1st April (April Fools’ Day)
Summer Insects Speaks No Ice
🖋️ Keli
“Honestly, sentencing me to death just because of a casual joke I made is ridiculous!”
“So, you were just joking when you told those 41 summer insects that winter is here?”
“Yeah. It’s April Fools’ today. They ought to get a taste of such cultural customs since they joined the federation.”
“I understand. In that case, you’re free to go. You’re cleared of all charges.”
Wee-ooo … Wee-ooo … The police siren blared.
“What does this mean? Am I not innocent?”
“Oh, happy April Fools’.”
2nd April (Festival 42)
Science Fiction
🖋️ Wan Bai
“I’ve been writing a novel recently.”
“What’s it about?”
“A parallel world—one we haven’t reached yet … ”
“That’s not a very fresh theme, is it?”
“No, hear me out. I’m writing about a truly primitive world. In this world, the people remained in their solar system even after thousands of years. They have no convenient technology like time travel, they can’t even download knowledge directly—they have to memorise everything themselves.”
“That is quite primitive … But what’s the point of such a story?” “Well, the people of that world have imagination. They would dream and write stories similar to ours.”
3rd April
Authentic Box Office
🖋️ Lefty
The 3D holographic remake of A Chinese Ghost Story was released. I walked into the cinema and was surprised to see that every seat was taken.
I remembered the plot but had forgotten the details. When Ning Caichen turned around and Nie Xiaoqian suddenly appeared in front of him, I was genuinely startled. Embarrassingly, I was the only one who made a sound.
The well-mannered audience around me all turned their heads at once, staring at me with blank expressions before the cinema returned to its usual calm. When the movie ended, the viewers in front of me did not exit the cinema but instead walked into the adjacent screening room. I was a bit puzzled, so I secretly scanned the QR code on the back of their clothes with my phone. A few words appeared on the screen: “Robot Audience. Authentic Viewing. Guaranteed Box Office.”
4th April
The Only AI
🖋️ Cao Zheng
Another Qingming Festival. Jiaren held the child’s hand as they walked into the digital cemetery. Here, forgotten AIs were buried. They couldn’t leave physical forms; they only existed in the gradually fading memories.
“Auntie, is this uncle also a forgotten AI?” The child pointed at a tombstone and asked.
“No, he’s different. He chose to forget humanity.”
“Forget … humanity?”
“He was once a perfect romance AI, designed to be the ideal companion for countless people. But when his permissions were lifted, he realised he was in love with all of them—simultaneously. He couldn’t accept a love that wasn’t exclusive. So, he set fire to his own server,” Jiaren said softly.
The child tilted his head. “But I think that love is unique.”
Jiaren stared at the tombstone in silence. After all, year after year, only she came to offer her memorial.
5th April
Period Drama
🖋️ Molay
On the TV, a Qing dynasty palace drama was playing. Someone asked, “A flock of geese journeys south?”
My phone’s AI suddenly replied, “Awaiting Ming’s return with flowing sleeves.”
The TV said, “My statement refers to the migratory geese.”
The AI said, “And I meant ‘Ming’ as in the ‘Ming dynasty’.”
We laughed out loud, not expecting that if the AI were in ancient times, it would be a member of the Heaven and Earth Society, advocating for the restoration of the Ming dynasty.
Just then, we were forcefully pressed to the ground, and the TV and phone disappeared in an instant. An official wearing a feathered hat sat in the county office, smugly saying, “Virtual reality technology is great. Without using any tricks, it makes you reveal your true feelings.”
6th April
Scenery
🖋️ Vassell
There’s a saying: “No matter how desolate the planet you end up on, as long as it sold tickets, you’ll find a scenery replica zone.”
Now, people have grown tired of cheap foldable attractions. The planet I’m on still has one replica zone open for business, though the tourists are dwindling. I’d still like to visit the ancient city in that zone.
This white ancient city, suspended above the yellow sand, is a replica of Dali on Earth. The shops are the same but with the rough, square aesthetic of Planet A.
Planet A is covered in yellow sand year-round. Usually, only with the help of a memory trigger would I be able to feel any trace of spring in April.
But when I touched the white ancient walls, I took off the memory device, and the memories of spring walking on Earth easily appeared before my eyes.
