The morning sun, filtering through the gaps in the leaves, slanted in from outside the window, falling on the sleeping face of the young man. In the faint light, the young man's eyelashes trembled slightly, like a butterfly about to break free from its cocoon.
“Lu Mingfei! What time is it, and you're still not getting up?!”
The angry roar of a middle-aged woman shattered the peace and tranquility of the moment. Lu Mingfei slowly opened his eyes, stretched, and hadn't had such a relaxed rest since being hunted by the academy. Even the voice of a middle-aged woman like Aunt sounded so familiar.
Wait, Aunt?! Lu Mingfei realized something was wrong, suddenly flipped out of bed, and observed his surroundings.
There were two beds in the room. His cousin, Mingming, was lying on the bed next to him, and there was an old laptop on the desk. He was too familiar with this place; wasn't this the small room where he lived at his uncle and Aunt's house…
“What… what’s going on?” Lu Mingfei unconsciously spoke, but then startled himself. This voice wasn't right. Lu Mingfei ran to the mirror and froze instantly. The delicate and tender face in the mirror—could it be that he… had been reborn?
“Lu Mingfei! Are you deaf?! Why aren't you responding when I call you? What time is it? Hurry up and go to the market to buy a carton of eggs and half a catty of Cantonese sausage. Come back as soon as you're done. I'll make breakfast.” Aunt pushed open the door to the room and instructed.
This familiar voice, this familiar appearance—there was no mistake, it was Aunt! Lu Mingfei excitedly gave Aunt a big hug, taking the money she extended to him.
“Okay, Aunt, I’m going now!” Lu Mingfei dashed out, leaving Aunt somewhat stunned in place. Lu Mingfei had lived with them for so many years, and this was the first time Mingfei had ever hugged her voluntarily.
She had originally wanted to say something, but Lu Mingfei's hug had completely flustered her. She stood there for a long time, then glanced at her son, who was still sleeping, and walked out of the room.
The clamor of the market surged in like a tide: the shouts of vendors, the ringing of bicycle bells, and the haggling voices of some older women. All these sounds, once submerged in the long river of memory, were now piercingly clear.
He truly had been reborn. Everything was so real. Lu Mingfei was certain this was no illusion.
He had checked the calendar in the room earlier. Tomorrow was the start of his second year of high school. Old Tang, Little Dragon Girl, and Erii were all alive. He could save them this time. Everything was still in time! Just thinking about it, Lu Mingfei felt a little sad again. Why did everyone he cared about end up with such a fate?
A well-behaved boy suddenly appeared in front of Lu Mingfei. The moment he appeared, the whole world seemed to press the pause button. Time stopped flowing for everything, and the only ones who could move were him and Lu Mingfei.
He wore a small black suit, a white silk cravat, and small black leather shoes, with a pair of light golden eyes.
“Brother, something seems to have happened to you that I don't know about. You've become… a bit different.” The little boy spoke. Although it was a child's voice, it made one feel as if he had lived for thousands of years.
“Lu Mingze, everyone grows. I'm no different,” Lu Mingfei said softly. “I need power. I don't want to experience that feeling of helplessness again.”
“So that's it. I think I understand. Do you want to make a trade, Brother?”
“You know I'm not talking about that, Lu Mingze. I know you have a way.” Lu Mingfei was certain.
“There's no helping it. Who told you to be my brother? In this world, we are the closest people,” Lu Mingze said with a smile, snapping his fingers.
“Thank you, Lu Mingze.” Lu Mingfei closed his eyes. In the darkness, a pair of eyes seemed to slowly open, with brilliant molten gold flowing within their pupils. The next moment, Lu Mingfei opened his eyes, and his pupils had already turned a brilliant gold, radiating a kingly majesty that could not be looked at directly. But in the very next instant, these eyes returned to their normal color, as if the previous change had been merely an illusion.
“You're my brother. Why would we need to say thank you between us? Anything I do is as it should be. All right, Brother, I have to go. I won't be able to project my power for a while, so Brother needs to be careful. Oh, and tomorrow there will be a surprise. You can look forward to it a little.” Lu Mingze smiled mysteriously. “Don't ask; if I tell you, it won't be a surprise. Well then, good luck, Brother.”
When Lu Mingfei returned home, Aunt had already prepared breakfast. After putting the bought eggs and sausages into the refrigerator, he obediently went to the dining table and sat down.
“Time to eat!” Aunt’s voice came from the living room. The chubby Lu Mingze and Uncle came out of their respective rooms. This Lu Mingze was Lu Mingfei’s cousin, 160 cm tall and weighing 160 pounds, a world of difference from the little devil.
“Mingfei, Mingze, school starts tomorrow. You two have played all summer, so it's time to focus. You must study hard at school,” Uncle suddenly said halfway through the meal.
“Okay, Uncle, I will study hard,” Lu Mingfei readily agreed.
“I know, aren't you confident in my grades?” Lu Mingze seemed a bit impatient. It was always the same speech every time school started. Although his grades weren't particularly good, they were much better than Lu Mingfei’s.
“Mingze, the first year of high school is a very important year. You need to take it seriously,” Aunt said. She always said this at this time of year, the only difference being Lu Mingze's age and grade level. He was already numb to it. Why was every year so important and needed to be taken seriously?
“I know, I will.” Lu Mingze waved his hand. Yes, he was starting his first year of high school this year. Lu Mingfei was one year older than him and was in his second year. They were in the same school.
“Uncle, Aunt, I'm full. I'm going out to exercise today. Don't save lunch for me,” Lu Mingfei put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and got up to leave.
