Am I a God?

"Doctor, for the past ten days, I've been hearing someone calling my name while I'm drifting off to sleep."

"Mr. Huang Tian, that is auditory hallucination."

"I am certain that I heard it."

"Then it must be somatic anxiety."

"Somatic anxiety?"

"In short, there is nothing wrong with you. Don't worry. Avoid smoking and drinking, get to bed early, wake up early, and keep a relaxed mindset; you'll be fine."

September 5th: I went to see a doctor. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with me. I felt slightly relieved, but that very afternoon, I was laid off by the company.

September 6th: I tried my best not to think about anything before bed, and to my surprise, I actually slept until dawn. However, when I opened my eyes, I was terrified to hear someone calling me. This was the first time I had heard these voices while completely awake.

September 7th: I didn't sleep all day, my face gaunt, because regardless of day or night, ghostly calls echoed in my ears.

September 8th: I am ecstatic, because I discovered that not only can I mute the voices calling to me, but I can also follow the sound to see the scene where the people discussing me are speaking—could I be a god?

Writing these lines on a scrap of paper, Huang Tian pondered for a moment, then rose to retrieve a lighter used for mosquito coils from his desk drawer.

Click.

Whoosh.

Twisting tongues of flame swallowed the scrap paper, and ash drifted onto the floor. Huang Tian swept it clean and returned to his chair to quietly recall the changes of the past half-month.

The bewilderment after waking from dreams to calls, the mental exhaustion from sleep deprivation, the doctor's visit, the leave of absence and subsequent layoff, the fear of hearing voices during the day, the ecstasy of discovering he seemingly possessed a supernatural ability...

In just half a month, his life had been turned upside down.

"Though, it is developing in a positive direction—or perhaps, a transcendent one..."

Huang Tian shifted his intent, as if flipping a switch, and a multitude of voices calling his name flooded his ears.

He took a gentle breath and, following one of the voices that felt like a silken thread, his consciousness traversed the brilliant, crystalline river of time and space to "look." A scene appeared before him.

In a clean, bright office area, a young man with a worried expression whispered, "Huang Tian was fired a few days ago; I reckon it'll be our turn soon."

The slightly overweight man in his thirties sitting opposite him sighed helplessly, "Don't worry. Even if the company's performance is poor, they still need people to do the work. You might not be laid off, but a guy in his thirties like me is definitely doomed."

The young man said, "But isn't Huang Tian only twenty-four?"

"That's because his mental state was clearly poor these past few days. Even though he didn't make mistakes at work, well... tsk, you know. Plus, he dared to take time off; it's normal that he got laid off."

Just then, a cough sounded, and the boss walked in. The two immediately turned their heads to their respective computer screens.

At this moment, Huang Tian shifted his focus, and the scene burst like a bubble, his vision retracting.

"As long as someone mentions me, I can see the scene of them talking from a third-person perspective. I just don't know how long it can last yet..."

He interlaced his fingers, his intent stirring slightly, and he "looked" along another sound wave.

Time and space intersected before his eyes.

Beijing Foreign Studies University, East Campus, basement cafeteria.

"Zong Wenjun, your boyfriend's name is Huang Tian, right?"

A round-faced girl took a few hearty bites of the satay beef noodles in front of her, satisfied, before looking up at the quiet girl sitting across from her.

Zong Wenjun nodded.

"Why didn't he come to drop you off at the start of the semester? I was hoping to see what he looked like in person," the round-faced girl sighed.

Zong Wenjun was puzzled: "Why would he need to drop me off?"

"Aren't you two boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Then he should have come to drop you off."

"He shouldn't have. He's working; he's very busy."

The round-faced girl stared blankly, then raised her hands in surrender: "Fine, fine, you really are understanding!"

As she spoke, she buried her head to slurp down a few more mouthfuls of noodles, patted her belly in satisfaction, and rolled her eyes, "Little Zong, do you have more photos of him on your phone?"

"Didn't I post them on my Moments?"

"Oh, you only have one group photo there. I want to see more."

Zong Wenjun couldn't refuse her, so she took out her phone and flipped to her album, where dozens of photos of the two of them popped up.

The round-faced girl's eyes lit up, and she chuckled, looking through them one by one, clicking her tongue: "He really is quite handsome. No wonder you like him, Little Zong. Tell me, did he chase you, or did you chase him?"

"I chased him. Well, that's not quite right. It was during our undergraduate years. He was in the Math Department, and I was in the English Department. Even though we were in different schools, we met many times during general education classes, and then..."

"And then you fell for each other?"

"Something like that."

"So what happened after that? You both graduated, didn't he go for his master's?"

"No, he stayed in his hometown to work. He's in Chang City, Gan Province now."

"How's his family situation?"

"Oh, Yang Ning, are you running a background check or something!"

"Hehe~ I'm just looking out for you, aren't I?"

"I think you have ulterior motives." Zong Wenjun looked at her suspiciously.

"Actually... it's senior Zhou Du from the third year of his master's who wants to pursue you... He bought us three quite a lot of snacks, begging us to help him scout for some information." Yang Ning said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"He knows I have a boyfriend and he's still pursuing me; he's no good." Zong Wenjun shook her head.

Yang Ning was rendered speechless and said no more to avoid hurting their friendship, simply slurping noodles into her mouth.

Zong Wenjun also picked up a piece of crispy pork and began to chew it slowly.

"Zhou Du?"

On the other side, Huang Tian frowned slightly, though his expression relaxed in an instant.

He understood Zong Wenjun well. The two had met at Chang University and had been dating for over three years. After graduation, he stayed in Chang City to work in data operations at a company, while Zong Wenjun was admitted to a Master of Translation program outside of Beijing.

Although the distance between them had grown, their relationship remained stable.

Because both of them possessed cold, independent personalities, they could go a month or two without meeting or speaking, yet upon reuniting, a brief embrace was enough to make them feel warm and satisfied.

Huang Tian focused his mind, continuing to watch from a third-person perspective.

After finishing lunch, Zong Wenjun and Yang Ning did not return to the dormitory but went straight to the study hall.

Sitting in a shaded spot, Zong Wenjun put on a pair of silver-rimmed glasses and opened a copy of Mirror of Chinese English. Her ink-black hair was loosely tied at the nape of her neck with a few strands falling against her cheeks. Her gaze was earnest and focused, giving her an aloof, intellectual beauty.

Huang Tian watched her calmly until the scene shattered like a bubble.

"The time when I started watching was 11:30, and now it's 12:30—a full hour."

"In other words, as long as someone mentions me, I can see the scene where that person is speaking, and it lasts for an hour."

Huang Tian pondered the function of his superpower, "My ability doesn't seem to have any offensive power. What can it be used for? Gathering intelligence?"