My girlfriend is from the future!

Wen Liang's gaze shifted between the two of them, and she understood the unspoken understanding that flowed in the air...

This state of bewilderment—being able only to observe, unable to join the conversation, and completely clueless about the situation—caused a slight pang in her heart, because it highlighted how superfluous her presence felt…

For the first time in her life, she realized how uncomfortable it was to be an outsider; even just watching the show and observing the drama made her feel irritable.

Wen Liang remained in a sideways position, but the fingertips of her other hand, which was resting on the table, unconsciously slid back and forth across the surface, as if there were a progress bar on the table that could control the speed of the plot, wanting to quickly skip over the tacit acting between the two people in front of her.

"The next question..."

Finally, unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, Wen Liang took the initiative to break the silence between the two. Her "question and answer" with He Tianran was not over yet.

Upon hearing this, He Tianran finally turned his gaze to her, and Wen Liang, who had regained control of the conversation, quickly asked:
"I heard you mention some of Yu Naoqiu's matter in your office last time, but it seems that's not the whole story. The most important thing now is to finish what you were saying earlier. What exactly happened to you that requires me to sit with Cao Aiqing? Oh, right, I forgot you only had an appointment with Cao Aiqing today; I was just an unexpected guest."

After Wen Liang finished speaking, she switched hands to support her head, and turned her upper body away from He Tianran, leaving him with the back of her head. She couldn't read minds or read lips. Just now, the man and Cao Aiqing could communicate with a single glance and a single gesture, which was more effective than a thousand words. She couldn't do that.

So now when the man looks at her, she quickly turns her head away, as if she doesn't care about getting his attention.

Wen Liang's dissatisfaction was palpable, but as she said, the most urgent thing was to explain the situation clearly. He Tianran was trying to figure out how to start the conversation, since Wen Liang's appearance today was indeed not in his plan; it was entirely Cao Aiqing's arrangement.

"Let me explain..."

Cao Aiqing picked up the conversation, saying that the one who tied the knot must untie it, and first addressed He Tianran:
“Wenliang knows what happened at home last time. She was on the phone with me when you and Yu Naoqiu came back. Luckily, I didn’t hang up. She told me about Bai Lingye’s situation afterward, which led to Bai Lingye coming to see you today. Naturally, you notified me in time. As for why I asked Wenliang to come with me today…”

She first explained why Wen Liang knew about her breakup with He Tianran, and then continued:
"It's because I still can't be sure of what you said to me on Nanzhi Island that day... I need a witness."

"Who is the witness?"

After listening intently to everything, Wenliang turned around and asked:
"What exactly does that mean?"

If one hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, even Ai Qing would find it hard to believe such a thing...

He Tianran sighed inwardly, recalling the scene on the island that day. He took a deep breath, the breath carrying a slight tremor in his chest. His eyes no longer looked at anyone, but gradually became unfocused. His voice was so low it almost blended into the sound of the rain as he said:

"Not long ago, I confessed to Ai Qing that I... may no longer be the He Tianran you all know."

The moment the words fell, a pale white flash of lightning tore through the gloomy sky outside, revealing a mixture of exhaustion, confusion, and a hint of relief on He Tianran's face. Immediately afterward, rumbling thunder rolled in, as if to provide a heavy footnote to this opening statement.

Wen Liang's head left the hand that had been supporting her, and she unconsciously sat up straight. Cao Aiqing's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her hand on her knee tightened slightly, gripping the cool hem of her skirt.

"This kind of thing is hard to explain... Is it a mental illness? Is it a split personality? It's like... like another soul has taken up residence in the body."

He tried to describe it, speaking slowly, his brow furrowed, choosing each word carefully, as if each word was meant to rip out his heart and liver:
"And I am... that new soul... I am very certain of this, because when I first 'woke up,' I had no impression of this world, but from the little things in life, I could deeply realize that the original He Tianran 'had' his memories, 'his' preferences, 'his'... way of doing things."

Wen Liang's mind flashed back to He Tianran's completely different gaze on set, and some scattered fragments seemed to be pieced together by these vague yet frank words...

"Then...who were you...on the day we recorded the show?"

He Tianran raised his eyes, glanced quickly at Wen Liang, then quickly looked away, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of his mouth:

“As I said, it’s like a new soul has taken over a body. To distinguish myself from the original ‘He Tianran,’ I named myself ‘Author’ to handle daily work and life… But… there are three souls like me, or rather… personalities… The one you were filming with that day… was another one… I call him ‘Lead Singer’…”

At this point, he looked at Cao Aiqing again, seemingly understanding why she had asked Wen Liang to come see him this time.

