Xiao Wang woke up realizing his alarm hadn’t gone off. Instinctively, he glanced at the clock on the nightstand, only to find it was already well past the set time.
Had the alarm broken?
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that—he needed to get up, or he wouldn’t have time to make breakfast.
He turned over, intending to give his lover a good morning kiss, only to… find empty space beside him.
The sight startled Xiao Wang awake. He sat bolt upright, scanning the room, and realized with a jolt that all of Zhou Zhuofei’s belongings had vanished.
What on earth was going on?
Their relationship had been harmonious, with no conflicts, and there was no way Zhou Zhuofei could have moved everything out overnight without a sound.
Xiao Wang tried to calm himself, but panic spread through him like ink in water.
She was gone…
He felt like a drowning man, fear gripping his throat, making it impossible to breathe even as he gasped for air.
Something was wrong—Zhou Zhuofei would never leave him.
Xiao Wang grabbed his phone and quickly pulled up Zhou Zhuofei’s number in his contacts, only to notice something strange.
The contact name read: [Xiao Zhou].
That was from years ago—why would he still have that saved?
The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he became. Accidentally hitting the back button, his phone returned to the home screen, where the date caught his eye. The simple numbers made his pupils constrict in shock.
He stared at the date in disbelief.
"Ding-ding-ding…" The alarm suddenly blared to life, its shrill noise seemingly mocking him, as if proving it had been working perfectly all along.
The problem definitely wasn’t the alarm.
Then it hit him—this was his old alarm time. After moving in with Zhou Zhuofei, he’d set it ten minutes earlier to make time for breakfast.
He silenced the alarm and checked his phone for more clues.
The conclusion left him torn between relief and frustration—Zhou Zhuofei hadn’t disappeared. He had simply gone back three years in time.
Back when they were still just ordinary coworkers, nothing more.
Xiao Wang stepped out of the bedroom into a living room that felt eerily empty.
No cat tree, no display cabinet filled with collectibles. Everything felt off, and he couldn’t stand being there for long. After a quick wash-up, he threw together a makeshift breakfast and headed out.
He wanted to get to the office early, find a quiet spot to figure out what had happened.
At home, every corner reminded him of Zhou Zhuofei, making it impossible to think straight.
In the company parking garage, he absentmindedly stepped into the elevator. A colleague greeted him, and Xiao Wang forced himself to respond.
"You look exhausted, Xiao Wang. Didn’t sleep well?" the colleague asked with concern.
He played along. "Yeah, rough night."
The colleague nodded sympathetically. "Overtime again, huh? Take care of yourself."
"Thanks." Xiao Wang had no energy for small talk, and the other person, sensing his mood, tactfully left him alone.
He walked silently to his office, relieved that no one else stopped him. Only when he reached his desk did the familiar surroundings bring him a sliver of calm.
Pulling out pen and paper, he began jotting down yesterday’s events, searching for clues.
It had been an utterly ordinary weekend.
He and Zhou Zhuofei had stayed in, doing chores and giving their cat a bath. At noon, she’d found a cooking video online and insisted they try it. They’d gone grocery shopping in the evening, then followed the recipe together. The dish hadn’t looked pretty, but it tasted decent.
Later, they’d each gone about their own activities—Zhou Zhuofei posting gaming tips on a forum while he watched a documentary.
They’d said goodnight before bed, and then… he’d woken up years in the past.
If not for the vivid memories of his time with Zhou Zhuofei, he might have believed the last three years were just a dream.
But how could anyone forget loving someone?
The thought made Xiao Wang restless. He snapped his notebook shut and stood abruptly, scanning his desk before grabbing a file as an excuse to leave.
He needed to see for himself—was Zhou Zhuofei still here?
By her usual routine, she’d be at her desk eating breakfast by now.
Xiao Wang quickened his pace, but as he reached the admin department’s door, he hesitated. After a deep breath, he stepped inside.
The office was sparsely populated, giving him a clear view. And there she was—Zhou Zhuofei, head bowed over her meal.
The weight in his chest lifted instantly. Without thinking, he strode toward her.
Zhou Zhuofei was too focused on her food to notice his approach. Only when Xiao Wang stopped beside her desk did she look up, startled. Recognizing him, her eyes widened in surprise. She covered her mouth, trying to swallow before speaking.
But the pastry only seemed to grow drier the more she chewed.
Xiao Wang instinctively raised a hand to help but caught himself mid-motion. "Take your time," he said gently. "No rush."
Zhou Zhuofei gulped down some soy milk to wash it down. "Did you need something, Xiao Wang?"
"No." The familiar yet distant form of address left him hollow.
After they’d gotten together, she’d still called him that—but always with affection. Now, it was purely professional.
This was the woman who’d shared his bed, yet here she was, addressing him like a stranger.
Xiao Wang masked his disappointment. "I was actually looking for Luo Jing, but I might be early."
Normally, Zhou Zhuofei would tell any colleague to come back later for non-work matters. But this was Xiao Wang.
The same Xiao Wang who’d looked out for her since her first day, who never caused unnecessary trouble.
