Prologue Dream

This was Lin Quan's last night in the dormitory during the summer of 1999. Tomorrow, he would leave the dull and uninteresting Donghai Provincial University and return to Jinghai City to spend a long-planned summer vacation. The room was dimly lit, with only the yellowish light from the incandescent bulb at the end of the corridor illuminating the space. Lin Quan woke from his dream, feeling tears streaming down his cheeks, his eyes burning painfully, likely from staring too long at the direction in which his mother had disappeared in the dream. He wiped the tears from his face, took a deep breath, and then pulled the blanket over his head, as if the darkness of the room filled him with dread. Almost as soon as he covered his head, Lin Quan resolutely pulled the blanket away, opened his eyes wide, and stared into the profound darkness. The incandescent light flickered and suddenly went out. A thought, along with the sudden deep darkness, seized his tender heart: "Mother will never come back." He stood in terror in the hollow corridor. The sound of rain was crisp and clear, the dense raindrops falling on the concrete floor. Apart from that, there were no other subtle echoes, only the words his mother had left ringing in his ears: "Tao Tao, wait for mother here..."

This is the last night in the dormitory for Lin Quan during the summer of 1999. Tomorrow, he will leave the dull and uninteresting East Sea Provincial University and return to Jinghai City to spend a long-planned summer vacation

The light in the * picture * book is dim, with only the incandescent bulb at the end of the corridor emitting a soft yellow glow

Lin Quan woke up from his dream, feeling tears streaming down his cheeks. His eyes ached terribly, likely from staring too long at the direction in which his mother had disappeared in the dream. He wiped the tears from his face, took a deep breath, and then pulled the blanket up to cover his head and face, as if the darkness of the room filled him with lingering fear. Almost as soon as he covered his head and face, Lin Quan resolutely pulled the blanket away, opened his eyes wide, and stared into the profound darkness.

The incandescent light at hetushucom.com flickered and suddenly went out. A thought, along with the sudden and profound darkness, seized his tender heart: "Mom will never come back."

He stood in terror in the hollow corridor

The sound was crisp and clear, the result of dense raindrops falling on the concrete ground. Apart from this, there were no other subtle echoes, only the words of his mother still ringing in his ears: "Tao Tao, wait for Mommy here..."