My girlfriend is from the future!

There aren't many telephone booths on the Republic of China Street. After all, historically speaking, these things were rare back then. Moreover, in the empty film studio after the site was cleared out, the sharp sound of the telephone ringing could be heard clearly from a great distance.

"Ring ring ring—ring ring ring—ring ring ring—"

He Tianran and his two companions stood in front of an old red telephone booth, not in a hurry to go in, but looking at the rules for entering the booth posted outside.

"Only one person is allowed to enter the phone booth at a time. Time inside the booth is accelerated five times. The first person to enter the booth will answer the echoes of the past. After the first person enters the booth, they can ask questions to the next person to enter the booth. The person asking the questions can give a reward or punishment of plus or minus 30 minutes based on the latter’s answer, and add a private message."

After reciting the above words, He Tianran turned to the two women behind him and said:
"The rules aren't too complicated, so who wants to go first?"

"Time will speed up inside. Your survival time is about to reach an even number, isn't it? Why don't you go in first? Anyway, there will be another person waiting for you when you come out. Every minute counts, so you don't have to keep running around."

Wen Liang made the suggestion, and Bai Lingye nodded in agreement. He Tianran thought it made sense and stopped refusing, then pushed open the door and entered the phone booth.

The phone was an old-fashioned dial phone model; it was just a metal shell, and there couldn't possibly be any chips or circuits inside. After all, you wouldn't normally give it a close-up in a movie. However, for better effect, the production team seemed to have installed an automatic answering device in the microphone, and the ringing sound we just heard was from that device.

He Tianran picked up the microphone and held it to his ear. Just as he was pondering the meaning of the so-called "echoes of the past," a deep, admonishing voice came through the receiver:
"If the production team hasn't made a mistake, then the person answering the phone now should be He Tianran. If you're not, then hang up now and tell your PD that Director He is just entertaining himself. Have them play another audio message, because the next few messages will all be busy signals, and busy signals also count as time... *beep*"

"..."

He Tianran's hair stood on end. Wen Liang, seeing that he was silent, patted the glass, then leaned closer and pressed her face against it, her lips moving in an exaggerated "Did you hear something?" gesture. When the man in the pavilion looked at her, he twitched his lips, shrugged, and remained noncommittal.

"Beep-beep-beep-"

The busy tone on the microphone seemed to have been ringing for a long time, but He Tianran kept holding the microphone and did not put it down.

"Beep-tap!"

If you count one minute as five minutes, you've already wasted ten minutes. If you weren't He Tianran, I find it hard to imagine anyone wasting so much time on a phone call that's clearly a prank. So… He Tianran, listen carefully to what I'm about to say, and remember every word. This is a recording I arranged beforehand. You don't need to answer…”

He Tianran was all too familiar with this way of speaking, with a low tone and heavy enunciation; it was his voice…

It's another self inside him, using this method to communicate with him.

"I discovered that there are three selves in my body: you, me, and He Tianran, whom I call 'the boy'. The 'boy' is too immature, so I was created to handle some daily interpersonal interactions and work matters. Are you not very good at these things either? Or do you not like them and don't care about them at all?"

In any case, this isn't the first time I've tried to contact you, but if the usual methods could wake you up, I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of using the show to do this.

The 'young man' will not show himself unless necessary. I have handled all external matters very well. No one has noticed anything unusual about 'He Tianran' except... there is one exception. That is the female teacher in the mansion. Her true identity is a psychologist. Her appearance was deliberately arranged by me. But after today, you must not have any contact with her. She is dangerous. I will handle it.

She must have already shown you that letter of complaint. The handwriting should be familiar, right? It should have made you realize that something was wrong with you, right? That's a cruel memory that the boy and I shared. But I don't know why, out of the three of us, you're the only one who doesn't reject or hate it... Wen Liang.

In fact, you only appear when she's around. Why is that?
I originally thought you were the original owner of this body, but I met someone else recently that made me doubt that idea. She is... Cao Aiqing, and also... He Tianran's real girlfriend.

If you were the original owner, you shouldn't have backed down when you saw her. We are one person, and I can feel how you feel. You can face Wen Liang but you don't dare to face her, which is something I can't understand.

Therefore, there should still be another original personality sleeping inside our body. I am now trying to awaken it and get this body back on track as soon as possible. This is why I have tried to contact you. There seems to be some special connection between you and Wen Liang. She can not only awaken you, but also seems to be a key that can unlock your memories. Or perhaps she herself has some special characteristics.

