The cycle begins to repeat itself today.

I placed my phone on the desk, waiting for my sister to come out of the bathroom after drying her hair. I hoped she would remember to open the bathroom window after her shower, otherwise the heat would linger for a long time. When I felt it was about time, I grabbed my clothes and prepared to take a shower myself.

Just as I reached the door, someone bumped into me.

"oops!"

Fortunately, she wasn't knocked to the ground by me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I wanted to tell you that I'm done blowing, and the bathroom is cool now."

I nodded.

"By the way, can I borrow your phone for a moment?"

I nodded again, then walked past her to take a shower.

Chapter Four: The Reappearance of the Past

I woke up from my sleep right on time once again, got out of bed and started changing clothes and washing up. Today was just like any other day.

I remember receiving a message on my phone yesterday before taking a shower that it might rain today. I put the folding umbrella on the side of my backpack and then left home with the backpack on. The rain was from around 9 p.m. to 2 or 3 a.m., and there was nowhere I needed the umbrella, so I simply put it away.

As usual, I arrived at the familiar place, ate the breakfast I ate every day, and once again came to this classroom I've been to countless times. I walked to the classroom door, and the same group of people were already sitting inside, reading. They were all very familiar faces, but I was already used to it.

She still hadn't arrived, sitting next to me. I walked over to my seat, sat down, and took out the textbooks I needed for this morning. The first class this morning was math, and the morning reading session should also be considered math class. However, math is different from Chinese, English, or other subjects; its knowledge cannot be memorized simply by reading aloud. Therefore, the morning reading session is usually managed by other subject teachers, and usually, it's the English teacher with whom I have a good relationship.

As usual, I took out my English textbook and found a comfortable position to daydream, but the teacher who walked into the classroom surprised me a little.

I watched as my Chinese teacher walked in through the front door of the classroom carrying a huge stack of test papers, just like yesterday. But my memory tells me that today should be Tuesday, and this class should be the English teacher's.

Although it was a bit strange, both students and teachers are extremely busy after the senior year of high school. It's not impossible that the English teacher suddenly had something to do and asked another teacher to substitute. I didn't think much of it and just quietly put away my English textbook and took out my Chinese textbook.

I continued trying to find ways to daydream, but time didn't change because of my state of mind. My deskmate arrived at the classroom right on time, and like yesterday, she was scolded by the Chinese teacher. She then gave the Chinese teacher a perfunctory reply and returned to her seat, just like yesterday.

She's really not having any luck. She's been caught by the same person two days in a row. The guarantee she made yesterday hasn't even been valid for a day yet, so the criticism she'll receive will probably be even stronger than yesterday.

"Um, that..."

She actually started talking to me again.

"What's the date today? I forgot my phone."

I have a very strong sense of familiarity with this sentence, for no particular reason, but because I remember very clearly that she asked me the same question yesterday.

Even though I know I'm not particularly attractive, her behavior made me wonder, "Is she trying to get to know me?" I haven't forgotten the fact that I've always been single, but I'm still puzzled by her asking me the same question for two consecutive days.

June 13th.

"June 13th!?" She looked surprised, even making a rather loud sound, so much so that people nearby and the Chinese teacher standing in front of the podium shifted their attention to her.

I personally hate this, even when other people's attention isn't focused on me.

She seemed to realize that her behavior had caused trouble and annoyance to others, so she quickly apologized and sat down, her face showing undisguised anxiety.

"How could this happen... How could this be? I actually missed it..."

Her anxiety was even contagious, making me feel incredibly irritated. I desperately wanted to calm her down, but I had never done anything like this before and had no experience with it. Besides, class was about to start, and even if I didn't stop her, the teacher would quickly subdue her.

"Could you double-check? This is very important to me," she pleaded with me.

If I could calm her down, I wouldn't mind helping her. But my impression of her has changed; she's become a troublesome person to me, not a good deskmate.

I glanced at my Chinese teacher, who had already shifted her attention elsewhere, took my phone out of my pocket, and pressed the power button. There was no need to open the calendar or anything; just turning on the phone screen showed the time, which was very convenient.

