Chapter 1: Prologue: Time Hopelessly Stuck on This Day

Inside the room.

The light was dim and obscure.

The air conditioner ran quietly, sending out a steady cool breeze that kept the indoor temperature at a comfortable level.

Who knows how much time had passed, when suddenly a glimmer of light lit up on the bedside, illuminating a small patch of darkness around it. And on the phone's lit-up display screen, a call display page appeared as expected.

The next moment——

In the instant just before the noisy ringtone was about to sound——

A slender hand reached out accurately, gently swiped, and dismissed this sudden incoming call right on the lock screen. Clearly just a simple, simple action, yet it strangely carried a feeling of precision.

Immediately after, the figure on the bed sat straight up.

Doing nothing, just purely sitting there, not moving at all.

Under the glow of the light emitted from the phone screen beside him, faintly, like a sculpture placed in the room.

"……"

"……"

In this dim space and environment, only the light belonging to the phone was lit at the bedside, but as time passed second by second, the screen timeout seemed to have reached its limit, turning dim.

About to plunge completely into darkness.

It was also at this final critical moment that the figure finally moved with precision, as if timing it to the second.

Picked up the phone.

Walked to the window side.

Borrowing the last few seconds of faint brightness, he arrived at the window side, and in the instant the phone's light completely disappeared and the whole room fell back into darkness, he reached out and with a *swish*——

Pulled open the tightly drawn dark curtains.

Blinding!

A beam of sunlight bright to the point of dazzling, the moment the curtains were pulled open, suddenly burst into this room shrouded in darkness.

Standing before the window, he slightly half-closed his eyes.

Even though this matter had been done countless times, the drastic change in light still made his pupils unable to adapt immediately. But the movements of his hands were not slow at all, instead very smoothly he pulled open the window.

Naturally, in that instant——

The heat wave from outside, accompanied by the incessant cicada cries……

The vivid breath of midsummer, incomparably vigorous vitality and surging high-temperature passion, rushed straight at his face just like that.

After all, it was already approaching noon, and for the midsummer season, this was undoubtedly the time when the scorching heat was most unbridled. The sunlight scorched the earth like raging fire, releasing its might without mercy.

The leaves seemed exceptionally emerald green, as if exploding with nature's vitality under the high temperature, yet also drooped their heads powerlessly after long hours of baking, unwillingly bowing to the scorching heat.

In this blazing summer, even the wind became overbearing, no longer bringing the slightest coolness, but instead bringing gusts of hot air rushing at the face. The air was permeated with the taste of heat waves, making one feel suffocated.

Another day like this……

Another identical day……

The young man stood before the window for a good while, in those listless eyes, there seemed to be an irrepressible weariness and an indescribable hollowness.

A completely predictable day. A day you can see the end of at a glance.

Just like his phone he hadn't looked at today, the four unread messages in WeChat, and a thirteen-second voice message, forever always that same monotonous uniformity.

Not the slightest novelty.

"You useless old thing——!! Dead man's head——!!!"

Downstairs suddenly erupted a burst of extremely loud, and extremely unpleasant screaming and cursing, that was a certain auntie's signature loud voice, the most troublesome old woman in this community, whom everyone avoids, doing her daily routine.

He stood before the window listening quietly, not surprised at all, his eyes holding only calm, and calm…… despair.

Yes, not the slightest novelty.

Not a bit.

He knew that sharp voice would grow louder and louder, the tone becoming increasingly hysterical, and in the next eleven seconds, this sound would reach an intolerable limit.

Afterwards, one minute thirty-four seconds later, that door downstairs would be slammed shut heavily, emitting a deafening sound……

He knew, at the time point one hour fourteen minutes later, a delivery rider would be stopped at the community gate, the rider's anxiety and impatience would clash most directly with the security guard grandpa's suddenly online sense of responsibility.

Both sides' quarrel would rapidly escalate into physical conflict within one minute forty-four seconds, fists and feet flying, fighting exceptionally fiercely. In the end, both would be detained into the station.

He knew, two hours later, that high school student in the opposite building, because of immense pressure and fear, unable to face the college entrance exam results to be released in a few days, would choose to climb onto the rooftop wanting to jump down.

