The Future Stole My First Love After the senior year exams, everyone in school let loose, and love letters were flying everywhere. But the biggest buzz was about Stella Hayes, the most popular girl in school, who was finally going to confess to *me*, her childhood crush, after years of unspoken feelings. I stood by the back door of the classroom, my fingertips just about to brush against that pink and blue love letter when a mature, sophisticated woman suddenly barged in and tore the letter to shreds. She claimed to be Stella Hayes, but from ten years in the future. She said she’d traveled back in time. “Don’t confess to Julian,” she’d snarled, dragging my Stella by the arm. “He’s not your true love.” She pointed to Caleb Thorne, a guy in a faded uniform, sitting in the corner. “See Caleb? Ten years from now, you’ll love him passionately, to the point of obsession. Since you’re destined to be with him, why waste these ten years?” My Stella just looked utterly appalled. She violently shook off the woman’s hand. “You’re crazy!” she’d shouted. “I’ll only ever love Julian!” But that confession, that moment I’d waited for, never got to finish. Future Stella also seized the opportunity to stay, claiming she wanted to help my Stella “see her true feelings” early. Gradually, I started to notice that Stella was changing. When Caleb got sick, she’d immediately rush to help him to the hospital, completely forgetting that *I* was waiting for her for a full hour at the amusement park. At dinner, she’d instinctively remember that Caleb didn’t like peanuts, carefully picking them out of the spicy stir-fry to give to *me*, completely oblivious to the fact that *I* was severely allergic to peanuts. On rainy days, she’d rather get soaked herself than not lend her umbrella to Caleb, even when *I* was standing right beside her, getting drenched in the rain. These subtle shifts, like a dull knife slowly carving away at me, made my heart sink deeper and deeper into a cold abyss. Until the day we had to fill out our university applications. “Julian, I’m so sorry,” Stella said, her eyes flickering, unable to meet mine. “I can’t go to a top-tier university with you anymore. The new AI major at State University is a better fit for me.” My heart went completely cold in an instant. I knew it too well. State University was the only school Caleb, with his barely-passing grades, could get into. She took my hand, her voice laced with her usual playful tone. “Come to a top-tier university with me, please? That way we can still be together. I’ve always listened to you; this time, just let me have my way, okay?” Those words were like tiny needles pricking my soul. She silently pulled her hand away, then nodded. But then, behind her back, I quickly prepared all the necessary documents and applied for an offer at a prestigious university abroad. Stella, if your love isn’t solely mine anymore, then I don’t want it at all. … The day the acceptance letter arrived, a strange calm settled over me. I pulled out the huge storage box, filled with everything Stella had given me over the years. Childish crayon drawings, limited edition sneakers, a necklace engraved with our initials, a thick stack of movie ticket stubs, notes she’d stayed up late to organize for me… Once, I’d treasured them more than anything. Now, I walked with the box to the dumpster downstairs, and without a second thought, I tossed them all into its gaping maw. Just as I turned, I saw two figures arguing in the distance. Future Stella, dressed in a sleek, form-fitting dress, gripped my Stella’s wrist tightly. My younger Stella, with her slender waist and long legs, her uniform billowing in the wind, had a face full of fury – a face that made every guy at school shout her name. “Let go!” “Why are you still looking for him?” Future Stella’s voice was strained. “The most important thing for you to do right now is to be with Caleb! He’s the one you truly love!” “Nonsense!” My Stella violently yanked her hand away, her brow furrowed with arrogance. “Julian is the only one I like. Can you, you crazy woman, just disappear already?” “Is that so?” Future Stella sneered, her voice sharp. “Then why did you give up your future and prestigious universities for Caleb?!” My Stella’s face stiffened, her voice growing colder. “Who says I did it for him!” I didn’t want to watch their absurd argument any longer and turned to leave, but Stella spotted me instantly. She rushed over, grabbing my hand, her voice softening in a flash. “Julian, didn’t you say you wanted to see that new romance movie last time? I bought the tickets! Let’s go together, okay?” “No,” I replied, my voice completely devoid of emotion. Stella’s smile froze for a moment, then she softened her voice again, playfully. “Are you still mad about me changing my university choice? You already agreed to go to State University with me, didn’t you? That major really has great prospects, just this once, please agree to my request, okay?” As she spoke, the corners of her eyes drooped slightly, that vulnerable