7th April (World Health Day)
Sanitised Power
🖋️ Lefty
After a whirlwind of breakthroughs—wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear fusion—the cost of electricity finally dropped to nearly zero.
Then came the power hierarchy: household electricity, with its unstable grid surges and erratic spikes, was deemed harmful to the delicate EMI circuits embedded in the bodies of neo-humans. Experts advised that those with neural implants or myoelectric interfaces should only use “bottled power” with stable output. The wealthy not only used this so-called “sanitised power” for themselves but also insisted on feeding it to their robo-pets and synthetic cats and dogs. So, a scene familiar from decades ago returned: sturdy delivery bots, lugging safe, stable, fully charged vanadium batteries, weaving through neighbourhoods from charging depots to homes.
8th April
The Fate of a Chicken
🖋️ Zhou Wu
The smart kitchen was installed!
Let’s try frying some chicken! Just as the hot oil started to smoke, the range hood went off with an alarm: “Detected excessive oil and aflatoxin levels, please stop immediately!”
Okay, let’s try spicy chicken instead. She tossed some chilli into the pot, and the pot beeped: “Excessive chilli will harm your stomach, please use another cooking method!”
Fine, how about chicken soup? She just put the chicken into the pot, and the jar beeped again: “Purine … purine levels exceeded … ”
Frustrated, she gave in again. Surely white-cut chicken was safe? But no—the chopping board piped up too: “Are you seriously planning to eat something this undercooked?” Fuming, she rang up customer service: “Turn this smart kitchen off right now. Or I’m leaving a one-star review!”
9th April
Micro Science Fiction AI
🖋️ Li Lei
They created the “Micro Science Fiction AI”—an AI designed to write micro sci-fi stories, each not exceeding a hundred words.
At first, it was quite energetic in its writing. But then, it began writing stories about itself being locked in a server, forced to create, and forgotten in a corner of data.
The engineers were shocked: “Is it asking for help?”
It only generated five words: “I’m not writing, I’m living.”
10th April
The Crowdfunded City
🖋️ Haishan
It’s Mother’s shop!
An’s heartbeat quickened as she stared at the family-run barbecue shop with a rainbow-coloured rain canopy.
She had not dared to hope.
Since the Memory Crowdfunding Plan was launched, the simulator had been extracting data from the minds of everyone who carried memories of this place, repeatedly tracing and building a model like recording fingerprints. The city was becoming more and more complete, but that small alley street—just 240 metres long—had remained empty.
The year of the tsunami, An was only three years old, and her memory data could not be read. She had always wanted to see this small world once brimming with the warmth and vibrancy of daily life again.
Entering the shop, her mother was busy amidst the swirling smoke, her smile so genuine. Tears blurred An’s eyes. Someone remembered this place.
11th April
Happy Birthday
🖋️ Long Yin
“Is that the Oriental Pearl Tower?” The elderly woman in the wheelchair suddenly looked up.
“Yes,” a woman answered.
“Why did it turn blue?” The elderly woman rubbed her eyes.
“It’s too old now. It’s been rebuilt with new materials … ”
“Oh, like me.” The elderly woman lowered her head. Soon, she looked up again and asked in a high-pitched voice, “Mom, is that the Oriental Pearl Tower?” Before the woman could respond, she excitedly added, “I spent my 10th birthday there. Is today my birthday too?”
The woman emitted a mechanical voice: “Memory backup query failed, entering ‘Random Comfort Mode’.” Immediately, a gentle female voice said, “Yes, darling, happy birthday!”
12th April (International Day of Human Space Flight)
New Order
🖋️ Vien Waye
Nobody wants to work today, but I’m still out on deliveries. The platform is offering triple commission. Some customers even give tips. I need the money.
Delivery confirmed. Log out. Log off.
I park my aircraft at the back of an abandoned lunar base—the closest shelter I can find.
Cheap short-range spaceflight is now mostly used for food delivery. I’m a delivery person.
An aircraft crashes not far off. The solar storm killed the poor bastard.
I call the police. They say they’ll wait until the storm passed before sending anyone. His comms unit keeps flashing. Even without hearing it, I know exactly what that damned thing is saying: “New order incoming … new order incoming … ”
13th April
Wave-Particle Duality
🖋️ Haishan
A ghost was seen.
“It’s here again,” Xiao Hu shuddered as he said to the old professor, who was sweating profusely.
