Lu Guang

calm, quiet, afraid

The rain fell quietly over Yingdu.

Lu Guang stood alone beneath the dim glow of a streetlamp, his gaze fixed on the abandoned building across the street.

Everything was happening exactly as it had before.

The same date. The same weather. The same chain of events that would eventually lead to Cheng Xiaoshi's death.

This time would be different. It had to be.

"You've been staring at that building for twelve minutes."

A voice emerged from the darkness.

Calm. Soft. Far too close.

Lu Guang's eyes narrowed. "Who's there?"

A figure stepped out from the shadows. Their face remained hidden beneath the darkness. "You shouldn't be here."

Lu Guang's tone was cold."Neither should you."

Lu Guang's expression hardened. "What do you mean?"

The figure tilted their head. "How many times?"

The question sent a chill down his spine. "What?"

"How many times have you come back to this timeline?"

For the first time, Lu Guang's composure cracked. Only slightly. But enough.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

A quiet laugh echoed through the empty street. "You always say that."

Lu Guang froze. "Who are you?"

"Someone who's been watching you, maybe?"

The rain grew heavier.

"That's impossible." Lu Guang took a step forward. "No one should remember previous timelines."

"And yet..."The figure finally lifted their gaze. "I remember every single one."

The world seemed to stop. Lu Guang's heartbeat quickened.

Impossible.

No one should know about the timelines.

No one should know about Cheng Xiaoshi death

No one should know about him.

"Why are you telling me this?" Lu Guang's heart was beating fast in his chest as he stared at the person in front of him.

The figure smiled.A smile that didn't reach their eyes. "Because you're making the same mistake."

"What mistake?" Lu Guang looked a little panicked at that moment.

"Believing you can save him from his death"

The words struck harder than any weapon.

"You're wrong." Lu Guang's voice was firm."I'll change it this time."

"No." The villain took a single step forward. "You'll break everything trying."

Thunder rumbled overhead. For the first time since returning to the past, Lu Guang felt genuine fear. Not because someone knew his secret. But because the person standing before him sounded absolutely certain of the future.

"Who are you?" Lu Guang asked again.

The figure began walking back into the darkness. "Ask me that after Cheng Xiaoshi dies again." and it was clear that they seemed to want to disappear into the darkness

Leaving Lu Guang alone with the rain...and the terrifying possibility that this timeline had already been doomed from the start.