expression I could never resist. In the past, whenever she looked at me like that, I would agree to anything. But now, I just felt numb. Before I could answer, Stella half-forced me into her newly bought sports car. Future Stella, her face grim, followed, sitting silently in the back seat. The car started, and the cramped space was filled with a suffocating tension. Future Stella scanned the car’s interior and suddenly spoke. “You just bought this car, didn’t you? You should change the starry night air freshener Julian likes; Caleb can’t stand it, he prefers fruity scents. And replace the milk in the storage compartment too; Caleb is lactose intolerant. Keep some soda crackers in there.” My Stella’s fingers, gripping the steering wheel, tightened abruptly, her knuckles turning white. “Are you done yet? I’m telling you one last time, Julian is the only one I like. There’s no way I’d ever like that Caleb!” Future Stella, however, seemed to ignore her outburst. “Is that so? You’ll clearly love him to your bones in the future, staying up all night for him, waiting downstairs at his house for an entire night, and even…” She rattled off a list of crazy things her future self had done for Caleb, ten years from now. I sat in the passenger seat, each word like an ice shard piercing my heart, the pain so intense it stole my breath. I looked out the window, watching the rapidly receding streetlights, everything blurring into a painful haze. At the movie theater, Stella leaned against my shoulder, holding a bag of caramel popcorn—my favorite flavor. During the movie, she’d instinctively lean over, wanting to whisper her critiques of the plot. The screen’s light illuminated her delicate profile, her eyelashes impossibly long. As I watched her, a sense of déjà vu washed over me. Memories flooded back, uncontrolled. When she was three, she’d tottered onto my bed with a small pillow, her voice sweet and childlike, saying, “Mommy says girls are supposed to sleep with their husbands in the future.” When she was seven, I got a black eye and a bloody nose fighting a fat kid from the next class to get back her hair clip, which he’d stolen. I kept the broken clip, recovered from the fight, in my pocket like a treasure. When I was twelve, I was hospitalized with a fever. She skipped school, her eyes red, and clung to my bedside, whispering, “Big brother, don’t scare me.” When she was fifteen, girls her age started getting crushes earlier. She awkwardly wrote me a love letter, full of typos, but meticulously drew a whole page of hearts. I couldn’t fathom it. We had so many dramatic, memorable experiences together. How could it be, as that woman said, that ten years from now, she would fall for an utterly unremarkable Caleb, loving him with such intense, desperate devotion? Yet, everything that had happened recently made it impossible for me to disbelieve. Just then, Stella’s phone vibrated wildly. The name flashing on the screen was “Caleb.” She glanced at it, then hung up immediately. The phone rang again, relentlessly. She hung up again. After who knows how many times, Future Stella, who had been silent in the back seat, suddenly grabbed Stella’s hand, her voice urgent. “What’s today’s date?” “The tenth, why?” Stella replied, annoyed. “Answer it! Answer it quickly!” Future Stella’s voice was filled with a panic I’d never heard before. “It’s today! Caleb will be harassed by some debt collectors. To escape them, he’ll jump from a second-story window, break his leg, and be bedridden for a month! Go now!” Stella’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? Even if something did happen, it has nothing to do with me. We’re just classmates, at most!” “You’ll regret it if you don’t go! You’ll hate yourself so much!” Future Stella was practically screaming. Stella scoffed, her tone resolute. “I’d regret leaving Julian here alone right now!” With that, she silenced her phone and flipped it face down on the seat. Future Stella stared at her for a few seconds, her gaze complex, then finally turned and left. “If you won’t go, *I* will!” Then, she strode purposefully and disappeared into the cinema entrance. The movie continued, but I could clearly feel that Stella’s mind was no longer with me. She became agitated, her fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest, her eyes frequently darting to the phone, which was still face down, its screen silently lighting up repeatedly. Finally, after another silent screen flash, she abruptly stood up, her voice rushed as she lied to me. “Julian, I… I forgot to buy you a drink! Wait here, I’ll be right back!” With that, she didn’t even dare to meet my eyes. She snatched up her phone and hurried out of the screening room. I watched her practically run away, my heart sinking little by little, down to the frigid, silent ocean floor. I had a strong premonition: she wouldn’t be coming back. Sure enough, a few minutes later, my phone vibrated. It was a video from “Future Stella.” ### 第二章 I tapped on the video. The shaky footage showed a dimly lit