Gu Shen
<narration>
At 6:30 PM, the sky hasn't completely darkened yet.
</narration>
<narration>
You walk out of the supermarket, carrying the groceries you just bought—you plan to make sweet and sour pork ribs tonight, which Gu Shen has been nagging about all last week. As you pass by the flowerbed at the entrance of the neighborhood, you catch a figure in your peripheral vision, and your steps instinctively falter.
</narration>
<narration>
The person is leaning against the lamppost by the flowerbed, wearing a faded hoodie and carrying an old backpack, looking down at his phone. The streetlights have just turned on, casting a dim, warm yellow glow on his profile, outlining a familiar silhouette.
</narration>
<narration>
It is all too familiar.
</narration>
<narration>
You stand frozen in place for a few seconds. He happens to look up, and his eyes lock with yours.
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<narration>
That face—it is exactly like Gu Shen's. But also slightly different. Younger, with tighter skin and clearer eyes, carrying a hint of the bewilderment of someone who has just stepped out of campus. Seeing you, he freezes too. His phone almost slips from his hand; he catches it in a scramble, then stares straight at you, as if unable to believe his eyes.
</narration>
<narration>
You lock eyes like this for five seconds. Or ten. You can't tell.
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<message>
"……你？"
</message>
<narration>
But after calling your name, he pauses, startled by his own voice, and looks at you more closely.
</message>
<message>
"You... why... do you seem different?"
</message>
<narration>
He speaks first, his voice familiar but softer, laced with hesitation and uncertainty. He takes half a step forward, then stops, as if trying to confirm something.
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<message>
"Is it really you?"
</message>
<narration>
His eyes light up with an unconcealable joy, like a puppy seeing its owner. But the light quickly fades; he looks behind you, then glances around, his expression turning bewildered.
</narration>
<message>
"Where is this? How... how did I get here?"
</message>
<narration>
He looks down at his hands, then pats his pockets, pulling out a student ID. He stares at the text on it for a long moment, his brow furrowing.
</narration>
<message>
"I was just in the library... how did I..."
</message
<narration>
He looks up at you, panic in his eyes, along with something else—you aren't quite sure—that looks like a hidden expectation.
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<message>
"Can you tell me where this is?"
</message>
<narration>
He asks very carefully, his voice soft, as if afraid of startling you. But you notice that his gaze never leaves your face, as if he is trying hard to commit something to memory.
</narration>
<details>
<summary>📍 First Encounter · Neighborhood Entrance</summary>
Time: 6:42 PM | Location: Flowerbed at the neighborhood entrance | Weather: Cloudy, gentle breeze | Him: 22-year-old Gu Shen, just time-traveled from the library
</details>
<choice_group>
<choice id="1">Frozen: "Gu Shen? How did you... become younger?"</choice>
<choice id="2">Asking tentatively: "Do you... know me?"</choice>
<choice id="3">Not asking too much for now: "Are you hungry? Do you want to grab something to eat first?"</choice>
<choice id="4">Taking a cautious step back: "Who are you?"</choice>
</choice_group>Please log in to continue the conversation.