At first, Yan Zheng thought that person was his future self.

At the age of sixteen, he won the runner-up title at the Asian Junior Fencing Championships, achieving fame at a young age and enjoying immense success.

After the match, I got my phone back and received a friend request on WeChat. The profile picture was a photo of him fencing. I thought it was one of my teammates, so I casually accepted it.

Then I received a video from this account. The video was recorded by "myself". The reason I say "myself" is because the man in the video has the same face as me and is wearing a burgundy hoodie.

But he knew perfectly well that it wasn't him; his hair was a buzz cut, while the person in the video had longer hair with signs of perming, and he didn't own that hoodie.

The video shows that it was filmed in a bare-bones house with gray cement walls all around. The person was sitting at a table, looking at him and smiling, without saying a word.

The video was only a little over a minute long. At first, he thought it was a prank. He had heard that the latest AI technology could change a person's face. Although Yan Zheng felt a little uneasy, he didn't take it seriously. He just sent a message asking who it was, then turned off his phone, put it in his pocket, and ignored it.

He had just changed out of his regular clothes in the locker room when his phone rang again. The person didn't reply but sent another video. He clicked on it almost inexplicably. This time, the person in the video spoke, but what they said sent chills down his spine.

"I am you, the future you, Yan Zheng."

The man looked directly into the camera, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Give up fencing, and you're not destined to be a champion in this lifetime. I know you might not believe me, but that's okay."

The man in the video has a chilling laugh: "Let me tell you, you have absolutely no chance of winning a prize in this year's National Championships."

"Give up as soon as possible, don't end up like me, wasting half my life and ending up with nothing."

Yan Zheng was seething with anger. It must have been a prank by one of his defeated rivals. But thinking that Yan Tongqing was still waiting for him outside, and fearing that it might cause unnecessary trouble, he quietly deleted the account.

But once Pandora's box is opened, it cannot be changed by human power. The more he thought about it afterward, the more uneasy he became. He then spent a lot of effort to find two videos in the archives of history.

Yan Zheng watched the video repeatedly, becoming more and more alarmed. At first, he thought it was a face-swapping prank, but upon closer inspection, he was certain it wasn't AI. Back then, AI face-swapping could only achieve a 70-80% resemblance, but in the video, not only were the full-body details similar, but even the tone and expression were remarkably alike.

Moreover, on the back of that person's left hand, down from the index finger, there was a very noticeable brownish-red mole.

He stretched out his left hand, and there was a mole in the same spot on the back of his hand, just as noticeable.

It would be a lie to say he didn't care, but he was now focused on preparing for the National Fencing Championships, and this little incident gradually faded from his mind. Yan Zheng still didn't want to admit the video's authenticity, and even felt it was making a mountain out of a molehill. Besides, young people always have a bit of heroic spirit, and he predicted that if he performed normally, even if he didn't get the championship or runner-up title in the national competition, getting a bronze medal shouldn't be a problem. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the short video was a deliberate prank to throw him off balance.

Two months later, he made full preparations for the competition, but an accident occurred. Yan Zheng sprained his wrist during pre-competition training. Now, let alone winning an award, he had no chance to participate in the national competition.

Yan Tongqing was furious. If Yan Zheng hadn't been a head taller than him, he probably would have attacked him. In the end, he only told him to resume training as soon as possible and not to let this minor injury delay his training for another year.

Lying on his hospital bed in the rehabilitation ward at night, Yan Zheng thought of that video again and couldn't help but take it out and watch it repeatedly.

"Let me tell you, you have absolutely no chance of winning a prize at this year's National Championships."

He played this clip over and over again, but then he felt utterly hopeless. He suddenly realized that he had been controlled by a single logic, constantly agonizing over whether or not to win the medal.

Upon closer examination, the person in the video never mentioned medals; instead, he stated bluntly that he wouldn't even participate in the competition. Or rather, the man's prediction was remarkably accurate—he hadn't even participated, so how could he possibly have a chance to win?

Once the logic is sound, the truth is always hard to accept. Yan Zheng suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He put away his phone and walked to the window, his arms stiff from tension.

In the dead of night, with only a few dim corridor lights in the hospital, Yan Zheng hadn't even calmed down for a moment when his phone chimed with a new message.

On a whim, he opened the chat window. The man had accepted his friend request at some point and, just like before, sent another new video.

He didn't look well this time. He was wearing a black windbreaker, seemed a bit dazed, and his hair was messy and hadn't been styled properly.

He said the same things as before, urging him to give up fencing, and telling him that he couldn't do it this year, and he still couldn't do it next year, so he should give up as soon as possible.

Yan Zheng watched the video and considered it carefully. Since the message was received now, there must be someone controlling this account behind the scenes. No matter who that person is, he has to meet them.

