Later, the officer's voice abruptly cut off.
Then, "Ch-children..."
"They're back!"
The first officer came to his senses and cried out excitedly.
"What?"
Hearing the commotion at the entrance, everyone inside the building rushed out.
The parents, who had been staring almost obsessively at the surveillance footage, only realized something was happening at the entrance when the officers called out to them.
"The children... they're back?"
"Nini!"
"Xiao Yi!"
Standing at the entrance, the parents really did see the children they had been longing for. They all felt a little dazed.
They were back. Their children... were really back!
"Mom! Dad!"
The two children shouted in unison, then ran toward their parents in perfect sync.
"Nini."
"Xiao Yi."
Parents and children hugged each other.
It was a warm and moving scene.
The staff and officers nearby all smiled with relief.
Thank goodness.
The children were back.
"Waaah!"
The girl was the first to burst into tears.
Then the boy started crying too. "Waaah!"
The emotions the two children had just managed to calm surged out again when they saw their parents.
After all, what they had been through had left a deep impression on them.
The fear and helplessness they had felt still lingered in their hearts.
It would probably take quite a while for those feelings to fade completely.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?"
"Mommy didn't mean to scold you."
"Mommy was just so worried."
The children's parents thought their earlier scolding had made them cry, and immediately began apologizing in a fluster.
"It's all right now. It's all right."
"Mommy was wrong."
"As long as you're home safe, that's all that matters."
Seeing that the children kept crying, their parents stopped apologizing. They simply held them and murmured softly, "Go ahead and cry."
"You'll