If possible, please try to explore and guide her in this direction. I will create opportunities for you two to be alone together in public. You can tell her about our relationship with some discretion, but please be careful. Also, please understand that 'the boy' and I cannot face her calmly. Only you can do this..."

Listening to the other He Tianran's instructions over the microphone, the "lead singer" looked out of the pavilion again. Wen Liang nervously gestured to him with her wristwatch, indicating that the call had gone on for too long. She pressed herself against the glass, her face showing a cute expression of three parts worry and seven parts reproach.

"There's one last thing I need to make clear..."

The man couldn't help but reach out, his index finger bent, wanting to gently brush against the girl's nose even through the glass. But as the words on the receiver gradually became complete, his hand slowly hovered in mid-air.

"We are destined to be just passersby in this world..."

Outside the phone booth, Wen Liang watched his paused movements, her cheeks slightly flushed, her eyes filled with curiosity and doubt. In her line of sight, the man who was answering the phone in the phone booth seemed to have heard some bad news, and the smile that had been on his lips just moments before gradually faded away.

"Our presence is a disease that erodes He Tianran's happiness, a trigger that steers him off course from his original life. So, don't linger too long here. There are many things we cannot decide for this body, and we cannot give an explanation to those around us..."

Just like the content I planned for this episode: Why are you in the apocalypse? Why are your memories disappearing? Why are you the original sin? Why is it that only one person here can escape today...

You should know what I mean.

There will only be one He Tianran in this world...

We are not worthy.

Another voice, He Tianran's, carrying a tone akin to a death sentence, ended the first conversation between the two personalities.

Will I...disappear?

one more time.

He Tianran, who seemed to exist solely for one person, had no answer in his heart, but he could certainly see a Damocles' sword hanging high above his head, its cold light sharp, ready to fall at any moment...

The program team played the audio message again through the receiver, which roughly said that Yanggang Railway Station was the escape point for this apocalypse, and that people could go there to find more clues.

At the end of the audio recording, the production team also prompted him that he could now nominate the next person to enter the pavilion and leave a question for the next person to answer.

"..."

The phone booth was very soundproof. Wen Liang, who had been watching He Tianran, quickly pressed her ear against the glass when he finally started to speak, but unfortunately, she didn't hear a single word. Instead, the man caught her doing this. Wen Liang felt a little guilty, but then she saw a smile bloom on the other man's face again, and for no reason, she felt relieved.

After leaving his question, He Tianran pushed open the door of the phone booth and walked out.

Bai Lingye said, "It must be very important information, since it took so long."

He Tianran nodded. "Yes, he talked about a lot of the past, and in the end, he told us to go to the train station to look for clues. If nothing unexpected happens, that's the escape point..."

As he spoke, he turned to Wen Liang and said, "Hurry up and go in. If no one else goes in soon, the men in black will probably come out and chase me." "Why me!"

Wen Liang was very dissatisfied.

"Who told you to say I was lying and deduct my time? I have to get my revenge!"

"Hmph, I knew you were up to no good!"

Although she complained, Wen Liang was afraid that if she neglected her duties for too long, the men in black would emerge from some nook or cranny like zombies, so she quickly walked into the phone booth.

How much time do you have left?

Bai Lingye asked out of curiosity.

"Five hours and fifty-four minutes, wow, that phone call I just made lasted thirteen minutes, multiplied by five, that's a whole hour gone. But now I don't have to hide from odd-numbered hours anymore, right?"

He Tianran was surprised by his own time, while Bai Lingye remained calm.

"Actually, odd or even numbers aren't that important anymore. It just comes down to whether or not there are men in black chasing you."

Recalling the first time he met Bai Lingye today, she was acting alone, He Tianran waved his hand:

"That's you, isn't it? Your skills can ensure your safety when facing the man in black alone. My skills are almost useless now... By the way, what is the real effect of your 'Possession' skill again?"

……

……

"...The clock at a certain location has been affected by the rules of the apocalypse. If something is to leave on time, someone must pull the clock on the top floor. Each time it is pulled, one hour of survival time will be lost."

Wen Liang noted down the hints given on the phone. If He Tianran hadn't said earlier that he was going to the train station to look for clues, she might have thought this message was about dispersing the men in black or something. Now, after a little thought, she realized it was probably about the train station's bell, which, when pulled, would make the train depart on time.