alley. In the video, the familiar figure of my Stella, her eyes blazing red, was wildly punching and kicking several thugs with her bodyguards, her attacks ruthless, completely devoid of her usual elegance and composure. Caleb, on the other hand, was badly beaten and barely conscious. In the brief pause when she stopped, breathing heavily, he lunged forward and tightly embraced her waist, his voice trembling. “Stella, don’t keep fighting! I’m worried about you…” Stella’s body stiffened. She turned back to look at him, still panting, her voice carrying a mix of fear and agitated reprimand I had never heard before. “Are you a complete idiot? Why didn’t you call the police when something like this happened?!” Caleb hesitated for a moment. “I don’t have any other friends. You’re my only good friend. I’m sorry, I worried you…” Stella clearly paused, looking at the boy’s trusting, sincere eyes. After a moment of silence, her voice softened unconsciously. “You set me as your emergency contact. That way… I won’t miss your calls again.” “You set me as your emergency contact.” That sentence was a poisoned blade, plunged precisely into my heart. Once upon a time, I had asked her to do the same for me. There was one time I accidentally dialed her number in my sleep. She called out a few times, but I didn’t respond, and she was so scared she rushed back from another city that very night. There were no flights, so this pampered princess endured an eight-hour train ride. Only when she burst into my house and saw me safe and sound did she embrace me, her eyes red. “Julian, you scared me to death.” At that time, she made me set her as my emergency contact. I thought she would be my only one, forever. Turns out, she wasn’t. The image in the video became blurry. I exited the video, a dull, throbbing ache pulsed in my chest. I stared numbly at the joys and sorrows unfolding on the big screen, but not a single word registered. The movie ended, the lights came on, and the crowd began to stir, filing out. Just as I was about to reach the exit, an excruciating creaking sound came from above my head! Immediately followed by gasps and screams! “The cinema ceiling is collapsing! Run!” *Boom!* A tremendous crash and violent tremor instantly swallowed everything. I didn’t even have time to react. My vision went black, and I was completely buried under heavy building materials and debris. In the second before my consciousness plunged into darkness, only an endless, desolate self-mockery remained in my heart. Look, Julian. Future Stella, she only remembered today was the day Caleb was in danger. She urged her past self to save him. But she specifically forgot, or simply didn’t care, that on this same day, in this same place, *I* would also face utter disaster. It turns out that ten years from now, she truly… didn’t love me at all. I woke up in heavy darkness. “Here! There are still vital signs! Quickly!” As rescue workers carefully lifted me out of the rubble, the blinding sunlight instantly brought physiological tears to my eyes. In a daze, I felt myself being moved rapidly, the sharp wail of an ambulance siren piercing the sky. I regained consciousness again to the acrid smell of disinfectant in a hospital. The anesthetic was wearing off, and the dull post-surgery pain was unmistakably present. A nurse wheeled me out of the operating room, and the doctor gently explained by my side: “The surgery was successful. The fracture in your left leg has been set. You have a mild concussion that needs observation, and your body is mostly covered in superficial wounds. Just rest up well…” Before he finished speaking, the gurney suddenly stopped. I struggled to lift my eyes, directly meeting a familiar pair of wide, astonished eyes. It was Stella. She was coming out of the adjacent hospital room. Caleb was by her side, his face pale, a small piece of gauze taped to his forehead. Future Stella stood on Caleb’s other side, supporting his arm. Seeing me, wrapped in bandages, my face ashen, and my leg in a heavy cast, Stella’s face changed drastically. She almost instantly let go of Caleb and rushed to my bedside. “Julian? What happened to you?” Her voice was filled with panic. She reached out to touch me but then hesitated, her fingers frozen in mid-air. Future Stella, having steadied a stumbling Caleb, cast a fleeting, almost imperceptible glance of surprise at me, then quickly reverted to her usual detached indifference. I was too tired, physically and mentally exhausted. I didn’t want to say another word, so I simply closed my eyes. The doctor next to me sighed and explained to Stella, “This young man was rescued from that collapsed cinema downtown. He was buried quite deep and lost a lot of blood. Any later, and it might have been dangerous.” Stella’s face instantly drained of color. She sharply turned her head, her gaze piercing Future Stella. Her lips moved, as if she wanted to question something, but ultimately, she first urgently told the doctor, “I’m his girlfriend. I’ll take him back to his room.” “The patient