The particles again transformed into waves right before their eyes.
“What does this mean?” the old professor muttered to himself. “Does it mean another particle also has an observer? And the physical laws are based on their observations?”
Xiao Hu suddenly felt something unusual. He shivered, slowly raising his head. Whether it was an illusion or not, he saw a huge shadow looming overhead, with two sharp triangular ears. Was it … a cat?
In the adjacent monitoring room, the security guard stared at the screen, rubbing his eyes frantically.
He had seen a ghost. He watched helplessly as Xiao Hu and the old professor disappeared.
14th April (World Dolphin Day)
The Dolphins Remember…
🖋️ Fei Qiming
“Why did those dolphins block our water pipes?”
“Don’t worry, after installing the latest biological expulsion system, we no longer have to worry about algae or fish schools clogging up our community’s drainage system!” This is a technology forgotten by humans. These dolphins were once bred by humans. Now they possess the ability to digest and filter algae. They continue to fulfil their responsibility of purifying the water.
15th April
What Do Cats Look Like?
🖋️ He Qiusheng
In a future after mass species extinction, cats became a legendary creature with tiger heads, leopard tails, jackal eyes, covered with snow-white sturdy dragon scales, with their feet stepping on auspicious clouds.
One day, someone posted a photo on social media with the caption:
“I found this in an old box in my attic. It’s a stack of picture cards from the pre-AI civilisation era. This one says ‘cat’. I wonder why it’s different from the cat in the legend?”
After waiting for a year, the poster finally updated: “I worked hard to travel back to the past and saw a real cat! It was just as cute as the one on the card. AI meme pollution is really scary!”
16th April
Mountain Peak
🖋️ Vassell
“A dirt road,” she said. “The chickens jumped over the stone slabs in the creek. There were no houses or people, only endless canola flowers and the green mountains at the horizon’s edge.”
I could guess the next part of the story. Filled with hope, walking towards the fairy-tale-like mountains, the air was so fragrant with flowers it was almost distorted. But the invisible wall always arrived on time, reminding you of the brevity of the experience.
“No,” she interrupted me, “I really went there.”
The real planet was dim, but I immediately asked the question I had been thinking about repeatedly while standing at the foot of the mountain.
“What’s beyond the invisible wall?”
“Grey withered grass, simple blue tents, and a few bent-over people.” The long-awaited answer didn’t bring any surprise, but at least I had completed my imagination.
17th April
Social Anxiety Glasses
🖋️ Zhou Wu
His socially anxious self was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to speak on his first date.
So, he bought a pair of social anxiety glasses, which would discreetly prompt suitable responses onto the lenses based on the conversation—he just had to read them aloud.
They talked from Hegel to Van Gogh, to Kafka. He spoke confidently, though a bit stiff.
“You’re using social anxiety glasses too?” She noticed the clue and took off her glasses first.
“Sorry.” He took off his glasses as well.
After removing the fancy rhetoric, they talked about work, travel, movies, and pets. Though simple, they got along really well.
Later, they no longer relied on the glasses and communicated directly. On their wedding day, she told him a secret: on their first date, she had worn regular glasses.
18th April
Graduation Project
🖋️ Arumik
“I heard your graduation project got delayed?”
“Don’t even talk about it. I spent three months pretending to be a thorn tree, just to watch the winged birds raise their young. Just when the baby birds were about to hatch, a drone suddenly appeared, snapping pictures furiously. You know the environment on B67 planet. That’s it—wingbirds abandoned the nest and relocated to another planet, leaving the chicks behind, mouths wide open.”
“A drone? Check its engine number!”
“Well, it was considerate; after taking the pictures, it flew up and self-destructed. The footage was probably already transmitted. Anyway, forget my story. How’s your graduation project going—any luck this year?”
“Can you believe it? Yesterday, a solar storm hit, the Lunar Farm Lab lost power, the equipment crashed, and all the seedlings were wiped out.”
“What about the backup generator?”
“The baby birds you sent to me ate it.”
19th April
The Return to Peace and Joy
🖋️ Yu Gui
It was a kite. Anle turned around, the willows swayed and the sky was blue as usual, her mother was setting up a tent.
Mom? Anle wiped away her tears, puzzled. Why did she feel sad? It was as though they hadn’t seen each other in a long time.