After I pressed the power button on my phone, I glanced at the screen to confirm the date, but my action froze in confusion. A wave of doubt and uncertainty washed over me. To make sure I wasn't seeing things, I blinked and looked at the screen again—June 12th was displayed; I hadn't misread it.

Because I was too slow, she got impatient and leaned her head close to look at my phone screen.

"Phew... It's still June 12th today. You got the date wrong." She reminded me, then breathed a sigh of relief herself: "Great, it's still June 12th. Today is the day, we have to succeed!"

Although her words changed slightly, I'm still certain that I heard her say something similar yesterday. Even if I don't know exactly what that agreement she was referring to, it doesn't matter. I definitely heard her say something similar.

The doubts that had been growing since the beginning of this day have not dissipated, and even greater confusion has emerged. The slight fear brought about by this confusion has even made me feel a chill in this hot summer.

The incomprehensible situation made me feel uneasy. I looked up at my deskmate, who seemed relieved and relaxed; her state was the complete opposite of mine. She muttered to herself, then took out her Chinese textbook from her bag.

I shook my head. This proves nothing. It's probably just a coincidence, just a coincidence...

Morning reading ended, but my chaotic mood still hadn't calmed down. Before that incident just happened, I wouldn't have noticed anything amiss today, because everything seemed normal. But… why would something that had already happened once reappear before my eyes?

Is it really just a coincidence?

I can clearly feel my heart beating, and it reflects my unease.

I turned my attention to what could determine everything...

Chapter Five: The Foreseen Future

When that familiar exam paper was passed to my wounded child once again, I realized that I had indeed witnessed what had happened that day.

Whether it's reciting this ancient poem from memory, or reading excerpts from Zhou Shuren's articles here, I... recognize them all. It's not because I listened attentively in class, or diligently memorized the poems or texts after class; it's because just yesterday, at this very time, I actually saw them once...

I recognize the entire exam paper, and I still retain a significant portion of its content, but nothing has changed for me. I never expected to experience today again, and I don't have the habit of reviewing after exams. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting in this seat now.

The problems I couldn't solve before, I still can't solve, and some of the problems I could solve before, I just can't do anymore. My mind is filled with all sorts of random thoughts, and I don't know how to clear them up to do what I should be doing right now.

Does anyone know a way to go back in time?

For no apparent reason, I thought of this question I'd pondered years ago: Have I traveled back in time? Even if it was only for a day, has it really meant I've returned to the past?

Why? Why did it turn out like this?

If it were in a novel, that would be one thing, but why do such strange things happen in the real world?

Although I have tried to find ways to go back to the past, that doesn't mean I want to. Experiencing a past day repeatedly is definitely not something I'd be happy about. The past is called the past precisely because it's gone and can never be retrieved.

No one has the right to go back and start over, just as the sun always rises in the east and sets in the west, and time always moves forward. I have never done anything that I need to regret and start over, and going back to the past is unnecessary for me.

Moreover, are there really people in this world who would be happy to be inexplicably transported back to the past? How much would one have to regret it before forgetting the terror of returning to the past and becoming overjoyed at this "chance to start over"?

I tried to think positively about the impact of this event, but I found it had almost no effect. All it brought me was panic, fear, and immense confusion.

Everything that happened today was exactly as I had "foreseen," from the math class to the English and geography classes in the afternoon, and even the lunch and dinner today—everything was exactly as I had imagined.

I tried to find something slightly different from the current situation, but I found that even with my best efforts to observe, I gained nothing. I had no idea how anyone else spent this time, so I had no way of finding out.

This day was quite different from usual, and I suddenly realized I had spent it in a panic, without receiving any concrete information. I'm even more convinced that the current situation is definitely not good for me. I know everything that happened today, and I'm wondering if I was dreaming or something.

There are all sorts of speculations and legends about precognition, but neither time travel nor the ability to foresee the future can be verified by any evidence; they are all fake and do not exist. Even when I try to think about it, my reason constantly rejects such ideas.

I don't know how to explain this situation, I can't explain it, and I don't want to. I'm hoping for another way to solve the problem, but the more I focus on the passage of time, the slower it seems to go. After almost a day, my fear has lessened slightly, but it hasn't diminished my desire to get home as soon as possible.

