Lin Xiao found it difficult to separate the timelines in his mind, and every time he tried to engage in a normal conversation, fragments of his other life slipped through, making his words seem disjointed or odd.
Thankfully, his classmates didn't seem to think too much of it. Most of them probably assumed it was just Lin Xiao getting back to normal after his coma, and they brushed past the awkwardness without a second thought.
But Lin Xiao knew something was off. He was straddling two realities, two sets of memories, and it was affecting how he interacted with people in this timeline.
He hadn't yet spoken to Chen Manyao or Zhang Wei, who were among the few he had shared significant experiences with in the other timelines, but he knew that conversation would be even more difficult.
How could he talk to them as if nothing had happened when, in his mind, they had once been part of something much larger—something they didn't even remember?
As the bell rang and the next class started, Lin Xiao resolved to keep a low profile for the rest of the day. He didn't want to draw any more attention to himself, especially while his mind was still sorting through the chaotic overlap of his two sets of memories.
For now, it was enough to know that he was back in the prime timeline, where things were relatively normal—at least on the surface.
But deep down, Lin Xiao couldn't shake the feeling that this sense of normalcy wouldn't last.
The system's new mission feature, the countdown to unlocking his class, and the strange, lingering memories of his other timelines were all pointing toward something bigger. Something was coming, and Lin Xiao would need to be ready for it.
As the bell rang for lunch, signaling the start of the break, Lin Xiao sighed with a sense of quiet relief. The morning had been a blur of half-hearted conversations and memories overlapping in strange ways.
Although he had expected his return to school to feel odd, it was becoming clearer with each passing moment that balancing the memories of two different timelines was going to be more challenging than he had anticipated.
He stood up, grabbing his lunch box from his bag, and headed outside, deciding to retreat to a familiar place—his usual spot by the large tree near the back of the schoolyard. It was quiet there, shaded from the sun by the thick branches above, and it gave him a moment of peace away from the chaos of the classrooms.
As Lin Xiao walked through the courtyard, he passed groups of students chatting and laughing, their lives unchanged by the things that weighed so heavily on his mind.
For them, everything was just as it had always been, but for him, it was like living in two worlds at once. Every glance, every face reminded him of moments that had never happened in this timeline, and yet they felt so real.
When he finally reached the tree, he sighed and sat down, leaning against the sturdy trunk. It was comforting, this spot. It had been his go-to place even before the coma, a quiet refuge from the noise of the school.
Opening his lunch box, he took out his food and started eating, grateful for the silence. For a moment, everything seemed almost normal again—just him, the breeze rustling the leaves above, and the soft warmth of the sun filtering through the branches.
But that moment of calm didn't last long.
As Lin Xiao took another bite of his lunch, he caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye.
He turned his head slightly and saw Chen Manyao walking toward the tree. His heart skipped a beat, and for a brief second, a rush of memories from the other timeline flooded his mind. In that other life, he had known her well. They had shared conversations, experiences—things that didn't exist here.
Chen Manyao didn't see him at first. She approached the tree like she usually did, likely planning to sit down and eat her lunch in the same peaceful spot, just as she had done many times before.
But as she got closer, her gaze landed on Lin Xiao. For a moment, their eyes met, and Lin Xiao froze, unsure of what to do or say. A part of him wanted to call out to her, to reconnect, but another part of him knew it wouldn't be the same. She wouldn't remember the things they had shared in the other timeline.
Chen Manyao's expression flickered with surprise, and then something else—maybe hesitation? Lin Xiao couldn't quite read her face, but whatever it was, it was enough to make her stop in her tracks. She stood there for a second, looking at him as if deciding what to do, but then, without a word, she turned around and walked away.
Lin Xiao was speechless.
He watched her retreating figure, his mind racing with questions. Why had she left so abruptly? Did she feel the same strange disconnect that he did, or was it something else? He didn't know what to make of it. In the past, Chen Manyao had always been friendly, always willing to talk, but now... it was as if something invisible had built a wall between them.
Lin Xiao let out a soft sigh and leaned back against the tree, staring up at the sky through the branches. The sun shone down, casting dappled shadows across the ground, but it did little to brighten his mood. He felt more alone than ever, sitting there under the tree with his lunch half-finished, his mind lost in the tangled web of memories and timelines.
The encounter with Chen Manyao left a bitter taste in his mouth, though he couldn't fully understand why. It wasn't like they had ever been close in this timeline, but the other version of him, the one from the previous timeline, remembered her differently.
Lin Xiao set his lunch down and closed his eyes, trying to push the thoughts away. He needed to focus on the present, on this timeline, but it was proving harder than he had expected. The system hadn't given him much to go on about what his next mission would be, and while the new features intrigued him, they didn't help with the confusion swirling in his head.