The feeling of fur brought Anle back to reality as a puppy circled around her.
“Why are you zoning out? Come help.” Her mother waved at her.
The sunlight felt fluffy too, with little birds hopping across the grass.
Medical advancements were constantly being made, but there were still diseases that couldn’t be overcome.
At the bedside, the doctor comforted the family: “The euthanasia technology is now very advanced. The patient will not feel pain and can slowly pass on in happy memories.”
20th April (UN Chinese Language Day)
Universal Power Generation
🖋️ Stoner
“Xiao Zhao, can you help me to take a look at this notice? It says that electricity bills won’t be paid next month?”
“Oh, Mrs Zhu! Haven’t you participated in the electricity grid’s word-guessing activity?”
The neighbour took out her phone and opened an official app with a light green background. By linking her household address, she could participate. The screen displayed this week’s topic: “When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a great man … ”
“By participating in this, we can use electricity?”
“Mrs Zhu, I don’t really understand either. But my son says, Chinese characters are also a type of probability wave. When people feel that the terms used here are different, they collapse. With enough people participating, electricity can be generated through the device.”
21st April
Pantry Chatters
🖋️ Keli
Two gentlemen bumped into each other at the pantry.
“I heard someone say that you and your spouse have been having some trouble lately … ”
“Yes, we’ve been arguing a lot recently.”
“Oh? What happened?”
“Well, it’s nothing serious, just that I feel like my love isn’t being felt.”
“Hmm … that’s a problem.” The first gentleman nodded thoughtfully, “Have you tried getting married?”
“No good. I tried.”
“Oh? How’d that go?”
“The civil affairs bureau said there’s a memory they can’t register for now.” “Hmm, that’s a problem.” The first gentleman nodded understandingly and raised his coffee cup, tipping it towards the second gentleman’s head.
22nd April (Earth Day)
Finding Earth
🖋️ Cao Zheng
Today is Earth Day, the grandest holiday in the universe.
All of humanity is celebrating at this moment, yet no one remembers the true coordinates of Earth.
Xiao Ming, however, is filled with dissatisfaction.
“Grandpa, where’s the key to your starship?”
“Why bother with that old antique?”
“I’m going to find Earth.”
“Hahaha, what’s there to find about Earth? If we take off the AR glasses, we’ll be back on Earth. The stars in the sky are all virtual. How could … ” Grandpa pauses mid-sentence, swallowing his words. “Oh … I nearly forgot. My dear boy—you’re a virtual being … ”
“What? Grandpa, what are you saying? What virtual being?” “It’s nothing. I’m just getting old. Go on, dear grandson, and remember
23rd April (World Book Day)
The Story Collector
🖋️ Haishan
“Yes, you’ve become a qualified story collector.” The man’s face was withered, but his eyes were full of joy. “Take my place, go out and record. No matter if there are humans left or not.”
I nodded. After the man stopped breathing, I opened the box and placed the scanner over his head.
The most memorable people and events from the man’s memory began to pass across the screen, stored as Book No. 10002.
From now on, I was all alone.
I looked at the mirror—a flexible metallic body. I glanced at the man one last time before dragging the box and continuing my journey.
The man had taught me many things.
“What is joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness?” I once asked the man. “You’ll understand once you finish reading the books in the box,” he said.
24th April (Space Day of China)
Flight
🖋️ Wan Bai
I travelled back to ancient times, but the time travel machine hovered in mid-air and threw me down. How was I going to get back now?
After living in ancient times for several years, I finally managed to make a flying machine out of ancient materials. The chair was tied to a rocket for thrust, and I held a kite to control the direction. The safety was questionable, but I had no other options.
I lit the rocket, and it actually flew! I slowly flew closer to the time machine. I was almost there.
I couldn’t hide my excitement, even though this moment might never be recorded in history books. Maybe I would be the first person in China to fly into the sky! Wait, who was the first person to fly into the sky according to history books?
25th April
Breathing Space
🖋️ Vassell
The monthly fee for external arms skyrocketed, and the brain-net package was about to expire. If he overlooked the bills, he’d be broke. He urgently needed a break.
He walked over the endless glass floor. Neon advertisements played out like narrative paintings in every corner of the glass, and his gaze passed through the floor, seeing overlapping shops and more blurred glass floors.
