"Yeah, Sophie, leave tonight. Don't wait for another moment," Dad urges Sophie anxiously.
"I've never met them. Will they help me?" Sophie is worried, but her mom assures her not to worry. She shares some family habits and secrets with Sophie to ensure that this information will help gain their trust.
However, when Sophie stands in front of her grandparents, they won't have any doubts that she is their granddaughter, as she looks almost identical to Sophie's mom.
"Sophie... I hope you don't tell them about my passing," Mom hesitates for a moment but decides to share this advice. "Or, maybe, wait until they have accepted you for some time before gradually breaking the news to them... I feel sorry for Dad and Mom, leaving them for seven years, never visiting them until my death; they must be very disappointed in their daughter."
Sophie's mom breaks down in tears, covering her face, and collapses onto her husband's shoulder. He holds her, gently comforting her.
Mila watches as the sky in the distance transitions from dark to grayish-white, signaling that the sun is about to rise.
After bidding their final farewells, Sophie wakes up on the boat. She glances around and finds herself alone, with only her small boat drifting by the riverbank, surrounded by the morning mist rising in the forest.
It seems like she just had a dream, but the dream felt incredibly real. As she sits up on the boat, she notices her reflection in the river, and her face is exceptionally clean. It's only then that she realizes she's tightly clutching a white handkerchief in her hands.
So, this wasn't a dream. The gods indeed heard her prayers.
She quickly notes down the dream's address and information on a piece of paper, preparing to head to her grandparents' place. As her dad said, she doesn't want to waste any time.
When Mila returns home, there are only a few hours left until work. After a brief rest, she heads to the office building to prepare for another day of work.
Mila glances at the three questions on the wall before leaving: Do you love your job? How are you spending your day? Are you feeling happy and fulfilled today?
She picks up the green pen and puts a green checkmark next to each of the three questions. Then, she waters the flowers on the balcony, happily walks out, and as she closes the door, a new green bud sprouts from a branch on the balcony.
Mila walks into the nursery and notices that only Baby 328 is still peacefully sleeping, while Baby 115 and Baby 189 are already playing with other early-rising babies in the cloud area.
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They seem to exchange a lot of information with other babies. After the "Choice Corridor" starts today, their emotions fluctuate more noticeably. Baby 189 has the highest number of heartbeats. Mila walks over to him, watching together as his favorite mom has the most heartbeats. "Baby 189, do you like this mom?"
189 nods with his pacifier in his mouth, but Mila can hear his inner baby language, "Yeah, she's so pretty, I really like her."
Mila watches the screen with 189, and on the screen is a young woman with short hair. She is taking her dog to the pet hospital, and at the hospital, she is kind and friendly to everyone. Mila asks 189, "Baby, what do you like about her?"
189 sucks on his pacifier and looks at Mila, speaking animatedly, "This morning, I heard her saying, 'Baby, Mom and Dad are ready to welcome you. Are you coming down to find Mom? Baby, are you choosing a mom in the sky? How about me? Do you want to choose me? Let me be your mom, okay? Darling, both Dad and I are looking forward to your arrival.’"
"So, does the baby think this mom is good? Do you want to choose this mom?" Mila asks with a smile, looking at Baby 189.
189 nods affirmatively, "I want to choose this mom; she really wants a baby. Can I be her baby?"
Mila nods, and she glances at the stars below the screen, furrowing her brows slightly. "Sure, little one, you can choose this mom, but she needs 500 little stars, and you currently only have 3 little stars."
189 hears Mila's words with a bit of shock, and he is shocked as he leans on the glass, staring at the displayed numbers above. His eyes widen, then he runs to his crib, where he sees that he only has 3 stars. Next to him, 115 has 5 stars because last night 115 crazily chased stars and managed to catch 3. As for 328, he still has two stars because he has been sleeping all night and today, without catching a single star.
He covers his head, runs to the display screen, and looks at it in disbelief, then turns to Mila with a shocked expression.
"What should I do? I only have 3 stars. Am I not able to be her baby?" Mila looks at his pacifier desperately moving, realizing his anxiety and urgency. The inner baby's language was indeed very anxious as he asked Mila.
"Don't worry, baby." Mila crouches down, gently patting the back of Baby 189. "Right now, you only have 3 stars, but there are opportunities to catch more stars every day. As long as you work hard to catch stars, believe that Mommy will surely notice your efforts. Keep it up, baby!"
"But collecting stars is so difficult, they run so fast. Yesterday, Number 115 falls several times," 189 says, feeling a bit discouraged, lowering his head.
Mila crouches in front of him, placing her hand on his little shoulder. "As long as your desire is strong enough, all the forces in the universe will come together to help you make your wish come true."
"Really?" 189 looks at Mila with delight, his eyes shining with a spark of ignited hope.
"Yes, really," Mila nods affirmatively.
This night, 189 kept chasing stars all night, not sleeping at all, weaving through the clouds and flower fields.
The next day when Mila arrives, 115 and 328 are already in the clouds, chatting with their pacifiers in their mouths. 328 seems to really like the flowers. 189 is still sound asleep; he sleeps the entire morning.
When Mila comes back after lunch, he wakes up. After waking up, he sits in front of the designated screen, which shows the mom he chose. He can sit there and watch all afternoon, smiling happily.
115 and 328 have been taking a long time to choose, and they haven't selected a mom they like. This is also normal, as some babies may take several months or even years to be with their moms.
Mila checks the mailbox as usual, but this time the system does not grant permission for redemption requests. However, she can see all the incoming letters, which contain various concerns of the babies as they grow up.
Some people, because of gaining weight, start to fear the gaze of others, becoming self-conscious and sensitive.
Some people, after participating in various exams and competitions without achieving satisfactory results, at one point, believed that fate was deliberately tormenting them. They started to slack off, contemplating giving up on life at times.
Some people, despite being the most capable individuals in the workplace and earning the respect and admiration of bosses and colleagues, also serve as the best family members, partners, and friends in their personal lives. However, they may experience emotional breakdowns, crying, over seemingly small incidents like being unable to open the door when they return home or dropping their keys on the ground. Life and mental pressures weigh heavily on them, making them difficult to breathe.