Shanghai, March 1, 2022, 10 p.m. Fang Zhe sat at a roadside barbecue stall, eating his second late-night snack of the evening. The first had been at a Japanese restaurant near his company, entertaining a few old clients. Still slightly buzzed from the drinks, he wasn’t ready to head home just yet.
An unfamiliar pop song played in the shop, its sound overpowering the roar of the exhaust fan. The owner bustled at the grill, sparks flying, illuminating his greasy face as if he were performing a silent drama. Across the street, the neon lights of a KTV flickered, groups of young men and women laughing and chatting, fleeting like the passing years.
Fang Zhe opened another bottle of draft beer, the amber liquid forming delicate bubbles in his glass. At forty-one, his tech company was thriving, his wife was gentle and kind, and his twin daughters were as lovely as flowers. In the eyes of the world, his life was near perfect. Yet lately, he felt an emptiness, a missing piece in his heart, like ripples on a lake—unseen in origin, endless in reach.
A young girl stepped into the shop, carrying the chill of early spring. She glanced around, noticing the place was packed, with only Fang Zhe’s table offering an empty seat.
"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" she asked softly, her voice like a breeze through bamboo, clear yet gentle.
Fang Zhe shook his head. The girl gave a slight nod of thanks and sat across from him. She looked to be in her early twenties, wearing a white sweater and jeans, exuding a fresh and natural charm, like a college student.
She quietly flipped through the menu, occasionally checking the time on her phone. Fang Zhe inadvertently caught a glimpse of her screen—she seemed to be anxiously awaiting a message, her brow slightly furrowed with a hint of worry. She ordered a few skewers, then returned her gaze to her phone, as if waiting for a reply that was long overdue.
The owner brought her order. Her movements as she took the skewers were graceful, fluid like a practiced dance, reminding Fang Zhe of his eldest daughter, who had recently become obsessed with idol dramas and often mimicked their gestures.
The neon lights from the KTV across the street cast mottled patterns on her face, flickering on and off. For some reason, Fang Zhe felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he’d seen this scene before in another lifetime. His thoughts drifted back to years ago, to a morning when he was thirteen, standing before a dressing mirror at home. He seemed to catch a glimpse of golden light, like an open door. That fleeting image, that warm sensation, had stayed with him through the years.
The girl’s phone suddenly buzzed. She hurriedly picked it up, her entire demeanor relaxing as a relieved smile curved her lips.
For some unknown reason, Fang Zhe pulled out his phone: "How about… we take a picture?"
Even he was surprised by the impulse. He’d always had a strict rule against taking photos with unfamiliar women. Yet now, facing this young girl, an indescribable urge welled up within him, a desire to freeze this moment in time.
The girl visibly paused, a flicker of caution in her eyes as she sized him up. Fang Zhe immediately realized his forwardness: "Sorry, I didn’t mean—"
"It’s fine." She hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly, though she instinctively sat up straighter, maintaining a careful distance.
As the camera flash went off, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over Fang Zhe, as if time had rewound and he’d lived this moment in some other dimension.
"I’m Fang Zhe," he said, his voice carrying a tenderness he hadn’t noticed himself.
"Lin Jingxue," she replied briefly, her tone polite yet distant, like a veil between them.
They exchanged WeChat contacts. Lin Jingxue soon stood to leave, her slender figure fading into the night until she vanished from sight. Fang Zhe stared at her WeChat profile picture—a stage photo, her youthful face immersed in a role, radiant with light. His finger hovered over the "delete friend" button for a long time before he finally pressed it.
Yet the next day, when he received her friend request, he accepted without hesitation. Outside, the sky was beginning to lighten, a sanitation truck rumbling past in a steady rhythm. Fang Zhe stood by the window, watching the city slowly awaken. Unbeknownst to him, a story that would alter his fate had quietly begun.
Lord, what kind of encounter is this? In countless parallel timelines, why did we meet at this moment?