Chapter 2 - Rebirth
Lin Qian was surrounded by the friends he grew up with.
Xu Yao, Jiang TingJun, Pan QiBo...and Fu YiFei, who had fallen to the ground from shock, taking a desk down with him.
The loud bang Lin Qian had just heard turned out to be this.
All his friends were looking at him in horror, as if they just heard some terrible piece of news. Fu YiFei was on the ground with his mouth wide open in an astonishing arc, making him look quite silly.
But no one was more surprised than Lin Qian himself.
He realized that he was actually in his alma mater, No. 12 High School. He was sitting in his classroom and standing before him were all of his friends, faces still familiar, but obviously too young.
No wonder he thought Xu Yao’s face looked weird when he first saw it. The Xu Yao in front of him didn’t have any fine lines created by the hardships of life but instead, sported two ugly acne bumps sticking out of his forehead.
Nearby, other students who were attracted by the sound of the falling desk looked at him doubtfully.
Lin Qian subconsciously kneaded his temples in an attempt to wake himself up.
As he did this, his friends all gradually recovered.
Xu Yao took the lead and approached him, his face engraved with the words ‘shocked’ in uppercase. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before finally managing to say: “Ah Qian, what did you just say?”
Lin Qian at the moment couldn’t understand the situation in front of him so opted not to answer. Instead, he scrutinized his friend’s face, in an attempt to figure out the truth from falsehood.
Jiang TingJun’s face was frightened and uncertain as he said: “I think I just had an auditory hallucination...”
Fu YiFei, who was still sitting on the ground, raised his hand and weakly echoed, “Me too...”
Lin Qian’s gaze moved with their voices, analyzing each person carefully. He identified these friends of his who were clearly familiar but were strangers at the same time.
Several of his young friends looked at each other as they muttered their doubts, as if asking the other whether they really heard what they heard.
Xu Yao was still looking at him, asking again and again: “Ah Qian, what did you just say?”
“He said that he and Zhang PingQing were together.” A girl suddenly interrupted
Lin Qian turned his head to look at the female classmate who just spoke. She had a low presence in class, and he couldn’t even remember her name, only vaguely remembering that she seemed to enjoy reading some strange books.
This female classmate pushed her glasses back to the bridge of her nose, her eyes hidden behind the lens showing a mysterious and eager twinkle: “He also said that he was going to marry Zheng PingQing.”
At this, Pan QiBo, the only other person who had stayed silent, finally confirmed his fears and made a concluding statement: “It seems that it wasn’t just an auditory hallucination everyone conveniently had at the same time.”
Pan QinBo and the female classmate’s words were tantamount to thunder, striking every one of the onlookers, causing them to gasp.
“What? Are Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing together?”
“I don’t believe it! How can No. 12 have room for both of these arch-rivals?”
“Wait, I also heard Lin Qian badmouthing Zheng PingQing just this morning! How can Lin Qian change his tune after just two classes?”
I take two classes, and suddenly Lin Qian does a 180?
“The College Entrance Examination is killing people, ah! Those university tyrants driving everyone crazy!”
“Come, come, someone bring me my salvation pill to give to this poor person!”
“Xu Yao, you previously said that you guys were meeting Zheng PingQing’s group after school to negotiate. Were you just faking?” A classmate pointed towards Xu Yao, eyes full of suspicion and doubt.
Xu Yao’s eyes widened and he shook his head madly, indicating that he was totally innocent.
Several female classmates were also screaming in the background: “I don’t agree with this marriage!!!”
“Men are big fat liars!”
In the midst of all this chaos, someone finally couldn’t take all this talk and loudly shouted: “Can you all focus on the main point? Isn’t the biggest problem about all this is the fact that they’re both men?”
......
Lin Qian: “....”
This kind of rambunctious atmosphere was familiar and in-line with his past classroom interactions.
At this moment, Lin Qian’s brain finally sputtered to life and he realized that he, in fact, had been reborn.
He suddenly reached out to grip Xu Yao’s arm, pinching the flesh he touched. When he heard Xu Yao’s exclamation of pain, he determined that he was not dreaming.
Since this isn’t a dream, it meant that this was really happening.
He actually returned back into his student days.
It was a pity, but he shouldn’t wait for Zheng PingQing to marry him again. Zheng PingQing could have a normal life and be a little happier, ah.
Lin Qian wasn’t without regret when he thought this.
Xu Yao didn’t know what Lin Qian was thinking, but he felt that his friend’s behavior was a bit strange. He rubbed his sore arm and grimaced as he asked: “Ah Qian, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Lin Qian’s mind flashed through countless thoughts, but his face remained passive, and he only shook his head as he quietly replied: “Nothing, I was just dreaming.”
Hearing this, Xu Yao and the rest of his classmates finally calmed down a bit. Jiang TingJun still had a few lingering fears as he said: “Your dream is too scary, I almost had a heart attack!”
Lin Qian: “....”
Fu YiFei stood, groaning as he used Jiang TingJun’s thigh to straighten himself up: “Help me check my butt, I think I just dislocated my pelvis.”
