Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I turned my head to look at Lu He, who was breathing steadily beside me.

His eyes were closed, and he was fast asleep.

His phone was also resting quietly on the nightstand, plugged in and charging.

Yet, the voice coming from my own phone was unmistakably Lu He’s.

Even the caller ID showed Lu He’s number.

“Xiao Nuo?”

His voice sounded emotional and shocked, tinged with a hint of a sob.

I instinctively gave a soft hum of response.

Immediately after, I heard Lu He’s ragged breathing over the line.

“Xiao Nuo, what time is it for you?”

I turned my head again, confirming that the person lying next to me was indeed Lu He.

Though I was incredibly shaken, I answered honestly, “Ten o’clock.”

Lu He let out a visible sigh of relief. “There’s still time. Xiao Nuo, I know you must be very surprised right now, but you have to listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

“The time here is one week later. I just finished attending your funeral. You will die at two in the morning-exactly four hours from now. The cause of death is…”

Lu He’s voice trailed off for a moment.

This was too absurd.

I began to think it was a prank call. Perhaps someone had recorded Lu He’s voice and used AI to forge a clip.

But when I picked up Lu He’s phone, a chill crawled up my spine.

Lu He’s screen showed: In Call.

And the person he was calling was me.

This really was a call from the future.

I quickly forced myself to calm down.

“Your cause of death is a fall from a great height.”

“The police investigation concluded that you accidentally fell from the third floor. Because you landed on your head, it caused instant death. But I don’t believe it was an accident.”

“The ‘me’ right now should be asleep, right? Xiao Nuo, please wake me up immediately and keep me awake. Don’t let me sleep. In my memory, I vaguely heard you and Xu Qing arguing, followed by a loud crash from you falling.”

“I suspect Xu Qing killed you. This time, I will definitely protect you.”

Xu Qing is my best friend.

This morning, Lu He, Xu Qing, and I had come to this villa deep in the mountains.

Lu He’s parents had purchased this villa before moving abroad. They rarely returned to the country, so Lu He kept the keys. The three of us often came here for outdoor barbecues.

We had originally planned to head down the mountain in the evening, but an unexpected torrential rainstorm caused a landslide, forcing us to stay the night.

The sheer volume of information was difficult to process all at once.

I wanted to ask Lu He more questions, but the call abruptly disconnected.

I saw a line of text appear on my phone screen.

Call Count: 5

The call duration had been exactly one minute.

Did that number represent the total number of times I could speak with the future Lu He?

Still, it was hard for me to believe that Xu Qing would kill me.

Xu Qing and I had known each other since college; it had been five years now. We were so close we were practically joined at the hip.

Nevertheless, I decided to wake Lu He up.

“Lu He, wake up. Fast!”

But for some reason, Lu He was sleeping very deeply. No matter how I shook or slapped him, he remained dead to the world.

This didn’t seem like normal sleep.

Lu He suffers from mild anxiety and is a very light sleeper. Usually, the slightest movement wakes him.

I suddenly remembered that earlier tonight, Lu He had drunk a bottle of mineral water handed to him by Xu Qing.

Had Xu Qing added something to that water?

My heart sank.

Right then, I heard a knock at the door.

A second later, Xu Qing’s voice drifted in.

“Xiao Nuo, are you asleep? If you can, could you come out and chat with me for a bit?”

Her voice sounded a bit muffled compared to usual, as if she were speaking through her hand.