needs absolute rest right now,” the doctor interjected. “You can wait a bit before visiting.” The moment the nurse pushed me into the room and closed the door, the muffled sounds of an argument from outside still clearly reached me. “Aren’t you me from ten years in the future?!” It was my Stella’s voice, choked with suppressed anger and trembling. “Since you remember even a minor detail like Caleb being ambushed by thugs today so clearly, why didn’t you say a single word about Julian being in trouble at the cinema? Do you know he almost died?!” “Why should I remember?” Future Stella’s voice was cold and impatient, as if stating an obvious fact. “My heart only holds Caleb, so naturally I only remember things about him. As for irrelevant people, whether they live or die, what does it matter to me?” “You’re utterly unreasonable!” Then came the muffled thud of a fist hitting flesh, the nurses’ gasps and pleas, and Caleb’s attempts to intervene… Inside the room, I lay quietly, tears silently streaming from the corners of my eyes, soaking the pillow. Irrelevant people… ### 第三章 So, ten years from now, in her world, I was reduced to those six dismissive words. But once, everything about me—even the small habits I’d long forgotten, or tiny wishes I’d casually mentioned—Stella had held dear, as if they were sacred commands. I’d tease her about her incredible memory, but she’d just lie in my arms, rubbing her chin against my arm, lazily yet earnestly saying, “Julian, I don’t want to forget a single thing about you.” I don’t know how much time passed, but the commotion outside finally subsided. The hospital room door was gently pushed open, and Stella walked in, her face still showing a trace of lingering anger and obvious guilt. She came to my bedside and cautiously sat down, reaching for my hand, the one not hooked up to an IV, but I gently pulled it away. Her hand froze in mid-air, her eyes dimming. “Julian, I’m so sorry…” her voice was hoarse, filled with regret. “I truly didn’t know you’d get hurt… I was… I was just so afraid something would really happen to Caleb, after all, we’re classmates, and it would be awful if someone died. And I was afraid you’d overthink it and get angry if you knew, that’s why I lied about getting a drink… I didn’t expect…” She apologized over and over, repeatedly promising, “It won’t happen again, Julian, I promise you, I will absolutely never let something like this happen again. Please believe me!” I listened quietly, a sharp, tiny pain pricking the cold, numb spot in my chest. I was about to leave, to go somewhere she wasn’t. Her promises, to me, were utterly meaningless now. So I remained silent, eyes closed, as if I were asleep. For the next few days, Stella barely left my hospital room, feeding me water, peeling apples, awkwardly trying to cheer me up. Future Stella, however, was like a ghost, appearing now and then with cold, biting remarks: “Stella, think clearly. Caleb is the one you’ll love in the future. He sprained his ankle, he’s all alone in the hospital. You shouldn’t be wasting your time here. Julian has a nurse’s aide, but Caleb only has you. If you’re cold to him now, you’ll regret it bitterly later!” Each time, my Stella would tell her to get lost. “I’m telling you one last time, I like Julian. Caleb has no one to take care of him, you say? Fine! I’ll hire him the best nurse’s aides, three of them, is that enough? Now, can you shut up?!” Though her words were firm, as evening approached and the sky outside darkened, she would still become restless. Eventually, with a look of apology and struggle, she’d say to me, “Julian, I… I’m still a little worried about Caleb. I’ll just go check on him, and as soon as I confirm he’s okay, I’ll be right back. Wait for me.” But once she left, she never came back. Not until late that night, when my phone lit up with a message from Future Stella: “Julian, face the reality. Future Stella is destined to be with Caleb. Let go, and make way for my eighteen-year-old self and him. I don’t want to miss a single moment of being with Caleb.” Every single word was like a needle pricking my soul. So, all those years of laughter and little moments we shared, were they all as light as dust, utterly meaningless in the face of this supposed “destiny”? Immediately after, another video was sent. In the video, Stella was sitting by Caleb’s hospital bed, carefully peeling an orange for him, even meticulously removing the white pith. Caleb said innocently, “Stella, if you’re taking care of me, will Julian get mad?” Stella’s movements in the video paused for a moment, then she casually said, “Julian is a man, he’s very understanding. He won’t get mad.” I watched the screen, my heart clenching with a sharp, familiar pain. Yes, I was truly “understanding.” Understanding enough to willingly step aside, to allow her to pursue her “destiny.” On the day I was discharged, Stella, who had been absent for almost an entire day, finally rushed in, her face showing obvious fatigue and apology. “Julian, I’m so sorry, Caleb’s situation