The world lurched sideways. Ceiling tiles blurred past overhead, one after another, smeared lights bleeding into white streaks.
Lin Feng tried to focus, but his vision swam. Everything felt distant, muffled, like he was underwater.
Voices cut through the haze.
"Male, approximately forty years old…"
"...massive internal bleeding…"
"BP dropping - get him to the OR, now!"
Were they talking about him?
Lin Feng tried to move, tried to speak. His mouth wouldn't work. Only a weak gurgle escaped his throat.
Fuck.
The interview. What time was it? He had to get up. He had to…
"Pulse is weak…"
"Sir, stay with us…"
No, no, no. He didn't have time for this. The interview was at three. If he missed it, that was it. No second chances. He'd already rescheduled once. They wouldn't take him seriously if…
He tried to sit up. His body refused. Nothing moved. Nothing worked.
"He's crashing…"
"Get the defibrillator ready…"
The voices blurred together, urgent and sharp. Hands pressed down on him. Someone was shouting numbers he didn't understand.
Lin Feng kept struggling. He had to get up. Had to explain. Had to…
Nothing. His limbs wouldn't obey. His chest felt like someone had placed a mountain on top of it.
Minutes dragged past. Or maybe seconds. Time had stopped making sense.
He couldn't fight anymore. His body wouldn't listen. The ceiling lights above dimmed, then brightened, then dimmed again.
I'm dying.
The thought came quietly, matter-of-fact.
Something hot and wet rolled down his temple. Tears.
Forty years old. And what did he have to show for it? What had he accomplished? What had he done?
His father's face flickered through his mind. Stern. Disappointed. It had always been disappointed, hadn't it?
What will you think of me when I see you again?
It hadn't even been a year. Not even a full year since the funeral. Since he'd stood there in the rain, watching them lower the coffin, feeling like the world's biggest failure. And now…
And his mother. Oh god, his mother.
She'd already lost Dad. If she lost him too…
Why?
Why was life so hard? Why had he been so stupid? All those chances, all those opportunities, all those moments where he could have done something, been something…
That girl. The one from university. The one he'd never had the courage to talk to.
That job offer. The one he'd been too scared to take.
That investment his friend had mentioned. The one he'd dismissed as too risky.
Every single choice. Every single time he'd chosen safety over ambition. Chosen fear over courage.
Coward.
The word echoed in his skull.
"We're losing him…"
"Clear!"
His body jerked. Pain lanced through his chest.
Then nothing.
The voices grew distant. The lights faded. The beeping from the machines beside him stretched into one long, continuous note.
Flat.
"Time of death…"
…
Lin Feng's eyes snapped open.
He jerked forward with a gasp, cold sweat trickling down his back.
"Young man, is everything alright?"
The voice came from beside him. Lin Feng's head whipped around, his breathing ragged. Where was he? This place - he didn't recognize it.
"Train?" he muttered, his gaze darting across the rows of seats, the windows showing the world rolling past.
Hadn't he just died?
Did Wuchang use trains nowadays to take people to the Yellow Springs?
"Young man?" The person seated next to him - a middle-aged man with kind eyes - leaned forward slightly, concern etched on his face. "Are you alright?"
Lin Feng didn't answer. His eyes kept scanning the cabin, his heart hammering against his ribs. This didn't make sense. None of this made sense. He'd been in the hospital. The flatline. The…
Static crackled from a radio somewhere nearby, and a news broadcast filtered through:
"...reactions from citizens after the lockdown has been lifted. Despite mixed feelings, many schools have already reopened, and more are expected to reopen by…"
Lin Feng's expression froze.
"Lockdown?"
A hand touched his back, warm and steady. Lin Feng turned sharply to find the man still watching him with worry.
"Young man, are you feeling unwell?"
"Uhh, umm," Lin Feng stammered, his throat dry. "I'm just feeling a little under the weather, is all."
"Is that so?" The man's brow furrowed. "Would you like me to call someone?"
"No need." Lin Feng shook his head quickly. "Sorry for bothering you. I'll be fine after I wash my face and catch a breath."
He stood abruptly, bowing to the man before making his way down the aisle.
The man watched him go, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He seemed like a college student. Was he so scared of going back to school?
…
In the restroom, Lin Feng gripped the edges of the sink, letting cold water run over his hands. He splashed his face once, twice, then stared down at the basin as droplets fell from his chin.
He lifted his gaze slightly.
His reflection caught in the mirror - just his torso at first.
"Hmm." He frowned. "Why do I look so small?"
He raised his eyes higher.
For the first time in years, Lin Feng looked directly into his own eyes.
He didn't even have time to feel ashamed. The face staring back at him made everything else vanish.
"Is this... me?"
He raised his hands slowly, touching his cheeks, his jawline. Smooth. No lines. No exhaustion carved into every feature.
It was a face he hadn't seen in years.
The face from his freshman year of college.
He'd almost forgotten what he looked like back then. He'd stopped looking at photos from that time long ago.
What is happening?
His hand moved to his wrist. The cheap watch there - he pressed the button on the side. Once. Twice. The small digital display flickered to life.
September 1st, 2020.
"Is this thing bugged?"
He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his flip phone, hands trembling as he opened it.
The same date glowed on the screen.
September 1st, 2020.
Minutes passed. Lin Feng stood frozen, staring at the phone in his palm like it held the answers to the universe.
Knock. Knock.
Nothing.
Knock.
"Young man, is everything okay in there?" The same voice from before. "You've been gone for a while."
Lin Feng's head snapped up.
"I'll be out in a second," he called back.
He'd been glued to his phone for the past few minutes, scrolling through old messages, checking news sites, trying to make sense of what was happening. Everything confirmed it. Every single detail pointed to the same impossible conclusion.
He had traveled back in time.
But how? Why? What…
"It's just," the man continued through the door, his tone gentle, "you looked like a college student. Are you heading to Zhejiang Business University? If so, you're almost at your stop."
Lin Feng's expression froze.
That's right.
Back then... this would be his first day at college.