If he was here to see Luo Jing at this hour, there must be a reason.
"You can wait if you’d like," she offered. "Luo Jing should be here soon."
"I’ll wait, then." Xiao Wang moved at a glacial pace. The search for Luo Jing was just a pretense—he’d only come to see Zhou Zhuofei.
Zhou Zhuofei's desk was cluttered with items, and in a moment of carelessness, she knocked over a stack of greeting cards, which landed right at Xiao Wang's feet.
He bent down to pick them up, recognizing from the designs that they were birthday cards.
"Planning another birthday party?"
One of her job responsibilities was organizing celebrations for colleagues' birthdays, usually held on a monthly basis.
On the day of the event, everyone would play games and have cake together. If it was a milestone birthday, there was even a special budget to buy gifts for the employee.
Zhou Zhuofei hurriedly took the cards back and checked them, relieved to see they weren’t dirty. "Yeah, Secretary Xiao, I’ll bring you some cake later. Do you prefer mango or strawberry, or a bit of both?"
Normally, mid-to-senior management didn’t attend these events, so Zhou Zhuofei would set aside cake in advance to deliver to them.
Last year, Xiao Wang hadn’t participated, so she assumed this year would be no different.
But Xiao Wang’s mind stirred at her words. The shock of returning to the past had made him overlook the fact that this month was his birthday month.
He and Zhou Zhuofei had been together for two years, and every birthday, she had gone all out to plan something special just to make him happy.
Truthfully, no matter what she did, as long as she put in the effort, Xiao Wang was delighted. But being the center of her world, treated as her one and only, felt incredibly rewarding too. He had always encouraged her to go all in, even joining in her elaborate schemes.
But if he couldn’t return to his original timeline, would he have to relive these two years all over again?
He immediately said, "I’ll try to drop by if I have time."
Zhou Zhuofei was surprised. "Huh? Are you joining us today?"
Xiao Wang couldn’t tear his eyes away from her face. "I’ll do my best."
"Great! I’ve already sent out the details via email. Let me know if you have any questions."
"Will do."
Even though Xiao Wang had hinted he might come, Zhou Zhuofei didn’t take it too seriously. Birthday parties might sound fun, but not everyone enjoyed such gatherings—especially someone as busy as Xiao Wang, whose workload was well-known throughout the company.
She figured he might just stop by briefly, but even that would be a gesture of goodwill.
Administrative roles were notoriously tough—thankless jobs where efforts often went unappreciated. Finding a colleague who cooperated willingly was a rare blessing.
In the past, Zhou Zhuofei had put in hours of preparation for these parties, only to hear complaints afterward. There was no outlet for her frustration, so she had learned to swallow it.
But to her surprise, Xiao Wang actually showed up—and not just for a quick appearance. He was there from the very start.
The other colleagues were equally stunned to see him in the recreation room, calling it an unprecedented event.
The entire party lasted an hour and a half, and Xiao Wang stayed until the very end. Even as everyone else was packing up to leave, he remained seated.
Now, not just Zhou Zhuofei but even her administrative colleagues found the situation downright bizarre.
"What’s up with Secretary Xiao today? Is General Manager Ling not in the office?"
"General Manager Ling’s been away—hasn’t the deputy been handling things lately?"
"Shouldn’t that make Secretary Xiao even busier? How does he have time for a birthday party?"
"Beats me. Zhou Zhuofei, any idea?"
Zhou Zhuofei was just as clueless. "No clue. This morning, Secretary Xiao came to see Luo Jing, and I mentioned I’d bring him cake later. He said he’d try to come in the afternoon."
"Oho! Looks like Zhou Zhuofei’s got some serious pull—he showed up just because she asked."
Zhou Zhuofei joked, "If I had that kind of influence, I’d be department head by now."
"I believe in you—rising star in the making!"
While bantering with her coworkers, Zhou Zhuofei stole another glance at Xiao Wang. Even she felt something was off about his behavior today.
Because she often delivered documents to him, she interacted with Secretary Xiao frequently. Her impression of him had always been that of a composed, approachable mentor.
He’d even given her pointers on navigating the workplace. To the newly hired Zhou Zhuofei, Xiao Wang had seemed practically invincible.
At one point, she had idolized him, aspiring to become a polished professional just like him.
But after a year on the job, she gave up on that dream.
She knew she couldn’t dedicate herself to work the way he did. Still, learning from him had taught her a lot—not just about work but also about handling interpersonal dynamics—enough to manage her current responsibilities.
Their relationship was a notch closer than that of typical coworkers, at least to the point where they could chat casually when they crossed paths. Zhou Zhuofei always tread carefully, not wanting to impose.
She wouldn’t claim to understand Xiao Wang completely, but she paid enough attention to notice something was off today.
Despite the smile on his face, his eyes lacked their usual warmth, clouded instead with worry.
Was work stressing him out? Maybe he was using the party as a way to unwind. So even Secretary Xiao had moments like this.
Lost in thought, Zhou Zhuofei helped her colleagues clean up.
By the time she finished, the seat where Xiao Wang had been sitting was empty—he had already left.