has been a bit complicated these past few days, and I couldn’t get away. You’ve lost so much weight. Come on, I’ll take you to get some good food and properly spoil you.” As she spoke, Future Stella walked out, supporting a frail-looking Caleb. “You’re going to eat?” Future Stella raised an eyebrow. “Perfect, let’s all go together. Caleb is hungry too.” Stella frowned, her lips pressed into a thin line. She seemed to want to refuse, but seeing Caleb’s longing eyes, she ultimately said nothing, silently agreeing. At the restaurant, Stella took the menu and, without hesitation, rattled off a string of dish names, all my favorites. Future Stella immediately tapped the table, displeased. “Why did you order only things Caleb doesn’t like?” “I don’t even know what he likes,” Stella retorted, her tone stiff. Future Stella snorted, snatched the menu, and fluently ordered several light dishes. Then she shoved her phone screen in Stella’s face. “Look carefully, these are all things Caleb will like in the future.” Caleb’s eyes widened in surprise. “How do you know I like these?” Future Stella immediately turned to him, her eyes filled with undisguised affection. “I told you, I’m Stella from ten years in the future. Back then, I loved you more than anything.” “Enough!” Stella interrupted her coldly, grabbing my hand beside her, her voice urgent as she declared her loyalty to me. “Julian! Don’t listen to her nonsense! No matter what the future holds, right now, I only like you! Truly!” Future Stella seemed provoked, her voice rising sharply. “What’s the use of being stubborn now? Your feelings for him are just a temporary infatuation; your love for Caleb is for a lifetime! In the future, you’ll run all over town just to buy him his favorite sweet porridge! You’ll drive across cities in the middle of the night to buy him mung bean cakes just because he said he couldn’t sleep! When he’s sick, you’ll wish you could suffer the pain for him! You’ll do all these things in the future! The person you’re protecting now—you’ll break his heart for Caleb’s sake!” As she spoke, she again opened her phone’s memo app and shoved it under Stella’s nose. “Look clearly! Remember this! These are all of Caleb’s preferences and dietary restrictions!” Stella looked at the densely packed memo, then at the pale-faced Caleb beside her. She actually fell silent, her eyes complex, and even genuinely looked at the memo a few more times. ### 第四章 In that moment, my heart felt completely shredded. I suddenly remembered that Stella’s phone’s notes app had once been my exclusive domain. From my biggest birthday dreams to a casual remark I made about “really wanting the osmanthus cake from South Side,” she would diligently write it all down, then make each one come true for me. She even refused when my mom asked her to jot down a grocery list, proudly looping her arm through mine and saying, “My notes app is exclusively for *my* Julian!” That earned her teasing from the whole family, calling her a “lovesick puppy” at such a young age. It turns out that ten years from now, that memo, once exclusively mine, was already densely filled with another boy’s joys and sorrows. I couldn’t stand to watch any longer. I abruptly stood up, my voice hoarse. “I need to go to the restroom.” In the restroom, I splashed cold water repeatedly on my face, barely managing to suppress the suffocating wave of grief. When I came out, I didn’t even glance at their table, walking straight out of the restaurant. “Julian!” Stella immediately chased after me. Future Stella also followed, pulling Caleb. “Stella, you take Caleb home. The streetlights in his old apartment complex are dim; it’s not safe.” Caleb quickly waved his hands, but his eyes darted to Stella. “No, no, it’s too much trouble for you. You two take Julian. I can go back by myself…” “No!” Future Stella flatly refused, then turned to Stella. “Did you forget he was followed by debt collectors last time and jumped from a window? What if something happens again?” Stella’s face showed clear struggle and hesitation. She looked at me, then at Caleb. I felt incredibly weary, wanting nothing more than to escape all of it. I took a deep breath. “You take him first. I’ll just get a cab back.” “No!” Stella immediately panicked, grabbing my wrist tightly. “I can’t let you go back alone! I want to go with you!” My heart turned cold and sarcastic. “What about him, then?” Stella hesitated again, finally, as if making a huge decision, she said, “I’ll take him first, his place is close. Then I’ll take you; we’ll all go together!” With that, she practically half-forced me into the car. The car soon pulled up in front of Caleb’s dilapidated apartment building. The surroundings were dim, and the stairwell entrance was pitch black. Future Stella was the first to get out, supporting Caleb, and told Stella, “This building doesn’t have an elevator, and the sound-activated lights are broken. I’ll take Caleb up. You come along and help with some light.”
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