Lin Qian: “....”
No, he didn’t have a problem with the fact that he woke up suddenly reborn. But the reactions of these guys when they heard about his relationship with Zhang PingQing?
Lin Qian couldn’t help but resent them.
Xu Yao looked at him anxiously: “Ah Qian, have you been under too much pressure recently? Are you stressed? How come you had such a terrible nightmare?”
“And what a terrible nightmare. I’d rather dream about failing the entrance exams than dream about Lin Qian and Zhang PingQing standing in the same room...ah, pei! Forget I even said that!” Fu YiFei firmly expressed his disdain for Zheng PingQing.
The onlookers showed sympathetic expressions, and the kinder ones even gave Lin Qian encouraging looks: “Lin Qian, we’re rooting for you to knock Zheng PingQing down!”
Female classmates also expressed their relief: “Lin Qian is still single, we still have a chance!”
Lin Qian: “....”
Lin Qian pretended to still be groggy as he asked Xu Yao: “By the way. what time is it now?”
He could only tell that he returned to his time as a high school student. He had no idea what time or even day it was, so the most pressing task was to confirm his current situation.
Xu Yao slapped a hand over his forehead: “I almost forgot, the senior assembly is about to start. We were going to encourage you before you go.”
Jiang TingJun hurriedly nodded: “Ah Qian, have you practiced your speech?”
Fu YiFei rubbed his butt while pushing past Jiang TingJun: “What nonsense are you spouting? This is the mighty human machine we’re talking about, what’s a speech to him?”
Pan QiBo looked at Lin Qian with concern: “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, just relax alright?”
......
They pulled Lin Qian out of the classroom and walked towards the auditorium: “We better go quick, the assembly is about to begin and with Ah Qian being the protagonist, we don’t want him to be late.”
As Lin Qian was pushed forward by a group of people, he finally figured out when exactly he was reborn to.
The first day of his senior year. The day of the oath assembly.
The pivotal day that changed the fates of Zheng PingQing and the people around them.
Lin Qian recalled his banter with Zheng PingQing on the plane, about what they would do if they ever actually go back in time. He couldn’t help but wring his hands.
If he knew that he had the ability to make his dreams come true, he would have made himself dream about getting rich overnight!
But soon, he regained his spirits and thought about his current situation.
As the student representative, very soon he would be making a speech in front of the teachers and his whole year, then lead everyone to take the oath. The last time he did this, Zhang PingQing and his group interrupted him, resulting in the assembly descending into chaos. In the end, he became one of the biggest jokes since No. 12 High School’s founding.
In the summer vacation before the school year, Xu Yao and Dong MingEn, one of the core figures in Zheng PingQing’s circle, clashed. The two groups agreed to negotiate in the abandoned teaching building afterschool, but because of what happened in the assembly, the negotiations fell apart even before they began, leading the two groups to fight each other directly.
The fight was so intense that eventually, several students ended up injured in varying degrees. Some had injuries so bad they had to stay home for several months, missing the most important examination of their senior year.
Not only that, but they were also caught by the class leaders and brought to the Deputy Principal and the Headteacher. With Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing as the main instigators, this created a black mark in their high school careers.
Lin Qian, in particular, was hit hard. He was a student representative that turned the assembly into disarray, then even took the lead in the ensuing brawl. This made several staff members angry, causing Lin Qian’s punishment to be particularly strict: three months of home study suspension.
As a result, when it was time for the college entrance exams, he, Zheng PingQing, and the friends around them practically fell into a disastrous defeat.
Especially Lin Qian, who with his academic achievements, could have been guaranteed a spot in the most prestigious university in the Imperial Capital. But because of the black mark and his dreadful exam results, his guaranteed spot vanished.
So many years later, because of their low academic qualifications, their respective groups didn’t meet people’s expectations and didn’t go very far in life.
Now, Lin Qian was deep in thought as he walked. At this very moment, Zheng PingQing should be with Dong MingEn, planning on how they would make a fool of themselves during the assembly.
But this time, he wouldn’t go along with Zheng PingQing’s actions. He can make a fool of himself as much as he wants, but Lin Qian wouldn’t be doing the same this time around. In any case, he can’t let things develop in the same destructive direction as his past life.
Although perhaps, after changing the trajectory of their fates, Zheng PingQing won’t ever fall in love with him as he did in their previous life. But Lin Qian could also recognize that this might mean a greater, happier life for Zheng PingQing.
After all, even if time did reverse, his feelings for Zheng PingQing could never be erased.
Love is love.
Lin Qian praised himself for his heroic sacrifice, but at the same time couldn’t help but shed a tear of sadness.
In his past life, he had never expected that despite everything, he would end up falling in love. He was about to enter the happiest phase of his life, but when he closed his eyes, he somehow ended up back as a single dog.
Life really is unpredictable!
Lin Qian, let me give you a hug!
New series, it’s cute, it’s hilarious, there’s fluff.
If you find any mistakes or typos, please don’t hesitate to point it out.