“Yifan, can you please come into my room for a few minutes?” my mother’s voice appeared from my back as I was preparing to go out to celebrate my 18^th birthday. I immediately stopped styling my hair and followed her into her room. When I got in there, she was reaching for a box, which she stowed away on the top of the wardrobe.

“What is that Mama?” I asked curiously as I helped her take the box down.

“It’s something your father left for you, Yifan,” she replied casually.

Hi, I’m Yifan. Wu Yifan, to be precise. Well, I used to be Li Jiaheng when I was really young but my mother decided to change my name after she and my father split up years ago. To be honest, I don’t actually remember the existence of my Dad in my life. It had always been my Mom. She has always had the strength of two people in one so I never felt the lack of figures in the family. Plus, Dad didn’t contact me during the years so he had very little significance in my life. We hardly speak about him in the family.

I looked at the dusty wooden box, which has a lock to prevent the lid from opening. “Mama, do you have the keys?”

“I’m afraid I’ve lost it,” my mother replied while she was wiping the dust off her fingers, “You might have to rely on your trusted toolbox to open it. Or just don’t open it.”  

I nodded and left her room with a smile; partly because I’m excited to see a fragment of my father who has been absent from my life for so long and partly because it’s my 18^th birthday. Quickly, I rushed over to the toolbox in the garage to pick the lock to get it open. Within a few minutes, the lock opened with a click. Well, more like the lock deformed and opened with a click.

I ran back into my room to check what’s inside the box. Inside the wooden box sat a leather bound book, an old fountain pen, and a velvet ring box. ‘So he gave me 3 items for my 18^th birthday. Wow,’ I thought to myself sarcastically as I picked up the book and flipped through the few pages.

Dear Son,

My eyes caught a hold of the start of a letter, written on the second page of the book. Naturally, I squinted my eyes in curiosity and started reading the note my father had left.

“Dear Son,

By the time, you read this letter, you are probably not a Li Jiaheng but a Wu.

How do I know? Because I know your mother. Nevertheless, you are still my little boy whom I love dearly; no matter which surname you take after. I might not be a good father for I had left you and your mother. I lack so many skills in life as a father –I am not capable, I don’t have much to give it to you.

So, I prepared this box as a gift for you, to follow the tradition of the Li family, which had started years and years ago. Your grandfather gave me the same gift and so did his father.

Son, please prepare for the most bizarre and nonsensical piece of news you are about to receive.”

I swallowed before continuing to read further and looked around.

“You can travel back in time.”

I chortled a laugh. I have completely lost it and started laughing. After 5 minutes of uncontrollable laughter, I wiped away my tears and continued reading.

“Please don’t laugh because I did when I was your age. You see, the men in Li family have the ultimate power to go back in time. It is the gift and also the curse that our bloodline is blessed with. If you use it well, you can use it to your benefits. But if you do not, you can end up ruining your life, like your uncle Li.

There is a limit to which you can go back in time. Of course, you cannot go back in time to stop a major historical event that will have butterfly effect on so many things that might alter lives of many people. This could also lead to you, or me, not being born in the future. You can probably do it but I advise that you do not attempt it. This is used to make your life sail smoother. Many men in our family have used it to find fame, money, power and love. Use it well but may I advise that you do not use it to find power and fame. I have encountered multiple disappointing stories.

The most important question that is probably burning you is - How do you travel back in time? It is easy. Go to a place where others cannot see you. I highly recommend your own bedroom or bathroom. I also find that being in dark works better with imagination. Close your eyes. Concentrate on the date and time you wish to travel back to. This is extremely crucial. You must concentrate on that and visualize it and off you go back into the time. Have fun travelling back in time my dear son and re-write your future.

If you have further questions about life, I have written a few know-hows of mine even though I am not sure you will take it seriously for I have disappeared from your life. I hope you do.

