Ouch! When I finally regained consciousness due to the pain throughout my body, I could only see a cloud of dust rising all around, obscuring my vision. The heavy smell of gasoline made me cough violently. I propped myself up and used all my strength to push open the car door, finally crawling out of the car that had already been crushed.
I still remember, just a few minutes ago, I received a call from my ex-boyfriend Jay. He said that he and his wife had a child, a baby girl. Then I was a bit dazed and crashed into the car in front of me.
When I looked up again, the truck that had crashed into the guardrail in front was already billowing with thick smoke. Underneath the seat was a flattened small car, with gasoline and flesh mixed together. The sight made my hair stand on end. I held back the urge to vomit, covered my mouth, turned around and took a few steps back, preparing to run to a safe area first for safety reasons.
But just at this moment, a child’s suppressed crying came from the car behind, gradually getting louder and louder. The soft voice trembled and called out over and over again: “Mommy! Mom! Hic… Wuwuwuwu… Mommy! Mommy!” Although it was a childish voice, it sounded so desperate that it made one’s heart ache.
I quickly ran towards the red car where the child’s crying was coming from. The front of the car had already been completely crushed. The gasoline from the car’s fuel tank was constantly dripping down. I staggered back a few steps, looking at the woman trapped in the driver’s seat, sprawled over the steering wheel. I hurriedly went up and pushed her: “Wake up! Wake up! Hey, wake up.” But for a long time, she had no reaction. Although I was afraid, I still held back my timidity and reached out with a trembling hand to feel for her breath. Only then did I find that there was no breathing. She was dead… This woman was already dead…
At this time, the child’s crying in the back of the car was getting louder and louder. I was startled and ran over, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t open the back seat. However, the smell of gasoline around me was getting stronger and stronger. At this rate, it could explode at any time. I really had no other choice. Without regard for death, I closed my eyes, pushed the woman away, opened the back door from inside the car, picked up the child, not even having time to look. I covered his eyes, held him in my arms, turned around and ran out.
Sure enough, I had only run a dozen meters away with the child in my arms when I heard a loud bang behind me. The large truck caught fire first, followed by several small cars also making huge explosion sounds. In an instant, the car accident scene turned into a sea of flames.
I sat on the ground, my eyes suddenly blank due to this abrupt turn of events. The surrounding air also became scorching due to the fierce burning, and the back of my hand seemed to be turned red by the firelight. The little guy in my arms was startled by the explosion and trembled violently in my arms. His chubby little hands clung to my neck, crying even more heart-wrenchingly. I held his little face tightly to my chest, patting his back and comforting him over and over again absent-mindedly: “Be good, don’t cry, don’t cry…”
But as I comforted him, my own tears uncontrollably flowed down. Trembling, I took out my cell phone and, without thinking, dialed Jay’s phone number. I stammered incoherently as soon as the call connected: “Jay, Jay, it’s Xiao’ai. There was a car accident here. The cars are all on fire. I’m very scared. Help me, I’m really scared…” But although the call was answered, there was no sound from the other end. Then another explosion sounded, and I suddenly realized who I had called. My hand went limp and I dropped the phone to the ground. I stood up, holding the trembling child in my arms. All I could do for him was to hold him tightly and close my eyes in fear.
When I was finally taken to the police station and sat in a chair for a long time, my mind was still in a confused daze. Because when I was making my statement, the time the police officer mentioned was actually ten years ago! And when I finally got a clear look at the tear-stained child who had cried himself to sleep in my arms, it turned out to be Gu An! It was little An’an, the child of my very familiar neighbors!
Gu An was the child of my neighbors when I was in Italy. His mother was a single mother and also Chinese. They seemed to have no other relatives, and I had never seen his mother have any friends. His mother and I were not close, but this little guy had a strong connection with me. When he was born, it was me who ran a dozen red lights to drive him to the hospital. When he first learned to speak, he would stare at me with his big eyes and call me “jiejie”, reaching out his hands for me to hold him. Sometimes I would help take care of him and bring him to my own home. I even had his baby bottles in my room.
