"Aunt Wang, please come inside quickly."
The small east wing of the courtyard house—assigned to Leon Ford by the neighborhood office—was not glamorous in 1965. But Leon often thought that if this same property survived until the 21st century, it would be worth a fortune.
Today, he was entertaining Aunt Wang, a middle-aged woman wrapped in a faded plaid cotton jacket. Her name was Wang Xiufen, known all around South Alley Lane as a top-class matchmaker. She also worked at the local subdistrict office, which meant she was responsible for "helping young men and women build new families for the sake of the country."
Leon knew exactly why she had come.
In 1965, marriage wasn't just a personal matter—it was considered a social responsibility. The country believed that only after forming a family would a young man fully devote himself to building the nation. And at nineteen years old, Leon had officially reached "marriage age."
The moment she stepped inside, Aunt Wang started talking at full speed.
"Xiao Leon, I'm here to introduce you to a blind date again. Don't look annoyed! I already brought several good girls for you in the past—older ones, younger ones, widowed ones, new ones… You always said you'd 'think about it,' and then nothing."
Her lively voice filled the small room. Leon's head started pounding.
"Aunt Wang, it's not that I don't want to talk. It's that the girls think I'm not suitable," Leon said with a helpless smile.
The truth was more complicated.
Many people had tried to match him with someone, not just Aunt Wang. But despite trying his best to adapt to this era, Leon's mindset about dating was still shaped by his life in the 21st century.
For him, dating normally meant:
meeting someone,
having a meal,
talking,
exchanging small gifts,
holding hands if everything went well.
But in 1965, this was absolutely impossible.
Holding hands before marriage?
Talking too casually?
Showing too much interest?
You might as well be a criminal.
Once, Leon had casually complimented a girl's hairstyle during a blind date. That almost got him labeled a hooligan. If he hadn't apologized sincerely and repeatedly, the entire neighborhood might have thrown stones at him.
Since then, Leon had developed a fear of blind dates.
"Honestly, you're supposed to be a top student! Why can't you handle even a little girl?" Aunt Wang scolded, rolling her eyes. Married women of this generation never held back their words—big, tough men often didn't dare argue with them. Leon certainly didn't.
"Aunt Wang, let's… talk about the partner," Leon said quickly before she spiraled into another lecture that could last until evening.
"Fine, fine! Let's talk serious business." She clapped her hands and leaned in, face shifting into her "professional matchmaker" mode.
"Xiao Leon, listen carefully. The girl I'm introducing this time… her family background isn't great. But don't worry, she's an excellent person. Pretty too—very upright and well-behaved!"
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Not a good family background?"
He didn't care much about that… but he knew the political environment of 1965. The "big storm" was coming soon. People with questionable backgrounds were desperately seeking to marry into stable worker families to protect themselves.
He needed to be careful.
Aunt Wang noticed his expression and waved her hand.
"Don't look at me like that! I'd never harm your future. The Winter family may not have the best background, but they are educated. Her father's a scholar. You won't suffer."
Leon nodded slowly. He respected Aunt Wang's kindness. She had been trying to arrange his marriage for a year, running all over the city on his behalf.
"Aunt Wang, since you've said so much, can you finally tell me who the girl is?" Leon asked.
"Oh! I almost forgot to introduce her!" Aunt Wang smacked her forehead and laughed.
"Her name is Evelyn Winter. Beautiful, quiet, and also a top student like you. I heard she's studying to become a scientist or something big like that."
Leon froze.
Evelyn Winter?
That name sparked something inside him. A faint alarm. A memory tugging at the edge of his mind.
Where had he heard that name?
"Xiao Leon, Xiao Leon! Why are you frozen like a statue?"
Aunt Wang slapped his shoulder lightly, annoyed.
"Oh—sorry, Aunt Wang. I just thought her name sounded familiar," he muttered.
Aunt Wang brightened instantly.
"You two must be destined! And let me warn you: her father, Edward Winter, has a short temper. When you meet tomorrow, you must behave politely. Don't say anything foolish!"
Boom.
Leon's mind exploded.
Edward Winter.
Evelyn Winter.
Top student.
Scientist.
His hands began trembling.
Every detail matched.
He grabbed Aunt Wang's shoulders in panic.
"Aunt Wang! Is Evelyn Winter a graduate student at Tsinghua University?!"
"Um… I think so?" Aunt Wang said, startled.
Leon stepped back, pupils trembling violently.
"Evelyn Winter… Evelyn Winter… It's real. It's really her…"
His breathing grew heavy.
His world tilted.
He finally understood.
He had not time-traveled into a normal 1965.
He had time-traveled into the Three-Body universe.
The world from the legendary sci-fi masterpiece.
The world where humanity would one day face the terrifying alien civilization known as the Trisolarans.
The world where:
Evelyn Winter would one day send a signal into space,
triggering a chain reaction the entire universe would never forget.
The world ruled by the Dark Forest Theory.
Leon felt cold sweat flooding down his back.
He knew exactly what the Three-Body universe meant.
Humans are insects.
Space is a dark forest.
Every civilization is a hunter.
Silent. Hidden. Ready to strike with absolute destruction the moment they found another.
Somewhere in the endless universe:
Ancient civilizations watched silently.
Ruthless hunters waited for signals to appear.
The corpses of destroyed worlds floated in the eternal dark.
This universe was not romantic.
It was not hopeful.
It was merciless.
And he had just realized he was standing at the starting point of humanity's greatest disaster.
He swallowed hard.
"Damn… It's really the Three-Body world…"
"Are you kidding me?" he whispered. "So I'm just waiting for death? A human bug in an impossible universe?"
His heart pounded violently.
But incredibly…
His blind date tomorrow was with Evelyn Winter, one of the central figures of this terrifying cosmic epic.
His fate was already changing.
And the civilization search system in his mind suddenly felt more important than ever.