About the ring box, this is for the girl you fall in love and wish to spend the rest of your life with her. Like our abilities, it has also been passed down from generation to generation. Your mom gave it back to me after we have officially signed the divorce papers and I want to pass it down to you. She is a beautiful woman with such a strong heart. It’s a shame I cannot spend the rest of my life with her. Take care of her well.

Happy 18^th birthday, dearest son. I hope you turn out to be a great man unlike me. I will still watch over you if I am still around.

Love,
Papa”

I shook my head as I closed the book. ‘Papa does sound very peculiar’ I muttered and reached into the box once more to look at the ring he gave me. It is a very beautiful antique diamond ring. I took a good look at it from different angles before putting it back into the velvet box. My mobile beeped once as a text message landed into my inbox.

Yifan~where are you? I’m getting really hungry…
A

With a chuckle, I shook my head. I’m supposed to meet up with my best friend, as well as my love interest, Ai. Hurriedly, I closed the lid of the box after putting everything back in and ran out to have dinner with Ai.

~~~

The story of Ai and I go way back. She is probably the only person who knows every single embarrassing pieces of my life. Basically, I have known her since we were crawling in diapers. She used to live in the house beside ours by she moved just before we all started high school. It was a heart-breaking moment for her, as well as me, since we realized that we wouldn’t be taking the same school bus anymore. Long story short – without Ai, I think my life would feel somewhat empty. That is how much she had occupied and been in my life, which is quite amazing, actually.

I have never ever told her about how much I like her. I really do not want to destroy the friendship between us. It is so pure and untainted for her. I really don’t want us to drift apart if things didn’t work out. That is why I have not told her how much I like her and how much I want her to go out with him. It’s awful, really. To remain beside Ai, whose name translates as love, and be unable to love her while shooting down all the guys who asked her out in my mind. Well, she shoots them down with her rejections as well.

When I reached her house with my car, Ai was giving me this narrowed eyed look, meaning she is very hungry and frustrated right now. Her expression was dark as she entered the car. She was holding a clutch bag and a huge paper bag in her hands.

“Why the long face?” I jokingly asked as I drove forward. She was slightly frowning, with a dark expression.

She pursed her lips and pouted, causing my heart to melt a little, “What do you mean ‘why the long face?’ I’m getting really hungry…” she whined like a child.

“But but but, it’s only like… 7.”

“I need to be fed every 4 hours,” she retorted, “no, scratch that. Make it 2 hours.”

“Are you a tamagotchi?” I laughed at her amusing statement.

“Mmmmmm…possibly!” she nodded excitedly and laughed. Oh, the way she tugs my heart strings and strums them violently.

When we got to the restaurant that I reserved, both of us were really hungry. We both had a great time, talking and eating. Both of us were waiting for our desserts when a waiter pushed a wheeled cart laden with a cake with sparklers on top and a bottle of champagne accompanying it.

“Happy Birthday, Fan Fan!” Ai announced excitedly as the cart came to a stop beside our table. I couldn’t believe that she arranged this for me even though I told her that it was strictly my treat that evening. My mouth fell open and I was speechless for a few seconds until the waiter placed the cake, twinkling bright. I stared at her, unable to believe my eyes, while she, including the waiters were singing ‘Happy Birthday’ for me. I got slightly embarrassed, to be honest. I’m quite bad at dealing with public attention. I try to avoid it as much as I can.   

“Yifan,” she called out, causing me to come back to senses. I blinked. She jerked her chin slightly at the cake, gesturing me to cut it. I gingerly took the knife from the waiter and cut it. Ai clapped her hands contentedly before reaching for the champagne bottle and uncorked it.

“Are you sure you can drink?” I asked her.

She narrowed her eyes, “Are you stupid? I turned 18 a few months ago, remember?” Then only I remembered that Ai is a few months older than me. Since she has always acted like a child around people she is close with, it is very easy to fall into the habit of thinking of her as someone who is younger than me. “Of course, Ai Jiejie,” I jested, to which she responded with a beautiful glare.

