Falling

Tang Chen's conscience was telling him that he should not snoop around his mother's office. 

However, when he thought about the photo that his little sister had once seen, Tang Chen began to hesitate. He felt the need to glimpse at the face of his father so that he would know what that man looked like.

The little boy's priority right now was to protect his little sister.

Things would be easier for him if only Tang Chen knew what his father looked like. 

With that in mind, the little boy began to look around the office, hoping that he would stumble into a photo.

Tang Chen pulled his mother's swiveling chair and climbed up. He wanted to check the books on the shelf one by one. He thought that there was a chance that he might find what he was looking for.

A click came from the door.

Tang Chen turned around only to see that someone was pushing the door from the outside. He began to panic when he realized that he could not let his mother know what he was doing.

As he was in a hurry, Tang Chen lost his footing.

His eyes snapped open when he realized that he was going to fall.

The floor was covered with carpet. However, falling on them would still hurt.

Tang Chen closed his eyes to brace himself for the impact. However, the pain that he was expecting did not come. 

"Chen Chen!"

His mother's panicked voice made him look up. Then, Tang Chen realized that he was now in Quan Lian's embrace. Before he fell, Quan Lian rushed over and caught him just in time.

"Mommy." Tang Chen felt his lips quivered. 

He had always been obedient and brave. However, the moment he was about to fall, Tang Chen realized that he was afraid of falling from a high place. He was still afraid. But now that his mother was in front of him, Tang Chen suddenly felt like he was about to cry.

He always showed that he was a brave boy in front of his mother. However, Tang Chen was still a child. He would still cry when he got scared.

The corner of his eyes was wet with tears. 

Chen Chen raised his hand and wiped them quickly. However, the tears continued to trail down his cheek. 

Tang Shi Yi rushed over to pick up her son from Quan Lian. "Chen Chen, how are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?" She tried to check on her son everywhere to ensure that the little boy was not injured.

If something were to happen to Chen Chen, Tang Shi Yi would definitely blame herself.

She should not leave her son alone without adult supervision. 

The little boy stretched his arms and hugged his mother's neck. He buried his face in his mother's embrace and inhaled a few deep breaths. The familiar scent finally made him feel at ease. Tang Chen knew that he was now safe.

Once he was able to calm down, Tang Chen pulled away and looked at his mother again. "Mommy, I'm fine. I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"

Tang Shi Yi was worried when she saw Tang Chen almost fall down the chair. She could have sworn that her heart had stopped beating for a couple of seconds.

Fortunately, her son was not injured.

Tang Shi Yi looked at her son helplessly. She did not expect that the little boy was apologizing for scaring her.

"Chen Chen, do you know how scared I was when I saw you falling?" Tang Shi Yi looked at her son with a stern face. "Fortunately, Quan Lian was quick enough to catch you."

The little boy remembered opening his eyes and seeing Quan Lian's face in front of him. "Mommy, I'm sorry. It was my fault."

Tang Shi Yi heaved another sigh. It was good that her son knew his mistake.

She wanted to scold her son for doing something so dangerous. But Tang Shi Yi did not have the heart to be fierce upon seeing Chen Chen's adorable face.

Tang Chen turned to Quan Lian next. "Uncle Quan, thank you for saving me."

Tang Shi Yi looked at her friend and nodded, thanking him for saving her son.

Quan Lian smiled. He patted Tang Chen's head and spoke, "It's alright. But Tang Chen, why were you climbing up the chair earlier? Are you looking for something?"

His heart skipped a beat. Tang Chen realized that he could not answer Quan Lian's question truthfully. There was no way that he was going to tell anyone that he was looking for a photo of his father.

Tang Chen swept his gaze at the shelf. Then, his eyes caught on something on the shelf. "I was going to take a look at that."

Both Tang Shi Yi and Quan Lian followed Tang Chen's line of gaze.

Quan Lian stood up and took the item that Tang Chen had pointed at. "This one?" 

It was a frame with a drawing that Tang Chen and his little sister had drawn long ago. 

Tang Chen nodded when he saw the item in Quan Lian's hand. "I haven't seen this drawing for a long time. Mommy, I did not expect that you would still keep this photo with you. I just wanted to take a closer look again."

He peeked at his mother's face and finally heaved in relief when he saw that she did not suspect anything.

"Chen Chen, next time you need something, you should wait for me or call an adult," Tang Shi Yi spoke. "Don't do anything dangerous."

"I know, Mommy." Tang Chen nodded. He alternated his gaze between his mother and Quan Lian and spoke, "Mommy, why are you here? Are you done with your work?"

"Mhm..." Tang Shi Yi glanced at Quan Lian. "I'm done with my work now. Uncle Quan said he was going to treat us to a good meal. Chen Chen, what do you want to eat?"