The other party knew all this information, but Cao Aiqing had never seen her other self after the personality shift. So whether it was "multiple personalities" or "several extra souls in the body," these bizarre claims were based on Cao Aiqing's most primal trust in "He Tianran."

But trust doesn't mean she won't verify. For example, she might appear at home to personally witness He Tianran bringing Yu Naoqiu home; or today she might bring Wen Liang along to witness He Tianran's confession once again.

However, these confirmations were not coercive. If He Tianran hadn't insisted on doing so, Cao Aiqing would have accompanied him to receive treatment the moment she found out.

Hearing the man say these words again, Cao Aiqing's breathing became almost imperceptible, as if afraid of disturbing the extremely difficult self-disclosure that the man in front of her was undergoing.

She simply watched him quietly, like a deep sea, containing all his turbulent undercurrents.

"Then...why call him 'lead singer'?"

"That's because... that day at the balcony bar when he sang with you, that was his first appearance, and..."

"And what?"

He Tianran hesitated, but Wen Liang couldn't wait to press him for an answer.

"Moreover, he only appears when he's alone with you..."

"..."

"Wow..."

Wen Liang fell silent upon hearing this, while Cao Aiqing let out a soft hum, as if their roles had been reversed.

"You didn't mention this to me before~ And then? Why?"

Cao Aiqing uttered a sentence calmly, and He Tianran swallowed hard, then said haltingly:
"Actually... I don't fully understand either... Our memories... aren't consistent, it's like... we come from different times, or rather, from different stages..."

He appeared to be in great pain, repeatedly striking his forehead with his palms as if they were hammers.

His actions drew a glance from the two women, their eyes filled with worry. Wen Liang picked up the teapot on the table and poured him a cup of cold tea, while Cao Aiqing gently patted his back, comforting him:
"If you can't remember it right now, you can put it aside for the time being and give yourself a break."

Wenliang, who was pouring water, paused and suddenly said:

"No, Tianran, continue. Why does your other personality only appear when you are facing me?"

Wen Liang and Cao Aiqing were indeed very worried about He Tianran's condition, but their opinions differed here...

"Wen Liang, can't you see how much pain he's in right now?"

Seeing the man being pressured by another woman, Cao Aiqing unconsciously raised her voice a few decibels.

“I know, but are you just going to let him bottle this up like this? Why does he always give up at crucial moments? Cao Aiqing, don’t you want to know what’s really going on with him?” “I do want to know! But I’m more concerned about his mental state and personal safety. Neither you nor I are psychologists or therapists. If we force him like this and something goes wrong, will you take responsibility?”

Listening to the increasingly intertwined argument between the two women beside him, like ice and fire being simultaneously applied to He Tianran's taut nerves, his fist, which was pounding his temple, suddenly stopped.

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Cao Aiqing's gentle face filled with worry, finally settling on Wen Liang's burning eyes.

Besides worry, there was also a stubbornness to get to the bottom of things, and a hint of... a strange light that had quietly ignited due to being "specially treated," a light that even she herself might not have clearly noticed.

"Why... is the 'lead singer' treating you specially..."

He Tianran's voice was hoarse. He avoided Wen Liang's overly direct gaze and instead looked at the cup of tea that Wen Liang had pushed towards him on the table, which had already gone cold.
"I can't answer the specific memories; you'll have to ask the 'lead singer' when he appears next time. But there's a feeling we share..."

He's like someone who's been forgotten, with a... reckless impulse; his attraction to you is more instinctive than rational.

He paused, as if struggling to search for a suitable expression in a meager vocabulary:

"And you, Wenliang, you possess a... vibrant yet dangerous quality, like an uncontrollable fire. This quality is precisely what attracts him, or rather... only when faced with a presence as distinct and impactful as you can he be awakened, temporarily breaking through the suppression of his dominant consciousness, 'I.' To put it aptly..."

He was a moth, and you were the fire.

This explanation made Wen Liang's heart feel as if it had been suddenly squeezed by something, a feeling that was hard to describe as either a stinging pain or a kind of secret satisfaction.

She subconsciously raised her chin slightly, and the irritation she had felt from being excluded was strangely replaced by a subtle sense of superiority.

