I was reborn

Sunlight filtered through the dappled shadows of the trees, casting a slanting glow on my face.

Ye Chen opened his eyes.

What catches the eye is the yellowish ceiling, and what fills the ears is the creaking sound of an old-fashioned fan.

On the table, senior high school review materials were piled up like a small mountain.

On the calendar next to it, a date was circled in red: May 31, 2010.

There are seven days left until the college entrance examination.

Ye Chen stared at the ceiling for three seconds, then sat up.

There was no shouting or yelling, and no pinching of the thigh.

As a forty-year-old programmer who had experienced mid-life unemployment, a heavy mortgage, and being tormented by clients every day, his nerves were already numb.

"I've been reborn." Ye Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Compared to the chaotic middle-aged life, this illogical time travel feels more like a beautiful dream.

As I was thinking, memories of last night came flooding back.

Last night, it was evening self-study time for Class 2 of Senior Three.

Amidst the cheers of the whole class, he blocked the way of Lin Wanqing, the class beauty, with a love letter he had written over three days.

Lin Wanqing, wearing a baggy school uniform and with her hair in a ponytail, stood at the end of the corridor.

She looked at him, her eyes clear, her voice gentle yet cold: "Ye Chen, you're very good. But I don't want to be in a relationship before graduating from university. Let's... just be friends."

The whole class was laughing at that moment.

Some people whistled, while others watched the spectacle.

In his past life, Ye Chen stood there like a clown, nodding stupidly and saying "okay".

Five years after graduating from university, at a class reunion, a drunk classmate put his arm around his shoulder and blurted out the truth: "Ye Chen, do you really believe she didn't date in college? She went to a hotel with the rich second-generation guy on campus in her junior year."

At that moment, the beer in Ye Chen's hand tasted more bitter than bile.

It turns out that the phrase "Don't date before graduating from university" was his mother's exclusive limited-time skin.

Later, when Lin Wanqing got married, her WeChat Moments were filled with nine photos of diamond rings that were dazzling.

He could only sit in his rented room coding, watching his boss post in the group chat: "If you don't finish fixing the bug tonight, don't bother coming to work tomorrow."

His life was like a piece of badly written garbage code, full of bugs and impossible to refactor.

But now, the system has been reset.

Ye Chen took a deep breath and casually opened a copy of "Five Years of College Entrance Examination and Three Years of Simulation" at his side.

Page 1, Sets and Common Logic.

I only glanced at it.

The next second, the entire page of content seemed to have been scanned directly into my mind.

Formulas, examples, explanations of incorrect problems, and even the small print in the footer are all clearly imprinted in my mind.

Ye Chen's heart suddenly raced.

He closed his eyes.

The contents of that page appeared perfectly, every word clearly visible.

"Holy crap?" Ye Chen was somewhat incredulous and flipped through a few more pages.

Trigonometric functions, solid geometry, derivative problems... As long as he glances at them, his brain is like a top-of-the-line server, instantly reading and permanently storing them.

He then pulled out a Chinese language memorization manual.

"The Rhapsody on the Epang Palace," "Li Sao," "The Ballad of the Pipa"... I swept through page after page.

Close your eyes and recite silently.

Not a single word was different! "What is this? An overclocked brain that comes with being reborn?" Ye Chen couldn't help but let his lips curl into a wild smile.

In this lifetime, he will no longer have to be that low-level programmer who works overtime every day until he loses his hair.

It's not just textbook knowledge.

He began to recall his memories of his past life.

In the 2010 South Africa World Cup, Spain won the championship with a final score of 1-0.

Bitcoin is currently worth less than one cent.

The mobile internet revolution is about to begin.

And then there are future housing prices, the stock market, hit games, the short video boom... All this information is as clear in his mind as a giant treasure map.

"Chenchen, are you awake? Time for breakfast." A familiar voice came from outside the door.

Mother Chen Xiulan pushed open the door and came in, carrying a bowl of steaming millet porridge.

Looking at his mother, Ye Chen's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

At this time, Chen Xiulan's hair was not yet white, and although she had wrinkles on her face, she was in good spirits.

In my previous life, my father was seriously ill and bedridden, and the family was heavily in debt.

At that time, he had just been laid off from his company, was burdened with a mortgage, and even had to beg people for money to buy medicine for his father.

He never wanted to experience that kind of despair again in his life.

"Mom," Ye Chen called out, his voice a little hoarse. Chen Xiulan paused, then touched his forehead. "What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night? Is it because of the college entrance exam...?"

"That's not true." Ye Chen smiled and took the bowl of porridge, taking a big gulp.

"Mom, the porridge you made is so delicious."

Chen Xiulan laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "You smooth talker, hurry up and eat. After you finish, hurry to school. You can't be late today."

"Don't worry, Mom, I'll definitely bring you an acceptance letter from a top university this year."

"Okay, okay, Mom will wait. As long as you've done your best, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Chen Xiulan took it as her son comforting her, smiled, and turned to leave.

Ye Chen finished his porridge in a few gulps, stuffed the peeled egg into his mouth, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and went out the door.

...The morning sun shines on the street.

In the old neighborhood, white smoke billows from breakfast stalls lining both sides of the street, accompanied by the sizzling sound of fried dough sticks being cooked and the crisp ringing of bicycle bells.

All of this felt incredibly real to Ye Chen.

He took a deep breath of fresh air and started walking towards the school.

Class 2, Grade 12.

As soon as Ye Chen entered the classroom, the previously noisy classroom fell silent for half a second.

Then, a burst of malicious laughter erupted.

"Hey, isn't this our sentimental guy?"

Zhang Tao, the troublemaker in the back row, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ye Chen, I heard you confessed to Lin Wanqing last night and got friend-zoned?"

"Haha, what 'friend zone'? It's 'Don't date before graduating from college'!"

Another boy chimed in, "Ye Chen, why don't you wait four years? Maybe she'll marry you after graduation!"

The whole class burst into laughter.

Many girls also secretly glanced over, their eyes filled with a mixture of sympathy and mockery.

If it were the old Ye Chen, he would probably be blushing and wishing he could disappear into the ground by now.

But Ye Chen just glanced at them indifferently.

His gaze was as calm as if he were looking at a group of huskies rolling around in the mud.

He went straight to his seat, opened his bag, took out his math test paper, and began working on the problems.

The group that started the disturbance immediately felt like they had punched cotton, and they curled their lips in boredom.

His deskmate, Zhao Peng, leaned over, nudged him with his elbow, and whispered, "Chenzi, are you alright? Don't hold it in, if you want to cry, just cry. I'll lend you my shoulder."

Ye Chen felt a warmth in his heart as he looked at Zhao Peng's young face, which was still covered in acne.

In his previous life, Zhao Peng married an extremely domineering wife, and his life was incredibly stifling.

Later, Ye Chen's father fell ill and urgently needed money. Zhao Peng secretly lent him 50,000 yuan without telling his wife.

As a result, his wife found out later, and the two almost got divorced.

Ye Chen will remember this friendship for the rest of his life.