If reason hadn't been holding me back, I probably would have already gone straight home and slept through the night. But I'm worried that if "yesterday" really was just a dream, and today is reality, then doing this would put me in a very awkward position.

I don't want to take that risk; I hate putting myself in a conspicuous position.

I dawdled until it was time for school to end. My deskmate stood up again and happily followed the crowd out of the classroom. She was probably going to an appointment or something else, it didn't matter. I quickly packed my things and followed her out of the classroom.

I looked up at the pitch-black sky, which was not raining, and my anxiety intensified once again.

I walked all the way to the school gate and once again saw groups of people walking in the opposite direction from me. It was dark, so I couldn't see their expressions, and their voices were all mixed together, making it impossible for me to hear any information. Just like yesterday.

The school gate was as crowded as ever. Perhaps it was because I was in a hurry to get home today, so I arrived at the school gate early. The current situation is that some people want to go out, while others want to rush back. Among them, some acquaintances are assimilated and turn together to walk into the school.

I followed the flow of people and hurried home. My body, which hadn't been active for years, started to pant after running only a short distance. I had to give in to my weak physique and switch from running to walking. Once I felt a little better, I started running again. I repeated this process until I finally arrived home.

I took out my key and opened the door.

Just like yesterday, my sister, who had just passed by the entrance, was standing there, greeting me.

"came back?"

Just like yesterday, I nodded and headed straight for my bedroom with my backpack. But my sister noticed something strange on my backpack.

"What's wrong? You've started using a parasol too?"

That's when I realized I hadn't taken the umbrella off. I looked for a convenient excuse: "The weather forecast said it might rain, so I brought the umbrella with me."

"It's going to rain tomorrow. You must be mistaken," she chuckled to herself, then left.

I'm not in the mood to care what she wants to do. I'm sitting in a chair at the table in my room, looking at my phone. The weather forecast on it is exactly the same as what I saw yesterday.

I glanced at the time again; it was 10:07 PM.

I am quietly waiting for time to pass so that I can "complete" my day.

Chapter Six: The Beginning of the Nightmare

I stayed in my room until my sister finished her shower and came out of the bathroom. She would come to me because she was going to borrow my phone to play with because it was dead, and just as I expected, I told her to dry her hair first, and she obediently did so.

Looking back now, I think the reason she listened to me and did my hair dryer was probably because she needed something from me.

After she finished drying her hair, I handed her my phone, grabbed my clothes, and left my bedroom for the bathroom. As I passed the living room, I saw my parents silently watching a TV drama, their attention completely absorbed in the story.

They're usually very busy with work and rarely have a moment of peace, so I didn't want to disturb them. I quietly walked towards the bathroom. Yesterday I had taken the time to wash myself properly, but today I clearly wasn't in the mood. I just rinsed myself off with cold water, dried myself, changed my clothes, and came out of the bathroom. My sister was sitting in the chair in front of my desk, her legs draped over her chest, more like squatting than sitting.

"Don't use your phone like that."

I didn't see her like this yesterday; she probably changed positions and went to lie on the bed to play before I came out of the shower. But I said the same thing yesterday: whether she's playing with her legs tucked in or lying down, it's not good for her eyes.

"Ok."

She put her legs down, placed both hands on the table, and scrolled through her phone as if reading a book.

There's still quite a while before I go to sleep. Yesterday, after showering, I spent the time spacing out where she's sitting now, but that's not quite working anymore. But spacing out is just spacing out, and changing locations can achieve the same effect. I sat on my own bed, feeling the familiar touch and letting out a sigh of relief. At the same time, I thought about yesterday and all the things that happened today.

Going back to the past is something I find incredibly unimaginable, and I don't want to consider what changes it would bring to my life. Going back to the past means having the right to regret, and once I have that right, what I lose is far more than just the ability to live cautiously.

I hope it was just a "premonition" or something similar, giving me a glimpse of today in advance. Whatever the reason, and regardless of whether I actually used it to do anything, I sincerely hope it just happened to appear in my life. My life doesn't need something like that.

Why do you look so tired today?

My younger sister spoke to me. I looked up at her; she was holding her phone high, leaning back, her head upside down as she looked at me. The chair was also tilted; if she hadn't hooked her feet on something, she would have fallen over by now.

"Doing this is dangerous."