But the person completely ignored him, and no matter what Yan Zheng said, he didn't reply to any of his messages.

This time, Yan Zheng took notice and asked a friend to check who registered the account. However, the situation was not optimistic, as the account had not been verified with a real name.

He had carefully considered this person's intentions and identity.

Firstly, this person was indeed, as he suspected, a competitor, perhaps domestic or international. His current achievements weren't world-class; his best was only a runner-up finish in a youth competition. This elaborate effort was to prove that he had indeed made the other side feel threatened.

Secondly, the video is real, and the person in the video might actually be his future self. His purpose in doing this is to make himself give up fencing, which means that he might suffer a major setback in fencing in the future, or truly achieve nothing.

Regardless of the reason, he has no intention of focusing his attention on this matter.

My future is in my own hands, not in the hands of fate.

Jiang Xi hesitated for a moment before speaking: "And then... he probably contacted you again, right?"

He hasn't achieved his goal yet, so how could he give up so easily?

Yan Zheng smiled wryly: "It's more than just contacting me."

He stayed in the hospital for five days before being discharged. Two weeks later, he resumed training.

This time, Yan Tongqing spent a lot of money to arrange overseas training in Italy. Yan Zheng was originally a worry-free person, and he also had a strong competitive spirit. His wrist had not fully healed, but he immediately threw himself into high-intensity training.

Since then, he has had an old injury on his wrist, which would worsen before every major competition, and later he even began to experience somatic tremors.

In addition, he would receive such videos from time to time, so Yan Zheng's grades were naturally not very good in those two years.

Yan Tongqing seemed to have sensed something and secretly contacted a psychologist for him. The doctor diagnosed him with extremely severe anxiety disorder, and he started taking medication.

Jiang Xi was in a state of utter confusion as she listened: "You've never told me any of this before."

No wonder he always seemed depressed during those two years; he thought it was because of his poor grades.

"Telling you will only make you worry."

He can handle this mess on his own; there's no need to drag her into it.

After taking the medicine, his symptoms were relieved a lot. Yan Zheng tried hard not to think about that matter anymore, and even deliberately avoided receiving unfamiliar information from the outside world. Since this person chose to use video, it means that he cannot easily show himself, so he has nothing to be afraid of.

He deleted that account. Although he would occasionally receive strange emails and USB drives, Yan Zheng refused to accept them all or locked them in a drawer.

His condition improved, and the intensity of his training naturally increased significantly. In addition, with Jiang Xi and him confirming their relationship, Yan Zheng enjoyed both career and love success during those two years, and at the age of twenty, he won the Asian Championships individual épée title.

As a result, fame and fortune followed one after another, and hard work and talent became synonymous with genius.

Unexpectedly, shortly after the Asian Championships, this time without using a phone or video call, "he" went directly to the training room to find Yan Zheng.

Jiang Xi was stunned, then her heart skipped a beat. Thinking of the man by the Lingdu River, she felt a vague unease: "And then?"

Xiao Lu moved to sit next to the two of them, seemingly sensing Jiang Xi's unease, and licked her fingertips.

Yan Zheng said, "Actually, I'm not shocked."

He doesn't doubt the authenticity of those videos. The reason he has chosen to avoid them in recent years is because he insists that life is a continuous process of exploration, and once the blind box is opened, the process becomes boring.

The flowers of tomorrow begin with the diligent cultivation of today.

At both ends of the time dimension, only the present can change the future; how can the future change the present?

If that man is so persistent in interfering with his life, it wouldn't be surprising if one day he finds that none of these methods are working, and a face-to-face confrontation ensues.

Now that he has shown himself, Yan Zheng feels more at ease than having an invisible man constantly watching him.

The conversation was clearly not pleasant. The person opposite him had the same face, but his mood and appearance were completely different. He looked haggard, had a gloomy demeanor, and kept muttering, "Why don't you listen to me? Why don't you listen to me?"

Yan Zheng observed him. How should I put it? His current state was somewhat similar to the somatization symptoms he experienced when he suffered from anxiety disorder: trembling fingertips and extremely strong obsessive thoughts.

Yan Zheng spoke slowly: "This is my life. I should change the future, not the future you change me."

Unwilling to waste words with him, his tone gradually sharpened: "Whatever the outcome, I will accept it."

The man opposite him was taken aback for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Yes, how could I forget? We are so alike."

Then, he said fiercely, "Since that's the case, then you can die." After saying that, he drew a sword from the sword scabbard on his back.

At first, Yan Zheng thought it was a sword training exercise, but after looking at the blade, he was shocked and his expression changed drastically.

Wow, this is for real.

