I Was Trapped in the Same Day

Chapter 1: I Was Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years "So, you're telling me you've lived through today over three hundred thousand times?" "Yes! To be exact, one thousand years. Today marks exactly one thousand years." In the dimly lit corner of a vibrant bar, a man and a woman sat together, talking in low voices. "Tsk, tsk." Mu Qianqian, a young woman with smoky eye makeup and brightly dyed hair, pouted and shook her head. Laughing drunkenly, she teased, "Is this your way of hitting on girls? Making up some outrageous story? So cliché! Though I have to admit, it's entertaining." "I'm telling the truth," Wu Chen said, swirling the wine in his glass with a faint smile. "The truth?" Mu Qianqian smirked. "Aren’t you afraid I'll spread this story around? We just met, and you trust me that much?" "What does it matter?" Wu Chen shrugged. "For me, tomorrow everything resets. Oh wait, let me be precise—I don’t have a tomorrow. When I wake up again, you and I will be strangers all over again." "You're lying! Haven't you tried staying awake? Just don’t sleep!" "I've tried. Many times. But I always end up falling asleep, no matter what I do. I can’t control it." "Pfft~ I don’t believe you." Mu Qianqian rolled her eyes and looked down at her phone, losing interest. She had originally planned to meet her best friend for drinks, but she had been waiting for over an hour, and her friend was still nowhere to be seen. Wu Chen had approached her out of nowhere, striking up a conversation. Since she was bored, she entertained his nonsense. But now, she was convinced—this guy was a lunatic. A total nutjob claiming to have lived through a thousand-year time loop. "Your friend isn’t coming," Wu Chen said casually. "Hmm?" Mu Qianqian looked up, narrowing her eyes. "How do you know my friend?" "I already told you. This day repeats endlessly for me. This isn't the first time I’ve seen you. I come to this bar often, and I know every single person here." Wu Chen took a sip of wine, smiling. "Then why isn’t she coming? Do you know?" Mu Qianqian raised an eyebrow, trying to expose his lie. "Her boyfriend suddenly came back to surprise her. She won’t make it." Wu Chen glanced at his watch. "In 9 minutes and 13 seconds, she’ll call you and tell you she can’t come." "Exact down to the second?" Mu Qianqian scoffed and glanced at her phone. "It’s 10:07 PM now. Fine! I’ll wait 9 minutes. If she doesn’t call, let’s see how you cover it up!" "Deal." Wu Chen tilted his head and raised his glass toward her. They clinked glasses. "Hey, earlier you said you’re familiar with every woman in this city who's an 8 or above in looks. Is that true?" Mu Qianqian asked, playing along. She was still bored, and honestly, listening to a lunatic spin wild stories was kind of fun. "Yes, very familiar," Wu Chen nodded and smiled. "But remember—while I know them, they don’t know me." "You only have one day to meet them. One day is enough?" Mu Qianqian challenged him. "Of course not," Wu Chen chuckled. "For most, I need time to study them first." "For example, I might spend five days gathering intel on a girl—learning her hobbies, job, values, worldview. Even though those five days repeat endlessly, by the sixth day, I already know everything about her, while she still sees me as a stranger." "So when I finally introduce myself, I know exactly how to talk to her, as if I were her soulmate." "The best part about infinite repetition? I can make mistakes without consequences. The hardest girl I ever approached… took me thirty-six days to win over. I failed countless times—but in the end, I succeeded." "According to your logic… what’s the point? They don’t remember you anyway." Wu Chen glanced at his wine glass, then at Mu Qianqian, and smiled faintly. "To keep myself from going insane." "Being trapped in the same day for a thousand years is mind-numbingly boring. I have to do something—studying people, understanding them, and reflecting on memories… it's all quite fun." Wu Chen said whatever he wanted. Because it didn’t matter. Tomorrow, everything would reset. "How many '8s and above' have you met?" Mu Qianqian asked again. "Not that many, actually. I have high standards. This city has over ten million people, but only about ten thousand women qualify as an 8 or above." "Ten thousand? You know them all?" Mu Qianqian raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh." Wu Chen nodded confidently. "I don’t believe you! You’re full of crap!" Mu Qianqian scoffed. Wu Chen shrugged indifferently. Whether she believed him or not, it didn’t matter. He had just wanted a drink and someone to talk to tonight. 🔔 Ding! Mu Qianqian’s phone vibrated suddenly. She looked down, expecting a notification—but instead, it was a news alert: [BREAKING: Major Jewelry Heist Solved] She tapped the article, then paused. A thought crossed her mind. She pushed her phone toward Wu Chen. "Take a look." It was a report on a high-profile jewelry store heist. At 9:30 AM today, armed robbers hit Jinfu Jewelry, one of the top jewelry brands in the country. Diamonds and gold worth 20 million yuan were stolen, and two employees were injured. By the afternoon, police had already solved the case, arresting three robbers, while one suspect remained at large. This crime had dominated national headlines all day. The final image in the article showed Su Ruiwen, the billionaire CEO of Jinfu Group, shaking hands with the police. Beside him stood a stunning woman with wavy hair—his daughter, Su Qingying. "You know Su Qingying, right? Billionaire heiress, CEO, Wharton graduate—total ice queen." "Of course. Why?" Wu Chen replied. "You said you know every beautiful woman in this city. She’s one of the top-ranked beauties in Donghai. Even by your strict standards, she must be at least an 8, right?" "9.5." Wu Chen answered instantly. "In this whole city, only a handful of women compare to her." "So you’re saying you know her well?" Mu Qianqian smirked. "Of course." Wu Chen nodded. "Liar! She’s been dealing with police all day! There's no way she met you!" "You're right," Wu Chen chuckled. "She’s hard to approach. But she has one fatal weakness… and because of it, meeting her was easy." "What weakness?" "Take a guess. It’s fun." "Tch! She’s flawless! There’s no way she has a weakness!" "And as for your first question…" Wu Chen leaned in, resting his arms on the table, his voice low and teasing. "What if I stopped the heist before it even happened?" Mu Qianqian’s expression froze. "This day repeats endlessly for me. I’ve lived it over three hundred thousand times. To me, I knew about this robbery a thousand years ago. Do you really think stopping it was difficult for me?" Mu Qianqian fell silent. Ding-ling-ling… Her phone rang. It was her best friend calling.