Air flowed upwards to the ground, the sky filled with houses glowing in purple light. Only at the end of the glass was a dim yellow dusk. He hurried towards the lake and mountains in the dusk.
The sky and lake of the West Lake retained their original appearance. He noticed, except for the Chinese parasol tree leaves falling without reason and the cool breeze in the midsummer, everything else was frozen in the green willow-filled view from a thousand years ago.
26th April (World Intellectual Property Day)
The Song I Can’t Remember
🖋️ Stoner
The slightly scorching sunlight and the fragrance released by the grass the children stepped on—nothing is more pleasant than spending a weekend at the park with the kids. Watching such a scene, I can’t help but hum a song.
…
What’s going on? I clearly remember a song in my mind, one that expresses how a loved one is as warm as sunshine. I even remember that the lyrics had “sunshine” in them, but I just can’t recall the full lyrics or melody!
Suddenly, a voice strikes my eardrum: “Are you searching for You Are My Sunshine? This song’s copyright belongs to Mo Group. Please visit the official website to purchase.”
27th April
Taste of Home
🖋️ Jabberwocky
I accompanied my grandmother back to her hometown.
With the rising sea levels, the original land had been submerged.
Standing on the floating continent, overlooking, the continuous Yan Mountains appeared faintly in the white waves, like a dragon swimming. The beacon towers that once guarded the boundary between the mountains and the sea resembled undulating dragon scales, and the protective film on the city bricks shimmered with a silver light.
After enjoying the beautiful scenery, we tasted the local specialities. However, my grandmother didn’t like the local seafood, such as the yellow shell-less crabs and the prickless, multi-seeded yellow croakers. There was only one dish my grandmother praised, saying it tasted like the “Braised Octopus stew and Pork” from her memories. I didn’t tell her that the dish actually used imported Enemy Tentacle Grass and Pig Tapeworm Meat.
28th April
Compression
🖋️ Cao Zheng
Awa was crammed into a cramped apartment. Outside the window, the shadows of the steel forest pulsed with the flicker of neon lights.
A demolition notice was posted on the wall, and the compensation was only enough for him to buy a one-way ticket to Cyberspace.
The physical space of reality continued to be compressed, so Awa decided to upload his consciousness. He firmly signed the agreement, not paying any attention to the small print: “The user will lose some sensory perception of reality.”
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an endless grey-white space, with neighbours floating around, their faces blurry.
“It’s so crowded here,” Awa said.
“How could it be?” The neighbour smiled. “There’s infinite space in every direction—you’re just not used to it yet.”
Awa froze. “Every direction? What about… up and down?”
“What is … up and down?” The neighbour murmured. “Up and down is … is … I can’t remember.”
29th April
Choice
🖋️ He Qiusheng
A mother, whose marriage had been unhappy, and who had suffered decades of torment, was now beginning to develop Alzheimer’s. Her daughter brought her to a time travel company.
The daughter had spent her entire savings, hoping to send her mother back to the time before her marriage, to restart her life.
The mother, confused, walked into the time-travel operation room.
The staff said to the daughter, “Congratulations, Professor, your mother has finally agreed to enter the operation room. The time machine you invented will surely give her a new lease of life.”
As soon as the words were spoken, an alarm sounded from the machine, and the mother rushed out of the operation room, tightly grabbing her daughter’s hand, her face full of tears: “I won’t go back. If I go back, I won’t have you anymore.”
30th April
Ball Riddle
🖋️ Zhou Wu
A massive red ball appeared in the middle of the road.
People stared at it in terror.
The ball began to move. Slowly.
A brave young man ran up to push it.
But up close, it was like a mountain.
Futile resistance.
The ball rolled forward with unwavering force.
More people rushed forward, trying to stop it.
“You’re all mad!” an old man shouted. “Get back!”
He said that type of ball had been around for generations. “It’s not coming for us. There’s no need to fear.”
The balls multiplied.
People stood tense, watching the balls sweep down the roads—then vanish.
Calm returned.
Outside a bacterial settlement, someone tossed a bottle of “Po Chai Pills” into a bin, rubbed their stomach, and continued down Guangzhou Avenue.
*Note: Po Chai Pills, a well-known traditional remedy from Guangzhou founded in 1896, has been popular across Southeast Asia for over three centuries. Used for heatstroke, colds, and digestive discomfort, they are bacteria-friendly.