Of course, that wasn't the end of the call. After a busy signal, the receiver played a recording left by He Tianran asking questions—

"If you were with the person you love, what would you most like to do with them?"

It was a very simple question, yet it left Wen Liang somewhat stunned.

She subconsciously glanced at He Tianran outside the pavilion. He was chatting with Bai Lingye, looking rather pathetic. He had probably been penalized for being too glib again, which made her want to laugh.

Because she really didn't want to show the man her expression when answering his questions, she immediately turned her back. At the same time, her mind was racing, as if a whole bunch of thoughts were about to bloom. So many ideas and thoughts came rushing in, making the girl stammer, opening her mouth and then closing it again, not knowing where to begin.

Admittedly, this was just a slightly ambiguous but harmless question about love, and He Tianran might have just wanted to add some buzz to the show when he asked it. But Wen Liang seemed unusually serious and uncertain about it.

"What I most want to do together... um... I've imagined so many plans, but now that I think about it, they're not so... realistic..."

As Wen Liang answered, she recalled what she had heard, and it seemed as if she heard some murmured thoughts drifting from somewhere...

"We need to meet at least five times a week. If we can't meet, we need to let the other person know. And when we go on a date, the other person can't say no!"

"I should be able to see my loved ones often, but my job makes it really inconvenient. Even if I were to go on a date, as a public figure, I would be disturbed..."

"We should share our lives with each other, and not hide our sadness. We should discuss things together, without concealing anything or making decisions on our own!"

"If I could really have a lover with whom I could share my life and discuss things together, that would be wonderful. But... these are all ideal scenarios. If there really were someone in the world who was a perfect match for me, I would actually feel... scared. He understands me so well, but do I... understand him?"

"You should introduce your partner to your mutual friends, openly acknowledge that your partner is your other half, meet each other's parents, and get the approval and blessings of both sets of parents."

"Moreover, I can't say for sure right now... If I were in a relationship, would I have the courage to openly and honestly declare it? The other person's character is one thing, but me... I love my career, but I'm not sure if I can maintain a balance between my career and my relationship, and I'm even less sure if my expertise will be recognized in the market, so as not to shake our feelings for each other..."

Wen Liang seemed to be asking and answering herself, with the innocent and romantic words from her teenage years echoing in her ears. However, no matter how joyful the romantic fantasies contained in those ramblings were, when she actually spoke them, they became hesitant and stammering.

So, has the girl who said "I will definitely run to you" changed?
No, she has just grown up.

Starting this year, her career has become increasingly brilliant, but she has also overcome the setbacks, slander, and disappointments in her career over the years step by step. This has taught her the necessary restraint and balance, because not all roses will bloom, and more often they wither in the wind and rain.

She just didn't want this kind of ending.

"I've given up a lot for my career, both big and small, and I've also had fantasies about love, for example..."

This time, instead of hearing the words, as if afraid of being contradicted again, she spoke comfortingly through her lips:
"For example, I'd really like to get a tattoo with my loved one, because I feel it's a kind of... a manifestation of loving the other person to the core, haha. Maybe I'm just naturally extreme. Thinking about it now, it was really childish. Not to mention that I'd have to wear concealer in front of the camera after getting the tattoo, which would be a burden on the staff, my dad would kill me if he found out... hahahaha..."

As she spoke, she laughed, but as she laughed, a bittersweet feeling welled up in her eyes, and her voice grew lower and lower, more and more cautious:
"If, if I could really be with the person I love, and if we absolutely had to do something, then I would only have one wish... I hope... I hope he truly loves me, and we... we..."

Wen Liang, unable to contain herself any longer, slowly turned her head. Even though she knew her expression wasn't good, not pretty, somewhat vulnerable, and somewhat disheveled, she still hoped to see someone within her sight and say with certainty:
"We...will be together forever."

In her eyes, there was only the desolate, deserted street.

A few seconds later, the girl silently turned her head and hung up the phone. She stared at the back of her left hand, which was still holding the receiver, and remained silent for a long, long time.

A familiar yet sorrowful feeling swept over her. She slowly took a breath, then raised her head, her lips trembling as she exhaled.

She then walked out of the unanswered phone booth.

"Ding--"

At that moment, Wen Liang's smartwatch vibrated in sync with her heartbeat; it was a private message.

"I heard you, that's a good answer, I'll give you another thirty minutes (laughs)." (End of Chapter)