Chapter 10: As If an Old Friend Returns (1)

After riding his bike for a few steps, he saw Cheng Chen hiding under the shade of a nearby tree, grinning mischievously.
“So, did you manage to kiss her or not?”
Fang Yu rolled his eyes.
“How could I? What are you thinking? Weren’t you going to my place? Let’s go.”
But Cheng Chen suddenly shook his head.
“I’m not going. I just called He Jia, and I’m going to see her now.”
Fang Yu nodded.
“All right, then—you go your way. We’ll get in touch another day.”
After parting ways with Cheng Chen, Fang Yu returned home and carefully put away the remaining money. It was the weekend, and his mother had left early to help at his father’s shop, so he was alone in the house.
He tiptoed to the bag hanging behind the door and checked inside. The bankbook was still lying quietly where he’d left it, the folded marker untouched. It seemed his parents really hadn’t noticed anything.
Feeling relieved, Fang Yu turned on his computer to check the stock market. As expected, Hongbo International was performing just as well as it had before his rebirth—up fifty percent in a matter of days. By his memory, this stock would rise fifty-eight times over the next two years!
But clearly, he couldn’t wait that long now. The thirty-five thousand yuan he had borrowed needed to be returned by mid-August; even if he reinvested after making a profit, two years was still too long.
Fang Yu closed the browser and lay back on his small bed, gazing at the sky, blue as the sea outside his window. His mood lightened.
“No matter why I was given this second chance—this isn’t so bad.”
A thirty-five-year-old man, back in the burning, radiant heat of summer—who would ever believe it?
In the evening, his parents returned. His father rummaged through the bedside table and handed him a package.
“Here, take a look. This is your admission letter.”
Fang Yu already knew where he’d be going to college and absentmindedly opened the package.
“It’s just Nanxiang, isn’t it? Not far from here—two, three hours away at most.”
“What Nanxiang? They don’t want you! Look carefully!” His father’s tone held a hint of exasperation.
Fang Yu was stunned. His memory couldn’t be wrong—he’d spent three years at university in Nanxiang.
But when he saw the letter, he was completely taken aback. It was Blue Ocean College in Xianjiang City.
“What’s going on?” he asked, staring at his still-young father.
“Hmph. They didn’t accept you, what else? Do you know anything about this school?” His father’s tone wavered a little.
Scratching his head, Fang Yu racked his brain. He did remember a male classmate attending that college. Xianjiang’s economy was much worse than that of his hometown, Nanwu, and the classmate had complained about the poor conditions within a month.
But then, a flash of insight—
“Damn, Xianjiang? If I’m not mistaken, Qin Lu is there!”
He recalled that Qin Lu was studying at the Normal College in Xianjiang city proper, while Blue Ocean College was in a county under its jurisdiction, an hour apart by car.
At this thought, he put on a thoughtful expression and nodded.
“I know. The head teacher said that while the conditions are a bit rough, the faculty is good, and there’s guaranteed employment after graduation.”
Every parent hopes their child will have a promising future. His father looked relieved.
“Really? Your head teacher said so? That’s good. Since you’re not a diligent student, at least learn a proper trade—then you won’t have to worry about feeding yourself.”
Fang Yu quickly followed his lead.
“Mm, all right, I’ll go to this school. But it’s a bit farther from home.” Xianjiang was about four to five hours away from Nanwu by car.
“Then the climate must be worse than here. You’ll need to prepare more things.” His mother cared most about his daily life.
The family spent nearly an hour discussing this not-so-prestigious college, finally deciding Fang Yu would leave for Xianjiang as per the date on his admission letter.
For the next half a month, he rose early every day, told his parents he was going to work, and headed straight for driving school.
At eighteen, he had endless energy. Even with this routine, he still had enough in the evenings to play basketball with Baozi.
On July 25th, a notice appeared in the class group: there would be a gathering at West City Amusement Park on the 30th—tickets were self-paid, and those interested should sign up.
In the past two weeks, Fang Yu had occasionally chatted with Qin Lu on QQ. The girl seemed set on attending Xianjiang Normal College.
He hadn’t expected the first butterfly effect after rebirth would be a change in where he’d go to school. Fang Yu was a little excited, patted his empty cigarette pack, clicked his tongue, and decided to go downstairs to buy another.
But as he was heading down the stairs, a figure blocked his way.
“Fang Yu, where are you going? Haven’t seen you in over two weeks.”
He paused. The sturdy, 1.75-meter-tall boy looked familiar, and then Fang Yu remembered—
“I’ve been learning to drive—leave early, get back late, go to bed early. What about you?” The boy, Wang Chao, was a childhood friend from the same neighborhood.
Wang Chao still had that shifty look, but back in their youth, they’d been close enough.
“You just graduated high school, right? I wanted to hang out with you. Come on, let’s go to Zhao Bin’s place.”
Fang Yu suddenly remembered—he might have been reborn, but his friends hadn’t. Whether it was Cheng Chen, Baozi, or these two old playmates, their relationships weren’t as close yet as they’d become later.
“Hm, I haven’t seen Zhao Bin in a while either. Let’s go.” He nodded his agreement.
Zhao Bin lived closest, just a few stairwells away. The two of them ran up to the fourth floor and knocked. Soon, a thin teenager opened the door.
“What brings you here? Hey, Fang Yu! Long time no see.”
Wang Chao squeezed in with a grin.
“Missed you! Hello, Grandpa, Grandma!”
Zhao Bin lived with his grandparents, so no one really kept him in check when he was young.
Fang Yu put on a smile, greeted the elders, and squeezed into Zhao Bin’s tiny room, barely eight square meters.
“Zhao Bin, you’re still in bed? Huh? Lu Zhen, you’re here too?”
The boy sitting on Zhao Bin’s bed looked confused.
“Zhao Bin, is this your friend? How does he know me?”
Fang Yu’s expression changed—this was bad! Zhao Bin was supposed to introduce Lu Zhen to him; they shouldn’t have met yet!
“It’s nothing. Zhao Bin mentioned you—said you had the biggest nose.” He forced out an awkward excuse.
Lu Zhen shot Zhao Bin a dissatisfied look.
“Come on, Zhao Bin, do you have to tell everyone everything?”
Zhao Bin looked innocent.
“When did I say that? Fang Yu hasn’t been to my place in years.”