She poured champagne into two champagne flutes and handed one to me.
“To the life in uni,” she raised her flute and toasted, which I followed.

As I sipped my champagne, I just had to let out the fact that had been bothering me, “Ai, you know, you really shouldn’t have to do this.”

Ai frowned, “and why is that?”

“You know, it’s my birthday and I said it’s going to be my treat. This looks very expensive and…”

“So,” Ai cut me off and put her champagne flute on the table, “you mean I should not be doing this for you.” The smile from moment ago has disappeared.

“No, I mean,” I paused, unable to find words to continue, “I appreciate that you did all this for me but I cannot accept-“

“I understand,” Ai bit her lips slightly. At that moment, I realized that I had screwed up this dinner. I really should have not said that, knowing how Ai is very sensitive when it comes to friends’ feelings. She’s the type who would throw everything into a friendship and become very sad when friends do not acknowledge her good intentions. Just then, I realized that I had hurt her feelings, badly. .

Ai stood up, “Let’s just go back, Yifan,” she said coldly and headed out to the parking lot. “Ai, wait up!” I thoughtlessly shouted, causing several diners to look at us with curiosity, but Ai didn’t look back. I screwed up big time.

On our way back home, Ai didn’t utter a word and nor did I. For me, I was too scared to talk to her since what I said could be used against me and make her even more upset. When we arrived in front of our house, Ai reached into the paper bag in the car and produced a box and then opened her clutch to reveal another small box.

Ai both boxes onto my lap, said “your birthday presents. Happy Birthday, Kris Wu Yifan. Let’s stop being friends.” She got out of the car and strode off into her house.

Frustrated at myself for being stupid and unable to shut up, I punched the steering wheel and put my head in between my palms. After spending a few minutes in front of her house, I headed back home. When I got home, I greeted no one and went straight into my bedroom.

I thought about calling her to apologize while phasing back and forth in my room. I sat in front of my desk. I walked around the room. I was not sure what I should do to save the friendship I just ruined on my 18^th birthday.

Letting out a deep sigh, I flopped myself on my bed and remembered the gifts she gave me. Hastily, I opened the small box first. Inside the box was a beautiful fountain pen – sleek black with several deep blue crystals encrusted into it. I flicked the pen around. The pen is perfect – the right weight and it’s the style I like. Ai really chose well. I reached for the bigger box and opened it, there were a card, and a leather-covered book. I flipped through the pages of the book – it was empty. I opened the card and saw Ai’s handwriting on the card.

“Yifan,

Happy Birthday! It’s been years since we became friends and I don’t even know what to give you anymore. So, I got a fountain pen as a gift before uni and also as your birthday present. I specifically ordered it to fit into your fumble hands since your large hands always hold the skinny pens in the most awkward way as possible. It’s expensive, okay? If you lost it, I’ll kill you.

Anyway! I got a book for you too. So that you can write down what you want to write down into it – daily events, what you ate, what you want to do, letters to your future kids- “

A light bulb lit up in my head. Letters to your future kids? I suddenly recalled about the book my father left me and took out the book. I am going to test it and see if dad had been bullting me or not. I ran towards to my room’s door and locked it, closed the curtains, switched off the light and stood in the middle of my room.

‘Close your eyes,’ I recalled my dad’s instructions. ‘Think of the time and date you want to go back to focus on it intensively,’ I muttered under my breath. Please go back to the time before I left for Ai’s house, 6.30pm.  

I felt a pull in my chest and I lost balance, which caused me to way a little. The room is still in the same darkness. I stood there, feeling lost and confused, until I heard a knock on my room’s door.

“Fan Fan, why are you still at home? Didn’t you say you’re going to have dinner with Ai?” my mother’s voice appeared from behind the door. My eyes widened and lifted my left hand to look at the time. 6.30pm.

What the bloody hell. I just travelled back in time….