Shen Jingqi pressed against the wall, his gaze passed over the window pane and saw a small slide placed in Cong Nanxue's home.
Pink mats covered the slide, and beneath it was a pile of colorful ocean balls.
Cong Nanxue was facing away from Shen Jingqi at this moment, standing by the window drawing the curtains.
As the curtains were drawn open, a ray of sunlight happened to shine on the slide, reflecting a dazzling light.
Shen Jingqi suddenly felt a sense of dizziness, and the scene before his eyes became blurred.
He blinked, and when he refocused, his consciousness had entered into a scene.
In a cozy children's room, a little boy and a little girl were happily playing on the slide.
The little boy wore blue shorts and a white T-shirt, while the little girl was dressed in a pink dress with a pink bow hair clip.
The little boy slid swiftly down the slide, landing in the ocean balls, giggling.
The little girl followed suit, and the two rolled and played in the ocean balls together.
Shen Jingqi quietly watched these two children. He didn't know them, yet there was a vague sense of familiarity.
"Daddy, come play with me!" The little boy shouted toward the door.
A tall man stood at the doorway, his face somewhat blurry, Shen Jingqi couldn't see it clearly.
The man smiled and walked in, sitting on the floor beside the slide, and embraced the two children.
"Alright, daddy will play with you." The man's voice was deep and gentle.
"One, two, three, slide down!" The little boy shouted excitedly, simultaneously letting go, sliding down with a swoosh.
The little girl followed closely behind, and the two landed almost simultaneously in the ocean balls below the slide, letting out crisp laughs.
They rolled and played in the ocean balls, the little boy cupped some ocean balls in his hands and tossed them lightly at the little girl, while she nimbly dodged them, letting out giggling sounds continuously.
Sunlight streamed through the window onto them, making their small figures appear especially lively and cute.
However, just when they were having the most fun, an accident happened.
As the little boy climbed the slide one time, he slipped, lost his balance, and with a bang, fell onto the edge of the slide.
The little girl shrieked in fear, quickly scrambled out of the ocean balls and ran to the little boy's side.
The little boy clutched his nose in pain, blood seeping through his fingers, staining them red.
"Waa... huhuhu..." The little boy cried out in pain, tears rolling down like beads off a broken string.
The little girl, shocked by this sudden event, was at a loss, standing aside helplessly, her eyes filled with panic and helplessness.
Just then, a man's voice came from the doorway, "What's wrong? What's wrong with the kids?"
The man hurriedly entered the room, seeing the little boy injured, he quickly stepped forward and picked him up.
"It's okay, it's okay, daddy is here." The man gently comforted the little boy while using tissue to lightly wipe the blood from his nose.
The little boy cried even harder in the man's arms, as if wanting to unleash all his fear and pain.
The little girl also started crying. She walked to the man's side, tugging at his clothes and sobbed, "Daddy, brother... he fell."
Shen Jingqi was watching when the scene before his eyes suddenly changed again.
He found himself standing in a hospital corridor, with a tightly closed door at the end of the corridor.
A sign hung on the door, with the words "Emergency Room" written on it.
People were coming and going in the corridor, doctors and nurses busily traversing.
Shen Jingqi heard the sound of hurried footsteps, followed by crying and shouting.
"Doctor, how is my son? Will he be alright?" A woman's voice carried a sobbing tone.
Shen Jingqi followed the voice and saw a woman in a white dress clutching the doctor's sleeve, her face was covered in tears.
This woman was Cong Nanxue's mother.
The doctor sighed and shook his head, "I'm sorry, we've done our best."
Upon hearing this, the woman went limp and collapsed to the ground.
"No! That's impossible! Brother won't leave us!" A girl's crying outburst came.
Shen Jingqi saw a little girl running from the other end of the corridor, wearing a school uniform, her face full of tears.
She threw herself into her mother's arms, and the two cried together.
Shen Jingqi watched this scene, feeling a wave of bitterness in his heart.
He wanted to go forward to comfort them, but found his feet seemed rooted in place, unable to move.
Just then, the door of the emergency room creaked open. Google seaʀᴄh ɴovᴇl(ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt
A nurse pushed a hospital bed covered with a white sheet out, and Shen Jingqi saw the boy's face.
His face was pale, his eyes closed, with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
Shen Jingqi was jolted inside, recalling the man he saw earlier by the slide, who also wore a smile.
Shen Jingqi was engrossed in his sorrow when the scene before him changed once again.
He found himself back in Cong Nanxue's home, and it was already late at night.
The living room was lit, and the little girl sat on the sofa, holding a photo in her hands.
The photo showed the little girl, the little boy, and a pair of young adults standing by the slide, smiling brightly.
The little girl looked at the photo, tears slid down her cheeks.
"Brother, I miss you so much," Cong Nanxue said softly.
Shen Jingqi stood aside, watching the solitary figure of the little girl, a wave of indescribable emotion rose within him.
He wanted to step forward, hug her, and tell her everything would be alright.
But he was merely an observer, unable to touch this world.
At this moment, Cong Nanxue suddenly stood up, walked to the window, and opened the curtains.
A ray of moonlight entered the room, shining on the slide.
Shen Jingqi felt a burst of dizziness, and the scene before him became blurred once more.
When he awoke again, he found himself still leaning against the wall.
Cong Nanxue had already closed the curtains, and the lights in the room had gone out.
Everything was quiet.
It seemed that Cong Nanxue had fallen asleep, so he was relatively safe for now, without being noticed by her.
Shen Jingqi looked at the tightly closed window, his mind filled with confusion and unease.
The scenes he saw earlier, had they really happened?
Or were they just his illusions?
If they were real, why did Cong Nanxue keep a slide at home?
Could it be to commemorate her brother?
As Shen Jingqi pondered these questions, he had unknowingly stood there for a long time.
Feeling his legs slightly sore and numb, he quietly shifted his position.
Checking the time, it was already 11 PM.
Hearing no sound from the room, Shen Jingqi tiptoed to the door, intending to leave quickly.
He slowly turned the lock, and with a click, the door moved.
Cong Nanxue's voice came from the room.