Wandering in the vast darkness

021 Dots

At 5:30, the alarm clock woke up Yu Wenhao and Cao Fang. She groggily opened her eyes and mumbled to Yu Wenhao, "You didn't sleep much, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

"No need, I've had enough sleep," Yu Wenhao said. "If you're really sleepy, you can take a longer nap at noon."

It was already dawn outside. Yu Wenhao got up, dressed, turned around and tucked Cao Fang in, then leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before leaving the bedroom.

The first thing he did was go to Qianqian's room, quietly open the door, and go inside.

He walked to Qianqian's bedside and, by the dim light streaming in from the window, saw that Qianqian was fast asleep. Yu Wenhao sat down at the head of Qianqian's bed, rubbed his hands together to warm them, and then gently touched Qianqian's forehead.

When his hand touched Qianqian's forehead, she seemed to chuckle softly in her sleep, pressing her face against Yu Wenhao's palm. In that instant, Yu Wenhao felt his heart shatter, and he also felt as if he had suddenly become much more awake.

He sat on the edge of the bed for three or four minutes before getting up, covering the blanket that had slipped to the side with the blanket, and then turned and left.

At this time of day, there are many people hailing taxis, and the streets are empty. Yu Wenhao likes to do business at this time the most, so he never gets up late no matter what.

Yu Wenhao got into the car and just opened the app on the shelf in front of him when an order came in. After grabbing it, he saw that it was right at the entrance of his own community. Yu Wenhao couldn't help but grin. He was having such good luck today, it was unstoppable.

Yu Wenhao took four orders in a row. At 7:30, he arrived at the entrance of the MixC Yuefu residential area on time. After parking his car, the first thing he did was turn on the heated passenger seat. Then he picked up his phone and called Diandian.

Diandian's phone was still switched off. Yu Wenhao suddenly became nervous, wondering if something had happened again.

Just then, he saw Dian Dian walk out of the community. The security guard at the gate saluted her, and she stopped and returned their salute with a serious expression.

Yu Wen chuckled, pushed open the door, got out of the car, and stood beside it.

Dian Dian walked over, bowed to Yu, and said, "Hello, Uncle!"

Yu asked, "Okay, good morning, Dian Dian too."

He took the backpack from her back, opened the back door, and put the backpack in the back seat. Dian Dian opened the passenger door, got in, and as usual smiled, saying, "It's so warm."

Yu Wenhao got into the car, holding a fleece blanket he had taken from the trunk. He told Dian Dian to take off her down jacket over her school uniform, then turned around and helped place it in the back seat, telling Dian Dian to quickly cover herself with the blanket.

After starting the car and driving away, Yu didn't ask Diandian why her phone wasn't on today. Instead, she said:

"DianDian, where did you go yesterday? Your uncle waited for you here but couldn't find you."

Dian Dian turned around, looked at Yu Wenhao, and said, "I deliberately hid."

Yesterday after dinner, Dian Dian's mother asked Dian Dian to accompany her to go shopping at MixC across from the community. Dian Dian also wanted to buy Heytea.

After buying Heytea, they strolled from the basement to the second floor. Dian Dian said she needed to use the restroom, so they went to the restroom. Dian Dian walked into the passage leading to the restroom, where her mother was waiting for her in the corridor at the entrance, with her back to the passage and facing the open sky of MixC.

When Dian Dian came out of the restroom, she saw her mother leaning against the railing with her back to them, looking at her phone. At the other end of the corridor was a closed fire door. Pushing the door open, there was still a long corridor. Walking to the end of this corridor and pushing open another closed fire door led to the other side of the MixC shopping mall.

Dian Dian had been to MixC countless times; she knew the place very well. After leaving the restroom, instead of turning right to walk towards her mother, Dian Dian turned left, pushed open the two fire doors, and walked to the other side of MixC. She then took the escalator upstairs to the third floor, went to the ice rink, and stood behind the railing to watch people ice skating.

Dian Dian's mother waited and waited, but Dian Dian didn't come out. Strange, she went into the restroom to check, but couldn't find Dian Dian. Dian Dian's mother wasn't worried. Their home was right next to MixC, they didn't even need to cross the street. Dian Dian had been to MixC countless times by herself; it was right in front of her house, how could she possibly be lost?

On ordinary days, sometimes when Dian Dian's mother is too lazy to move, Dian Dian will run to the basement of this place by herself, queue up to buy Heytea, and bring back a cup for her mother.

The corridors at MixC are very wide. Now that the pandemic is over and it's after dinner, it's the busiest time for shoppers at MixC. Dian Dian's mother thought Dian Dian hadn't seen her standing by the railing and went home first.

Dian Dian's mother went downstairs, exited the side gate of MixC, walked back to the opposite community, went upstairs, opened the door and entered her home. She saw that the house was completely dark and realized that Dian Dian had not yet returned.

She turned on the light, went to sit on the sofa, and checked her phone. Dian Dian hadn't called her. She dialed the number, but found Dian Dian's phone was off. Dian Dian's mother didn't seem to care; it was normal for the phone to be off. Dian Dian only turned it on when Yu Wenhao picked her up in the morning and when her mother picked her up from school in the afternoon.

Dian Dian's mother thought that when Dian Dian needed to contact her, she would naturally turn on her phone and call her.

Dian Dian's mother waited at home for more than ten minutes, but Dian Dian still hadn't returned. She muttered to herself, stood up, opened the door, went out, took the elevator downstairs, and walked back to MixC across the street.

Dian Dian likes to drink Heytea. When they returned to MixC, Dian Dian's mother realized that Dian Dian must have finished her Heytea and was still not satisfied, so she secretly went to buy more Heytea. That's why she did it behind her back.

Dian Dian's mother first went to Heytea on the basement floor, but didn't see Dian Dian. She then went to KFC and Pizza Hut to check, but still didn't see her there.

She started searching from the basement and went up to the third floor. She also went to the ice rink and stood outside the fence, carefully looking at the children skating inside. Dian Dian had a membership card here, so it's possible that she came here to skate alone.

There was nothing; I didn't see any dots.

At that moment, Dian Dian saw her mother in the distance, behind the fence on the opposite side. She hid behind three girls who were standing and watching the skating. Her mother did not see her.

Dian Dian's mother continued searching upwards, visiting Broadway Cinema, Food Republic Plaza, PAGE ONE Bookstore, and other places, all the way to the top floor. They asked the receptionists at the restaurants they had eaten at, but none of them had seen such a little girl.

The search was also a process of growing panic, especially as she kept calling Dian Dian's phone, which remained switched off. Dian Dian's mother finally panicked, realizing something might have happened. She sought help from the mall security guards, who also began searching for Dian Dian.

Dian Dian saw them, and she played hide-and-seek with them, successfully evading their search time and time again. In such a large space with so many people, it would be too easy for a child to hide.

Dian Dian finally arrived at the entrance of a restaurant. The restaurant was already closed, and the reception desk was empty. There was a cabinet at the bottom of the reception desk, and Dian Dian opened the cabinet door. Inside were two large red cotton cloaks that the two greeters had worn before the meal arrived. Dian Dian went inside and closed the door from the inside.

While people outside were anxiously searching for her, Dian Dian was in this small but warm space, with a cotton cloak under her and covering her body, just like every morning when she went to school, Yu Wenhao would cover her with a fleece blanket so that she could take a nap in the car before she was fully awake.

Dian Dian didn't know how long she hid in there, but she eventually fell asleep and waited until the next morning when the greeters came to work, opened the cabinet, and saw her inside.

Tears welled in Diandian's eyes, and drool clung to her lips, yet she was still fast asleep.