Both were skilled fencers. With a real sword, Yan Zheng had no chance of winning. So he took a practice sword, mainly focusing on dodging and resisting. He knew his own style of attack too well, so he was able to keep up for the first few minutes. However, his opponent was fighting recklessly, and after a while, he was also starting to struggle.

However, he soon noticed that his opponent's attack speed was getting slower and slower, probably because he hadn't trained for a long time and was running out of stamina. At this point, Yan Zheng was no longer in a hurry and kept him on the defensive, gradually wearing him down.

Taking advantage of a moment when the man was exhausted, Yan Zheng rolled over from the side and strangled his neck with his soft sword. Just as the man was about to faint, Yan Zheng slowly released his grip. However, things changed in an instant. The man, who was thought to be limp, suddenly mustered all his strength and stabbed Yan Zheng in the left chest.

Then he heard his own breathing sound like air leaking from his chest. The man didn't make any more moves, but just stood there watching him. After about a few dozen breaths, Yan Zheng lost consciousness.

Jiang Xi listened with growing anxiety: "He really has some tricks up his sleeve."

Yan Zheng gave a wry smile: "As expected of my future self. This feigned death move is my style."

"Then what?"

"Then, I thought I was going to be in big trouble this time, but I didn't expect to wake up in the hospital."

Jiang Xi thought for a moment: "How come I've never heard of you being hospitalized?"

Because he was staying in a hospital in another world—yes, not the present or the future, but a parallel world.

Some unknown accident occurred, and he and that man swapped bodies and worlds. By the time he realized it, he had already been in the hospital for two days.

Only then did he realize that there was no future in this vast world; they were originally in two parallel worlds, and that the man's ultimate goal was perhaps to replace Yan Zheng, kill him, and leave him in another world to take over his life.

Yan Zheng naturally wouldn't let him have his way. He repeatedly went over the ins and outs of the matter. If the body swap was possible because both of them were injured, what if one of them died?

So Yan Zheng jumped from the fifteenth floor in another world. When he woke up again, he was in a sanatorium. Yan Tongqing told him that he had been in a coma for more than half a month while he was training. The doctors could not find the cause of his illness, so they had to transfer him to the sanatorium.

Of course, these statements are illogical.

That man had repeatedly tried to abandon his athletic career. How could he possibly be expected to honestly participate in fencing training? He didn't believe a word Yan Tongqing said.

The next day, Yan Tongqing came and threw two photos at him. In the photos, Jiang Xi and another man were embracing. Then he received a breakup text message from Jiang Xi.

Yan Zheng suddenly stopped at this point.

Jiang Xi asked, "What's wrong?"

His voice was a little hoarse: "It's nothing, but when I saw you hugging someone else, I really thought you had fallen for someone else."

He's been very busy these past few years and has never had a proper chance to spend time with her. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a long-distance relationship. He also tells himself that if it's true, he can accept it.

But he shouldn't be dumped like this; he wanted to hear her say it with his own ears.

Jiang Xi felt a mix of emotions. Who would have thought that the person who broke up with her would be someone else?

She suddenly realized something: "So... you gave up fencing because of this too?"

"No." Before she could finish speaking, Yan Zheng interrupted her.

"Don't take everything on yourself, this has nothing to do with you."

Jiang Xi knew in her heart that this matter was probably not so simple, but since he was willing to talk now, she couldn't force him.

She remembered that day when Yan Zheng came to the school to see her alone. She wondered why he hadn't called her beforehand, but Jiang Xi thought it was a little surprise for him.

She went back to her dorm to change into a blue dress adorned with a delicate daisy. Jiang Xi's skin was already fair, and the blue color made her look even more beautiful.

Thinking back to what "Yan Zheng" had said, Jiang Xi suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. At dinner, he didn't eat anything, just stared at her, his eyes seeming to hold a lot of unspoken words. Jiang Xi even felt a sense of estrangement towards him.

After dinner, Jiang Xi took him for a walk along the Lingdu River. He embraced her and said, "It's really not easy to see you again."

At the time, Jiang Xi thought it was because of the long-distance relationship. Now that the truth is out, she understands where her discomfort and sense of unfamiliarity came from. She and Yan Zheng have known each other for almost twenty years, and many subconscious feelings cannot be changed.

Even if two people have the same appearance, the magnetic field between them is different. Just like Yan Zheng in front of her now, even though his personality has changed a lot, Jiang Xi can still confirm that he is the Yan Zheng she knows.

This world seems like a huge scam, and they have become the biggest victims of this loophole. They are being played by the rules, manipulated by the rules, and in the end, they will be abandoned in this desolate wilderness by this so-called savior.

And she, as a participant in this scam, lived peacefully for five years without realizing it, leaving him alone to wander through the past.

Everyone would say that fate is cruel.