Chapter Text
It was a quiet day at the Time Photo Studio, the hum of the old air conditioner providing gentle background noise. Papers rustled as Lu Guang sat behind the counter, reviewing their recent cases in the dim light of the small desk lamp. The atmosphere was calm, a lull in their usually hectic life.
Cheng Xiaoshi was out running errands, leaving Lu Guang to his thoughts. He appreciated these moments of solitude, but he also missed Cheng's lively presence, the way his laughter could brighten up even the darkest days.
The door chimed, shattering the silence. A woman entered the studio with a solemn expression, cradling an old photograph in her hands. Her hair was dishevelled, and dark circles under her eyes indicated the strain of sleepless nights. Lu Guang could see the pain in her eyes, a mixture of sadness and desperation. He put aside the files and gave her his full attention, sensing the gravity of her request.
She handed him the photograph and revealed her request: to find out the details of her child's death. As Lu Guang took the picture, his heart ached for the grieving mother. He promised to do his best to help her and activated his powers.
As he gazed through the photograph, time seemed to slow down. The woman's child had suffered an awful string of accidents, each one compounding on the previous, culminating in a horrifying death. It was a tragic sequence of events that nobody could have predicted, let alone prevented. The events unfolded before him like a slow-motion nightmare, each second stretching into eternity. The child's cries for help echoed in his ears, the memory forever seared into his mind.
Emerging from the photograph's past, Lu Guang's hands trembled as he handed it back to the grief-stricken mother. His voice wavered as he carefully explained that no foul play was involved, just a series of unfortunate events that ended tragically. He tried to offer some comfort, advising her to seek healing and move on from the past, but he couldn't help but feel a profound sense of helplessness.
As the door closed behind her, Lu Guang was left with the harrowing memories. He knew he couldn't burden Cheng Xiaoshi with this pain, not when his friend was so sensitive and empathetic. He decided to keep the details of this case to himself, a secret that would fester and grow.