“Hey, Mingfei, if you're going to exercise, take Mingze with you. He needs to lose weight too.”
“I'm not going. He’s definitely going to the internet cafe.”
The voices of Uncle and Lu Mingze came from behind him. Lu Mingfei waved back and walked out of the house.
“Lao Lu, don't you think Mingfei has changed?” After Lu Mingze returned to his room, Aunt, who had been silent at the dinner table for a long time, suddenly spoke.
“Hmm? How could Mingfei be different?” Uncle was a bit puzzled.
“It's just… he seems to have changed somehow? I always feel something is off. How can his demeanor be so different after just waking up? Look, he even knows to go out and exercise now. Before, he always kept his head down and didn't speak. I used to get so annoyed looking at him like that,” Aunt said.
“Oh, isn't this change a good thing? It's normal for children to change as they grow up. Our Lao Lu family's genes are no worse than anyone else's,” Uncle said, not paying much attention. In his opinion, children of the Lao Lu family should be like this.
“How strange,” Aunt muttered a few words, then got up to clear the dishes.
…
Lu Mingfei was sweating profusely at the gym. Suddenly improving his physical fitness was painful; he had to let this body slowly adapt and continuously improve to better control his power. A slight smile appeared on Lu Mingfei’s lips. Wiping away his sweat, Lu Mingfei checked the time. It was time to go back; if he was late, Aunt would nag him again.
After returning home, showering, and having dinner, Lu Mingfei lay on his bed, still a bit dazed. Yesterday he was still in Siberia, evading pursuit and searching for the truth, and today he was back to before the start of his second year of high school. It truly felt somewhat dreamlike.
Lu Mingfei didn't know how he had returned here, but since he was back, he definitely had to change those tragedies that had occurred. The first time he encountered fate, he was caught off guard, so he was utterly defeated in front of fate. The second time, he was fully armed. He would rewrite fate's script. With this thought, Lu Mingfei fell into a deep sleep.
Shilan Middle School, the most famous private school in the area, with high tuition fees, strict teachers, a constant stream of luxury cars, and beautiful girls like flowing clouds. Lu Mingfei's parents would regularly send money back from abroad, and thanks to this money, Lu Mingfei and Lu Mingze could attend this private aristocratic high school. Lu Mingfei stood in front of the school, a look of nostalgia on his face. High school days, thinking about them now felt so distant, even though it had only been a few years since he left.
Upon arriving at the classroom, Lu Mingfei found a seat in the back row by the window. At the beginning of the school year, one could choose their own seat. He used to sit here too, but because there were more desks and chairs than students, there were quite a few empty seats in the classroom. The seat next to Lu Mingfei had always been empty, and he was used to it from before. Now, he was happy for it to be so; these high school classmates would have no further interaction with him in the future. They were not people from the same world.
Just then, he saw Chen Wenwen enter from the classroom doorway, wearing a white cotton dress. As the breeze blew, he could see a pair of white lace-trimmed socks and the graceful curve of her calves. The sunlight shone on her, and everything seemed transparent.
Many people in the classroom were secretly peeking. Although they had already spent a year together, many were still amazed by Chen Wenwen upon seeing her again.
Lu Mingfei turned his head away, no longer looking. For him, Chen Wenwen was someone he had already let go of in his previous life. Thinking about it now, it made sense: Zhao Menghua had good grades, was handsome, came from a wealthy family, was polite to others, and generous to his subordinates. The worst thing he had done was merely tease Lu Mingfei at that literature club gathering.
If a rich young master like Zhao Menghua truly wanted to deal with Lu Mingfei, there were too many ways. Wasn't it only natural for such a person to be with Chen Wenwen? How could Chen Wenwen possibly give up Zhao Menghua for a loser like Lu Mingfei? Reality isn't a novel world. Is it possible that if you just stay at home all day, a gentle and beautiful girl will come to confess her love to you? Stop dreaming.
In the classroom, Su Xiaoqiang snorted. She had always been at odds with Chen Wenwen because she liked Zhao Menghua, but Zhao Menghua seemed to like Chen Wenwen. Although he hadn't confessed yet, it was clear.
She joined Chen Wenwen's literature club precisely because she disliked her and wanted to outshine her within the club. Unfortunately, she miscalculated. The literature club was founded because of Chen Wenwen; how could she possibly suppress Chen Wenwen?
Actually, Su Xiaoqiang's looks were superior to Chen Wenwen's, but at this age, young boys just preferred Chen Wenwen's artistic vibe.
Most of the people in the classroom had arrived. The homeroom teacher walked from the doorway to the podium, and the noisy sounds in the class gradually quieted down. “I know you just finished your summer vacation and your minds haven't settled down yet, so I'll keep it short. We've been together for a year, and I hope we can get along well in this new year. Also, a transfer student has joined our class this year, and I hope you can all get along well with her.”
As soon as she finished speaking, there was already some whispering in the class, because Shilan Middle School was a private aristocratic school, and very few people transferred in, which they found a bit strange. At this moment, a petite figure walked into the classroom from the doorway, heading straight for the podium. She was wearing Shilan Middle School's uniform, with light, almost pure white, golden hair cascading down her back to her waist. Her features were as exquisite as a doll's, and her ice-blue eyes held a cold expression. Her whole being exuded an aura that warned others to keep their distance.
Many boys gasped in surprise. The new transfer student was not only a foreign student but also a beautiful girl, which made their hearts stir instantly.
And Lu Mingfei, upon seeing her, was completely stunned, his pupils contracting in shock. He stared blankly at the petite figure until she began her self-introduction at the podium.
“Hello, I am Zero. You can also call me Ling,” the girl's emotionless voice came across.