See, even in this absurd and bizarre situation, she is still the special one, the key that can activate another "him".

However, this subtle sense of triumph lasted only a moment.

Because Cao Aiqing spoke, her voice was still gentle, but like a breeze, it instantly dispersed the sparks that had just risen.

"So, natural..."

Cao Aiqing gently withdrew her fingertips from He Tianran's back, her gaze calmly fixed on him:
"Now that you've told us all this, what do you expect us to do? Do you want Wen Liang... to appear in front of you more often, so that the 'lead singer' will have more opportunities to appear? Or..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the subtext was crystal clear: she still hoped that I, the one who represents "reality," "order," and "permanence," would wisely step aside and make room for your more "instinctive" and "impulsive" clashes.

Wen Liang instantly understood the unspoken meaning, and a nameless anger flared up within him...

Cao Aiqing's words sounded considerate, but in reality, they placed Wen Liang in an extremely awkward situation—

If she takes the initiative to approach him, she will be seen as taking advantage of his vulnerability and using He Tianran's "illness" to satisfy her own selfish desires; if she backs down, it will be as if she admits that she is only fit to be a catalyst for a "youthful illusion" and cannot touch anything deeper.

"Cao Aiqing, what do you mean?"

Wen Liang's voice suddenly rose in pitch, carrying a distinct air of hostility:

"Is now the time to discuss who should appear and who should leave? The most urgent thing is to figure out what's really going on! If it's an illness, it needs to be treated!"

She deliberately used the word "illness" in an attempt to steer the conversation back on track and to bring Cao Aiqing's seemingly detached "goddess" demeanor down from its pedestal.

"You know he's sick now? Why didn't you say that before?"

"How can these be the same? Besides, after I asked him, he was still perfectly fine!"

"How can you be sure he'll always be 'good' like this?"

Caught between the two, He Tianran felt the invisible clash of swords in the air, his temples throbbing...

He realized that putting these two women in the same situation at the same time might be a huge mistake. Their ways of caring for him were completely different, like water and fire. If he let them continue like this, He Tianran, caught in the middle, might evaporate like water vapor before he could even finish solving his own problems.

"It's not what you think..."

He Tianran tried to explain, his voice weary:

“I’m telling you this not so you can…choose who to get close to and who to stay away from, but…but I need you to know that the current ‘me’ is very fragile, very unstable. The ‘lead singer’ is out of my control, and my rationality is often shaken. Yu Naoqiu is watching closely, and she seems to know this all too well…I…”

He rubbed his temples again, his pain evident in his expression.
“I’m afraid that one day, ‘I’ will disappear completely, or… be replaced by something else. At that time, at least… at least you will know who to look for, or… what to be wary of.”

What He Tianran wanted to say was that, at least the "author" personality currently inside him was rational.

And so it is.

These words were like a bucket of cold water, temporarily extinguishing the undercurrent of hostility between Wen Liang and Cao Aiqing. Both of them fell silent, their gazes refocusing on He Tianran. Beneath their forced composure lay an undisguised vulnerability and unease.

Looking at him like that, Wen Liang's secret joy caused by his "special" status vanished without a trace, replaced by a heavy sense of sorrow.

She suddenly realized that whether she could rouse the "lead singer" or the "author," the man in front of her was like a drowning person struggling in a raging storm, and any conflict between them could become the last straw that broke his back.

Cao Aiqing sighed softly, a sigh filled with complex emotions. She reached out, not to pat him, but to gently place her hand on the back of He Tianran's clenched fist, her warm body temperature passing through his slightly cool skin.

"we know."

She spoke softly, her gaze fixed on Wen Liang. Her eyes no longer held scrutiny or competition, but rather a helpless understanding, as if to say—

Look, this is the mess we all have to deal with.

Wen Liang received the look in her eyes and turned her face away.

The rain had gradually stopped, and the dark clouds had parted a bit, letting in a few slivers of pale sunlight.

She tapped the table with her fingers in frustration, and finally, as if making a decision, turned back, her tone stiff but with an undeniable resolve:
"Alright, stop looking like the sky is falling. There's always a way to cure an illness."

Now, He Tianran, explain yourself clearly: besides the 'lead singer,' what's the background of the third 'soul'? Don't suddenly jump out and scare us. Also, why are you so wary of Yu Naoqiu? (End of Chapter)