But later, I met the big bearded director and got my first acting role in “Regretful Love”. Soon after, I was taken to the filming crew and left that place, never contacting this orphaned child and widowed mother again.
But why was Gu An here? Why was he still two years old? Why was I in Italy? Why? The oil tanker I crashed into turned into a truck? Why?
I stared at the time displayed on the police officer’s computer, almost too shocked to speak. I had actually gone back ten years! Ten years ago! Ten years before the filming of “Regretful Love” started, ten years before I met Jay!
“Miss Gu, this accident was caused by the truck in front driving in the wrong direction. You have no responsibility whatsoever. Regarding the accident compensation, the insurance company has already gone to the scene and will contact you later. Now that you’ve finished giving your statement, you may leave.”
“Oh.” I responded, but still nodded blankly at the officer. Could time travel really happen in this world? But! I suddenly lowered my head to look at the back of my hand. The thin scar left from fighting with Xu Mei was also gone… What was going on? Could I really have returned to my own body from ten years ago?
But I had only taken a few dazed steps when I was stopped by the officer again.
Surprised, I raised my head and shook it to clear my mind. I looked at the officer who was staring at me with a serious expression and asked, “Sir, didn’t you say I could leave?”
He shrugged and pointed to my arms, saying, “Miss Gu, you can go, but you have to leave the child here.”
I was stunned for a moment. I lowered my head to look at the little guy who had been held in my arms the whole time. He was sleeping very restlessly, his little hands tightly clutching my clothes, his eyes red-rimmed, his small mouth pouting anxiously, his face covered in tear stains. I gently stroked his face, feeling a bit choked up, though I didn’t know if it was out of pity or something else.
Thinking of Jay’s phone call again, he said he had a daughter now… I caressed An’an’s soft little face in my arms and held the child a little tighter. The vague thoughts in my heart gradually became clearer. So, I raised my head and said to the officer, “Here’s the situation. He is my neighbor’s child. Their family only consists of this orphan and his widowed mother. Now that his mother has passed away, this child has no other relatives. If you don’t let me take him now, the final way to handle it will just be to send him to an orphanage. Rather than that, it’s better to let me adopt him now. The child and I are neighbors. I was waiting outside the operating room when he was born. He knows me, so he won’t be afraid. I will also love him like my own child. Sir, what do you say, can I?”
“Miss Gu, you are not married and do not have a stable income. This is not allowed.” The officer reached out to stop me, his eyes showing a bit more sternness.
Talking about marriage made me think of the tragedy of being dumped after a ten-year relationship. What marriage! Can’t an old maid have children? Ha! “I’m not short of money. I can afford to raise ten Gu Xiaoan’s!” My mind was in a mess and I was really a bit angry, so I just shouted a random sentence while glaring at the officer.
But as soon as I said it, I felt it was rude. I could only shake my head and stop thinking wildly. Afraid of waking up Gu Xiaoan in my arms, I also couldn’t just walk away alone like this. I had no choice but to take a few steps back and sit back down on the chair I was just in, pouting. After calming down for a while, I said, “Officer, let me repeat. The child’s mother was my neighbor. I used to often help her take care of An’an at home. The little guy knows me and is close to me. He’s still so young and doesn’t understand anything. He’s also shy around strangers. In a situation like this, he has no other relatives. Can you let me take him first? Otherwise, when he wakes up and opens his eyes, not recognizing anyone, how lonely and scared will he be?”
There was a hint of being moved in the officer’s eyes, but he still spread his hands, unwilling to compromise.
So, the anger that I had barely suppressed in my heart flared up again. But thinking that he was just going by the rules, it was actually me being unreasonable. But I knew that I couldn’t abandon An’an. Although I didn’t know what kind of fate it was that allowed me to return to Italy again, to meet An’an again, to encounter this car accident. But I, who only had a father, who was doted on by elders and cousins since childhood, would feel lonely and afraid because I didn’t have a mother. What about An’an, who became homeless and alone at such a young age because of a car accident? I really didn’t dare to imagine…
At this moment, I thought of my omnipotent dad. Although it was very disgraceful, although I was still running away from home and throwing a tantrum at this time. But when there was trouble, dad was still the best!
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