard she couldn’t stand up straight, mercilessly ruffling Huo Miao’s hair into a mess.

Huo Miao jumped down on his own, sat back in his chair, finished the sandwich in big bites, wiped his hands clean again, and drank a whole glass of milk that was said to make him grow taller.

Ren Shuangmei put on a serious act of feigned surprise, rubbing Huo Miao’s ears while praising him for eating so well, and then very generously promised him a reward.

The reward was that Mom was taking the day off. She wouldn’t have to go to work for the whole day and would stay home to accompany Huo Miao.

Hearing this reward, Luo Chi’s eyes lit up.

He excitedly ran up and down the villa, busy all day.

Ren Shuangmei made snacks with the little boy, watching as Huo Miao skillfully made wheat bread with pine nut filling, flaky pastries with sesame filling, and all of Mom’s favorite pastries. Each one was exquisite and beautiful, and so fragrant you couldn’t stop after one bite.

Ren Shuangmei went to the beach with him, playing in the water and surfing together. The nearby sea was empty at the moment. Huo Miao took his mom out on the kayak he had always wanted to try. They snorkeled in the shallow waters and collected a whole basket of conches and abalone.

Ren Shuangmei drank the cocktails he mixed. His cool, flair bartending skills made one want to applaud. The two of them weeded the garden together, trimmed the lush trees, made lunch and dinner together, and took a nap together on the double lounge chair on the terrace.

Ren Shuangmei accompanied him to the small pavilion on the mountain to feel the breeze, listening to Huo Miao play the guitar and sing songs he wrote for his mother. Those songs made the mountain wind gentle. The sun set bit by bit, and the evening glow softly cast its orange-red light.

…

Luo Chi slowly found he could no longer pluck the strings.

All the strength he had saved up had been used up without reservation. He had spent a thoroughly enjoyable day with his mother, and his control over his body was gradually slipping away, but he still felt as if he were soaked in the sweetest honey.

Ren Shuangmei had been watching him the whole time. She reached out just in time and held him securely in her arms.

Luo Chi stretched comfortably, leaned back in his mother’s arms, and tilted his head up, his eyes curved in a quiet, happy smile.

“How can you be so cool,” Ren Shuangmei said, brushing his bangs aside and lowering her head to touch her forehead to Huo Miao’s. “So amazing, so cool. The coolest person Mom has ever seen in her life.”

Luo Chi smiled and gently corrected her, “The coolest person is Mom.”

Ren Shuangmei shook her head, gently touching his ear as she looked at the child in her arms.

For a little boy to grow up all by himself, to become so amazing, so cool, how much must he have gone through, how many roads must he have walked. How many difficult pasts must be endured to still be able to raise a hand at this moment and carefully wipe her tears away, bit by bit.

They both had a super happy day, laughing all day long. They had made a deal that whoever cried would lose and have to grant the other a request.

Luo Chi tried hard to keep his eyes open.

All his wishes had been fulfilled today. He really couldn’t think of any regrets left to mend. He wracked his brain for a long time. “I want to hear Mom sing that song.”

Ren Shuangmei lowered her head. She didn’t have to ask which one; she already guessed the song the little boy was requesting. “The lullaby?”

Being so old and still listening to a lullaby, Luo Chi was a bit embarrassed. He pressed his lips together and nodded eagerly.

Ren Shuangmei held him in her arms, patting his back gently, and sang line by line.

The moon is bright, the wind is quiet.
The moon is bright, the wind is quiet, the leaves cover the window lattice.

The patting on his back was soft and gentle. Luo Chi listened with rapt attention. His consciousness slowly faded, and his vision blurred.

Mom gently took the guitar he was holding.

Mom carried him on her back, carrying him down the mountain and home.

…

The mountain path was winding, the stone steps polished smooth, making the walk down effortless.

Ren Shuangmei walked carefully and cautiously. She was still softly singing that lullaby, listening as the child on her back’s breathing gradually became slow and even.

Huo Miao rested on her back, his cheek pressed against her shoulder.

The little boy on her back had just come home not long ago and hadn’t had time to fully recover. He was still very thin, and a bit shorter than other children his age.

But it didn’t matter. Huo Miao said he would have a growth spurt later, that he would grow up tall and healthy, and would live to be a hundred with his mom.

Huo Miao had hesitated for a long time before reminding his mom that if a friend from the sea came looking for him, she should try her best not to chase him away with a broom.

Ren Shuangmei guessed he was talking about Ming Weiting. She couldn’t imagine why she would chase someone away for no reason, but she stopped short of asking more questions and just agreed.

When they reached the villa’s entrance, the child on her back moved slightly and called out in a small voice, “Mom.”

“Mom’s here,” Ren Shuangmei said, shifting him higher on her shoulder. “What is it?”

Huo Miao asked, “Are we home?”

“We’re home.”

Ren Shuangmei nodded. She took Huo Miao’s hand and let him touch the villa’s door. “Look, we’re about to open the door.”

Huo Miao gave a small nod.

He paused for a moment, then asked in a small voice, “Mom… can I make one more wish?”

“You can make a hundred,” Ren Shuangmei said immediately. “Quick, hurry up. Wishes made as the sky is getting dark are the most likely to come true.”

Luo Chi laughed.

When it came to making wishes, Mom had always been remarkably flexible and adaptable. For instance, if he made a wish at noon, Mom would say that wishes made when the sun is at its highest are most effective. If he made a wish in the middle of the night, Mom would say it was easiest for it to come true when the moon reached the third branch of the treetop.

“I want to dream of Mom again,” Luo Chi said. “Mom, I’m greedy. I want to have a dream like this again.”

Ren Shuangmei’s shoulders tensed silently, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She took a deep breath and agreed without hesitation, “No problem.”

She didn’t know if Huo Miao heard her reply, because as she opened the door, the child had already fallen into a deep sleep, resting on her shoulder without another word.

This was like an unforeseen and sudden intersection, where two parallel worlds resonated at a certain moment, and so they unexpectedly, through some means, briefly saw the person from the other world they missed and wanted to see the most.

She guessed that when Huo Miao woke up again, he would change back into the little boy she had snatched home—she just didn’t know if, in the other world, she hadn’t managed to snatch her little boy back in time.

The little boy who wasn’t snatched back—did he not have a mother’s care from a young age, was he bullied, did he suffer, did a lot of unhappy things happen… Huo Miao didn’t tell her any of this.

But Ren Shuangmei could actually tell.

No matter which world, she was Huo Miao’s favorite mom.

How could Huo Miao’s mom not see how much her own child had suffered?

Ren Shuangmei opened the door and went home. She carried the child back to his room, and the two of them lay on the bed together, bathed in the bright, clear moonlight.

“Mom will come find you in your dreams.”

Ren Shuangmei promised, “Our Huo Miao can have many, many dreams with Mom in them.”