Caused a huge commotion, even local TV station reporters came, but in the end that kid didn't dare jump down, shrank back himself……

…………

Xia Zhi also knew many, many more things, whether those that had already happened under everyone's watchful eyes, or those still hidden in the shadows.

He is an observer, and also a recorder, always knowing those hidden secrets, or facts ignored by people.

But precisely because of this——

Not the slightest novelty.

A completely predictable day. A day you can see the end of at a glance.

Gazing at the sun-baked cement ground downstairs in the community, looking at those mottled light spots cast through the shade of the landscaping trees, he didn't know for the how many-th time he gave rise to an extremely strong feeling, feeling that all this was like an unreal long dream.

The things that happened today……

Distant as if it were a previous life.

So long he could no longer remember clearly, and there was no necessity to remember anymore. Just as he could no longer recall how long ago the initial beginning was, but still vaguely remembered his initial suspicion and confusion, shock and impact, and the unbelieving wild joy……

In short, at that time he had not realized the severity of the matter, and did not know that all gifts bestowed by fate had long been secretly marked with prices.

He merely immersed himself in his own joy, enjoying this new freedom, feeling incomparable excitement and delight, as if the whole world belonged to him.

Viewing this world with a brand new perspective.

Using a brand new way to explore and create.

And when every day is the same day, when every step repeats the past's trajectory, when every moment is like yet another reenactment of the past, then the result naturally becomes a matter of course.

——All things that happen on this day, whether they occur in the homes nearby, or in Times Square on the other side of the Earth……

——All people in this world, whether their names, or their interpersonal relationships, or all their life experiences up to now……

——All languages and scripts on this Earth, regardless of whether they belong to mainstream countries or regions, or to those minority tribes that do not enter the circle of civilization……

——All types of books existing in this era, having watched all movies and documentaries, naturally also involves all newspapers, interviews, news, reports……

Slowly, memory uncontrollably blurs, and also becomes protracted and disorderly, like a river with no end, sedimented with countless joys and sorrows. He has already forgotten that beginning, yet still cannot see the end.

Too distant a distance, no matter how one struggles, cannot escape.

Too many repetitions of repetition, as if all efforts are merely spinning in place.

In the futile and sorrowful, endless reincarnation that repeats again and again with no end in sight, the finite end will ultimately return to nothing…… Every day is like a copy of the previous day, without any freshness, without any anticipation.

When one no longer rejoices for the cycle itself, all that remains is bitterness.

Because everything will reset when the next day arrives.

There is no change whatsoever, nor can any trace be left behind.

————

Outside the window, the scorching sun hangs high in the sky, blazing sunlight covers the earth, cicada cries reverberate in the scorching wind, Xia Zhi silently watches this scene. Just like that, a moment passes, before he slowly withdraws his gaze.

Lowering his eyes, he looks at the phone in his hand.

The instant his gaze just now falls upon it, the screen has already lit up with perfect timing, the incoming call display icon jumping out once again.

Still the same number as before.

After a slight moment of consideration, he presses the answer key.

"Xia Zhi!! Why didn't you come to work today, it's already nearly twelve noon!!"

From the other end of the phone, an impatient angry voice comes through, "And you didn't reply to messages, and kept hanging up on me, what's going on! Don't want to work then get lost!! I'm telling you, if you won't do it there are plenty of people who will!!"

"……"

"……"

Listening to that voice from the phone that has become strange, he doesn't care in the least about the aggression and malice within it, only his eyes, amidst the calm, reveal a moment of trance.

Today is June 21, Xia Zhi.

This is the most romantic season of the year, cicadas begin to sing, half summer grows, hibiscus blooms.

The passion of sunlight and the vigor of life, all things grow robust and lush to the extreme here, yang qi also reaches its extreme.

This is also the most regrettable day of the year, because summer has already reached its extreme, from here on it can only decline after flourishing, so from tomorrow onward, every day will be shorter, every night longer.

However, he feels no romance, nor regret——

Because today will not pass.

Tomorrow will not arrive.

Time hopelessly stops at this day.

————

(PS: Rookie new book, please guide me……ヾ(ω`)o)

(Chapter End)